Toronto-born musician Will Jarvis is a busy freelance bassist, composer and educator who has been performing professionally since 1980. He is a graduate of the Humber College Bachelor/TRU music program and holds a Master of Arts degree in composition from York University in Toronto. Will has gained a reputation as a very versatile player and is equally comfortable playing jazz, rhythm and blues, funk, jazz-fusion as well as Brazilian and Afro-Cuban music.
Will has had the pleasure of performing with Latin jazz artists Tito Puente, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Paquito D'Rivera, Hilton Ruiz, Hilario Duran, Luis Conte and Dave Valentin, as well as drum icon Steve Gadd. He has also performed and recorded with many outstanding Canadian artists including David Clayton-Thomas, Vernon Dorge, Bruce Cassidy's Anti-Gravity Machine, The Code, Jackie Richardson, Carlos Del Junco, Louise Pitre, Trevor Dick Band, Sinal Aberto and many more. Along with his own group, Will currently performs and records as a member of the multi-award winning group Manteca.
In 2015, Will released his debut recording as a leader entitled “Con Gracias” featuring some of Canada’s premier musicians including Hilario Duran, Don Thompson, Bill McBirnie, Kevin Turcotte, Luis Orbegoso, and Rosendo Chendy Léon Arocha. The award-winning recording features a collection of all original Latin jazz compositions based on an array of contemporary and traditional Afro-Cuban styles containing beautiful melodies and sizzling grooves.
As an educator, Will has been teaching at the college and university level for over thirty years. In addition to teaching at Mohawk College he is also on the music faculty at Humber College with previous positions at McMaster University and York University.