It’s hockey hosers versus lederhosen. It’s maple syrup versus schnitzel. It’s Labatt versus Beck’s. But it’s really none of those things; this is about music!
KSDS's inaugural Jazz Olympiads continues, and today it’s Canada versus Germany. North of the border, Oscar Peterson, Gil Evans, and Renee Rosnes carry the Maple Leaf flag. And in Deutschland, it’s a combination of big names — like trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff — and bigger institutions — like the WDR Big Band — that do the heavy lifting.
The Case for Canada
If you're not down with OP, then you definitely do not know me...or anyone else I know with finely tuned ears. Montreal native Oscar Peterson is probably the baddest dude on the court here and definitely the most historically significant. From headlining Norman Granz's groundbreaking Jazz at the Philharmonic concert series with iconic drumless trios of Ray Brown and Barney Kessel (later Herb Ellis) to my favorite iteration of this instrumentation — OP, JP, and NHOP (Peterson, Joe Pass, and Niels-Henning Orsted-Pedersen) — OP demonstrated complete mastery on piano. From Bach and Rachmaninoff to the ragtime of James P. Johnson and Boogie-Woogie, the "Maharaja of the keyboard" had it all... the only living pianist I think of as approaching OP's near-universal fluency is Brad Mehldau.
While OP gets the nod to carry the l'Unifolié into the opening ceremonies, he's not the only OG bringing serious gravitas into the arena. Though he spent most of his teenage and adult life in the U.S., pioneering arranger and longtime Miles Davis-colleague Gil Evans spent his early years in north of the border. Few stretched Miles Davis's ears and musicality quite like Evans, a truth to which Birth of the Cool, Miles Ahead, Porgy and Bess, and Sketches of Spain stand as enduring testimony.
And Canada doesn't just have history on its side. The last thirty years has seen the rise of the current Canadian elite — names like Cory Weeds, Grant Stewart, and Renee Rosnes immediately come to mind.
Weeds, maybe Canada's pre-eminent saxophonist today, can boast not just of his own prodigious recorded output, but also that of his record label, Cellar Music, which, at present, is arguably The most trusted label in straight-ahead jazz, with a premiere, multi-generational roster of artists. Weeds has achieved that rare status in the music world; it's one he now shares with the late Quincy Jones. Impresario.
Meanwhile, Rosnes, one of the preeminent names in contemporary piano jazz for the last 30 years, is as relevant as ever in 2026. Last year's Crossing Paths (Smoke Sessions) reimagined compositions from some of Brazil's most cherished composers like Milton Nascimento, Egberto Gismonti, and Gilberto Gil. She only works with the very best sidemen in the world — in this case, John Pattitucci (bass), Chris Potter (sax), Steve Davis (bone), and Rogerio Boccato (perc) to name just a few — and her incredible solo output almost takes a backseat to her role as music director for the best all-female jazz band in the world, Artemis. Rosnes's status as a legit modern master is simply unassailable.
But the next gen of Canadian jazz talent is coming on STRONG. Vocalists Laila Biali, Caity Gyorgy, and Bria Skonberg (who would probably be categorized as a trumpeter first, vocalist second) collect Juno Awards like they're Pokemon. And young, fusion-inclined musicians like Jeremy Ledbetter (piano), Rich Brown (bass), and Larnell Lewis (drummer from Snarky Puppy) are using their massive ears to make music with the potential to relate to audiences all over the world.
The Case for Germany
Someone recently called the station and told me I shouldn't declare anything the best. Not bands, not musicians. It's unfair. It's impolite. Music isn't about "best" and "worst" or "better" and "best."
I thought about that for a second. And I decided, nah, screw that.
Cologne, Germany's WDR Big Band IS the best big band in the world. Their arrangements are the best. Their repertoire is the gold standard. They are incredible ambassadors for jazz and progressive instrumental music. Their guest conductors and soloists show the most boundless vision of any large ensemble of their size and reputation.
And their recorded output is staggering. Multiple albums per year. All with completely different sonic color palletes. Every single year. Under the recent direction of Bob Mintzer, they've hit a new high water mark. Just since 2024: Life Songs (WDR Big Band w trombonist Marshall Gilkes); Interaction (Anat, Yuval, and Avishai Cohen with the WDR Big Band); Bluegrass (WDR Big Band with Darol Anger and Mike Marshall); At Studio 4 (Mark Lettieri Group Meets WDR Big Band).
There is no place within the bounds of good taste and great musicianship that these guys won't go aesthetically. And while everything they do contains virtuoisity, beautiful melodies, harmonies and section playing — tunefulness — are always the paramount concerns.
If the classic, straight-ahead bop of the American mid-century is your thing the Germans had those bases covered in the post-war period. Pianist Jutta Hipp, who, in the mid-1950s became the first European jazz musician to sign with Blue Note Records; Hipp released three records on the iconic label before disappearing from the scene entirely in the late 1950s.
Trombonist/bandleader Albert Mangelsdorff, of that same generation, was more enduring. In 1958, as part of an international delegation of jazz musicians at that year's Newport Jazz Festival, he played with Gerry Mulligan and Louis Armstrong. During the peak of his recorded production in the 1960s, Mangelsdorff recorded with pianist and Modern Jazz Quartet co-founder John Lewis. And in the 1970s, he played and recorded with Lee Konitz and the pioneering fusion bassist Jaco Pastorius.
Later in the 20th century, the Germans were some of the most resolute trailblazers of the avant-garde, and saxophonist Peter Brotzmann is probably the place to start explorations of the whole German "out" scene.
Today, Germany, especially Berlin, is a hotbed for global jazz, and has become the home for many high profile expat American musicians, including but not limited to guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, drummer Joey Baron and bassist Greg Cohen.
For a glimpse into the future of German jazz, take a look at and a listen to Nils Kugelmann, a bassist and contra-alto clarinetist (which is pitched between a bass clarinet and a contrabass clarinet) originally from Munich, now living in Berlin. 2025's Under the Same Stars (Motema Music), a duo with Mongolian (now Berlin-based) pianist Shuteen Erdenebaatar that melds sweeping cinematic composition with jazz-infused folk melodies, is a personal favorite.
Which nation's contributions to the global jazz ecosystem do you prefer, Canada's or Germany's? VOTE HERE!
