Caity Gyorgy Brings Strings to Swing

On November 7, Canadian vocalist and songwriter Caity Gyorgy will perform two shows at the Joe Henderson Lab, featuring sets that combine classic swing, original compositions, and new orchestral ideas into a confident journey. A three-time JUNO award winner, Gyorgy has built a reputation for quick phrasing, clever wit, and a musician’s ear for melody. (Click play to listen to the interview with Caity Gyorgy.)

“I first heard jazz because my dad played the Vince Guaraldi Charlie Brown Christmas album every December,” she recalled. “In high school, I joined every choir I could, including the vocal jazz choir, and I loved the repertoire.” That curiosity soon expanded into a personal canon: “I fell in love with the way singers like Abbey Lincoln, Blossom Dearie, Betty Carter, and June Christy delivered a lyric—swinging but also improvisatory.”

“Ella Fitzgerald was my biggest influence when I started," Gyorgy added. “As soon as I heard ‘Blue Skies’ from the Irving Berlin Songbook, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. She was scatting for chorus after chorus. I fell in love with the idea that I could improvise like a saxophone or trumpet player and still tell my own story.”

That sense of storytelling brings life to “That Doesn’t Matter,” from her 2025 orchestral album Caity Gyorgy with Strings. Gyorgy co-wrote the song with pianist-arranger Mark Limacher, whose arrangements shaped the album’s character. “After I won my second JUNO, he called and said, ‘Let me arrange something for you,’” she explained. “I checked my savings and thought I could afford about ten string players and a rhythm section. I got to the studio, and there were more than ten—Mark had brought extra players and a clarinetist as a birthday surprise.” The sound, she recalls, changed her plans: “As soon as the strings started playing, I thought, we have to do this on a much larger scale.”

The lyrics of “That Doesn’t Matter” depict the duo’s friendship with comic detail. “We’re very different. He’s very fancy and I’m a little less fancy, but at the core we share the same taste and the desire to create beautiful melodies,” she said. “Mark has crystal glassware; I usually have a plastic water bottle. He writes with what The New York Times calls the ‘Cadillac of pencils’; I write in my phone’s Notes app. The lyrics are cheeky, but they’re true.”

Gyorgy and Limacher created an entire album of original songs to showcase that orchestral voice. “We both love that sound,” she said. “We’re inspired by Don Costa, Gordon Jenkins, Nelson Riddle, Conrad Salinger, Henry Mancini, and many other arrangers of the 20th century, along with their work with singers like Frank Sinatra and Eydie Gormé.” The recording sessions took place in Calgary with an all-Canadian orchestra and top engineers. “It’s absolutely a labor of love,” Gyorgy said. “We were supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and every member of the orchestra lent stunning musicianship. We’re so grateful.”

The album’s palette ranges from Mancini-like sparkle to MGM-era lushness. “To me, ‘That Doesn’t Matter’ sounds Mancini-esque, whereas ‘I’ve Been Kicking Myself’ lives in that Conrad Salinger, classic Hollywood space,” she said. “Some of the slower ballads remind me of Gordon Jenkins.” Hearing these marked a turning point. “I can look at a score, but I don’t hear it the way Mark does,” Gyorgy said. “When the orchestra played the arrangements for the first time, it was pretty exceptional. It’s a tough feeling to describe to hear your music come to life that way.”

“You’ll Learn,” another new original, showcases her writing at its most cinematic. “When Mark played me how it would sound on piano, I thought, This is the end of Act One of Tosca,” she said. “He said, ‘That’s what I was going for.’ If people can put their opera glasses on and listen for that, it’s there.” The lyric came together quickly from a voice memo Limacher sent. “I found the words all at once while going through turbulent times,” Gyorgy said. “The voice in the song isn’t me; it’s someone speaking to me. I became more introspective, exploring darker things I hadn’t written about before.”

That blend comes through in her live sets, which mix standards with her originals in arrangements that emphasize structure and surprise. “San Francisco can expect a lot of my favorite standards—Frank Loesser, Jule Styne, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern—as well as my own music,” Gyorgy said. “I love arrangements Betty Carter made, and some of Oscar Peterson’s West Side Story ideas inspire me. I like to be playful with my charts, and I hope people enjoy a bit of humor if they have a funny bone.” She brings an all-Canadian band to the Joe Henderson Lab: “Mark Limacher is on piano, Thomas Hainbuch from Toronto on bass, and Efa Etoroma Jr. on drums.”

Courtesey photo provided

The San Francisco date also marks a milestone. “This will be my first time performing in San Francisco, and of course, the Joe Henderson Lab is such a fantastic place to perform,” she said. The room’s intimacy suits her phrasing, which snaps into swing but leaves room for lyric clarity. It also suits the way she builds continuity across eras—bebop language carried by a modern singer with an arranger’s ear.

Gyorgy’s recent series of releases highlights that balance. Her JUNO-winning albums Now Pronouncing, Featuring(2022), and Hello! How Are You? (2024) showcases a journey through original songs and standards, while her duo projects with Limacher—You’re Alike, You Two (2023), and Asking for Trouble (2025)—outline the partnership that grew into the strings album. Each chapter broadens her creative range without losing the core conversation of jazz singing.

For Bay Area listeners, the invitation is simple: come prepared for swing that shines like new copper and songs that feel familiar from the first chorus. Gyorgy’s music thrives on interaction—the call of an orchestra, the response of a small band, the room leaning in to catch a turn of phrase. “I’ve looked online, and I can’t wait,” she said. “I’m just so excited—gotta pinch me because I can’t believe this is the venue for my San Francisco debut.”

Tickets & Show Details: Caity Gyorgy will perform two shows at the Joe Henderson Lab on Friday, November 7, with two sets (7:00 PM and 8:30 PM),

For current availability and times, see the SFJAZZ event page. Learn more about the artist at her official website. Tickets & Info (SFJAZZ)  |  CaityGyorgy.com