Sol James Comes Full Circle
Before she became known for roots, blues, soul, and powerhouse vocal storytelling, Sol James found her voice through jazz.
🎧 Listen Along: Sol James has curated a guest playlist featuring a wide mix of artists, friends, and influences that have shaped her musicianship over the years. It’s not the whole story — but it’s a soulful glimpse into the sounds behind Sol. Listen to Sol James Selects→
Above: Sol James brings her powerhouse voice, humour, and jazz roots to The Club Room for her Jazz at the Fort Garry Hotel debut on Sunday, September 13.
Sol James has never been easy to fit into one box.
Known for her soulful voice, magnetic stage presence, and joyful blend of roots, blues, R&B, rock, pop, and country, Sol has built a career on singing from a place that feels honest, human, and fully alive.
But for her Jazz at the Fort Garry Hotel debut on Sunday, September 13, Sol is circling back to something foundational: the jazz roots that helped shape her voice, her musicianship, and her path as a performer.
While many audiences know her today as Sol James (or recognize her from acts such as The Solutions, Retro Rhythm Review, Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, and many special projects), a number of Winnipeg jazz listeners first knew her as Heitha Forsyth — a vocalist shaped by standards, swing, big band, and jazz performance long before stepping into the roots and blues spotlight.
Her path into jazz began close to home. Sol describes herself as “the product of the Manitoba public school band system,” where high school big band and vocal jazz helped her discover that singing could be a way to express herself. From there, as she puts it, she “tripped and fell into an academic career in jazz performance” — a path that helped launch her into the wider world of professional music.
“Jazz became the foundation of my musicianship.”
That foundation did not keep her in one lane. If anything, it gave her more room to move.
Sol’s work has always crossed styles, drawing from jazz, soul, blues, R&B, country, rock, pop, and whatever else helps the song land honestly. For her, jazz is not a narrow category. It is a language — one that allows musicians to listen, respond, stretch, and bring their full selves into the room.
As Sol says, “Jazz is a pretty wide net.”
That wide net is part of what makes her upcoming performance feel special. This is not Sol James trying on jazz for the first time — it is an artist returning to one of the musical homes that made her possible.
And, true to form, audiences should expect more than a polite evening of standards.
Above: Sol James performs “Keep Me in Mind” live from the park — a soulful preview of the warmth, power, and heart she’ll bring to The Club Room for her Jazz at the Fort Garry Hotel debut.
Sol says the main thing, no matter what she is singing, is that she wants to “sing the snot out of it.” It is funny, direct, and very Sol — but it also gets to the heart of her approach as a vocalist. Whether she is singing jazz, soul, blues, or roots music, the goal is the same: “I just want you to feel something.”
“The main thing for me is that I want to sing the snot out of everything that I do.”
That mix of vocal power, emotional directness, and humour has become part of the Sol James experience. Her shows are known for warmth, laughter, and a sense that everyone in the room is invited into the moment.
Above: Sol James has graced The Club Room stage before, but September 13 marks her solo debut at Jazz at the Fort Garry Hotel — a rare, intimate return to her jazz roots.
She describes them as “a dependable dose of hilarity and fun,” but is quick to add that she takes herself seriously as a vocalist and musician. That balance matters: joy without losing depth, accessibility without watering anything down, serious musicianship without making the room feel closed off or intimidating.
On September 13, she hopes audiences leave feeling “inspired,” “joyful,” and “filled with the good stuff of life” — whether they already consider themselves jazz fans or are still finding their way into the music.
That feeling is also why the live setting matters.
In an era where music is increasingly filtered through screens, algorithms, and even AI-generated sound, Sol sees rooms like The Club Room as essential. They create space for something immediate and human: musicians and audiences sharing an experience that can only happen once.
For Sol, the chance to perform for “real people in a real room” is not just meaningful — it is integral to the art form.
“Having the chance to play and perform for real people in a real room that is a listening room is integral to this art form.”
Sol’s connection to Jazz Winnipeg also runs deep. In 2007, Jazz Winnipeg gave her one of her first professional opportunities at the Winnipeg International Jazz Festival — a moment she still sees as meaningful in the arc of her career.
“Jazz Winnipeg gave me my first professional shot,” she says. Nearly two decades later, she returns to a Jazz Winnipeg stage not as an emerging artist, but as one of the city’s most beloved performers — bringing her humour, heart, and powerhouse voice back to the music that helped start it all.
For one night in The Club Room, Sol James comes full circle.
Sol James performs at Jazz at the Fort Garry Hotel on Sunday, September 13 at 7:00 PM.
Help Artists Find Their First Stage
Artists don’t grow in isolation. They need stages, audiences, mentorship, encouragement, and organizations willing to believe in them early.
Jazz Winnipeg helped give Sol James one of her first professional opportunities in 2007. Nearly two decades later, she returns as one of Winnipeg’s most beloved performers — a powerful reminder of what can happen when artists are supported and given room to grow.
Your donation helps Jazz Winnipeg continue creating those opportunities for musicians at every stage of their journey.
