DOMi & JD Beck returned to Toronto on June 22nd for the first time since their previous appearance in the city in 2023, making their TD Toronto Jazz Festival performance at The Danforth Music Hall feel like a long-awaited comeback for one of the most talked-about young acts in modern jazz. Within less than a decade, DOMi and JD Beck have built a reputation far beyond traditional jazz circles as virtuosic musicians but more impressively, as new pioneers that can showcase how to further develop and reshape expectations of what contemporary jazz can look and sound like. Since the release of their Grammy-nominated debut NOT TiGHT in 2022, they have collaborated with some of music’s biggest names, earned praise from jazz legends, and become one of the rare young jazz acts to break into the wider music conversation.
This Danforth show felt like a reminder of exactly why their reputation has grown so quickly. Their performance balanced impossible technical precision with a sense of playfulness. It’s the kind of unpredictable, constantly shifting chemistry that has become their trademark. At the same time, they continue to embody that sense of whimsy that’s not only expressed through the artistic direction of their music, but also through their demeanour – both are characteristics that fans gravitate to. Before the duo ripped on stage, a recording of a wide array of flatulence ripped through the PA speakers of the Hall that really highlights this lightheartedness with that said. Some Jazzfest-ers were clearly confused at the tootin’, but long time fans that have seen DOMi perform on a portable toilet know it’s just business as usual. JD even jokes about it mid-set saying, “What should we play? Classical? Nah”. So nonchalant, it really points out how little some aspects of a show matter outside of the performance itself. The show is really what people really came to see anyways, right?
Rather than simply showcasing musicianship, DOMi & JD Beck really just turned the night into what seemed like a public brainstorm of ideas. On top of undeniable technique and stamina, their set flaunted abrupt rhythmic changes, strange sonic textures, humour, and moments where the crowd could feel like they were watching two musicians invent the future of jazz in real time. Though the show ended with a crowd-fuelled encore of WHATUP, the performance also served as a preview into the next chapter of their career, with the duo teasing new music throughout the month leading up to the show as fans waited for the follow-up to NOT TiGHT.
That anticipation became even bigger the following day when the duo officially revealed their upcoming album title, WHO ASKED?, after teasing the project with an overhaul of their Instagram posts earlier in June. The announcement introduced the album’s visual direction, promotional imagery, and tracklist, turning the Toronto performance into an unofficial first look at the next era of DOMi & JD Beck. If NOT TiGHT established them as jazz’s most unpredictable young innovators, this performance suggested that WHO ASKED? might be the next step in proving they are still those jazz protégés that boggle you with their speed and technicality. More than that though, they’re also developing into a genuinely influential creative force that can show other artists what’s possible, what’s next, and how to get there. With DOMi at the end of this show cheerfully saying how this is their first show of the year, it feels like a bright 2026 ahead for these two (already) masters of their craft.
Keep up with the latest on their Instagram and Website. More information on the Toronto Jazz Fest schedule here.
