Alleycatz2409 Yonge St. 416-481-6865www.alleycatz.caEvery Mon 8pm Salsa Night w DJ Frank Bischun,w lessons. Every Tue 8:30pm Carlo Berardinucciand the Double A Jazz Swing Band,with lessons, Cover. Every Wed 8:30pmSwingin’ Jazz and Blues, Funky R&B w GraycefulDaddies. Every Thu Soul, R&B and Reggae; Refreshments. No Cover. Fri and Sat Funk,Soul, Reggae, R&B, Top 40; Cover w/outdinner reservations. Nov 4, 5 Ascension. Nov10, 11, 12 Lady Kane. Nov 17 Soular. Nov 18Ascenion. Nov 19 Uptown Band. Nov 24, 25,26 Graffitti Park.Annex Live, The296 Brunswick Ave. 416-929-3999www.annexlive.comNov 4 Peggy Mahon: Next Stop, Haiti! .Aquila Restaurant347 Keele St. 416-761-7474Live Blues Wednesday to Saturday Nights 9pmOpen Jam Sundays 4-8pmAzure Restaurant & Barat the Intercontinental Hotel225 Front St. W. 416-597-3701www.azurerestaurant.caEvery Thu, Fri, Sat 5:30-10:30pm Dan BodanisTrio w Bernie Senensky & Steve Wallace.Black Swan, The154 Danforth Ave. 416-469-0537Every Wed 9:30pm The Danforth Jam w JonLong and Friends.Bon Vivant Restaurant1924 Avenue Rd. 416-630-5153www.bonvivantdining.comEvery Thu Bill Naphan Solo Guitar 6-9pm.Every Fri 6-9pm Margaret Stowe Solo Guitar.Castro’s Lounge2116 Queen St. E. 416-699-8272 No CoverEvery Sun 6-9pm Jeremy Rouse Trio (Jazz/Roots). Every Mon 9:30pm Smokey Folk(Bluegrass/Rockabilly).C’est What67 Front St. E. 416-860-9000www.cestwhat.comNov 5, 19 3-6pm Del Dako & Friends.Nov 12, 26 3-6pm Hot Five Jazzmakers.Chalkers Pub, Billiards & Bistro247 Marlee Ave. 416-789-2531www.chalkerspub.com (full schedule)Every Tue 7:30-10:30pm Grand Tuesdayswith Robi Botos (piano); Attila Darvas (bass)Frank Botos (drums).; free for kids under16. Every Wed 8pm-midnight Girls Night OutVocalist-Friendly Jazz Jam w host Lisa Particelli(vocals/flute), Peter Hill (piano) Ross MacIntyre(bass), Norman Marshall Villeneuve (drums); NoCover/Pwyc. GNO Opening Acts 8-8:30pm:Nov 2 Stacey Joy Long. Nov 16 Kristina Nojd.Nov 23 Micah Barnes. Nov 30 Red, Whyte andTollar. Nov 5 6pm Dave Young Quartet: Young(bass); John Johnson (sax); Gary Williamson(piano); Frank Botos (drums); 9:30pm-2amSoul Stew (R&B/soul). Nov 6 7-11pm CourtneyQuebec: “I Hear Colours” CD Release. Quebec(vocals); Ken McDonald (bass); Simon Dennis(drums); Martin Kuwami (guitar) / withC. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz)CD. Nov 10 8pm Richard Smith, FingerstyleGuitarist ; followed by open stage. Nov 126-9pm Shannon Gunn Quartet: Gunn (vocals);Brian Dickinson (piano); Jim Vivian (bass); EthanArdelli (drums). Nov 13 7-10pm Roberto OcchipintiQuartet . Nov 19 6-9pm Mark EisenmanQuartet ; 9:30pm Soul Stew (R&B/soul).Nov 24 8pm Toronto Fingerstyle Guitar Society(featured artist TBA, followed by open stage).Nov 26 6-9pm Robi Botos: B-Side . Nov 272-5pm Ensemble Vivant.Classico Pizza & Pasta2457 Bloor St. W. 416-763-1313 No Cover.Every Thu 7pm Jazz Guitarist Nate Renner.Cobourg, The533 Parliament St. 416-913-7538Jazz Sundays 9pm No CoverCoco Rogue Chocolate Lounge, The2097 Yonge St. 416-901-2626www.coco-rogue.comEvery Thu. John Campbell. No Cover. EveryFri and Sat Alex James. No Cover.Communist’s Daughter, The1149 Dundas St. W. 647-435-0103Every Sat 4-7pm Gypsy Jazz w Michael Johnson& Red Rhythm: Michael Louis Johnson(trumpet/vocals) Roberto Rosenman (guitar)Terry Wilkins (bass).DeSotos1079 St. Clair Ave. W. 416-651-2109Every Thu 8pm-midnight Open Mic Jazz Jam,hosted by Double A Jazz. Every Sun 11am-2pm Brunch w Double A Jazz and Guest.Dominion on Queen500 Queen St. E. 416-368-6893www.dominiononqueen.comEvery Sun 11am-3pm Rockabilly Brunch.Every Tue 8:30pm Corktown Django Jam whost Wayne Nakamura. Pwyc. Every WedCorktown Uke Jam.. Every Sat (except Nov12) 3-7pm Ronnie Hayward. Nov 1 Young JikKim Jazz Quartet. Nov 6 3:30pm Debbie FlemingTrio: Songs of the 1960’s . Nov 11 9pmElmer Ferrer. . Nov 19 9pm Chaser BluesBand . Nov 21 9pm Open Jam with Noah Leibelpwyc. Nov 24 8:30pm Kelsey Grant Quartet. Nov 25 9pm Havana to Toronto Safariwith Joaquin Nunez Hidalgo . Nov 27 7pmMusical Theatre Cabaret pwyc.Dovercourt House805 Dovercourt Rd. 416-537-3337www.odd-socks.org (full schedule)Every Sat Saturday Night Swing: Dance featuringLive Swing Bands and dance lessons.EDO484 Eglinton Ave. W. 416-322-3033www.edosushi.com No CoverEvery Thu 7:30-10:30pm: Tony Quarrington(guitar) with guests: Nov 3 Vincent Wolfe(vocals) Mark Dunn (bass). Nov 10 June Garber(vocals) Jordan O’Çonnor (bass). Nov 17 JoelDiamond (vocals) Dave Field (bass). Nov 24Brenda Lewis (vocals) tba(bass).Emmet Ray, The924 College St. 416-792-4497All shows 9pm unless otherwise noted. Pwyc.www.theemmetray.com (full schedule)Nov 7 Josh Cole Quartet +1. Nov 14 MattNewton Group. Nov 21 Dan Fortin Quartet: Fortin(bass); David French (sax); Michael Davidson(vibes); Fabio Ragnelli (drums). Nov 28 DanEasty Quartet.Flying Beaver Pubaret, The488 Parliament St. 647-347-6567www.pubaret.comNov 12 8pm Judy Marshak (voice and ukulele)/(adv). Nov 13 7pm The In Between(acoustic folk/rock duo) . Nov18, 19 8pm David Gale and Randy Vancourt“Together Against Their Will” (musical comedy)/(adv).Gallery 345345 Sorauren Ave. 416-822-9781www.gallery345.comNov 12 8pm Braden/Michels/Restivo Jazz Project:Don Braden (sax & flute); Julie Michels(vocals); Dave Restivo (piano); Kieran Overs(bass); Daniel Barnes (drums). ; (st).Gallery Studio, The2877 Lake Shore Blvd., Etobicoke416-253-0285http://www.thegallery-5th-ave.blogspot.com/Every Tue Humber College Alumni/Open Mic.Every Sat 4:30-7pm The Cooking Channel.Every Sun 1:30pm Birds of a Feather; 4pm FairTrade; 7pm Elizabeth Martins Quartet.Gate 403403 Roncesvalles Ave. 416-588-2930www.gate403.com All shows: PwycNov 1 5pm Kelsey McNulty Jazz Band; 9pmJulian Fauth Blues Band. Nov 2 5pm The RoperShow; 8pm Kurt Nielsen and Richard WhitemanJazz Band. Nov 3 5pm Denise Leslie JazzBand; 8pm Roberta Hunt Jazz & Blues Band.Nov 4 5pm Andy Malette Piano Solo; 8pmRoberta Hunt Jazz & Blues Band. Nov 5 12pmJake Koffman Jazz Band; 5pm Bill Heffernan &Friends; 9pm Denise Bassels Jazz Band. Nov6 12pm Melissa Lauren Jazz Band; 5pm MarkRainey Jazz Band; 9pm Jeff Scarrott Jazz Band.Nov 7 5pm Sid Lee Jazz Band; 9pm VincentBertucci Jazz Band. Nov 8 5pm Donné RobertsBand; 8pm Julian Fauth Blues Band. Nov9 5pm Joshua Goodman Jazz Band; 9pm BrianCober and Aslan Gotov Blues Duo. Nov 10 5pmAlex Samaras Jazz Band; 9pm Kevin LalibertéJazz & Flamenco Trio. Nov 11 5pm Bobby HsuJazz Band; 9pm Jason Roso Jazz Quartet. Nov12 12pm John David Williams Jazz Band; 5pmBill Heffernan & Friends; 9pm Canada’s King ofRoots Music. Nov 13 12pm Joel Diamond JazzDuo; 5pm Whitney Ross-Barris Jazz Band; 9pmPatricia Fagan Jazz Band. Nov 14 5pm DenisSchingh; 9pm Jorge Gavidia Jazz & Blues Band.Nov 15 5pm Korean Bebop Band; 9pm JulianFauth Blues Night. Nov 16 5pm Monty GreigSolo; 9pm Sean Bellaviti Jazz Band. Nov 175pm Justine Campbell Jazz Band; 9pm StringTheory Collective. Nov 18 5pm James Brown;9pm Patrick Tevlin’s New Orleans Rhythm. Nov19 12pm Sandy Blakeley; 5pm Bill Heffernan &Friends; 9pm Sweet Derrick Blues Band. Nov20 1pm Awesome Steve Student Recital; 5pmFrance St. Trio; 9pm Marie-Fatima Rudolf JazzTrio. Nov 21 5pm Jeffrey Hewer Jazz Band;8pm Pram Trio. Nov 22 5pm Frederic PauzeJazz Trio; 8pm Julian Fauth Blues Band. Nov23 5pm Alan Small Trio; 9pm Ken Kawashima& Bob Vespaziani: Snake Oil Johnson. Nov24 5pm Mighty Tusk Band; 9pm Cyndi CarletonJazz & Swing Band. Nov 25 5pm DanielleBassels Jazz Band; 9pm Richard WhitemanJazz Band. Nov 26 12pm Ian Sinclair; 5pm BillHeffernan & Friends; 9pm Donné Roberts Band.Nov 27 1pm James Brown’s Student Recital;5pm Brownman Akoustic Trio; 9pm DefinitelySpot-On. Nov 28 5pm Dave Rubel Jazz Band;9pm Ken McDonald Jazz Band. Nov 29 9pmJulian Fauth Blues Band. Nov 30 5pm Ken YoshiokaBlues Band; 9pm Lara Solnicki.Green Door Cabaretat the Lower Ossington TheatreNOW LISTED IN SECTION A (See Nov 4, 5,10–12, 18,19, 25, 26, Dec 3, 4.)Grossman’s Tavern“Toronto’s Home of the Blues”379 Spadina Ave. 416-977-1210www.grossmanstavern.com (full schedule)All shows: No CoverEvery Sat 4-8pm The Happy Pals matinee;Every Sun 9:30pm-2am The Nationals w BrianCober: Double Slide Guitar Open Stage Jam;Every Mon 9:30pm No Band Required. EveryWed 9:30pm Ernest Lee & Cotton Traffic. Nov3 Waring Blues Band. Nov 5 Chloe Watkinsonand the Crossroads. Nov 8 Mz Debbie andthe Xtra Lits. Nov 10 Al Lucas Band. Nov 12The Grayceful Daddies. Nov 17 Waring BluesBand. Nov 18 Gregg Stafford. Nov 24 WaringBlues Band. Nov 25 Frankie Foo. Nov 26 CautionJam.Harlem Restaurant67 Richmond St. E. 416-368-1920www.harlemrestaurant.com (full schedule)All shows: No Cover (except where notedotherwise)Every Mon 8pm-1am Open Jam Night withCarolyn T. Every Fri/Sat 7:30-11:30pm Jazz/Blues.Nov 4 Stacie Tabb. Nov 5 Samantha Clayton.Nov 11 AHI. Nov 12 Joanna Mohammed. Nov18 Saint Peter Miller. Nov 19 Gibbran. Nov 25Shelley Hamilton. Nov 26 James King Trio.Harlem Underground Restaurant/Bar745 Queen St. W. 416-366-4743www.harlemrestaurant.com/undergroundEvery Mon Chris Weatherstone Trio. EveryTue John Campbell. Every Thu Carl Bray.Every Fri Chris Weatherstone Trio. Every SatCarl Bray.Home Smith Bar – See Old Mill, TheHot House Café35 Church St. 416-366-7800www.hothousecafe.comEvery Sun 11am-3pm. Brunch with Jazz Zone.No CoverHugh’s Room“Toronto’s home of live Folk and Roots”2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604www.hughsroom.com (full schedule)All shows start at 8:30pm.Nov 1 Sisters Euclid with Kevin Breit.50/(adv). Nov 2 Bill Bourne &the Free Radio Band: “Bluesland” CD Release/(adv). Nov 5 Jory Nash.50/(adv). Nov 6 5 after 4: ”Rome in aDay” CD Release. /(adv); (st). Nov 7Harpdog Brown with Graham Guest: CD Release./(adv). Nov 9 Valdy. .50/(adv).Nov 10 David A. Wilson and the McGee Band./(adv). Nov 11 The Sparrow Songs: ACountry Song String. .50/(adv). Nov 12Betty Richardson. /(adv). Nov 13 RomaCommunity Centre Fundraiser: Robi Botos TrioCD Release, Julius Csoka Trio, Gypsy Rebels.52 thewholenote.comNovember 1 – December 7, 2011
/(adv). Nov 15 Tribute to Fraser Finlayson(blues harmonica) with Fathead, Morgan Davis,Carols del Junco and others. /(adv).Nov 16 Sacha Williamson. /(adv).Nov 17 Richard Flohil presents: Dar Williams./.50(adv). Nov 18 and 19 Stan RogersTribute with Ariel Rogers, Laura Smith, RickTaylor, Arthur O’Brien, Paul Mills and others..50/(adv). Nov 20 Foggy HogtownBoys: CD Release. /. Nov 21 ScottDriscoll: No Regrets; Heartland Levy: Tribute toTom Petty. /(adv). Nov 22 The Navigators:CD Release. /.50(adv). Nov23 Jenn Grant. /(adv). Nov 23 JennGrant. /(adv). Nov 24 Arianna Gillis: CDRelease. /(adv). Nov 25 Heart of SaturdayNight: Tribute to Tom Waits with MattBrubeck and Roberta Harrison, Ariana Gilllis,Al Parrish, Big Rude Jack, Elizabeth Shepherdand others .50/(adv). Nov 26 Ferron..50/(adv). Nov 30 Andy Sheppard “Findthe Others” CD Release. /$17(adv).Joe Mama’s317 King St. W. 416-340-6469Live music every night. All shows: No CoverEvery Sun 7-11pm Nathan Hiltz Trio & Guests:Nov 6 Beverly Taft. Nov 13 Justin Bacchus.Nov 20 Ori Dagan. Nov 27 Jordana Talsky.Latinada Restaurant and Jazz Bar1671 Bloor St. W. 416-913-9716www.latinada.comLiberto Bistro, The25 Liberty St. 416-533-8828www.libertobistro.caEvery Tue Open Mic w Big Rude Jake. EveryWed Noah Zacharin.Lula Lounge1585 Dundas St. W. 416-588-0307www.lula.caEvery Sun (Nov 6,13,20,27) 12:30pm SundayFamily Salsa Brunch with Luis Mario Ochoa (includes brunch and dance lesson); freefor kids under 12.Nov 3 8pm Treasa Levasseur: “Broad” CD Release/ including CD; free for kids under12. Nov 5 10pm Salsa Saturday with ModaEterna . Nov 8 9pm Six Shooter Recordspresents Lonesome Heroes: Graydon James,Josh Cockerill, Kayla Howran, Pitgott Brothers. Nov 11 10pm Salsa Dance Party withSon Ache and DJ Suave . Nov 15 9pm SixShooter Records presents Lonesome Heroes:Andrea Ramolo, Devin Cuddy, Lee and BillieStrange and Morgan Cameron Ross . Nov22 9pm Six Shooter Records presents LonesomeHeroes: Charles Tilden, Erin Costelo, JadeaKelly and Terra Lightfoot . Nov 29 9pm SixShooter Records presents Lonesome Heroes:Bryce Jardine, Emma-Lee, Joel Sweet, SamanthaMartin .Manhattan’s Music Club951 Gordon St., Guelph. 519-767-2440www.manhattans.caMezzetta Restaurant681 St. Clair Ave. W. 416-658-5687www.mezzettarestaurant.comEvery Wed Jazz Series: sets at 9pm and10:15pm. - Cover. Nov 2 Don Thompson(bass) and Reg Schwager (guitar). Nov 9Ted Quinlan (guitar) and Mike Downes (bass).Nov 16 Ron Davis Trio. Nov 23 Dave Young(bass) and Rob Piltch (guitar). Nov 30 BrianKatz (guitar).Momo’s Bistro664 The Queensway, Etobicoke 416-252-5560www.momosbistro.comEvery Wed 8pm Open Mic.Nawlins Jazz Bar & Dining299 King St. W. 416-595-1958www.nawlins.caEvery Tue Stacie McGregor; Every Wed JimHeineman Trio; Every Thu Blues Night w GuestVocalists; Every Fri/Sat All Star Bourbon St.Band; Every Sun Brooke Blackburn.Old Mill, The21 Old Mill Rd. 416-236-2641www.oldmilltoronto.comThe Home Smith Bar: No Reservations. NoCover. food/drink minimum per person.All shows 7:30-10:30pm. Every Thu SizzlingSolo Piano Series. Every Fri Something toSing About Series Every Sat Jazz MastersSeries. Nov 3 John Sherwood (piano). Nov 4Ori Dagan (vocals); Mark Kieswetter (piano);Jordan O’Connor (bass). Nov 5 Richard Whiteman(piano); Kurt Nielsen (bass); Morgan Childs(drums). Nov 10 John Sherwood (piano). Nov11 Adi Braun (vocals); Jordan Klapman (piano);Henry Heillig (bass). Nov 12 Andrew Scott (guitar);Jake Wilkinson (trumpet); Steve Wallace(bass). Nov 17 John Sherwood (piano). Nov 18Lara Solnicki (vocals); Mark Kieswetter (piano);Jim Vivian (bass). Nov 19 Brigham Phillips(trumpet/piano/trombone); Joey Goldstein (guitar);Pat Collins (bass). Nov 24 John Sherwood(piano). Nov 25 Bonnie Brett (vocals); MarkEisenman (piano); Brandi Disterheft (bass). Nov26 Lorne Lofsky (guitar); Neil Swainson (bass);Barry Romberg (drums).Pantages Martini Bar & Lounge200 Victoria St. 416-362-1777Every Fri Robert Scott; Every Sat Solo Piano:various artists.Pilot Tavern, The22 Cumberland Ave. 416-923-5716www.thepilot.ca (full schedule)Jazz Saturdays 3:30–6:30pm. No Cover.Nov 5 Alex Dean Quartet. Nov 12 Dave YoungQuartet. Nov 19 Jake Wilkinson Quartet. Nov26 Richard Underhill Quartet.Quotes220 King St. W. 416-979-7697Nov 15 6pm Jim Galloway, Canadian Jazz Quartetand Guests Celebrate the Life of Kate Weich (proceeds will go toward a bursary at YorkUniversity in Weich’s name).Every Fri Fridays at Five w Canadian JazzQuartet: Gary Benson (guitar), Frank Wright(vibes), Duncan Hopkins (bass) Don Vickery(drums) and featured guest: Nov 4 DrewJurecka (violin). Nov 11 Fred Duligal (sax). Nov18 Brian O’Kane (trumpet). Nov 25 Andy Ballantyne(saxo).Reposado Bar & Lounge136 Ossington Ave. 416-532-6474www.reposadobar.comFridays Cover; all other nights Pwyc.Every Wed Spy vs. Spy vs. Sly Every Thu, FriThe Reposadists.Read this issue online at:thewholenote.comBeat by Beat / In the ClubsDifferent Drummersori DAganERNESTO CerviniDeeply musical and infectiously energetic drummer andcomposer Ernesto Cervini is keeping very busy these days:leading his own quartet, playing in the Myriad Trio withpianist Chris Donnelly and bassist Dan Fortin, as well as playingfrequently as a sideman. Cervini only recently relocated to Torontoafter attending the graduate performance program at the ManhattanSchool of Music.“Manhattan was kinda perfect for me in terms of timing. I wentthere straight after U of T; I was pretty young and very immature.When I got out of U of T I felt that I was a pretty good drummer.Then I got to New York and realized that I really wasn’t! AtManhattan School, I learned how to practise and realized that I hada lot of work to do. That’s where I learned how to make music mylife and my career, where I took it to the next level … I realized thatthis has to be a part of everything in my life.”In the last issue of The WholeNote, Geoff Chapman reviewedCervini’s new recording, There, calling it “an album that has to beone of 2011’s best.” In support of the recording, Cervini’s quartetrecently came back from a ten-city European tour. The quartetfeatures two New York City-based players: Dan Loomis on bass andJoel Frahm on tenor saxophone, rounded out by fellow Torontonianand recent JUNO nominee Adrean Farrugia on piano. I askedCervini about playing with this particular band and what the highlightof the tour was for him.“This band has now gone on three tours together, they are allsuch good people, which makes it easy and so much fun to tour.No attitude, no divas, they are amazing musicians and amazingpeople … the tour was really, really great — the audiences were prettypacked and very receptive — we got an encore at every show …The highlight? Hmmm. The first gig was very memorable becauseit was surprising. It was in this artist woodworking workshop, withbig tables and saws on them, it was a bit weird, I have to say. Inthe corner of the room there was a piano and a sketchy-lookingdrumset, so we were just like ‘whatever, we’ll see how it goes,’[laughs] we weren’t expecting it to be a great gig. So we went outto dinner with the owner of the place and when we got back it wascompletely packed and the audience was really into it. It was a reallynice surprise.”The quartet will be touring Canada this month, including threestops in Toronto: at the Rex on November 6 and 7, and at a new jazzvenue that Ernesto himself has recently started booking, the CherryStreet Restaurant (275 Cherry St.) on November 24, presenting livejazz every Thursday night.Ernesto Cervini.JUDY CHEENovember 1 – December 7, 2011 thewholenote.com 53
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Choral Scene: Uncharted territory: three choirs finding paths forward; Music Theatre: Loose Tea on the boil with Alaina Viau’s Dead Reckoning; In with the New: what happens to soundart when climate change meets COVID-19; Call to action: diversity, accountability, and reform in post-secondary jazz studies; 9th Annual TIFF Tips: a filmfest like no other; Remembering: Leon Fleisher; DISCoveries: a NY state of mind; 25th anniversary stroll-through; and more. Online in flip through here, and on stands commencing Tues SEP 1.
Following the Goldberg trail from Gould to Lang Lang; Measha Brueggergosman and Edwin Huizinga on face to face collaboration in strange times; diggings into dance as FFDN keeps live alive; "Classical unicorn?" - Luke Welch reflects on life as a Black classical pianist; Debashis Sinha's adventures in sound art; choral lessons from Skagit Valley; and the 21st annual WholeNote Blue Pages (part 1 of 3) in print and online. Here now. And, yes, still in print, with distribution starting Thursday October 1.
Alanis Obomsawin's art of life; fifteen Exquisite Departures; UnCovered re(dis)covered; jazz in the kitchen; three takes on managing record releases in times of plague; baroque for babies; presenter directory (blue pages) part two; and, here at the WholeNote, work in progress on four brick walls (or is it five?). All this and more available in flipthrough HERE, and in print Tuesday Nov 3.
In this issue: Beautiful Exceptions, Sing-Alone Messiahs, Livingston’s Vocal Pleasures, Chamber Beethoven, Online Opera (Plexiglass & All), Playlist for the Winter of our Discontent, The Oud & the Fuzz, Who is Alex Trebek? All this and more available in flipthrough HERE, and in print Friday December 4.
July/August issue is now available in flipthrough HERE, bringing to a close 25 seasons of doing what we do (and plan to continue doing), and on stands early in the week of July 5. Not the usual bucolic parade of music in the summer sun, but lots, we hope, to pass the time: links to online and virtual music; a full slate of record reviews; plenty new in the Listening Room; and a full slate of stories – the future of opera, the plight of small venues, the challenge facing orchestras, the barriers to resumption of choral life, the challenges of isolation for real-time music; the steps some festivals are taking to keep the spirit and substance of what they do alive. And intersecting with all of it, responses to the urgent call for anti-racist action and systemic change.
"COVID's Metamorphoses"? "There's Always Time (Until Suddenly There Isn't)"? "The Writing on the Wall"? It's hard to know WHAT to call this latest chapter in the extraordinary story we are all of a sudden characters in. By whatever name we call it, the MAY/JUNE combined issue of The WholeNote is now available, HERE in flip through format, in print commencing Wednesday May 6, and, in fully interactive form, online at thewholenote.com. Our 18th Annual Choral Canary Pages, scheduled for publication in print and flip through in September is already well underway with the first 50 choirs home to roost and more being added every week online. Community Voices, our cover story, brings to you the thoughts of 30 musical community members, all going through what we are going through (and with many more to come as the feature gets amplified online over the course of the coming months). And our regular writers bring their personal thoughts to the mix. Finally, a full-fledged DISCoveries review section offers cues and clues to recorded music for your solitary solace!
After some doubt that we would be allowed to go to press, in respect to wide-ranging Ontario business closures relating to COVID-19, The WholeNote magazine for April 2020 is now on press, and print distribution – modified to respect community-wide closures and the need for appropriate distancing – starts Monday March 30. Meanwhile the full magazine is right here, digitally, so if you value us PLEASE SHARE THIS LINK AS WIDELY AS YOU CAN. It's the safest way for us to reach the widest possible audience at this time!
FEATURED: Music & Health writer Vivien Fellegi explores music, blindness & the plasticity of perception; David Jaeger digs into Gustavo Gimeno's plans for new music in his upcoming first season as music director at TSO; pianist James Rhodes, here for an early March recital, speaks his mind in a Q&A with Paul Ennis; and Lydia Perovic talks music and more with rising Turkish-Canadian mezzo Beste Kalender. Also, among our columns, Peggy Baker Dance Projects headlines Wende Bartley's In with the New; Steve Wallace's Jazz Notes rushes in definitionally where many fear to tread; ... and more.
Visions of 2020! Sampling from back to front for a change: in Rearview Mirror, Robert Harris on the Beethoven he loves (and loves to hate!); Errol Gay, a most musical life remembered; Luna Pearl Woolf in focus in recordings editor David Olds' "Editor's Corner" and in Jenny Parr's preview of "Jacqueline"; Speranza Scappucci explains how not to reinvent Rossini; The Indigo Project, where "each piece of cloth tells a story"; and, leading it all off, Jully Black makes a giant leap in "Caroline, or Change." And as always, much more. Now online in flip-through format here and on stands starting Thurs Jan 30.
Welcome to our December/January issue as we turn the annual calendar page, halfway through our season for the 25th time, juggling as always, secular stuff, the spirit of the season, new year resolve and winter journeys! Why is Mozart's Handel's Messiah's trumpet a trombone? Why when Laurie Anderson offers to fly you to the moon you should take her up on the invitation. Why messing with Winterreisse can (sometimes) be a very good thing! And a bumper crop of record reviews for your reading (and sometimes listening) pleasure. Available in flipthrough here right now, and on stands commencing Thursday Nov 28. See you on the other side!
On the slim chance you might not have already heard the news, Estonian Canadian composing giant Udo Kasemets was born the same year that Leo Thermin invented the theremin --1919. Which means this is the centenary year for both of them, and both are being celebrated in style, as Andrew Timar and MJ Buell respectively explain. And that's just a taste of a bustling November, with enough coverage of music of both the delectably substantial and delightfully silly on hand to satisfy one and all.
Long promised, Vivian Fellegi takes a look at Relaxed Performance practice and how it is bringing concert-going barriers down across the spectrum; Andrew Timar looks at curatorial changes afoot at the Music Gallery; David Jaeger investigates the trumpets of October; the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution (and the 20th Anniversary of our October Blue Pages Presenter profiles) in our Editor's Opener; the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir at 125; Tapestry at 40 and Against the Grain at 10; ringing in the changing season across our features and columns; all this and more, now available in Flip Through format here, and on the stands commencing this coming Friday September 27, 2019. Enjoy.
Vol 1 of our 25th season is now here! And speaking of 25, that's how many films in the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival editor Paul Ennis, in our Eighth Annual TIFF TIPS, has chosen to highlight for their particular musical interest. Also inside: Rob Harris looks through the Rear View Mirror at past and present prognostications about the imminent death of classical music; Mysterious Barricades and Systemic Barriers are Lydia Perović's preoccupations in Art of Song; Andrew Timar reflects on the evolving priorities of the Polaris Prize; and elsewhere, it's chocks away as yet another season creaks or roars (depending on the beat) into motion. Welcome back.
What a range of stuff! A profile of Liz Upchurch, the COC ensemble studio's vocal mentor extraordinaire; a backgrounder on win-win faith/arts centre partnerships and ways of exploring the possibilities; an interview with St. Petersburg-based Eifman Ballet's Boris Eifman; Ana Sokolovic's violin concert Evta finally coming to town; a Love Letter to YouTube, and much more. Plus our 17th annual Canary Pages Choral directory if all you want to do is sing! sing! sing!
Arraymusic, the Music Gallery and Native Women in the Arts join for a mini-festival celebrating the work of composer, performer and installation artist Raven Chacon; Music and Health looks at the role of Healing Arts Ontario in supporting concerts in care facilities; Kingston-based composer Marjan Mozetich's life and work are celebrated in film; "Forest Bathing" recontextualizes Schumann, Shostakovich and Hindemith; in Judy Loman's hands, the harp can sing; Mahler's Resurrection bursts the bounds of symphonic form; Ed Bickert, guitar master remembered. All this and more in our April issue, now online in flip-through here, and on stands commencing Friday March 29.
Something Old, Something New! The Ide(a)s of March are Upon Us! Rob Harris's Rear View Mirror looks forward to a tonal revival; Tafelmusik expands their chronological envelope in two directions, Esprit makes wave after wave; Pax Christi's new oratorio by Barbara Croall catches the attention of our choral and new music columnists; and summer music education is our special focus, right when warm days are once again possible to imagine. All this and more in our March 2019 edition, available in flipthrough here, and on the stands starting Thursday Feb 28.
In this issue: A prize that brings lustre to its laureates (and a laureate who brings lustre to the prize); Edwin Huizinga on the journey of Opera Atelier's "The Angel Speaks" from Versailles to the ROM; Danny Driver on playing piano in the moment; Remembering Neil Crory (a different kind of genius)' Year of the Boar, Indigeneity and Opera; all this and more in Volume 24 #5. Online in flip through, HERE and on the stands commencing Thursday Jan 31.
When is a trumpet like a motorcycle in a dressage event? How many Brunhilde's does it take to change an Elektra? Just two of the many questions you've been dying to ask, to which you will find answers in a 24th annual combined December/January issue – in which our 11 beat columnists sift through what's on offer in the upcoming holiday month, and what they're already circling in their calendars for 2019. Oh, and features too: a klezmer violinist breathing new life into a very old film; two New Music festivals in January, 200 metres apart; a Music & Health story on the restorative powers of a grassroots exercise in collective music-making; even a good reason to go to Winnipeg in the dead of winter. All this and more in Vol 24 No 4, now available in flipthrough format here.
Reluctant arranger! National Ballet Orchestra percussionist Kris Maddigan on creating the JUNO and BAFTA award-winning smash hit Cuphead video game soundtrack; Evergreen by name and by nature, quintessentially Canadian gamelan (Andrew Timar explains); violinist Angèle Dubeau on 20 years and 60 million streams; two children’s choirs where this month remembrance and living history must intersect. And much more, online in our kiosk now, and on the street commencing Thursday November 1.
Presenters, start your engines! With TIFF and "back-to-work" out of the way, the regular concert season rumbles to life, and, if our Editor's Opener can be trusted, "Seeking Synergies" seems to be the name of the game. Denise Williams' constantly evolving "Walk Together Children" touching down at the Toronto Centre for the Arts; the second annual Festival of Arabic Music and Arts expanding its range; a lesson in Jazz Survival with Steve Wallace; the 150 presenter and performer profiles in our 19th annual Blue Pages directory... this is an issue that is definitely more than the sum of its parts.
In this issue: The WholeNote's 7th Annual TIFF TIPS guide to festival films with musical clout; soprano Erin Wall in conversation with Art of Song columnist Lydia Perovic, about more than the art of song; a summer's worth of recordings reviewed; Toronto Chamber Choir at 50 (is a few close friends all it takes?); and much more, as the 2018/19 season gets under way.
PLANTING NOT PAVING! In this JUNE / JULY /AUGUST combined issue: Farewell interviews with TSO's Peter Oundjian and Stratford Summer Music's John Miller, along with "going places" chats with Luminato's Josephine Ridge, TD Jazz's Josh Grossman and Charm of Finches' Terry Lim. ) Plus a summer's worth of fruitful festival inquiry, in the city and on the road, in a feast of stories and our annual GREEN PAGES summer Directory.
In this issue: our sixteenth annual Choral Canary Pages; coverage of 21C, Estonian Music Week and the 3rd Toronto Bach Festival (three festivals that aren’t waiting for summer!); and features galore: “Final Finales” for Larry Beckwith’s Toronto Masque Theatre and for David Fallis as artistic director of Toronto Consort; four conductors on the challenges of choral conducting; operatic Hockey Noir; violinist Stephen Sitarski’s perspective on addressing depression; remembering bandleader, composer and saxophonist Paul Cram. These and other stories, in our May 2018 edition of the magazine.
In this issue: we talk with jazz pianist Thompson Egbo-Egbo about growing up in Toronto, building a musical career, and being adaptive to change; pianist Eve Egoyan prepares for her upcoming Luminato project and for the next stage in her long-term collaborative relationship with Spanish-German composer Maria de Alvear; jazz violinist Aline Homzy, halfway through preparing for a concert featuring standout women bandleaders, talks about social equity in the world of improvised music; and the local choral community celebrates the life and work of choral conductor Elmer Iseler, 20 years after his passing.
In this issue: Canadian Stage, Tapestry Opera and Vancouver Opera collaborate to take Gogol’s short story The Overcoat to the operatic stage; Montreal-based Sam Shalabi brings his ensemble Land of Kush, and his newest composition, to Toronto; Five Canadian composers, each with a different CBC connection, are nominated for JUNOs; and The WholeNote team presents its annual Summer Music Education Directory, a directory of summer music camps, programs and courses across the province and beyond.
In this issue: composer Nicole Lizée talks about her love for analogue equipment, and the music that “glitching” evokes; Richard Rose, artistic director at the Tarragon Theatre, gives us insights into their a rock-and-roll Hamlet, now entering production; Toronto prepares for a mini-revival of Schoenberg’s music, with three upcoming shows at New Music Concerts; and the local music theatre community remembers and celebrates the life and work of Mi’kmaq playwright and performer Cathy Elliott . These and other stories, in our double-issue December/January edition of the magazine.
In this issue: conversations (of one kind or another) galore! Daniela Nardi on taking the reins at "best-kept secret" venue, 918 Bathurst; composer Jeff Ryan on his "Afghanistan" Requiem for a Generation" partnership with war poet, Susan Steele; lutenist Ben Stein on seventeenth century jazz; collaborative pianist Philip Chiu on going solo; Barbara Hannigan on her upcoming Viennese "Second School" recital at Koerner; Tina Pearson on Pauline Oliveros; and as always a whole lot more!
In this issue: several local artists reflect on the memory of composer Claude Vivier, as they prepare to perform his music; Vancouver gets ready to host international festival ISCM World New Music Days, which is coming to Canada for the second time since its inception in 1923; one of the founders of Artword Artbar, one of Hamilton’s staple music venues, on the eve of the 5th annual Steel City Jazz Festival, muses on keeping urban music venues alive; and a conversation with pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, as he prepares for an ambitious recital in Toronto. These and other stories, in our October 2017 issue of the magazine.
In this issue: a look at why musicians experience stage fright, and how to combat it; an inside look at the second Kensington Market Jazz Festival, which zeros in on one of Toronto’s true ‘music villages’; an in-depth interview with Elisa Citterio, new music director of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra; and The WholeNote’s guide to TIFF, with suggestions for the 20 most musical films at this year’s festival. These and other stories, in our September 2017 issue of the magazine!
CBC Radio's Lost Horizon; Pinocchio as Po-Mo Operatic Poster Boy; Meet the Curators (Crow, Bernstein, Ridge); a Global Music Orchestra is born; and festivals, festivals, festivals in our 13th annual summer music Green Pages. All this and more in our three-month June-through August summer special issue, now available in flipthrough HERE and on the stands commencing Thursday June 1.
From science fact in "Integral Man: Music and the Movies," to science fiction in the editor's opener; from World Fiddle Day at the Aga Khan Museum to three Canadians at the Cliburn; from wanting to sashay across the 401 to Chamberfest in Montreal to exploring the Continuum of Jumblies Theatre's 20-year commitment to the Community Play (there's a pun in there somewhere!).
In this issue: Our podcast ramps up with interviews in March with fight director Jenny Parr, countertenor Daniel Taylor, and baritone Russell Braun; two views of composer John Beckwith at 90; how music’s connection to memory can assist with the care of patients with Alzheimer’s; musical celebrations in film and jazz, at National Canadian Film Day and Jazz Day; and a preview of Louis Riel, which opens this month at the COC. These and other stories, in our April 2017 issue of the magazine!
On our cover: Owen Pallett's musical palette on display at New Creations. Spring brings thoughts of summer music education! (It's never too late.). For Marc-Andre Hamelin the score is king. Ella at 100 has the tributes happening. All; this and more.
In this issue: an interview with composer/vocalist Jeremy Dutcher, on his upcoming debut album and unique compositional voice; a conversation with Boston Symphony hornist James Sommerville, as as the BSO gets ready to come to his hometown; Stuart Hamilton, fondly remembered; and an inside look at Hugh’s Room, as it enters a complicated chapter in the story of its life in the complex fabric of our musical city. These and other stories, as we celebrate the past and look forward to the rest of 2016/17, the first glimpses of 2017/18, and beyond!
In this issue: a conversation with pianist Stewart Goodyear, in advance of his upcoming show at Koerner Hall; a preview of the annual New Year’s phenomenon that is Bravissimo!/Salute to Vienna; an inside look at music performance in Toronto’s health-care centres; and a reflection on the incredible life and lasting influence of the late Pauline Oliveros. These and more, in a special December/January combined issue!
In this issue: David Jaeger and Alex Pauk’s most memorable R. Murray Schafer collabs, in this month’s installment of Jaeger’s CBC Radio Two: The Living Legacy; an interview with flutist Claire Chase, who brings new music and mindset to Toronto this month; an investigation into the strange coincidence of three simultaneous Mendelssohn Elijahs this Nov 5; and of course, our annual Blue Pages, a who’s who of southern Ontario’s live music scene- a community as prolific and multifaceted as ever. These and more, as we move full-force into the 2016/17 concert season- all aboard!
Music lover's TIFF (our fifth annual guide to the Toronto International Film Festival); Aix Marks the Spot (how Brexit could impact on operatic co-production); The Unstoppable Howard Cable (an affectionate memoir of a late chapter in the life of of a great Canadian arranger; Kensington Jazz Story (the newest kid on the festival block flexes its muscles). These stories and much more as we say a lingering goodbye to summer and turn to the task, for the 22nd season, of covering the live and recorded music that make Southern Ontario tick.
It's combined June/July/August summer issue time with, we hope, enough between the covers to keep you dipping into it all through the coming lazy, hazy days. From Jazz Vans racing round "The Island" delivering pop-up brass breakouts at the roadside, to Bach flute ambushes strolling "The Grove, " to dozens of reasons to stay in the city. May yours be a summer where you find undiscovered musical treasures, and, better still, when, unexpectedly, the music finds you.
INSIDE: The Canaries Are Here! 116 choirs to choose from, so take the plunge! The Nylons hit the road after one last SING! Fling. Jazz writer Steve Wallace wonders "Watts Goode" rather than "what's new?" Paul Ennis has the musical picks of the HotDocs crop. David Jaeger's CBC Radio continues golden for a little while yet. Douglas McNabney is Music's Child. Leipzig meets Damascus in Alison Mackay's fertile imagination. And "C" is for KRONOS in Wende Bartley's koverage of the third annual 21C Festival. All this and as usual much much more. Enjoy.
From 30 camp profiles to spark thoughts of being your summer musical best, to testing LUDWIG as you while away the rest of so-called winter; from Scottish Opera and the Danish Midtvest, to a first Toronto recital appearance by violin superstar Maxim Vengerov; from musings on New Creations and new creation, to the boy who made a habit of crying Beowulf; it's a month of merry meetings and rousing recordings reviewed, all here to discover in The WholeNote.
2016 is off to a flying start! We chronicle the Artful Times of Andrew Burashko, the violistic versatility of Teng Li, the ageless ebullience of jazz pianist Gene DiNovi and the ninetieth birthday of trumpeter Johnny Cowell. Jaeger remembers Boulez; Waxman recalls Bley's influence, and Olds finds Bowie haunting Editor's Corner. Oh, and did we mention there's all that music? Hello (and goodbye) to the February blues, and here's to swinging through the musical vines of the Year of the Monkey.
What's a vinyl renaissance? What happens when Handel's Messiah runs afoul of the rumba rhythm setting on a (gasp!) Hammond organ? What work does Marc-Andre Hamelin say he would be content to have on every recital program he plays? What are Steve Wallace's favourite fifty Christmas recordings? Why is violinist Daniel Hope celebrating Yehudi Menuhin's 100th birthday at Koerner Hall January 28? Answers to all these questions (and a whole lot more) in the Dec/Jan issue of The WholeNote.
"Come" seems to be the verb that knits this month's issue together. Sondra Radvanovsky comes to Koerner, William Norris comes to Tafel as their new GM, opera comes to Canadian Stage; and (a long time coming!) Jane Bunnett's musicianship and mentorship are honoured with the Premier's award for excellence; plus David Jaeger's ongoing series on the golden years of CBC Radio Two, Andrew Timar on hybridity, a bumper crop of record reviews and much much more. Come on in!
Vol 21 No 2 is now available for your viewing pleasure, and it's a bumper crop, right at the harvest moon. First ever Canadian opera on the Four Seasons Centre main stage gets double coverage with Wende Bartley interviewing Pyramus and Thisbe composer Barbara Monk Feldman and Chris Hoile connecting with director Christopher Alden; Paul Ennis digs into the musical mind of pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, and pianist Eve Egoyan is "On the Record" in conversation with publisher David Perlman ahead of the Oct release concert for her tenth recording. And at the heart of it all the 16th edition of our annual BLUE PAGES directory of presenters profile the season now well and truly under way.
Paul Ennis's annual TIFF TIPS (27 festival films of potential particular musical interest); Wu Man, Yo-Yo Ma and Jeffrey Beecher on the Silk Road; David Jaeger on CBC Radio Music in the days it was committed to commissioning; the LISTENING ROOM continues to grow on line; DISCoveries is back, bigger than ever; and Mary Lou Fallis says Trinity-St. Paul's is Just the Spot (especially this coming Sept 25!).