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.
MUSE MOHAMMED Beat by
MUSE MOHAMMED Beat by Beat | Mainly Clubs, Mostly Jazz! Travel Broadens the Music BOB BEN I really hate the term “world music,” as it’s used today. It seems to me that it oversimplifies things. It lumps music that isn’t familiar to North American ears all in together and calls it foreign and exotic (as though North American is not part of the world). It implies that some musics are worthy of being divided up by genre and closely examined, and some musics aren’t. With that said, I think jazz, at its best, can rightly be called world music. Jazz has been called a uniquely American art form, but I like to think of it as a music that only gestated in America, but was conceived elsewhere. Loath as I am to oversimplify things, European harmony and African rhythm and melody came together to make this music possible. As more and more distinct cultures with distinct musical traditions adopted and blended – and continue to adopt and blend – with jazz, it became closer to what I would call an international, or worldly, music than a uniquely American one. I love listening to jazz musicians who have lived in Renée another country or two. Moving Yoxon place to place (Place to Place being the title of a Robi Botos album; Botos is a good example of this.), I think, especially if you’ve grown attached to those places and been uprooted, gives one a unique perspective on music. That’s one of the reasons I’m excited to see the Israeli-born and Parisian-raised guitarist Samuel Bonnet doing his first mini tour of Southern Ontario this month, playing dates in Toronto, Guelph, Hamilton and more. Bonnet’s music is hard to nail down, because the influences are not only wide-ranging, they are compartmentalized to some degree. He is a formidable classical guitarist; he plays jazz and funk; D. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz) Samuel Bonnet much of his compositional output reflects a love of traditional Jewish musics; some of his solo works sound like explorative improvisations, others sound like pristine and carefully crafted compositions. These different sides of him can be exposed on various recordings; I recommend Aotefeis, New York Shuffle, and Two Preludes to get an introductory sense of who Bonnet is as a musician and perhaps where it all comes from. The common thread amongst all of this is a virtuosic skill which enables completely authentic communication; when you listen to Bonnet, there’s no mistaking who you are listening to, or what he’s saying to you. There’s one more gig I’d like to mention for now: singers in town – amateur and professionals alike – may be interested in knowing that Renée Yoxon, the crossover jazz-folk-pop etc. singer from Montreal, will be performing and running a vocal workshop at 120 Diner on the afternoon and evening of March 12. The young Yoxon’s voice is clear and precise, the manner of delivery, frank and direct, honest. You may feel as though they are speaking directly to you. Adept at interpreting standards, covering and writing pop songs, scat singing, blending in with horns as though their voice were one, and so on – it seems that taking the opportunity to participate in this workshop would be a wise choice. I hope to see you folks in at least one of the clubs, without your winter coats. Happy March! Happy vernal equinox! Be well! Bob Ben is The WholeNote’s jazz listings editor. He can be reached at jazz@thewholenote.com. YOANN BEROS Every Sat The Happy Pals Dixieland jazz jam. Every Sun 10pm The National Blues Jam with Brian Cober. Every Wed 10pm Bruce Domoney. Harlem Restaurant 67 Richmond St. E. 416-368-1920 harlemrestaurant.com (full schedule) All shows: 7:30-11pm (unless otherwise noted). Call for cover charge info. March 3 JWT. March 4 Gyles. March 11 Fibralou. March 17 Madette. March 18 Kristin Fung. March 25 Jan-Jan. Hirut Cafe and Restaurant 2050 Danforth Ave. 416-551-7560 Every Sun 3pm Open Mic with Nicola Vaughan PWYC. March 3 8pm In The Round Master Concert Series with Tony Quarrington, Herb Dale, Boris Buhot PWYC. March 7 8pm Finger Style Guitar Association PWYC. March 10 8pm Don Naduriak & Friends PWYC. March 11 8pm Ernest Lee Band PWYC/. March 30 9pm Hirut Hoot Cabaret . Home Smith Bar – See Old Mill, The Jazz Bistro, The 251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299 jazzbistro.ca March 2 8:30pm Colin Hunter & the Anthony Terpstra Seventet - Mostly Frank . March 3, 4 8:30pm Colin Hunter & the Joe Sealy Quartet . Jazz Room, The Located in the Huether Hotel, 59 King St. N., Waterloo. 226-476-1565 kwjazzroom.com (full schedule) All shows: 8:30pm-11:30pm unless otherwise indicated. Attendees must be 19+. March 5 4pm Canefire . March 10 Dave Wiffen. March 11 Beverly Taft. March 17 Phoenix Jazz Group. March 18 Peripheral Vision. March 24 Carey West. March 25 Mica Barnes. March 31 Andy Klaehn. La Revolucion 2848 Dundas St. W. 416-766-0746 larev.webs.com Every Tue 9pm Duets with Peter Hill and featured guests. Every Fri Les Petits Noveaux. Every Sat 7:30pm Saturday Night Jazz (lineup TBA). Local Gest, The 424 Parliament St. 416-961-9425 March 5 4:30pm Sherie Marshall & Mike Cado. Local Pub, The 396 Roncesvalles Ave. 416-535-6225 localpub.ca (full schedule) March 1 9pm Kitchen Orkestra. Lula Lounge 1585 Dundas St. W. 416-588-0307 lula.ca (full schedule) March 1 7:30pm Mardis Gras Madness feat. Alex Pangman & Her Alleycats, Red Hot Ramble (adv)/(door). March 2 7:30pm Vanito Brown (adv)/$22(door). March 3 7:30pm Samuel Bonnet Trio ; 10:30pm Yani Borrell & DJ Suave . March 4 10:30pm Viva Colombia & DJ Santiago Valasquez . March 5 7pm SHINE! Concert in support of the Shine Music Bursary. . March 7 7pm JAZZ.FM91 Youth Big Band Meets the U of T Jazz Orchestra (general)/(students). March 9 7:30pm Swingin’ With Oscar with The Remi Bolduc Jazz Ensemble $22(adv)/(door). March 10 7:30pm Evaristo Machado ; 10:30pm Marta Elena & Salsa Star & DJ Suave . March 11 10:30pm Conjunto Lacalu & DJ Santiago Valasquez . March 17 7:30pm Bob Brough ; 10:30pm Cafe Cubano 54 | March 1, 2017 - April 7, 2017 thewholenote.com
. March 18 10:30pm Ricky Franco & The P-Crew Orchestra & DJ Santiago Valasquez . March22 7:30pm Influenced: A Tribute to Neo-Soul (adv)/(door). March 24 7:30pm Diane Roblin’s RECONNECT ; 10:30pm Papiosco y los Ritmicos & DJ Suave . March 25 10:30pm La Borinqueña & DJ Santiago Valasquez . March 31 7:30pm Joanna Moon ; 10:30pm Charangón del Norte & DJ Suave . Manhattans Pizza Bistro & Music Club 951 Gordon St., Guelph 519-767-2440 manhattans.ca (full schedule) All shows: PWYC. March 4 Samuel Bonnet Trio. Mây Cafe 876 Dundas St. W. 647-607-2032 maytoronto.com (full schedule) March 24 Snaggle: Snarky Puppy Tribute. Mezzetta Restaurant 681 St. Clair Ave. W. 416-658-5687 mezzettarestaurant.com (full schedule) All shows: 9pm, (unless otherwise noted). March 1 Roland Hunter Duo. March 8 Joel Sheridan (voice) with Nathan Hiltz (guitar). Monarch Tavern 12 Clinton St. 416-531-5833 themonarchtavern.com (full schedule) March 13 7:30pm Martin Loomer & His Orange Devils Orchestra . Morgans on the Danforth 1282 Danforth Ave. 416-461-3020 morgansonthedanforth.com (full schedule) All shows: 2pm-5pm. No cover. March 5 Tania Gill & Beverly Taft. March 26 Lisa Particelli’s Girls’ Night Out East Jazz Jam. N’awlins Jazz Bar & Dining 299 King St. W. 416-595-1958 nawlins.ca All shows: no cover /PWYC. Every Tue 6:30pm Stacie McGregor. Every Wed 7pm Jim Heineman Trio. Every Thu 8pm Nothin’ But the Blues w/ Joe Bowden (drums) and featured vocalists. Every Fri, Sat 8:30pm N’awlins All Star Band. Every Sun 7pm Brooke Blackburn. Nice Bistro, The 117 Brock St. N., Whitby. 905-668-8839 nicebistro.com (full schedule) Old Mill, The 21 Old Mill Rd. 416-236-2641 oldmilltoronto.com The Home Smith Bar: No reservations. No cover. food/drink minimum. All shows: 7:30pm-10:30pm March 2 Hilario Duran (piano) Trio with Roberto Occhipinti (bass), Amhed Mitchel (drums). March 3 Canadian Jazz Quartet: Frank Wright (vibes), Nathan Hiltz (guitar), Pat Collins (bass), Don Vickery (drums) feat. Alison Young. March 4 Shannon Butcher (voice) Trio with Michel Shand (piano), Ross MacIntyre (bass). March 7 In Concert & Conversation with Gene DiNovi. March 9 Alex Pangman (voice) & Her Alleycats: Peter Hill (piano), Brigham Phillips (trumpet), Glenn Anderson (drums). March 10 Vaughan Misener (bass) Trio with Ted Quinlan (guitar), Kevin Dempsey (drums). March 11 Brian Blain’s ‘Second Saturdays’ Blues Campfire feat. Ken Whiteley (piano, guitar, mandolin), Paul Reddick (harmonica). March 16 Brigham Phillips (piano) Trio with Ted Quinlan (guitar), John Maharaj (bass). March 17 Andrew Scott (guitar) Trio with Jake Wilkinson (trumpet, piano), Jon Meyer (bass). March 18 Whitney Ross-Barris (voice) Trio with Attila Filas (piano), Jordan O’Connor (bass). March 23 Bernie Senensky (piano) Trio with Dave Young (bass), Ben Riley (drums). March 24 Zoe Chilco (voice) Quartet with John Deehan (sax), Danny McErlain (piano), Ron Johnston (bass). March 25 Pat Collins (bass) Trio with Tom Szczesniak (accordion, piano), Reg Schwager (guitar). March 30 Fern Lindzon (piano, voice) Trio with George Koller (bass), Nick Fraser (drums). March 31 Terry Promane (trombone) Trio with Ted Quinlan (guitar), Pat Collins (bass). Only Café, The 972 Danforth Ave. 416-463-7843 theonlycafe.com (full schedule) All shows: 8pm unless otherwise indicated. Paintbox Bistro 555 Dundas St. E. 647-748-0555 paintboxbistro.ca (full schedule) Pilot Tavern, The 22 Cumberland Ave. 416-923-5716 thepilot.ca All shows: 3:30pm. No cover. March 4 Richard Underhill Quartet. March 11 Roberto Occhipinti (bass) Quartet with Luis Deniz (sax), Ewen Farncombe (piano), Ian Wright (drums). March 18 Jazz Collective with Alexis Baro (trumpet), Luis Deniz, Jeff King (saxes), Stu Harrison (piano), Artie Roth (bass), Joel Haynes (drums). March 25 Sugar Daddies. Poetry Jazz Café 224 Augusta Ave. 416-599-5299 poetryjazzcafe.com (full schedule) Remix Lounge 1305 Dundas St. W. remixlounge.ca (full schedule) Reposado Bar & Lounge 136 Ossington Ave. 416-532-6474 reposadobar.com (full schedule) Every Wed Spy vs. Sly vs. Spy. Every Thu, Fri 10pm Reposadists Quartet: Tim Hamel (trumpet), Jon Meyer (bass), Jeff Halischuck (drums), Roberto Rosenman (guitar). Reservoir Lounge, The 52 Wellington St. E. 416-955-0887 reservoirlounge.com (full schedule). All shows: 9:45pm Every Tue, Sat Tyler Yarema and his Rhythm. Every Wed The Digs. Every Thu Stacey Kaniuk, Mary McKay. Every Fri Dee Dee and the Dirty Martinis. Rex Hotel Jazz & Blues Bar, The 194 Queen St. W. 416-598-2475 therex.ca (full schedule) Call for cover charge info. March 1 6:30pm Johnny Griffith Trio; 9:30pm New York’s Harold Mabern with Kirk MacDonald Quartet. March 2 6:30pm Kevin Quain; 9:30pm New York’s Harold Mabern with Kirk MacDonald Quartet. March 3 4pm Hogtown Syncopators; 6:30pm Lester McLean Trio; 9:45pm New York’s Dave Liebman with Mike Murley Quartet. March 4 12pm The Sinners Choir; 3:30pm John Cheeseman Big Band; 7:30pm Justin Bacchus; 9:45pm Marito Marques Group. March 5 12pm Excelsior Dixieland Jazz; 3:30pm Red Hot Ramble; 7pm Chase Sanborn & Bossa Trio; 9:30pm Montreal’s Sam Bonnet Trio. March 6 6:30pm University of Toronto student jazz ensembles; 9:30pm Humber College student jazz ensembles. March 7 6:30pm Julian Anderson-Bowes; 9:30pm Classic Rex Jazz Jam hosted by Chris Gale. March 8 6:30pm Johnny Griffith Trio; 9:30pm The Further Adventures of Jazz Money. March 9 6:30pm Kevin Quain; 9:45pm Mark Eisenman Quintet. March 10 4pm Hogtown Syncopators; 6:30pm Lester McLean Trio; 9:45pm Mark Eisenman Quintet. March 11 12pm The Sinners Choir; 3:30pm Swing Shift Big Band; 7:30pm Justin Bacchus; 9:45pm Dave Young Quintet. March 12 12pm Excelsior Dixieland Jazz; 3:30pm Club Django; 7pm Chase Sanborn & Bossa Trio; 9:30pm TBA. March 13 6:30pm University of Toronto student jazz ensembles; 9:30pm Humber College student jazz ensembles. March 14 6:30pm Julian Anderson- Bowes; 9:30pm Classic Rex Jazz Jam hosted by Chris Gale. March 15 6:30pm Johnny Griffith Trio; 9:30pm Soren Nissen. March 16 6:30pm Kevin Quain; 9:30pm Attila Fias Trio +1. March 17 4pm Hogtown Syncopators; 6:30pm Lester McLean Trio; 9:45pm Freeman Dre & The Kitchen Party. March 18 12pm The Sinners Choir; 3:30pm Jerome Godboo; 7:30pm Justin Bacchus; 9:45pm New York’s Dave Liebman with Mike Murley Quartet. March 19 12pm Excelsior Dixieland Jazz; 3:30pm Jake Chisholm Quartet; 7pm Ken Aldcroft’s Hat & Beard Monk Tribute; 9:30pm New York’s Eric Divito Trio. March 20 6:30pm University of Toronto student jazz ensembles; 9:30pm Humber College student jazz ensembles. March 21 6:30pm Tonight @ Noon; 9:30pm Classic Rex Jazz Jam hosted by Chris Gale. March22 6:30pm Ernesto Cervini Trio; 9:30pm New York’s John Raymond Trio. March 23 6:30pm Kevin Quain; 9:30pm Hannah Barstow Trio. March 24 4pm Hogtown Syncopators; 6:30pm Laura Hubert Band; 9:45pm Lorne Lofsky Quartet. March 25 12pm The Sinners Choir; March 4 Quintessential Quintets: Words and Music Amanda Tosoff Quintet, Barbra Lica Quintet March 18 Ella Fitzgerald’s 100 th Birthday Tribute Darcy Hepner Jazz Orchestra Sophia Perlman, Vocals Toronto Centre for the Arts regular • students (with ID at box office). INFO: jazzcentre.ca • Ticketmaster 1.855.985.2787 3:30pm George Lake Big Band; 7:30pm Justin Bacchus; 9:45pm William & William Sextet. March 26 12pm Excelsior Dixieland Jazz; 3:30pm Freeway Dixieland; 7pm Ken Aldcroft; 9:30pm Three Blind Mice. March 27 6:30pm University of Toronto student jazz ensembles; 8:30pm John McLeod’s Rex Hotel Orchestra. March 28 6:30pm Tonight @ Noon; 9:30pm Montreal’s Sam Dickinson Trio. March 29 6:30pm Ernesto Cervini Trio; 9:30pm Ernesto Cervini’s Turboprop feat. New York’s Joel Frahm. March 30 6:30pm Kevin Quain; 9:30pm Ernesto Cervini’s Turboprop feat. New York’s Joel Frahm. March 31 4pm Hogtown Syncopators; 6:30pm Laura Hubert Band; 9:45pm Lorne Lofsky Quartet. Salty Dog Bar & Grill, The 1980 Queen St. E. 416-849-5064 thesaltydog.ca (full schedule) Every Tue, Wed Jazz Night. Sauce on the Danforth 1376 Danforth Ave. 647-748-1376 sauceondanforth.com All shows: no cover . March 4 Stephen Stanley. March 11 Michelle Rumball. March 18 John Borra & Sam Ferrera. March 25 Catfish Blues. Seven44 (Formerly Chick ’n’ Deli/The People’s Chicken) 744 Mount Pleasant Rd. 416-489-7931 seven44.com (full schedule) All shows: 7:30pm Every Mon Big Band night. Tranzac 292 Brunswick Ave. 416-923-8137 tranzac.org 3-4 shows daily, various styles. Mostly PWYC. Every Mon 10pm Open Mic Mondays. Every Fri 5pm The Friends of Hugh Oliver (folk). This month’s shows include: March 5, 19 5pm Monk’s Music. March 7 10pm Peripheral Vision. March 12 10pm The Lina Allemano Four. March 14 10pm Michael Davidson. March 19 7:30pm Connect. March 21 10pm Ryan Driver. March 28 10pm Nick Fraser Presents; The Brodie West Quintet. Presents April 8 Dueling Pianos Father & Son Eddie & Quincy Bullen plus Caribbean Jazz Collective LEAD SPONSOR MEDIA SPONSOR thewholenote.com March 1, 2017 - April 7, 2017 | 55
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!).
