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Volume 25 Issue 6 - March 2020

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  • Toronto
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.

BRENDAN MARIANI Sarah

BRENDAN MARIANI Sarah Thawer kicks off Drum Week March 8 Lewis and bassist Rich Brown. Both Lewis and Brown are masters of their respective instruments and both bring a deep sense of musicality to their playing that extends far beyond technical accomplishments. Playground, a five-piece ensemble led by McLean on drums, features saxophonist Kelly Jefferson, guitarist Kevin Breit, keyboardist Matt Giffin and bassist Marc Rogers. While most of Drum Week will feature drummers, the kit-heavy programming will be broken up midweek with a performance by TorQ Percussion Quartet, a classical percussion ensemble made up of Richard Burrows, Adam Campbell, Jamie Drake and Dan Morphy. TorQ has collaborated with major orchestras – including the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal – has played at numerous festivals and is highly involved in the realm of Canadian music education, performing at many schools and student music festivals, as well as hosting the annual TorQ Percussion Seminar during the summer months. Next up, drummer Ari Hoenig, who has long been a champion for younger musicians, and has consistently hired new and exciting voices to complement his lyrical playing style. There is something enduringly exciting about the unique creative tension generated between improvising musicians of different generations, which is precisely what Hoenig brings to Hugh’s Room Live on March 13, when he appears with the trio of pianist Nitai Hershkovits and bassist Or Bareket. Both Bareket and Hershkovits are in their early 30s, and both, like Hoenig, are based in New York, appearing regularly at Smalls, where Hoenig began a longstanding residency in 2003. (As an aside, hiring younger musicians and providing them with an on-the-road musical education was once standard within the jazz community. You need look no further than drummer Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers band for a prime example of this tradition; Messengers alumni include the likes of Wayne Shorter, Woody Shaw, Wynton Marsalis, Terence Blanchard and Mulgrew Miller. The practice does not exist to the same extent today, primarily for financial reasons: with fewer gigs to go around, and less remunerative touring opportunities, bandleaders tend to hire their peers and keep groups relatively consistent over longer periods of time. This is not necessarily better or worse; Shorter’s current quartet, with pianist Danilo Pérez, drummer Brian Blade and bassist John Patitucci, would be a very different group if its personnel changed every few years.) Rounding out the week of Drum Fest is a special trio performance by Jeff “Tain” Watts, whose musical output, over the past 40 years, has been amongst the most prodigious of any working jazz drummer. Beginning with the Wynton Marsalis Quartet in 1981, Watts has played with the likes of George Benson, Harry Connick, Jr and McCoy Tyner, has appeared as an actor in Spike Lee’s Mo’ Better Blues, and recently, in 2017, received a Guggenheim Fellowship for composition. Watts plays with a singular focus and intensity and is a consummate drummer with an extensive command of the jazz tradition. Women From Space It is always reassuring to see smaller-scale festivals taking place in Toronto within the jazz/improvised music community; though the TD Toronto Jazz Festival and other large-scale productions play an important role in the well-being of the scene, there is something equally significant in the creation of space for artists and groups who might not otherwise find the representation that they deserve on Toronto’s cultural calendar. Artists working in the improvised/ D. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz) Belo. Mar 16 9pm Joyfultalk + Joyful Joyful. Mar 18 6pm Significant Other w/ Nico Paulo, 9:30pm Rae Spoon and Kim Barlow w/ Mohammad Sahraei. Mar 19 9:30pm Amanda Rheaume w/ Sierra Noble. Mar 20 6pm Safe as Houses & Rory Taillon, 9:30pm Robb Cappelletto & Joseph Anidjar. Mar 21 9:30pm Rebekah Hawker, The Pairs, Basset. Mar 22 2pm and 7pm Asian Riffing Trio. Mar 24 9pm Dave Phillips / Death Kneel / Fleshtone Aura. Mar 28 9:30pm Texas Wayne / Westelaken / Sara Jarvie-Clarke. Mar 29 9pm Nat Baldwin / Charles Spearin / Sandro Perri. Mar 31 9pm Kennedy Road. Cameron House 408 Queen St. W. 416-703-0811 thecameron.com Castro’s Lounge 2116 Queen St. E. 416-699-8272 castroslounge.com (full schedule) All shows: No cover/PWYC C’est What 67 Front St. E. (416) 867-9499 cestwhat.com (full schedule) All concerts are PWYC unless otherwise noted. Mar 6 9pm James King & The Midnight Hours. Mar 7 3pm The Hot Five Jazzmakers, 9pm Julia Tynes Band. Mar 8 7pm The Free Spirits. Mar 13 9pm Built for Speed. Mar 14 3pm The Vic Lawrence Seven, 9pm Craig Robertson, James Clark, and Alun Piggins. Mar 20 9pm Bluenatics. Mar 21 3pm The Hot Five Jazzmakers, 9pm Legion of Saints, Field Study, and Countless Numbers. Mar 26 8pm The Hiltz Family Singers. Mar 27 9pm Fool Hearts. Mar 28 3pm The Boxcar Boys. Emmet Ray, The 924 College St. 416-792-4497 theemmetray.com (full schedule) All shows: No cover/PWYC Grossman’s Tavern 379 Spadina Ave. 416-977-7000 grossmanstavern.com (full schedule) All shows: No cover (unless otherwise noted). Every Sat 4:30pm The Happy Pals Dixieland Jazz Jam. Every Sun 4:30pm New Orleans Connection All Star Band; 10pm Sunday Jam with Bill Hedefine. Every Wed 10pm Action Sound Band w/ Leo Valvassori. Hirut Cafe and Restaurant 2050 Danforth Ave. 416-551-7560 hirut.ca Every Sunday 3pm Hirut Sundays Open Mic. First and Third Tuesday 8pm Fingerstyle Guitar Association. Mar 4 8pm BTBs Trio. Mar 6 7pm Tom Reynolds Trio - Mennonite Fundraiser. Mar 8 8pm Brodie West and Eucalyptus. Mar 10 8pm Finger Style Guitar Association Open Stage. Mar 11 8pm Elite Music Academy Open Mic. Mar 13 8:30pm Don Naduriak Jazz of the Americas. Mar 14 8pm Dunstan Morey Quartet. Mar 15 8pm Brodie West and Eucalyptus. Mar 18 8pm BTBs Trio. Mar 19 8pm four.30 Jazz Trio. Mar 20 8pm Steve Koven Trio. Mar 22 8pm Brodie West and Eucalyptus. Mar 24 8pm Finger Style Guitar Association Open Stage. Mar 25 8pm Henry Heiling & Eric St. Laurent Duo. Mar 26 8pm Blues Jam. Mar 27 9pm Hirut Hoot Comedy Night. Mar 29 8pm Brodie West and Eucalyptus. Home Smith Bar – See Old Mill, The Hugh’s Room 2261 Dundas St. W 416 533 5483 hughsroom.com All shows at 8:30pm unless otherwise noted. See website for individual show prices. Mar 2 8pm Dr. Mike Daley Presents: The James Taylor Story. Mar 3 8pm Dr. Mike Daley Presents: The James Taylor Story. Mar 7 Paul James and His Band Pay Tribute to Bob Dylan. Mar 8 2pm Yamaha Presents: Sarah Thawer Band, 8:30pm International Women’s Day w/ Jully Black. Mar 9 Postmodern Jukebox’s Casey Abrams. Mar 10 Yamaha Presents: Jimmy Cobb. Mar 11 8pm Yamaha Presents: Lewis.Brown / Mark McLean’s Playground. Mar 12 Yamaha 66 | March 2020 thewholenote.com

creative music realm tend to find themselves in something of a niche in the broader Toronto jazz community to begin with; although there are great organizations who routinely present this music, such as the not-for-profit Somewhere There, there are far fewer opportunities to present an evening of free jazz than there are to present an evening of conventionally played jazz standards. Even within this niche, however, women tend to be programmed less than men, and stereotypes that exist within the broader jazz community about women performers tend to perniciously replicate themselves. Partly in reply to this issue, the Women From Space Festival, now in its second year, will be taking place from March 5 to 8, with 17 acts taking place over four nights at Burdock and at 918 Bathurst. The festival, which is organized by Bea Labikova and Kayla Milmine, seeks to highlight “visionary women working within and between exploratory musical traditions,” with an emphasis on performances by artists whose work falls somewhere at the intersection between jazz, contemporary classical and creative improvised musics. The performances coincide with International Women’s Day weekend and will feature Claire Yunjin Lee, Susan Alcorn, Sahara Morimoto, Kris Davis, and Ingrid Laubrock, amongst many others, with affordable ticket prices, including multi-day and student pricing. MAINLY CLUBS, MOSTLY JAZZ QUICK PICKS !! MAR 5, 8PM: Various artists, Women From Space Festival, Burdock. On the first night of the festival, catch Elisa Thorn, Claire Yunjin Lee, Amy Brandon and Susan Alcorn at Burdock (co-presented with Canadian Music Centre and Riparian Acoustics). !! MAR 8, 8PM: Various artists, Women From Space Festival, 918 Bathurst. The final night of the Women From Space Festival – and the only one to take place at 918 Bathurst – includes sets by Elizabeth Lima and Meghan Cheng, Kris Davis and Ingrid Laubrock, and many other exciting acts. !! MAR 11, 8PM: Lewis.Brown and Mark McLean’s Playground, Drum Week, Hugh’s Room Live. This double bill features two of Toronto’s top drummers – Larnell Lewis and Mark McLean – appearing with some of Toronto’s most exciting musicians for Drum Week at Hugh’s Room. !! MAR 13, 8:30PM: Ari Hoenig Trio, Drum Week, Hugh’s Room Live. With pianist Nitai Hershkovits and bassist Or Bareket, leading modern jazz drummer Ari Hoenig comes to Hugh’s Room Live for an evening of communicative, high-stakes trio music. Colin Story is a jazz guitarist, writer and teacher based in Toronto. He can be reached at www.colinstory.com, on Instagram and on Twitter. Presents: TorQ. Mar 13 Yamaha Presents: Ari Hoenig. Mar 14 Yamaha Presents: Jeff “Tain” Watts Quintet. Mar 15 Celebrating Bach’s Birthday. Mar 16 Dan MacDonald and North Atlantic Drift. Mar 19 BluesIn’ Toronto Presents: Tribute to Muddy & The Wolf. Mar 20 A Man Called Wrycraft Presents: A Tribute to Bruce Cockburn. Mar 22 2pm Ken Whiteley Gospel Brunch, 8:30pm Coco Montoya and Ronnie Baker Brooks. Mar 26 An Evening for Jack w/ Paul Reddick. Mar 27 Sharon Robinson: My Time w/ Leonard Cohen. Mar 28 Dan Hill. Mar 29 8pm Dr. Mike Daley Presents: The Weavers’ Story. Jazz Bistro, The 251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299 jazzbistro.ca (full schedule) Mar 1 7pm Bartosz Hadala Group. Mar 3 8pm Mary Margaret O’Hara & Friends. Mar 4 8pm David Rubel’s 251 Jam Session. Mar 5 9pm Mark Eisenman Quartet. Mar 6 9pm Mark Eisenman Quartet. Mar 7 9pm Heather Luckhart Birthday w/ Attila Fias Quartet. Mar 8 7pm Carolyn Credico w/ Ross Wooldridge and Clark Johnson. Mar 10 8pm Gia Ionescu & The Update. Mar 11 David Rubel’s 251 Jam Session. Mar 12 9pm Daniel Barnes Ethio Jazz. Mar 13 9pm Aldo Lopez-Gavilan Trio. Mar 14 9pm Yvette Tollar 50th Birthday Concert. Mar 15 7pm Alex Samaras & Bobby Hsu. Mar 17 8pm Gia Ionescu & The Update. Mar 18 8pm David Rubel’s 251 Jam Session. Mar 19 9pm The Koffman-Hiltz Quartet. Mar 20 9pm Jacek Kochan. Mar 21 9pm Rich Brown. Mar 22 7pm Eric Yves Garcia. Mar 25 8pm David Rubel’s 251 Jam Session. Mar 26 9pm Kristjan Randalu w/ Mike Murley. Mar 27 9pm Kristjan Randalu w/ Genevieve Marentette. Mar 28 9pm Lori Cullen. Mar 29 7pm Tracy Michailidis. Jazz Room, The Located in the Huether Hotel, 59 King St. N., Waterloo. 226-476-1565 kwjazzroom.com (full schedule) Attendees must be 19+. Cover charge varies (generally -$25) Mar 6 8:30pm Mark Godfrey Quintet. Mar 7 8:30pm Ernesto Cervini’s Tetrahedron. Mar 13 8:30pm The Fourth Line. Mar 14 3pm Saturday Afternoon Jazz Jam, 8:30pm Peter Hum’s Ordinary Heroes. Mar 20 8:30pm Sonja Gustafson. Mar 21 8:30pm Joanna Majoko. Mar 27 8:30pm Fresh Water Funk. Mar 28 8:30pm Barry Elmes Quintet. Lula Lounge 1585 Dundas St. W. 416-588-0307 lula.ca (full schedule) Every Fri 7:30pm Afterwork Global Party Series free before 8pm; Every Fri 8:30pm Havana Club Fridays ; Every Sat 10:30pm Salsa Saturdays . Mar 1 6pm SHINE Concert. Mar 6 6:30pm Son de Lula. Mar 8 3pm Terreiro do Samba. Mar 12 6:30pm Hilario Duran Solo Concert. Mar 13 6:30pm Son de Lula. Mar 15 12pm Lula’s Drag Brunch Extravaganza: Clash of the Queens. Mar 16 6:30pm Doox of Yale. Mar 18 7pm Amy Helm. Mar 20 6:30pm Son de Lula. Mar 22 4pm Dang Show - Nowruz 99. Mar 26 8pm Aaron Davis Circle of Friends. Mar 27 6:30pm Son de Lula. Manhattans Pizza Bistro & Music Club 951 Gordon St., Guelph 519-767-2440 manhattans.ca (full schedule) Mezzetta Restaurant 681 St. Clair Ave. W. 416-658-5687 mezzettarestaurant.com (full schedule) Monarch Tavern 12 Clinton St. 416-531-5833 themonarchtavern.com (full schedule) Mar 3 8pm Belleville-Ville. Mar 4 7pm John Kameel Farah. Mar 6 9pm PAX w/ Danika Vandersteen, Hobby. Mar 7 8:30pm No $ignal. Mar 9 7:30pm Martin Loomer & His Orange Devils Orchestra. Mar 11 8pm Control Top. Mar 12 8:30pm Larkins. Mar 15 8pm Combo Chimbita. Mar 20 8:30pm GirlonGirl LP Release w/ Man Crush, Uncola. Mar 21 9pm Dave Schoonderbeek + BDR w/ The Fern Tips, Flowers of Hell. Mar 27 9pm Praises EP Release w/ Queen of Swords, Secret Sign. Mar 31 8pm Shopping. 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 The Jim Heineman Trio. Every Thur 8pm Nothin’ But the Blues with Joe Bowden. 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) Sunday, March 8, 4:30pm Tribute to Erroll Garner, with Robi Botos (piano), Lauren Falls (bass), Brian Barlow (drums) Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St. (north of St. Clair at Heath St.) Admission is free; donations are welcome. Live jazz and dinner, .00 per person. Dinner from 6pm and music from 7pm to 9pm. Mar 11 Suzi and Doug. Mar 25 Farrucas Latin Duo. Old Mill, The 21 Old Mill Rd. 416-236-2641 oldmilltoronto.com (full schedule) The Home Smith Bar: No reservations. No cover. food/drink minimum. All shows: 7:30-10:30pm unless otherwise listed. Mar 3 Gene DiNovi. Mar 4 Karl Silveira Quartet. Mar 5 Maureen Kennedy Quartet. Mar 6 Canadian Jazz Quartet and Friends. Mar 7 Mandy Lagan Quartet. Mar 11 Denise Leslie Quartet. Mar 12 Mark Kelso Quartet. Mar 13 Melissa Lauren Trio. Mar 14 Brian Blain’s Blues Campfire Jam. Mar 18 Russ Little Quartet. Mar 19 Sophia Perlman & Adrean Farrugia’s Thursday Night Jazz Party. Mar 20 Kalya Ramu Quartet. Mar 21 Bill McBirnie Trio. Mar 25 John MacMurchy’s Wednesday Night Jazz Party. Mar 26 Bob DeAngelis and Friends. Mar 27 Barry Elmes Quartet. Mar 28 Jordana Talsky Trio. Only Café, The 972 Danforth Ave. 416-463-7843 theonlycafe.com (full schedule) Pilot Tavern, The 22 Cumberland Ave. 416-923-5716 thepilot.ca All shows: 2:30pm. No cover. Mar 7 Morgan Childs Trio. Mar 14 Mike Murley Quartet. Mar 21 Sugar Daddies. Mar 28 Michael Arthurs Quartet. Poetry Jazz Café 224 Augusta Ave. 416-599-5299 poetryjazzcafe.com (full schedule) Reposado Bar & Lounge 136 Ossington Ave. 416-532-6474 reposadobar.com (full schedule) Reservoir Lounge, The 52 Wellington St. E. 416-955-0887 reservoirlounge.com (full schedule). Every Tue & Sat, 8:45pm Tyler Yarema and his Rhythm. Every Wed 9pm The Digs. Every Thurs 9:45pm Stacey Kaniuk. Every Fri 9:45pm 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. Mar 1 12pm Excelsior Dixieland Jazz Band, 3:30pm Club Django, 7pm Julia Cleveland Trio, 9:30pm JV’s Boogaloo Squad. Mar 2 6:30pm U of T Student Jazz Ensembles, Featuring some of Toronto’s best jazz musicians with a brief reflection by Jazz Vespers Clergy Sunday, March 22, 4:30pm The Jeru Quartet plays the music of Chet Baker & Gerry Mulligan 416-920-5211 christchurchdeerpark.org thewholenote.com March 2020 | 67

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