Choral Quick .Picks,
Choral Quick .Picks, continued January 15 8:00: Nathaniel Oett Chorale January .20 8:00: Elmer lseler Singers . January 24 12:30: York University Women's Choir January 26 8:00: Oriaria Singers of Northumberland (in· Further Afield) • January 27 7:30: Metropolitan United Church Choir February 2 8:00: Elmer lseler Singers; Amadeus Chamber Choir February 4 4:30: St. Anne's Choir. Jaz.z Notes by Jim Galloway So, here we are, approaching· the end of the year and, in the opinion of some, approaching the real millennium. I can't think .in terms pf a thousand years, so will aim my sights lower qnd'settlefor that wonderful 9ld song by Ned Wash ~ngton and ViotorYoung, '~ Ifundred Years From Today"!: If you don't know it, try to have a listen to it as sung and "r played by Jack TeagardeJJ,: ' Looking back over the past year, I realize just how much good jazz is available on a regular basis in this city. On l:\ny given week in Toronto, you· can hear a wide range of music. The performers are sometimes visiting "names", but the majority are our own artists - and the standards are high. The concentration of good musicians in our own community is astonishing. The number of playing opportunities regrettably small, for it is an unfortunate fact that there is a lot less work for musicians than there used to.be. And Toronto iS a city with more playing opportunities than most. A young player entering the profession today has a difficult path ahead. There are simply not enough jobs to go around and talent is no guarantee of success. Not that too much work has often been a problem for music;ians. There is a story that in the early days of their careers, Benny Goodman and Jimmy Dorsey shared a flat. Both being reed players, there was fierce. competition for anyjobs that came along. Rather thari share the work equally, the rules were that whoever answered the telephone first got the job. Now we are talking about the days when the mouthpiece was on 'the phone and you lifted the receiver. off a hook to listen to the caller. On one occasion there was a dead heat. Jimmy'Dorsey got the mouthpiece of the phone and accepted the date, but Benny Goodman had the receiver and ·knew where the job was! The somewhat unusual contradiction in all of this is the problem that we live in. an age where there is not enough · work for musicians, while at tlie same time there is too much music atound us! CONCERT NOTES •!• JAZZ NOTES & BANDSTAND . It's a personal opinion, but I hold to it very firmly, and I know I'm not alone. Music has been devalued,or, at least 'the contribution of the people who make the music. Because of its omnipresence - in elevators, in shops, in restaurants, in waiting rooms, in washrooms - incessantly - it is rammed down our throats, well, our ears, to he more accurate day and night, to the e~ent that it is simply a noise in the background and of abso~utely no aesthetic value. End , result? The real thing has less value. And silence becomes increasingly golden. This personal beef of mine, the fact that Christmas is upon us and the · additional fact that the Goon show was, and is, thanks to CJRT, one of the joys of my life, reminds me of the recording made by the Goons many years ago - so ,many, in fact, that it was a 78r.pm - one ' :side" ofwbich Was Spike Milligan singing, ·"I'm Walking Backwards For Christmas, Across The Irish Sea'', but the flip side was.labelled as "Silent Night" and consisted of three minutes of silence. I often wish I could request it! Ho! Ho! Ho! to one and all. P.S. I'll be happy to see you if you 'drop into the Montreal Bistro between December 27th. ·and New Year's Eve where ru ' be playing with Ian Bargh and Rosemary Galloway. We can toss a coin to see who buys the single malt! Bandstand by Merlin Williams 16 Who1enote DECEMBER 1, 2000- JANUARY 31, 2001 Despite the fact that my deadline for submitting this column is more than a month before Christmas, I'm having no trouble getting in the right frame of mind. The temperature outside is a bonechilling -8C, and I'm thankful I don't live in Fort Erie! Last month, I highlighted some of the early December band concerts ~ here are some more events that happen in the first week that are worth checking out: The Brampton Concert Band is trying something new this year - two Christmas concerts on December· 2. The afternoon concertis titled Christmas For Kids, and it features music from the Nutcracker, and three narrated works - The Grinch, . The Night Before Christmas, and Peter And The Wolf. The evening concert, Christmas Classics features excerpts from Messiah, a Canadian Brass Christmas medley, and a selection of carols for the audience to siD;g along with. Both concerts take place at Christ Anglican Church in Brampton. On December 9, you have a choice of three presentations. The EMPressions Show Choir is doing Swing n' Christmas with the Artillery ·Pops Swing Band. The Salvation Army Yorkminster Citadel's Community Concert features the Hannaford Street Brass Ensemble. Conductor Ron ciayson and the. Weston Silver Band bring us The Joy of Christmas. · Sunday December ·17 is a busy day to the north and east of the city. The Clarington Concert Band presents Home For The Holidays at Orono Town Hall, 2:00 p.m. Meanwhile, in Ajax, the Pickering Community Concert Band does its Christmas concert at 2:00 p.m. at the Carruthers Creek Community Church on Base Line. An hour later, Dr. Diana Brault and th~ Markham Concert Band celebrate the season with a concert of Christmas classics and a carol sing at the Markham Theatre. Please be sure and consult the main listings section of Wholenote for complete information on tnese and many other concerts. The annual Unionville Wind Conductors' Symposium is on Match 3, 2001. That may seem like a long way off, but if you plan ahead and get your registration in by Feb. 1, you save . The workshop sessions address conducting technique, repertoire, podium presence, and how to get the most from your rehearsals. This years clinicians are Craig Kirchoff, the Professor of Conducting and Director of Bands at the U. of Minnesota; and Bud Beyer, who uses his background in acting and mime to present workshops on gesture and movement for orchestral and band conductors. For further information, and a registration form, phone - 905-479-2787 (ext. 549), fax - 905-479- 1539, or email - .uwcs@home.com. Have an excellent holiday season, and if you need a resolution for the new year, how about making a point of getting out · to see more live music. Those of us who toil on stages and in clubs will be grateful. , Merlin Williams is a woodwind performer, arranger, teacher and music copyist based in Toronto. If you would like an upcoming band event to be featured in the Bandstand'column,feel free to contact him at (416) 489-0275; by ·e-mail, m~rlinw@attcanada.ca; on the web, http://members.attcanada.ca/ -merlinw/.
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