Fri. Sep. 7Sat. Sep. 8Fri. Sep. 14Sat. Sep. 15Fri. Sep. 21Sat. Sep. 22Fri. Sep. 28Sat. Sep. 29Prince Cave TrioDoug Watson TrioKevin Barrett TrioYvonne Moore TrioRichard Underhill DuoKevin Turcotte TrioNathalie Nadon TrioReg Schwager DuoFridays & SaturdaysJazz Sets begin8:30 pm - 11 :30 pmLimited Seating availableNo reservationsCover: .00 per personLight menu availableFree onsite parkingCome relax and unwind inthe intimate surroundings ofThe Home Smith Bar. Enjoy themellow and soulful soundsthat emanate from theJazz Notescontinued from page 29John Scofield, George Duke and Stanley Clarke, to mention only afew. He has currently been touring with Carlos Santana in additionto appearances with his band Niacin. This time round, the DrakeHotel, 1150 Queen Street West has been reserved for the occasionand tickets are . There are only 150 available and you can phonethe hotel at 416.531.5042 or call the store 416.588.7886. You canalso drop by the Bloor Street store and pick up tickets in the drumdepartment.Again, it demonstrates that jazz education is a going concern.It has never been more in demand and, one way or another, thatmeans more profitable. Why then, if jazz seems to be so popular,have we lost two major venues in the past year and a half - and thenewest flagship club wisely decided to close the doors for the monthof August? It would appear that something, as Shakespeare said, isrotten in the State of Denmark.Could part of the problem be an identity crisis? What is jazz?According to Webster's Dictionary jazz is characterized by propulsivesyncopated rhythms, polyphonic ensemble playing, varyingdegrees of improvisation, and often deliberate distortions of pitchand timbre. Nowadays it covers such a huge range of music thatdefining lines have become so blurred as to make a clear definitionwell-nigh impossible. Not only that - the word has been turned intoa confusing marketing term to sell anything but music. Some simpleresearch came up with the following applications. Jazz can be anairline, a toy transfonner, a template for accountants, a copyrightedtrademark for golf clubs and accessories, a registered trademark ofInternational Typeface Corporation, an apple variety developed inNew Zealand, a Honda car, a specially coated paper or an eau-detoilettefor men!!It's enough to drive Eddie Condon to drink - Jazz Vodka, ofcourse, or Charlie Parker to drugs, from Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Yes,they do exist! With my tongue firmly lodged in my cheek, I'm remindedof the Ogden Nash quote - "Progress might have been allright once, but it's gone on too long"Jazz On A Summer's DayLast month I was at the Prince Edward County Jazz Festival andthoroughly enjoyed a weekend of good music in a laid-back atmosphere.There is a strong sense of community in the Picton area andthe festival has been warmly embraced by the local inhabitants. Withthe exception of one artist, the musicians were all Canadian - (yes, Iknow that Pat LaBarbera was born in the States, but we claim himnow!) - and Oliver Jones, Guido Basso, Bob DeAngelis, HeatherBambrick, Canadian Jazz Quartet and Creative Director Brian Barlowwere just some of the many artists who contributed to the success ofthe event. The visiting fireman from the United States was bassistJohn Lamb, who played with Duke Ellington for 12 years and henot only shared some of his experiences with the great man in acouple of informal sessions, but also demonstrated that he is noslouch when it comes to bass playing. All in all, a fun weekend.Tavern In The TownThe Colonial Tavern, one of the hubs of the local jazz scene in itsday, opened its doors 60 years ago and the house band was CyMcClean's Rhythm Stampers. A fire destroyed the place in 1960,but it was rebuilt and its second lease on life lasted until the clubclosed in 1978. The building was demolished in 1987. The ignominiousfate of a 1989 project to create a Colonial Tavern Park as apermanent tribute to the club and the world famous artists who performedthere speaks volumes about the city fathers' indifference tothe social and cultural history of Toronto.Happy live listening. Jazz club coverage continues on page 46.30WWW, THEWHOLENOTE,COM SEPTEMBER 1 - O CTOBER 7 2007Back to Ad Index
SoME THING NewBY }ASON VAN EYKI'm embarrassed to say that I've made it to very few concerts thissummer, despite both the best of intentions and the number ofinteresting offerings in Toronto and nearby. I could make excuses bysaying it was just too nice outside to be at a concert, but then Icould have easily been listening to Kim Pritchard, Lori Freedman orDavid Mott perform at the Music Garden, or I could have taken inone of New Adventures in Sound Art's soundwalks on the TorontoIslands. Alternatively, I could have said it was too hot for outdoorconcerts, but then I could have attended the Elora, Ottawa or Brottmusic festivals, all of which had interesting indoor concerts.What concerts I did attend satisfied a more relaxed summer taste.CONTACT Contemporary Music's Drum Drag concert was inturns provocative and uproarious, with composer I percussionistGareth Farr offering a remarkably powerful work under his everydayname, set off against the equally ingenious costumes and crowdpleasingtunes of his Lileth Lacroix persona. Meanwhile, the seventhseason of Stratford Summer Music launched with a medley ofsummer fun from the Langley Ukulele Ensemble, joined byCanadian-born world ukulele virtuoso James Hill, which was directlyfollowed by fireworks set to a suitably over-the-top score.Thankfully, all of these summer indulgences will be balanced out bythe return of a more edifying yet still fun fall concert season whichis off to an early start with a whole host of interesting event~.T~e rapid re-entry_ o~ th~ Canadian Contemporary Music Workshopbrmgs a welcome mJect1on of new national content into the Torontomusical landscape. Created in 1983 as a forum for emergingCanadian composers to have their works professionally reviewed,evaluated and performed, the CCMW had fallen quiet over the lastfew years. Under the new collective leadership of Canada's mostpromising young composers - Craig Galbraith, Abigail Richardsonand Andrew Staniland - the Workshop sprung back to life lastseason with three unique events. They lead us into 2007-2008 withString _Theo_ry, a concert of music for guitar and electronics featuringCanadian virtuoso Rob MacDonald. Staying true to the Workshop'smandate, three world premieres by emerging composers MonicaClorey, Liya Huang and Henry Ng fill the September 6thprogramme, which will start at 8 p.m. at the Music Gallery. Formore details, visit www.ccmw.ca.September 8th sees the inaugural Toronto (new music) Marathontake over Yonge-Dundas Square. CONTACT Contemporary Music,in collaboration with the Square' s management, is planning an 8-hourstream of continuous creative music in the heart of downtownToronto. Designed as a pre-season event, the marathon will connectartists and ensembles from the experimental, avant-garde, newclassical and improv scenes, all in an attempt to attract newaudiences to the city's hidden gems of contemporary concert music.So far, listeners can count on performances by electro crossovergroup PHHK!, all-composer avant-rock band Kanaka, improv unitRob Piilonen and Rob's Collision, chaotic noise group GastricFemale Reflex, new music percussionist Tim Francom, avant-multifusionistJohn Kameel Farah, and of course CONTACT. NewAdventures in Sound Art fills in the gaps with uniqueelectroacoustics. For more info visitwww .contactcontemporarymusic.ca or call 416-902-7010.The 2007-2008 season officially starts with X Avant, the MusicGallery's annual, international new music festival. Now in its secondyear, X Avant marks the spot from where we can expect new musicto lead us, whether it's down the path of new jazz and improv orthat of contemporary chamber music to left-field pop, avant-rock,exp~rimental electronics, world musics and back to where all they allcolhde. From September 13 - 16, X Avant will be Toronto'shomebase for innovative art music from all genres. With twelveconcerts spanning thegamut of contemporarycreation over amere four days, thedensity and quality oftalent complicates theselection of highlights.Still , newmusic fans won'twant to miss PaulineOliveros and AnnBourne improvising"One Long Peace"on September 14th,followed by CONTACT's acousticarrangements ofclassic electronica.Nor will you want tomiss the MadawaskaQuartet performnewly commissioned~ x Avant: Top - Pauline Oliveros andAnn Bourne; Bottom - Wooden Starsworks from Toronto's Allison Cameron and Japan's Usio Toikai.For full festival details, visit www.musicgallery.org or call 416-204-1080.After ten days of solid new music, we get a breather before TapestryNew Oper~ Works takes to the stage with their annual Opera Briefs.These 5-mmute, fully formed shorts are fresh from the fingertips ofthose composers and librettists who have survived Tapestry'ssummer opera boot camp - the Composer Librettist Laboratory. Inthe hands of Tapestry's talented team, these Opera Briefs will fastforwardyour appreciation for new opera and drive your taste for thelatest creators. The seventh annual edition will premiere onSeptember 28th and repeat on the 29th. Can't make it? Then be sureto mark September 30th on your calendar, when Tapestry partnerswith the CMC's New Music in New Places series to take OperaBriefs to The Word on the Street. Full details are available atwww.tapestrynewopera.com or by phone at 416-537-6066.The month closes out with the return of that all-night contemporaryart thing known as Nuit Blanche. A huge success in its inauguralyear, the new music community was quick to contribute audiowalks,large-scale sound installations, dusk-to-dawn concerts and DJ poolparties to this visual extravaganza. This year, the musical mayhemstarts at 7:03 p.m. on September 29th and won't stop until the suncomes up. The Canadian Music Centre hosts two events in its NewMusic in New Places series. The Library will be taken over byAndrew Staniland's LinguaElastic project, merging improvised musicand electroacoustic sound. Hourly interactive performances drawinspiration from the Canadian Music Centre's vast collectionsremixing the work of Canadian composers live before your e~rs.Upstairs in the Boardroom, Bill Gilliam's Memory Vision will set amore contemplative audiovisual landscape designed to relax the limitsof time. Over at the Music Gallery, a shape-shifting improv superbandwill perform while their sound is manipulated byelectroacoustic composer Darren Copeland. The University ofToronto's Faculty of Music also gets in on the action, convertingtheir lobby space into a fully interactive, electronic forest thatencourages the audience to awaken sleeping spirits. Given that thisyear's Nuit Blanche boasts 50 % more events, there is bound to bemuch more new music. Pack your No-Doze and get ready to pushyour boundaries. More info is available atwww.scotiabanknuitblanche.ca or call 416-338-0338.So come out and celebrate a brand new season. Re-engage yoursenses with some thing new.(Jason van Eyk is the Canadian Music Centre 's Ontario RegionalDirector. He can be reached at 416-961-6601 x. 207 orjvaneyk@musiccentre. ea).SEPTEMB ER 1 - O CTOBER 7 2007 WWW. TH EWHOLENOTE. COM 31Back to Ad Index
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