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Volume 13 - Issue 8 - May 2008

Includes the 2008 Canary Pages

DIRECT FROM THE NEW YORK

DIRECT FROM THE NEW YORK FACTORYSTEINWAYFACTORY SELECTIONSALEONE WEEKEND ONLYSATURDAY MAY 3 & SUNDAY MAY 410AM-5PMPRE-SELECTION: FRIDAY MAY 2BY APPOINTMENT ONLYOver 90% of today's great pianists, teaching institutionsand concert halls would settle for nothing otherthan a Steinway. Neither should you.With factory direct pricing and an added selection ofSteinway and Steinway designed pianos arriving fromNew York, there has never been a smarter time to buythe piano of your dreams.NEW • USED • FACTORY REBUILT• OTHER MAKES AND MODELS INCLUDEDFor Information or Appointments Call:\•'/1.888.882.8981REMENYIHOUSE OF MUSIC210 BLOOR ST. WEST, TORONTOwww.remenyi.comJazz Notesby Jim GallowayGathering Notes In MayIt will soon be festival season again and I look back over the past 22years at the beginnings of the now TD Canada Trust Toronto JazzFestival and realize how much the music and the music industry havechanged.There has been, of course, the natural process of attrition - namesthat I can't call on to play the festival again - among them DizzyGillespie, Lionel Hampton, Miles Davis, Art Hodes, Sun Ra, GerryMulligan, Doc Cheatham, Jay McShann, Stan Getz, Milt Hinton,Ralph Sutton, Buddy Tate, "Wild Bill" Davison, Sarah Vaughan, J.J.Johnson, Jimmy Witherspoon, Tony Williams, Carl Fontana, almostall of whom were personal acquaintances and, in some cases, closefriends.I look at that list with the realisation that important as their musicwas, it was what they were as people that made the music what itwas. They lived their music and their universities and colleges werethe clubs they played in week in and week out and life on the road wasno bed of roses, but was certainly character forming.All that is pretty well a thing of the past and nowadays people lamentthe dearth of jazz venues where established players can keeptheir skills honed and young musicians can experiment with newsounds. Players of today tend to be products of a more respectable,academic background-but that, like anything else, also has its positiveand negative aspects. That's a whole other topic for another day.The jazz veterans and trailblazers were outsiders-something apartfrom "normal" society. Jazz musicians were regarded by many asbeing just a little suspect, living in a world of booze, drugs and ladiesof the night-a world of borderline morals. Today, I'm willing to betthat there is a lot more alcohol and substance abuse in the world ofboardrooms than in bandrooms !And come to think of it, the outraged "guardians of public morals"should perhaps have checked out the colourful life styles of some ofthe "masters" like Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Schubert and Sir EugeneGoossens, to mention only a few, before condemning jazz. And symphonymusicians I have known have been just as capable of a littlehellraising as anyone else-and good for them!Thankfully, those prejudices have all but gone, but maybe that outmoded,tainted reputation is one of the reasons that jazz gets the shortend of the stick when it comes to recognition and support from thepowers that be.In the world of government grants and subsidies for the arts, jazzhas been relegated to Grantartica. Just recently, an arts event, alreadyextremely well funded, received a government grant of 15million dollars. The jazz festivals in the same city got nothing. Thereain't no 'fun'-ding trying to present jazz.However, I digress. For a few days across the country jazz willblossom. Thousands of people will come out for a passing feast offestivals, then, for the most part, disappear until same time nextyear. Those of you who do support the music on a year-round basisandthank goodness you do-know exactly what I'm talking about.TD Canada Trust is a very generous supporter of jazz festivalsacross the country and more power to them, but a ten-day event, nomatter how popular, does not mean that the music is in good healththe rest of the year. I wish that even ten percent of the people whoattend our mainstage concerts would come out even once a month tolisten to live jazz.Having said that, I certainly want those thousands of people tocome out and enjoy this year's festival. The line-up is diverse andinteresting with some great names coming from all over the world.Pag(e)ing The FundraiserOn a much smaller scale, but close to my heart is an event takingplace on the 14 of May at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre.The heart of jazz is in the people who not only love the music, butwho make that love a tangible, living thing. They have I'm sure, been22WWW. TH EWHOL ENOTE.COM MAY 1 - ]UNE 7 2008

around almost sincejazz began. Jazz.That most immediateof art forms - thatpoor church mousewhich scrapes bywithout the degree offunding that most, ifnot all, other artsenjoy.But there are a fewpeople out there whocare enough to devotetime and energy sothat, one way oranother, live musicsurvives. Toronto isfortunate in that wehave several groupsof devotees to livemusic, among themThe Archie AlleyneScholarship Fund,Ken PageThe Art Of Jazz andThe Ken Page Memorial Trust.This will be the lOth year of the KPMT gala (which survives withoutany grants, depending entirely on support from concerned andcaring individuals). I'm proud to be on the board of trustees but fullcredit for the hard work that goes into making the event a reality goesto Anne Page, founder and chair of the trust, and Fay Olson, who hasa wealth of experience and success in the promotion of the arts. Forexample, not nearly enough people know that it was Fay who was theguiding force in making the Toronto Jazz Festival a reality. Withouther it just might never have happened.The line-up for this year's fundraiser is a corker! Warren Vache,Ken Peplowski, Eddie Higgins, Peter Appleyard, Guido Basso, RegSchwager, Pat Collins, Don Vickery, Echoes Of Swing and yourstruly tagging along.Tickets are 0.00, (with a sizeable tax deduction receipt) and forthat there is a welcoming cocktail, dinner and a feast of music. If youare interested contact Anne Page at 416-515-0200 ormoraig@huntingstewart.com.I leave you with two philosophical thoughts with a common thread:"What is best in music is not to be found in the notes."- Gustav Mahler"Don't play the notes. Play the meaning of the notes. " - Pablo CasalsHappy live listening. Jazz in Clubs is on page 49.Featuring some of Toronto's best jazz musicianswith a brief reflection by Jazz Vespers ClergySunday, May 11 th at 4:30 p.m.THE COLLEEN ALLEN TRIOSunday, May 25th at 4:30 p.m.THE MARK EISENMAN TRIOMark Eisenman, piano; Steve Wallace, bass; John Sumner, drumsFri May 2Sat May 3Fri May 9Sat May 10Fri May 16Sat May 17Fri May 23Sat May 24Fri May 30Sat May 31Fri Jun 6Sat Jun 7Fri Jun 13Sat Jun 14Fri Jun 20Sat Jun 21Fri Jun 27Sat Jun 28azz/The llome SmHh RarPlakaso DuoChase Sanborn TrioDusty Bohdan DuoPeter Smith TrioAndre Roy DuoRussell Drago TrioKira Callahan DuoRichard Whiteman TrioBryan Toner TrioLinda Carone TrioSean Bray DuoMark Ucci TrioTara Davidson DuoRuss Little TrioReg Schwager DuoHeather Bambrick TrioDusty Bohdan DuoRon Davis TrioFridays & SaturdaysJazz Sets begm8:30 pm - 11 :30 pmLimited Seating availableNo reservationsCover: .00 per personLight menu availableFree onsite pa rkingCome relax and unwind inthe intimate surroundings ofThe Home Smith Bar. Enjoy themellow and soulful soundsthat emanate from thegreat Jazz artists.WWW,THEWHO LENOTE. COM

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