Jazz NotesArts Fundingby
Jazz NotesArts Fundingby Jim GallowayThis month's column is being written well in advance, since I'll be inEurope at deadline time, but looking back at October and at the monthahead, there are some events worth a mention.October was an exciting month at Massey Hallfeaturing such big names as Wynton Marsalis and theLincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and Molly Johnson.Mr. Marsalis can be a controversial figure on thescene with his neo-classical approach but he is asuperb musician and the orchestra is, without aquestion, a wonderful musical organization. Mollytook to the stage just before her European tour. Shewas performing from her newest album, "Messin'Around." Just in case you don't already know, Mollyhas a regular slot on CBC Radio 2, hosting the newweekend morning shows airing Saturdays from 6 amto 10 am, and Sundays from 6 am to 8 am. No morelate night hangs on Friday or Saturday, Molly!Massey Hall will continue to feature other greatjazz artists in November such as Colin Hunter andStarlight Orchestra with guest artist Joe Sealy. Colinand the orchestra will be presenting music from theirnewest album "Timeless" which features classicsongs sung by artists such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Nat KingCole, and Tony Bennett. Colin's career has an interesting spin, as heis the founding president, CEO and owner of the airline carrierSunwing Airlines by day and a crooner by night. He will be performingat Massey Hall November 7 at 8 pm.Looking ahead to December, it looks like big band season withJAZZ.FM91 at The Old Mill. On December 8, I'll be there withThe 17 piece Wee Big Band, and on Tuesday and Wednesday, December16 and 17 The Boss Brass will be there, in a history-makingreunion concert.Sometimes I cast around in my mind for a topic-sometimes pastor upcoming events suggest a subject. No matter what, I always findmyself taking detours as I do research into a theme. It's time-consuming,but always rewarding .Well, on October 14, Canada went to the polls; funding for thearts, or lack of it, has been a hot topic . Patronage of the arts hasbeen around since the ancient world, and without it we would bewithout many of our great artistic achievements. It was for centuriesbestowed mainly by individuals with influence, power, and deeppockets, which was mostly royalty, nobility, or the church. By the20th century the pattern had changed and patrons tended to be politicalparties, the state, private industry and foundations .In the process of doing a bit of research into the business of patronageand funding for the arts, I found some revealing facts, onegoing back to the time of Queen Elizabeth I. She instructed LordBurleigh, the Lord High Treasurer, to give one hundred pounds to thepoet Edmund Spenser, best known for his epic poem "The FaerieQueen", written at a time when it meant just that. Apparently nogreat lover of the arts, Lord Burleigh's emotional response was ,"What? All this for a song? "The 18th century author, Samuel Johnson, defined a patron as"one who looks with unconcern on a man struggling for life in thewater, and, when he has reached ground, encumbers him withhelp" , while George Crabbe, the English poet and naturalist, writingin The Newspaper (a satire published in 1785) said, "Feed the musicianand he's out of tune." A hundred years later, W.S Gilbert composedthe following lines for The Mikado: "A wandering minstrel IA thing of shreds and patches. " Gustav Holst is quoted as saying,"Music making as a means of getting money is hell."The reality is that without patronage and sponsorship, symphonicmusic, opera and ballet would not survive. Jazz has always been thechurch mouse when it comes to support for the arts. It is still regardedby too many people as not quite respectable, perhaps because ofCatch Molly on CBC Radio 2 from6 am to 10 am on Saturdays and6 am to 8 am on Sundays.its ability to make us aware of our emotions. Wikipedia, the freecontentinternet encyclopedia, has the following entry: "Canadianculture is a term that encompasses the artistic, musical, literary,culinary, political , and social elements that are representative ofCanada, not only to its own population, but to people all over theworld. " Some of this country's leaders would do well to understandthe importance of that definition.Throughout history, music has had a huge influenceon the way people and communities interact.Likewise, music reflects the attitudes of people ina community. Examples of this sort of connectioninclude the Baroque era in Europe, and in recenttimes, New Orleans, which is undeniably differentfrom any other culture in the world. It hasalways inspired musicians and artists, who in turninfluence cultures worldwide.Research has shown that those with an interestin the arts say they would almost always or frequentlybuy a product sponsoring arts or culturalevents. Even more revealing is that almost onehalf( 48 %) of Americans with an interest in artand cultural events indicated that they hold a highertrust in companies that sponsor these events. Itmight also be the case that governments that don'tshow support for the arts will lose votes . Politiciansbeware!Closing thought-A Gallup Poll-the rush ofpeople going to cast their vote.Happy listening.In the Clubs: Autumn's Dayby Ori DaganAlthough temperatures will surely decline this month, don't expectthe jazz to follow suit. Example: The Rex Jazz & Blues Bar offers19 shows a week, year-round, making it the ultimate jazz hang, hereor anywhere. Some highlights this month:· Sly Juhas Quintet: Tuesdays at 6:30 with saxmen Richard Underhilland Sal Rosselli, James McEleney on bass and Tom Juhas onguitar. Typically a sought-after sideman, drummer Sly guarantees agood time.· Holly Clark Trio: first four Saturdays at 7:00. Beautiful vocals ,sensitively delivered.· Shannon Butcher: Sundays at 7:00. Sunshine-like, this radiant singerexudes warmth.· Bob Brough Quartet CD release: November 7th at 9:45. A prominenttenor player in Toronto for over 25 years, Brough is a commandingsoloist and skilled composer. Supported by Adrean Farrugia onpiano, Artie Roth on bass and Terry Clarke on drums .Two other CD release parties to mention: charming pianist RonDavis launches "The Bestseller" at Hugh's Room on November 20thand scintillating singer Yvette Tollar releases "Ima" at Glenn GouldStudio on November 28th.Ragtime piano master John Arpin (1936-2007) was one of the mostversatile Canadian musicians in generations. On November 30th atThe Diesel Playhouse, Louise Pitre, Michael Burgess, Peter Appleyard,Robert Scott, and others will pay tribute to this virtuoso. Ticketsare .50 and proceeds go to the St. Michael's Choir SchoolAlumni Gala Fund, one of Arpin's favourite institutions and a placehe taught at for many years .Parents take note: The Beaches Jazz Festival Youth Initiatives is anew program aimed to provide opportunities for youth as audiencemembers, learners and performers. As part of this innovative program,The Next Generation Jazz Jam happens every other Sundayfrom 3:00-6:00pm at The Dominion on Queen with a rhythm sectionled by host Robert Scott.20 WWW. THEWHOLENOTE .COM N OVEM BER 1 - D ECE M B ER 7 2008
Bandstand and Podiumsby Jack MacQuarrieI thought I'd start with the true story of an incident during a concert bya local community symphony orchestra some years ago: a performancewhich laid an egg, but in a very different way. It was not a memberof the orchestra who laid the egg. On the contrary, the egg waslaid on the performer. A trombone player with, coincidentally, thesame name as me, had his slide extended to sixth position in anticipationof the downbeat for the next movement of a Brahms symphony.Then it hit. A solid strike of an egg on the inner slide provided an unintendedlubricant for the astonished musician. As it turned out, theconductor was not aware of the missile, and the performance went offwithout a hitch. After the performance, a noted contralto, and wife ofthe conductor, who had been in the audience, related how she hadwatched in disbelief, contemplating during the egg's arc where themissile might most disastrously strike.It was an unusually warm evening for that time of year, you see,and the auditorium was a bit on the warm side. To provide a morecomfortable temperature for the orchestra members, the stage crewdecided to open the stage doors to let in cooler air. They had not anticipatedwhat else they might let in.If you think you can top that, let me know. I'll wager that there is abook's worth of similarly memorable moments out there. Point is thefall season is well under way and most orchestras and bands are preparingfor their fall and winter concerts, and with all their carefulplanning behind them, they will now be well into rehearsals and lookingforward to memorable performances. But what about the unforeseen,the unexpected, the unanticipated: the incident which could notpossibly have been considered in the planning? There is always thepossibility of something occurring to make the performance memorable,but for the wrong reasons.All of which leads us, by a somewhat circuitous route, to the topicI wanted to get you thinking about-namely planning for contingencies.Granted, one can't guard against qualified critics happening to walkpast an open stage door, but how can we minimize the impact of unwantedsurprises? As a key component of the planning process, insurancecomes to mind. Is your group's insurance adequate? Does itprovide for adequate coverage? What is realistic coverage? To explorethe topic we contacted some insurance brokers, hoping to bring yousome definitive answers. Some of the forms of coverage we inquiredabout included: liability, personal injury, damage to or loss of instrumentsand music, and event cancellation.I can report, as I am sure some of you could have told me, thatdefinitive answers were in short supply. Our questions tended toprompt questions in reply. Here is a summary:In the case of personal injury, such as a group member falling offthe stage or off a riser, who, if anyone, was negligent? Would anyclaim be covered by your policy or that of the performance venue? Doyou have a contract with that venue which spells out such matters?What about injuries to audience members? Litigious lawyers love tosue everyone in sight.When querying damage to, or loss of, instruments and music, wewere asked about the worst case scenario. One insurance contactsuggested a situation where the group might own an irreplaceable setof parts for a composition no longer in print. When such a case isdiscussed, the result is usually that the premium would be prohibitivelyexpensive. In such cases, perhaps the best that can be done is to providestorage that is reasonably safe from fire and water damage. Afew years ago the Newmarket Citizens Band had their rehearsal venuedestroyed by arsonists. Fortunately, most of their music was stored insturdy steel filing cabinets rather than on open shelves. For the most,the music survived both heat and water damage.Event cancellation is a form of insurance that one rarely hearsmentioned. Is it important for your group? Would a cancellation resultin a financial loss? How often are performances cancelled? Last year,in the two week period just before Christmas, heavy snow stormsforced the cancellation of no fewer than three performances in whichI was involved. In these cases there was no financial loss, but if therehad been, we had no cancellation insurance. I have met brokers whospecialize in such insurance, but some digging would be required tolocate one.As with my story of the egg toss, I hope this brief discussion ofsome of the whys and wherefores of insurance will prompt some interestingand useful observations. I'll be sure to pass them along.Coming Events - Please see the listings section for full detailsHannaford Street Silver Band (Nov. 16)The Northdale Concert Band (Nov. 17, Dec. 7, 14)The Etobicoke Community Concert Band (Dec. 19)Please write to us: bandstand@thewholenote.com-----:)\'C051fl0 Exp erts in m eeting a ll of your'--music musica l needs for ove r 4 0 years.Featuring some of Toronto's best jazz musicianswith a brief reflection by Jazz Vespers ClergySunday, November 2nd at 4:30 p.m.MARK EISENMAN TRIOMARK EISENMAN - piano; JOHN SUMNER - drumsSTEVE WALLACE - bassSunday, November 16th at 4:30 p.m.JOE SEALY - piano; PAUL NOVOTNY - bassChrist Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge Street(north of St. Clair at Heath St.) 416·920·5211Admission is free.An offering is received to support the work of the church, including Jazz Vespers.N OVEMBER 1 - D ECEMBER 7 2008 WWW. TH EWHO LENOTE.COM 21
