Volume 16 Issue 9 - June 2011

FOR OPENERS / DAVID

FOR OPENERS / DAVID PERLMANShort Hikes and the Long HaulONE OF THE THINGS I like best of all about the editor’s 12), talking about Holy Trinity Church. Holy Trinity is where Musicperch here is the enjoyment I get from the random moments,the odd little coincidences that life in the informa-this year celebrates its twentieth anniversary.Mondays, the quintessential grass roots urban summer music series,tion stream keeps washing up. Last month, for example, it “Sheltered from Yonge and Dundas by the Eaton Centre,” Pulkerwas choral columnist Ben Stein and world music writer Andrew Timar says of Holy Trinity, “it stands like an oasis of memories of things past.”both popping the word “multivalent” into their columns. That’s two And then, at the other end of the spectrum, Janice Price (page 58)unrelated multivalents in twelve pages compared to zero in the previ- in talking about heavyweight contender Luminato’s new “hub” venue, David Pecaut Square, says this: “Compared to the bustle of Yonge-It was almost as freaky as that moment, almost nine and a half years Dundas Square, this [David Pecaut Square] is a space of respite, whereago (Saturday March 2 2002 – 8pm to be precise) when two presenters, you can hear conversations and discussions …”three blocks apart, put on entire concerts dedicated to the music of Spaces of respite … Oasis of memory. Yonge-Dundas? Not.John Blow. John who? you ask. My point precisely. Multivalent Blow. Say what you like about Yonge-Dundas (and everyone has something to say about it) you know an urban space has come of age when writanniversarydate for JB – the 294th anniversary of his death, the 353rd of his christening? Not exactly grabby numbers.understand the comparison.And now, this month, it is happening again. Earlier today I was I like to think it’s a sign of the city’s maturation that such contrastingurban amenities (and events) can so happily co-exist, each just the proverbial short hike from the next.pages throughout the magazine). And then I noticed an oddity in the way Two of Toronto’s festival heavyweights, Luminato and TD Torontothat two of the writers in the issue referred to Yonge-Dundas Square. Jazz have both made the short hike to David Pecaut Square this yearThe oddity was in the fact that usually when our writers refer to a as the place to pitch their festival tents, literally and metaphorically.place it is because they intend to talk about something that is about to happen in the place in question. But not this time. This time both of But it will be interesting to see how many years it takes before two people coincidentally saying “NOT David Pecaut Square” signals that the venuethe place where the event they are talking about is going to happen. has, like Yonge-Dundas, entered the major leagues of urban lore.First to do so is Allan Pulker in Classical & Beyond (page 10–—David Perlman, publisher@thewholenote.comThe WholeNote The Toronto Concert-Goer’s GuideVOLUME 16 NO 9 | JUNE 1 – JULY 7, 2011720 Bathurst St, Suite 503, Toronto ON M5S 2R4MAIN TELEPHONE 416-323-2232FAX 416-603-4791SWITCHBOARD & GENERAL INQUIRIES Ext 21Chairman of the BoardAllan Pulkerdirectors@thewholenote.comPublisher/Editor In Chief | David Perlmanpublisher@thewholenote.comCD Editor | David Oldsdiscoveries@thewholenote.comEvent Advertising/MembershipKaren Ages | members@thewholenote.comAdvertising/Production Support/OperationsJack Buell | adart@thewholenote.comListings CoordinatorsSharna Searle, Ori Daganlistings@thewholenote.comjazz@thewholenote.comWebsiteBryson Winchester | systems@thewholenote.comCirculation, Display Stands & SubscriptionsChris Malcolm | circulation@thewholenote.comPatrick Slimmon | patrick@thewholenote.comTHANKS TO THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORSCover PhotoSN BiancaBeat ColumnsBANDSTAND | Jack MacQuarrieBOOKSHELF | Pamela MarglesCLASSICAL & BEYOND | Allan PulkerCHORAL SCENE | Benjamin SteinEARLY MUSIC | Simone DesiletsIN THE CLUBS | Ori DaganJAZZ NOTES | Jim GallowayMUSICAL LIFE | mJ buellIN WITH THE NEW | Jason van EykOPERA | Christopher HoileWORLD MUSIC | Andrew TimarFeaturesOri Dagan, Geoff Chapman, David Jaeger,Frank Lockwood, Janice PriceCD ReviewersAlex Baran, Larry Beckwith, Geoff Chapman,Stephen Clarke, Ori Dagan, Janos Gardonyi,Tiina Kiik, Roger Knox, David Olds,Pamela Margles, Alison Melville,Peter Kristian Mose, Cathy Riches, Terry Robbins,Michael Schwartz, Bruce Surtees, Ken Waxman,Dianne WellsProofreadingKaren Ages, Michael Schwartz, Sharna SearleListingsOri Dagan, Richard Haskell,Felix Deak, Sharna SearleLayout & DesignBrian Cartwright (cover), Uno RamatSUBSCRIPTIONS per year + HST (10 issues)www.thewholenote.comUpcoming Dates & DeadlinesFree Event Listings Deadline6pm Wednesday June 15Display Ad Reservations Deadline6pm Wednesday June 15Advertising Materials Due6pm Friday June 17Publication DateWednesday June 29Next issue, Volume 16 No 10 is ourSummer Double Issue and coversJuly 1 – September 7, 2011WholeNote Media Inc. accepts no responsibilityor liability for claims made for any product orservice reported on or advertised in this issue.Printed in CanadaCouto Printing & Publishing ServicesCirculation StatementJune 2011: 30,000 printed & distributed.Canadian Publication ProductSales Agreement 1263846ISSN 14888-8785 WHOLENOTEPublications Mail Agreement #40026682Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:WholeNote Media Inc.503–720 Bathurst StreetToronto ON M5S 2R4COPYRIGHT © 2011 WHOLENOTE MEDIA INC6 thewholenote.comJune 1 – July 7, 2011

What Is This Thing Called Jazz? / Part IHeavyweights – left to right, Butcher, Metcalfe,Whitty, Teehan, Challoner.Heavyweights HitDavid Pecaut SquareORI DAGANFIVE MIGHTILY AMBITIOUS twenty-somethings make up TheHeavyweights Brass Band: Rob Teehan on sousaphone, PaulMetcalfe on sax, Jon Challoner on trumpet, Chris Butcher ontrombone and Lowell Whitty on drums. Barely 18 months old,the band is psyched to make a splash at this year’s TD Toronto JazzFestival, with a main stage show on Canada Day and a CD Release eventat The Rex Hotel Jazz & Blues Bar on July 3. Aside from their cordlessinstruments that harken back to a New Orleans of yesteryear, what’s allthe fuss about? Drumroll, please. It’s the repertoire they arrange, fromLady Gaga and Beyoncé to Michael Jackson and Justin Bieber. GASP!Can a group that covers Gaga and the Biebs be a legitimate jazz band?“It’s a point of debate, depending on who you talk to,” admitshas to encompass other styles of music that use the language of jazz,so I would say YES! we are a jazz band because what we do is verymuch in the tradition of improvisation.”“What we’re doing is bringing our own life experience into thegenre,” explains Butcher, who was inspired to form the band aftervisiting New Orleans in 2009. “These are songs that we grew up with,they are a part of us, so we’re trying to incorporate them into ourjazz tradition is playing the music of the day. Thelonious Monk andMiles Davis wrote their own music, but they also played the popularmusic of the day. The goal of this group is to play music that anyonecould enjoy, not necessarily someone who went to jazz school. As muchas I love modern jazz, one of the things that scares me about it is whenit only appeals to people who play bebop, not many can relate …”The band’s (ironically) light approach to entertaining a crowd iswinning them fans of all ages (“the reaction from young children hasbeen explosive!”) and in the tradition of old-school swing bands, theirinfectious rhythms inspire even the stiffest audience members to dance.Guess the lesson here is don’t judge a band by its covers. is impossible, since the word is itself a mystery. Furthermore, in acontinued on page 41SN BIANCAJune 1 – July 7, 2011 thewholenote.com 7