Beat by Beat | In the ClubsC. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz)JOCk MartinThe Jivebombers. Tight arrangements, impassioned solos,Hawaiian shirts and contagious laughter. See page 43.oRI daganDon’t get me wrong: I love a Gershwin tune and know nearlyevery verse by Hart. But it’s refreshing to hear more modern composersreceiving the jazz treatment.The John Lennon songbook receives an all-star Canadian jazz saluteon June 13 at Hugh’s Room, with the CD Release of Shine On, ledby guitarist/arranger Michael Occhipinti, with vocalists ElizabethShepherd, Yvette Tollar, Dominic Mancuso and Denzal Sinclaire,Kevin Turcotte on trumpet, Roberto Occhipinti on bass and MarkKelso on drums.“It was nice to be reminded of how creative John Lennon was, notjust as a writer but as a guitarist also,” says Occhipinti. “He was thefirst to intentionally use guitar feedback or backwards guitar. Also,as much as I heard albums like Rubber Soul or Revolver when I wasyoung, when I listened with this project in mind I was really knockedout by how the song structures changed and all the songs start andend in different ways. This was very inspiring to me as an arranger.”Interestingly, one of the brightest stars in the jazz guitar galaxy,American Bill Frisell, will also perform a jazz program of Lennonsongs, “All We Are Saying,” on June 26 at the Enwave Theatre, as partof the TD Toronto Jazz Festival. In contrast to Occhipinti’s generousoffering of vocal chords, Frisell’s arrangements offer strictly instrumentalexplorations of the icon’s music, featuring himself and GregLeisz on guitars, Tony Scherr on bass and Kenny Wollesen on drums.Harmonically sophisticated beyond measure, Frisell is just oneof the many artists who have influenced Hobson’s Choice, a uniquequartet that has been making waves on the local scene, somewherebetween jazz and folk, new music and chamber music. The groupconsists of Rebecca Hennessy on trumpet, Harley Card on guitar andvocals, Felicity Williams on vocals and Michael Davidson on vibraphoneand marimba.Besides Frisell, additional influences include Bruce Cockburn,Kenny Wheeler, Steve Reich, David Friedman, Joni Mitchell, RonSexsmith and Wayne Shorter, to name a few. Significantly, Hobson’sChoice does not choose covers: all four members contribute originalmaterial, leading one to wonder who the leader is.“The group started when the four of us decided to get together andlearn a bunch of Bruce Cockburn’s music,” says Harley Card. “Weeventually did some shows and then decided to continue workingon music for the ensemble, but to focus on our own writing instead …Although the impetus for most songs is by one of us, we continueto develop them as a group. The songs don’t really come to life untilthey’ve been filtered through the band’s process.”Hobson’s Choice will be releasing its third recording, Of theWaves, at the Music Gallery on June 30 at 8pm, as part of the TDToronto Jazz Festival.continued on page 43Every Thu John Campbell No Cover. Every Friand Sat Alex James No Cover.Communist’s Daughter, The1149 Dundas St. W. 647-435-0103Every Sat 4-7pm Gypsy Jazz w Michael Johnson& Red Rhythm: Michael Louis Johnson(trumpet/vocals) Roberto Rosenman (guitar)Terry Wilkins (bass).DeSotos1079 St. Clair Ave. W. 416-651-2109Every Thu 8pm-midnight Open Mic Jazz Jam,hosted by Double A Jazz. Every Sun 11am-2pm Brunch w Double A Jazz and Guest.Dominion on Queen*500 Queen St. E. 416-368-6893www.dominiononqueen.comEvery Sun 11am-3pm Rockabilly Brunch.Every Tue 8:30pm Corktown Django Jam whost Wayne Nakamura PWYC. Every WedCorktown Uke Jam 8pm. Every Sat RockabillyBrunch with Alistair Christl 11am-3pm; RonnieHayward 4:00-7:30pm. Jun 1 9:30pm Swingin’Blackjacks . Jun 3 4pm Jazz Jam withNoah Leibel. Jun 8 9pm East End RockabillyRiot . Jun 9 9pm CATL with Sean Pinchinopening . Jun 10 5pm Saluki Music. Jun 158pm White Buffalo . Jun 22 9pm Havanato Toronto w/ host Joaquin Nunez Hidalgo .Jun 23 1pm Sean Pinchin. No Cover; 5pm YorkJazz Ensemble w/ George Westerholm & BeverlyTaft ; 9pm Que Isso? Jun 24 11am-3pmRockabilly Brunch w/ Alistair Christl; 4:30pmBeverly Taft’s Bossa Nova Project ; DonnaGrantis Electric Band . Jun 25 8:30pm OxfordUniversity Jazz Orchestra $TBA. Jun 268:30pm Hot Club of Corktown Django Jam.PWYC. Jun 27 8:30pm Don Francks . Jun28 8:30pm Allsax 4tet . Jun 29 8:30pmRob Christian and Quincy Bullen . Jun 305pm Brian Rose Little Big Band ; 9pm BruceCassidy’s Hotfoot Orchestra ; 1am-4amRonnie Hayward’s After-hours Birthday Jam.Jul 1 11am-3pm Rockabilly Brunch w/ AlistairChristl; 4:30pm Ball-Ages Jazz Jam w/Noah Leibel;8:30pm Murata, Quarington & Taft w/ guestNeil Swainson (bass).Dovercourt House805 Dovercourt Rd. 416-537-3337www.odd-socks.org (full schedule)Every Sat 9pm-1am Saturday Night Swing:Dance featuring Live Swing Bands and dancelessons. Dance ; with one class, with both. Saturday Bands: Jun 2 Up JumpedSwing. Jun 9 Roberta Hunt & the Gents. Jun16 TBA. Jun 23 Silverleaf Jazz Band. Jun30 TBA.EDO Sushi484 Eglinton Ave. W. 416-322-3033All shows: 7:30–10:30pm. No Cover.Every Thu Jazz with Tony Quarrington (guitar)with guests: Jun 7 Sharon Smith (vocals);Shelley Miller (bass). Jun 14 TBA. Jun 21 JoelHartt (vocals); Neil Swainson (bass). Jun 28Peggy Mahon (vocals); Dave Field (bass).Emmet Ray, The924 College St. 416-792-4497All shows: 9pm. PWYC.www.theemmetray.com (full schedule)Jun 3 Tin Can Man. Jun 4 David Occhipinti/James Brown Guitar Duo. Jun 6 Alistair Christl& Friends. Jun 7 John Wayne Singtet. Jun 9Don’t Worry Darlin w/ Shannon Hoff. Jun 103pm–12am Emmet Ray One Day Music Festival–. Jun 11 Andrew Downing and TheWednesday Band. Jun 12 Julian Taylor w/ Cameron’sBeer Tasting. Jun 13 Peter Boyd and theMutants. Jun 14 Box Full of Cash. Jun 17 TigerSuits & Friends. Jun 18 Myriad. Jun 20 AlistairChristl & Friends. Jun 21 Vokurka’s VicariousVirtuoso Violin. Jun 24 Tropic Punch. Jun 25Downing/Goodman/Davidson Chamber Trio. Jun27 Alistair Christl. Jun 28 Patrick Brealey.Flying Beaver Pubaret, The488 Parliament St. 647-347-6567www.pubaret.com (full schedule)Jun 1, 2 7:30pm David Gale & Randy Vancourt/(adv). Jun 7 7:30pm Tabby Johnson/(adv). Jun 8, 9 7:30pm Broadsway:Heather Bambrick, Julie Michels & Diane Leah/(adv). Jun 28 7:30pm Julie Michels/(adv).Gallery Studio, The2877 Lake Shore Blvd., Etobicoke.416-253-0285www.thegallerystudiocafe.caEvery Tue Jazz Jam with Humber College walumni house band: Riley O’Connor (drums);Scott Kemp (bass); Scott Metcalf (piano); ShiranthaBeddage (saxophone); Lee Wallace (guitar).Every Sat 4:30-7pm The Cooking ChannelNo Cover. Every Sun 1:30pm Birds of aFeather; 4pm Fair Trade; 7pm Elizabeth MartinsQuartet. No Cover. Jun 1 8pm The Maplehearts;9pm Denielle Bassels. Jun 6 8:30pmJoyce Humber (congas); Ruben Vazquez (piano).Jun 7 8pm Chelsea McBride Group. Jun 8 8pmGraham Ko. Jun 9 9pm Young Jik Kim Trio. Jun13 7:30pm Uptown Swing Band. Jun 14 8pmChelsea McBride Group. Jun 15 7pm Trace Element.Jun 16 8pm The Maplehearts. Jun 208pm Trace Element. Jun 21 8pm Denielle Bassels.Jun 27 8pm Trace Element. Jun 29 8pmThe Maplehearts. Jun 30 6:30pm Denielle Bassels;9pm Young Jik Kim Trio.Gate 403*403 Roncesvalles Ave. 416-588-2930www.gate403.comAll shows: PWYC.Jun 1 5pm Jen Unbe Duo; 9pm The Pearl Motel.Jun 2 5pm Bill Heffernan & Friends; 9pmMelissa Boyce Jazz & Blues Band. June 3 5pmJeff Taylor & the SLT; 9pm James Hill JazzBand. Jun 4 5pm Mat MacDonald; 9pm RichardWhiteman & Laura Hubert Jazz Band. Jun5 5pm Mighty Tusk Band; 9pm Julian FauthBlues Night. Jun 6 5pm Brian Cober & AslanGotov Blues Band; 9pm Kurt Nielsen & RichardWhiteman Jazz Band. Jun 7 5pm Melissa LaurenJazz Band; 9pm The 67 Blue Fenders. Jun8 5pm Ilios Streyannis Jazz Trio; 9pm JasonRaso Jazz Quartet. Jun 9 5pm Bill Heffernan &Friends; 9pm Sugar Brown & the Fish MarketBlues Band. Jun 10 5pm Whitney Ross BarrisJazz Band; 9pm Patrick Hewan Jazz Trio. Jun11 5pm Denis Schingh Solo; 9pm Richard Whiteman& Laura Hubert Jazz Band. Jun 12 5pmJazz Generation; 9pm Julian Fauth Blues Night.Jun 13 5pm Brian Cober & Aslan Gotov BluesBand; 9pm Vincent Bertucci Jazz Band. Jun 145pm Joshua Goodman; 9pm Kevin Laliberté Jazz& Flamenco Trio. Jun 15 5pm Bobby Hsu JazzBand; 9pm Fraser Melvin Blues Band. Jun 165pm Bill Heffernan & Friends; 9pm Patrick Tevlin’sNew Orelans Rhythm. Jun 17 5pm JoanneMorra & France St. Trio; 9pm Mary McKay Trio.40 thewholenote.com June 1 – July 7, 2012
Jun 18 5pm Noah Sherman Jazz Band; 9pm RichardWhiteman & Laura Hubert Jazz Band. Jun19 5pm Byung-Gul Jung Jazz Band; 9pm JulianFauth Blues Night. Jun 20 5pm Brian Cober& Aslan Gotov Blues Band; 9pm Rommel ReyesJazz Duo. Jun 21 5pm Olga & The Gimlets; 9pmTimmins Wojewoda & Friends; Jun 22 5pm LaraSolnicki Jazz Band; 9pm Sweet Derrick BluesBand. Jun 23 5pm New Mynah Birds; 9pm SixPoints Jazz Orchestra. Jun 24 5pm Denise LeslieJazz Band; 9pm Brownman Akoustic Trio.Jun 25 5pm Alex Samaras Jazz Band; 9pm RichardWhiteman & Laura Hubert Jazz Band.Jun 26 5pm Margot Roi Jazz Band; 9pm JulianFauth Blues Night. Jun 27 5pm Brian Cober& Aslan Gotov Blues Band; 9pm Blakeley WalkerTrio. Jun 28 5pm Valeria Matzner & SaborLatin Jazz Band; 9pm Rachelle Boudreau & AtEase Swing Trio. Jun 29 5pm Sam BrovermanJazz Duo; 9pm Denielle Bassels Jazz Band. Jun30 5pm Elizabeth Martins Jazz Trio; 9pm DonnéRoberts Band; Jul 1 5pm Joel Hartt & MarkKieswetter; 9pm Bartek Kozminski El MosaicoFlamenco Jazz Fusion Band.Green Door Cabaret*Lower Ossington Theatre, 100A OssingtonAve. 416-915-6747All shows: reserved seating; general; arts workers (with ID)Jun 21 8pm Songs from Porgy & Bess: Ali Garrison& Mark Rainey. 22 8pm Countermeasure.Jun 23 8pm Sam Broverman Sings JohnnyMercer. Jun 24 3pm Debbie Fleming. Jun 268pm Roberta Hunt. Jun 28 8pm Ron Small w/Norma Amadio. Jun 29 8pm Diane Stapley &Friends: Simple Black Dress. Jun 30 8pm LaurenMargison.Grossman’s Tavern*“Toronto’s Home of the Blues”379 Spadina Ave. 416-977-1210www.grossmanstavern.com (full schedule)All shows: No Cover.Every Sat 4-8pm The Happy Pals matinee.Every Sun 4:30-8:30pm New Orleans ConnectionAllstars; 9:30pm-2am The Nationalsw Brian Cober: Double Slide Guitar Open StageJam. Every Mon 9:30 No Band Required.Every Wed 9:30pm Bruce Domoney. EveryThu 9:30pm Robin Harp and the Straw Dogs.Jun 1 Combo Royale. Jun 2 Porch Dogs. Jun5 Miz Debbie and the Don Valley Stompers. Jun8 Laura Hubert. Jun 9 Chloe Watkinson andthe Crossroad. Jun 12 Tall Grass and the Murderof Crows. Jun 15 Don River Blues Band.Jun 16 Fried Angel. Jun 19 Temperance Society.Jun 22 10pm Frankie Foo. Jun 23 10pmCity Soul. Jun 26 4:30pm New Orleans ConnectionAll Stars; 9:30pm Miz Debbie and theDon Valley Stompers. Jun 27 10pm Eddie andthe Professor. Jun 29 9:30pm Swinging BlackJacks. Jun 30 4:30pm New Orleans ConnectionAll Stars; 10pm Caution Jam. Jul 1 10pmBrian Cober Band.Harlem Restaurant*67 Richmond St. E. 416-368-1920www.harlemrestaurant.com (full schedule)All shows: 7:30pm unless otherwise noted.No Cover.Every Mon 8pm-12am Open Jam Night withCarolyn T Band with opening guest. Every Fri/Sat 7:30-11:00pm Jazz/Blues. Jun 1 Dan Mc-Lean Jr. Jun 2 Gibbran & Tamsynn-Lee. Jun 8Jake Wilkinson. Jun 9 Lillian Mason. Jun 15ZimZum. Jun 16 Canali Duetto. Jun 22 MikeField. Jun 23 Jill Peacock. Jun 27 8pm ShelleyHamilton. Jun 28 8pm Lord Bubba’s Nu-JazzProject. Jun 29 Shelley Hamilton. Jun 30 SamanthaClayton.Harlem Underground*745 Queen St. W. 416-366-4743www.harlemrestaurant.com/undergroundEvery Mon Daniel Gagnon. Every Tue JohnCampbell. Every Thu Carl Bray Trio. Every Fri,Sat Carl Bray.Hirut Restaurant2050 Danforth Ave. 416-551-7560Every Wed 8pm Open Mic with Gary 17. EverySat 2pm Open Jam.Home Smith Bar – See Old Mill, TheHot House Café*35 Church St. 416-366-7800www.hothousecafe.comEvery Sun 11am-3pm Brunch with Jazz Zone.Jun 24, 25 7:30pm Sweet Sixteen: BrendaCarol & ClairVoyance.Hotel Ocho*195 Spadina Ave. 416-593-0885www.hotelocho.comJun 27 8pm Lesley Young Trio . Jun 298pm Julie Michels & Kevin Barrett . Jun 308pm Sharron McLeod Quartet .Hoxton, The*69 Bathurst St. 416-519-6784www.thehoxton.caJun 22 My Favorite Robot. Jun 23 Meech.Jun 28 RJD2. Jun 29 Keys N Krates. Jun 30LA Riots.Hugh’s Room“Toronto’s home of live Folk and Roots”2261 Dundas St. W. 416-531-6604www.hughsroom.com (full schedule)All shows: 8:30pm unless otherwise noted.Jun 1 Kelly Joe Phelps w/ Lynne Hanson/.50(adv). Jun 2 Tribute to WoodyGuthrie w/ Ken Whiteley, Jason Fowler, EveGoldberg and others .50/(adv). Jun4 Lara MacMillan /(adv). Jun 5 LarryCoryell w/ guest George Grosman Quartet.50/(adv). Jun 6 Oasis Vocal Jazz.50/(adv). Jun 7 JW-Jones: CD Releasew/ guest Danny Marks /(adv).Jun 8, 9 The Skydiggers CD Release/.50(adv). Jun 10 2pm An Old TimeMedicine Show w/ Sheesham and Lotus& Son: CD Release .50/.50(adv);8:30pm Peter Karp & Sue Foley: CD Release.50/(adv). Jun 11 Michael Ciufo/(adv). Jun 12 Beckon: CD Release/(adv). Jun 13 Shine On: The Universeof John Lennon: CD Release /.50(adv).Jun 14 Carol Welsman: “Journey” CD Release/.50(adv). Jun 15 A Celecrationof Oliver Schroer; Nuala Kennedy &members of the Stewed Tomatoes: CD Release/.50(adv). Jun 16 GlendaleOne: Uncovering the Beatles w/ the Dixie CupWater Tower of Power Horns & Wayne Krawchuk/(adv). Jun 17 12pm BloorWest Music Studios Rockin’ at the Hugh’s; (child); (family of 4). Jun 19 PatriciaHammond & her Ragtim Parlour Band; (adv). Jun 21 Tribute to Buddy Guy& Junior Wells w/ Danny Marks, David Rotundo,Dylan Wickens and Douglas Watson./(adv). Jun 22 In Cash We Trust: Tributeto Johnny Cash featuring Danny Brooks,Lynne Hanson, Kristen Jones, Samantha Martinand others .50/(adv). Jun 25 TheWood Brothers /(adv). Jun 26 Shanneyganock/.50(adv). Jun 27 ChrisThomas King .50/.50(adv). Jun 28Kinky Friedman /.50(adv).Jazz Room, TheLocated in the Huether Hotel, 59 King St. N.,Waterloo. 226-476-1565www.kwjazzroom.comAll attendees must be 19+.All shows: 8:30pm.Jun 1 Dave O’Neill Quartet w/ Dave Wiffen .Jun 2 Jason Raso Quintet w/ Richard Underhil. Jun 8 Derek Hines Quartet . Jun 9Kevin Dempsey Trio . Jun 15 Joni NehRitaQuartet . Jun 16 Shannon Gunn Quartet. Jun 22 Luca Ciarla Quartet . Jun23 Matt Brubeck Trio . Jun 29 Chris Tarry.Joe Mama’s*317 King St. W. 416-340-6469Live music every nightAll shows: No Cover.Every Sun 7-11pm Organic. Every Mon 7:30-11:30pm Soul Mondays. Every Tue 7-11pmBlue Angels. Every Wed 8pm-12am Blackburn.Every Thu 8:30pm-12:30am Blackburn. EveryFri 10pm-2am The Grind. Every Sat 10pm-2amShugga. Jun 3 6-10pm “Organic” Live Recording:Nathan Hiltz (guitar); Bernie Senensky (organ);Morgan Childs (drums); Ryan Oliver (sax).Latinada Restaurant & Jazz Bar*1671 Bloor St. W. 416-913-9716www.latinada.comEvery Wed Milonga Night: The Latinada Triofeat Alex Gajic (violin). Every Thu Latin Jazz.Every Fri Cuban Jazz with Ruben Vazquez &Friends. Every Sat Cuban Jazz. Jun 22 ElianaCuevas Trio. Jun 23 Evaristo Machado Trio.Jun 24 Roberto Riberon. Jun 27 LatinadaTrio. Jun 28 Jorge Lopez Trio. Jun 29 HotlandTrio. Jun 30 Ruben Vazquez Trio. Jul 1 LauraFernandez.Lolita’s Lust*513 Danforth Ave. 416-465-1751www.lolitaslust.caJun 22, 23, 29, 30 DJ Lolita: Electric Jazz.No Cover.Liberto Bistro, The25 Liberty St. 416-533-8828www.libertobistro.caEvery Tue Open Mic. Every Wed NoahZacharin.Lula Lounge*1585 Dundas St. W. 416-588-0307www.lula.caJun 1 8pm Dominic Mancuso . Jun 210:30pm Salsa Saturday: Conjunto Lacalu andDJ Gio . Jun 3 11am Sunday Family SalsaBrunch ; (child). Jun 8 8pm Elmer FerrerTrio ; 10:30pm Salsa Friday: ChanguiHavana . Jun 9 3pm Joanna Moon: CaféDu Monde ; (under 15); 10:30pm SalsaSaturday: Lady Son y Articulo Veinte .Jun 14 8:30pm Black Love Soul & SpokenWord Series /(adv). Jun 15 8pm JorgeLopez Trio ; 10:30pm Salsa Dance Party:Yani Borrell & the Clave Kings . Jun 1610:30pm Salsa Sautrday: Orquesta Fantasia& DJ Gio . Jun 21 8pm Roots of Brazil. Jun 22 8pm Alithea Cameron; 10pmCafé Cubano (both shows). Jun 23 10pmJorge Maza & Tipica Toronto. Jun 27 8pmHanna Burgé; 9:30pm Eliana Cuevas (bothJune 1 – July 7, 2012thewholenote.com 41
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Choral Scene: Uncharted territory: three choirs finding paths forward; Music Theatre: Loose Tea on the boil with Alaina Viau’s Dead Reckoning; In with the New: what happens to soundart when climate change meets COVID-19; Call to action: diversity, accountability, and reform in post-secondary jazz studies; 9th Annual TIFF Tips: a filmfest like no other; Remembering: Leon Fleisher; DISCoveries: a NY state of mind; 25th anniversary stroll-through; and more. Online in flip through here, and on stands commencing Tues SEP 1.
Following the Goldberg trail from Gould to Lang Lang; Measha Brueggergosman and Edwin Huizinga on face to face collaboration in strange times; diggings into dance as FFDN keeps live alive; "Classical unicorn?" - Luke Welch reflects on life as a Black classical pianist; Debashis Sinha's adventures in sound art; choral lessons from Skagit Valley; and the 21st annual WholeNote Blue Pages (part 1 of 3) in print and online. Here now. And, yes, still in print, with distribution starting Thursday October 1.
Alanis Obomsawin's art of life; fifteen Exquisite Departures; UnCovered re(dis)covered; jazz in the kitchen; three takes on managing record releases in times of plague; baroque for babies; presenter directory (blue pages) part two; and, here at the WholeNote, work in progress on four brick walls (or is it five?). All this and more available in flipthrough HERE, and in print Tuesday Nov 3.
In this issue: Beautiful Exceptions, Sing-Alone Messiahs, Livingston’s Vocal Pleasures, Chamber Beethoven, Online Opera (Plexiglass & All), Playlist for the Winter of our Discontent, The Oud & the Fuzz, Who is Alex Trebek? All this and more available in flipthrough HERE, and in print Friday December 4.
July/August issue is now available in flipthrough HERE, bringing to a close 25 seasons of doing what we do (and plan to continue doing), and on stands early in the week of July 5. Not the usual bucolic parade of music in the summer sun, but lots, we hope, to pass the time: links to online and virtual music; a full slate of record reviews; plenty new in the Listening Room; and a full slate of stories – the future of opera, the plight of small venues, the challenge facing orchestras, the barriers to resumption of choral life, the challenges of isolation for real-time music; the steps some festivals are taking to keep the spirit and substance of what they do alive. And intersecting with all of it, responses to the urgent call for anti-racist action and systemic change.
"COVID's Metamorphoses"? "There's Always Time (Until Suddenly There Isn't)"? "The Writing on the Wall"? It's hard to know WHAT to call this latest chapter in the extraordinary story we are all of a sudden characters in. By whatever name we call it, the MAY/JUNE combined issue of The WholeNote is now available, HERE in flip through format, in print commencing Wednesday May 6, and, in fully interactive form, online at thewholenote.com. Our 18th Annual Choral Canary Pages, scheduled for publication in print and flip through in September is already well underway with the first 50 choirs home to roost and more being added every week online. Community Voices, our cover story, brings to you the thoughts of 30 musical community members, all going through what we are going through (and with many more to come as the feature gets amplified online over the course of the coming months). And our regular writers bring their personal thoughts to the mix. Finally, a full-fledged DISCoveries review section offers cues and clues to recorded music for your solitary solace!
After some doubt that we would be allowed to go to press, in respect to wide-ranging Ontario business closures relating to COVID-19, The WholeNote magazine for April 2020 is now on press, and print distribution – modified to respect community-wide closures and the need for appropriate distancing – starts Monday March 30. Meanwhile the full magazine is right here, digitally, so if you value us PLEASE SHARE THIS LINK AS WIDELY AS YOU CAN. It's the safest way for us to reach the widest possible audience at this time!
FEATURED: Music & Health writer Vivien Fellegi explores music, blindness & the plasticity of perception; David Jaeger digs into Gustavo Gimeno's plans for new music in his upcoming first season as music director at TSO; pianist James Rhodes, here for an early March recital, speaks his mind in a Q&A with Paul Ennis; and Lydia Perovic talks music and more with rising Turkish-Canadian mezzo Beste Kalender. Also, among our columns, Peggy Baker Dance Projects headlines Wende Bartley's In with the New; Steve Wallace's Jazz Notes rushes in definitionally where many fear to tread; ... and more.
Visions of 2020! Sampling from back to front for a change: in Rearview Mirror, Robert Harris on the Beethoven he loves (and loves to hate!); Errol Gay, a most musical life remembered; Luna Pearl Woolf in focus in recordings editor David Olds' "Editor's Corner" and in Jenny Parr's preview of "Jacqueline"; Speranza Scappucci explains how not to reinvent Rossini; The Indigo Project, where "each piece of cloth tells a story"; and, leading it all off, Jully Black makes a giant leap in "Caroline, or Change." And as always, much more. Now online in flip-through format here and on stands starting Thurs Jan 30.
Welcome to our December/January issue as we turn the annual calendar page, halfway through our season for the 25th time, juggling as always, secular stuff, the spirit of the season, new year resolve and winter journeys! Why is Mozart's Handel's Messiah's trumpet a trombone? Why when Laurie Anderson offers to fly you to the moon you should take her up on the invitation. Why messing with Winterreisse can (sometimes) be a very good thing! And a bumper crop of record reviews for your reading (and sometimes listening) pleasure. Available in flipthrough here right now, and on stands commencing Thursday Nov 28. See you on the other side!
On the slim chance you might not have already heard the news, Estonian Canadian composing giant Udo Kasemets was born the same year that Leo Thermin invented the theremin --1919. Which means this is the centenary year for both of them, and both are being celebrated in style, as Andrew Timar and MJ Buell respectively explain. And that's just a taste of a bustling November, with enough coverage of music of both the delectably substantial and delightfully silly on hand to satisfy one and all.
Long promised, Vivian Fellegi takes a look at Relaxed Performance practice and how it is bringing concert-going barriers down across the spectrum; Andrew Timar looks at curatorial changes afoot at the Music Gallery; David Jaeger investigates the trumpets of October; the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution (and the 20th Anniversary of our October Blue Pages Presenter profiles) in our Editor's Opener; the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir at 125; Tapestry at 40 and Against the Grain at 10; ringing in the changing season across our features and columns; all this and more, now available in Flip Through format here, and on the stands commencing this coming Friday September 27, 2019. Enjoy.
Vol 1 of our 25th season is now here! And speaking of 25, that's how many films in the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival editor Paul Ennis, in our Eighth Annual TIFF TIPS, has chosen to highlight for their particular musical interest. Also inside: Rob Harris looks through the Rear View Mirror at past and present prognostications about the imminent death of classical music; Mysterious Barricades and Systemic Barriers are Lydia Perović's preoccupations in Art of Song; Andrew Timar reflects on the evolving priorities of the Polaris Prize; and elsewhere, it's chocks away as yet another season creaks or roars (depending on the beat) into motion. Welcome back.
What a range of stuff! A profile of Liz Upchurch, the COC ensemble studio's vocal mentor extraordinaire; a backgrounder on win-win faith/arts centre partnerships and ways of exploring the possibilities; an interview with St. Petersburg-based Eifman Ballet's Boris Eifman; Ana Sokolovic's violin concert Evta finally coming to town; a Love Letter to YouTube, and much more. Plus our 17th annual Canary Pages Choral directory if all you want to do is sing! sing! sing!
Arraymusic, the Music Gallery and Native Women in the Arts join for a mini-festival celebrating the work of composer, performer and installation artist Raven Chacon; Music and Health looks at the role of Healing Arts Ontario in supporting concerts in care facilities; Kingston-based composer Marjan Mozetich's life and work are celebrated in film; "Forest Bathing" recontextualizes Schumann, Shostakovich and Hindemith; in Judy Loman's hands, the harp can sing; Mahler's Resurrection bursts the bounds of symphonic form; Ed Bickert, guitar master remembered. All this and more in our April issue, now online in flip-through here, and on stands commencing Friday March 29.
Something Old, Something New! The Ide(a)s of March are Upon Us! Rob Harris's Rear View Mirror looks forward to a tonal revival; Tafelmusik expands their chronological envelope in two directions, Esprit makes wave after wave; Pax Christi's new oratorio by Barbara Croall catches the attention of our choral and new music columnists; and summer music education is our special focus, right when warm days are once again possible to imagine. All this and more in our March 2019 edition, available in flipthrough here, and on the stands starting Thursday Feb 28.
In this issue: A prize that brings lustre to its laureates (and a laureate who brings lustre to the prize); Edwin Huizinga on the journey of Opera Atelier's "The Angel Speaks" from Versailles to the ROM; Danny Driver on playing piano in the moment; Remembering Neil Crory (a different kind of genius)' Year of the Boar, Indigeneity and Opera; all this and more in Volume 24 #5. Online in flip through, HERE and on the stands commencing Thursday Jan 31.
When is a trumpet like a motorcycle in a dressage event? How many Brunhilde's does it take to change an Elektra? Just two of the many questions you've been dying to ask, to which you will find answers in a 24th annual combined December/January issue – in which our 11 beat columnists sift through what's on offer in the upcoming holiday month, and what they're already circling in their calendars for 2019. Oh, and features too: a klezmer violinist breathing new life into a very old film; two New Music festivals in January, 200 metres apart; a Music & Health story on the restorative powers of a grassroots exercise in collective music-making; even a good reason to go to Winnipeg in the dead of winter. All this and more in Vol 24 No 4, now available in flipthrough format here.
Reluctant arranger! National Ballet Orchestra percussionist Kris Maddigan on creating the JUNO and BAFTA award-winning smash hit Cuphead video game soundtrack; Evergreen by name and by nature, quintessentially Canadian gamelan (Andrew Timar explains); violinist Angèle Dubeau on 20 years and 60 million streams; two children’s choirs where this month remembrance and living history must intersect. And much more, online in our kiosk now, and on the street commencing Thursday November 1.
Presenters, start your engines! With TIFF and "back-to-work" out of the way, the regular concert season rumbles to life, and, if our Editor's Opener can be trusted, "Seeking Synergies" seems to be the name of the game. Denise Williams' constantly evolving "Walk Together Children" touching down at the Toronto Centre for the Arts; the second annual Festival of Arabic Music and Arts expanding its range; a lesson in Jazz Survival with Steve Wallace; the 150 presenter and performer profiles in our 19th annual Blue Pages directory... this is an issue that is definitely more than the sum of its parts.
In this issue: The WholeNote's 7th Annual TIFF TIPS guide to festival films with musical clout; soprano Erin Wall in conversation with Art of Song columnist Lydia Perovic, about more than the art of song; a summer's worth of recordings reviewed; Toronto Chamber Choir at 50 (is a few close friends all it takes?); and much more, as the 2018/19 season gets under way.
PLANTING NOT PAVING! In this JUNE / JULY /AUGUST combined issue: Farewell interviews with TSO's Peter Oundjian and Stratford Summer Music's John Miller, along with "going places" chats with Luminato's Josephine Ridge, TD Jazz's Josh Grossman and Charm of Finches' Terry Lim. ) Plus a summer's worth of fruitful festival inquiry, in the city and on the road, in a feast of stories and our annual GREEN PAGES summer Directory.
In this issue: our sixteenth annual Choral Canary Pages; coverage of 21C, Estonian Music Week and the 3rd Toronto Bach Festival (three festivals that aren’t waiting for summer!); and features galore: “Final Finales” for Larry Beckwith’s Toronto Masque Theatre and for David Fallis as artistic director of Toronto Consort; four conductors on the challenges of choral conducting; operatic Hockey Noir; violinist Stephen Sitarski’s perspective on addressing depression; remembering bandleader, composer and saxophonist Paul Cram. These and other stories, in our May 2018 edition of the magazine.
In this issue: we talk with jazz pianist Thompson Egbo-Egbo about growing up in Toronto, building a musical career, and being adaptive to change; pianist Eve Egoyan prepares for her upcoming Luminato project and for the next stage in her long-term collaborative relationship with Spanish-German composer Maria de Alvear; jazz violinist Aline Homzy, halfway through preparing for a concert featuring standout women bandleaders, talks about social equity in the world of improvised music; and the local choral community celebrates the life and work of choral conductor Elmer Iseler, 20 years after his passing.
In this issue: Canadian Stage, Tapestry Opera and Vancouver Opera collaborate to take Gogol’s short story The Overcoat to the operatic stage; Montreal-based Sam Shalabi brings his ensemble Land of Kush, and his newest composition, to Toronto; Five Canadian composers, each with a different CBC connection, are nominated for JUNOs; and The WholeNote team presents its annual Summer Music Education Directory, a directory of summer music camps, programs and courses across the province and beyond.
In this issue: composer Nicole Lizée talks about her love for analogue equipment, and the music that “glitching” evokes; Richard Rose, artistic director at the Tarragon Theatre, gives us insights into their a rock-and-roll Hamlet, now entering production; Toronto prepares for a mini-revival of Schoenberg’s music, with three upcoming shows at New Music Concerts; and the local music theatre community remembers and celebrates the life and work of Mi’kmaq playwright and performer Cathy Elliott . These and other stories, in our double-issue December/January edition of the magazine.
In this issue: conversations (of one kind or another) galore! Daniela Nardi on taking the reins at "best-kept secret" venue, 918 Bathurst; composer Jeff Ryan on his "Afghanistan" Requiem for a Generation" partnership with war poet, Susan Steele; lutenist Ben Stein on seventeenth century jazz; collaborative pianist Philip Chiu on going solo; Barbara Hannigan on her upcoming Viennese "Second School" recital at Koerner; Tina Pearson on Pauline Oliveros; and as always a whole lot more!
In this issue: several local artists reflect on the memory of composer Claude Vivier, as they prepare to perform his music; Vancouver gets ready to host international festival ISCM World New Music Days, which is coming to Canada for the second time since its inception in 1923; one of the founders of Artword Artbar, one of Hamilton’s staple music venues, on the eve of the 5th annual Steel City Jazz Festival, muses on keeping urban music venues alive; and a conversation with pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, as he prepares for an ambitious recital in Toronto. These and other stories, in our October 2017 issue of the magazine.
In this issue: a look at why musicians experience stage fright, and how to combat it; an inside look at the second Kensington Market Jazz Festival, which zeros in on one of Toronto’s true ‘music villages’; an in-depth interview with Elisa Citterio, new music director of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra; and The WholeNote’s guide to TIFF, with suggestions for the 20 most musical films at this year’s festival. These and other stories, in our September 2017 issue of the magazine!
CBC Radio's Lost Horizon; Pinocchio as Po-Mo Operatic Poster Boy; Meet the Curators (Crow, Bernstein, Ridge); a Global Music Orchestra is born; and festivals, festivals, festivals in our 13th annual summer music Green Pages. All this and more in our three-month June-through August summer special issue, now available in flipthrough HERE and on the stands commencing Thursday June 1.
From science fact in "Integral Man: Music and the Movies," to science fiction in the editor's opener; from World Fiddle Day at the Aga Khan Museum to three Canadians at the Cliburn; from wanting to sashay across the 401 to Chamberfest in Montreal to exploring the Continuum of Jumblies Theatre's 20-year commitment to the Community Play (there's a pun in there somewhere!).
In this issue: Our podcast ramps up with interviews in March with fight director Jenny Parr, countertenor Daniel Taylor, and baritone Russell Braun; two views of composer John Beckwith at 90; how music’s connection to memory can assist with the care of patients with Alzheimer’s; musical celebrations in film and jazz, at National Canadian Film Day and Jazz Day; and a preview of Louis Riel, which opens this month at the COC. These and other stories, in our April 2017 issue of the magazine!
On our cover: Owen Pallett's musical palette on display at New Creations. Spring brings thoughts of summer music education! (It's never too late.). For Marc-Andre Hamelin the score is king. Ella at 100 has the tributes happening. All; this and more.
In this issue: an interview with composer/vocalist Jeremy Dutcher, on his upcoming debut album and unique compositional voice; a conversation with Boston Symphony hornist James Sommerville, as as the BSO gets ready to come to his hometown; Stuart Hamilton, fondly remembered; and an inside look at Hugh’s Room, as it enters a complicated chapter in the story of its life in the complex fabric of our musical city. These and other stories, as we celebrate the past and look forward to the rest of 2016/17, the first glimpses of 2017/18, and beyond!
In this issue: a conversation with pianist Stewart Goodyear, in advance of his upcoming show at Koerner Hall; a preview of the annual New Year’s phenomenon that is Bravissimo!/Salute to Vienna; an inside look at music performance in Toronto’s health-care centres; and a reflection on the incredible life and lasting influence of the late Pauline Oliveros. These and more, in a special December/January combined issue!
In this issue: David Jaeger and Alex Pauk’s most memorable R. Murray Schafer collabs, in this month’s installment of Jaeger’s CBC Radio Two: The Living Legacy; an interview with flutist Claire Chase, who brings new music and mindset to Toronto this month; an investigation into the strange coincidence of three simultaneous Mendelssohn Elijahs this Nov 5; and of course, our annual Blue Pages, a who’s who of southern Ontario’s live music scene- a community as prolific and multifaceted as ever. These and more, as we move full-force into the 2016/17 concert season- all aboard!
Music lover's TIFF (our fifth annual guide to the Toronto International Film Festival); Aix Marks the Spot (how Brexit could impact on operatic co-production); The Unstoppable Howard Cable (an affectionate memoir of a late chapter in the life of of a great Canadian arranger; Kensington Jazz Story (the newest kid on the festival block flexes its muscles). These stories and much more as we say a lingering goodbye to summer and turn to the task, for the 22nd season, of covering the live and recorded music that make Southern Ontario tick.
It's combined June/July/August summer issue time with, we hope, enough between the covers to keep you dipping into it all through the coming lazy, hazy days. From Jazz Vans racing round "The Island" delivering pop-up brass breakouts at the roadside, to Bach flute ambushes strolling "The Grove, " to dozens of reasons to stay in the city. May yours be a summer where you find undiscovered musical treasures, and, better still, when, unexpectedly, the music finds you.
INSIDE: The Canaries Are Here! 116 choirs to choose from, so take the plunge! The Nylons hit the road after one last SING! Fling. Jazz writer Steve Wallace wonders "Watts Goode" rather than "what's new?" Paul Ennis has the musical picks of the HotDocs crop. David Jaeger's CBC Radio continues golden for a little while yet. Douglas McNabney is Music's Child. Leipzig meets Damascus in Alison Mackay's fertile imagination. And "C" is for KRONOS in Wende Bartley's koverage of the third annual 21C Festival. All this and as usual much much more. Enjoy.
From 30 camp profiles to spark thoughts of being your summer musical best, to testing LUDWIG as you while away the rest of so-called winter; from Scottish Opera and the Danish Midtvest, to a first Toronto recital appearance by violin superstar Maxim Vengerov; from musings on New Creations and new creation, to the boy who made a habit of crying Beowulf; it's a month of merry meetings and rousing recordings reviewed, all here to discover in The WholeNote.
2016 is off to a flying start! We chronicle the Artful Times of Andrew Burashko, the violistic versatility of Teng Li, the ageless ebullience of jazz pianist Gene DiNovi and the ninetieth birthday of trumpeter Johnny Cowell. Jaeger remembers Boulez; Waxman recalls Bley's influence, and Olds finds Bowie haunting Editor's Corner. Oh, and did we mention there's all that music? Hello (and goodbye) to the February blues, and here's to swinging through the musical vines of the Year of the Monkey.
What's a vinyl renaissance? What happens when Handel's Messiah runs afoul of the rumba rhythm setting on a (gasp!) Hammond organ? What work does Marc-Andre Hamelin say he would be content to have on every recital program he plays? What are Steve Wallace's favourite fifty Christmas recordings? Why is violinist Daniel Hope celebrating Yehudi Menuhin's 100th birthday at Koerner Hall January 28? Answers to all these questions (and a whole lot more) in the Dec/Jan issue of The WholeNote.
"Come" seems to be the verb that knits this month's issue together. Sondra Radvanovsky comes to Koerner, William Norris comes to Tafel as their new GM, opera comes to Canadian Stage; and (a long time coming!) Jane Bunnett's musicianship and mentorship are honoured with the Premier's award for excellence; plus David Jaeger's ongoing series on the golden years of CBC Radio Two, Andrew Timar on hybridity, a bumper crop of record reviews and much much more. Come on in!
Vol 21 No 2 is now available for your viewing pleasure, and it's a bumper crop, right at the harvest moon. First ever Canadian opera on the Four Seasons Centre main stage gets double coverage with Wende Bartley interviewing Pyramus and Thisbe composer Barbara Monk Feldman and Chris Hoile connecting with director Christopher Alden; Paul Ennis digs into the musical mind of pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, and pianist Eve Egoyan is "On the Record" in conversation with publisher David Perlman ahead of the Oct release concert for her tenth recording. And at the heart of it all the 16th edition of our annual BLUE PAGES directory of presenters profile the season now well and truly under way.
Paul Ennis's annual TIFF TIPS (27 festival films of potential particular musical interest); Wu Man, Yo-Yo Ma and Jeffrey Beecher on the Silk Road; David Jaeger on CBC Radio Music in the days it was committed to commissioning; the LISTENING ROOM continues to grow on line; DISCoveries is back, bigger than ever; and Mary Lou Fallis says Trinity-St. Paul's is Just the Spot (especially this coming Sept 25!).