Volume 24 Issue 8 - May 2019

Beat by Beat | Mainly

Beat by Beat | Mainly Clubs, Mostly Jazz! What Could Become of May COLIN STORY It has been a long, wet, cold road that we, weary citizens of Southern Ontario, have trod since the end of December. As of the publication of this issue of The WholeNote, it will have been about six weeks since the official start of spring; as of the actual writing of this column, in mid-to-late April, we have yet to experience any consistent period of the kind of spring weather that could conceivably inspire hope, cheerfulness, or meteorological trust. (As I look out the window at the world into which I will eventually have to journey, I’m treated to a vision of Toronto at its gloomy worst, with bright umbrellas on rainsoaked sidewalks providing the only glimpse of colour.) But before we allow ourselves to give in to despair in this season of perpetual discomfort, and without resorting to flowery clichés about how all of this rain will be worthwhile, we should perhaps consider the various ways in which things are, in fact, getting better in May. The first: May will be the first month since August in which the sun will be setting after 8pm for the majority of the month, making the decision between going out to see a show and staying in to watch yet more Netflix easier. The second: May marks something of a beginning to the run-up to the TD Toronto Jazz Festival, which will be starting on June 21, and which will be covered in a variety of ways, as in previous years, by The WholeNote, both in print and online. The third: there will be a lot of great music happening. The multi-night engagement, once a norm for clubs, is something of a rarity today. It is a tradition carried on by a few notable clubs, such as Manhattan’s venerable Blue Note, which, this May, will present funk saxophone legend Maceo Parker for no fewer than 12 performances over the course of six days. When we see a multi-night engagement in Toronto, however, it’s typically for a two-night run, which tends to happen regularly at The Rex, Jazz Bistro, and a few other venues. It is noteworthy, then, that Jazz Bistro will be hosting The North, a The North: (from left) Mike Murley, David Braid, Anders Mogensen, Johnny Åman collaborative, international quartet made up of Toronto-based musicians Mike Murley (saxophone) and David Braid (piano), Sweden’s Johnny Åman (bass) and Denmark’s Anders Mogensen (drums), for three evenings near the end of May. Winning a 2018 JUNO Award for their self-titled album, the theme that binds this collective together is a shared cultural experience of living in “the north,” whether in Canada or Scandinavia. Most WholeNote readers will likely be familiar with Braid and Murley, both of whom are mature, technically accomplished players who tend to favour communication and big-picture group improvisation over individual instrumental athleticism, an outlook which seems to be shared by Åman and Mogensen. The North appears in Toronto as part of touring efforts that have led them throughout Europe, to Australia and to China; check them out at Jazz Bistro on May 23, 24 and 25. Another multi-night engagement will be taking place at the end of May at The Rex, on May 30 and 31, as Teri Parker’s Free Spirits ensemble takes the stage in tribute to pianists Mary Lou Williams and Geri Allen. For those unfamiliar with these two seminal figures in the history of jazz piano, some context. Williams (1910-1981) was a textbook musical prodigy, learning how to play piano at age three and performing at parties to earn money for her family by age six. At the age of 19, after playing with Duke Ellington’s band, she was composing and arranging for her own group, one of the few women to do so at the time as an instrumentalist. A lifelong educator, she played with and mentored many leading bebop musicians, including Dizzy D. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz) All shows: No cover/PWYC Grossman’s Tavern 379 Spadina Ave. 416-977-7000 grossmanstavern.com (full schedule) All shows: No cover (unless otherwise noted). Every Sat 4:30pm The Happy Pals Dixieland Jazz Jam. Every Sun 4:30pm New Orleans Connection All Star Band; 10pm Sunday Jam with Bill Hedefine. Every Wed 10pm Action Sound Band w/ Leo Valvassori. JPEC and Aga Khan Museum team up with student trios at the Diwan Restaurant on May 8 and 22. www.jazzcentre.ca has all the info. Hirut Cafe and Restaurant 2050 Danforth Ave. 416-551-7560 hirut.ca Every Sunday 3pm Hirut Sundays Open Mic. First and Third Tuesday 8pm Fingerstyle Guitar Association. Home Smith Bar – See Old Mill, The Hugh’s Room 2261 Dundas St. W 416 533 5483 hughsroom.com All shows at 8:30pm unless otherwise noted. See website for individual show prices. May 1 Martha Chaves. May 2 Raine Hamilton + Campbell Woods. May 5 Zoe Chilco. May 6 Valdy w/ Doris Mason. May 9 Martyn Joseph. May 10 Leela Gilday. May 11 Big Dave McLean + Raoul And The Big Time. May 12 2pm Mother’s Day Jazz Brunch w/ Tiki Collective. May 15 James Hill & Anne Janelle. May 16 Tom Wilson aka Lee Harvey Osmond. May 17 Rob Tardik. May 18 Judy Collins. May 19 Cathy Fink + Marcy Marxer. May 21 Martin Taylor. May 22 Anthony Gomes. May 25 Tin Pan North 2019. May 26 Manuel Valera Trio. May 28 SING! Songs and Stories of Migration. May 30 Vernon Reid. May 31 Jane Siberry. Jazz Bistro, The 251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299 jazzbistro.ca (full schedule) May 1 7pm GNO Jazz Jam w/ Lisa Particelli. May 2 8pm Colin Hunter and The Anthony Terpstra Seventet. May 3 8:30pm Colin Hunter and The Joe Sealy Quartet. May 4 8:30pm Colin Hunter and The Joe Sealy Quartet. May 5 7pm Payadora Tango Ensemble w/ Elbio Fernandez. May 8 8pm Richard Hadfield. May 9 9pm Armenia Meets Cuba. May 10 9pm Svetlana. May 11 9pm Svetlana. May 12 7pm Mother’s Day w/ The Fern Lindzon Trio. May 14 8pm Kalya Ramu. May 15 8pm Whiteley Wednesday. May 16 8pm Jeremy Walmsley Trio and Friends. May 17 9pm Fernanda Cunha. May 18 9pm Fernanda Cunha. May 19 7pm Bob Brough Quartet. May 23 9pm The North, w/ David Braid and Mike Murley. May 23 9pm The North, w/ David Braid and Mike Murley. May 24 9pm The North, w/ David Braid and Mike Murley. May 25 9pm The North, w/ David Braid and Mike Murley. May 26 7pm Allyson Morris. May 29 8pm Janet Whiteway & Friends. May 30 8pm Arnold Faber’s Gold Monster w/ The L’il Monsters. May 31 9pm Coldjack. Jazz Room, The Located in the Huether Hotel, 59 King St. N., Waterloo. 226-476-1565 kwjazzroom.com (full schedule) All shows: 8:30-11:30pm unless otherwise indicated. Attendees must be 19+. Cover charge varies (generally -) May 3 Brenda Lewis Quintet. May 4 Michelle Mele Trio. May 10 Ted Gibbons 60 | May 1 - June 7, 2019 thewholenote.com

with her hands over her eyes, cursing at me?) In any case, the proposition at which I’m driving is that you, dear reader, consider taking the mother figure in your life to one of the fine shows happening on Mother’s Day weekend. Amongst the many possibilities, there are a few bona fide Mother’s Day performances happening, including (but not limited to) a Mother’s Day brunch at Lula Lounge, a Mother’s Day Jazz Brunch at Hugh’s Room, featuring a number of excellent singers, including Joanna Majoko, Mingjia Chen and Jocelyn Barth, and a Mother’s Day-themed evening performance by Fern Lindzon at Jazz Bistro, all happening on Sunday May 12. In any case, whatever you decide to do, just don’t take your mother to a movie that gives her motion sickness, especially not after taking her out to a two-hour tasting-menu meal. She will thank you. Gillespie and Thelonious Monk. Williams was a major influence on Allen (1957-2017), who led the Mary Lou Williams Collective, in addition to her own groups, which regularly featured musicians such as Wallace Roney, Ron Carter, and Terri Lyne Carrington. In addition to Parker, the Free Spirits band consists of trumpeter Rebecca Hennessy, alto saxophonist Allison Au, bassist Lauren Falls, and drummer Sarah Thawer, who will be playing Williams and Allen compositions that span almost 100 years of jazz. Mother’s Day: An important reminder for all readers: Mother’s Day is May 12. If you are reading this closer to the beginning of May, there is still ample time to organize a card, make some plans, and pick out some sort of gift. Unless your mother is particularly fond of flowers, chocolate and the like, try your best to avoid these trite avatars of affection; instead, consider giving her something that she might actually like, such as quality time with you. While my own mother has described spending long periods of time with me as “something of a chore,” she still enjoys my company in small doses, particularly when I put in the effort to actually make plans with her that she might enjoy. (How was I to remember, when I dragged her along to watch the climbing documentary Free Solo, that she was afraid of heights, and would spend the following hour and a half in the movie theatre Quartet. May 11 Mark Kelso & The Jazz Exiles. May 17 Christian Howes. May 18 Andrea Superstein Quartet. May 25 Barbra Lica. May 25 Manuel Valera Trio. May 29 8pm Saina Singer and George Koller + Mark Mosca. May 31 David Tiviluk Quintet. Lula Lounge 1585 Dundas St. W. 416-588-0307 lula.ca (full schedule) Every Fri 7:30pm Afterwork Global Party Series free before 8pm; Every Fri 8:30pm Havana Club Fridays ; Every Sat 10:30pm Salsa Saturdays . May 1 6:30pm Democracy In Action. May 2 6:30pm The Outlaw Divas sing Willie Nelson. May 5 6:45pm Harrison Craig. May 6 6pm Adrienne Maree Brown Book Launch. May 8 7pm ÌFÉ. May 9 6:30pm Records Mama Used to Play feat. Carlos Morgan, 9pm Dream More Festival. May 12 10:30am Mother’s Day Brunch. May 28 5:30pm Speaker Slam: Power of Beliefs. Manhattans Pizza Bistro & Music Club 951 Gordon St., Guelph 519-767-2440 manhattans.ca (full schedule) Teri Parker at the Halifax Jazz Festival, 2017 D. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz) Mezzetta Restaurant 681 St. Clair Ave. W. 416-658-5687 mezzettarestaurant.com (full schedule) Every Wed 9 & 10:15pm Wednesday Concert Series. May 1 Dino Toledo & Tamar Ilana. May 8 Julie Michels & Kevin Barret. May 15 Dan Ionescu & John McMurchy. May 22 Brian Katz & Ernie Tollar. Monarch Tavern 12 Clinton St. 416-531-5833 themonarchtavern.com (full schedule) May 1 8pm Sam Amidon. Mat 3 9pm Kirin J Callinan. May 6 7:30pm Martin Loomer & His Orange Devils Orchestra. May 7 8pm Belleville-Ville. May 9 7:30pm Hooded Fang w/ Luge, Body Lens, Nikki Fierce. May 10 7:30pm Red Mass w/ Brenda, Pink Acid Wash + World News. May 11 7:30pm Good Kid w/ For Jane, the Mooks, The Dead Projectionists. May 13 8pm Matthew Logan Vasquez. May 16 8:30pm Arkson w/ Sara Fazackerely, Say Ritual. May 18 9pm Molly Burch. May 23 8pm Language Arts w/ Group Therapy, LISA + Cold Tea. Continues -> MAINLY CLUBS, MOSTLY JAZZ QUICK PICKS !! MAY 4, 2:30PM: Pat LaBarbera Quartet, The Pilot. Internationally renowned saxophonist LaBarbera leads his quartet at The Pilot’s second-floor Stealth Lounge. !! MAY 12, 7PM: Mother’s Day with the Fern Lindzon Trio, Jazz Bistro. Pianist/vocalist Lindzon hosts a special Mother’s Day-themed evening at Jazz Bistro. !! MAY 23 TO MAY 25, 9PM: The North, Jazz Bistro. The cross-border collective The North performs for three consecutive nights as part of their international tour, with David Braid, Mike Murley, Johnny Åman and Anders Mogensen. !! MAY 30 AND 31, 9:30PM: Teri Parker’s Free Spirits, The Rex. Parker leads a new quintet for two nights at The Rex in tribute to pianists Geri Allen and Mary Lou Williams. Colin Story is a jazz guitarist, writer and teacher based in Toronto. He can be reached at www.colinstory.com, on Instagram and on Twitter. Christ Church Deer Park jazz vespers 20th Anniversary Celebrations! In 1999 Christ Church Deer Park started a liturgical trend – evening prayer with local, live jazz – and it took off! Join us for three evenings as we celebrate 20 yearsof this unique expression of worship. April 28th at 4:30pm will feature a tribute to Art Blakey with Alexander Brown (trumpet), John Johnson (saxophone), John Sherwood (piano), Pat Collins (bass) & Brian Barlow (drums) May 12th at 4:30pm will feature Dave Brubeck’s “Time Out” with Bernie Senensky (piano), John Johnson (alto sax), Scott Alexander (bass) & Brian Barlow (drums) May 26 at 4:30pm will feature the music of Miles Davis, with Steve McDade (trumpet), Alex Dean (saxophone), RobiBotos (piano), Scott Alexander (bass) & Brian Barlow (drums) Wine and Cheese reception after each service Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St. (north of St. Clair at Heath St.) Admission is free; donations are welcome. 416-920-5211 www.thereslifehere.org thewholenote.com May 1 - June 7, 2019 | 61