Volume 24 Issue 9 - June / July / August 2019

Beat by Beat | Mainly

Beat by Beat | Mainly Clubs, Mostly Jazz! Weather-Fixated Who, Me? COLIN STORY Reading through some of my previous columns, I realize that I’ve been somewhat fixated on the weather. Although “the weather” as topic is typically a signifier of reflexive small talk, I would like to propose that it is, in fact, an important and interesting subject for those of us who routinely attend live concerts in Toronto, as the weather has a large impact not only on our collective mood and mental well-being, but also on the feasibility of any potential concert venture. Grabbing a drink after work, checking out a show, walking over to another venue to catch a late set: these are all activities that seem not only less appealing but, somehow, less possible if the weather is uncooperative. That being said, with the advent of warmer weather, the portentous reopening of the city’s many accommodating patios and festival season rapidly approaching, we should finally – after many months of lacklustre, unsympathetic meteorological conditions – be able to enjoy the many upcoming shows in Toronto and the surrounding areas without fear of salt stains, ruined umbrellas or hypothermia. But! I would not be diligent in my duties if I did not divulge the fact that as I write this, in mid-May, I do so with a sunburn. Did I acquire this embarrassing evidence of my own negligence on a tropical vacation, on tour in some sunnier corner of the world, or doing anything remotely athletic? I did not. I managed to burn myself on a breezy 17-degree afternoon, in Trinity Bellwoods Park, sitting on a blanket with a friend. The afternoon was fun; the subsequent day, in which I was giggled at by side-eyed schoolchildren in the street, was not. And so, before you journey outside to experience the many exciting events happening over the next month and beyond, a friendly word of warning: if you burn easily – and probably even if you don’t – wear sunscreen, drink plenty of water and consider wearing a hat, lest you too hear the phrase, “He looks like a tomato that came to life.” The first order of business: it will come as a surprise to approximately zero readers of this column that the TD Toronto Jazz Festival is taking place at the end of the month, from June 21 to June 30. (Consult the Festival website for a full look at the schedule, as there are lots of great shows to check out, and not enough ink to mention them all here.) It will also probably not be news that the Jazz Festival is now in the third year of a relatively new format, with a number of free outdoor (and indoor) stages based around Yorkville, and that as part of this format, the Festival’s club shows are more limited than they once were, in order to accommodate a more focused, concise programming mandate. That being the case, there are still a number of excellent club shows that will be taking place as part of the Jazz Festival, featuring both local performers and international acts. Some of these will take place around the Festival grounds in Yorkville, at bars and restaurants that don’t typically host music, or that do so in a more limited capacity than they will during the Festival. These include the Gatsby, at the Windsor Arms Hotel, which will have nightly shows at 10pm for the duration of the festival, Sassafraz, which will similarly have nightly shows at 10pm, and Proof Bar, at the Intercontinental Hotel, which will be the site of the Mill Street Late-Night Jam, primarily hosted by the Lauren Falls Trio. Away from Yorkville at The Old Mill’s Home Smith Bar – which, of course, presents jazz year-round – Heather Bambrick leads the “Heather Bambrick and Friends” vocal series, which will feature Elizabeth Shepherd, on June 21; Barbra Lica, on June 22; Ranee Lee, on June 28; and the group, Broadsway (Diane Leah, Julie Michels, Heather Bambrick), on June 29. The most significant Jazz Festival club offerings, however, come by way of The Rex, which will be hosting no fewer than 40 shows between June 20 and 30 during the “TD Toronto Broadsway (from left): Heather Bambrick, Julie Michels, Diane Leah Jazz Festival Cooperative Concert Series at The Rex.” This 11-day event – The Rex will be starting their programming one day before the official start of the Jazz Festival – is subtitled “Saxophone Summit.” The choice is an appropriate one, given the lineup, which includes Pat LaBarbera, Dayna Stephens, Brodie West, Mike Murley, David Binney, Donny McCaslin, Patrick Smith, Emily Steinwall, Autobahn, Alison Young, and, for the final two nights of the festival, Chris Potter, appearing with his relatively new Circuits Trio project, which will also feature Matt Brewer and Eric Harland. (There are also a number of great acts that are not quite so saxophone-centric, including singers Joanna Majoko and Melissa Stylianou, pianist Jeremy Ledbetter, and the experimental duo Paris Monster, one of last year’s festival favourites.) MacCrimmon. Jun 14 9:30pm Fiver with the Atlantic School of Spontaneous Composition. Jun 15 9:15pm Mattie Leon w/ N3LLY & Lance Isaacs. Jun 18 9:30pm Thus Owls. Jun 19 9:30pm MSEA, Kira Mary, Laura Swankey. Jun 20 9:30pm David James Allen w/ Citizen Jane. Jun 22 9:30pm JoJo Worthington & Mingjia. Jun 24 8:30pm TONE: CVN, Koeosaeme, Korea Town Acid, Kat Estacio. Jun 25 9:30 Advance Base & Claire Cronin. Jun 27 9:30pm Run Coyote. Jul 3 9:30pm Georgia Higgins, Lindsay Foote & Sarah Hiltz. Jul 4 9pm Transmit Presents: The Burning Hell, Carew. Jul 10 9:30pm Made2Eat Presents: Everybody Eats Season 2. Jul 14 6:30pm Jaasmaan Rathore Band / Delhi Express. Jul 15 6:30pm Annie Sumi. Jul 17 9:30pm Robb Cappelletto & Joseph Anidjar. Jul 27 9:30pm Julie Doiron, Jon McKiel, Apollo Ghosts. Aug 21 9:30pm Josh Geffin. Cameron House 408 Queen St. W. 416-703-0811 thecameron.com Castro’s Lounge 2116 Queen St. E. 416-699-8272 castroslounge.com (full schedule) All shows: No cover/PWYC C’est What 67 Front St. E. (416) 867-9499 cestwhat.com (full schedule) All concerts are PWYC unless otherwise noted. Jun 1 3pm The Boxcar Boys, 9pm Craig D. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz) Robertson. Jun 2 7pm Jacques Russell Trio. Jun 7 9pm Whiskey Chasers. Jun 8 3pm The Hot Five Jazzmakers, 9pm Paragon Cause. Jun 9 7pm A Writer’s Round. Jun 16 7pm This Frontier Needs Heroes w/ Chris & Nicole. Jun 21 9pm STEED! Jul 12 9pm Metronome Chomsky. Jul 19 9pm STEED! Aug 8 9pm The Escapist Music and Jesse Daniel. Aug 10 9pm Black Creek Reign w/ Jonny Starkes. Aug 11 7pm The Fairest and Best. Aug 16 9pm STEED! Emmet Ray, The 924 College St. 416-792-4497 theemmetray.com (full schedule) 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. 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. Jun 6 8pm Girma Woldemichael & Daniel Barnes. Jun 8 8pm Tanya Wills Quartet. Jun 13 8pm Ilios Steryannis Quartet Jun 14 8:30pm Jazz of the Americas w/ Don KAREN E. REEVES 78 | June | July | August 2019 thewholenote.com

Paris Monster While the bulk of the Jazz Festival’s club programming is concentrated in The Rex, two other Toronto clubs will be hosting their own special series. The “Jazz Bistro Cabaret Series” will be taking place at Jazz Bistro from June 19 to June 30, running more or less concurrently with the Jazz Festival, and featuring, as the name implies, a number of mostly local singers in cabaret setting. Performances included June Garber and Stu Mac, on June 21, Adi Braun, on June 25, Tomson Highway and Patricia Cano, on June 28, and Alana Bridgewater on June 29. Further afield on Dundas, Lula Lounge will be hosting their LULAWORLD Festival from June 6 to 16, and, like Jazz Bistro, will mainly be showcasing the kind of Latin American music which they present throughout the year, including the Bianca Gismonti Trio and OKAN, on June 12; Tres Estrellas de Salsa, on June 14; and Lengaia Salsa Brava NG, on June 15. As this will be my last column until The WholeNote’s September issue, I hope that those of you reading this have a great summer and check out lots of live music. If you do see some of these shows, please feel free to email me to let me know what you enjoyed, what you didn’t enjoy, and everything in between. Also: please check out Bianca Gismonti Trio our website throughout the summer for online coverage of a wide variety of musical events, including the Jazz Festival, upcoming album releases, and more. And, finally: remember to wear sunscreen! MAINLY CLUBS, MOSTLY JAZZ QUICK PICKS !! JUN 6 TO JUN 16: LULAWORLD Festival, Lula Lounge. Featuring primarily Latin American music and musical artists, Lula Lounge will be one of the first venues to kick off this year’s festival season. !! JUN 19 TO JUN 30: Jazz Bistro Cabaret Series, Jazz Bistro. Check out Jazz Bistro for a number of cabaret performances in late June, featuring many of the vocalists who regularly appear at Jazz Bistro throughout the year. !! JUN 21 TO JUN 30: TD Toronto Jazz Festival, various locations. The city’s annual jazz festival, with lots of free outdoor performances in Yorkville and the surrounding area, club performances at The Rex and The Old Mill, and much more. 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. D. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz) Naduriak and friends. Jun 22 8pm David Garrett solo guitar. Jun 23 8pm David Garrett solo guitar. Jun 27 8pm Toronto East Blues Jam. Jun 29 8pm Root Down Duo. Jul 5 8pm Girma Woldemichael and Daniel Barnes. Jul 8-12 Danforth Music Camp w/ Ilios Steryannis. Jul 11 8pm Bright Lit, Big City. 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. Jun 1 Jane Siberry Jun 2 Leonard Cohen Koans. Jun 3 Dr. Mike Daley Presents: The Beatles Story. Jun 4 Garrett Mason. Jun 5 David Rotundo. Jun 6 Mike McKenna and Swampbusters. Jun 7 Los Variants. Jun 8 Dave Orrett Band. Jun 9 Steve Hill. Jun 10 Emily Gimble. Jun 11 Christine Campbell & Braden Gates. Jun 12 Lynn Miles & Scott Nolan. Jun 13 Cabana Room Acoustic Reunion. Jun 14 A Musical Tribute to Elvis Costello. Jun 15 Miss Emily. Jun 16 2pm The Tiki Collective Father’s Day Brunch, 8pm Cabana Room Electric Reunion. Jun 18 Andy Irvine. Jun 19 Carole Pope. Jun 20 Chris Antonik. Jun 21 Let Me Clear My Throat. Jun 23 Andrea Koziol & Bill Brennan. Jun 24 Elizabeth Shepherd & Michael Occhipinti. Jun 25 Over the Rhine. Jun 27 No Sleep ‘Til Sudbury. Jun 28 Huntertones. Jun 29 Ariana Gillis. Jul 4 Melanie. Jul 5 SKERRYVORE. Jul 8 Christine Lavin. Jul 9 Sylvia Tyson & Scarlet Rivera. Jul 11 Kalon Hart. Jul 12 Wintergarten Orchestra. Jul 13 HRL Guitar Week: Modern Acoustic. Jul 14 HRL Guitar Week: Hurricane Ruth & Scott Holt. Jul 15 HRL Guitar Week: Colin Linden. Jul 16 HRL Guitar Week: Jerry Douglas. Jul 19 Mark Lettieri. Jul 26 Folklife. Jul 27 Debi Botos. Jazz Bistro, The 251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299 jazzbistro.ca (full schedule) Jun 1 9pm Coldjack. Jun 2 7pm JAMME: Jazz and Modern Music Ensemble. Jun 4 8pm Matt Herskowitz. Jun 5 7pm Lisa Particelli’s GNO Jazz Jam. Jun 6 8pm Stephanie Martin. Jun 7 9pm Stephanie Trick and Paolo Alderighi. Jun 8 9pm Stephanie Trick and Paolo Alderighi. Jun 9 7pm Simone Morris. Jun 11 8pm Jessica Lalonde. Jun 12 8pm Denielle Bassels Quartet. Jun 13 8:30pm Colin Hunter and the Anthony Terpstra Seventet. Jun 14 8:30pm Colin Hunter and the Joe Sealy Quartet. Jun 15 8:30pm Colin Hunter and the Joe Sealy Quartet. Jun 16 7pm Barry Callaghan, Taborah Johnson, Joe Sealy. Jun 18 8pm Three Whiteleys: Ken, Chris, & Jesse. Jun 19-30 Jazz Bistro Cabaret Series Jun 19 8pm Maureen Kennedy. Jun 20 8:30pm Charlotte Moore. Jun 21 9pm June Garber & Stu Mac. Jun 22 8:30pm John Alcorn. Jun 23 7:30pm Charlie Davidson. Jun 24 8:30pm Thom Allison w/ Diane Leah. Jun 25 8:30pm Adi Braun. Jun 26 8:30pm Ori Dagan. Jun 27 8:30pm Judith Lander. Jun 28 8:30pm Tomson Highway & Patricia Cano. Jun 29 9pm Alana Bridgewater. Jun 30 7pm Marcus Nance w/ Barbara Fulton. 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 -) Jun 1 Teri Parker Quartet. Jun 2 4pm Patricia O’Callaghan & David Braid. Jun 7 Big Band Theory. Jun 8 One Word feat. Paul DeLong. Jun 14 Confabulation. Jun 15 Dave Young Quintet. Jun 21 Joe Huron Quartet. Jun 22 Michael Occhipinti & Shine On. Jun 26 8pm Heather Bambrick Quartet. Jun 27 8pm Melissa Stylianou & Heart. Jun 28 Sinal Aberto Quartet feat. Luanda Jones. Sunday June 9, 4:30pm TBA Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St. (north of St. Clair at Heath St.) Admission is free; donations are welcome. 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 . Jun 2 11:30am Dancing from All Directions, 6:30pm SING! Wrap Party. Jun 4 6:30pm Gordon Sheard & Sinal Aberto. Jun 5 6:30pm Sing Out. Jun 10 6:30pm Toronto Lit Up: House Divided. Jun 13 6:30pm Regeneration Community Services Fundraiser. Jun 23 3pm and 7pm (two shows) Adam James feat. JAZZ.FM91 Youth Big Band. Jun 25 6:30pm Tri-Continental. Jun 30 8pm Luedji Luna. Jun 6-16 LULAWORLD Festival Jun 6 7pm Opening Night. Jun 7 6:30pm Havana Ventu, Telmary, & Gabriel Garcia. Jun 8 6:30pm Alvaro Benavides & Alto Featuring some of Toronto’s best jazz musicians with a brief reflection by Jazz Vespers Clergy Sunday June 23, 4:30pm Brian Barlow Big Band “The Sacred Music of Duke Ellington”. Have a great summer: Jazz Vespers will return on September 15 th ! 416-920-5211 www.thereslifehere.org thewholenote.com June | July | August 2019 | 79