Volume 25 Issue 5 - February 2020

command of harmony,

command of harmony, tone, and time, and a penchant for sustained melodic intensity, all of which will likely be on full display in the chordless trio format, in which the saxophonist will have both the extra timbral space afforded by the lack of a comping instrument and the rhythmic support to swing for the fences. On February 6 and 7, also at The Rex, Mike Murley – another tenor player with chops, vision and a sophisticated harmonic palate – leads his saxtet, which is, in fact a septet. The saxtet features Murley, Tara Davidson, Allison Au and Chris Gale on saxophones, with a rhythm section of pianist Nancy Walker, bassist Jim Vivian and drummer Nick Fraser. Murley is a skilful arranger, and the music that he prepares for this intergenerational ensemble is sure to showcase his sense of musicality, rather than simply being a blowing vehicle for his technically accomplished accomplices. Whenever two or more saxophonists occupy space on the same bandstand, (as anyone who has ever attended a jazz jam session can confirm) there is an undeniable danger of unrestrained virtuosic one-upmanship. The likelihood of this occurring with this particular group of mature, tasteful saxophonists, however, is low. In addition to Murley and Garzone’s respective stints, The Rex will be hosting an additional two-night residency in February for bassist Mark Godfrey’s album release with his quintet, on February 26 and 27. Godfrey is joined by Au, Fraser, saxophonist Matt Woroshyl and pianist Chris Pruden, all in support of his new album, Square Peg. Feb 1 12pm Adam & Adam’s Remnants, 3:30pm Swing Shift Big Band, 7pm Neon Eagle, 9:45pm Dave Young Quintet. Feb 2 12pm Excelsior Dixieland Jazz Band, 3:30pm Club Django, 7pm Patrick Smith Quintet, 9:30pm Bela Racz Quintet w/ Deborah Botos. Feb 3 6:30pm U of T Student Jazz Ensembles, 9:30pm Terry Promane’s U of T 12tet. Feb 4 6:30pm Marie Goudy / Jocelyn Barth Quintet, 9:30pm Classic Rex Jazz Jam. Feb 5 6:30pm Trevor Giancola Quartet, 9:30pm Vaughan Misener Trio. Feb 6 6:30pm Victor Bateman Trio, 9:45pm Mike Murley Saxtet. Feb 7 4pm Hogtown Syncopators, 6:30pm Jenna Marie R&B, 9:45pm Mike Murley Saxtet. Feb 8 12pm Adam & Adam’s Remnants, 3:30pm Laura Hubert Band, 7pm Triple Bari Ensemble, 9:45pm Andy Ballantyne. Feb 9 12pm Excelsior Dixieland Jazz Band, 3:30pm Red Hot Ramble, 7pm Patrick Smith Quintet, 9:30pm Harrison2. Feb 10 6:30pm U of T Student Jazz Ensembles, 9:30pm Bill Todd Quartet. Feb 11 6:30pm Marie Goudy / Jocelyn Barth Quintet, 9:30pm Classic Rex Jazz Jam. Feb 12 6:30pm Trevor Giancola Quartet, 9:30pm Hannah Barstow Trio. Feb 13 6:30pm Victor Bateman Trio, 9:30pm Remi-Jean LeBlanc. Feb 14 4pm Hogtown Syncopators, 6:30pm Jenna Marie R&B, 9:30pm Alex Dean Quintet. Feb 15 12pm Adam & Adam’s Remnants. 3:30pm Big City Big Band, 7pm Neon Eagle, 9:45pm Marito Marques. Feb 16 12pm Excelsior Dixieland Jazz Band, 3:30pm Dr. Nick &The Rollercoasters, 7pm Patrick Smith Quintet, 9:30pm Jesse Malone Quintet. Feb 17 6:30pm U of T Student Jazz Ensembles, 9:30pm Christian Overton’s Composers Collective. Feb 18 6:30pm Marie Goudy / Jocelyn Barth Quintet, 9:30pm Classic Rex Jazz Jam. Feb 19 6:30pm Trevor Giancola Quartet, 9:30pm Aimee Claxton’s Joni Mitchell Tribute. Feb 20 6:30pm JV’s Boogaloo Squad, 9:45pm JabFung w/ George Garzone. Feb 21 4pm Hogtown Syncopators, 6:30pm Jenna Marie R&B, 9:45pm JabFung w/ George Garzone. Feb 22 12pm Adam & Adam’s Remnants, 3:30pm Paul Reddick, 7pm D. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz) Neon Eagle, 10pm Soul Stew. Feb 23 12pm Excelsior Dixieland Jazz Band, 3:30pm Doghouse Orchestra, 7pm Patrick Smith Quintet, 9:30pm Barry Romberg Group. Feb 24 6:30pm U of T Student Jazz Ensembles, 8:30pm John MacLeod’s Rex Hotel Orchestra. Feb 25 6:30pm Marie Goudy / Jocelyn Barth Quintet, 9:30pm Classic Rex Jazz Jam. Feb 26 6:30pm Trevor Giancola Quartet, 9:30pm Mark Godfrey Quintet CD Release. Feb 27 6:30pm JV’s Boogaloo Squad, 9:30pm Mark Godfrey Quintet CD Release. Feb 28 4pm Hogtown Syncopators, 6:30pm Jenna Marie R&B, 9:45pm Way North. Feb 29 12pm Adam & Adam’s Remnants, 3:30pm Chris Hunt Tenet + 2, 7pm Neon Eagle, 9:45pm Dave Turner. Salty Dog Bar & Grill, The 1980 Queen St. E. 416-849-5064 thesaltydog.ca (full schedule) Every Tue 7-10pm Jazz Night. Every Thu 8:30pm Karaoke. Every Fri 9:30pm Blues Jam - house band with weekly featured guest. Every Sat 3pm Salty Dog Saturday Matinée. Sauce on Danforth 1376 Danforth Ave. 647-748-1376 sauceondanforth.com All shows: No cover. Every Mon 9pm Gareth Parry’s Book Club. Every Tue 6pm Julian Fauth. Every Wed Paul Reddick & Friends. Every Thu 8pm Steve Koven and Artie Roth. Sat and Sun Matinees 4pm various performers. The Senator Winebar 249 Victoria St 416 364-7517 thesenator.com (full schedule) Tranzac 292 Brunswick Ave. 416-923-8137 tranzac.org (full schedule) 3-4 shows daily, various styles, in three different performance spaces. Mostly PWYC. Elsewhere In other parts of Toronto, February also brings some promising musical events. At Burdock on February 8, keyboardist James Hill leads his new project Local Talent, whose debut album, Higienópolis, is reviewed in this issue of The WholeNote. In addition to Hill, Local Talent features drummer Ian Wright and electric bassist Rich Brown, both of whom possess some of the most exciting voices on the Canadian jazz scene. Burdock will Local Talent also host the singer/ songwriter Danielle Knibbe, an artist whose work, while falling broadly under the genre of folk, intelligently incorporates sophisticated elements of jazz, pop and other musical styles in a cross-pollinatory practice that is representative of a welcome trend in Canadian music. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention at least one holiday-specific event in February; for those who wish to venture bravely forth on Valentine’s Day, June Garber and Stu Mac will be singing at Jazz Bistro that evening. Whether you yearn to publicly display your affection for your significant other, to have a night out with friends in active protest to the day’s romantic mandate, or to make the grave mistake of presuming that your Tinder date “will honestly, like, really enjoy jazz,” Jazz Bistro’s red piano, elaborate crystal chandeliers and neo-Jazz-Age atmosphere should provide the perfect backdrop for your Valentine’s Day venture. MAINLY CLUBS, MOSTLY JAZZ QUICK PICKS !! FEB 7, 8PM: Russell Malone, Hugh’s Room Live. American jazz guitarist Russell Malone, whose collaborators have included Ray Brown, Ron Carter, Benny Green and Diana Krall, makes a rare appearance in a club setting in Toronto. !! FEB 8, 9:30PM: James Hill’s Local Talent, Burdock. Local Talent celebrates the release of their debut album, Higienópolis, at Burdock, with Hill on keyboards, Rich Brown on bass and Ian Wright on drums. !! FEB 14, 9PM: June Garber and Stu Mac, Jazz Bistro. Head to Jazz Bistro on Valentine’s Day if you crave classic standards, full dinner service, and the knowledge that you, at least, did everything that you could to save your marriage. !! FEB 20 & 21, 9:45PM: JabFung with George Garzone, The Rex. Leading American saxophonist George Garzone, whose unique approach to harmony and linear improvisation has cemented his place in modern jazz history, plays at The June Garber Rex with Julian Anderson-Bowes and Anthony Fung. 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. 58 | February 2020 thewholenote.com

Clubs & Groups ●●Feb 09 2:00: Classical Music Club Toronto. Beethoven Sestercentennial Celebration (Part 2). Join us as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. Visit classicalmusicclubtoronto.org or contact John Sharpe at 416-898-2549 or torontoshi@sympatico.ca. Annual membership: $25(regular); (sr/st). Free for first-time visitors. Donations accepted for refreshments. ●●Feb 09 2:00: Toronto Opera Club. Guest speaker: Derek Bate, Canadian Opera Company Assistant Conductor. Edward Johnson Bldg., Faculty of Music, 80 Queens Park, Room 330. 416-924-3940. . ●●Feb 24 7:30: Toronto Wagner Society. Roundtable technical discussion on the making of The Flying Dutchman with the Canadian Opera Company’s Head of Wardrobe; Head of Hair, Wig and Makeup; the Stage Manager; and the Associate Director. The Arts and Letters Club, 14 Elm St. Located west of Yonge St. and two blocks north of Dundas St. W. Meetings are open to everyone. For information: info@torontowagnersociety.ca. Free(members); (non-members). Competitions and Applications ●●DEADLINE Feb 01: International Music Festival and Competition. All ages and levels. Piano, voice, guitar, harp, strings, woodwinds, brass, conducting, composition. For information. Competition dates: Mar 21-Apr 5, 2020. For information: intermusic.ca or 905-604- 8854 or office@intermusic.ca. ●●DEADLINE Feb 18: Yip’s Music Festival Competition. Piano, violin, musical theatre and chamber music. Competition dates: Apr 18, 19, 25, 26, May 2, 3, 2020. For information: ymf.yips.com or 905-948-9477 x2211. Galas, Tributes and Fundraisers ●●Feb 02 3:00: Bowerbird Collective. Music for Australia: A Concert Raising Funds for the Bushfire Crisis. Simone Slattery, violin; Anthony Albrecht, cello. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. For information: wheresongbegan.com. ; (under 18). All profits donated to support Australian wildlife in the bushfire crisis. ●●Feb 14 8:00: Chorus York, Richmond Hill. Romantic Melodies, 3rd Annual Fundraising Gala. Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, Plaza Suite, 10268 Yonge St., Richmond Hill. 7pm: cocktails, appetizers, silent auction & cash bar. 8pm: concert. An evening of love songs in a cabaret style. Stéphane Potvin, artistic director; Asal Iranmehr, accompanist; Guests: Natalie Wong, violin; Drew Henderson, guitar; Angela Gibbon, soprano; Laura Ewing, poet. Tickets: RHCPA box office, or online at rhcentre.ca or call 905- 787-8811. with tax receipt. ●●Mar 06 7:30: Firerooster Collective. Stabat Mater. Pergolesi: Stabat Mater. Maureen Pecknold, soprano; Andrea Johnston, alto; Dorothy Krizmanic, piano. Church of the Holy Trinity, 19 Trinity Sq. 647-339-8587. By donation. Benefit for Stella’s Place. ●●Mar 26 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Evening Epic. The TSO’s annual fundraising event will feature a gala dinner and EPIC party! With performances by members of the TSO and the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, and a one-night-only mainstage E. The ETCeteras Gábor Tarkövi performance featuring the TSO in collaboration with award-nominated alternative-electronic Indigenous singer/songwriter iskwē. This is a 19+ event. The Carlu, 444 Yonge St. Visit EveningEpic.ca for tickets to the event. Early Bird Tickets are on sale now for 5! Lectures, Salons and Symposia ●●Feb 02 8:00: The Music Gallery. Panel Discussion and Performance: When Did Transparency Become So Opaque? Curated by Olivia Shortt. The Music Gallery at 918 Bathurst St. PWYW ( suggested). ●●Feb 07 1:00-6:00. University of Toronto Faculty of Music. DM@X: Sixth Annual Digital Media at the Crossroads Conference. Visit digitalmediaatthecrossroads.com for conference details and to register. Various locations in the Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750. Registration required. Also Feb 8 9am-5pm. ●●Feb 07 12:00noon: Westben. Tick Talk: Music in Nature. Excerpts from The Selfish Giant by Brian Finley. Brian Finley and the Nature Conservancy of Canada. The talk will focus on the beautiful estate of Mary West that abuts the Westben Barn property and the potential for performance and experiences in this habitat. The Clock Tower Concert Hall, 36 Front St. S., Campbellford. 705-653- 5508 or 1-877-883-5777. Admission by donation ( suggested minimum.) ●●Feb 13 12:10: University of Toronto Faculty of Music. Thursdays at Noon: What Makes Human Compositions Human? (Part 1). In this lecture-recital, Dr. Steve Sang Kyun Koh and the Interro Quartet highlight AI’s growing capabilities in composing music. Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750. Free and open to the public. ●●Feb 16 7:00: Darchei Noam/Howard Mednick. Jewish Music by Non-Jewish Composers. Works by Handel, Smetana, Bruch and Verdi. Recorded music with commentary. Darchei Noam Synagogue, 864 Sheppard Ave. 416-435-6517. . ●●Feb 20 7:00: Canadian Opera Company. Opera Insights: An Evening with Ian Cusson. Join COC Composer-in-Residence Ian Cusson for an exploration of his artistic inspirations and creative process. Includes performances from artists of the COC Ensemble Studio. Richard Bradshaw Auditorium, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. at University Ave. Free but requires a ticket. Register online or call COC Ticket Services at 416-363-8231. ●●Feb 23 7:00: Darchei Noam/Howard Mednick. First Concert of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Brahms: Symphony No.2; Schubert: Symphony No.8; Mendelssohn, Incidental Music to a Midsummer Night’s Dream. Recorded music with commentary. Darchei Noam Synagogue, 864 Sheppard Ave. 416- 435-6517. . ●●Feb 25 7:30: University of Toronto Faculty of Music. Herman Geiger-Torel Lecture: Linda and Michael Hutcheon. Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750. Free and open to the public. ●●Mar 01 7:00: Darchei Noam/Howard Mednick. Jewish All-Star Composers. Works of Mendelssohn, Gershwin and Copland. Recorded music with commentary. Darchei Noam Synagogue, 864 Sheppard Ave. 416- 435-6517. . ●●Mar 04 7:00: Canadian Opera Company. Opera Talks: Music and Mental Health. Explore the art and science of music’s impact on our physical, mental and emotional health with accredited music therapists and registered psychotherapist SarahRose Black and cellist Andrew Ascenzo. Participants will discover how music can punctuate life’s most important moments and learn more about music’s important role in the healthcare industry and personal wellness. North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge St. Free but advanced registration is recommended by calling 416-395-5639. JAMES RHODES IN CONVERSATION WED, MARCH 4, 7:30PM Isabel Bader Theatre www.glenngould.ca ●●Mar 04 7:30: Glenn Gould Foundation. James Rhodes: In Conversation. Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles St. W. Order online at: glenngould.ca. $25. Master Classes ●●Feb 06 1:10: University of Toronto Faculty of Music. Brass Chamber Master Class with Gábor Tarkövi. Edward Johnson Building, Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open to the public. ●●Feb 06 5:00: University of Toronto Faculty of Music. Trumpet Master Class with Gábor Tarkövi. Edward Johnson Building, Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park. 416-978-3750. Free. Open to the public. Singalongs, Jams, Circles ● ● Feb 08 2:00: Canadian Bandurist Capella. Meet & Greet and Open House. Taras Shevchenko Centre, 482 Horner Ave., Etibocoke. Seeking young singers and musicians to be part Master Classes Feb 6, U of T Trumpet & Chamber Brass of our dynamic all-male ensemble as we embark on our 20th-anniversary season. Bring your bandura or voice and join us for an afternoon of information, camaraderie and entertainment. Food and refreshments will be served. For information: 647-229-9531 or banduristy.com. Tours ●●Feb 09 10:30am: Canadian Opera Company. 90-Minute Tour of the Four Seasons Centre. Led by a trained docent. Includes information and access to the Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room, the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre and R. Fraser Elliott Hall, as well as backstage areas such as the wig rooms and dressing rooms, the orchestra pit, and other spaces that only a stage door pass could unlock. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. 416- 363-8231. coc.ca. (adults); (sr/st). Also Feb 23 (French), Mar 1, 8 and 15 (French). Workshops & Classes ●●Feb 02, 1:30: Toronto Early Music Players Organization. Workshop coached by recorder player Francis Colpron. Armour Heights Community Centre, 2140 Avenue Rd. Bring your early instruments and a music stand. For information: 416-779-5750 or tempotoronto.net. . ●●Feb 07 7:30: Toronto Recorder Players Society. Renaissance and Baroque Workshop for Recorders and Other Early Instruments. Refreshments included. Mount Pleasant Road Baptist Church, 527 Mount Pleasant Rd. (entrance off Belsize). For information: 416- 480-1853 or rpstoronto.ca. . ●●Feb.16 2:00: CAMMAC Toronto Region. Reading for singers and instrumentalists of Jenkins’ The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace. Matthew Jaskiewicz, conductor. Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St. 416-482- 6562. ; (members). ●●Feb 20-23. Toronto Mass Choir. Powerup: Gospel Music Workshop. York University, Accolade East Bldg., 4700 Keele St. For information, visit powergospel.ca. ; (st). ●●Mar 01 1:30: Toronto Early Music Players Organization. Workshop coached by viola da gamba player Joelle Morton. Armour Heights Community Centre, 2140 Avenue Rd. Bring your early instruments and a music stand. For information: 416-779-5750 or tempotoronto.net. . ●●Mar 06 7:30: Toronto Recorder Players Society. Renaissance and Baroque Workshop for Recorders and Other Early Instruments. Refreshments included. Mount Pleasant Road Baptist Church, 527 Mount Pleasant Rd. (entrance off Belsize). For information: 416-480-1853 or rpstoronto.ca. . thewholenote.com February 2020 | 59