Volume 30 Issue 2 | October & November 2024

MAINLY JAZZ DEATH,

MAINLY JAZZ DEATH, DEVILS AND … ELECTIONS? COLIN STORY I was going to start this column with a joke about October being the scariest month of the year. “A time to contemplate death, devils, and diminished chords,” I wrote in an earlier draft, perhaps trusting that it would have been cut in editing. But then I was reminded that this is in fact a double issue, and that the U.S. election is happening in November, so I have changed my tune; nothing is scarier than a federal election or two (save perhaps going in for major surgery, or pursuing a career in music, depending on one’s tolerance for pain.) Whatever’s haunting you, there are plenty of opportunities to exorcise your demons by checking out some heart-warming (or bonechilling) live music, in a season replete with exciting performances. Fortune, Kelsey McNulty’s bilingual vocal project. Later in the month, October 24, catch Card, Hennessy and Paul Kolinski at Sellers & Newel. Recently at the Emmet Ray, Harley Card (centre) with Don Scott (l) and Rebecca Hennessy (r). The Old Mill’s Jazz Lounge also has a number of vocal acts appearing in October and November. On October 18, Caity Gyorgy (it is pronounced “George”) performs, with her regular trio of pianist Anthony D’Alessandro, bassist Thomas Hainbuch and Caity Gyorgy drummer Jacob Wutzke. Gyorgy has been a strong presence on the North American vocal jazz scene for the past few years, since her debut EP, Now Pronouncing: Caity Gyorgy ORI DAGAN HARRISON WEINSTEIN Harley Card On October 3, Toronto guitarist Harley Card appears at Burdock Music Hall with his singer-songwriter project Two Tomorrows, with Matt Newton on keys and woodwinds, Dan Fortin on bass and Jeff Luciani on drums. Card has long been a presence on the Toronto music scene, both leading his own projects (his albums Hedgerow and The Greatest Invention are certified Toronto jazz guitar classics) and in collaboration with groups such as Stop Time, Hobson’s Choice and God’s Gift to Yoda. Card’s first singer-songwriter release was in 2020, during the pandemic; Unconfined Invisible is a nine-song album featuring Newton, Fortin, and Luciani, as well as Joseph Shabason on synths and Michael Herring on double bass (Herring also has a co-writing credit). In 2022, Card released the single Two Tomorrows, featuring Toronto’s favourite guest singer Alex Samaras, as well as the same core band. Another 2022 release: Our Canopy, a joint-effort EP from both Card and Rebecca Hennessy. Card’s songwriting is unique, both lyrically and emotionally, but in many ways is directly in line with his guitar playing: thoughtful, melodic and inventive, with a yearning quality that feels instantly affecting as it blurs the lines between jazz, rock, folk and other influences. (Card sees his music as containing both moments of Wilco and moments of Weather Report.) If you are in the audience at Burdock on October 3, you’ll also have the pleasure of hearing opening sets by Hennessy and by Good 22 | October & November 2024 thewholenote.com

Monty Alexander, at the 2024 Nice Jazz Festival with Luke Sellick on bass and Jason Brown on drums. won a JUNO Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year. Two years older and a second JUNO Award richer, for her album Featuring, Gyorgy is a confident singer of standards and originals in a traditionalist style. Also at The Old Mill, on November 1, catch the Blackburn Brothers, a blues group that incorporates funk, jazz, and soul to create a special musical blend that honours their legacy as descendants of Elias Earls. (Earls was born in Kentucky in 1833, and escaped slavery through the underground railroad, eventually settling in the Owen Sound area.) The Blackburn Brothers is fronted by Duane (keyboards/vocals), Brooke (guitar/vocals), and Cory (drums), who are joined by Neil Braithwaite on tenor sax, Ted Peters on trombone and Andrew Stewart on bass. Inspired by seminal American artists such as BB King, Ray Charles and Miles Davis, as well as their father, famed Toronto musician Bobby Dean Blackburn, the Blackburn Brothers have shared the stage with icons such as Mavis Staples, Dr. John and Cedric Burnside. With a penchant for exciting, high-energy shows, they play with a warmth and groove that is sure to appeal to Old Mill audiences. Coming to Koerner: On October 19, Jamaican-American jazz pianist Monty Alexander graces the stage of Koerner Hall, at the Royal Conservatory of Music. At 80 years old, Alexander has been a major force on the jazz scene since the 1960s, when he released his first album, Alexander the Great. A deft, dynamic pianist with technique for days, Alexander tends to favour the blues, standards, and the music of Jamaica, with an especial fondness for the songs of Bob Marley. Underpinning this is an unerring sense of time, joy and interactivity that’s sure to be on display in trio format with bassist Luke Sellick and drummer Jason Brown. The Blackburn Brothers When I was in high school, I had the opportunity to hear Alexander in Vancouver at the now-defunct Cellar Jazz Club, and it remains a formative experience; it was illuminating to witness how musical prowess, commitment to phrasing and a sense of real fun could come together. (Attending music school temporarily dispelled this notion, though eventually one recovers.) Opening the show at Koerner will be reggae musician Jay Douglas, a vocalist who, like Alexander, was also born in Jamaica. Douglas has been a mainstay of the Toronto music scene since his debut in the late 1960s, and was a major part of the introduction of ska, reggae and rock steady to Canada. Douglas will appear with alto saxophonist Bobby Hsu, keyboardist Eddie Bullen, keyboardist Dave de Launay, bassist Don Stewart, drummer Everton Pablo Paul and vocalist Wendy Irvin. At the University of Toronto’s Walter Hall – just a few steps south on Philosopher’s Walk from the RCM – the Jim Lewis 12tet plays the music of Terry Promane on November 6. The Lewis 12tet is an ensemble that runs yearly in the U of T Jazz Program, led, as the name implies, by trumpeter and longtime U of T faculty member Jim Lewis. Terry Promane is also on faculty at U of T and is a formidable arranger and composer whose work follows the tradition of major largeensemble artists such as Phil Nimmons, Rob McConnell, the Boss Brass, Kenny Wheeler, and more. Colin Story is a jazz guitarist, writer and teacher based in Toronto. He can be reached at www.colinstory.com, and on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). ENSEMBLE MISTRAL Dans l’univers d’Astor A Tribute to the Music and Inspirations of Astor Piazzolla Jazz & Classical Music DECEMBER 7, 8 PM SPADINA THEATRE Tickets available online at www.alliance-francaise.ca thewholenote.com October & November 2024| 23