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Volume 30 Issue 4 | December 2024 & January 2025

  • Text
  • Toronto
  • Orchestra
  • Theatre
  • February
  • Symphony
  • Violin
  • Jazz
  • Arts
  • Conductor
  • Faculty
TMChoir's Jean-Sébastien Vallée on large-choir community exchange; Vania Chan on Music and Mindfulness; "From Up Here" looks at Classical Life in "Zone 10"; Jazz jam etiquette; Esprit has you on the edge of your seat; Women from Space; a full slate of record reviews; all this and more.

THE SOFT SEAT BEATThe

THE SOFT SEAT BEATThe Aurora Cultural Centre is a beautifully restored 1886 schoolhouse - now is home to galleries,administrative offices, curatorial workspaces, temperature-controlled archives, and performance venues.Halls of all sizes take the sting out of the seasonCOLIN STORYFebruary and March are not the most glamorousmonths of the year; between salt-stained boots,wind-whipped skin, and the knowledge that springwill mostly just be more winter, it’s a miracle that anyof us get out at all. Things, however, are not all that bad:though we must endure the season, we are also officiallyin the middle of “the concert season” (i.e. the annuallycurated sequences of shows booked by presentersand/or venues, which around here typically run fromSeptember to June).Southern Ontario’s halls, mid-size, large and small, have a lot ofwonderful programming going on, musicians have worked throughtheir holiday chops, and the only major impediment to having a goodtime at gigs is the concert subzero anxiety about getting sick. (Even atrip to the grocery store feels like taking a walk through an epidemiologicalminefield; please, I beg of you, do not sneeze on the cheese.)and many nominations, from the late 1990s to the present). Her careerhas included collaborations with fellow Canadians Kardinal Offishall,Saukrates, and Choclair, as well as major American artists such as Nasand Destiny’s Child. A strong, sophisticated singer with ample vocalpower and control, Black is no stranger to large stages, and her performanceat The Rose is taking place as part of a cross-Canadian tour, withother stops in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.Evans at Aurora: On February 22 at the Aurora Cultural Centre,another stellar night of vocal performances will be taking place, asKellylee Evans takes the stage with an opening set by Sammy Jackson.Evans will likely be a familiar name to Canadian jazz fans, as she’sbeen a mainstay on the vocal jazz circuit for many years. AttendingCarleton University, she originally did degrees in both English andLaw, before turning her attention to music full time. In 2004, she tooksecond place in the prestigious Thelonious Monk Competition, in frontof a panel that included Quincy Jones, Dee Dee Bridgewater and KurtElling, and won a Juno award in 2011, for her album Nina, inspired bythe life and work of Nina Simone. In 2013, a most unusual misfortuneoccurred: Evans was struck by lightning while inside her own home.Following a long recovery, she returned to making music, and by 2018Jully BlackRose for your valentine: If you’re thinking about takingyour partner out for a romantic Valentine’s Day (beforebreaking out the erotic dice for a romantic Valentine’s Night),look no further than The Rose Theatre in Brampton, whichwill be hosting Jully Black on February 14. A relatively newvenue – construction was completed in 2006 – The Rose’smain theatre is a horseshoe-shaped affair just shy of 900seats, the farthest of which is only 90 feet (27.4 metres, forthe metrically “woke”) from the stage. The stage itself is wideand deep, allowing performers to stretch out and put onthe kind of show that would otherwise only be possible in amuch larger venue.Black has been a mainstay of the Canadian music scenesince the mid-2000s, with the release of her albums This Is Meand Revival, the latter of which won a Juno award for R&B/Soul recording of the year (one of several major award wins26 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com

Kellylee EvansMAINLY CLUBS, MOSTLY JAZZhad been nominated for another Juno award for her album Come On.In 2024, she had two releases: the EP Show Love, a blend of R&B,funk and jazz, and the holiday album Winter Song.Though Evans and Jackson are very different as songwriters and vocaltechnicians, the fact that they’re sharing a bill makes a lot of sense.Like Evans, Jackson has real jazz bonafides – she graduated from theUniversity of Toronto’s jazz studies program – and has been consistentlyactive on the music scene. Also like Evans, Jackson is stylistically adventurous,mixing R&B, pop and other genres with jazz to create a musicaluniverse all her own. Her newest album, In The Meantime, features thetalents of guitarist Thom Fleming, keyboardist Chris Pruden, bassistMark Godfrey and drummer Ian Wright, four musicians with whomJackson has regularly collaborated, and sees Jackson concentrating onsoulful, direct vocals to deliver her imaginative original lyrics.HOT DAMN,LET’S JAM!ORI DAGANTed Haberer atthe Jazz BistroORI DAGANKidjo at Koerner: Back in Toronto, Koerner Hall has a number ofreturning artists playing in March – a testament to the venue’s comfort,style and excellent acoustics – both onstage and in the audience. OnMarch 1, saxophonist Jane Bunnett collaborates with Cuban musiciansOrlando “Maraca” Valle (flute), the Santiago Sax Quartet and pianistHilario Durán, with new music written specifically for this performance.On March 8, Mexican-American rock band Los Lobos takes thestage, with their Grammy-winning combination of Tex-Mex, blues, folkand other musical traditions. And on March 25, catch Beninese-Frenchsinger Angélique Kidjo – also a Grammy winner – in her fourth appearanceat Koerner Hall. Kidjo has been a star for some time, boastingcollaborations with the likes of Branford Marsalis, Sting, Tina Turnerand Santana, to name a few. Singing in a variety of languages, includingFrench, Yorùbá, English and Fon, Kidjo is a captivating presence onstage, and no stranger to performing in rooms of every size.Jane BunnettColin Story is a jazz guitarist, writer and teacher based inToronto. He can be reached at www.colinstory.com, and onInstagram and X.Much like the word “jazz” itself, the origin of theterm “jam session” is up for debate, but there’sno denying the multi-layered potential thatjam sessions unleash: community building, essentialeducation, artistic exploration and audience engagement.Before we dive in, though, for the uninitiated, what canyou expect from such an evening?Jam sessions typically start with an opening set by the host band,after which, participants are invited to take the stage. In this informalatmosphere, musicians will often approach the stage of their ownvolition, play a couple of standard tunes and then, ideally, get off thestage to allow someone else the opportunity. It is ultimately up to thehost to ensure that things go smoothly and that everyone is treatedrespectfully. It’s important to find jam sessions which are safe spacesgeared to everyone having a good experience. In this piece I will focuson a few of my favourite Toronto sessions.On Friday nights at Jazz Bistro, a rotating band hosts the Late NightJam Session from 11:30pm to 2am. This event is the brainchild of JazzBistro’s Manager Ted Haberer, who made it his first mission on the jobto start a jam session. Previously an employee at The Rex Hotel, he isalso an avid vocalist who occasionally gets up to croon a tune.“I love this music, and hearing strangers meet for the first time andplay it beautifully together is something really special,” says Haberer.“I wanted to cater the jams to the musicians and thought they’d like aplace to head after their weekend gigs to get some late-night food andhang with other players.”As the curator of the space, he is very passionate about giving youngmusicians opportunities: “They’re the future of the scene. They needa place to play together for an audience, and to hear as many playersas possible. There’s a remarkable amount of talent among the youngplayers right now. They need to make rent. Toronto rent!”continues to page 46thewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 27

Volumes 26-30 (2020- )

Volumes 21-25 (2015-2020)

Volumes 16-20 (2010-2015)

Volumes 11-15 (2004-2010)

Volumes 6 - 10 (2000 - 2006)

Volumes 1-5 (1994-2000)