Volume 30 Issue 5 | April & May 2025

LIVE OR ONLINE | Apr 1

LIVE OR ONLINE | Apr 1 to Jun 7, 2024● 3:00: Canadian Children’s Opera Company.The Monkiest King. See May 30.● 3:00: Magisterra Soloists. Magisterra atthe Museum: Musical Jokes. Dohnányi: Sextetin C for piano, violin, viola, cello, clarinetand horn Op.37 and works by Satie, Mozart,and others. Guests: Cordula Hacke, piano;Peter Shackleton, clarinet; Ron George, horn.Museum London, 421 Ridout St. N., London.www.magisterra.com. ; (sr); (st);(under 10).● 3:00: Toronto Bach Festival. St. John Passion.Directed by John Butt. St. John PassionBWV 245.2 (1725 version). Ellen McAteerand Sinéad White, sopranos; Daniel Taylorand Nicholas Burns, altos; Charles Danielsand Shane Hanson, tenors; JonathanWoody and Jesse Blumberg, basses; TheToronto Bach Festival Orchestra. East End/Eastminster United Church, 310 DanforthAve. www.torontobachfestival.org/2025-festival.Visit website for tickets and information.Also 4pm.● 3:30: Guelph Musicfest 2025. FestivalTrio. Haydn: Piano Trio No.35 in C Hob.XV:21; Pál Hermann: Suite for solo violin; Falla:Suite populaire espagnole, for cello & piano;Shostakovich: Piano Trio No.2 in e Op.67.Sadie Fields, violin; Paul Pulford, cello; KenGee, piano. Grace United Church, 140 BruceSt. S., Thornbury. Visit www.guelphmusicfest.caor 519-993-7591. From . AlsoMay 30(7:30pm) at Guelph Youth MusicCentre.● 4:00: The Edison Singers. Choral Mystics.Works by Palestrina, Byrd, Ešenvalds,Whitacre, and Arvo Pärt. Basilica of Our LadyImmaculate, 28 Norfolk St., Guelph. 226-384-9300 or www.theedisonsingers.com/performances/.; (ages 13-21); (ages 12& under). 80 minutes. No intermission. AlsoMay 24(St. Mark’s Anglican Church, Niagaraon-the-Lake),31(Church of St. Peter and St.Simon-the-Apostle, Toronto).Tuesday June 3● 12:10: Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation.Lunchtime Chamber Music. Sophie Lanthier,flute. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church,1585 Yonge St. 416-922-1167 or www.yorkminsterpark.com.Free. Donations welcome.● 1:00: St. James Cathedral. Tuesday OrganRecital. Adam MacNeil, organ. CathedralChurch of St. James, 106 King St. E. 416-364-7865 or www.stjamescathedral.ca/recitals.Free. Donations encouraged.● 8:00: Royal Conservatory of Music.String Concerts: Sheku Kanneh-Masonwith Isata Kanneh-Mason. Royal Conservatoryof Music - TELUS Centre - KoernerHall, 273 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.rcmusic.com/performance. SOLD OUT.Wednesday June 4● 8:00: Massey Hall. Ben Harper & TheInnocent Criminals. 178 Victoria St. 416-872-4255 or www.ticketmaster.ca. From .● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.Mozart’s Jupiter. Allison Loggins-Hull: Grit,Grace, Glory (Canadian premiere & TSO cocommission);Ravel: Piano Concerto in G;Mozart: Symphony No.41 in C K.551 “Jupiter”.Beatrice Rana, piano; Gustavo Gimeno, conductor.Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. 416-598-3375 or www.tso.ca. From . AlsoJun 5(8pm), 7(8pm), 8(3pm, George WestonRecital Hall, Meridian Arts Centre).Friday June 6● 7:30: Guelph Musicfest 2025. Payadora.Tango and beyond! Rebekah Wolkstein, violin& vocals; Drew Jurecka, bandoneon & violin;Elbio Fernandez, vocals; Mark Camilleri,piano; Jesse Dietche, double-bass. GuelphYouth Music Centre, 75 Cardigan St., Guelph.Visit www.guelphmusicfest.ca or 519-993-7591. From . Third concert of the 2025five-concert series on consecutive Fridayevenings.● 8:00: Massey Hall. Classic Albums Live:Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet. 178 VictoriaSt. 416-872-4255 or www.tickets.mhrth.com.From .● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Jazz Lounge: KellyLeeEvans. 21 Old Mill Rd. 416-207-2020 orwww.oldmilltoronto.com. cover. Minimum food & beverage spend. Restrictedto ages 19+. Dinner reservations open at6pm. Show at 8pm.● 8:00: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.Bach as Muse. Motets by Bach, Homilius,Mendelssohn, Brahms, Rheinberger, andReger. Michael Unterman, cello; CharlotteMOTETSBach as MuseDirected by Ivars TaurinsJUNE 6Jeanne Lamon Hall,Trinity-St. Paul’s Centretafelmusik.orgNediger, organ; Tafelmusik Chamber Choir;Ivars Taurins, director. Trinity St. Paul’s UnitedChurch and Centre for Faith, Justice and theArts, 427 Bloor St. W. 416-408-0208 or www.tafelmusik.org. .● 8:00: Roy Thomson Hall. An Evening withYo-Yo Ma. 60 Simcoe St. www.tickets.mhrth.com. Visit website for ticket information. AlsoJun 7: An Afternoon with Yo-Yo Ma.Saturday June 7● 2:00: Roy Thomson Hall. An Afternoonwith Yo-Yo Ma. 60 Simcoe St. www.tickets.mhrth.com. Visit website for ticket information.Also Jun 6: An Evening with Yo-Yo Ma.● 3:00: 5 at the First Chamber Concerts.The Poetic Voice. Brahms: Zwei GesängeOp.91; Ian Cusson: Five Songs on the Poemsof Gwendolyn MacEwen; Canteloube: Selectionsfrom Chants d’Auvergne. Marion Newman- Nege’ga, mezzo; Caitlin Boyle, viola;Angela Park, piano. First Unitarian Church ofHamilton, 170 Dundurn St. S., Hamilton. www.universe.com/events/the-poetic-voice-tickets-HL6G1J.; (sr); $(st/unwaged);Free(under 12).● 4:00: Music Toronto. COSE (Celebrationof Small Ensembles). 4pm: Jacques Forestier,violin; Jeanie Chung, piano. 5pm: SolidaridadTango. Aperture Room, 340 Yonge St. www.music-toronto.com. . Refreshments willbe available for purchase.● 8:00: Alliance Française de Toronto.Simon Boisseau. Neoclassical Music. AllianceFrançais de Toronto - Spadina Theatre,24 Spadina Rd. www.alliance-francaise.ca. .● 8:00: Old Mill Toronto. Dining & DancingSeries:The Beach Boys Tribute Show. 21 OldMill Rd. 416-207-2020 or www.oldmilltoronto.com.From . Minimum food &Berczy Tavern, The69 Front Street Easttheberczy.com @theberczyAn upscale dining room and piano bar, withmusic 6 nights a weekBlack Bear Pub1125 O’Connor Driveblackbearpub.ca @blackbearpubonoconnorA neighbourhood pub and family restaurantwith instrumental jazz on Tuesday nightsBlack Swan Tavern154 Danforth Avenueblackswantavern.com @blackswantavern1972Since 1972, a fixture on Toronto’s blues since,including several open mics each weekBSMT 254254 Lansdowne Ave. 416-801-6325bsmt254.com @bsmt254torontoA cozy music venue with an undergroundvibe, BSMT 254 has a wide variety of shows,from jazz to hip-hop to DJ nights.Bluebird Bar, The2072 Dundas St. W. 416-535-0777bluebirdbarto.com @thebluebirdtoA friendly spot for drinks and local beers, featuringlive music every Thursday includingMAINLY CLUBSbeverage spend. Restricted to ages 19+. Dinnerreservations open at 6pm. Show at 8pm.● 8:00: Orchestra Toronto. ObsessionsUnraveled. Rota: Divertimento Concertantefor Double-Bass and Orchestra; Berlioz: Symphoniefantastique Op.14. Joel Quarrington,double-bass; Michael Newnham, conductor.Meridian Arts Centre - George WestonRecital Hall, 5040 Yonge St. 416-366-7723or 1-800-708-6754 or boxoffice@tolive.com.From . Pre-concert chat at 7:15pm.● 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra.Mozart’s Jupiter. See Jun 4(8pm). AlsoJun 8(3pm, George Weston Recital Hall,Meridian Arts Centre).CONCERT SERIESJACQUES FORESTIER GUITARWITH JEANIE CHUNG PIANOANDSOLIDARIDAD TANGOENSEMBLEJUNE 7 | 4:00 PMAPERTURE ROOMMusic-Toronto.comjazz, folk, blues and country.Burdock1184 Bloor St. W. 416-546-4033burdockto.com @burdockbreweryA sleek music hall with exceptional soundand ambience, featuring a draft list of housemadebrews.Cameron House, The408 Queen St. W. 416-703-0811thecameron.com @the.cameronhouseAn intimate, bohemian bar with ceilingmurals & nightly performances from localroots acts on 2 stages.Castro’s Lounge2116 Queen St. E. 416-699-8272castroslounge.com @castrosloungeFeaturing an ever-changing selection of specialtybeers, Castro’s hosts a variety of locallive music acts, including bluegrass, jazz,rockabilly, and alt-country.C’est What67 Front St. E. 416-867-9499cestwhat.com @cestwhattoA haven for those who appreciate real caskale, draught beer from local Ontario breweries,and live music.46 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

MAINLY CLUBS, MOSTLY JAZZSwingin’ at Steadfast, continued from page 31Why early jazz? I asked.“Years ago I was living in Montreal and playing a lot of avant gardemusic, a lot of free jazz,” McCarthy said. “The scene there was verysegregated: the swing scene was mainly Francophone, and avant gardewas very Anglophone. Since I didn’t speak a ton of French I sort of bynecessity went where I could make moves.I was soon really into Steve Lacy, Cecil Taylor, Roswell Rudd, BuellNeidlinger. It’s interesting because a lot of those guys who were associatedwith free jazz in the 1960s actually started out playing traditionaljazz. I think there is a real connection between the collectiveimprovisation of trad jazz and free music.I played in the Toronto All-Star Big Band in 2018 and that was thefirst time I ever played for swing dancers, and that was a revelation,that’s the stuff! So when I moved back to Toronto I wanted to playfor dancers again, and I wanted to play a lot. There are a lot of peopledoing really amazing creative music who don’t necessarily have theopportunity to play weekly or have two weekly gigs. So I decided thatin this stage of my development I just went all in on Early Jazz.”What made you pick up the bass saxophone?“I started thinking about the bass sax seriously in January of2024. I had been playing the soprano saxophone for about fouryears at that point, but I had been getting really into Adrian Rollinithrough studying the music of Bix Beiderbecke, and I sort of becameinfatuated…So I got together with my friend Conrad Gluch to give his horn a try.He said “don’t feel bad if you don’t make a sound right away, it’s a hardinstrument.” I picked it up and let out a big roaring low C and he said“that’s your instrument when you’re ready for it!” So I sold one of mysoprano saxophones and put a payment down on the bass and startedplaying it. The idea for the Tap Room Gang band was to pay tribute toAdrian Rollini and the music he played with Bix. So I sort of plannedthis before I even started playing the instrument – before I could evenafford to own it... The bass saxophone cost me 00 and then, thanksto a fall in October, another 00 to repair. It is a huge investmentSteadfast Brewing Co. on Lansdowne Ave.but it really felt like home to me.I grew up being a guitar player; my father and brother are bassplayers. I played string bass all through high school, then electric bassin a disco band. So to then spend ten years playing reed instrumentsand pick up a bass reed instrument and go back to that bass role thatwas so central to my early musical experience really felt like all thesedisparate parts of my musical personality all in once place…therearen’t a lot of bass saxophone players in Toronto, so I’ve had to make alot of my own work but it has been incredibly rewarding.”How is the Pay-What-You-Can Monday working out?“I feel like with the state of the economy, no one has as muchmoney as they’d like to have. We arranged a small fee with the bar andthe show is really supported by the people who come every week andcontribute. Some people put in , some people put in . We havehad one 0 bill which was crazy and made us feel like we made it!FAREEN KARIMMAINLY CLUBSCommunist’s Daughter, The1149 Dundas Street W.@thecommunistsdaughtertorontoBeloved intimate dive bar with live music onSaturday and Sunday afternoonsDrom Taberna458 Queen St. W. 647-748-2099dromtaberna.com @dromtabernaA heartfelt homage to the lands that stretchfrom the Baltic to the Balkans to the BlackSea, with a wide variety of music 7 nights aweek.Duke Live, The1225 Queen Street East. 416-466-2624theduketoronto.com @theduketoronto.com_An assuming destination with casual pub farewith live music including a big band series onSundays.Emmet Ray, The924 College St. 416-792-4497theemmetray.com @theemmetrayA whisky bar with a great food menu, an everchangingdraft list, and live jazz, funk, folk andmore in the back room; live music 7 nightsa week.Epochal Imp123 Danforth Avenueepochalimp.com @epochal_impSpecialty coffee house, bar, entertainment& booksFree Times Cafe, The320 College St. 416-967-1078freetimescafe.com @freetimescafeofficialHome of the world’s longest-running weeklyKlezmer series, every Sunday afternoon withbrunch.Function Bar + Kitchen2291 Yonge St. 416-440-4007functionbar.ca @functionbartoFriendly atmosphere with open mic Tuesdays& Sundays and mostly Soul and R&B on Fridaysand Saturdays.Grossman’s Tavern379 Spadina Ave. 416-977-7000grossmanstavern.com @grossmanstavernOne of the city’s longest-running live musicvenues, and Toronto’s self-described “Homeof the Blues.”Handlebar159 Augusta Ave. 647-748-7433thehandlebar.ca @handlebar_toAhip night spot with a variety ofentertainment including open mic Tuesdaysand a monthly jazz jam.Hirut Cafe and Restaurant2050 Danforth Ave. 416-551-7560hirutjazz.ca @hirutcafeA major destination for delicious and nutritiousEthiopian cuisine, with monthly jazzresidencies and jam sessions.Hugh’s Room Live296 Broadview Ave. 647-960-2593hughsroomlive.com @hughsroomliveA dedicated listening room with an intimateperforming space, great acoustics, andan attentive audience, Hugh’s Room recentlymade the move to their new permanent homeon Broadview Avenue.Jazz Bistro, The251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299jazzbistro.ca @jazzbistrotoIn an historic location, Jazz Bistro featuresgreat food, a stellar wine list, and world-classjazz musicians.Jazz Room, TheLocated in the Huether Hotel, 59 King St. N.,Waterloo. 226-476-1565kwjazzroom.com @thejazzroomA welcoming music venue dedicated to thebest in jazz music presentations, and home tothe Grand River Jazz Society, which presentsregular series throughout the year.Jean Darlene Piano Room, The1203 Dundas Street West.jeandarlene.ca @jeandarlenepianoroomAn intoxicating atmosphere, cool cocktailsand great talent including “singalong karaokeopen mic” on Thursday, Fridays andSaturdays.Linsmore Tavern, The1298 Danforth Ave. 416-466-5130linsmoretavern.com @linsmoretavernAn old-school tavern with rock, cover bandsand a weekly Sunday blues night.Local, The396 Roncesvalles Ave 416-535-6225@thelocaltorontoNeighbourhood bar with pub fare, local beersand live musicLula Lounge1585 Dundas St. W. 416-588-0307lula.ca @lulaloungeToronto’s mecca for salsa, jazz, afro-Cuban,and world music, with Latin dance classesand excellent food and drinks.Manhattans Pizza Bistro & Music Club951 Gordon St., Guelph 519-767-2440thewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 47