Volume 6 Issue 2 - October 2000

sioned for them by

sioned for them by MusicCanada 2000, called Partita 2000: Aretro-Music for Clarinet, Cello, Piano and Harp by Lothar Klein, on October 27. The piece, Klein says, "is based on 20th Century dance music" - the waltz, charleston, boogie-woogie, etc., and ends with a chorale by J.S. Bach. If Klein's earlier work is anything to go by, expect a contemporary view of the musical past, infused with energy and,imagination, and at the same time highly accessible. 4. Jazz Notes by Jim Galloway Jazz is America's gift to the world of music. (So is the banjo, but I won't dwell on that.) The music that saw its beginnings in the United States - and owes its beginnings, in part, to the almost dis United States- has become an international password. Musical cultures which, at first glance, would seem to be far removed from the concept of jazz, have embraced it, bringing to it elements of their own heritage. In the early days of jazz, there CoNCERT NoTES •!• CHORAL ScENE, continued •!• HEAR AND Now were logical reasons for outside influences - the Caribbean tinges in the music of Jelly Roll Morton, for example. Over the years musicians from many nationalities added to the musical patchwork - Django Reinhardt with his gypsy heritage and Puerto Rican Juan Tizol, who graced the Ellington Orchestra and gave us 'Caravan', one of the great jazz standards, are two names that come easily to mind. All of which is a somewhat circuitous way of leading us to Sadao Watanabe. Watanabe is a Japanese saxophonist and no newcomer on the scene. His father was a professional music teacher and Watanabe took up the clarinet to play in the school band before moving on to the alto saxophone. His first important breakthrough was when he joined the quartet of Toshiko Akiyoshi. He later studied at the Berklee College Of Music in the early 6os and worked with such musicians as Gabor Szabo, Chico Hamilton and Gary McFarland. Returning to Tokyo in 1965, he became director of the Yamaha Institute for Popular Music which was modeled on the Berklee College. He has led his own band since. He hasrecorded more than 6o albums both with his own bands and with other musicians, and, getting to the point, he's making a return visit to Toronto this month, performing October 8 in concert at the Winter Garden Theatre. It's a eo-production of the Japan Foundation and Toronto Downtown Jazz Society. Another major event this month is the appearance of Rosemary Clooney at Roy Thomson Hall. Rosemary Clooney began her career in 1945 singing duets with her sister Betty for WLW Radio in Cincinnati, followed by appearances with local bands. This brought them to the attention of bandleader Tony Pastor who was passing through Ohio. In 1947, they joined the Pastor band as the Clooney Sisters. Rosemary struck out on her own and headed for New York. The big band era was coming to a close and the "girl singers," such as Doris Day, Kay Starr and Peggy Lee were just beginning to emerge as recording stars. With the passing years she is a singer who has mellowed and matured and with t t t Member profiles, 2000,continuedfrompage 14 (Kammermusik Toronto, continued) Other performances include: An Advent Hymn Festival, Sat., Dec. 2 A Traditional Christmas, Friday, Dec.15 With a Little Jazz, March 2001 This enthusiastic group of singers and players rehearses and performs at St. Basil's Catholic Church at 50 St. Joseph Street, at the corner of Bay. KIWANIS MUSIC fESTIVAL OF GREATER TORONTO Artistic Director: Dr. Giles Bryant General Manager: Pam Alien Address: 3315 Yonge Street, 2"' Floor, Toronto, ON M4N 2l9 Phone: (416) 487-5885 Fax: (416) 487-5784 E-mail: kiwanismusicfest.toronto@sympatico.ca dedicated Board of Directors, Artistic Director Giles Bryant and an energetic small office staff. The Showcase of Stars gala concert takes place at the Toronto Centre for the Arts, Wednesday, March 7'", 2001. Syllabi and entry forms are now available at music stores in the Greater Toronto area and from the website. Programmes will be available in January. 16, 2000. For information or syllabi locations, call the Festival Office at 487- 5885. Deadline for entries is October 16, 2000. For information or syllabi, locations, call the Festival Office at (416) 487-5885. LES AMIS Artistic Director: Michael Pepa Manager: Vladimir Vlasak www3.sympatico.ca/kiwanismusicfest.toronto Phone: (905) 773-7712 The 58'" Annual Kiwanis Music Festival of Greater Toronto takes place February10-24, 2001. This festival, which will include over 30,000 participants of all ages, serves as a stepping stone for entry into the Provincial and National Competitions. This non-profit charitable organization offers scholarships and trophies through the support of thirteen Kiwanis Clubs, Public and Corporation donations and a grant from the Toronto Arts Council. Its success depends on the efforts of approximately 400 volunteers, a Les AMIS' 2000/01 five concert series begins on October 13th and finishes on March 2, 2001. Concerts will be held at three locations: Bloor Street United, Heliconian Hall and Willowdale United Church. Significantly, Canadian Sinfonietta, ensemble of 12 string players, will be featured with cellist Vladimir Orloff and clarinetist Julian Milkis. Orloff will perform Michael Pepa's cello concerto while Milkis will premiere special arrangements by Alexander Levkovich of Schnittke's Suite in Old Style and Taneyev'sArabesque. Toronto Wood winds and pianists Ishmael Wallace and Sarah Frost will complete the season. Canadian composers Ann Southam, Philip McConnell, An Lung Hwang and Violet Archer will be programmed. Chinese composer Lin Hua and Yugoslav composer Rajko Maksimovic will be featured. Flutist Amy Lin will premiere Maksimovic's piece for flute and strings under the direction of Tak-Ng Lai. MUSIC AT METROPOLITAN Metropolitan United Church 56 Queen St. East (at Church) (416) 363-0331. Music at Metropolitan's 2000-2001 season includes Pipes Spectacular, Toronto's entry in the "World's Largest Organ Concert" on Sunday, Oct. 15 at 3 p.m. December's Rose on November 26 at2 p.m. features Celtic harp and storytelling; January Jollies on January 27 is the annual choir variety show; the Good Friday concert on April13 features the Metropolitan Festival Choir, orchestra and soloists in Bach's Mass in B minor; The Lost Chord on May 5 features singers in Victorian and Edwardian favourites; and Mayhem on May 27 features the Metropolitan Choir in favourite anthems. The Service of Lessons and Carols is Sunday, December 17 at 7 p. m. and Carols United, a carol sing, is Sunday, December 10 at 7 p.m. Please call Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St. (416) 363-0331 MusicTORONTO General Manager: Jennifer Taylor Suite 91 0, 8 King Street East, Toronto, M5C 1 85 Tel: (416) 214·1660 Fax: (416) 214-1663 Website: www.music-toronto.com It's MusicTORONTO's 29m season of chamber music at the St. Lawrence Centre, downtown. We have the city's most knowledgeable and attentive audience. Our renowned international quartet series opens this year with the Emerson, and features six winning quartets from past Banff competitions and includes, as always, the Tokyo Quartet. For piano recitals, Cyprien Katsaris, Michel Dalberto, David Owen Norris, and Angela Cheng are back; Arthur Ozolins celebrates his 40'" season; Markus Groh makes his debut. The Gryphon Trio and the Toronto String Quartet have their own series as our Ensembles-in Residence. The Discovery series, tickets just , features the Modern Quartet, award-winning duo pianists Duo Turgeon, and the sensational Canadian countertenor Daniel Taylor. We have innovative (and cheap) prices for younger people: students any age ; accompanying adult half price (that's .50 or .50); between 18 & 35, pay your age (that's 20-42% oft) Box Office (416) 366-7723. 16 Whole note OCTOBER 1, 2000 - NOVEMBER 7, 2000