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Friday,
September 19, 2008:
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| Guitarist and radio host Danny
Marks was
awarded the "Blues
With A Feeling" Lifetime Achievement award by the
Toronto Blues Society. |
Danny Marks' All-Star Blues Revue
Danny
Marks’ career stretches back to the late 60s, when
he was hired as guitarist for the chart-topping band Edward
Bear. Over the past 40 years he has toured and recorded
with Stephen Stills, Ronnie Hawkins, Rita Coolidge, Bo
Diddley, and many other artists.
For
the last 20 years Marks has been equally well known for
his radio work, on CBC’s Basic Black and as host
of the TV show Stormy Monday and radio show Bluz.FM.
His
wide-ranging talent, and his many connections in the Canadian
music industry, contribute to the success of the Danny
Marks' All-Star Blues Revue. |
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Saturday,
September 20, 2008:
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CaneFire
CaneFire
is a high-energy Caribbean music experience that features the
steelpan (steel drum) in a way you’ve never heard it
before.
The
original compositions of pianist and bandleader Jeremy Ledbetter
form the basis of CaneFire’s repertoire,
combining Trinidadian calypso with Latin rhythms, jazz, and
blues to create a unique, exciting sound. At the heart of this
sound is its unconventional use of the steelpan, played by
Mark Mosca, who is quickly establishing himself as one of the
world’s most skillful and creative pannists.
The
Toronto-based group also includes Cuban powerhouse Alexis Baró on
trumpet; Braxton Hicks on the tenor sax; Yoser Rodriguez on
bass; and the explosive duo of Chendy León on drums
and Alberto Suárez on congas. The world-class musicianship
and raw energy of their performances captivates audiences. |
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Darren
Johnston Quintet with David Braid
Composer
and trumpeter Darren Johnston has performed, and/or recorded
with such innovative musicians and composers as guitarist Fred
Frith, clarinetist Don Byron, pianist David Braid, bassist
Herbie Lewis, the ROVA Saxophone Quartet, clarinetist Ben Goldberg,
and others. He
was recently listed last June by Downbeat Magazine as one of “25
Trumpeters of the Future.”
The Darren Johnston Quintet is
an all original chamber-jazz group consisting of Ben Goldberg
on clarinet, Sheldon Brown on tenor sax and bass clarinet, Devin
Hoff on bass, and Smith Dobson on drums.
The quintet is joined for this concert by pianist David
Braid, a Juno Award winner and National Jazz Award recipient. He
has written over sixty works and unveiled his first orchestral
piece with the Winnipeg Symphony in 2005, which blended jazz form,
symphonic composition and improvisation. His projects include The
David Braid Sextet, Nimmons'n'Braid, Brubeck Braid and Davidson/Murley/Braid
Quintet (DMBQ). He is also a regular member of 12 other jazz ensembles. |
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Laila
Biali Trio with Guido Basso
Since
climbing up onto the piano bench at the tender age of three-and-a-half
years, Laila Biali has cultivated a life-long love for the
instrument. She has also always loved to sing. It was in later
years that the composer in Laila emerged, and in 2005 she was
named “SOCAN
Composer of the Year” and “Keyboardist
of the Year” at the Canadian National Jazz Awards.
One
of Laila’s
most prominent qualities is her musical diversity. She can
seamlessly move between all styles of music, displaying a keen
jazz sensibility, the sensitivity and technical command required
by classical music, and the strong rhythm and groove needed
to play more pop and funk-oriented material. Her own compositions
typically cross several different genres.
She
has performed her own music at Carnegie Hall’s Weill
Recital Hall in New York City and at festivals across Canada,
the United States, Europe, Brazil and Peru, and she has toured
with several Grammy Award winning artists, including Chris Botti,
Paula Cole, and Suzanne Vega.
Laila’s first independent recording, INTRODUCING THE LAILA
BIALI TRIO (January 2005) was followed by the September 2006
release of LAILA LIVE, the live version of her earlier studio
recording. Laila’s latest project for CBC Records, FROM
SEA TO SKY, which showcases an all-star cast of players including
Don Thompson, Guido Basso, Phil Dwyer, Rob Piltch, George Koller,
and Larnell Lewis, was released in June 2007 to rave reviews.
Truly an "all-canadian" effort, From Sea to Sky features songs
by Sarah McLachlan, Ron Sexsmith, Jane Siberry, Joni Mitchell,
Ruth Lowe, Bruce Cockburn, Feist, and Leonard Cohen, as well
as one of Laila's one tunes.
Flugelhornist Guido Basso has been touring with the world's
best ensembles for more than 50 years, working with artists including
Pearl Bailey, Dizzy Gillespie and Bennie Goodman. He has shared
the stage with many other Canadian greats including Rob McConnell,
Phil Nimmons, the Boss Brass, and Peter Appleyard. He was credited
with the theory that one attacks the trumpet and makes love to
a flugelhorn. Basso was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1994. |
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AlexCuba
AlexCuba
is a Cuban-born multi-instrumentalist who makes his home in Canada.
Although he won a National Song Writing Competition in Cuba when
he was only 18, he did not recognize his singer/songwriter path
until he moved to Canada, after years playing bass in traditional
Cuban groups.
Following his
own path appears to be paying off, with his debut CD with the
Alex Cuba Band, Humo De Tabaco, earning him a Juno award for
World Music Album in 2006.
His second
album, Agua Del Pozo, was released in 2007. New for AlexCuba
is the electric guitar – a vintage Gibson that brings a trademark
sound equal to his magnetic appearance. Agua Del Pozo highlights
his Cuban roots but also reflects elements of funk, early rock,
and the jazz he has mastered. |
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TD
CanadaTrust Young Jazz Showcase
Members to be announced |
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Ted's
Warren Commission
Ted
Warren is
an active member of Canada’s jazz scene and has been recognized
with Jazz Report’s Drummer of the Year
award. He teaches at Humber and Mohawk College. Ted was the drummer
for the Boss Brass and can be heard on six of their recent CDs.
Ted's
Warren Commission includes Mike Malone, trumpet,
Ted Quinlan, guitar, and Mike Downes, bass. In
the spring of 2008, the band released
their second CD, Songs For Doug (Doctor’s
Orders), featuring the late great pianist/organist Doug Riley on
four tracks. The remaining
compositions, far from being a somber affair, reflect Ted’s Warren Commission’s
growth as a band as they explore new forms and time signatures while keeping
their sense of humour. |
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Emilie-Claire
Barlow
WINNER
- FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR - National Jazz Awards 2008
Emilie-Claire
Barlow's energetic live performances and exquisite recordings
thrill sold-out audiences from Tokyo to Montreal. Emilie-Claire
leads her stellar band through innovative arrangements of American-songbook
treasures, rhythmic bossa novas and elegant ballads. Emilie-Claire
continues to endear herself to critics, peers and audiences everywhere
with her relaxed, polished demeanour, her charming humour, and
a voice of unforgettable beauty.
Emilie-Claire
Barlow is truly an independent artist. Her most recent album,
The Very Thought Of You is the 6th release under her own label,
Empress Music Group Inc. Emilie-Claire follows the "do-it-yourself" model
in every area of her career. Not only is she self managed, but she
also writes all the charts, and produces her own albums. "The
Very Thought Of You" spent several months in the Top 10 Jazz
albums on Canada's Soundscan Jazz Charts, and enjoyed several weeks
as the #1 Jazz Album on iTunes Canada.
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Sunday,
September 21, 2008:
TD
CanadaTrust Young Jazz Showcase
Members
to be announced
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Michael
Occhipinti's Sicilian Jazz Project
The
Sicilian Jazz Project has been dazzling audiences since its
debut at the 2004 Distillery Jazz Festival in Toronto.
Put
together by 2008 JUNO Award nominee Michael Occhipinti, the
ensemble features some of Canada’s finest musicians,
including Roberto Occhipinti on bass, Ernie Tollar on flute/saxophones,
Dominic Mancuso on vocals and guitar, Kevin Turcotte on trumpet,
Louis Simao on accordion, Barry Romberg on drums, and Michael
Occhipinti on acoustic and electric guitars.
In
1954 ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax toured Sicily, recording
traditional folk music performed by diverse individuals including
sulfur miners, tuna fishermen, a donkey cart driver, and assorted
peasants and folk entertainers. Many of these raw field recordings
form the basis of The Sicilian Jazz Project’s repertoire,
along with traditional dances and ballads gleaned from Michael
and Roberto’s cousins in Sicily. As the band’s
arranger, Michael Occhipinti has reinvented the music in imaginative
ways that nevertheless capture the original emotions behind
the song. The result is a passionate instrumental and vocal
repertoire that makes reference to many genres and resonates
with listeners.
The
talented individuals who make up the group have experience
in jazz, classical, Arabic, Cuban, Brazilian, and Italian popular
music. Michael uses the eclecticism of the ensemble as a great
asset and freely blends Sicilian music with global rhythms
and a variety of modern approaches to the music. Michael also
incorporates his own unabashed love of electric guitar sounds. |
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Russ
Little Quartet
Born in Toronto, Canada, trombonist Russ Little was raised on
the island of Jamaica for the first few years of his life before
moving back to Canada to attend Malvern Collegiate Institute.
It was during his time at Malvern Collegiate that he was taught
trombone (and inspired by) the legendary teacher-trombonist George
M. McRae.
By
1968 he was touring with the Woody Herman Orchestra as lead
trombone and featured soloist and later, with the Count Basie
Orchestra, he filled a similar role. While touring with these
famed jazz orchestras, he found time to become an original
member of Canada's famed Rock Orchestra, "Lighthouse", a band
with which he continues to perform. For fans of classic rock, "Lighthouse" hits
include such monsters as "Sunny Days", "One Fine
Morning", and "Hats Off To the Stranger".
Through
the early '70's, Russ Little performed in the world famous "Boss Brass", while pursuing a very successful
career as conductor/composer/arranger for the CBC, CTV and Global
television networks in Canada. A consistently busy session-musician
throughout his career, Russ decided that after a lifetime spent
performing on other people's CDs, it was time to create his own.
His widely acclaimed solo cd 'Snapshot' has been followed by
the equally praised "Footwork" and "On the Shoulders
of Giants".
Russ
Little is winner of the National Jazz Awards "Best
Trombonist of 2007" |
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Mike
Janzen Trio
Mike Janzen's musical journey includes forays into the worlds
of rock, funk, folk and jazz, with collaborations including an
array of esteemed artists such as Mark Kelso, Davide Direnzo,
Andrew Downing, and Pat Collins. For the past fourteen years,
Mike has elected to make playing and improvising jazz a personal
and professional priority.
On
his premier CD "Beginnings", Janzen's piano trio
project draws on a combination of original tunes, well-loved
songs from Mike's past, and jazz standards. Part high-wire improvisation,
part solid groove, part inspired lullaby, "Beginnings" sparkles
throughout with musical passion and wit.
In
the words of two-time JUNO award winner Steve Bell, for whom
Mike has been arranging full orchestral scores for WSO performances
and tours, "Mike's extraordinary improvisational intuition
and skill sets songs ablaze with virtuosity."
The Mike Janzen Trio is comprised of Mike Janzen, bassist George
Koller (Holly Cole), and drummer Ben Riley (Bruce Cockburn). |
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Blue Martini Jazz
Blue
Martini Jazz is a collaboration between torchy singer Jeanine
Mackie and straight-out-of-the-bebop-era saxophonist Pat Perez.
Mackie has created a balladeer chanteuse image and sound. As
a vocalist, Mackie reminds her audience, in this fast and frantic
age, of the power of intimacy. Saxophonist Pat Perez does more
than collaborate with Mackie. He responds in rich, joyful tone,
bringing multiple dimensions to the interpretation.
For
Blue Martini Jazz' debut CD "The Night We Called It
A Day", Mackie and Perez also draw on the talents of pianist
Mark Eisenman, bass player Neil Swainson and drummer Terry Clarke. |
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Nimmons
'N' Nine … Now
Phil
Nimmons, the "Dean of Canadian Jazz," formed
his first professional group in 1953 as a rehearsal band to play
his own innovative compositions and arrangements. Later dubbed "Nimmons
'N' Nine," the group consisted of Toronto's finest musicians
and went on to record numerous albums and performed on countless
CBC radio and television broadcasts.
Directed
by guitarist Mike Cadó, "Nimmons
'N' Nine...Now!" is comprised by some of Toronto’s
most distinguished musicians including John MacMurchy on clarinet,
Andy Ballantyne on alto saxophone, Quinsin Nachoff on tenor saxophone,
David Mott on baritone saxophone, William Sperandei on trumpet,
William Carn on trombone, Tom Szczesniak on accordion, Andrew
Downing on bass, and Anthony Michelli on drums. Equipped with
the original arrangements, the dynamic group will interpret these
historic compositions and also perform new compositions by various
group members.
This
group is a who’s who of great Canadian jazz musicians.
Each brings his own distinct set of accomplishments as composers,
arrangers, band leaders, and musicians. There is not a more impressive
tribute band touring today. |
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Please
note: programme is subject to change.
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