Genre: Jazz
A selection of our articles about jazz music in Canada.
Review: Chris Monson, “Seldom in the Well”
Chris Monson has astoundingly created a sultry, smoky and languid debut. Each instrument is masterfully played and captured in this timeless collection of jazz originals. In the first track, “Where the Leaf Has Been,” bandleader Monson takes a backseat, letting… Continue Reading →
Toronto Undergraduate Jazz Festival Preview Part 2: Interview With Festival President David M.J. Lee
Last week we featured conversations with Toronto Undergraduate Jazz Festival performers Bassline and Mike Downes; for this second part of our festival preview, we spoke with festival president David M.J. Lee about this year’s event (taking place 4-8 September in… Continue Reading →
Preview: Toronto Undergraduate Jazz Festival, 4-8 September
Next week, Toronto will come alive with a fabulous cacophony of jazz, as this year’s edition of the Toronto Undergraduate Jazz Festival gets underway. This is a unique opportunity for young musicians to shine, as 28 ensembles headed by young… Continue Reading →
Interview: Adrean Farrugia and Joel Frahm, “Blued Dharma”
You would think that after nearly two years of almost daily music blogging, new music would no longer be a cause for excitement in our house, but when projects like “Blued Dharma,” the recent duo project from pianist Adrean Farrugia… Continue Reading →
Interview: Amos Hoffman & Noam Lemish, “Pardes”
The breadth and depth of the Canadian music scene is an ongoing delight to me, and “Pardes,” the recent project from Amos Hoffman and Noam Lemish, is yet another example of the surprises to be discovered. The album, a collection… Continue Reading →
Gossip Talkin’ Blues, Episode 21: Amy Cervini, “No One Ever Tells You”
In this week’s episode of “Gossip Talkin’ Blues,” Team GDW talks with jazz vocalist Amy Cervini about her new album, “No One Ever Tells You.” (To learn more and buy the album, visit Amy’s website.) SOCAN license #5052874 Related posts:… Continue Reading →
Highlights from The Sound of Music Festival, Burlington, ON
Having enjoyed catching up with The Once during their Friday evening performance at the Sound Of Music Festival, Team GDW took delight in seeing plenty of artists over the course of the weekend. What we found particularly impressive about the… Continue Reading →
Exploring the Facets of Love: Interview, Deanne Matley, “Because I Loved”
The fifth album from Canadian jazz vocalist Deanne Matley, “Because I Loved,” is a tour de force, taking the listener on an emotional journey from despair to quiet contentment, with stops at red-hot passion and the excitement of new love… Continue Reading →
Exploring “My Heart Away” – A Conversation With Avery Raquel
With her new album of self-penned compositions, jazz/soul singer Avery Raquel takes a major step forward in her progression as a musician. Embracing a soulful sound, she presents a concept album focused on the life cycle of a relationship from… Continue Reading →
Recreating History: Detroit Bop Quintet, “Two Birds”
In 1947, saxophonist Charlie Parker gathered a group of talented musicians (including a young Miles Davis) for a recording session in Detroit’s historic United Sound Systems’ recording studio. Nearly sixty-seven years later, a group of Detroit musicians (and a Canadian… Continue Reading →
Partaking in the “Bitches Brew”
A couple of weeks ago, we were privileged to post an interview with jazz musicians Aline Homzy and Emma Smith about their April 28 event at the Canadian Music Centre in Toronto, “Bitches Brew.” We had already planned to travel… Continue Reading →
Interview: Apollo Suns Talk About Their Upcoming Tour
The Winnipeg-based instrumental group Apollo Suns have just announced tours of eastern Canada in May and June, and western Canada in July. They’ll get this tour off to a great start with an appearance during Canadian Music Week in Toronto… Continue Reading →
#InternationalJazzDay: Build a List of Canadian Jazz Albums
In celebration of #InternationalJazzDay, we’re crowdsourcing a list of Canadian jazz albums; we’ve added a few but we’re counting on you, dear readers, to help us fill it up. So, pull out those great Canadian jazz records (yes, Canadians as… Continue Reading →
“Something New” – Interview With Michael Kaeshammer
Michael Kaeshammer’s latest album, “Something New,” strongly evokes the best feelings of New Orleans (if you’ve ever been there, you’ll perhaps know what I mean) – no surprise since his work is heavily influenced by that city’s musical scene. Featuring… Continue Reading →
Women in Jazz: Aline Homzy and Emma Smith in Conversation About “Bitches Brew”
Toronto-based jazz violinist Aline Homzy is curating a concert on Saturday night (28 April) at the Canadian Music Centre. Why, you may ask, is this noteworthy? This performance, titled “The Smith Sessions Presents: Bitches Brew,” will feature four female-led groups… Continue Reading →
Cool Splendor: “Sky Glow,” The Chris Platt Trio
I’ve been living with this album for a while, letting it seep into my senses – some albums just need that space to breathe in one’s heart and mind, to get truly well acquainted. “Sky Glow,” the recent release from… Continue Reading →
Interview: Exploring the “Lost Villages” With Robert Diack
With his new album “Lost Villages,” jazz drummer Robert Diack is exploring not only the geography of Ontario’s nine “Lost” villages (submerged as part of construction on the St. Lawrence Seaway), but also a new musical topography. Each of the… Continue Reading →
#TuesdayTunesDay: New Song Roundup, 20 March 2018
A fresh crop of newly released songs for your listening pleasure – enjoy! Dennis Ellsworth, “Caught in the Waves” Dennis Ellsworth has released “Caught In The Waves,” the first single from his upcoming fifth solo album “Things Change,” out April… Continue Reading →
Sparking the Imagination: Living Fossil, “NEVER DIE!”
If there’s one thing I’m learning about jazz as I dig more deeply into Canada’s jazz scene, it’s that the music can not only soothe or excite, but also inspire leaps of imagination. “NEVER DIE!,” the new project from Gordon… Continue Reading →
Exploring “This City” With The Heavyweights Brass Band
Being a music blogger presents unique challenges; one particularly painful thrill is hearing new music before it’s released and being so anxious to share it, but having to wait. With The Heavyweights Brass Band’s new album “This City,” which finally… Continue Reading →
#TuesdayTunesDay: New Song Roundup
We have another pile of terrific new songs to share that have recently arrived here at GDW HQ, so if you need a pick-me-up today, dive into this collection of awesome new music. The Long War, “Breathe In Breathe Out”… Continue Reading →
Finding Space in the Noir: Chris Wallace’s Many Names, “Somewhere Sacred”
Since I’m still somewhat of a jazz neophyte (at least from the standpoint of listening it with a semi-critical ear), I can’t claim an authoritative voice as a tastemaker. As a music lover, though, I can certainly attempt to articulate… Continue Reading →
The JUNOS: Four Jazz Nominees Reflect and Respond
Last week saw the announcement of the 2018 JUNO nominations – and a terrific slate of musicians it is, too. There are a number of artists with whom Team GDW is familiar, for whom we’re absolutely thrilled, and we’re also… Continue Reading →
Exploring New Territory: An Interview With Laila Biali
It’s a telling point that Laila Biali has chosen this, her seventh album, as the one to carry her name as the title. This collection of thoughtful and heartfelt songs is, she says, ‘fully representative’ of who she is as… Continue Reading →
Interview: Harley Card, “The Greatest Invention”
The more I listen to jazz, the more deeply appreciative I become both of jazz musicians’ monster skills and of their ability to fuse seamlessly into a group that seems to live and breathe as one, to the point that… Continue Reading →
Interview: Justin Gray & Synthesis, “New Horizons”
One of the advantages of having eclectic musical tastes is that it keeps me open to new artists and projects that I might not otherwise try. “New Horizons,” the new project from Toronto-based bassist and composer Justin Gray with his… Continue Reading →
Interview: Dave Liebman/Mike Murley Quartet, “Live at U of T”
The pairing of saxophonists Dave Liebman and Mike Murley could reasonably be considered a supergroup – both are masters of their instruments, and their respective CVs read like a Who’s Who in contemporary and jazz music. They’ve been playing together… Continue Reading →
Coming Soon to Your Player: Looking Forward to Upcoming Releases
Now that we’re thoroughly into 2018, it’s time to look forward instead of backward. We already know of a number of great albums coming in the next few months… here are a few that we’re especially eager to hear. 26… Continue Reading →
2017 Year-End Roundup: Favorite Jazz and Blues Albums
As our regular readers know, we most frequently focus on Canadian roots and folk music. But we are eclectic listeners here, and we’ve started expanding our spotlight to include other genres. Canada, after all, has a vibrant and diverse music… Continue Reading →
Interview: Alex Pangman, “Alex Pangman’s Hot Three”
Although I am of a certain age to recall fondly my record player with tinny speakers and my spindle of 45’s (borrowed, I admit, from my older sister), I sadly came to my love of music after the era of… Continue Reading →
Interview: Flypaper Orchestra, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”
Many of us with parents who grew up in the Great Depression undoubtedly heard stories about its miseries, and perhaps also heard some of the songs that came out of that era. However, many of these songs have lain dormant… Continue Reading →
Snappy Snippets, Holiday Style: O’Pears, Bros, Tomato Tomato, Emilie-Claire Barlow
For many people, the Christmas holidays are a time to pull out scads of holiday albums and crank up those old, familiar Christmas songs on the player. For others of us, it’s a time to avoid stores and malls precisely… Continue Reading →
Celebrate the Holidays With the Halifax Jazz Festival and Support Music Education
The Halifax Jazz Festival is expanding its annual holiday fundraiser this season, adding a new show, “Swing Into The Holidays,” for the evening entertainment, along with perennial family favorite, “Tales of a Charlie Brown Christmas,” featuring Jerry Granelli, for the matinee show. Both shows are all ages and part of the Jazz Festival’s… Continue Reading →
Interview: The Lesters, “The Promise”
Tory Cassis, Murray Foster, and Jeff Ulster have each enjoyed significant careers, but (as for other musicians) there were still some musical avenues awaiting exploration. As The Lesters, they have been walking one of those avenues (mixing folk, jazz, and… Continue Reading →
Interview: Diana Panton, “solstice/equinox”
Today, two-time Juno winner Diana Panton celebrates the release of her new album, “solstice/equinox,” a celebration of the four seasons in song. Together with several longtime collaborators, including Don Thompson and Reg Schwager, Diana has crafted an absolutely gorgeous collection of… Continue Reading →
Starting a New Adventure: Kensington Market Jazz Festival, Toronto
Wanting to enjoy yet another later summer weekend in southern Ontario, we had the good fortune of spending some quality time on Saturday afternoon/evening in the heart of Kensington Market to experience our first true taste of the Toronto jazz… Continue Reading →