Published on
May 29, 2008 in
Featured, Festivals, Live Music and New Release.
Tags: Beaches Jazz Fest, Calgary, Calgary Jazz Festival, Elizabeth Shepherd, Elora, Elora Festival, Gilles Peterson, Harbourfront Centre, Jazz, Jazz Cafe, Juno, Markham, Markham Jazz Festival, Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Jazz Festival, Toronto, Vancouver, Vancouver Jazz Festival, Victoria, Victoria Jazz Festival, Winnipeg, Winnipeg Jazz Festival Winnipeg.
The Making of Parkdale
In case you don’t remember this beautiful, talented lady as well as you should, here’s a refresher.
Elizabeth Shepherd pushes the boundaries of what is considered conventional jazz, all the while creating a sound completely her own. From London to Tokyo, Elizabeth has captivated audiences and critics on both sides of the pond. Her Juno nominated debut album Start To Move continues to receive critical acclaim, and was voted the Top 3 Jazz Albums of the Year by the listeners of the Gilles Peterson show on BBC Radio 1 UK in 2006. Continue reading ‘Update: Elizabeth Shepherd’s releases ‘Parkdale’’
Published on
May 27, 2008 in
Festivals and Live Music.
Tags: Calgary, Calgary Jazz Fest, Jazz, Jazz Wizards, Jeff Healey, Mountain View Music Festival, National Arts Centre, Oakville Jazz Fest, Ottawa, Polyjesters, Terra Hazelton, The Hogtown Syncopators, The Rex, Toronto.
Terra Hazelton has been singing her whole life, but never imagined herself as a singer. Originally from Calgary, she moved to Toronto to find fame and fortune on the stages there. Someone once gave her a guitar for a variety show and suggested that she write three songs for the sketch. Three chords later, that was the seed that led her on a career path she had never anticipated. Terra moved from performing silly songs in a cabaret setting to forming her own band, leaning towards being a rock chick extraordinaire. She began sitting in with the long-running Melody Ranch afternoon matinée at the Brunswick House in Toronto, where famed singer/guitarist Jeff Healey happened to hear her sing one Saturday. Healey was himself moving into new musical territory after opening a night club and following his love of traditional jazz with his own Saturday matinée band, the Jazz Wizards, with whom he played trumpet instead of guitar. When he decided he didn’t want to be the singer for the Jazz Wizards, he remembered the belt and wail of Terra Hazelton from some months prior.
Continue reading ‘Terra Hazelton in profile: She’s everyone’s baby’
Published on
May 26, 2008 in
Awards, Featured, Festivals and Live Music.
Tags: Clarendon, Folk, Healey's, hip-hop, House Concert, Jazz, Joni Mitchell, Layah Jane, Lethbridge, Moonshine Cafe, New Music West, Ontario Arts Council, Ontario Council of Folk Festivals Conference, Ontario Independent Music Award, Ottawa Folk Festival, Peterborough, Reggae, Samba, Soul, The Slice Bar and Grill, The Supermarket, Toronto City Roots Festival, Toronto Independent Music Awards, Toronto Indie Music Week, Trip-Hop.
Singer-songwriter Layah Jane is a hearty young musician with a mission. With soulful vocals and a poetic, articulate tongue, Layah’s sound recalls Joni Mitchell, Rickie Lee Jones and Ani Difranco, with a resonance all her own.
Continue reading ‘Layah Jane in profile: A resonance all her own’
Hot Toddy is a hot act from the east coast. Comprised of Thom Swift, acoustic guitar, dobro, vocals; Joel Leblanc, lead guitar, harmonica, vocals and Tom Easley acoustic bass and vocals, this award winning Fredericton based trio is truly one of a kind. Continue reading ‘Hot Toddy’
Published on
May 8, 2008 in
Awards and Live Music.
Tags: Benny Green, Blues, Canadian Urban Music Awards, David Clayton-Thomas, Denzal Sinclaire, Dione Taylor, Gospel, Jazz, Jazz.FM 91.1, Juno Awards, Ray Charles, Rhythm, Soul, The Brecker Brothers.
With her sparkling sophomore release, I Love Being Here With You, songstress Dione Taylor has emerged as a fully-formed and exciting young artist. While unmistakably a jazz album, I Love Being Here With You reflects Dione Taylor’s love and background in gospel, rhythm & blues and soul. Her rich and smoky voice has a truly soulful quality, one attractively complemented by her keenly trained musical ear. Continue reading ‘Dione Taylor’
Published on
May 8, 2008 in
Live Music.
Tags: Don Johnson, Earth Wind & Fire, Funk, George Taylor, Jazz, Jerry Doucette, Johnny Taylor, Kool and the Gang, Kris Craig, Lucky Peterson, Millie Jackson, R&B, Roy Gaines, Soul, Stepchyle, The Ohio Players, Wild Child Butler.
Stepchyle is a seven piece hard-hitting original Funk/Soul band that will get people out of their seats and on to the dance floor. The Stepchyle sound is fresh, featuring funk, soul and jazz fusion. Continue reading ‘Stepchyle’
Published on
April 10, 2008 in
DJ Music and Featured.
Tags: , Acid-Jazz, Beanfield, Bobby Matos, Bossanova, Brazilian, Carl Craig, Christian Prommer, Compost Records, Drum and Bass, Frederic Galliano, Gilles Peterson, Glucklich, House, Jazz, Krautrock, Kyoto Jazz Massive, Latin, LTJ Bukem, Minus 8, Mr.Gone, Patrick Forge, Peace Orchestra, Peter Kruder, Rainer Truby, Roland Appel, Root Down, Techno, The Amalgamation Of Soundz.
Rainer Trüby is a man who appreciates the finer things in life. And I’m not talking prima donna DJ behaviour here either. This is proved by the fact that despite being awarded ‘Best DJ’ in his native Germany, and named by Gilles Peterson as one of his favourite DJs, when I meet him he’s in Bristol to play a tiny and packed venue of 150 people. He’s also Compost Records‘ world travelling A+R man, one third of the Truby Trio (in cahoots with Fauna Flash), and curator of the wonderful ‘Glucklich’ compilations. Starting in 1994 Rainer’s ‘Glucklich’ series of compilations have become a must have for all those seeking links between the old and new of Brazilian influenced sounds, and the selections have moved with Rainer’s own taste. Continue reading ‘Rainer Trüby in profile: Not just about making obscure German music awesome anymore!’
The origin of Timekode is in the bytes that began travelling through samplers and drum machines in the early eighties. MIDI timecode is the data that keeps sample loops, filtered basslines and drum hits moving in unison – it’s the glue that holds together a culture based on pulling together bits of the past to make the sounds of the future. Continue reading ‘TIMEKODE’
Published on
April 5, 2008 in
Awards and Live Music.
Tags: Aimee Mann, Alexander Norris, Art of Jazz, Blues, Canadian Smooth Jazz Award, CBC, Christian McBride, Diana Krall, Elizabeth Shepherd, Elvis Costello, Etobicoke, George Colligan, Grammy, Jazz, Juno, Juno Award, Kahlil Kwame Bell, Kellylee Evans, Marvin Sewell, Michael Buble, Montreal International Jazz Festival, Old Mill, Ottawa, R&B, Rachelle Garniez, Ron Sexsmith, Soul, Steve Hass, Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, Toronto, Vancouver, What About Me, World Music.
2007 Juno and Gemini Award nominated singer-songwriter Kellylee Evans is a unique voice in the urban-jazz world, and many of today’s top musicians have taken notice. With a smooth style that slides through jazz, soul, R & B, blues and world music rhythms, Kellylee’s calming sound speaks volumes; Rich, soothing, robust and energizing, and with a songwriting talent being compared to Elvis Costello, Aimee Mann and Ron Sexsmith, this eclectic artist ignites inspiration. Continue reading ‘Kellylee Evans in profile: Fight or Flight?’
Published on
April 4, 2008 in
DJ Music and Live Music.
Tags: , Carl Craig, Cobblestone Jazz, Dan Curtin, Daniel Bell, Danuel Tate, Electro, Gilles Peterson, Jazz, Joe Clausell, Josh Wink, Laurent Garnier, Luciano, Mathew Jonson, Moodymann, Richie Hawtin, Sven Vath, Theo Parrish, Tyger Dhula.
A unique trio, Cobblestone Jazz uses early computers and analog instruments to create pared down sounds that retain the quality of improvisational jazz within the parameters of a minimal, dance-floor aesthetic. Through a real-time exchange of musical form, language, and ideas, Tyger Dhula, Mathew Jonson, and Danuel Tate provide a continual sense of surprise and discovery for their listeners.
The influence each member has on the group sound contributes to the international success Cobblestone Jazz continues to receive. Tyger Dhula’s history as a DJ and producer of electronic music provides the necessary stylistic foundations that form the backdrop for the group’s improvisations. His ability to break grooves up into their key elements holds the music firmly within electronic music traditions. Continue reading ‘Cobblestone Jazz in profile: A fresh perspective on musical genius’