End of summer offers jazz bounty

Jazz fans in the Toronto region shouldn’t despair because the big local jazz festivals are over. There’s still plenty of music within easy reach, especially if you enjoy a little drive or train ride.

The main festival that has caught my eye is the Detroit Jazz Festival on the Labour Day weekend. Although it’s only three-and-a-half days long, the festival packs a huge and varied amount of music and events into that time, with performances on five stages in a relatively compact area.

Hugh Masekela

Hugh Masekela at Koerner Hall in Toronto

The reigning king of African jazz-funk, Hugh Masekela, held court at Koerner Hall in Toronto on Saturday night. It was a subdued start to the evening as the trumpeter and his five-piece backing band opened with a series of breezy, mid-tempo grooves. It wasn’t until after the fourth tune that the band started to break a sweat and Masekela chose to speak to the audience. But I guess when you’re 71 you’re entitled to take a while to warm up.

When he did speak to the crowd he joked with us, chided us for being too quiet, told stories from his childhood and preached about gratitude. His singing–which he did a surprising amount of–was raw, full-throated and gravelly, in sharp contrast to his flugelhorn playing which was very controlled; soft and sweet one minute, clear and commanding the next.

Masekela is best known for his huge hit from the late 60s, “Groovin’ in the Grass,” and since then hasn’t had a lot of North American radio play for his solo work, but has guested and toured with headliners such as Paul Simon. But he has been steadily working in South Africa, collaborating with and mentoring musicians there, protesting the political situation through music and regularly releasing records.

Once the band got going there was no stopping them as they played for over two and half hours, eventually getting the whole audience on its feet clapping, singing and celebrating along. The guitarist Cameron Ward got most of the spotlight when Masekela took a breather, as he alternated between iconic African sounds and wailing, distorted solos on his Stratocaster. Every band member got a little solo time to showcase their style, but the band’s strength was as a unit as they laid down solid, funky grooves enabling Masekela to stretch out and take us again and again on vocal, spoken word and instrumental adventures.

New documentary gives glimpse into Toronto musical history

Back in the late ’60s and early ’70s, when the Yorkville neighbourhood of Toronto was filled with hippies and cafes and the notion of world music was just a gleam in Steve Winwood’s eye, guitarist David Phillips was quietly building a musical subculture that flourishes to this day in Toronto. Along with his wife, dancer Paula Moreno, and with the support of venues like Joso’s and Embrujo Flamenco, Phillips brought flamenco to Toronto.

Flamenco was born in the south of Spain from a mix of cultures, but it is most strongly associated with the gypsies, and many maintain that only gypsies can properly interpret flamenco. “El Payo” which means the non-gypsy, is the title of an excellent new documentary film about the life of David Phillips.

Born in Northern Ontario, Phillips fell in love first with the nylon string guitar, then with flamenco after he was introduced to it by his teacher and great classical guitarist, Eli Kassner. Like many non-gypsies who become obsessed with flamenco, Phillips travelled to Spain to study, then brought his knowledge and passion for the art form back to Toronto where he cultivated the next generation of guitarists and dancers, many of whom are featured in the film.

The director and writer of the film, Max Montalvo, is a first time filmmaker – as well as an emergency room physician and guitarist – and he’s done a marvelous job of tracing the history of the art form in Toronto, gathering archival concert footage and interviewing Phillips’ family, former students and fellow guitarists like Eli and Anne Kassner and Liona Boyd, and sensitively telling Phillips ultimately tragic story.

The gala premiere of “El Payo” is on Friday, May 28 at the Royal Theatre and anyone who has an interest in flamenco, or in experiencing a little slice of Toronto musical history, should see this film.

View the trailer for the film here.

Check out more of my articles on examiner.com here and here.

CaneFire promises to light up your night

The incendiary Caribbean jazz band, CaneFire is celebrating the release of their second album, “Pandemonium,” on Wednesday, May 19 in Toronto.

If their take on the bebop classic Donna Lee is any indication, intimate Glenn Gould Studio may never be the same after this evening of hard-driving Afro-Caribbean-Latin jazz. The group, led by Toronto pianist and composer Jeremy Ledbetter, showcases virtuoso steelpan playing, courtesy of Mark Mosca, and the hottest trumpet playing north of the 49th parallel from ex-pat Cuban Alexis Baró.

“We’ll be bringing the heat of the Caribbean to Glenn Gould Studio,” promised Jeremy Ledbetter. “The audience will get one of the most exciting, high-energy jazz shows they’ve ever seen – Calypso, Cuban music and jazz all stirred up in a big pot and served with lots of pepper sauce.”

All tickets are $20 and can be bought in advance or at the door. Show starts at 8 p.m. Bring your fire extinguisher.