BRIAN CHAHLEY QUARTET @ CHALKER'S PUB

On a cool fall Saturday evening, I decided to go to Chalkers to catch a good friend and trumpet player by the name of Brian Chahley.   A fellow graduate of both the Brubeck Institute and the New School of Music, Brian showed effectively through his performance how all that hard work is starting to pay off in great ways.

Brian Chahley fronts a quartet that consists of the great Nancy Walker on piano, and two fellow young lions Dan Fortin on the bass and Fabio Ragnelli on the drums.    Through the performance it was a mixture of tried, tested and true standards and original compositions played with such ease, poise and aplomb.

            Brian Chahley is a very creative, real trumpet player that doesn’t run out of ideas and conceptions.   He keeps building on his ideas while interacting with a rhythm section that is following and complimenting his every move and attack on the music.

            Not only he is a great trumpet player in the likes of Woody Shaw, Freddie Hubbard and Miles Davis, but the main showstopper for me was his vocal and scat take on “I Fall in Love Too Easily”.    It was a very creative, classy, and a smooth vocal reminiscent of Chet Baker and not to mention very sensual and sexy at the same time.     Enclosed at the end of this article is a video clip of what I witnessed during that showstopper performance.

            Again, it was a fine night of music from one of the big up and coming young talents on the trumpet and vocal scene. 

BRIAN CHAHLEY OFFICIAL WEB SITE

www.brianchahley.com

THE FAMED FAMOSO

            On a nice fall afternoon I decided to have an early dinner at a new Italian pizzeria located right in the heart of the Annex.   The restaurant:  Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria.

            This nice little spot is known for its wood oven pizzas, zesty salads, and hearty gelatos to cleanse the palate after a great meal.  For myself, I decided to use my gift certificate from an earlier visit and go the whole nine yards to explore such fine Italian Cuisine.

            I started out with a small Caesar Salad ($4) topped with shaved Parmesan cheese, bacon and served with a garlic wedge.   The salad was well dressed, tasted very fresh, crispy and zesty, and was a great starter to wet my appetite for a nice light meal.

            Then I ordered the Margherita Pizzetta ($7), a serving suggestion for a single person, which is a cheese pizza with garnishes of basil.   I love the wood oven effect on the pizza crust, the pizza tasted fresh and the serving portion was nice, light and reasonable on the belly.   To wash this all down I had a nice glass of San Pellegrino Limonata soda ($2.50), which complemented the meal nicely without the need of alcohol.

            Finally I cleansed my palate with a single scoop of Madagascar Vanilla Bean Gelato ($3.50).   From the get go I can taste the accents of the vanilla throughout the desert, as well as the rich creamy texture that just calls for another helping if one so desires.

            What’s so amazing about this meal is that all three courses came under $20, so if you want a nice three-course meal without breaking the bank, Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria may be your best bet yet for some quality food at great prices.    Overall, the food was great, service was impeccable, and the atmosphere was very inviting.   

FAMOSO NEAPOLITAN PIZZERIA @ THE ANNEX

386 Bloor Street West

Toronto, Ontario

M5S 1X4

647-748-2333

annex@famoso.ca

Phil Dwyer and Don Thompson at Chalker's Pub

On the evening of Rosh Hashanah, I decided to attend an intimate concert put on by two giants of Canadian Jazz.   The names: Don Thompson and Phil Dwyer.  

These two men have won Junos, performed with some of the biggest names in the jazz world (Jim Hall, Paul Desmond, George Shearing, etc.) and they are still going strong performing jazz at its highest level.

Earlier I reviewed Phil Dwyer in a trio setting with Pat Collins and Terry Clarke.   In a stripped down duo setting, it felt like magic channeling the great saxophonists of the 20^th century and laying down the mantle for jazz in the 21^st century.    For Don Thompson, Canada’s elder statesmen in jazz, he shows brilliant musicianship to the highest order being well adept in playing the bass, piano, and vibraphone with such clarity and precision, not even mentioning the fact that he is a great composer and arranger.

Instead of obscure jazz tunes, it was a dialogue of two friends playing standards that they loved and cherished all over the years.    I managed to shoot a video of Phil and Don playing Rogers and Hart’s “Lover”, and instead of spending more time writing about the music, I feel that these seven minutes that I have captured speak for the great musicianship and camaraderie that these musicians have developed over the years.

PHIL DWYER OFFICIAL WEBSITE

http://www.phildwyer.com

PHIL DWYER TRIO @ THE REX HOTEL

PHIL DWYER TRIO @ The Rex Hotel

At the 2012 TD Toronto Jazz Festival, one of my personal highlights was seeing saxophonist, pianist, composer and arranger Phil Dwyer perform the Canadian Songbook along with great jazz musicians such as Laila Biali and Rob Piltch.   This time around, I get to see one of Canada’s great jazz musicians in an up close and intimate concert setting at a cozy little jazz joint known as the Rex Hotel.   For his opening set, he sure did not disappoint the audience or myself.

In a trio setting, Phil opens the set by putting on the pianist’s hat for a rousing take on Harry Warren’s “Summer Night”, as arranged by fellow Canadian pianist and composer Renee Rosnes.   Following was an introspective take on Joe Zawinul’s composition “Midnight Mood”, showing off the beauty and poise of the piece and taking it into new heights.

For the next two numbers, Phil puts on the tenor sax hat and does his John Coltrane/Sonny Rollins thing on “Darn that Dream” and “Mr. Jones”.   His sax playing is full of raw emotion and full of great ideas that jump right at you and into your gut.

Phil puts on the piano hat again for a contemplative reading of Willie Nelson’s classic song “Crazy”, made famous by Patsy Cline.   It was a straight reading with great solos throughout the number.

To end, Phil puts on the tenor sax cap and plays his own composition, a calypso piece called “Narcolypso”.   It echoed Sonny Rollins’ St.  Thomas and the great feel of being at a Caribbean carnival parade.

A word about the rhythm section.  Pat Collins is one of the best and most reliable timekeepers and bass players residing in the city.    He has a great flair for the music and he is really gets the drive going when it is called for in a tune.  Terry Clarke undoubtedly is one of the great legends of Canadian jazz.   He has performed with jazz greats such as Jim Hall, Paul Desmond, John Handy and even recorded an album with Oscar Peterson.   He is one of the most rhythmically creative and stimulating drummers to play on the scene and we are fortunate to have him as a Canadian treasure.

All in all, a great night of jazz from a great icon in Canadian jazz.

PHIL DWYER OFFICIAL WEB SITE:

http://www.phildwyer.com/

 (Phil Dwyer and Me)

WEDNESDAY REPORT AT THE TD TORONTO JAZZ FESTIVAL

This past Wednesday it was everything Canadian at the jazz festival, ranging from the origin of performers to the repertoire performed at the highest level possible.

The first show I caught was an all-Canadian band lead by Doug Thompson paying tribute to one of the great jazz icons of our time, George Shearing.   It employed the classic George Shearing quintet sound, consisting of vibraphone (Doug Thompson), guitar (Reg Schwager), piano (Bernie Senensky), bass (Neil Swainson) and drums (Terry Clarke).   The arrangements were cool and laid back, with a sense of classical chamber-like quality in the mix.   The band performed to the highest level such great standards and classics such as “Drop Me Off In Harlem”, “Pick Yourself Up”, “September in the Rain”, George Shearing’s “Conception” and his all-time hit, “Lullaby of Birdland”.   What is to be noted of this performance is that three of the members (Thompson, Schwager, and Swainson) have served as alumni of George’s bands at one point in their careers.     Bernie Senensky did a terrific job playing the arrangements and captured the easy swing that George Shearing achieved, and Terry Clarke proved that less is more by providing light drum accompaniment to achieve the light Shearing sound of the tribute group.   Overall, the band was great, paying honour to a great jazz legend.

(FROM LEFT:  Reg Schwager, Terry Clarke, Neil Swainson, Bernie Senensky and Don Thompson)

After the free show, I decided to catch the second of my three ticketed shows at the Church of the Holy Trinity, this time featuring all Canadian talent performing all-Canadian material.   The band was anchored by Juno award-winning saxophonist, pianist and composer Phil Dwyer along with special guest artist (and a good friend of mine), Juno-nominated pianist, composer and vocalist Laila Biali.  To complete the band it featured trumpet and flugelhorn player Vince Mai, guitarist Rob Piltch, bassist Jodi Proznick and drummer Davide DiRenzo.    This was a stellar band making new music from a songbook that I myself have not gotten into that much, but after their interpretations I might as well investigate the songs coming from such iconic Canadian musicians, artists and composers.   Among the highlights of the concert was the hard-bop blues take on Leonard Cohen’s “Tower of Song”, the reggae inspired take on Ron Sexsmith’s “Secret Heart”, the New Orleans’ shuffle groove on Feist’s “Mushaboom”, and Laila’s heavenly vocal amid a spaced out backdrop on Gordon Lightfoot’s “Beautiful”.    I hope a CD comes out of this group very soon, since this was a fresh swinging take on Canadian music rather than the tried, tested and true chestnuts of the Great American songbook.

(Myself and Phil Dwyer)

(Laila Biali and Me)

Overall, a great Wednesday featuring Canadian talent and Canadian music all the way around.   Shows how far Canada has come producing great jazz talent known throughout the world. 

OFFICIAL TD TORONTO JAZZ WEB SITE

http://www.torontojazz.com

OFFICIAL PHIL DWYER WEB SITE

http://www.phildwyer.com

OFFICIAL LAILA BIALI WEB SITE

http://www.lailabiali.com

TUESDAY REPORT AT THE TD TORONTO JAZZ FESTIVAL

On what would have been an off day for me, I decided this past Tuesday to check out some of the great local acts during the Toronto jazz festival, as well as attend an interview with an iconic guitar player.

The iconic guitar player that was interviewed was none other than Bill Frisell, noted for his risk taking albums, conceptualized projects, and highly original tone and approach to the guitar.

For the free show I was treated to the Latin jazz stylings of vocalist Eliana Cuevas backed by an amazing quartet of musicians such as pianist (and real-life husband) Jeremy Ledbetter, bassist George Koller, drummer Mark Kelso and percussionist Daniel Stone.   The rhythms were infectious and spicy from start to finish.  Eliana’s voice was melodic, beautiful, and soared to the heavens.    The backup band really accompanied her well and performed as a well-oiled, tight-knit unit.    Among the highlights were her original songwriting compositions (I can’t remember the titles since they are in Spanish) and her inventive take on a classic bossa nova standard, “The Girl From Ipanema”.  

(L:  Jeremy Ledbetter; C: Eliana Cuevas; R:  George Koller)

(Drummer Mark Kelso and Me)

(Jeremy Ledbetter and Myself)

Walking west I decided to catch the tail end of Ernesto Cervini’s quartet at the Rex Hotel, featuring saxophonist Quinsin Nachoff, pianist Adrean Farrugia, bassist Mark Cashion, and drummer/leader and composer Ernesto Cervini.   In the short set I knew what to expect from such a stellar band.   Great songwriting, well-pulsated grooves, and a great sense of modern swing feel from start to finish.

(From Left:  Adrean Farrugia, Quinsin Nachoff, Mark Cashion, and Ernesto Cervini)

To cap off the night I decided last minute to go to a new venue in the jazz festival this year called the Musideum.   In this new, intimate venue I get to hear a piano/bass duo coming from the likes of Mark Kieswetter on piano and Ross Macintyre on bass.   Coming off fresh off the heals of a great first recording, they primarily played brand new material for an upcoming CD comprising of obscure jazz, standards, and original compositions.   Mark’s piano playing swung, has great emotional feel, and is forward thinking throughout.   Ross’ bass playing had a rhythmic pulse that was invigorating and his tone is one of the richest to come out of the city of Toronto.   As a unit, they managed to gel well together and even have humourous moments in the music to keep it fresh and exciting.   Among the highlights of their repertoire was the Denny Zeitlin Opener “Repeat”, Ross’ dedication to his father’s birthday by playing the Beatles hit “When I’m Sixty Four”, and Mark’s original music such as “Sufferin’ on Dufferin” and “Totem Bar”.

(Mark Kieswetter and Ross Macintyre)

Again, it was another great day of great local talent and jazz music at the festival, so be sure to come out and support great local talent and music!!!!

OFFICIAL TD TORONTO JAZZ WEB SITE:

http://www.tdtorontojazz.com

ELIANA CUEVA’S WEB SITE

http://www.elianacuevas.com

ERNESTO CERVINI WEB SITE

http://www.ernestocervini.com

MUSIDEUM OFFICIAL WEB SITE

http://www.musideum.com