The city so nice...

I'm still catching up on sleep and family time since returning Tuesday from four nights in New York, where I attended the annual APAP conference and took in a ton of music, including a number of acts at the 2012 Winter Jazzfest. As is usually the case when I get back from New York, I'm finding some of the differences between that city and Toronto in stark contrast. And it's particularly frustrating to return to the office on the day that a report is released bemoaning the low per-person funding assigned by the City of Toronto to the arts...

However - for now, I'd like to stay away from politics of all sorts and relate a few of the magical musical moments I experienced over the weekend.

Becca Stevens at Lucille's. Becca is a guitarist/ukeleleist (is that a word?) who fronts a quartet and sounds fantastic performing a mix of jazz, country and folk. Similar to groups in Toronto like the Donefors and the Jessica Stuart Few (among others), Becca's was the first show I got to after my arrival in New York and it was a satisfying way to kick off the weekend - the band sounded great.

Steven Bernstein's MTO plays Sly at Le Poisson Rouge. This 12-piece band brought an awesome soul and funk groove to their show, with two outstanding, soulful vocalists. The 500 people or so in attendance could not keep still. (Yes, even I shook a leg. A bit.)

Rich Brown with Rudresh Mahanthappa. Okay, so, I really like Rudresh's playing. I don't really get tired of it. So what a bonus it was to have Toronto's own Rich Brown playing bass with Rudresh's group at Kenny's Castaways. Rich is very good at the electric bass, and sounded so funky...if I hadn't had other shows to get to, I could have listened to that band all night.

Matt Anderson's showcase at the Hilton. Matt's a blues/roots guitarist from New Brunswick who has rightfully made a name for himself over the past couple of years, most recently selling out a solo show (i.e. just him and his guitar) at the Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto. His 20-minute showcase held everyone in the room spell-bound, and his singing about coal mines on the East Coast I found particularly moving.

The Claudia Quintet at the Cornelia Street Cafe. I enjoyed the Quintet's whole set, but there was one point in particular - where it was just vibes, accordion and clarinet playing some sort of repeated figure - that I thought to myself, "This is an incredible sound..."

Blitz the Ambassador at Webster Hall. This 8-piece band somewhat defies definition - it's not exactly Afro-beat, it's not exactly hip-hop, it's not exactly funk...but it certainly is all of those things together. Emcee Blitz fronts the group, and brings lyrics, rhythms and melodies heavily influenced by his hometown of Accra, Ghana. Here again I could not keep still...but when he was suddenly singing about hearing a dictator's voice on the radio proclaiming that people could be shot on sight (while his three-piece, absolutely tight horn section pretended their instruments were guns), I got a different type of chill...

Cyrille Aimee's showcase with Diego Figueiredo at the Hilton. I had never heard Aimee sing and was fairly floored: she won the Montreux Jazz Vocalist Competition a few years back (the same year Diego won Montreux's Jazz Guitar Competition) and she is the complete package. A great voice, mastery of her instrument, beautiful improvisation...she is now very much on my radar.

Sean Jones Quintet showcase. Sean used to play lead trumpet in the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra but it's a treat to hear him in a combo setting: he and his band-mates blew me away with their technical prowess, exciting solos and truly cohesive ensemble playing.

Davell Crawford Trio showcase. Davell is a young piano and vocal powerhouse from New Orleans, and I had never heard of him until his showcase. What started as a straight-ahead boogie-woogie set quick morphed into an intense mini-performance, with his repertoire spanning the ages and jazz styles. It was his performance of "Louisiana 1927", though, which Davell re-interpreted to reflect the effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans, that I found so moving. I have no good way of relating to what happened in New Orleans during (or since) Katrina, but this song, a mixture of hope and passion for a city and at the same time of hopelessness and contempt for the people who were supposed to be helping in the aftermath, certainly got across the mix of emotions felt by those who experienced Katrina or who are connected to New Orleans in some way.

Tom Harrell Quintet showcase. I had never seen Tom Harrell perform live, and it was an interesting experience. Tom has schizophrenia, which means his stage presence is unlike any other musician's. There is not the obvious communication between musicians that exists in other bands...but it was clear that these five knew each other well. The writing and the playing (from everyone) was excellent. For the second tune, sax, bass and drums left the stage, leaving just Tom on flugel horn and the pianist. The duo played a stunningly beautiful piece of music. I couldn't help but wonder - and I hope this doesn't sound presumptuous or condescending - where, for Tom, the music comes from. Is it the same as with other musicians, or does it come from somewhere other musicians don't access? I was moved by the music and the musicians.

Quinsin Nachoff's Flux at the Cornelia Street Cafe. Toronto-born Quinsin Nachoff's show was a great way to wrap up the weekend - original writing, explosive playing (from Quinsin, Dave Binney, Matt Mitchell and Kenny Wollesen) and creative music - a treat.

Okay, I lied. I do need to refer to politics for a minute. Wouldn't it be nice to live in a city that not only appreciated the arts, but actually provided the infrastructure which makes it possible for people to access and consume those arts? In New York, if I want to take the subway, it costs me $2.50 to access 660 miles of track. And if I want to buy a transit pass, I can go to the machine at any station and, using my credit card, buy a pass IN WHATEVER AMOUNT I WANT (as opposed to paying $3 in Toronto to access 68.3 kilometres of track, where I can't buy tokens with a credit card, and if I want a weekly Metropass I need to buy it on a Monday - because it's only good Monday through Sunday). Or, if I want to take a cab, in New York I can pay by cash or credit card, and the machine is right there in the back seat for me, and a receipt prints automatically (as opposed to Toronto, where you can sometimes pay cab fare with a credit card if the cab has the machine and the machine is working and the driver remembers to turn it on). We've got some of the best jazz musicians in the world right here in Toronto, and I wonder - if it was easier to actually get out to see them, would we be able to sustain more clubs? A pipe dream, perhaps...

Josh