JUNOs, Duos

JUNOs
Congratulations go out to everyone nominated for 2012 JUNO Awards! Nominations were announced earlier this week, and a quick check of the list will reveal some familiar names and some well-deserved first-time appearances. You can see the full list at junoawards.ca. Toronto musicians - including Fern Lindzon, Hilario Duran, Jane Bunnett, Dave Young, David Braid, Kirk MacDonald and Mike Murley - are well-represented; it's also nice to see jazz artists breaking into other categories: Colin Stetson, L'Orkestre des Pas Perdus and the Stretch Orchestra in the Instrumental Album of the Year category; and Chris Tarry's unique CD/book in the Recording Package of the Year category. You're likely to see a few of these nominees at this year's festival...Good luck to everyone on April 1st!

Duos
On Monday night I had the pleasure of being in the intimate audience at Musideum for a performance by Mark Kieswetter and Ross MacIntyre. Duo concerts can sometimes be risky - will every tune sound the same? How will the musicians balance out the melody and the harmony? Who will solo? Monday's concert, though, was a breath of fresh air. Mark (piano) and Ross (bass) released a beautiful album last year, and the chemistry between the two musicians is clear. They were certainly well-rehearsed, but the music went beyond beginnings and endings - each seemed to know what the other was thinking at all times, and many subtle moments happened with only the slightest look or nod. The repertoire ranged widely across genres and era, with standards, originals, and lesser-known tunes, and the pair kept my interest for the entire 90 minutes. The venue worked well, too - the were about 35 of us in the audience, and we filled the space comfortably; the Bechstein grand piano sounded fantastic. So - if you haven't yet been to Musideum, I encourage you to do so. Owner Donald Quan is doing great things with the space. And, if you haven't heard Ross or Mark in action, be sure to catch them when you can.

I'm going to try to cram in a bunch of activity over the next few days (go-go-Gadget-adrenaline!): tonight I'll be at "Elements", presented by the Spectrum concert series, 8 pm at the Al Green Theatre, then I hope to catch Bad Bad Not Good in action at the Wrongbar (11:30 ish). Tomorrow night I'll be at Sweet Honey in the Rock at Koerner Hall (or, at least, babysitting backstage while Jeanette catches the show) then hope to get to KC Roberts and the Live Revolution at the Rivoli (10:30 ish). And Sunday I'm helping to produce Continuum Contemporary Music's concert "ORGANized".

What are you planning to see this weekend?

Josh