Stamp of approval

It's always nice to have something to celebrate in the jazz world in general, and in the Canadian jazz world especially. This week, Canada Post announced that Canadian jazz piano great Oliver Jones would be the subject of one of two postage stamps created this year to commemorate Black History Month. With the honour, Oliver Jones joins the ranks of another Canadian jazz master, Oscar Peterson, whose stamp was revealed in 2005.

If you haven't had a chance to hear Oliver Jones - either on record or live - I encourage you to do so. His playing is imbued with an irresistible energy and an irrepressible sense of swing. His commitment to the art also goes beyond outstanding playing - over the past number of years he's been committed to supporting emerging artists, often featuring them on his recordings.

What's more, Oliver is one of the kindest and gentlest musicians I've met.

From everyone here at Toronto Downtown Jazz, congratulations Oliver Jones on this honour!

Read the official press release here. And here's a clip of Oliver Jones in action:

In other news, we're about two weeks away from opening night, and final preparations are in full swing (ha!). Other than logistic challenges and the occasional dying computer, we're in pretty good shape. In fact, we may even have more to announce (a new show? opening day shenanigans?) in the next few days. Stay tuned for more information and, in the meantime, you can browse the acts by artist, genre, date or venue at www.torontojazz.com. Or, if you prefer to have everything laid out in front of you, browse our calendar.

I'm getting excited...

Josh