Time to recharge...

Welp, we've reached the time of year at which my brain has essentially shut down, so this will be my last blog post until January - I'm taking some much needed (if not well-deserved) time off starting next Wednesday.

It certainly has been a different few months - the arrival of our daughter at the beginning of August has meant life has been a bit turned upside down. As I reflect on the past four months, I realize that I haven't been out to as many shows as I would have been during the same period last year, but here's a list of some of the shows I did see:

• The Donefors at the Dakota Tavern
• John MacLeod's Rex Hotel Orchestra at Walter Hall
• AimToronto's Interface with Sylvie Courvoisier
• Ben Monder and Theo Bleckmann at The Rex
• The Cameron Wallis Quartet, Thom Gossage's Other Voices, The Mark Segger Sextet, Chet Doxas and Matt Stevens, Remi Bolduc with Phil Dwyer and Jerry Bergonzi, and the Maikotron Unit, all part of the Off Jazz Festival in Montreal
• The Tedeschi Trucks Band at the Danforth Music Hall
• Ari Hoenig's Quartet at The Rex
• Mark Miller's book release at the Gladstone (not technically a concert, but still...)
• Treasa Levasseur at Lula Lounge
• The Jazz Festivals Canada Showcase at Glenn Gould Studio
• Continuum Contemporary Music at the Music Gallery
• The Vipers at the Reservoir Lounge
• The SF Jazz Collective @ Koerner Hall
• The 3 Cohens @ Koerner Hall
• Trombone Shorty at the Opera House

What are some of the shows you've seen this fall that have stuck out?

Tonight I hope to get to the Tranzac to hear Tim Posgate's Sorry Cousins (check out www.sorrycousins.com). And I'm looking forward to Sunday's performance at the Great Hall of the Toronto Rhythm Initiative - they're doing tap tributes to the music of Oscar Peterson. I was at their first show a couple of months ago and if that show was any indication, Sunday night will include a great live band, some outstanding dancing, and a great vibe. Full details at torontorhythminitiative.com.

So - from me and mine to you and yours, have a great few weeks and happy holidays. I look forward to writing again in the new year.

Josh