In his first-ever artist interview, TDJ News Corps member Yanis Khamsi chats on the phone with John Scofield. They cover off a variety of topics - from the Uberjam band to music on the internet to the state of music in general. Hear the interview.
The band certainly had the freedom of the 1960's and 1970's. Not only did the band members switch instruments numerous times, but at one point Randolph invited anybody in the audience capable of playing guitar on stage to jam!
Thursday was made for jazz...Indeed, it was a very special night in Toronto jazz: legendary bassist Dave Holland’s PRISM and renowned guitarist John Scofield’s Überjam were about to take the stage for a grand co-headlining event.
The Dirty Dozen formed 37 years ago in the hopes of preserving classic New Orleans jazz. However, their time together has been an iterative process. Over the years, the band developed a sound frontman Gregory Davis compares to gumbo (a traditional southern dish combining various flavours and spices). After a brief dismissal of the rain, Davis and his bandmates got the ball rolling with an energetic dance number that inspired the crowd to stand up and clap along...
This was no ordinary jazz concert. Thousands gathered in Nathan Phillips Square to kick off World Pride. Premier Kathleen Wynne made a surprise appearance to anoint the festival, promising to make Ontario the most accepting place on earth for the LGBTQ community...
There’s a child within all of us—a spirit that comes alive when we do things like, say, skipping out on work to catch a show at the jazz festival. Pianist Hiromi Uehara, who is known to her fans as simply Hiromi, channelled that same childlike spirit Tuesday night.
Drummers are, arguably, the least celebrated instrumentalists in the jazz world, with the drummer’s role analogous to the heart—a highly skilled and artful sustaining of the band’s pulse. As such, the players are often taken for granted because they are simply expected to function at their peak. But with increasing experimentation in popular jazz, one-off side projects such as Mehliana are heightening awareness of the hidden world of percussion-driven music. This year’s festival features an impressive array of drummers.
While the rest of Toronto indulged in the World Cup and NXNE, there was a small yet passionate crowd at Kool Haus to see Chaka Khan and opener Shemekia Copeland...
Enhance the outdoor experience of the TD Toronto Jazz Festival! Download our augmented reality app and experience the Festival in a new light through out the city! Use this app to visualize animations on your mobile device by pointing it at the Jazz Man anywhere you see it. Watch 3D animated graphics jump off your screen and download the schedule of events to keep on your phone so you can be in the know! It’s easy, fun and engaging! Try it now!
Music provided by Patrick Tevlin and the Tevlin Swing.
The TDJ News Corps members are gearing up for the festival, and have already started writing about the artists will have on stage this year. The first TDJ News Corps piece of 2014 is now online - an interview by Benjamin Thomas with Hiromi. Here's an abstract:
