PDF Version

INES KAISERBeat by Beat | Jazz NotesThe Fall of JazzJIM GALLOWAYIt’s all right — I’m talking about the season not the state of themusic. Summer fades away, holiday makers come back to the cityand the evenings begin to draw in and become cooler.In Toronto the club activity ranges from the ever active Rex withup to 19 bands a week to other regular but less frequent spots suchas Chalker’s, Gate 403,Grossman’s, Mezzetta,Musideum, Pilot Tavern,Quotes, ReservoirLounge and so on.For the most part thefestival season has runits course, but not quite:on September 14 and15 there is Jazz & BluesIn the Village in Sarnia,now in its ninth year;the All-Canadian JazzFestival in Port Hopetakes place from the21st to 23rd; and there isthe Willowbank TenthAnnual Jazz Festival,a one-day event onSeptember 16.A David amongthe Goliaths: A morecontemporary programis on offer at theGuelph Jazz Festivalfrom September 5 to9. Nineteen years ago agroup of jazz enthusiastsgot together tocreate a festival showcasing the brand of music to which they werededicated and I use the word “dedicated” advisably in that they weresingle-minded about the musical content. Now in its 18th year, theyhave retained the vision in a way that larger, more commercial enterprisescannot. The Guelph Festival has grown from small beginningswith audiences in the hundreds into a success that draws an audienceof 16,000 annually. Now that is peanuts compared to say, Toronto andMontreal, but is bigger always better?Ajay Heble, the festival’s artistic director, was out of town at thetime of writing this piece but I spoke with Shawn Van Sluys, vicepresident of the Board of Directors of the Guelph Festival and executivedirector at Musagetes Foundation, an international organizationwhich seeks to transform contemporary life by working with artists,cultural mediators and other partners to develop new approachescommunity and culture. The co-operation between these two entitiesmakes sense and emphasizes the importance of the community aspectof the festival.Some of the highlights this year include a solo performance bySouth African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim; Brew, an international triowhich features Miya Masaoka on 17-string Japanese koto zither, bassistReggie Workman and Gerry Hemingway on percussion; a JohnColtrane tribute with Ascension; and an interpretation of his masterworkby Bay-Area-based ROVA Saxophone Quartet plus five rhythm,two violins and cornet.So the ingredients are there — a city, but not too large, a University,strong community involvement, some corporate support, but not tothe point where thetail wags the dog, and adedicated team with acommon vision.This is not a putdownof large festivals.They do what they haveto do in order to survive.Rather, it is anexpression of regretthat they have to dilutethe content in orderto be financially successful.But rememberthe immortal wordsof Yogi Berra: “If youdon’t know where youare going, you’ll end upsome place else.”Any debate about therelationship betweensize and quality isn’trestricted to jazz festivalsand I must confessthat when I went onlineand asked the question,‘Is bigger better?’ I hada host of replies thatbelong in a quite differentsort of publication than The WholeNote. But I digress.Of Olympic proportions: Undoubtedly the recent Olympic Gamesare a case in point. From the relatively innocent days of the earlyGames we now have a vast, commercial enterprise with a considerablenumber of events which — and this is a personal opinion — franklydon’t belong, largely because the judging is subjective and open toerror or bias. Synchronised swimming requires a huge amount ofability and physical control, but is it really an Olympic event? Thenwhy not include ballet?However the name of the game is expand the audience base andmake sponsors happy. And on the subject of sponsors and just howmuch influence they exert, here we have a huge event extollingthe virtues of fitness and physical prowess sponsored by a hugeGuelph headliner: South Africa’s Abdullah Ibrahim. Right: David among the Goliaths –Guelph Jazz Festival artistic director, Ajay Heble. See Ken Waxman’s “Something in the Air,”page 67, for reviews of recordings by Guelph Jazz Festival participants.TRINA KOSTERSt. Philip’s Anglican Church● Sunday, Sept 16, 4pm | Gypsy VespersJorge Lopez Trio● Sunday, Sept 30, 4pm | Klezmer VespersJordan Klapman Quartet● Sunday, Oct 14, 4pm | Jazz VespersThe Botos Brothers featuring Robi BotosSt. Philip’s Anglican Church | Etobicoke25 St. Phillips Road (near Royal York + Dixon)416-247-5181 • www.stphilips.net38 thewholenote.com September 1 – October 7, 2012