Volume 21 Issue 2 - October 2015

Without Jim continued from page 35
Beat by Beat | Jazz Stories
organizer and hustler who created jazz policies in unexpected and
unlikely locations; a broadcaster; a writer – including for this publication.
From 1981 to 1987 he was the host and music director for the
Saturday matinee broadcast Toronto Alive!, which involved many
visiting American artists with local rhythm sections. This led to him
being made artistic director of the newly launched Toronto Jazz
Festival in 1987, a post he held until a few years ago.
As the primary local voice and champion of older jazz – trad and
swing – Jim held a unique and significant place on the Toronto
jazz scene. There seem to be more people interested in these earlier
styles in larger cities with bigger jazz scenes. However, as his long
record in booking the Jazz Festival showed, he was not narrow in
his tastes. Mainstream jazz was simply the music he was interested
in playing and the music he found his voice in. He loved Armstrong
and Bechet, Ellington, stride piano, Fletcher Henderson, early Basie
and other Kansas City jazz and had an encyclopedic knowledge of
the details of jazz from before World War II – the records, repertoire
and styles.
He was a well-read man of wide knowledge and many interests –
I’m told his large personal library had books on an amazing range
of subjects – music of course, cooking, wine, history, film (he was
an expert on the films of Buster Keaton), all sorts of things. He was
a connoisseur of single-malt Scotch whisky and enjoyed his drams.
His motto was: “If you only drink the good stuff, it won’t hurt you.”
The scent of his Balkan Sobranie clove cigarettes often announced his
arrival in a club well before he was spotted. Despite these vices, he
was quite healthy and a long-time vegetarian, one of many paradoxes
about him.
Mostly self-taught, Jim was not a technician but an ear player, a
feeling player, an instinctive musician. He had the important jazz
virtues. He loved songs and swing, developed a very personal sound
– especially on soprano saxophone – and had a desire and ability to
communicate directly with his audience which was always sincere,
never commercial. His sense of jazz integrity earned him an international
reputation. He was well-known and highly regarded wherever
he played – Europe (especially Britain, France and Switzerland)
and the U.S., at many festivals, and on the jazz party circuit. He often
said that if he sent someone home from a performance feeling better
than when they came in, then he’d done his job well. He accomplished
this often enough that he was welcome all over the world.
C. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz)
I’d like to close with a story about Jim that I heard shortly after his
death, from his good friend Ted O’Reilly. Some of the more modern,
post-bebop musicians in Toronto occasionally looked down on Jim
as being old-hat because he loved 30s and 40s jazz so. I always found
this troubling because it was intolerant and didn’t accord him the
respect he deserved and there may have been some jealousy involved.
Jim was probably aware of this, but was a humorous and affable man
who generally liked to avoid hostility and conflict. He had a quick and
ready wit though and could muster a sharp riposte when needed, as
in the following: Once in the 90s, he was playing a gig that involved,
among others, a dyed-in-the-wool bebop trumpet player, who shall
remain nameless. At some point, he snarled at Jim, “Don’t you ever
get tired of playing that old crap?” – or words to that effect – and Jim
retorted, “No, I don’t, do you?” In other words, I love older jazz and
you love bebop, but bebop is not exactly new either, so I’ll play mine
and you play yours and let’s have a little mutual respect, all right?
It’s reminiscent of something Lester Young once said about individuality
in an interview (and I’m quoting loosely): “Boom ... You
play your licks and I’ll play my licks and it’s that way till death do
us part.”
Toronto bassist Steve Wallace writes a blog called “Steve
Wallace – jazz, baseball, life and other ephemera”
which can be accessed at wallacebass.
Call for cover charge info.
Emmet Ray, The
924 College St. 416-792-4497
theemmetray.com (full schedule)
All shows: No cover/PWYC
October 1 9pm John-Wayne Swingtet: Wayne
Nakamura (guitar), Abbey Sholzberg (bass),
John Farrell (guitar). October 8 9pm Bossa
Tres.
Fat City Blues
890 College St. 647-345-8282
Garage @ CSI Annex, The
720 Bathurst St. 416-619-4621
livefromtheannex.com
October 6 ‘Live From the Annex’ monthly
Cabaret $15(adv).
Gate 403
403 Roncesvalles Ave. 416-588-2930
gate403.com
All shows: PWYC.
October 1 5pm Joanne Morra & The France
St. Jazz Ensemble; 9pm Kristin Lindell Jazz
Band. October 2 5pm Ken Taylor: Fixin’s Jazz
Trio; 9pm Fraser Melvin Blues Band. October
3 5pm Bill Heffernan and His Friends;
9pm S.O.A. Jazz Band. October 4 5pm Rob
Thaller & Joanna Reynolds Jazz Duo; 9pm
S.O.A. Jazz Band. October 5 5pm Mike Daley
Jazz Trio; 9pm Bruce Chapman Blues Duo
with feature guests. October 6 5pm Howard
Willett Blues Duo; 9pm Vivia Kay Jazz
Duo. October 7 5pm Robert Chapman Jazz
Band; 9pm Julian Fauth Blues Night. October
8 5pm Michael Bell and Rob Phillip Jazz
Duo; 9pm Kevin Laliberté Jazz & Flamenco
Trio. October 9 5pm Kurt Lund Jazz Quartet;
9pm Denielle Bassels Jazz Band. October
10 5pm Bill Heffernan and His Friends;
9pm Ilios Steryannis Jazz Trio. October 11
5pm Anything Goes Jazz Band; 9pm Amber
Leigh Jazz Trio. October 12 5pm Leonard Patterson
Jazz Trio; 9pm Chris Staig Trio. October
13 5pm Thom Mason Jazz Trio; 9pm
Trevor Cape Trio. October 14 5pm Michelle
Rumball with Friend; 9pm Julian Fauth Blues
Night. October 15 5pm Toronto Jazz Collective;
9pm Annie Bonsignore Jazz Duo or
Trio. October 16 5pm Jmondew Jazz Band;
9pm John Wayne Swingtet. October 17 5pm
Bill Heffernan and His Friends; 9pm Sweet
Derrick Blues Band. October 18 5pm Jeff Taylor
and the SLT; 9pm Jonathan Billings Blues
Trio. October 19 5pm John Nicholson Jazz
Trio; 9pm Rob Davis Blues Duo. October 20
5pm Sarah Kennedy and Matt Pines Jazz
Duo; 9pm Jimmy Bryon Band. October 21
5pm Concord Jazz Quintet; 9pm Julian Fauth
Blues Night. October 22 5pm Heather Luckhart:
Blues/Roots/Jazz Band; 9pm Neil Hendry
and Rhonda Stakich Duo. October 23
5pm ZimZum; 9pm John Deehan Jazz Band
Feat. Zoe Chilco. October 24 5pm Bill Heffernan
and His Friends; 9pm Donné Roberts
Band. October 25 5pm Cheryl White Rhythym
& Blues Band; 9pm Tiffany Hanus Jazz
Band. October 26 5pm David Barrett Solo;
9pm Kalya Ramu Jazz Band. October 27 5pm
Tim Shia Jazz Band; 9pm Trac4! with Lesley
Lepine. October 28 5pm Rick Maltese: Rick’s
Three in One; 9pm Julian Fauth Blues Night.
October 29 5pm Rachel Piscione Jazz Band;
9pm David Rubel Music. October 30 5pm
Whitney Ross-Barris Jazz Band; 9pm Jazz
Forge. October 31 5pm Bill Heffernan and His
Friends; 9pm “The Pearl Motel”.
Grossman’s Tavern
379 Spadina Ave. 416-977-7000
grossmanstavern.com (full schedule)
All shows: No cover (unless otherwise noted).
October 1 10:30pm Robertson and
Kavanaugh Quartet. October 2 6:30pm “Hold
the Bus” with Kevin Bell & Mike Murphy;
10:30pm Combo Royale. October 3 4:30pm
The Happy Pals; 10:30pm Damn Neighbours.
October 4 4:30pm New Orleans Connection
All Star Jazz Band; 10:30pm The National,
Blues Jam with Brian Cober. October 5 10pm
TGS World Jam. October 6 9:30pm Mz. Debbie
& The Don Valley Stompers. October 7
10pm Bruce Domoney.
Habits Gastropub
928 College St. 416-533-7272
habitsgastropub.com (full schedule)
Harlem Restaurant
67 Richmond St. E. 416-368-1920
harlemrestaurant.com (full schedule)
All shows: 7:30-11pm (unless otherwise
noted). Call for cover charge info.
October 1, 15 Dirty Jazz. October 2 Madette.
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