Volume 24 Issue 5 - February 2019

with humour, yet there is also an attractive introversion in her, as in
a recent performance of her own ballad, Green Eyes. She has a flair
for song-writing, both on her own and in collaboration with her close
friend, pianist-singer Hannah Barstow.
Maddy (Madeleine) Ertel, trumpet: Maddy, 20, hails from Kelowna,
B.C and is in her third year. I’ve heard her several times now in a
variety of ensembles and have been impressed by the following: first,
her sound, which is clear and centred, a real brass sound; second,
her concentration and composure: she’s always entirely focused
on the music at hand, always plays with musicality. Most of all,
she’s a thoughtful, lyrical player not given to technical display or
running a bunch of notes, she means what she plays. She’s also very
open to a number of styles without seeming to be beholden to any
particular one.
Charlotte McAfee-Brunner, trombone: There have been very few
female trombonists in jazz and this continues even as there are more
and more women entering the fray. Charlotte, just 18 and in her first
year at U of T, may change this on the local scene, if not beyond. I
heard her recently for the first time and it was immediately apparent
that she is intimately acquainted with early jazz styles. It showed in
her big, extroverted sound and blustery, gutsy delivery using plunger
and mutes with a vocalism echoing trombonists of the 30s, yet she
acquitted herself very well in this ensemble playing contemporary
jazz. She’s from the Toronto area and learned to improvise while
busking in a Dixieland band called The Eighth Street Orchestra. Best
of all she’s something of a live wire who shows a natural joy in playing
jazz. This cannot be taught and will serve her well in the future.
Next, three young pianists brimming with potential:
Anthony D’Alessandro: Anthony, 21 and from Toronto, is a protégé
of Mark Eisenman and he shares many of the older pianist’s virtues:
a natural feeling for swing and groove, the blues vocabulary, and
making a rhythm section happy with buoyant comping. He has a
scintillating technique and a penchant for such feel-good pianists as
Erroll Garner, Oscar Peterson, Wynton Kelly and Monty Alexander.
He also has a knack for arranging tunes for a piano trio with attention
to detail.
Noah Franche-Nolan: Noah is 21, from Vancouver and in his third
year. I’ve heard the name for a while now, but heard him recently
for the first time at The Rex and was very impressed by his originality
and abandon. He’s sturdily built and plays the piano with a
crunchy percussiveness and physicality which recalls Duke Ellington,
Thelonious Monk and the recently departed Randy Weston. He
has plenty of technique but seems delighted to throw it all out the
window in the pursuit of spontaneity. He’s also a gifted composer, as
evidenced by his tune Hey Booboo, which also is redolent of Monk,
without being derivative.
Ben Isenstein: Ben, from Calgary, is 20 and also in third year. He’s
in my small jazz ensemble and I’ve yet to hear him apart from playing
with him, which provides a special window. He has radar ears, is a
very quick study and has a stylistic openness ranging from Phineas
Newborn to Chick Corea and more contemporary players. He also
loves the blues and has real jazz time, which can’t be taught.
And two bassists to watch:
Evan Gratham: Evan, 20, is from Vancouver and (conflict declared)
a private student of mine. He already has a thorough enough technical
grounding on the bass that you feed him raw information and it
comes out sounding like music almost immediately. I recently heard
him play an arrangement that involved playing Scrapple From the
Apple at a brisk tempo but up a fifth in the key of C. He negotiated it
so easily I wanted to cut off his hands. Enough said.
Leighton Harrell: Leighton, 19, hails from North Carolina and is
in second year. I heard him for the first time recently and he sounds
like a bass player – rock-solid time and sound with a natural feel for
groove and the blues. I was also impressed with his tune Cook Out,
based on Sonny Rollins’ Doxy. He also delivered some effective bow
work on a Dave Holland piece.
As a bassist, I pay particular attention to drummers; you sink or
swim with them. One of the most heartening aspects of the local
scene is the recent influx of talented young drummers, starting with,
but by no means limited to, these three:
Nick Donovan: Nick is 22 and in fourth year. He’s slightly built but
powerful, and extremely versatile in his approach. I’ve heard him play
very musically with everything from straight-ahead piano trios to
larger scale ensembles playing ambitious music.
Jacob Slous: Jacob is 19 and in second year; he comes from Toronto
but his family also spent some time in New York. I played with him in
my ensemble last year and was impressed, but he has only improved
since then, very strong in a small group or a big band, and he’s a
talented composer to boot.
Keith Barstow: Keith, the younger brother of the aforementioned
Hannah Barstow, is 19 and from Napanee. Already at a professional
level, he’s a very serious, contained player with no flies on him,
meaning he gets the time off the ground straight away.
I used to worry about where all this young talent will play and
whether they’ll be able to make a living, but not so much anymore.
For one thing, that’s out of my hands. Having made the commitment
to pursue jazz, all I can do is support them and make people more
aware of them, as here. But more importantly, I’ve come to recognize
that these are smart, dedicated, resourceful young people. I have faith
that they’ll figure it out just like I had to, so long ago.
JAZZ NOTES QUICK PICKS
!!
FEB 9, 8PM: Royal Conservatory of Music, Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. Hilario
Durán’s Latin Jazz Big Band with Horacio “El Negro” Hernández and Sarita Levya’s
Rumberos. This promises to be an evening of spirited Cuban-inflected jazz with
Durán’s powerhouse big band and special guests.
!!
FEB 10 AND 24, 4:30PM: Christ
Church Deer Park 1570 Yonge St.
Jazz Vespers. Free Admission.
Allison Au
Feb 10: Allison Au Trio. A chance to
hear one of the best young saxophonists
in the city in an intimate
acoustic setting. Au is a thoroughly
modern player, but her
alto sound has a pleasant sweetness
which suggests Benny
Carter. And on Feb. 24 at the same
time and venue, the wonderful
duo of Chase Sanborn (trumpet)
and Mark Eisenman (piano) will
be performing.
!!
FFEB 14, 9PM: Jazz Bistro, 251 Victoria St. Valentine’s Day with John Alcorn and
Alex Samaras. Two of Toronto’s best male singers with an established chemistry will
be performing a selection of romantic standards with a crack band.
!!
FEB 15, 8PM: Gallery 345, 345 Sorauren Ave. Patrick Boyle Quartet: Boyle, trumpet;
Bernie Senensky, piano; Jim Vivian, bass; Mike Billard, drums. A launch of the innovative
Newfoundland-born trumpeter/composer’s latest release, After Forgetting.
Toronto bassist Steve Wallace writes a blog called “Steve
Wallace jazz, baseball, life and other ephemera” which
can be accessed at wallacebass.com. Aside from the topics
mentioned, he sometimes writes about movies and food.
Sunday, Feb. 10
at 4:30pm
Alison Au
Trio
Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St.
(north of St. Clair at Heath St.)
Admission is free; donations are welcome.
Featuring some of Toronto’s best
jazz musicians with a brief reflection
by Jazz Vespers Clergy
Sunday, Feb. 24
at 4:30pm
Chase Sanborn (trumpet)
& Mark Eisenman (piano)
Sunday, Mar. 10
at 4:30pm
Amanda Tosoff
Quartet
416-920-5211
www.thereslifehere.org
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