Volume 25 Issue 4 - December 2019 / January 2020

of productivity. Not for all, and not for very long, but the prospect
remains one of Christmas’ central myths: to “dream by the fire” with
a loved one is to return, however briefly, to the carefree days of youth,
to enjoy a holiday from the outside world, to finally, at the end of the
calendar year, have some time – a few days, a week, maybe, between
December 24 and January 2 – to focus on ourselves, to be present, to
enjoy the company of an intimate few. This is the promise of so much
secular holiday music: chestnuts roast on an open fire as we enjoy the
play of being exposed to the elements from the comfort of a comfortable
middle-class home. We have ourselves a merry little Christmas
and imagine that our troubles are miles away, out of sight; we come
home for Christmas, if only in our dreams. The core component of
any secular Christmas celebration, we are told, is a collective, wistful
imagination of Christmas.
Christmas music plays a key part in the yearning for contentment
that fuels our holiday daydreams, but its ubiquity, from November 1
onwards, can corrupt its intended effect. In the hands of retailers eager
to drive the holiday sales that have become essential to their survival,
Christmas music becomes one of the tools with which nostalgia is
weaponized as a sales tactic. Come mid-December, at the time when
the holidays are actually in sight, we’ve spent six weeks of mental
energy fending it all off: Mariah Carey at the grocery store, Michael
Bublé in the mall, the insipid, twee, ukulele-and-sleigh-bell chime of
every YouTube advertisement for poorly made clothing. To be consistently
bombarded by Christmas music in so many areas of our lives
is to be forced to inoculate ourselves to these songs’ nostalgic effects,
and to the genuine joy that they are capable of producing in the
appropriate doses (if a listener is inclined to find joy in such music).
Participation in the very capitalist structures that make the secular
experience of a collective Christmas break so necessary also ruins one
of the holiday’s chief joys: the experience of nostalgia through music,
and the precious comfort that nostalgia is capable of providing.
There is, however, something to be done, if you find yourself
yearning to yearn again, to recapture the joy of music that seems to
have been rubbed clean of the lustre it once possessed: go listen to
some musicians play Christmas music, and listen to how the songs
you know are transformed, revivified, re-presented in ways that
break the cynical purgatorial cycle of streaming-platform playlists,
emerging, finally, alive again. Some holiday gigs are good, some bad.
But in the fortuitous times when they are very good, they deliver on
the basic promise of secular Christmas music: to daydream, to create
the sensation of presence, to provide the listener with an opportunity
to indulge in the imagination of their own history. Ultimately,
the nostalgic core of this music is more involved than simply thinking
fondly on the past: it is about taking a moment to reflect on our
previous experiences, so that we might more happily celebrate the
present moment, and move confidently forward, facing, unafraid, the
plans that we’ve made for the future. This may not be true, of course.
But it’s nice to think that it could be.
MAINLY CLUBS, MOSTLY JAZZ QUICK PICKS
!!
DEC 11, 8:30PM: Jazzcast n’ Joy, Hugh’s Room. Drew Jurecka, Alex Pangman,
Jeremy Ledbetter, and more, play at Hugh’s Room for Jazzcast’s December
extravaganza.
!!
DEC 15, 4PM: The Woodhouse featuring
Barbra Lica. The Jazz Room. The
Woodhouse, an instrumental collective
that has been playing holiday shows for
over ten years, brings Juno-nominated
singer, Barbra Lica, to Waterloo for an
afternoon show of Christmas classics.
!!
DEC 21, 8PM: Dave Barrett, Hirut Cafe.
Dave Barrett plays solo guitar arrangements
of holiday favourites in the intimate
setting of Hirut Cafe.
!!
DEC 21, 9PM: Robi Botos and Hilario
Duran, Jazz Bistro. Now an annual event,
two of Toronto’s leading jazz pianists play
Christmas music, jazz standards, and
music that reflects each player’s unique
roots.
Colin Story is a jazz guitarist,
Dave Barrett
writer and teacher based in
Toronto. He can be reached at
www.colinstory.com, on Instagram and on Twitter.
D. In the Clubs (Mostly Jazz)
8pm John Fraser Findlay. Dec 13 8:30pm
Don Naduriak: Jazz of the Americas. Dec 15
5pm Holiday Spirit Cabaret. Dec 17 8pm Finger
Style Guitar Association Open Stage.
Dec 18 8pm The BTBs. Dec 19 8pm John Fraser
Findlay. Dec 20 8pm Steve Koven Trio.
Dec 21 8pm Dave Barrett Christmas Solo Guitar
Show. Dec 22 8pm Clara Engel Winter
Solstice Show. Dec 26 8pm Blues Jam. Dec 27
9pm Hirut Hoot Comedy Night. Dec 28 8pm
Donne Roberts Duo. Dec 31 Hirut New Year’s
Eve Extravaganza.
Home Smith Bar – See The Old Mill
Hugh’s Room Live
2261 Dundas St. W 416 533 5483
hughsroomlive.com
All shows at 8:30pm unless otherwise noted.
See website for individual show prices.
Dec 1 Oh Susanna and Friends. Dec 4 8pm
Patricia O’Callaghan. Dec 5 Luke McMaster:
The Christmas Show. Dec 6 Ensemble
Vivant. Dec 7 Carlos del Junco. Dec 8 10am
Broadway Arts Recital, 8:30pm Quartette.
Dec 11 Jazzcast n’ Joy. Dec 12 Dr.
Draw. Dec 13 Craig Cardiff. Dec 14 Jack
de Keyzer. Dec 15 2pm The Ault Sisters,
8:30pm Boreal Songs for the Snowy Season.
Dec 16 Broadsway. Dec 17 9am Ravel,
8:30pm Bluesin’ Toronto Presents: Another
Blues Christmas. Dec 18 The Mistletones.
Dec 19 The Arrogant Worms. Dec 20 Kellylee
Evans: Winter Song. Dec 22 Anthony
Gomes. Dec 27 Suzie Vinnick. Dec 28 Don
Ross. Dec 30 Wintergarten Orchestra.
Dec 31 9:30pm New Year’s Eve 2020 w/
Oakland Stroke. Jan 4 Luke and the Apostles.
Jan 8 Connie Kaldor and Garnet Rogers.
Jan 10 Homeward Bound: The Music of
Simon and Garfunkel. Jan 11 8pm A Birthday
Tribute to Elvis feat. The Lustre Kings.
Jan 13 Sammy Miller and the Congregation.
Jan 14 Eric Andersen and Scarlet Rivera.
Jan 17 Matt Weidinger: A Tribute to Van Morrison.
Jan 18 Sweet Baby James: A Tribute to
James Taylor. Jan 19 2pm Ken Whiteley Gospel
Brunch. Jan 25 Celebrating the Music
of Tina Turner. Jan 26 7:30pm Lynn Harrison.
Jan 29 Albert Lee. Jan 30 Albert Lee.
Jan 31 Midge Ure.
The Jazz Bistro
251 Victoria St. 416-363-5299
jazzbistro.ca (full schedule)
Dec 1 6pm Opimian Wine Club de Vin – Champagne
& Jazz. Dec 4 9pm Irwin Hall. Dec 5
9pm Irwin Hall. Dec 8 7pm Sam Broverman’s
Jewish Boy’s Christmas. Dec 10 8pm Lauren
Ferraro’s Christmas. Dec 11 8pm David
Rubel’s 251 Jazz Jam Session. Dec 12 9pm
Mike Murley Quartet. Dec 13 9pm Genevieve
Marentette: The Music of Don Franks. Dec 14
9pm Stu Mac’s Christmas Show. Dec 15 7pm
Stacey MacIntyre Sings Christmas. Dec 16
8pm Christopher Wilson’s Cocktails and
Candy Canes. Dec 17 8pm Christopher Wilson’s
Cocktails and Candy Cane. Dec 18 8pm
David Rubel’s 251 Jazz Jam Session. Dec 19
8:30pm 106 Collective Quartet. Dec 20 9pm
The Freeman Brothers Band. Dec 21 9pm
Robi Botos and Hilario Duran Piano Duo.
Dec 22 7pm Robert Scott: A Charlie Brown
Christmas. Dec 27 9pm Galen Weston Band.
Dec 28 9pm Gabi Epstein’s LaPepstein
Hanukkah Party. Dec 31 9pm New Year’s w/
Coldjack.
The Jazz Room
Located in the Huether Hotel, 59 King St. N.,
Waterloo. 226-476-1565
kwjazzroom.com (full schedule)
Attendees must be 19+. Cover charge varies
(generally $12-$25)
Dec 6 8:30pm Andriy Tykhonov Quintet.
Dec 7 8:30pm Brian Dickinson Trio. Dec 13
8:30pm Mary-Catherine Quartet. Dec 14
3pm Saturday Afternoon Jazz Jam, 8:30pm
Ted Quinlan Group. Dec 15 4pm The Woodhouse
feat. Barbra Lica. Dec 20 8:30pm Tom
Nagy Christmas. Dec 21 8:30pm Jason White
Trio. Dec 27 8:30pm Carlos Morgan Quartet.
Dec 28 8:30pm Adrean Farrugia’s Playdate.
Dec 31 7pm New Year’s Eve at The Jazz Room
w/ Jason White and The Jitterbugs.
Lula Lounge
1585 Dundas St. W. 416-588-0307
lula.ca (full schedule)
Every Fri 7:30pm Afterwork Global Party
Series free before 8pm; Every Fri 8:30pm
Havana Club Fridays $15; Every Sat 10:30pm
Salsa Saturdays $15.
Dec 1 6:30pm Gregg Stafford – New Orleans
Stomp!. Dec 8 2pm Terreiro do Samba.
Dec 10 6pm TEA Green City Celebration: Holiday
Party 2019 & Ecobunk Awards. Dec 11
7pm The Double Cuts Western Swing Band:
Let Us Be Frank. Dec 12 6pm Ori Dagan: The
Rat Pack Songbook Show. Dec 12 9pm Badge
Époque Ensemble & André Ethier: Double
Album Release Party. Dec 22 6pm Dang
Show: Winter SOULstice 2019. Dec 29 12pm
Drag Brunch.
Manhattans Pizza Bistro & Music Club
951 Gordon St., Guelph 519-767-2440
manhattans.ca (full schedule)
72 | December 2019 – January 2020 thewholenote.com