Volume 27 Issue 3 - December 2021 / January 2022

ORI DAGAN
The Emmet Ray's Andrew Kaiser
faced another kind of challenge: ballooning insurance costs, at a
rate substantially higher than in previous years, as a direct result of
COVID-related insurance industry anxiety. Despite all of these challenges,
The Emmet Ray continues to go strong.
Jenna Marie Pinard
In December at The Emmet, there
are a number of excellent shows
taking place. On December 8,
vocalist Jenna Marie Pinard takes
the stage. A University of Toronto
Jazz alum, Pinard wears many
hats. She is the host of Orange
Grove Radio, a show broadcast
throughout North America, on
stations as far-flung as Victoria,
Cutler Bay, Florida, and Jackson,
Mississippi. Since 2018, she has
also run the U of T Jazz social
media accounts and is the director
of her own company, JMP Media.
As a vocalist, Pinard is equally
at home with standards as she
is with R&B (Jenna Marie R&B
has been a popular recurring gig
Jenna Marie Pinard
at The Rex for a few years now).
Though the power of her delivery
and the burnished smoothness of her tone may be the first thing that
many listeners notice, it is her attention to detail in phrasing and
articulation that really sets her apart. Pinard is joined by keyboardist
Ewen Farncombe and bassist Caleb Klager, both of whom – like Pinard
– are thoughtful, confident jazz musicians who are equally at home in
other styles.
“Unlike some musicians, I didn’t find myself particularly inspired
or soothed by the solitude of the isolation period,” Pinard told me.
“Instead I found myself yearning for live shows and communal
connection through music.” When Kaiser contacted her about the
prospect of doing a December show, Pinard “knew that [she] wanted
to do something intimate and reflective, with the goal of deeply
connecting to the musicians and audience.” Though this is a sentiment
common to most live-performance situations, the immediacy
and urgency of the audience-art connection has taken on new
meaning in the aftermath of the most stringent lockdown measures.
That being said, this will be the group’s second time playing at The
Emmet since its reopening in July; the first time,” Pinard said, “was an
incredibly restorative experience.”
Continues on page 31
A gift that’s
ALWAYS
in season.
Long & McQuade
Gift Cards
In any denomination.
For any product or service.
Purchase in-store
or online today!
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Let
The Holiday Season
Begin!
New Album!
New Album!
thewholenote.com December 2021 | 23