Jazz Festivals and Theatre Firing Up Cities Menus

By William Doyle-Marshall

As usual, the City of Toronto and other cities across Canada are warming up with cultural activities designed to keep everyone involved. The diverse range spans music theatre arts, art, sculpture, dance, calypso, and the list goes on, Multi award winning trumpeter Brownman and his musical entourage will be appearing at 15 different locations around Toronto during this year’s Toronto Jazz Festival which runs through July 2.

In an exclusive interview recently with Indo Caribbean News the Trinidad-born musician and bandleader expressed a burning desire to see more Canadian bands featured on the main stage of the festival. While Brownman announced proudly that he is busy during the festival, he noted none of his gigs are on the main stage of the Toronto Jazz Festival which he considered “kind of weird”.

  “They don’t really support local artists. They put a handful of local guys on the main stage but really they’re saving their money to pay for the big names or the super stars so not much is left over for local support. Usually it’s a poor showing of local talent on the main stage but everybody runs into a club. So if you want to see Toronto talent during the Toronto Jazz Festival you got to go to the clubs. It’s about selling tickets and putting hums in seats,” Brownman remarked.”

Legendary super-group, KC and The Sunshine Band kicked off the festivities with a free concert marking the TD Toronto Jazz Festival launch of its 30th edition, Friday, June 24 at Nathan Phillips Square. With official DJ and hosting duties by Canada’s hip-hop ambassador, Kardinal Offishall, opening night featured the Heavyweights Brass Band and a special performance with a Swing vs. Street dance-off like Toronto had never seen before!

   The Brownman Akoustic Trio performs July 1 Second Cup Coffee Co. 287-289 King Street West. The Festival is expanding its footprint and by partnering, for the first time, with Second Cup Coffee Co. at the new concept café at King Street and John Street. “Programming will be chosen to reflect the contemporary and laidback environment, showcasing the wide variety of jazz being performed in Toronto year-round,” festival promo promises. Joe Sealy, June Bunnette, Hilario Duran, Molly Johnson, Toronto Mass Choir, Tanika Charles, Rhythm and Truth; We Came to Get Down: Swing vs. Street; Bill King Express and  are among Canadian performers booked to appear during the festival.

   Another Jazz event which attracted music lovers took place in Calgary, Alberta, where among the genres showcased was a taste of Latin offerings. Kodi Hutchinson, artist director of Calgary Jazz YYC Festival concurred that Jazz is such a wide ranging music that it’s really important having groups like that as part of the festival. Jazz is not just swing. It’s not just straight ahead. It’s really a vast diverse genre and there are quite a few Cuban groups in Alberta, Hutchinson concluded.

“Class In Session! Don’t Forget Your Eraser.” This Homeland Collective production will be premiering at the 2016 Toronto Fringe Festival, this summer, from June 29 – July 10. During the period of the festival Eraser can be seen at Westside Montessori School, 95 Bellevue Avenue, Toronto. It is a site-specific physical theatre show, set in a downtown Toronto school. From kindergarten to grade six, the performers explore immigration, bullying, puberty, first crushes, racism, and queer family structures. This is Producer Winnie Nwakobi’s first show as a  producer. However, she is no stranger to the business having tastes as director, producer and performer. Last year, she directed 'The Vagina Monologues' at York University. Ms Nwakobi has also been part of The Paprika Festival for 3 years, where she produced, wrote and performed 3 different shows with other artists. She is also currently a Youth Link Artist with Canada’s highly successful Soulpepper Theatre Company.

   Eraser’s performers are some of Toronto’s rising talent who are sure to make you laugh and cry as you are transported back in time when pencils and erasers were among your best companions. “Once we become adults it is easy to forget our roots and earliest influences. Children are often thought of as innocent. Through our explorations, we have uncovered the depth, complexities and traumas that hide beneath this layer of innocence,” the collective promises

    Eraser, directed by Sadie Epstein-Fine and Elise LaCroix, features an outstanding 6-person ensemble: Moe Baloch; Christol Bryan; Deanna Galati; Victoria Gubiani; Michael Pintucci; Nathan Redburn. The creative team is comprised of Aman Banwait (Sound Design); Jocelyn Graham (Costume/Set Design); Zack Lovetime (Stage Manager); Madeleine Monteleone (Stage Manager);  Winnie Nwakobi (Producer); Molly Thomas (Dramaturg); Cole Vincent (Lighting Design).

   Meanwhile, members of the Caribbean community are gearing up for their big summer cultural extravaganza which showcases carnival costumes along the streets of the City of Toronto and calypsonians are sharpening their performance skills to entertain audiences between now and the end of July.

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