Loose Blues News
Unpredictable Teenager: Our second annual
Maple Blues Fundraiser ended with the Sweet Sixteen
Birthday bash for the TBS... a party as prone to surprises and broken curfews as any teenager.
The first surprise came when event manager Rico Ferrara arrived at the Brunswick House to find no drums for the five bands who had generously donated their time for the evening. Apparently the rep from our sponsor, Wells Custom Drums, was locked in some highway traffic snafu on his way to the Brunny. Many thanks to Michelle Josef, later drumming with the Women's Blues Revue, for donating her kit at the last moment. Thanks also to Tom Bona, later drumming with Raoul & the Big Time, for picking up her kit at the Bar Code, and unloading it at the Brunswick House... while the Whiteleys had already starting performing. Their drummer, Bucky Berger, gradually joined the Whiteleys mid-performance, while Tom continued to set up the remainder of the kit around him.
No sooner had the drumming been added to the Whiteley line-up, than the next surprise hit: a power outage on stage. The Whiteleys didn't miss a beat. Ken continued the tune on his accordion, Chris left his electric guitar hanging over his shoulder and picked up his trumpet, and they finished the tune acoustically. It was probably only for the last couple of tunes that the stage was fully operative for the Whiteleys, who nevertheless rocked the crowd.
The Whiteleys also introduced the newest member of the clan to join them onstage: Jesse on keyboards & vocals, who, as father Chris described, is not as old as the Toronto Blues Society.
Another surprise came when City-TV arrived and wanted to do live entertainment reporting and commercial throws from our event, which would require breaking the Sweet Sixteen Party's 11:00 curfew. Jack de Keyzer generously agreed to start later & play longer. City broadcast some significant chunks of his performance on their 11:00 news that night.
Since teens are always bringing their friends home unannounced, it seemed fitting when bandleader Suzie Vinnick invited up the TBS's own Blues Doctor Julie Hill to contribute a couple of vocal selections to the Women's Blues Revue set. The Women's Blues Revue had already surprised the crowd with the addition of two "token males" - Darren Gallen & Raoul Bhaneja of the Big Time who rounded out the band.
Many thanks to all of the performers who donated their musical time to the Maple Blues Sweet Sixteen Birthday party, including the Whiteleys, Raoul & the Big Time, Rick Fines with Carlos del Junco, The Women's Blues Revue featuring Molly Johnson, Judy Brown, Suzie Vinnick, & Michelle Josef, and Jack de Keyzer.
Worth the Wait: It didn't start until after midnight, but Sue Foley's Toronto release of her new Shanachie recording, Love Comin' Down, was definitely worth the wait.
Sue performed at the Horseshoe Tavern for two solid hours, giving her band a break only while she performed one song solo, and performed another in duet with a flamenco guitarist. The flamenco guitar was only one of several special additions for the evening, er, night/morning. Sue also had producer Colin Linden perform on several tunes, as well as vocalist and bassist Suzie Vinnick on several songs, and also Montreal saxophonist Jody Golick, in town to perform with Professor Piano.
The CD release was a celebrity-studded affair, at least from a blues perspective. Colin James was invited up from the audience to perform a song, which brought more of the female audience members up to the dance floor. Many of Jann Arden's band members, who had performed earlier that evening at Massey Hall, were there, including drummer Gary Craig, known in blues circles for his harp-friendly drumming with Carlos del Junco and with Michael Pickett. Also in the Foley-friendly crowd were producer Danny Greenspoon, Marcus O'Hara and his sister, Canada's perennial Miss America, Mary Margaret O'Hara, comic, writer, and music afficionado Harry Doupe, and Cape Breton fiddler, Natalie MacMaster.
Later that week, Sue was featured in interview on TVO's "Studio 2" sessions, and performed "Let Me Drive" and "Two Trains" from the new cd. Sue's Toronto performances featured keyboardist Richard Bell, bassist Terry Wilkins, and drummer Miche Pouliot, all included on the new recording. Sue's next stop is Texas, then a 10-day western Canada tour with Jonny Lang including stops in Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Victoria.
House Gigs: Yay for more regular opportunities to hear the blues:
Blues on Bellair (the only Toronto Blues club placing the word "blues" right in the name of their establishment), is instituting regular Sunday evening blues, to cap your afternoon in this chi-chi Yorkville location. "Dine with the Big Time" will be the first regular house gig for 1999 Maple Blues New Artists Raoul & the Big Time, on Sundays from 7 to 11 pm, beginning July 9th. There may be few other opportunities to see this band come August & September, as frontman Raoul Bhaneja will be a member of Harbourfront's Soulpepper Theatre this season — just as his acting contributions to Halifax's Neptune Theatre kept him away from Toronto & the Maple Blues Awards this past winter. You can always check out Raoul's improv comedy acting chops at the very successful improvised soap opera "Sin City" every Wednesday at the Tim Sims theatre at Second City.
Twisters in Brampton (410 to Queen Street) has started a Tuesday night jam, featuring perennial Maple Blues Award drummer Maureen Brown and her band every second Tuesday at 9 pm. Special guests join the 10 pm set, and then the last set is open to interested musicians and bands. Special guests to date have included award-winning vocalists John Mays from Fathead, and Chuck Jackson from Downchild Blues Band.
Finally, Toronto swing ensemble Jake and the Blue Midnights return to their regular house gigs following their first western Canadian tour, which included dates in Vancouver and Cranbrook, B.C., Edmonton, Calgary, and Bow Island, Alberta, and Saskatoon. Now they're back at their home bases: every Monday night at the Cameron House and every Friday at the Reservoir Lounge.
Blue Jays Blues: No blues for the team, who, as we write, are on top of the American League East, but for their anthem: John Mays of Fathead recently performed the national anthems at a Jays game at SkyDome. It should be noted that he is only the second performer to sing live rather than sync to pre-recorded vocals.
Blues Idylls: Blues performances are now being presented in two new idyllic Ontario settings. The Serpent Mounds Cafe in Keene, Ontario, just south of Peterborough, is offering weekend blues performances. As well, Music at Woodhall is a new summer concert series, mostly folk, but sometimes more to the acoustic jazz/blues, in a "unique, beautiful setting nestled in the beautiful Caledon Hills. The series takes place in a renovated, turn-of-the-century barn surrounded by gardens and meadows. People are encouraged to come early and wander the grounds, bring a picnic or take part in the now-traditional potluck supper, and finally head up to the barn for an intimate concert. Admission includes delightful desserts and refreshments on the break. And when it's all over and the barn door swings open, stars and fireflies light your way down the path home."
Susie Swings our way: Montreal's Susie Arioli Swing Band played the Top of the Senator as part of the JVC Jazz Festival in late June, to celebrate the release of their CD "It's Wonderful". They had performed a very warmly-received showcase at the prestigious Birdland club in New York City during the JVC Jazz Festival held there earlier in June. The band, featuring Susie Arioli on vocals and snare, lead guitarist Jordan Officer, and bassist Stephen Barry, and sometimes augmented by guitarist Michael Jerome Browne, has performed only three times before in Toronto: as 1999 finalists in our Talent Search, during NXNE'99 at the Rex, and at Harbourfront Centre during the 1999 Downtown Jazz Festival. The band will be supporting the very popular new cd with more performances this year, including the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, and other engagements throughout Quebec and in Ottawa.
Montreal Bleues: The Montreal Blues Society held a June 12 listening party for the release of the new B.B. King and Eric Clapton CD, Riding With The King, sponsored by Warner Music Canada who were releasing the recording the following day.
CRTC Issues Three New Toronto Radio Licences: The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has issued three new radio licences for the Toronto market, to a new urban music station proposed by B. Denham Jolly (Milestone Radio Inc.), a native station proposed by Gary Farmer (Aboriginal Voices Radio), and a station aimed at listeners over 50 years of age, as proposed by CHWO Ontario Inc.
At 93.5 FM, the New Urban Music FM will offer a format targeted to an audience aged 25 to 44, intended to be "a modern day reflection of the rich musical traditions of Black musicians and Black-influenced music over the past century. This will include rhythm and blues (R&B), hip-hop, plus reggae and calypso. The station will also offer locally relevant spoken-word programming and local talent."
At 106.5 FM, Aboriginal Voices Radio will offer a very diversified programming schedule including a variety of music, open line programs, round table discussions, spirituality and teachings, language and cultural lessons, news from an aboriginal perspective, and programs in indigenous languages, intended to promote the retention and revitalization of native languages.
AM 740, New Adult Standards Radio, will offer a radio format geared towards listeners 50 and above. "The music will be a mix of easy listening, '50s pop, big band, swing and nostalgia. In addition to the regular news, weather, sports, traffic and business reports, the program hosts will provide anecdotes, humorous stories, personal insights and thoughts for the day".
The Blues Foundation Lifetime Achievement Awards will be held on October 2, 2000, in Los Angeles.
Antone sentenced. On May 25, 2000, Clifford Antone, of Antone's night club in Austin Texas, was sentenced in federal court to serve four years in prison, fined $25,000, and ordered to do 750 hours of community service in East Austin upon his release, after pleading guilty to charges of being involved in the distribution of an estimated 15,000 pounds of marijuana in the early 1990s. Clifford continues to publicly maintain his innocence as do his closest friends and business associates. After opening the original Antone's night club in the former furniture store at 6th and San Jacinto streets in 1975, Antone's has featured Sunnyland Slim, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Regular headliners at Antone's Guadalupe Street location included Albert Collins, Albert King, John Lee Hooker, Hubert Sumlin, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and special appearances by nearly every heavyweight in the blues, r&b and zydeco worlds.
We Remember: Soul blues singer Johnnie Taylor died of a massive heart attack on May 31. Taylor sold more records while at Stax Records than any of their other artists and his last two albums for Malaco Records kept him near the top of the Billboard Magazine blues chart for almost two years. He was 62 years old.
Clarksdale Bluesman, Leroy "Little Jeno" Tucker passed away June 13, pronounced dead at Northwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center in Clarksdale after being found slumped over the steering wheel of his vehicle on the side of Highway 61. Jeno was leader of the JT Express and was assisting in teaching at the Delta Blues Education Programs. JT Express is comprised of program graduates including his son Artrell Earl bassist. In Clarksdale he leaves his wife Brenda Blue and four children.
- Julie Hill, Benita Rowley
Toronto Blues Society Copyright _ 2000