Blog
@ 1313 Music Festival, October 7-9, 2011
Here is a notice from our building neighbours and jazz purveyors...
@
1313
MUSIC FESTIVAL
October 7-8-9 2011
1313 HOLLIS STREET, HALIFAX, NS
8pm (doors 7:30)
$20 & $15 at the door - cash only pls.
presented by
1313 Music and suddenlyLISTEN
Hosted by & featuring each evening
THE JERRY GRANELLI TRIO
Jerry Granelli drums Dani Oore saxophone Simon Fisk bass/cello.
FRIDAY OCT 7: double bill with TURTLEBOY (Brooklyn)
SATURDAY OCT 8: double bill with DRAGOS TARA and DIATRIBES (Switzerland)
SUNDAY OCT 9: THE JERRY GRANELLI TRIO
Some stars aligned and rather than make choices we said let's do it all - and here it is - the first @ 1313 Music Festival.
The Jerry Granelli Trio is off on a national tour to promote their new CD Let Go and this is their launch. Dani will be in from Toronto and Simon from Calgary so do come and see them off.
Turtleboy is a Brooklyn based bassless trio (saxophone, guitar, drums) led by Canadian guitarist Ryan Butler. Inspired by the music of Paul Motian's bassless trio, the three musicians explore this relatively rare musical combination blending concepts from free-jazz and other parts of the jazz tradition with aspects of indie rock to create an experience that is steeped in atmospheric space, loose grooves and intelligent improvised interactions. Check them out at www.turtleboytrio.com
Dragos Tara is a Swiss composer, double bass player and electronic musician motivated by an interest in game theory, the diversion of social rituals and the extension of instrument and body by technology. He will be playing with Swiss duo Diatribes who roam the territory from free jazz to electroacoustic improv depending on where their guests take them - highly reactive, dynamic, percussive, textured..... bound to be interesting. http://dragostara.blogspot.com/
Three very different nights. A Thanksgiving treat. Hope you can join us for as much as possible. And remember - 1313 is an all ages venue. Spread the word. You can reserve tickets by email - 1313hollis@gmail.com
AND - while at 1313 you can view the work of photographers Kyle Cunjak and Aaron McKenzie Fraser whose Photopolis show Carny/Sappy is hanging for the month of October.
AND - next week, Thursday Oct 13, THE LINA ALLEMANO FOUR will be appearing at 1313. More to come on that.
Joe Sealy's Africville with George Elliott Clarke is coming to Halifax!
Two Canadian icons on stage, music to sweeten and chill the heart of us and a story that speaks to the spirit of the African-Nova Scotian community…JazzEast is proud to present Joe Sealy’s Africville with George Elliott Clarke, Saturday, November 5, 2011 at the Lilian Piercey Concert Hall.
“This production could not be any richer or more important to Halifax,” says Laura ‘Lulu’ Healy, Artistic Director of JazzEast. “Not only is its jazz performance fantastic, the presence of two major Canadian artists presenting their crafts on a subject that has greatly influenced their work and lives is creatively thrilling.”
Based on the JUNO Award winning recording Africville Suite, Joe Sealy’s touring musical tribute to Africville features traditional style jazz compositions and spoken word. Its performance has always been popular musically and conceptually, but this time, with the inclusion of George Elliott Clarke and his readings from his works inspired by Africville, the resonance of the production will be historical.
“In light of today’s reclaiming of the name Africville, having these seminal artists in Halifax in the same year is perfect for the history books,” says Healy.
Tickets are $25 all in and are on sale on-line now at jazzeast.com. Phone and in person sales begin September 5 at the JazzEast offices, 1313 Hollis Street, second floor.
Click here for MORE INFO | to BUY TICKETS
[Picture of Joe Sealy taken by Artie Irwin during the original Africville Suite presentation.]
Lina Allemano Four: October Concert!
I have had the pleasure of having my mind shattered and then reformed by Lina Allemano Four twice since I've been wise enough to look to jazz for good times. Each one of the members are little gifts unto themselves. I hope you can come!
~~~~~~~~
Toronto's cutting edge avant-jazz band, LINA ALLEMANO FOUR - known for their inventiveness and synergy - deftly blur the line between composition and improvisation. Lina Allemano was featured as one of Downbeat Magazine's top innovative trumpeters for the future. The band has toured extensively over the past 6 years in Canada and the US, having released 3 widely acclaimed CDs. Their newest album, Jargon (Lumo Records 2010), was named in Exclaim! Magazine's "Improv & Avant-Garde Albums of the Year" and Eye Weekly's "Best Toronto Albums".
LINA ALLEMANO FOUR: Lina Allemano trumpet; Brodie West alto saxophone; Andrew Downing double bass; Nick Fraser drums.
Thursday, October 13 at 8:00pm
1313 Hollis
$10
Jazz treats at Sappy Fest - July 29-31
This is the kind of music loving--no boundaries, please--that I love. Sappy Fest is an awesome place where jazz finds a home within a predominantly indie setting. This means it is cool and worthy of note, and you should go to Sackville, NB on a road trip and check these folks out.
Here are JazzEast picks for the jazz fan at Sappy Fest
SATURDAY, JULY 30
No More Shapes (Calgary) | Mainstage tent | 1-5pm line-up
This all-star trio explores territories such as small sound electronic improvisation to full on Ornette-ish like free bop, while also drawing from musical sources such as rock, pop, folk, and noise. [JazzEast - spacious and beautiful with tasteful jazz drumming and some spurts of improv. Not complicated but pleasing in the leaps.] WATCH!
Fond of Tigers (Vancouver) | Mainstage tent | 7pm-12am line-up
Is this the Melvins playing jazz with a horn section? No, but it’s the next best thing. Fond of Tigers combine precision odd-meter power tactics, the chaotic thrash of no wave, and a punk-ish predilection for good-natured noisemaking to deliver a compelling punch. [JazzEast - Those of you who love the driving beat that frees players to add noise to the melodic path will like these guys.] WATCH!
SUNDAY, JULY 31
Drumheller (Toronto) | Mainstage tent | 2-7pm
An all-star quintet of Toronto new-generation improvisors. Drumheller’s music is both grandly swinging and bizarre at turns. A striking, iconoclastic, and superb group pushing the boundaries of jazz and improvised music. [JazzEast - Sappy's write-up says it all.] WATCH!
Jerry Granelli (Halifax) | Vogue Theatre | 4-8pm
[JazzEast - Do I need to tell you about him? I can say that to see him in the Sappy context is going to be super cool.] WATCH!
Go to sappyfest.com to find out how to buy tickets (their prices are awesome!) and anything else that we make you realize the fun to be had.
Because it's Cool Like That!
Today is the last day of the Halifax Jazz Festival! Can you believe it?! It feels like we started just yesterday!
Speaking of yesterday...I hope you were able to catch some of the great acts that played! LA-33 and SALSA PICANTE had the entire tent up on their feet and dancing to that sweet salsa music! JEFF REILLY - BLACK SUN was an incredible experience. I've never seen live contemporary classical music before, and this was a great introduction to the style!
I've been able to see so many amazing acts over the course of the last week, and tonight is not going to be any different! We have some more great free daytime shows until 5PM down at the tent, including the CREATIVE MUSIC WORKSHOP students showing off their chops, and the announcement of the winner of the GALAXIE RISING STAR competition!
We're really excited to present CHARLES SPEARIN'S THE HAPPINESS PROJECT tonight at St. Matthew's Church. You'll be able to catch CHARLES performing with his group, BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE, August 7th at Alderney Landing during HALIFAX POP EXPLOSION'S M FEST! Performing with CHARLES will be JERRY GRANELLI and MARY JANE LAMOND! This will be the final concert in a series of JERRY'S 70th birthday celebration concerts! You'll still be able to get your fill soon, though! He'll be performing at SAPPYFEST on Sunday, July 31st!
We've got our final tent show, too, and we're going out with a bang! DIGABLE PLANETS and NOMADIC MASSIVE will be hitting the stage and showing us how to party! WAAHLI from NOMADIC MASSIVE has been hanging out at the festival for the past few days and has been such a sweetheart, I'm excited to see him get up and do his thing with the band! I'm especially excited for DIGABLE PLANETS to show us how to be cool like that!
Meanwhile at the Lord Nelson, we have our great big final night bash! I'm so excited to finally meet ALEX PANGMAN - she's been such a sweetheart, even sending us the most amazing video for our Favourite Album Friday a few weeks back! She'll be playing two sets, and then at 11PM, JUBILEE SWING ORCHESTRA will be hitting the stage with special guest, JOHNNY FAVOURITE, who will be playing on a Halifax stage for the first time since 1998!
Now in case you didn't know, this isn't just any ol' regular night, this is going to be the best final night ever! As a treat for our festival's closing night, this night - and space - is extended! We'll be bringing down the walls, putting down our dancefloor, and taking over the Lord Nelson by opening up all 3 rooms (the Imperial Ballroom, the Regency, and the Georgian Lounge) to make this a truly special and unique experience! Be sure to come celebrate what is sure to be an amazing final night!
Variety is The Spice of Life
Last night was yet another smashing success, despite that nasty rain that keeps daring to show its face! There were so many different shows with very different styles, it made for an interesting evening! Even with the rain, the tent was still packed last night for LAILA BIALI and CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE and it was a wonderful show. LAILA BIALI's cover of FEIST's Mushaboom made my heart melt.
The church was really well attended for our JAZZEAST 25TH ANNIVERSARY BIG BAND free show! It was fantastic to see so many great musicians play together and even some who have been there since the first few years of the festival! I always love seeing any show at the church - the look and sound is so great every time, but this was definitely a special treat.
FRIENDLY RICH AND THE LOLLIPOP PEOPLE blew my mind at the Company House. I had been looking forward to that show for the last few weeks because I had no idea what to expect other than the unexpected, and they certainly didn't disappoint. The show was bizarre, interesting, engaging, shocking, and fun. Not to mention that the guys were also all really incredibly nice - I love it when you meet artists and they're genuinely great people.
We rushed over to the Imperial Ballroom at the Lord Nelson to catch a bit of KEREN ANN's set. Her voice was sultry and seductive and enchanting. She told the crowd about how they had lost some of their gear during their flight, being yet another awful flight story for the night, along with LAILA BIALI not being able to open for ELVIS COSTELLO (although her band was able to play without her!) and BARRY ROMBERG's delayed flight making for a genuine late night show at the Georgian Lounge! Even with the later-than-usual time, the venue was still full of jazz lovers who enjoyed the evening.
(Photo Credit: Chris Cowper-Smith. Make sure to check out the rest
of his Halifax Jazz Festival pictures on his website, QUARKVIEW)
Tonight we've got a great Friday night ahead of us! JEFF REILLY - BLACK SUN is happening at 7PM at the St. Matthew's United Church. If you had a great time dancing to FORRO IN THE DARK, tonight you'll be able to put on your dancing shoes again for LA-33 and SALSA PICANTE at the festival tent starting at 8PM. At 9PM we've got KIRK MACDONALD QUARTET at the Imperial Ballroom and GRANELLI/TRONZO/GRANELLI at 1313 Hollis, finishing with the amazing SILVIO PUPO QUARTET at the late night at the Georgian Lounge!
Don't forget - due to the rain on Tuesday, the PAUL SIMONS DUO will be playing the Whirligig TODAY at 4:30PM until 6PM followed by JOHN CHIASSON AND THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND from 615-745PM. We've also got our very last GALAXIE RISING STAR contestant, GLEN STRICKEY QUARTET, playing at the daytime tent at 3:45PM!
Dance Fever!
Yesterday was full of dancing and fun thanks to ZUMBINI CIRCUS and FORRO IN THE DARK. Both bands had me up on my feet, dancing as hard as I could (granted, I pulled a muscle in my shoulder so it may or may not have resembled swaying more than dancing, but I assure you, the intent was there).
Earlier in the day, James got to go down to the CREATIVE MUSIC WORKSHOP and get a glimpse of what a day is like at the intensive class. ANTHONY COX was there to give a clinic after his great masterclass the day before at 1313 Hollis!
I was able to catch the stunning ELISAPIE ISAAC at the Company House. I haven't ever seen that place so packed before - the show sold-out fairly quickly, and ELISAPIE wowed the crowd with her enchanting voice.
If you haven't been able to grab a lemonade at the PROM QUEEN LEMONADE stand at the festival tent, you're definitely missing out. We've had more than a few people come up and tell us that it's the best lemonade you'll ever have, and after having a taste of the ginger lemonade, I have to agree. We talk with Justine about what makes PROM QUEEN LEMONADE so gosh darned tasty!
PromQueenJustineInterview by Jazzy Jazzer
There's only 3 nights left of the festival, but what an amazing three nights they're going to be! Tonight we've got the JAZZEAST 25TH ANNIVERSARY BIG BAND at St. Matthew's United Church for FREE! CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE & INSIDE STRAIGHT will be performing at the festival tent along with LAILA BIALI (whose cover of Let Go is unbelievable!) Not to mention the sultry KEREN ANN will be performing at the Imperial Ballroom! I'm really excited to see what FRIENDLY RICH AND THE LOLLIPOP PEOPLE have up their sleeves tonight at the Company House. I can't even really begin to attempt to try to figure out what to expect, all I know is that it will undoubtedly be unforgettable! If you've still got some energy in you after all of these amazing shows tonight, make sure to head down to the Georgian Lounge at the Lord Nelson to check out BARRY ROMBERG TRIO featuring KIRK MACDONALD. It's sure to be great!
I'll leave you with yet another montage of the last few days, including performances by CYNDI CAIN, HARRY MANX, SISTERS EUCLID (with guest appearances by HARRY MANX & MIKE COWIE!) and MIKE MURLEY.
Singin' in the Rain
Despite the drizzle last night, folks didn't let it fizzle out the energy and good times at the tent! We got to talk to some fine folks who definitely didn't let the rain keep them from some great jazz! Some fine gentleman even made the rainy day their first Halifax Jazz Fest experience!
We got to see some really impressive shows yesterday! CYNDI CAIN, one of the GALAXIE RISING STAR contestants, rocked the tent like no other! She has such an amazing voice - I was in complete awe! Don't forget to vote for your favourite contestant either online HERE or at the tent site! The winner receives $5,000!
Later on, the tent was full for HARRY MANX and SISTERS EUCLID. The bands gave the crowd a special treat by performing together for the last few songs, and inviting local MIKE COWIE up on stage to school us with his trumpet-playing ways!
We were able to catch a bit of WORDRHYTHM at the Company House as well. I wish I could have stayed longer - everything just kept getting better and better with every minute. The ladies had voices that made me green with envy and the band was phenomenal. I'm excited to catch SILVIO PUPO doing his thing on Friday at the late night at the Georgian Lounge! I could listen to that man play the keys all night!
We're going to go check out the CREATIVE MUSIC WORKSHOP today, and I'm really excited about it. We hope to report back with some great videos of what goes on at the workshops and hopefully I'll get to learn a thing or two myself!
Tonight at the tent we've got ZUMBINI CIRCUS, DJ WAAHLI, and FORRO IN THE DARK. FORRO is one of the acts I've been really really excited for at this festival, so I can't wait to see them! ELISAPIE ISAAC is another great act I've been really looking forward to - she's playing at the Company House and tickets are selling like hotcakes, so make sure to get yours soon! We've also got the amazing MARK MCLEAN'S PLAYGROUND happening at the Lord Nelson's Imperial Ballroom (what a gorgeous venue!) and the 2nd of four performances by JERRY GRANELLI at 1313 Hollis with GRANELLI/COX/GRANELLI/FISK! And it all ends at the Georgian Lounge late night again with the DAVE STAPLES SEPTET! Don't miss out!
Here's a video montage of some performances from the last few days, including MORGAN DAVIS, DER HEISSER, GORDON GRDINA & KENTON LOEWEN,JILL BARBER, and more!
We Found the Cure for the Monday Blues!
Yesterday was a great day at the tent - windy, but sunny; the sunburns on my shoulders are proof! We got to catch the great MORGAN DAVIS performing at the free daytime shows. He played some great ROBERT JOHNSON covers and then shared with us that it would have been Johnson's 100th anniversary this year! He passed away at the age of 27 - such a young age for such an incredible talent!
We also had the pleasure of seeing DER HEISSER, a fantastic Klezmer group founded by musicians ADAM FINE and GINA BURGESS. They were our first group of five GALAXIE RISING STAR CONTESTANTS - if you don't know about this amazing contest, head over to the GALAXIE RISING STAR pageHERE. Contestants are in the running to win $5,000 and the winner is determined by votes cast by you, so make sure to vote either online or at the GALAXIE tent down at the main tent at the Waterfront! After their performance, we took some time to grill ADAM FINE about the (one-way?) rivalry between DER HEISSER and TUNNEL SIX!
ADAM FINE knows how to run a great campaign - there's really nothing like a bit of a juicy scandal to garner some competition interest. We wish the best of luck to DER HEISSER, TUNNEL SIX, and all other groups competing in the competition - CYNDI CAIN, JAFFA ROAD, and GLEN STRICKEY QUARTET. May the best band win!
We were also able to talk to a few people about what brought them out to the festival, and we got some lovely surprises!
This lovely gentleman told us about how he had been going to the festival since it first started 25 years ago, and how he usually takes a week or so off work just to attend! That's dedication!
STEPHANIE surely wasn't disappointed by JILL BARBER 's performance - she played an unforgettable set! The crowd was in complete awe and enchantment, getting swept away in the romance of it all! We rushed to 1313 Hollis to see GORDON GRDINA and I must say that KENTON LOEWEN had some of the most impressive druming I've seen in a long time! We finished off the night at the late night stage at the Georgian Lounge with THOM SWIFT & THE EL CAMINOS which couldn't have been a better way to end such a wonderful day!
Although the rain showed its face again today, that won't stop us! We have some great things on the go tonight - SISTERS EUCLID & HARRY MANX are performing at the festival tent, and we are having our first official show at the Company House tonight with WORDRHYTHM! And as always, the cool cats will be heading out to the late night stage at the Georgian Lounge to be hypnotized by the wonderful MIKE MURLEY QUARTET!
Records!
And not the vinyl kind (although the TAZ Records tent has a bunch of those!) - last night's show with PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND broke the record for most attendees in our 25 year history! Wow! Thanks so much to everyone who came out to the show and made that possible! It means the world to us!
And what a show to see! The band was beyond amazing and blew away every expectation I had. Our content coordinator, JAMES MACAULAY, looked like a kid at Disneyland - I haven't seen anyone so in awe and excited for a band in a really long time! Judging by the crowd in front dancing with huge smiles on their faces during the entire set, I'd say he wasn't the only one! There was so much energy and magic happening last night, you couldn't help but be in a fantastic mood!
The day had been amazing from the very start - gorgeous weather, great music, and lots of dancing! We were able to get an interview with DORIS MASON after her Ella-vation set, where she tells us why she fell in love with ELLA FITZGERALD and what acts she's most excited for at this year's festival!
DorisMasonInterview by Jazzy Jazzer
We also got to catch a great set by DANIEL MATTO at the Whirligig stage on the helipad at Bishop's Landing. This great new venue will be open from 430PM until 8PM for the next few days! It's free, but you need to be 19+ to get in! Tonight the Whirligig will feature the SYNCHRONICS!
It was also the first night of the LATE NIGHT stage at the GEORGIAN LOUNGE with the ACADIA JAZZ FACULTY! It's a really gorgeous room with a total crooner-era vibe - a perfect way to end a great evening! So make sure to head out there tonight for THOM SWIFT & THE EL CAMINOS!
This morning was also the first day of the THEODORE TUGBOAT free children's workshops! Theodore will be setting sail at 1030am each morning for the next few days, so make sure to arrive extra early (9:45am seems to be a good time!) to make sure you get a spot!
Hope to see you out and about throughout the day at the tent and around town tonight! We've got great shows at the tent with JILL BARBER, 1313 Hollis with GORDON GRDINA & KENTON LOWEN and GEORDIE HAILEY TRIO and the amazing KENNY BARON at the Casino NS's Schooner Showroom, so we've got plenty happening today to keep those Monday blues away!