You Should Come!

Grab your lunch and join me tomorrow at Metro Hall (King and John) for some great jazz with Andrew Scott. Celebrate the end of the city workers strike with the first free outdoor City of Toronto produced concert in over month!

Jake Wilkinson, every Monday in July!

A quick note to let you know that Jake Wilkinson will be playing with his wonderful Quartet every Monday in July starting at 6:30pm at The Rex Hotel. Wash away the dust of the work day and enjoy Jake's blend of standards and ballads over a drink or dinner at one of the most comfortable and welcoming rooms in the city. If you are in Toronto, and would like more details, drop me a note...

"Jake is one of those rare musicians who really understands the voice of the trumpet. His horn sings and shouts whispers. It tells you a story. It lets you in on a secret. It surprises you. It guides you through songs that are fresh and new but somehow familiar. It's the voice of a friend who knows jazz, inside and out." - Andy Sheppard, CBC Radio.

La Belle Epoque Fall Music Series

MTN Media Relations has been working for the past month or so with the fabulous Sybil Walker and The Academy of Spherical Arts on a new music series featuring great singers in the intimate La Belle Epoque Room. I wanted to share some video footage that I shot of some of the talent from the first few shows so that you can get a taste of what this great series has to offer. Despite the fact that I have been "working" at these shows they have still been some of the most relaxing and pleasant evenings out I've had in a long time. I think that's saying a lot!

Heather Bambrick, multi award winner and Jazz FM radio personality is one of the most purely entertaining artists working in Toronto today. Here she is with her stellar band performing a tune familiar to Nancy Wilson fans, Look At Me Now.

Heather Bambrick

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Amanda Martinez (also familiar to listeners of Jazz FM) is one of the brightest lights in the Canadian Latin music scene and I think this footage of her performing one of her own compositions (with Heather's band) shows why. She's truly captivating.

Amanda Martinez

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Last week the electrifying Juno nominated blues diva Shakura S'Aida paid tribute to Nina Simone. Here she is with her band (including Robi Botos on piano) bringing down the house with I Put A Spell On You. You'll notice a jump in the quality of this video thanks to the fact that it was a two camera shoot. (Kudos to the Robeau for helping out with his newly acquired mad video editing skills too!)

Shakura S'Aida

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On Friday, October 5th La Belle Epoque will be presenting Carmen Unzipped with the wonderful pianist Patti Loach and the legendary opera star Jean Stilwell. It promises to be a really memorable evening. If you're in the T.dot, I hope you can make it out!

For more information, or if the videos on this page present technical difficulties, please visit La Belle Epoque Music Series

From the desk of MTN (Read: Shameless Plug)

This Thursday, July 12th at 7pm Gene DiNovi's trio "Generations" will be in concert at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre. The trio, (DiNovi, piano; Dave Young, bass; Andrew Scott; guitar) made their much anticipated debut as part of the JAZZ FM Sound of Jazz concert series earlier this year. This concert will be recorded for future distribution on Marshmallow Records.

Be sure to listen to Gene DiNovi on JAZZ FM tomorrow morning (Tuesday, July 10th - in the 9am hour) when he will be on air with Ralph Benmergui to discuss the concert, the recording and no doubt, share some of his great, timeless jazz stories! JAZZ FM can be found online at www.jazz.fm.

The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre is located at 6 Garamond Court in Toronto. Tickets are going fast! To get yours, and be a part of this live recording, call 416-441-2345.



“Generations”
Gene DiNovi (piano)
Dave Young (bass)
Andrew Scott (guitar)

“Generations” brings together the tri-generational musical talents of pianist Gene DiNovi, bassist Dave Young and guitarist Andrew Scott. With more than a century of combined musical experience, “Generations” entertains audiences with their creative performances of original compositions and gems from the great American songbook.

Performing as a drummer less trio, “Generations” intimate sound is an homage to DiNovi’s first group (with guitarist Chuck Wayne and bassist Bill Crow). Some of “Generations” repertoire is taken from this original ensemble that played many of New York’s fabled 52nd Street jazz clubs during the late 1940s and early 1950s. “Generations” captures the spirit and sound of that original bebop scene (of which DiNovi was a charter member), drawing on the pianist’s vast experiences as a sideman for Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Marsala, Boyd Raeburn, Stan Hasselgard, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Lester Young, Peggy Lee, Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, Carmen McRae, Fats Navarro, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, and Al Cohn. Since 1990 DiNovi has recorded for Candid, Hep, Baldwin Street and Marquis. However he has primarily recorded for Mitsuo Johfu and his prestigious Marshmallow label. The debut recording of ‘Generations’ will be on this label as well.

Although younger than DiNovi, bassist Dave Young has had an equally impressive career in both jazz and classical circles. A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Young has worked with Lenny Breau, Clark Terry, Zoot Sims, Moe Koffman and Nat Adderley to name but a few. His own recordings with Phil Dwyer, Michel Lambert and Rob Piltch (winner of the 1993 best jazz JUNO award) and later his series of duo spots with such pianists as Oliver Jones, Mulgrew Miller, Barry Harris, Tommy Flanagan and Renee Rosnes earned him the respect of musicians and jazz critics worldwide. Young is currently the bassist with Oscar Peterson.

Andrew Scott is the youngest member of the trio. With two recordings out on the Sackville label (This One’s for Barney with Harry Allen and Blue Mercer with Randy Sandke and Mike Murley), Scott has garnered radio, press and jazz festival attention around the world. Scott is in demand as both a jazz guitarist and educator (currently on the faculty of Humber College, York University and Seneca College). He has worked with such fine musicians as Bob James, Mike Murley, Randy Sandke, Perry White, Harry Allen, Bernie Senensky, Terry Clarke, Phil Stewart, Don Thompson, Marvin Stamm, Bob Moses, Duncan Hopkins, Terry Lukiwski, Phil Dwyer, Jake Wilkinson, William Carn, Terry Promane, Steve McDade, Andrew Downing, Mark Kelso and Marc Jordan.

Introducing MTN Media Relations

Towards the end of 2006 I accepted an offer from my talented friend Andrew Scott to represent him as his Publicist. The role has been a good fit for me, allowing me to utilize the skills I've developed over the years as a "multi-hyphenate" in the Toronto Arts and Entertainment scene and letting me do the thing I love to do above most anything else...talk about great jazz music.

If you are a regular on this blog you know just how talented Mr. Scott is and can imagine that selling him and his music is probably just about the easiest thing I've ever had to do. After almost six months of working in this capacity for Andrew I've decided that it is going well enough (both in terms of success and enjoyment) for me to "hang out my shingle", so, without further ado, I give you MTN Media Relations.

I'm very proud of this website, which was designed by the wonderful artist Kurt Firla. You'll remember his great work on the poster for "Letters to Liam" last fall. I like that the image it projects is a feminine one. This world I've entered into (like so many that I've worked and lived in) is a boys club and I want to maintain and quite frankly, flaunt the fact that I'm a girl. I believe it is one of my greatest assets, in this and any other line of work I take on.

While I am absolutely relishing this new project and the jazz writing and photography I am also taking on with more frequency, I am still gainfully employed by the good people at CSIS. I love that job and it still pays the bills. My passion for jazz would find me in a homeless shelter eating Mr. Noodles if I didn't have a "day job" to support it. I'm not prepared to sit at the side of the road holding a sign that says "Will tell you what jazz music to listen to for food". Not yet anyway.

This is the part where I make you work

With the addition of the new website to my online presence I am considering switching templates for 'ol Bloggy McBloggerson here. What do you all think of this template? I like it a lot. I think it's clean and simple and says "Hey, sit down and enjoy a cup of joe with Miss Tracey Nolan". I also DON'T like it (in fact, I kind of hate it) because it's not THIS template, which although it's been slagged with great frequency for its run of the mill-ness and green colour is a sort of home for me. I find it comforting or something. I'd be thrilled if you could weigh in and let me know what you think about this template issue. What say you, pals of mine? Should Bloggy McBloggerson get a makeover? Do you think he would look good in a pohawk?