One of the predominant challenges faced by modern jazz musicians is that of an alienated audience. How does one push boundaries in a genre famed for its esoteric complexity—a genre where pushing boundaries is not merely expected but demanded—while managing to hold the attention of an increasingly fickle public? On Sunday night, in the Drake […]
“I hope you all stick around after,” she says with a gleam in her eye, “it’s been a long week. And we’re going to party.” Chloe Charles is addressing a packed house on the upper floor of the El Mocambo on the Saturday of Canadian Music Week. She is halfway through a jubilant set, one […]
I don’t like electronic music. You can call it house, electronica, dance, synth, trance, or whatever else you want. The point is, it’s just never been something that appeals to me. As a result, when somebody brings up Daft Punk, the two things the pop up in my head are a cartoon music video with […]
It was a brisk, sunlit afternoon and I was walking along Queen West, headed into the city to meet a friend for dinner. As I passed the south gates of Trinity Bellwoods, I pulled out my phone and absentmindedly flipped over to my Instagram feed like the modern, connected fellow I am. There, I saw […]
I went on and on about the awesomeness of The Global Cabaret Festival last year, so I’m not going to say it again. What I will say is that this year was even better with only a few mild disappointments in a wonderful weekend of 9 shows in 2 days from October 12th to 14th. […]
Mount Kimbie and Squarepusher- DANFORTH MUSIC HALL, Nov. 2 Staying relevant is difficult for modern musicians. Ubiquitous online scrutiny coupled with the limitless ability to release and re-release material has created a musical landscape where rapid change is not only expected, it is demanded; this is particularly true of electronic acts. Genres and sub-genres emerge, embellish […]
This week I went out to Glasslands to catch The Ice Choir and Craft Spells. The show was put together by PopGun, a Brooklyn based booking agency. The bill worked well with two different era kind of bands. There was a third band that opened called Ski Lodge, but I didn’t arrive in time. I […]
Omar Thomas Large Ensemble took the stage at Berklee Performance Center on July 25th to a packed house. This was Thomas’s second concert at BPC with his 18 piece jazz ensemble since becoming a faculty member at Berklee College of Music in 2008 at the age of 23- making him one of the youngest professors […]