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July 04 - July 11, 2004 |
Summer Sounds of Jazz
Downtown Jazz has a new sponsor but same pleasing format
By Kerry Doole
Originally Published: 2004-06-27
Summer's here and the time is right for swinging in the streets. Yes, jazz festival season is upon us once more, and the city's biggest returns from June 25 to July 4.
If not in the streets (unlike Montreal's fest), the TD Canada Trust Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival will certainly feature swingin' sounds in the city's clubs, restaurants and squares. The event's official name has changed, reflecting its new major sponsor. It had long been known as the DuMaurier Downtown Jazz Festival, but legislation restricting tobacco company sponsorships put an end to that.
The bank's support is substantial, as the festival's longtime Executive Producer Patrick Taylor told a media conference recently. "TD Canada Trust have made a four year commitment to Downtown Jazz, and are supporting 10 jazz festivals across Canada."
Under the leadership of Taylor and Artistic Director Jim Galloway, Downtown Jazz (now in its 18th year) remains refreshingly eclectic in its booking approach. Given the plethora of musical talent appearing, it's timely to offer a few ideas about possible highlights.
A preview concert pairing Canada's two best jazz pianists, Oscar Peterson and Oliver Jones (sorry Diana Krall), has just taken place, but lovers of jazz piano have plenty more promising possibilities. These include piano giants Jay McShann and Junior Mance, Geoff Keezer, and Joanne Brackeen. They're all at The Montreal Bistro, long a reliable venue for quality music.
The mainstage concerts in Nathan Phillips Square remain the backbone of the festival. A strong and varied lineup there includes The Bud Shank Quartet with alto sax star Phil Woods on June 25 (opening act D.D. Jackson is a fine pianist), The Latin Jazz All-Stars (June 26), guitar ace John Scofield in with his trio on June 27, gospel greats The Blind Boys of Alabama (June 28), Wynton Marsalis (June 29), the genre-hopping Bela Fleck and The Flecktones (June 30), improvising instrumental trio The New Deal, (July 1), Rite Of Strings (featuring Stanley Clarke, Al Di Meola, and Jean-Luc Ponty) (July 2), and Gary Burton's Generations Quintet (July 3), and an Organ Summit with Joey DeFrancesco, Jimmy McGriff and Doug Riley (July 4).
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