Hi everyone! I somehow missed sending out a February update, even though or maybe because there was plenty going on! Not just music happening, but life happening, snow shovelling, pre-spring cleaning among other things. So for this intro I'm actually copying and pasting one of my intros I came across from exactly a year ago, in March of last year, which somehow feels even more timely now! “Hope you're all doing what you can to stay healthy and sane as possible given the current state of the world.” I know that's vague enough that it could apply to almost any time last year or this year, but it feels timely now and feels worth re-sharing, especially when there are some days when I'm at a loss for words.
And in the immediate time I feel incredibly lucky to be doing what I'm doing, and lucky enough to share music and updates with all of you! I never take that for granted!
So for this month, I'll mention a bunch of different shows coming up with my friend and bandmate Raoul Bhaneja, a first time playing a new venue in an old spot, and if you make it to the end, I'll re-share a video from last month.
Soundchecking with Raoul And The Big Time at Hugh's Room Live last weekend, on the Yamaha C7 piano and the Hammond B3 organ, two of my favourite instruments in one space!
Jimmy's Juke Joint this Sunday in Fonthill
To friends in Fonthill and in and around the greater Niagara Region: Raoul Bhaneja and I will be joining the fabulous drummer and host Jim Casson as part of his series Jimmy’s Juke Joint! We’ll be swapping tunes at Iggy’s Pub & Grub this Sunday! Some blues and jazz and everything in between! This Sunday, March 8th! 2-4:30 PM. *And a reminder since I was just reminded myself, that this Sunday is when the clocks spring forward! So if you're making the trip there, don't forget or you might miss the first half!
JazzinToronto's Songbird Series: Chet Baker & Nat King Cole
Raoul and I will also be returning to The Pilot in Yorkville, presented by JazzinToronto as part of their Songbird Series!
On Sunday, March 15th, we'll be presenting two sets in our Blue Standard duo, honouring Chet Baker and Nat King Cole! Both of these artists have inspired a lot of our repertoire already, including tunes from our Blue Standard album, and this will be fun to focus on tunes from Chet and Nat.
As a bonus, we'll be joined by special guest Dakota Dogood on vocals! She already guested with us on our last show at the Pilot a few months back, and is performing a lot around the Toronto jazz scene. You can reserve your tickets from this link HERE: Sunday, March 15, 2-4 PM!
And, for one more Blue Standard date, for our friends in Stratford, we'll be returning to The Starlight Lounge on Sunday, March 22! Always a nice spot to come back to, complete with this upright piano with FOUR pedals pictured here!
I still can't explain what that extra pedal does without looking it up. So after looking it up, it apparently sets the piano hammers closer to the strings and makes it harder to play loud because of less range of motion. There's the fun fact of the day, though I haven't tried this pedal yet btw. Maybe I will then when you see us there! Sunday, March 22, 6-8 PM!
Dina's Tavern on Spadina next Wednesday!
I'll be bringing my trio to Dina's Tavern this coming Wednesday, March 11! I'll be there with Nicholas Campbell and Matt Greco! If you haven't been to Dina's Tavern yet, there's a good chance you've been in the building at this address, 486 Spadina Ave. If that address rings a bell or not, it was the former site of The Silver Dollar Room! I've been in the new space and much of the classic artwork is still there on the inside walls. Even with a new name, my take is I would much rather have a live music space there than none at all. And if you look up their calendar you can find plenty of great music going on there most nights! So that's a long way of saying I'm excited to be playing Dina's Tavern this Wednesday! Wednesday, March 11, music starts at 8:30 PM!
And finally, for one more gig reminder, the trio with Nick and Matt and I will be playing The Local Pub on Roncesvalles on two more Wednesdays coming up this month and next month! Wednesday, March 18 Wednesday, April 22 Starting at 9 PM each time!
A Piano Mashup after the fact
Late on this one, so late that if you follow me on social media there's a good chance you've already seen this, in which case feel free to scroll to the end, but I figured I'd share it here too. A piano mashup that's been an idea for longer than I care to admit, at least a couple of years. And I finally got around to arranging it and sharing it in time for February 14th this year. With a lot of piano medleys and mashups I can't explain what initially inspired me - as if to say, why would I do this? But in this case I can, and it's when I noticed a common chord progression, or at least a few common chords. “Rhapsody In Blue” has always been one of my favourite piano pieces, and I actually took the time to practice it during the pandemic. In particular I've always enjoyed the slower orchestral section in the later third (?) of the piece. And for some reason based on that, I noticed the slightest resemblance to the Ronettes' “Be My Baby”. So for better or worse, by mixing Gershwin with the Ronettes, you get “Be My Rhapsody”! Enjoy!
Thanks for reading! Here's the full calendar for the coming months, both for my own dates and all the great artists I'll be backing up. And you can find my dates on my website. Until next time!
