TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival Announces New Series

[Lois Gilbert]

TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival Announces New Series


Witness history in the making as jazz makes its debut at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts with three of the world's greatest jazz pianists. Dave Brubeck (Monday, June 25), Oscar Peterson (Tuesday, June 26) and Keith Jarrett (Friday, June 29) will take centre stage at the opera house as part of a new series developed for the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival.

As the Canadian Opera Company's new home, the Four Seasons Centre opens its door for the first time to the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival. “We are so pleased to be making this debut at the Four Seasons Centre and absolutely honoured to be its first guests,” states Patrick Taylor, Executive Producer of the Festival. “With its incredible acoustics and great sightlines, there could not be a more befitting venue to host these legends of jazz.” Richard Bradshaw, General Director of the Canadian Opera Company agrees, “I know that the opera house has already become a standard by which others are measured, and I am certain that Jazz Festival audiences will find it an equally wonderful experience. We are thrilled to welcome these artistic giants.”

The TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival, now celebrating its twenty-first anniversary, has grown significantly from its early years. Since 1987, the Festival has presented over 20,000 artists; contributed over $250 million to the GTA economy; welcomed over 6 million people to the annual Festival; and presented over 1,500 free public events. The TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival will take place this summer from June 22 - July 1, 2007 in over 40 venues across the city.


The Four Seasons Centre is the first building of its kind in Canada; a theatre built specifically for opera and ballet performances with the finest level of acoustics. With 2000 seats, the traditional horseshoe-shaped auditorium provides unparalleled intimacy between the audience and stage with every seat computer-tested for the best possible sightlines. Located in the heart of downtown at the corner of Queen Street and University Avenue, the Four Seasons Centre is Toronto's newest cultural landmark and has already received extraordinary critical acclaim from around the world.

On the heels of last year's three-time standing ovation performance, Dave Brubeck returns once again with his stellar quartet on Monday, June 25, 2007. A legend already made, Brubeck is a virtuoso who shows no signs of slowing down. The New Yorker rightfully proclaimed this quartet as “the world's most widely traveled, most highly publicized and most popular small group now playing improvised syncopated music.” Joining Brubeck are Randy Jones on drums, Bobby Militello on saxophone and Michael Moore on bass.

Canada's most beloved and celebrated pianist, Oscar Peterson, takes the stage on Tuesday, June 26, 2007. With a career that spans over six decades, Peterson's notable accomplishments include - seven Grammy Awards, two Junos, The Queen's Medal, a Companion in the Order of Canada and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He is also the recipient of ten honourary doctorates and a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Those who have worked with Peterson read like a list of who's who in jazz, from Charlie Parker to Ella Fitzgerald to Duke Ellington to Louis Armstrong, just to name a few.

With an equally illustrious career, Keith Jarrett is a brilliant composer, masterful pianist and a true genius whose sheer artistry has cemented his status in both classical music and jazz. On Friday, June 29, 2007, Jarrett along with drummer Jack DeJohnette and bassist Gary Peacock will perform and show precisely why many have labeled this trio as the preeminent jazz group interpreting standards today.

The GRANDMASTERS Series makes its inaugural debut this summer as a new initiative created for the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival. “We're thrilled to be part of another exciting summer of jazz in Toronto,” states Tim Hockey, Group Head Personal and Co-Chair, TD Canada Trust. “All of us at TD Canada Trust are proud to play a role in the ongoing success of this Festival, and we're committed to fostering an appreciation of jazz that helps our artists and communities thrive.”

“Panasonic Canada Inc. (PCI) is a proud sponsor of the Canadian Opera Company and the Four Seasons Centre of the Performing Arts,” states Ian Kilvert, General Manager, Corporate Brand Management, PCI. “The TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival is a natural extension for our sponsorship activities, and we are excited to be a part of this internationally-renowned festival as a presenting sponsor of the GRANDMASTERS Series.”

Kick start your summer on a jazzy note as the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival takes over the city from June 22 - July 1, 2007. Celebrating music in all its forms, the festival presents more than 350 concerts over ten days with 1500 musicians performing in venues all across Toronto. Be there as we colour the town in jazz! The full lineup of the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival will be announced on Tuesday, April 24, 2007.


Tickets on sale now
Four Seasons Centre Box Office or
Ticketmaster 416.872.1111, www.ticketmaster.ca


Witness history in the making as jazz makes its debut at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts with three of the world's greatest jazz pianists. Dave Brubeck (Monday, June 25), Oscar Peterson (Tuesday, June 26) and Keith Jarrett (Friday, June 29) will take centre stage at the opera house as part of a new series developed for the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival.

As the Canadian Opera Company's new home, the Four Seasons Centre opens its door for the first time to the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival. “We are so pleased to be making this debut at the Four Seasons Centre and absolutely honoured to be its first guests,” states Patrick Taylor, Executive Producer of the Festival. “With its incredible acoustics and great sightlines, there could not be a more befitting venue to host these legends of jazz.” Richard Bradshaw, General Director of the Canadian Opera Company agrees, “I know that the opera house has already become a standard by which others are measured, and I am certain that Jazz Festival audiences will find it an equally wonderful experience. We are thrilled to welcome these artistic giants.”

The TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival, now celebrating its twenty-first anniversary, has grown significantly from its early years. Since 1987, the Festival has presented over 20,000 artists; contributed over $250 million to the GTA economy; welcomed over 6 million people to the annual Festival; and presented over 1,500 free public events. The TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival will take place this summer from June 22 - July 1, 2007 in over 40 venues across the city.


The Four Seasons Centre is the first building of its kind in Canada; a theatre built specifically for opera and ballet performances with the finest level of acoustics. With 2000 seats, the traditional horseshoe-shaped auditorium provides unparalleled intimacy between the audience and stage with every seat computer-tested for the best possible sightlines. Located in the heart of downtown at the corner of Queen Street and University Avenue, the Four Seasons Centre is Toronto's newest cultural landmark and has already received extraordinary critical acclaim from around the world.

On the heels of last year's three-time standing ovation performance, Dave Brubeck returns once again with his stellar quartet on Monday, June 25, 2007. A legend already made, Brubeck is a virtuoso who shows no signs of slowing down. The New Yorker rightfully proclaimed this quartet as “the world's most widely traveled, most highly publicized and most popular small group now playing improvised syncopated music.” Joining Brubeck are Randy Jones on drums, Bobby Militello on saxophone and Michael Moore on bass.

Canada's most beloved and celebrated pianist, Oscar Peterson, takes the stage on Tuesday, June 26, 2007. With a career that spans over six decades, Peterson's notable accomplishments include - seven Grammy Awards, two Junos, The Queen's Medal, a Companion in the Order of Canada and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He is also the recipient of ten honourary doctorates and a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Those who have worked with Peterson read like a list of who's who in jazz, from Charlie Parker to Ella Fitzgerald to Duke Ellington to Louis Armstrong, just to name a few.

With an equally illustrious career, Keith Jarrett is a brilliant composer, masterful pianist and a true genius whose sheer artistry has cemented his status in both classical music and jazz. On Friday, June 29, 2007, Jarrett along with drummer Jack DeJohnette and bassist Gary Peacock will perform and show precisely why many have labeled this trio as the preeminent jazz group interpreting standards today.

The GRANDMASTERS Series makes its inaugural debut this summer as a new initiative created for the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival. “We're thrilled to be part of another exciting summer of jazz in Toronto,” states Tim Hockey, Group Head Personal and Co-Chair, TD Canada Trust. “All of us at TD Canada Trust are proud to play a role in the ongoing success of this Festival, and we're committed to fostering an appreciation of jazz that helps our artists and communities thrive.”

“Panasonic Canada Inc. (PCI) is a proud sponsor of the Canadian Opera Company and the Four Seasons Centre of the Performing Arts,” states Ian Kilvert, General Manager, Corporate Brand Management, PCI. “The TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival is a natural extension for our sponsorship activities, and we are excited to be a part of this internationally-renowned festival as a presenting sponsor of the GRANDMASTERS Series.”

Kick start your summer on a jazzy note as the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival takes over the city from June 22 - July 1, 2007. Celebrating music in all its forms, the festival presents more than 350 concerts over ten days with 1500 musicians performing in venues all across Toronto. Be there as we colour the town in jazz! The full lineup of the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival will be announced on Tuesday, April 24, 2007.


Tickets on sale now
Four Seasons Centre Box Office or
Ticketmaster 416.872.1111, www.ticketmaster.ca

[Lois Gilbert]

A Guide to the 2007 Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival
By Ori Dagan
Special to The Epoch Times Jun 21, 2007


Juno nominee and Toronto Jazz Festival performer Elizabeth Shepherd (Toronto Downtown Jazz)

The 21st Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival is a force to be reckoned with. Hundreds of thousands of jazz lovers come to see some 1500 musicians in 350 concerts over the 10 days of the festival.

The Grandmasters Series at the brand new Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts showcases living jazz masters including Dave Brubeck, Herbie Hancock. Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette will also play in a trio. The dazzling Laila Biali Trio will open for The Dave Brubeck concert.

Toronto-based pianist/composer Adrean Farrugia will bring his sensitive, creative music to six festival gigs. He will also share a stage with vocalist Sophia Perlman and duo dates with guitarist Lorne Lofsky, saxophonist Bob Brough and vocalist Beverly Taft. For sound samples and to find out more about this artist, visit www.myspace.com/adreanfarrugia.

There is something magnetic about Elizabeth Shepherd; her sensitive compositions are delivered sweetly on piano, topped off with a glowing voice. A local, Shepard will appear three times during the festival. Her stellar debut record, Start to Move , was nominated alongside Diana Krall for a Juno. For sound samples pianist/vocalist/composer visit www.myspace.com/elizabethshepherd.

Now in its 21st season, the festival boasts a tasteful mix and a wide range of ticketed and free events in some 40 venues. For further information please visit www.torontojazz.com.


Highlights
FRIDAY JUNE 22

FREE GOLD: Mark Sepic Trio, 6:00pm, Alexander the Great Parkette, Free Admission.
BIG TICKET: Freddy Cole, Live@Courthouse, 9:00pm, $35.
WILD CARD: 'Round Midnight with Elizabeth Shepherd, Live@Courthouse, 12:30am, $10.

SATURDAY JUNE 23

FREE GOLD: Coco Zhao, Toronto Star Stage, 1:00pm, Free Admission.
BIG TICKET: Chris Botti with Kellylee Evans, 8:00pm, Toronto Star Stage, $40.
WILD CARD: Larra Skye Quintet, The Rex, 6:30pm, Pay-what-you-can.

SUNDAY JUNE 24

FREE GOLD: Nikki Yanofsky & Club Django Sextet, 1:00pm, Free Admission.
BIG TICKET: Michel Donato Trio, Jean Luc Ponty, Toronto Star Stage, 8:00pm, $30.
WILD CARD: Sophia Perlman Trio, Ten Feet Tall, 3:30pm, Pay-what-you-can.

MONDAY JUNE 25

FREE GOLD: Laura Hubert, Grossman's Tavern, 10:00pm, No Cover.
BIG TICKET: Dave Brubeck Quartet with Laila Biali Trio, 8:00pm, Four Seasons Centre , $40-150.
WILD CARD: Sophia Perlman and the Vipers, 9:30pm, The Reservoir Lounge, Pay-what-you-can.

TUESDAY JUNE 26

FREE GOLD: Adrean Farrugia & Bob Brough, 6:30pm, Pay-what-you-can.
BIG TICKET: Herbie Hancock Quartet, 8:00pm. Four Seasons Centre, $45-135.
WILD CARD: Trio Beyond with Hiromi's Sonicbloom, Toronto Star Stage, 8:00pm, $30.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 27

FREE GOLD: Aki Takase: Fats Wallers Project, 12:00noon, Toronto Star Stage, Free Admission.
BIG TICKET: Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood, 8:00pm, Toronto Star Stage, $35.
WILD CARD: Julie Michels, 8:00pm, CABARET SERIES @ The Savoy, $15-20.

THURSDAY JUNE 28

FREE GOLD: Toronto Blues Society Talent Search Finals, 3:00pm, Primus Stage, Free Admission.
BIG TICKET: Roy Hargrove Quintet plus United Trombone Summit, 8:00pm, Toronto Star Stage, $35.
WILD CARD: Rita di Ghent, 9:00pm, Ten Feet Tall, Pay-what-you-can.

FRIDAY JUNE 29

FREE GOLD: Adrean Farrugia/Sophia Perlman Trio, Whistler's, 6:00pm, No Cover.
BIG TICKET: Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Jack DeJohnette, 8:00pm, Four Seasons Centre, $45-200.
WILD CARD: Lina Allemano Four, 9:00pm, The Pilot Tavern, $10.

SATURDAY JUNE 30

FREE GOLD: Jen Sagar Trio, 9:00pm, Gate 403, Pay-what-you-can.
BIG TICKET: Louise Pitre, 8:00pm, CABARET SERIES @ The Savoy, $35-40.
WILD CARD: Mike Murley Septet, 9:30pm, The Rex, $TBA

SUNDAY JULY 1

FREE GOLD: Elizabeth Shepherd & Dan Eisen, 6:30pm, Commensal, Pay-what-you-can.
BIG TICKET: Mavis Staples plus Rebirth Brass Band, 8:00pm, $35.
WILD CARD: Dave Restivo Trio, 3:30pm, Ten Feet Tall, Pay-what-you-can.

FRIDAY JUNE 22

FREE GOLD: Mark Sepic Trio, 6:00pm, Alexander the Great Parkette, Free Admission.
BIG TICKET: Freddy Cole, Live@Courthouse, 9:00pm, $35.
WILD CARD: 'Round Midnight with Elizabeth Shepherd, Live@Courthouse, 12:30am, $10.

SATURDAY JUNE 23

FREE GOLD: Coco Zhao, Toronto Star Stage, 1:00pm, Free Admission.
BIG TICKET: Chris Botti with Kellylee Evans, 8:00pm, Toronto Star Stage, $40.
WILD CARD: Larra Skye Quintet, The Rex, 6:30pm, Pay-what-you-can.

SUNDAY JUNE 24

FREE GOLD: Nikki Yanofsky & Club Django Sextet, 1:00pm, Free Admission.
BIG TICKET: Michel Donato Trio, Jean Luc Ponty, Toronto Star Stage, 8:00pm, $30.
WILD CARD: Sophia Perlman Trio, Ten Feet Tall, 3:30pm, Pay-what-you-can.

MONDAY JUNE 25

FREE GOLD: Laura Hubert, Grossman's Tavern, 10:00pm, No Cover.
BIG TICKET: Dave Brubeck Quartet with Laila Biali Trio, 8:00pm, Four Seasons Centre , $40-150.
WILD CARD: Sophia Perlman and the Vipers, 9:30pm, The Reservoir Lounge, Pay-what-you-can.

TUESDAY JUNE 26

FREE GOLD: Adrean Farrugia & Bob Brough, 6:30pm, Pay-what-you-can.
BIG TICKET: Herbie Hancock Quartet, 8:00pm. Four Seasons Centre, $45-135.
WILD CARD: Trio Beyond with Hiromi's Sonicbloom, Toronto Star Stage, 8:00pm, $30.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 27

FREE GOLD: Aki Takase: Fats Wallers Project, 12:00noon, Toronto Star Stage, Free Admission.
BIG TICKET: Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood, 8:00pm, Toronto Star Stage, $35.
WILD CARD: Julie Michels, 8:00pm, CABARET SERIES @ The Savoy, $15-20.

THURSDAY JUNE 28

FREE GOLD: Toronto Blues Society Talent Search Finals, 3:00pm, Primus Stage, Free Admission.
BIG TICKET: Roy Hargrove Quintet plus United Trombone Summit, 8:00pm, Toronto Star Stage, $35.
WILD CARD: Rita di Ghent, 9:00pm, Ten Feet Tall, Pay-what-you-can.

FRIDAY JUNE 29

FREE GOLD: Adrean Farrugia/Sophia Perlman Trio, Whistler's, 6:00pm, No Cover.
BIG TICKET: Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Jack DeJohnette, 8:00pm, Four Seasons Centre, $45-200.
WILD CARD: Lina Allemano Four, 9:00pm, The Pilot Tavern, $10.

SATURDAY JUNE 30

FREE GOLD: Jen Sagar Trio, 9:00pm, Gate 403, Pay-what-you-can.
BIG TICKET: Louise Pitre, 8:00pm, CABARET SERIES @ The Savoy, $35-40.
WILD CARD: Mike Murley Septet, 9:30pm, The Rex, $TBA

SUNDAY JULY 1

FREE GOLD: Elizabeth Shepherd & Dan Eisen, 6:30pm, Commensal, Pay-what-you-can.
BIG TICKET: Mavis Staples plus Rebirth Brass Band, 8:00pm, $35.
WILD CARD: Dave Restivo Trio, 3:30pm, Ten Feet Tall, Pay-what-you-can.