Robert J

Tommy Flanagan Trio - Tin Tin Deo live in Tokyo, Japan, November 10, 1991.

Newly added - note for note version of Summertime as heard on "Bam Bam Bam" Just watch my man at the piano - Gene Harris! Ray Brown Trio - Summertime

I am just pissed off now here at work. This venue was the only place in the city to hear top-name performers. Among other things I was at the Geoff Keezer trio recording taping that was done there in 1991. And just a few weeks ago to see a friend launch his CD to a packed crowd. http://jazzelements.com/index.php/07/06/to...huts-its-doors/ Toronto’s Famed Jazz Club Montreal Bistro Suddenly Closes Jazz fans in Toronto got a shock yesterday when they discovered their beloved club the Montreal Bistro has shut its doors for good. The club has been a jazz institution for more than 25 years and closes just one year after the Top O’ the Senator, Toronto’s other long standing jazz venue. Home to both established and emerging artists, the Montreal Bistro was often compared to New York’s Village Vanguard for its richness of talent and the notable recordings captured there. The Montreal Bistro was run by owners Lothar and Brigitte Lang, who were recently honoured for lifetime achievement at the National Jazz Awards. Industry speculation is such that the Langs were having a lease dispute with their landlord and chose to fast-track a discussed retirement as a result. In brief emails to the Toronto Star Lothar wrote: “After a long fight to overcome several severe setbacks and with no immediate help on the horizon, we had to close…. We wish the circumstances were different. It is not easy for all of us to realize that after 25 years we just lost our livelihood.” A note on the door informed customers of the closure. “Dear Patrons, The Montreal Bistro has closed its doors for good. Thank you for all your support and loyalty for so many years,” read the typewritten note taped to the door of the Sherbourne St. venue yesterday. Many view the loss as irreplaceable, although many argue it is not a reflection on the music itself. None can deny the Montreal Bistro breathed Canadian jazz history, presenting such legends as Oscar Peterson and Phil Nimmons, as well as nurturing the early careers of such up-and-comers as Diana Krall and Joshua Redman. Thank you, Brigitte and Lothar, for taking a chance on jazz.

I see the website is down now too, so it must really be happening. But I got this text by using the wayback machine archive:

What the? I was just there last month. Lothar had given his reassurance that he'd be open. That's just terrible news Last year it was the Top of the Senator that closed up. How did you hear this?

They played last week in Toronto. I took a pass. Curiously, no review in any of the local media.

I guess GOD had a hand in this one.

But did the English leave you any beer in your town

I've found some really interesting things at this blog/website. http://davidvaldez.blogspot.com/ It even has links to the Berklee Jazz Harmony 1-4 books on the web

Does this sound like a metaphor for U.S. foreign policy or what? "There was no other solution," said Anton Steixner, an official from the Austrian state of Tyrol. "Even animal-rights activists should understand that this bear killed sheep and tore into rabbits purely for pleasure," Mr. Steixner said. "Rabbits are also deserving of sympathy."

"Kojak - bang, bang!"

That's the week I am taking off! Nate mentioned the main Jazz clubs http://www.therex.ca http://www.montrealbistro.com I don't know your budget - but you could start here. I can comment on a few of these places. They are not all budget hotels - some are quite expensive, just as much as downtown Chicago. http://www.budgethotels.com/listings.php?city=Toronto,ON,CA Here's a good map of downtown w/cultural highlights http://www.toronto.ca/torontomaps/pdf/visitor_map_page1.pdf This is the "Chicago Reader" for Toronto http://www.nowtoronto.com Things to do You can look through here http://www.frommers.com/destinations/toronto/34_indattr.html From this list, I'd say the Art Gallery of Ontario (though under construction), the Royal Ontario Museum, Hockey Hall of Fame, and Toronto Island (you can take a ferry for $6 and get a great view and some great photos of the city). I'm sure I'll come up with more when I'm not at work!

Mark - What's your exact dates? This will help me plan your vacation

from the Globe and Mail 2 weeks ago: Gretzky did not want to be drawn into making a prediction for the series, but he admitted there is no doubt where his loyalties lie. "Once you're an Oiler, you're always an Oiler," he said. "I'm getting calls from guys I played with, from Paul Coffey to Mark Messier to Grant Fuhr. We're all happy to see the Oilers successful again."

Go Oilers!

Connie Chung as lounge singer You've been warned! I love how the piano player just sits there, not sure if he should intrude on this a capella masterpiece. edit: On second look - he is playing, just not in the mix for some reason.

I remember the summer this came out - I bought the 45 single. Here's the A and B sides. Gary Newman was really a genius for that time - he took synth pop to a new level, as well as creatively exploiting the music video format in 1979. Gary Numan - Cars Gary Numan - Metal

Wow, that's sounds like a good list of tunes! David, where did you get that set/recording list? The concert is tonight here in Toronto. It is $70 dollars, so we got a little lucky, sort of . That is still greater than my threshhold for this kind of concert. At lunch, I will see if I can get lucky with same-day tickets at a ticket kiosk. Otherwise I''ll comfort myself with the reviews and the bootlegs.

Here's some of my favourite blues piano cats! Roosevelt Sykes -Tall Heavy Mama Sunnyland Slim - Tin Pan Alley Blues Memphis Slim - Everyday I Have the Blues Otis Spann - Spann's Blues

whoops, I saw the Tonite Show reference in the description and well, you know, posting at work. It's still damn fine!

I've never seen Don Pullen on organ before! Forgot the Tonight Show is sometimes hip. Scofield - Smith - Pullen

That was great to re-live. Eddie actually looks more like Prince than JB though!

That was a nice Saudi goal

Virtual kaleidoscope

Inspired by the vinyl 70s thread: The Crazy World of Arthur Brown - Fire