Hits & Misses

Rita di Ghent
May 22 @ the Pure Spirits Patio

Offering a sexy, new age jazz sound, Rita di Ghent of Sprawl Indigo: The Mark Project created a unique hybrid of traditional jazz forms and urban music that worked well. She described the project as a posthumous collaboration with her brother, featuring a set of songs built around his blues guitar compositions.

Di Ghent half purred, half sang her way through the set, with a voice that was rich and satisfying like a glass of dry red wine or piece of bittersweet dark chocolate. She used her voice as an instrument in and of itself, one that is featured prominently throughout the music, with all the other instruments taking a backseat.

Di Ghent and her band looked slightly out of place on the big stage they were performing on and probably would have been more at home in a small club, jamming in between drinks, or at least in one of the more intimate gallery venues the festival offered. Despite this, the performance was lively and fresh with a funky, organic sound. The bluesy guitar meshed well with the smooth, rich vocals creating a highly enjoyable urban tinged jazz sound.

- JP

NOJO9 and strings
May 23 @ Tankhouse nine

Contemporary big band ensemble NOJO+9 was joined by some of Canada’s best string players from the Toronto Symphony and National Ballet orchestra for their Distillery Jazz performance.

The collaboration created a sort-of mini, experimental orchestra that veered away from sounding too traditional. Just when one rhythm became familiar, they would change it up slightly, creating a recognizable sound with innovative, surprising twists. Each piece was made up of layers, continuously building on each rhythm. Then, just as quickly as the orchestra built to an intense climax, layers were stripped away leaving only the original rhythm, creating a constant ebb and flow of sound.

They performed mostly songs from their new CD City of Neighborhoods, oozing intensity and energy that comes with creating music live on stage and feeding off other musicians.

- JP

Aristide Bruant dan son Cabaret
May 26 @ Glenlivet Cabaret

Aristide Bruant dan son Cabaret, part of the Boulevards of Paris showcase, played to a packed venue. A mix of storytelling and song, the recreation of the first cabaret performer in Montmartre district of Paris was highly entertaining and at times entrancing.

With the fully staged production coming soon, the performers were in top form, creating the atmosphere of an historical French cabaret. Jeff Vergas played Aristide Bruant with panache and giddy enthusiasm, even staying in character to chastise the audience for their lacklustre applause after one of the songs.

Denise Norman, playing Rosa la Rouge, sang in a buttery-smooth voice that was fit for the stage. Her vocals were at times operatic, full, and completely directed at the audience.

Norman and Vergas were accompanied by piano, accordion and violin, all of which provided a beautiful backdrop for story and song. There aren’t too many occasions where the accordion gets played in a live venue aside from polka dances, so to hear it in such a theatrical high-energy atmosphere provided a unique treat. It was a rousing performance of cabaret style and bawdy humour put to music and song.

“We French have love lives, you Anglais have hot water bottles,” the Bruant character told the audience during one segment. It was a fun and highly original addition to the jazz festival.

- JP

Swing Noir
May 26 @ Chivas Regal Grande Stage

Dressed all in black, Swing Noir took the stage with the cool confidence expected of jazz musicians: The stand-up bass, electric guitar, trumpet and saxophone were all represented with immense talent, despite a slightly tame beginning to the performance.

The first part of the set lacked enthusiasm, and had the band sounding a bit out of sync. Jazz is about being able to tune into what your fellow musicians are doing and that just didn’t come across for the first few songs of Swing Noir’s set. Things picked up as the audience grew, and began to get into the music. Going on at 7 p.m. meant a lot of people were still eating dinner or sipping coffee on a patio somewhere. As the seats filled, the energy level soared, saving the performance from being completely forgettable.

They played American classics from the 1920s and 30s like ‘Mo Better Blues’ and ‘I’m Taking my Sugar to Tea’ with a smooth, confident ease, once they warmed up. Vocalist George Grosman brought a lilting, Frank Sinatra-style croon to the light-hearted, jazz classics. It was too wide open a venue for the classic, smoky jazz being played, but they managed to create an intimate atmosphere despite the massive tent they were playing in.

- JP

The Respect Sextet
May 29 @ Glenlivet Caberet

The Respect Sextet’s gig felt a bit like the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day, they seemed to play the same song over and over. While not disputing their obvious musicianship, saxophonist Josh Rutner in particular was outstanding, the group’s mishmash of sounds blended together into something that was incredibly dull and it was difficult to tell one song from the other. They butchered Bob Marley’s ‘It Hurts To Be Alone’, reducing it to the type of easy listening jazz you hear in a dentist’s office.

To their credit they were energetic, sprightly and creative with percussion at one point, using a combination of bells and what sounded like broken glass. The set’s definite highlight was the aptly titled ‘Riot O’ Light’ which seamlessly shifted styles from a march to a strange but intriguing hybrid of Dixieland and Mexican music. Another song that stood out in stunning fashion was a Bulgarian style folk song. By turns mellow and atmospheric it provided one of the few jolts in an otherwise dull as dirt set.

- AH

I/O Featuring Lee Robinson
May 29 @ Glenlivet Caberet

Mixing live music and visuals can be a tricky proposition at the best of times. Often one can overwhelm the other, leaving the audience confused as to who they’re supposed to focus on. The simple visuals projected on to a screen behind saxophonist Lee Robinson and Ravish Momin were fairly unique. Instead of simply playing behind them, the flashing geometric shapes, flowering blobs, swirling balls responded to their playing.

The excellent musicianship on the part of Robinson and Momin made the visuals an unnecessary distraction. They played with an energy that rivals many rock bands. While Robinson did stumble noticeably a few times they more than made up for these slight missteps with a an absolutely stunning set consisting of fast paced numbers and sombre yet dissonant tunes. The second last song in particular was a definite highlight in a set devoid of lowlights. Robinson effortlessly weaved his sax in and out of the thrashing beat that Momin laid down.

If there was any complaint to be had with I/O’s set it that it was too short!

- AH

Rabnett 5
May 29 @ Pure Spirits Patio

It probably isn’t a good sign when your band receives its loudest applause after announcing you are about to play your final song.

When Rabnett 5 finally left the stage after close to two hours, not counting an intermission, no one likely noticed. The audience carried on polite conversations throughout the band’s set. The music itself was very well suited to dining so it did, in a way, fit perfectly with the venue the band was playing.

At first glance you’d half expect Rabnett 5 to be an indie rock band. While the music did have a certain laid back funkiness and they are very competent musicians, it didn’t really stand out. One song blended seamlessly into the next creating a nice, albeit boring, soundtrack to the absolutely gorgeous afternoon they were playing on.

Why they have been hyped as ‘the future of west coast jazz’ was a complete mystery. If this is the future then the future is boring.

- AH

Zari
May 30 @ Glenlivet Cabaret

If Zari’s set could be summed in one word it would be ‘Wow!’ The three-piece vocal group combines traditional instruments and music from the Republic of Georgia into something truly exciting and beautiful.

Vocalists Reid Robins and Andrea Kuzmich gave explanations of the instruments they were playing as well as explaining the stories behind the songs they were singing, which were a combination of originals and traditional Georgian music. The songs were rich and complex. The vocals were often completely independent from each other yet they seamlessly blended into a jaw dropping whole.

While there was some sameness to the music, the trio of Robins, Kuzmich and Shalva Makharashvili appeared to be enjoying themselves immensely. The powerful vocals and intriguing music was a definite treat for listeners who wandered out of the sunshine on the gorgeous Sunday afternoon to check out their set.

- AH

Anthony Terpstra Seventet
May 30 @ Chivas Regal Grand Stage

There’s something to be said about simple music. The Anthony Terpstra Seventet’s music was a throwback to the big band era. This incredibly tight group of musicians managed to coax the sound of a big band from four horns.

Their set consisted of standards and originals including two Cole Porter covers. Leader Anthony Terpstra’s voice recalls the smooth vocals of a vintage swing bandleader.

There was a slightly diminished audience for the second half of their set. They were one of the last bands to perform on the final day of the festival. They helped to bring it to a fun toe-tapping close.

- AH