Before the pandemic, if you wanted to hear Toronto jazz musicians, you would head to the Rex Hotel or the Reservoir Lounge or the Jazz Bistro and odds are you’d get your fix just about any day of the week. While live music venues remain silent for now, there’s an online destination where the city’s jazz community is coming together with a live-stream series to keep the music playing.
@jazzintoronto was started a few years back by Lina Welch, initially as an Instagram account which provided daily listings. Says Welch: “When I moved to Toronto in 2018 I was excited to find out what Toronto’s Jazz scene had to offer, but quickly noticed that there was no easy way to find out who was performing at any time – particularly knowing where and when any of these events were taking place.”
In 2019 musician Ori Dagan joined the @jazzintoronto team, initially reporting on the live music scene with Instagram stories and video diaries. Welch and Dagan came up with a mission statement for @jazzintoronto community hub: connecting Toronto’s jazz musicians, audiences, venues and presenters. Once COVID hit, they decided to present a live-stream series from the @jazzintoronto Facebook page: www.facebook.com/jazzintoronto
Over the summer the series was presented in partnership with The Emmet Ray, but due to the latest provincial restrictions the series is currently called #JazzFromHome featuring solo artists and duos, in some cases couples and in others, roommates.
This passion project provides a platform for musicians to perform and encourages audiences to share the broadcast, interact with the stream by leaving comments, and to send tips if they are able to do so, with all proceeds going to the artists.
LINKS TO SOME OF THEIR PREVIOUS CONCERTS:
Rebecca Hennessy and Michael Herring (May 23, 2020)
Melissa Lauren and Nathan Hiltz (June 13, 2020)
Alison Young and Jeff McLeod (July 4, 2020)
Donovan Locke with Jesse Whiteley and Matt Coldwell (August 30, 2020)
Mike Kerr (September 5, 2020)
(all can be found at www.facebook.com/jazzintoronto/live)
Upcoming @jazzintoronto Concerts:
Friday January 22, 8pm: Suzi Wesson (vocals) & Doug Balfour (piano/vocals)
Saturday January 23, 8pm: Rebecca Hennessy (trumpet/accordion/vocals) & Michael Herring (bass/vocals)
Sunday January 24, 4pm: Patrick Smith (tenor saxophone) & Ewen Farncombe (piano)
Friday January 29, 8pm: Sam Dickinson (solo guitar)
Saturday January 30, 8pm: Robert Ball (vocals); Eric Lundgren (guitar)
Sunday January 31, 4pm: Ted Warren (drums, piano, harmonica)
February 5, 7pm: Sophia Perlman (vocals); Adrean Farrugia (piano)
February 6, 8pm: Queen Pepper (vocals and piano)
February 7, 4pm: Mike Kerr (guitar)
February 12, 7pm: Melissa Lauren (vocals); Nathan Hiltz (guitar)
February 13, 8pm: Love Songs for Valentines with Laura Anglade (vocals); Jonathan Chapman (bass)
February 14, 4pm: Valentine’s Day Requests & Dedications with Ori Dagan (vocals/piano)
