Blue Note Epicurious

Peter Bernstein @  The REX Talk about a hot ticket, Peter Bernstein and Lorne Lofsky just laying out and having fun on Queen street, what else could you ask for? Peter Bernstein is definitely in the conversation when you are talking the top contemporary guitarists.  He strikes a nice balance of modern cool sounds and accessible singable lines.  He can pull of some impressive lines, but doesn't overplay and is definitely a melody first kind of player. He is somewhat unique in his use of a 3 finger technique.  Though it certainly isn't because of a lazy pinky finger.  In his recent masterclass at the Toronto New School of Music he explained it's a preference for phrasing, tone and intonation.  Not only does he prefer the sound, he enjoys the horizontal freedom it opens up for him on the fretboard.  Though acknowledging position playing's importance, he feels more restricted and likes to move around a lot more than most guitar players.  This gives h...

Jake Koffman Quartet @The Rex For those who didn't have the foresight to book a good table ahead of time at the Rex, there's always the 'first come, first serve' 5:30 set.  Though the big name touring acts tend to play the later set, the early set is most often manned by some of the best local and regular musicians in town.  And in my opinion, you tend to get them branching out and having a little more fun.   One of February's featured bands is the excellent Jake Koffman quartet, whom I caught for a lovely Valentine's Day set that was blessfully not just composed of saccharine love ballads. The Band: Jake Koffman - Saxophone Reg Schwager / Nathan Hiltz - Guitar Jon Meyer - Bass Morgan Childs - Drums Jake Koffman Jake Koffman grew up in a very musical family and it definitely shows in his playing. He's the grandson of one of Canada's earliest beboppers, the legendary Moe Koffman, who really deserves his own writeup! As well as former TSO conductor Victor ...

  Canadian Opera Company Free Concert Series While not everyone has the budget to see an opera staged in the beautiful Four Seasons Centre, the C.O.C does provide some excellent free programming that showcases a wide range of operatic, dance, jazz and instrumental performances. These lunchtime (most often anyway) performances take place in the stunning Richard Bradshaw auditorium.  It's a gorgeous glass enclosed space, a window into the very heart of the city. Jazz is somewhat underrepresented in their schedule, but what they  do  have is always interesting, and why not branch out and hear something different too? Oh, and try and show up a bit early as seats are limited.     Two recent jazz performances were Forward Motion, a modern jazz and groove ensemble from Humber College, and Toronto-fixture Thompson Egbo-Egbo, doing a showcase of solo piano jazz inspired by black history month. Forward Motion Ensemble Simone Hope, vocals Minh Hoang, piano Jacob ...

Joe Pass   Where to start with Joe Pass? It's hard to find a guitarist who isn't blown away by Joe's "v irtuoso."   Joe's playing is a revelation to just about anyone who hears him. I first got into him through watching YouTube clips of him playing with Oscar Peterson; I was absolutely floored by his fluidity and musicality. He's undeniably “the guy” for chord melody. His s kills are well-suited for duets with singers like Ella Fitzgerald, of which he did many. But, what I always seem to come back to is some of his earlier recordings, especially those with Pacific after finishing his stint in rehab (in fact he cut his first album while still in the program) - three in particular, Catch Me , For Django and Intercontinenta l (actually on MPS).  His single note playing is a masterclass in bebop guitar.   Joseph Anthony Jacobi Passalqua was born January 13th 1929. He got his first guitar at nine years old after falling in love with the instrument visiv...