Alex Dean Quartet at the Rex January 3

Alex Dean Quartet at the Rex January 3

Venue: The Rex

Another hot Friday night gig at the Rex, and despite being a few days after New Year's, it's hopping. There really is something special in the history of this spot. It's drenched in it really, but still feels casual and unpretentious. Just look at that bar, trapped in time. It would be hard to find a more iconic Toronto institution, home to over 60 performances a week, right in the heart of the city's most iconic street, with streetcars buzzing by; it really does feel special. And who better to grace its stage than Canadian legend Alex Dean and his quartet. 

The Band: 

Alex Dean - Saxophone

Alex Dean is a household name on the Canadian jazz scene. He taught at U of T for years, raising up some of Canada's finest musicians under his tutelage, including some of tonight's band! He has played and recorded with Gil Evans, Kenny Wheeler, Aretha Franklin, Harry Connick Jr., the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and others. He plays with a ton of fun energy and loves to move. He is immensely talented and also hilarious to boot!

Check out this great track with fellow Canadian legend Lorne Lofsky on the guitar from 2010's at this point

Harley Card - Guitar

Harley Card is a very talented guitarist, composer and singer songwriter. Originally from Winnipeg Manitoba, via Ottawa Ontario he now calls Toronto home.  Harley has quite a range, from more traditional jazz to modern, psychedelic and folk. His 2017 release The Greatest Invention is a really interesting album; far from traditional jazz, it is still pretty accessible. It's full of hip compositions that paint an imaginative picture.  And the title track, a reference to the bicycle, seems rather poignant in the baffling reality that is Doug Ford's Ontario.

For a taste of his singer songwriter skills you could also check out 2020's Unconfined Invisible (https://harleycard1.bandcamp.com/album/unconfined-invisible). 

Or for something more out there, his excellent work with God's Gift to Yoda might make you ask yourself, "Can anyone stop German expressionist cheerleader and evil seagull?"

Lauren Falls - Bass

Lauren Falls is an excellent bass player with a killer groove. Originally from BC, raised in a musical family, she seems to have the innate sense of rhythm of someone raised around music constantly. She really gets into every tune, you know? She studied at Humber, then the Manhattan School of Music, and these days is on staff at U of T's program. 2022's A Little Louder Now is an exploration of her growth, becoming more bold, confident and courageous as a musician and a person. It is a great window into her playing and composition style.

Morgan Childs - Drums

Morgan Childs is put plainly, a blast. He is as talented as he is fun to watch. It's a joy seeing him getting deep into the groove and just having a ball. Originally from BC, he has taught at numerous schools, though he's now at Humber.  Dean even described him as "One of the more tasteful drummers out there on this continent, including Greenland." He might just be my favourite drummer in town.

Drink Recommendation 1: GLB Octopus Wants to Fight You

One of Alex Dean's running jokes throughout the night was his friends tempting him with "this new fangled beer thing." A good place to start for good beer is an IPA.

Who doesn't love this angry cephalopod with his 4 gloves and 'come at me' eyebrows? Thankfully he's an easier opponent than King Hippo. This is a very straight forward American IPA that punches above it's weight class. There's grapefruit, citrus and a hint of pine lurking beneath the waters.

It works as a Toronto craft brew that isn't too fancy for a Toronto institution that isn't too fancy. Besides, we need something to match Alex Dean's slightly off kilter sense of humor that punctuated the night.

If you want something actually on the menu, there's a nice selection of IPA's, though sadly lacking in pugilistic ocean dwellers.

Drink Recommendation 2: Delirium Tremens Red

For another complement to Alex Dean's quirky humour and his evening tongue in cheek references to drinking beer for the first time, I turn to something a little silly. Delirium, with its pink elephant mascot, is a good start, and why not try Delirium Red, its fruitier cousin with hints of almonds and mild sour cherries. It's a balance of sweet and sour with a little warmth from the high alcohol percentage. Some Belgians might indeed argue that you haven't really "tried" beer until you have sampled some of the good stuff. And there's plenty of that good stuff conveniently available just up the road, some brewed by monks (robes and all), past the A.G.O at Sin and Redemption. It's an excellent pre-drink for a Rex show in a cozy, warm environment (nice fireplace, eh?).

You can make a solid argument for it matching Dean's playing too, he likes to get a little wild and outside from time to time but always keeps it balanced and weaves his lines back in a way that just make sense. This can be said of the sour notes in this beer also being so well balanced. Plus, there's even a little lean to that glass, matching the slightly off kilter musical moments when the solos got extra inventive, and Dean's off kilter personality. Perfection.

Book Recommendation 1: Sacré Bleu by Christopher Moore

Christopher Moore writes some addictively funny prose in the vein of Tom Robbins, Douglas Adams and Kurt Vonnegut. Though his humour at times skews a touch more bawdy from time to time than Alex Dean's, it's still a great pair. In most of his works, an everyman is cast into surreal, supernatural or fantastical situations. Moore's at his best when he geeks out on a topic, perhaps best demonstrated in Lamb, but also well displayed in his part history, part mystery, part love story ode to the colour blue, Sacré Bleu.

Our protagonist/straight man in this case is the young baker-painter Lucien as he joins the well dressed and eccentric Henri Toulouse-Lautrec on his investigation of the apparent suicide of Vincent van Gogh. They run into many other bohemian characters, but also the supernatural Colorman and a mysterious seductress. It's a smart laugh and a great ride. Also, like Alex Dean's improvisations, the book is full of numerous fun twists and turns.

The Music:

Right from the get go, this was fun exciting music. There were some older swing tunes mixed in with some outrageously nasty solo lines. They opened with the Count Basie tune "920 Special," Dean up front ripping massive lines and moving all over the stage, fully animated as he plays. Falls and Childs too are moving and grooving hard with the music. It is just so infectious seeing good musicians have fun on stage.

This was followed by 'It Could Happen to You' where Dean had his rhythm section keep an eye on the key rather than "spring", modulating from Eb to Gb to keep them on their toes. He likes to get a little crazy sometimes, both in his soloing as his stage banter but always ties it in well with the music. Saxophonist Chistopher Gale joined for "In a Sentimental Tone" (yes, that's correct, it was puns and jokes all night... love it). They make an awesome duet, with Gale adding his smoky tone and feel to the mix. Card took over the melody on the bridge adding a nice contrast, but excelled further with his interesting chord voicings throughout the tune.

Things really got wild when they broke out into a fierce rendition of Monk's "Rhythm-A-Ning,"  particularly on a solo break trade between the two saxes. It was most definitely the highlight of the night.

The second set was a little tamer than the first, "thanks to the beer" as Dean put it. On Joe Henderson's "Recorda-Me," we see Falls really grooving along with the riff bassline, her and Morgan really make a killer rhythm section. 

Harley Card demonstrates some excellent chord work, on Herb Ellis's "Detour Ahead" before probably his best solo of the night. Great tune for guitar lovers. 

The night ended with a lovely rendition of  "Can't We Be Friends," a nice balance of swing with wild flourishes here and there.

Food recommendation: Chicken Wings

Chicken wings aren't too fancy, even if you go full David Chang and cold smoke, before confiting them and frying again.(which is excellent by the way if you are feeling adventurous). So they are an appropriate side at the Rex. They sell some perfectly serviceable bar wings, though to be fair the thing turning the most heads was the well portioned nachos. If I'm cooking at home I will occasionally do a twice-fry but often bake for the ease of it. For a very blue collar bar food, there are definitely some strong opinions on some aspects of it. Not even getting into the ranch debate....

Buffalo natives tend to scoff at any hint of breading, even a light dusting may offend a passionate upstater's sensibilities. But when we are compromising to begin with, who cares? Besides, Toronto natives seem to love local Vietnamese staple Phở Hưng's excellent spicy wings, which absolutely are dusted with cornstarch and are absolutely delicious. Serious Eats-style baked wings use baking powder to improve browning. When I bake them I tend to toss them with a bit of flour, corn starch and baking powder but not enough so as to offend the purists! It's a fine line we tiptoe, but later we shall pass out drunk on said line, our limp tongue rolling out of mouth to cross it. Sauce wise, Franks and butter is just about perfect. Anchor Bar-style Franks and margarine is fine, but not as good. Some folks put a squeeze of lemon to freshen it up, but when we already have a tangy, vinegar heavy sauce, it's largely lost. Little extra cayenne for heat, sure if you like. Maybe some Trader Joe's dried smoked ghost peppers (don't worry they aren't suicide hot). A minced garlic clove is nice but can be distracting. I used to add some Calabrian chili oil which adds its unique flavour and amps up the chili without cranking the heat too high, but it can make the sauce easier to break and get greasy; it certainly sounds more fancy, if that's what you want. But with Buffalo wings it's often best to K.I.S.S, keep it simple stupid. There are arguments for other hot sauces as a base and most are just fine.

Tabasco doesn't play as nice as some others; its tang doesn't quite work for me. Some more boutique sauces often come with apple cider vinegar as an ingredient, which is great, but often distracting from a buffalo sauce. Crystal is what we used in culinary school, and it's just fine. If you are looking to try something new, I have 2 suggestions. The old classic Louisiana hot sauce has a distinct flavour from Frank's and doesn't break the bank. The other is the excellent Kaiataia Fire from New Zealand. Its organic peppers just seem to have a little extra chili flavour without making you cry. As for passing out over the line, let's talk garlic parmesan. How can we improve upon this? Well for starters, cheese - a mix of real parmesan and the kind that's shelf stable can give you the right texture with a punch of umami. Then there's the question of creamy or buttery. Both excellent choices, but if we do go the cream route, we have some good places to improve the standard recipes.

Another one of my magic ingredients that elevate dishes to the next level is Lebanese Toum. There are a lot of variations on garlic sauce but the Lebanese have the strongest and best. Farmboy and Loblaws carry tamer versions, mellowed to suit the average palate. But we aren't going for that, we want the real deal; and besides, if we want to mellow it later, I'd rather do it to taste. There are 2 solid options for the real stuff. First is a trip out to Arz Fine Foods on Lawrence to grab some Toum (pick up some pickled turnips well you're at it). Also don't miss the chance to grab something from Shawarma Empire or Sumaq Iraqui Charcoal Grill on the way back for lunch (though there's dozens of great choices along the Lawrence strip). Second is to make it. Serious Eats has an excellent article if you need more direction (https://www.seriouseats.com/traditional-toum)

This is how I do it. You'll need an immersion blender and a small jar just wide enough to accompany the blender tool. The fresher the garlic, the better; old stuff tends to make it more spicy or even in the realm of rocket fuel. It's the same principle as making mayonnaise but the garlic is the sole emulsifier instead of egg. Good for vegans too! Give the garlic a rough chop to make it blend a little easier and blitz it with some salt and lemon or lime juice. When you have a paste, slowly add in a neutral oil, to be honest I often use sunflower which isn't exactly neutral. Rather than a constant drizzle you can just put a big glob on top. As you very slowly raise up the running blender, it sucks the oil from the top down and emulsifies it. It's kind of the same principle as drizzling in slowly, as the suction pulls it down at the rate you raise your tool. If it comes out too strong, a day or two in the fridge can mellow it out. And even if it's still strong then, you can mellow it with some mayo, just don't admit it to anyone. It's basically the same as a French Aioli, so make sure no purists hear about the mayo aspect or you might get into an argument on the internet or something. Toum makes as an amazing dip as well as a defence against vampires. It's strong, creamy, and delicious - perfect for our creamy garlic parm. Though be sure to mellow it secretly to taste with mayo.

The last thing we need is some acidity to cut the richness. For this wing sauce, I recommend tarragon vinegar; it adds a nice flavour that most can't quite identify and sure does sound fancy if you want to paradoxically impress mum with the sort of food that is best eaten over a sink.

In Conclusion:

It was a fun night at the Rex with an all star band.  Some classic tunes, and some nasty shredding over them without being academic about it. Do check out any of these guys and their projects; you won't be disappointed.