Kevin Breit’s mastery of anything with strings is legendary. A first-call session player when he chooses to be, he also continues to release albums that reflect his eccentric and unclassifiable musical tastes.
Gary Kendall hosts the Big Blues Bash on June 4th and Downchild’s 50th Anniversary at the TD Toronto Jazz Festival on June 22nd.
This month’s recommended listening by Greg Torrington, Blues Channel Manager at Stingray Music – available on digital cable providers throughout Canada.
Veteran music publicist and “eminence grise” at the TBS, Richard Flohil presented Buddy Guy with his Maple Blues Award for International Artist of the Year backstage at Roy Thomson Hall. Flo played a big part in Buddy’s introduction to Toronto blues fans in the 60s and has lent a helping hand to many emerging and established Canadian blues & roots artists, many of whom will gather at the Horseshoe Tavern on Friday, June 28 to celebrate his 85th birthday. Ariana Gillis and David Gillis, Jay Aymar, Jaymz Bee, Jenie Thai, Kaia Kater, Paul Reddick, Russell deCarle, Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar, Scotty Campbell, Shakura S’Aida and more will be performing while friends and fans will enjoy birthday cake and other vegetable-less “Flohil food.” All the performers have donated their time and all proceeds after expenses will go to the Unison Benevolent Fund. Photo by Jag Gundu.
This is Sunday Wilde’s eighth album and the first one since the passing of her partner Reno Jack. It also continues her practice of re-working some blues standards all featuring her ‘one-of-a kind’ vocals & barrelhouse piano.
It’s been too long between albums for Chicago-based, Mississippi-born Fruteland Jackson but he has been busy.
Out of the Blue is a very apt title for this album. Jack de Keyzer was just starting out in Hamilton and Pat Finochio was a fellow student of the blues. They lost touch and only recently reconnected when Finochio asked if he would produce an album on him.
Paul DesLauriers is one of our most inventive guitarists. Firmly anchored by his rhythm section, DesLauriers’ multi-tracked guitars (often featuring his slide) form the backbone of a stunning new batch of songs for one of the hottest live bands around.
Calgary’s piano ace and powerhouse vocalist Debra Power released Even Redheads Get the Blues in 2016. It was her first album after many years of performing locally. It was intended to bring her wider exposure and it did just that, leading to the semi-finals at the IBCs and to her nomination to the New Artist category at the Maple Blues Awards.
This month’s recommended listening by Brad Wheeler, music writer for the Globe and Mail Twitter: @bwheelerglobe
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TBS logo and WBR artwork by Barbara Klunder
The Toronto Blues Society acknowledges the annual support of the Ontario Arts Council, the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council and the Department of Canadian Heritage, and project support from FACTOR< and the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Music Fund) and of Canada’s Private Broadcasters, The Canada Council for the Arts, the SOCAN Foundation, SOCAN, the Ontario Media Development Corporation, and the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport.
