Toronto Blues Society | » Loose Blues News – November 2016

Loose Blues News – November 2016

Published November 1, 2016 in Loose Blues News, News

Harry ManxHarry Manx is currently touring (and recording) in Australia but will be coming our way in the new year for a show at Koerner Hall on Friday, February 3 (tix now on sale). He will be bringing along his Australian touring mate, organ sensation Clayton Doley (who made a big impression in his short time as a Toronto resident). They will be joined by Kevin Breit and Mark Lalama to create another memorable journey into the “Harry zone”

Fat City Blues alive and kicking

As Mark Twain said, “rumours of my death have been greatly exagerated.” Contrary to reports on Yelp and in these pages, Fat City Blues is open and (apparently) presenting live music again. Sugar Brown played on October 28th but their website still has no events in their calendar. Call the club to confirm and get out to support one of the great live music venues in this town.

Screening the Blues

The fabulous documentary, “I Am The Blues,” will have a Toronto screening with a pre-film performance by James Dunbar beginning at 4:00pm at the Revue Cinema on November 6. “I Am The Blues” takes the audience on a musical journey through the swamps of the Louisiana Bayou, the juke joints of the Mississippi Delta and Moonshine soaked BBQs in the North Mississippi Hill Country. Let Bobby Rush, Barbara Lynn, Henry Gray, Carol Fran, Little Freddie King, Lazy Lester, Bilbo Walker, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, RL Boyce, LC Ulmer, Lil’ Buck Sinegal and their friends awaken the blues in all of us.

Quebec Blues Series derailed

The Viree Blues team has been forced to cut short their excellent blues series upon losing their principal sponsor, Les Brasseurs du Nord (Boreale). The craft beer company has been a big supporter from the beginning. For those wonder what will happen to Viree Blues, they report that some other companies have expressed interest in replacing Boreale as major sponsors of Viree Blues. “We are now having talks with them and we are still looking for other firms that might foresee benefits from a partnership with a solidly established and reputed name.” February 8, 2017 will mark the return of Viree Blues as always at Le Petit Chicago for a highly promising 24th edition. Keep updated by visiting www.vireeblues.ca and/or www.facebook.com/vireeblues. For any other inquiry, please get in touch with us at [email protected]

Podcasting the Blues

Mako Funasaka’s Talkin’ Blues latest webisode features Jimmy Boudreau, longtime drummer with Mel Brown and the Homewreckers and it is available on iTunes or go to www.talkinblues.com. The Blues Tribe’s October guest is Soul and Blues artist Samantha Martin. In this show Samantha talks about the inspiration behind her latest album “Send the Nightingale”, the touring life of a Blues artist, and social media. Songs performed are “When You Walk Away” and “Don’t Shoot” www.bluestribe.ca/show

Montreal Blues Society at the IBC

The grand finale of the Quebec to Memphis challenge, hosted by the Montreal Blues Society, took place Tuesday night, October 18th, at the Bistro à JoJo in Montreal. Six finalists were in the hunt to represent the MBS, and all of Quebec, next January in Memphis, at the International Blues Challenge. Angel Forrest, Jordan Officer, and Dawn Tyler Watson all served up splendid performances in the Band competition. Riot, Pat Loiselle and Martin Hury, and Dan Livingstone vied for top spot in the Solo/Duo category. The winner of last year’s Quebec to Memphis challenge Paul DesLauriers guested as announcer in front of a packed house. Dawn Tyler Watson, backed up by the Ben Racine Band, nailed their set and took the honours in the Band category. In the Solo/Duo category, Pat Loiselle and Martin Hury took the title and John The Stickman Muggianu, aged 13, will join forces with Floridian guitarist David Julia and Kentucky’s Erin Coburn to form an international band for the Youth showcase in Memphis.

Western Canadian Music Awards

Congratulations to the winners (and all the nominees) at the 2016 WCMAs held last month in Regina. Winnipeg’s Romi Mayes is Blues Artist of the Year and Colin James was inducted into the WCMA Hall Of Fame. www.breakoutwest.ca

Checkmate

Phil Chess, the legendary co-founder and record producer behind Chicago label Chess Records, has died. He was 95 years old. Chicago Sun-Times confirmed the news, reporting that Chess died over night at home in Tucson, Arizona. According to his nephew, he had been in good health. After leaving the Army in 1946, Phil joined his brother Leonard to run the popular Macomba Lounge. By 1948, Leonard had become a partner with local company Aristocrat Records, to which Phil would join two years later. Eventually, Aristocrat became Chess and the two brothers would concentrate on R&B, signing and recording everyone from Muddy Waters to Bo Diddley, Etta James to Howlin Wolf, and Chuck Berry to Willie Dixon. Both brothers have been inducted in the Blues Hall of Fame and iconized by films like 2008’s Cadillac Records.

Paul Rodgers, Canadian, eh?

Rock (and blues) legend Paul Rodgers has been living quietly in the Surrey/White Rock area for more than a decade now–and more recently bought another place in the Okanagan–but has finally made an honest Canuck of himself. The bluesy crooner–whose career includes huge hits with British rock acts such as Free (“All Right Now”) and Bad Company (“Can’t Get Enough”), and a gig fronting Queena few years back–was sworn in as a Canadian citizen at a public ceremony in Surrey last month.

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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.