The Musician Spotlight Series shines a light on up-and-coming bands and solo acts creating heartfelt and original work across genres, giving them an opportunity to talk about their music, their collaborators, and why they do what they do. Click Here to follow the series as it progresses. To submit an artist or band for consideration, email editors@myentertainmentworld.ca. […]
Bria Skonberg is bringing us the musical future by delving into its past. It’s been a busy year for jazz trumpet player, composer, and singer Bria Skonberg. She got a last minute call earlier this year to play with the members of Sun Ra Arkestra backing up U2 at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem. […]
Cawrk Theatrical Productions is back with their first production in five years. Last seen directing and starring in the company’s My Theatre Award-nominated production of The Glass Menagerie, Cawrk founding members Matthew Yipchuck and Cat Bernardi have moved on as artists and become specialists in different fields. For the company’s return to the Toronto stage, they’ve smartly […]
The Global Cabaret Festival came to an end with a rousing late-night performance from the great Jackie Richardson. I celebrated the first seven shows on my agenda in Part 1. Now that the festival is over (hopefully not forever- Global, tell us you’ll bring the festival back for year 8!), here are the rest of […]
I’m halfway through the 7th (and final?) Global Cabaret Festival weekend down at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Here are the highlights so far: UPDATE: Read Part 2 HERE. Best Show (so far) The American Pie Songbook I know, I’m the most predictable person in the world, but the songbook show music directed […]
“The best way to predict the future is to create it!” Bold words from an artist determined on making waves in the music industry. Jaga Glassman was raised around jazz and European sounds all her life and embraced the fusion of both. As a young lady she learned to master the guitar and dabbled with […]
CD Release at Gallery 345, April 17 Resplendent in a purple pixie gown, Shannon Graham stands out from her band. They are clad in the trademark black suits of the gigging musician, all in varying stages of disarray. We are gathered in Gallery 345 to celebrate the launch of Graham’s new album. My first impression […]
One of the predominant challenges faced by modern jazz musicians is that of an alienated audience. How does one push boundaries in a genre famed for its esoteric complexity—a genre where pushing boundaries is not merely expected but demanded—while managing to hold the attention of an increasingly fickle public? On Sunday night, in the Drake […]
Omar Thomas Large Ensemble took the stage at Berklee Performance Center on July 25th to a packed house. This was Thomas’s second concert at BPC with his 18 piece jazz ensemble since becoming a faculty member at Berklee College of Music in 2008 at the age of 23- making him one of the youngest professors […]
The last weekend in October was one of the coolest weekends I’ve ever spent in my beloved Toronto. Downtown, in the heart of the ever-gorgeous Distillery District, sits the city’s most valuable performance space: The Young Centre for the Performing Arts. The beautifully designed venue sports a spacious lobby with a bar that serves everything […]
If given the chance to meet just one celebrity in my life, it wouldn’t take long for me to come up with a remarkably short list of whom I would choose. Very near the top of that list would be the endearing and multi-talented Seth MacFarlane. If you watch an interview with the Family Guy/American Dad/Cleveland […]