Jazzing up Brampton

Art of Jazz brings festival to west end

Oakville, Port Hope and Markham have one, and now Bramptons got one, too. Its the latest suburb to establish its own jazz festival, and last night the inaugural Brampton Global Jazz & Blues Festival kicked off with a performance by the Jazz Mechanics Big Band. The festival is the brainchild of the Art of Jazz organization, which hosted a similar event at the Distillery District for four years. We moved from there because of the amount of construction that was happening down there, awardwinning horn player Jane Bunnett says. We proposed the idea to the City of Brampton who immediately got excited about it.

Rhythms N Rhymes

nazareth

errol

The show features Bunnett and Sarah Morrow, a trombonist who played with Ray Charles and Bootsy Collins, and the three of them will connect the musical dots between New Orleans and Cuba. And you can expect a big crowd to show up to hear saxophonist and singer Grace Kelly when she plays a free gig Saturday evening. T h e Ko re a n -A m e r i c a n sensation released her first

album when she was 12 and was in her early teens when she performed and recorded with jazz giants like Wynton Marsalis, singer Diane Reeves, pianist Harry Connick Jr. and bassist Esperanza Spalding, who won a Grammy Award in the best new artist category this year. Kelly has since performed more than 500 concerts at major festivals like the Montreal Jazz Festival and Newport Jazz Festival, and shes played at prestigious venues such as the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center in New York.

Hallmark
Grace Kelly plays with intelligence, wit and feeling, Marsalis once said. She has a great amount of natural ability and the ability to adapt. That is the hallmark of a first-class jazz musician. You can hear what the buzz is about when the Grace Kelly Quartet plays the Rose Theatres outdoor stage Saturday evening at 6 p.m. The Art of Jazz says its mandate includes providing jazz education and mentorship programs to audiences of all ages, and it will fulfill this at the festival by offering a couple of not-to-be missed workshops. Bobby McFerrin offers what promises to be a memorable vocal workshop Saturday morning at the Rose Theatre Studio (11 a.m., $50/$20 students with ID). And Kelly presents a 90-minute improvisation workshop at the same venue on Sunday (noon, free). Its open to musicians of all levels and youre welcome to bring your instrument. Films, a kids blues jam, and a gospel brunch featuring the Gillian Margot Quartet are also part of the festival. Full festival details can be found at artofjazz.org.

26,000 people
In a statement, Brampton city councillor Grant Gibson said that when the Art of Jazz approached him with the idea it was apparent that this is the sort of activity we wanted to attract to our downtown. This project has the potential to attract 26,000 people from Brampton, the GTA and beyond, and could generate more than $3 million for the regional economy in direct and indirect spending. Bunnett hopes the festival makes people in Brampton look in their own backyard and not feel they have to drive to Toronto to see a show. And were also hoping that this is a place where the festival can grow. The highlights of the fourday fest include concerts by the legendary New Orleans pianist and singer Dr. John, vocalist extraordinaire Bobby McFerrin, Jane Bunnett, the legendary Downchild Blues Band, and the Heavyweight Brass Band. Dr. John will perform a special concert tonight titled From Mardi Gras to Mambo.

hear thIS!
Errols cant miss list

nOW

1 2 3

Local Japanese taiko troupe Yakudo drum up a storm at Harbourfront Saturday as part of the Fortune Cooking Food Festival. 5:30 p.m. Redpath Stage. Free. Hip-hop legends Public Enemy rock the Sound Academy Saturday. For details, visit edge.ca. Stiff Little Fingers, one of my favourite punk bands of all time, play Lees Palace Tuesday. $35.50. 529 Bloor St. W.

grace kelly