October 2019 www.torontobluessociety.com Published by the TORONTO BLUES SOCIETY since 1985 [email protected] Vol 35, No 10 PHOTO BY TAHA MUHARUMA TAHA BY PHOTO Tanika Charles will be a featured vocalist at the Women's Blues Revue Friday November 29 at Roy Thomson Hall CANADIAN PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT #40011871 Tanika Charles at Loose Blues News Women's Blues Revue Top Blues Voxxy Lady goes to Europe Event Listings TORONTO BLUES SOCIETY 910 Queen St. W. Ste. B04 Toronto, Canada M6J 1G6 Tel. (416) 538-3885 Toll-free 1-866-871-9457 Email: [email protected] Website: www.torontobluessociety.com MapleBlues is published monthly by the Toronto Blues Society ISSN 0827-0597 2019 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Derek Andrews (President), Janet Alilovic, Jon Arnold, Ron Clarkin (Treasurer), Lucie Dufault (Vice-President), Carol Flett (Secretary), Sarah French, Michele Gare, Lori Murray, Ed Parsons, Jordan Safer, Paul Sanderson, Mike Smith, Earl Tucker, John Valenteyn (Executive) Musicians Advisory Council: Brian Blain, Gary Kendall, Samantha Martin, Lily Sazz, Mark Stafford, Jenie Thai, Suzie Vinnick,Ken Whiteley Volunteer & Membership Committee: Lucie Dufault, Sarah French, Rose Ker, Mike Smith, Ed Parsons, Carol Flett Grants Officer: Barbara Isherwood Marketing & Social Media Coordinator: Dan McKinnon Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Derek Andrews Managing Editor: Brian Blain Melissa McClelland added to Women’s Blues Revue. The magnificent string bender and vocalist in dynamic [email protected] duo Whitehorse will be joining the lineup of the annual fem fete this year. Invited year after year, the band has consistently had conflicting shows or tours, but this year we are delighted to welcome one of Canada’s great Contributing Editors: John Valenteyn, Janet Alilovic, Hüma Üster, Carol Flett performers, who with her husband Luke Doucet is steeped in blues tradition, giving it their own twist on recent Six Shooter Record releases. Listings Coordinator: Janet Alilovic Mailing and Distribution: Ed Parsons MARK YOUR CALENDAR Advertising: Dougal Bichan [email protected] Thursday, October 31, 6pm - Deadline for submissions for the Cobalt Prize Contemporary For ad rates & specs call 416-645-0295 Blues Composition Award. Details at www.torontobluessociety.com/cobalt-prize/ www.torontobluesociety.com/newsletters/ Friday, November 29, 8pm - Women's Blues Revue at Roy Thomson Hall with Melissa rate-card McClelland, Raha Javanfar, Miss Emily, Taborah Johnson, Ellen McIlwaine, Tanika Charles, Charitable # 87487 7509 RR0001 Angelique Francis backed by the all-star Women’s Blues Revue Band: Rebecca Hennessy (Bandleader/Trumpet), Colleen Allen (Sax), Elena Kapeleris (Sax), Emily Burgess (Guitar), The Toronto Blues Society acknowledges the Carrie Chesnutt (Sax), Morgan Doctor (Drums), Carlie Howell (Bass), Lily Sazz (Keys).. Tickets annual support of the following agencies: are on sale now! TBS Charter Members can contact TBS office for the discount code. February 3, 2020 7pm, Maple Blues Awards at Koerner Hall. Hosted by Raha Javanfar. TBS Members pre-sale tickets now on sale. an Ontario government agency February 17-20, 2020 Folk Alliance Conference, New Orleans. un organisme du gouvernement de l’Ontario March 2020 Rez Blues - Venue TBA The Toronto Blues Society acknowledges the Theannual TorontoProject support supportBlues of theSociety is following provided acknowledges agencies: by: the annual support of the following agencies: The Toronto Blues Society is a member of Project support is provided by: Project support is provided by: We acknowledge the fi nancial support of FACTOR, the Government of Canada and of Canada’s private radio broadcasters. Nous reconnaissons l’appui fi nancier de FACTOR, du gouvernement du Canada, et des radiodiffuseurs privés du Canada. The Toronto Blues Society is committed to the principles of the Personal Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) in safeguarding the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information. CANADIAN PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT #40011871 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Toronto Blues Society, 910 Queen St. W. Ste. B04, Toronto, Canada M6J 1G6 Email: [email protected] 2 MapleBlues October 2019 www.torontobluessociety.com of small barrel-shaped ancient heater found them all home to the zolder and made in out-dated Dutch buildings, especially in them Italian vegetarian soul food. For years studentenkaamers (student housing). Every afterwards, Demons drummer, Stych Winston, year, several people died of asphyxiation reminded me of how good that food tasted. I Voxxy from these Co2 producing devices. Not ones got the Demons a gig at our local jazz joint, to take chances, we turned off our kacheltje “The Duke”, and the Dutch audience loved each night. I know that the temperature them. In fact, our guitarist, Jeroen Koning, who Lady was below zero those two winters I lived in has a memory like fly paper, started singing Holland because the canals froze for two the lyrics of “Spadina Bus” at our next gig. Voxxy Lady Goes to record-breaking years The Duke (now a sports bar) in a row. That hadn’t was our local headquarters. The Europe, Part I: Holland happened since WWII. club’s owner, Dick Wansink, loved My friend, good harp man, Mark “Bird” The word kacheltje musicians. We would rehearse in Stafford, recently returned from Europe. He is so difficult for non- the unheated club during the day was there mostly for family visiting reasons, native Dutch speakers with Dick supplying us endless but was ever-prepared to sit in if the situation to say, it was apparently cups of horrendously strong coffee. presented itself. In Glasgow and Amsterdam used as a way to screen At night, musicians--both emerging he found it tough to sit in, saying that it’s German imposters and some of Holland’s greatest much the same everywhere if you don’t know during the war. They players--would play until 1:00 a.m. anybody. True words. would be ordered On occasion, after Dick kicked out Bird’s trip made me think of my own three to say 88 kacheltjes the general populous, he’d lock weeks in Europe this past December. As a or “achtentachtig the doors and let us musicians jam young woman, I lived and worked in Holland kachetjes”. I loved practicing saying that. and party until 4:00 a.m. The police would for two years. My sweetie was a Dutch jazz So we were poor, we were cold, but we had ultimately rap on the door, but that was just pianist. I had a visitors visa but wasn’t legally the time of our lives. It was so fun to be young protocol. The jamming continued after they allowed to earn money, so I worked under working musicians. We hung every night. left. the cloak of “The Nicki Harlem Quintet”. We There seemed to be nothing but socializing So, this trip last December was a walk were poor--of course--living La Vie Boheme and playing back in those days. One day I down Memory Lane--a persistent itch that in a two-room zolder (an attic apartment) in was riding the tram in Amsterdam and heard wouldn’t leave me however many years went a centuries-old building in Leiden. Every singing way at the back. I fought my way by. I found many of my old musical buddies morning I got up, lit the kacheltje (little through the end-of-the-work-day crowd so in December. Being with them again and heater), warmed the dishes in hot water, and that I could see who was making the music. It made breakfast. Our kacheltje was the kind was Canada’s own Shuffle Demons. I brought cont’d on p12 www.torontobluessociety.com MapleBlues October 2019 3 4 MapleBlues October 2019 www.torontobluessociety.com it's the fact that I took a much more hands-on to whether or not you see that prevalence.” Notes &Quotes approach in the studio. I just had to embrace Since her international debut, Tanika being in the studio and really embody the Charles has added eight countries to her tour music, and I think I did it more for this album outside of Canada. When asked what people Tanika than any of the other studio work I’ve done can expect to experience at one of her live before.” performances, she says; For those who want to know the details cont’d on p12 Charles of the Polaris Prize’s residency, the winner For this year’s Women’s Blues Revue, Soul (Tanika) will have a five-day residency at will meet Blues. Another worthy addition to Studio Bell in Calgary. Charles will have the roster of featured performers is Tanika full access to the studio facility, as well as a Charles. She entered the international music vast array of instruments. The work from the scene in 2017, and has been on an ascending residency will then be recorded and pressed trajectory since. She was just awarded the on vinyl (courtesy of Lixar). The residency Polaris Music Prize’s first-ever artist residency starts in January of 2020. for her latest album, The Gumption (released Knowing that Charles is classified as th May 10 , 2019). For this edition of Notes & an artist whose sound is firmly rooted Quotes, Tanika Charles offers her thoughts in the genre of Soul, she is described as on her newest release, her music, and the someone who creates classic Soul music upcoming Women’s Blues Revue. but uses modern production values. The On the back of winning the Polaris Music question resulting from this is whether she is Prize’s first residency, the release of The seeing the Soul genre re-emerge on a more Gumption last spring, and being on tour to contemporary level. She offers this thoughtful support the album, Charles was asked what reply; she thinks it is about the newest offering “I feel like Soul music is very consistent.