November 2010 www.torontobluessociety.com Published by the TORON T O BLUES SOCIE T Y since 1985 [email protected] Vol 26, No 11 Donna Grantis is music director at the 24th Annual Women's Blues Revue on November 27th at Massey Hall CANADIAN PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT #40011871 Alejandra Ribera John’s Blues Picks Loose Blues News Event Listings & more 2 MapleBlues November 2010 TORON T O BLUES SOCIE T Y 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 2010 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Derek Andrews (President), Jon Arnold (Executive), Gord Brown, Lucie Dufault, Sharon Evans, Sarah French, Shar Grace, Michael Malone (Treasurer), Ed Parsons (Executive), Norman Robinson, Paul Sanderson, Mike Smith (Executive), John Valenteyn (Executive), Musicians Advisory Council: Lance Anderson, Brian Blain, Gary Kendall, Al Lerman, Lily The Toronto Blues Society will be presenting the best in local blues talent the first Sazz, Mark Stafford, Suzie Vinnick Thursday of each month at The Melody Bar in The Gladstone Hotel. There will be no Executive Committee: Derek Andrews, cover charge and each performance will begin at 8pm. Upcoming performances Jon Arnold, Michael Malone, Ed Parsons, include: Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley (pictured, Nov 4), and Mike Smith, John Valenteyn Harrison Kennedy (Dec 2). http://www.gladstonehotel.com Volunteer Committee: Ed Parsons, Sharon Evans More Upcoming TBS Events Membership Services Coordinator: Rick Battiston Women’s Blues Revue: The 24th annual Women's Blues Revue member discount details are available Office and Event Coordinator: by contacting the office. Confirmed singers this year include Kellylee Evans, Alana Bridgewater, Little Jordan Safer Miss Higgins, Robin Banks, Rita Chiarelli and Alejandra Ribera! Tickets are available by calling Grants Officer: Barbara Isherwood 416-872-4255 and visiting http://www.masseyhall.com Sponsorship Coordinator: Dougal Bichan TBS Christmas Party - Saturday, December 11 (venue TBA) Webmistress: Janine Stoll Blues Summit Five – January 15-17 – Delta Chelsea Hotel Maple Blues Awards – January 17 – Koerner Hall Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Derek Andrews Call for Submissions to Showcase at Blues Summit Five - Deadline is November 15 to submit an application to showcase at The Blues Summit Five happening at the Delta Chelsea Hotel Jan 15-17. Please Managing Editor: Brian Blain go to www.sonicbids.com/bluessummitfive or send a CD with a one page bio sheet, photo and $10 handling Contributing Editors: John Valenteyn, fee. Performances take place at the Market Garden Cafe and Monarchs Lounge on January 15 and 16 and Gary Tate will be attended by festival artistic directors and delegates from across the Canada and around the blues Distribution: Ed Parsons, Rick Battiston world. [email protected]/416-538-3885 Advertising: Dougal & Co. Tel 416-645-0295 CALL FOR NOMINATIONS email [email protected] Voting members of the Toronto Blues Society are eligible to run for the 2010 Toronto Blues Society Board of Directors. In order to run, you must be a member in good Printing: UCC Press (416) 545-0277 standing, and you must be nominated in writing by three voting members of the The Toronto Blues Society gratefully acknowledges the society. Deadline to receive nominations is 5 pm, November 19, 2010. financial support of the following agencies The slate of candidates will be announced in the December issue of Maples Blues. Elections will take place at the Annual General Meeting of the Toronto Blues Society office. For further information contact the TBS office, 416 538-3885 Ministry of Culture The Toronto Blues Society is a member of 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: Cultural Careers Council Ontario and Human Toronto Blues Society, 910 Queen St. W. Ste. B04, Toronto, Canada M6J 1G6 Resources Development Canada Email: [email protected] MapleBlues November 2010 3 4 MapleBlues November 2010 Congratulations to the 14th Annual Maple Blues Award Nominees NEW ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE PIANO/KEYBOARD PLAYER OF THE YEAR YEAR Arsen Shomakhov Graham Guest Chris Antonik Julian Fauth Erin McCallum Kenny "Blue Boss" Wayne Hupman Brothers Lance Anderson (Shakura S’Aida) Mike "Shrimp Daddy" Reid Michael Fonfara (Downchild) RECORDING OF THE YEAR HORN PLAYER OF THE YEAR Brown Sugar (Ruf) Al Lerman (Fathead) Shakura S'Aida Chris Murphy (Maple Blues Revue) Producer – Jim Gaines Chris Whiteley I Need A Hat (Linus) Johnny Johnson (Johnny Max Band) ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR Downchild Pat Carey (Downchild) Downchild Producer – Don Walsh Johnny Max Band Love, Lost and Found (Electro-Fi) DRUMMER OF THE YEAR Matt Andersen Mel Brown Bucky Berger (Fathead) Monkey Junk Producers – Mel Brown, Alec Fraser Chris Nordquist (Jim Byrnes) Shakura S'Aida & Andrew Galloway Geoff Arsenault (Easley Stevenson Midnight Memphis Sun (NorthernBlues) Arsenault) ELECTRIC ACT OF THE YEAR JW-Jones Matt Sobb (Monkey Junk) David Gogo Producer – JW-Jones Vince Maccarone (Johnny Max Band) Downchild Things About Comin’ My Way-A Tribute Jack de Keyzer To The Music Of The Mississippi Sheiks BASSIST OF THE YEAR Jimmy Bowskill Band (Black Hen) Alan Duffy (Jack de Keyzer) Monkey Junk Various Artists Alec Fraser (Fraser Daley) Producer – Steve Dawson Brandi Disterheft (Women’s Blues ACOUSTIC ACT OF THE YEAR Revue Band) Braithwaite & Whiteley BB KING INTERNATIONAL ARTIST OF Gary Kendall (Downchild) Harrison Kennedy THE YEAR Keith Picot (Twisters) Harry Manx Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band Little Miss Higgins Duke Robillard SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR Matt Andersen Janiva Magness Harry Manx JJ Grey & Mofro Jolene "Little Miss" Higgins MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR Mavis Staples Paul Reddick & Colin Linden Bob Walsh Sue Foley & Peter Karp Duane Blackburn (Blackburn) GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR Treasa Levasseur Harrison Kennedy Garrett Mason Jim Byrnes Jack de Keyzer BLUES WITH A FEELING AWARD John Mays (Fathead) Steve Dawson (Lifetime Achievement) Teddy Leonard (Fathead) Alec Fraser FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR Tony D (Monkey Junk) Danny Brooks Dawn Tyler Watson Ellen McIlwaine Erin McCallum HARMONICA PLAYER OF THE YEAR Joe Murphy Robin Bank$ David Rotundo Ken Whiteley Shakura S’Aida Guy Bélanger (Bob Walsh) Michael Fonfara Treasa Levasseur Paul Reddick Paul James Roly Platt (Buttery & Platt) Rita Chiarelli Steve Marriner (Monkey Junk) Stephen Barry Terry Wilkins Tom Lavin The Maple Blues Awards is Canada’s Members of the Nominating Panel are not The voting site has been designed and national blues awards program. Its goal is eligible for any of the awards. The win- programmed by KMP Designs Inc., a Toronto to promote blues music across Canada and ners are selected by the votes of blues software consulting company specializing in to recognize outstanding achievement in the fans from across Canada except for the six custom software development for the desk- field. The nominees are selected by a distin- instrumental categories which are voted on top PC, wireless handheld, and the Web. guished panel of blues DJ’s and journalists by the Nominating Panel. Blues fans can from across Canada. cast their votes online at www.mapleblues. Voting will take place October 30 to ca. The winners will be announced at the December 11, 2010 annual Maple Blues Awards gala in Toronto on Monday, January 17, 2011. MapleBlues November 2010 5 6 MapleBlues November 2010 Meet Alejandra Alejandra Ribera is totally devoted to the concept of music as magic. Since she exploded onto the Toronto music scene, she has proven to be a delightful and seductive force of nature. As I sit with Alejandra in an Ottawa restaurant, I ask her about what connects her to the blues, because she will be a total wild card at the Toronto Blues Society's Women's Blues Revue at Massey Hall on Saturday, November 27. "My first memories of performing are divided into two camps: Anglican doxology and stealing Alejandra Ribera plays the 24th annual Women's Blues Revue on November 27th at Massey Hall along with other my mom's blues and musical records and singing featured vocalists Kellylee Evans, Alana Bridgewater, Little Miss Higgins, Robin Banks and Rita Chiarelli. along with them." Photo by Amelia McColdrick On the inside of her right wrist, Alejandra blues cred, but she would be equally at home Ribera has an elegant tattoo. A single word, it frequently dark material, and an unconventional life in a jazz club, a world music gathering or a folk reads: Escuchame (“listen to me” in Spanish). "I that’s been full of adventures and misadventures, festival. For Alejandra, on stage, it’s a carefully want your attention. I want to be more interesting travel, jobs in science labs, burger-joints, and constructed balancing act, and she very rarely than your beer. Communion with an audience is energy healing. The resumé includes four days falls. For the audience, it’s a roller coaster ride that the best feeling in the world," she says. at York University’s vocal jazz programme (she dropped out to go to the mountains of Slovakia and may take them from Latin folk tunes to cabaret Alejandra is an artist with international roots study with a witch doctor, honest) and childhood songs in French or Spanish to unexpected jazzy — born in Toronto to an Argentinian waiter and music studies (violin, viola, choral music). She moodiness to her own alternative pop songs. And a Scottish actress, raised in the heart of the city’s had spent her teenage years listening to the music on November 27 she will take us to her corner of gay village — and a style that reminds her listeners and the passion of such varied artists as Odetta, the blues universe.