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From the category archives:

The Buzz

Jay Douglas, Kristin Chenoweth, and Jann Arden in the Buzz: March 6-12

Posted by Stefania Paterak in  The Buzz  on  March 6, 2012

JUST ANNOUNCED
We announced, just yesterday, that the legendary Jay Douglas will perform at Glenn Gould Studio on Friday, May 18 Douglas, originally from Montego Bay, immigrated to Toronto in the mid-60s and has since become a critical player in this city’s R&B scene. FriendsFirst members can purchase tickets tomorrow, Wednesday, and they become available for sale to the general public on Thursday. Check out the above video to hear Jay Douglas sing with the 60s band The Cougars (as featured on the popular Jamaica to Toronto compilation album.)

Fresh from this weekend’s premiere of her new television series, GCB, we are excited to let you know that Kristin Chenoweth will be performing at Massey Hall on June 12. You may know Chenoweth from her lengthy Broadway, film, and television CV including originating the role of Glinda in Broadway’s Wicked and having a multiple-episode guest appearance on Glee. In this rare concert appearance, Kristin Chenoweth performs songs from her latest album and her accomplished careers. Tickets are on sale today for FriendsFirst members and to the public on Saturday.

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Gordon Lightfoot, Alejandra Ribera, and the Missing Link in The Buzz: February 28-March 5

Posted by Stefania Paterak in  The Buzz  on  February 28, 2012

JUST ANNOUNCED
Gordon Lightfoot will once again return to Massey Hall in November (with shows from November 14 – 17). Gordon Lightfoot recently made an appearance in these parts at the Pavlo concert at Roy Thomson Hall last Friday. Lightfoot, as you well know, is a Massey Hall institution and we’re so proud to have him back once again. This time, on the heels of announcing a new album Massey Hall Moments – All Live. The album, as the title suggests, is made up of live recordings from past Massey Hall concerts. Tickets go on sale to FriendsFirst on Wednesday (tomorrow!) and to the public on Friday, March 2. Added Fun: from February 29 through April 6, you’ll be able to purchase a copy of Mr. Lightfoot’s album Massey Hall Moments – All Live when ordering tickets (details can be found on the event page).

PERFORMANCES
Alejandra Ribera (Friday): The incredibly talented Alejandra Ribera will grace the Glenn Gould Studio stage this Friday evening. We’re delighted that we’ll have a chance to see this serious chanteuse in the intimate space – for a flavour of the kind of performance you’re in for, check out this clip of her performing “Goodnight Persephone”. Ms. Ribera is excited about the night too, check out her recent blogpost here on Soundboard about the forthcoming show. You can also listen to Alejandra Ribera or watch the live stream when she performs 3 songs in the concert lobby tomorrow at Classical963fm.com at 3:20pm.

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Classical, Jazz, The Unspeakable, and Whitehorse in The Buzz: Feb 21-27

Posted by Stefania Paterak in  The Buzz  on  February 21, 2012

JUST ANNOUNCED
Today we announce the triumphant return of musical genius Chilly Gonzales to Glenn Gould Studio. Mr. Gonzales hits the stage on Tuesday, April 17 as part of his North American Tour. Other news from the Gonzales camp includes the promise of a new album, Solo Piano II, and the forthcoming releases of his feature film Ivory Tower as well as his first live DVD, The Unspeakable Chilly Gonzales Live with Orchestra (both in April). You can read more about his latest antics on his website. Tickets for members of our FriendsFirst program go on sale tomorrow (Wednesday) and to the general public on Thursday.

PERFORMANCES
Brandi Disterheft (Tuesday): We were delighted when Ms. Disterheft performed as part of the Women’s Blues Revue in the Fall and so we’re excited to see her headline gig tonight at Glenn Gould Studio. The bassist recently contributed to CBC Radio 3’s mission to compile a list of the top 10 Canadian Jazz Albums. You can read her picks here.

Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis (Thursday): This year marks Wynton Marsalis’ 50th birthday and we’re throwing a birthday party in the form of a concert featuring him and his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra performing a selection from his catalogue as well as those from other historic greats. You can read a conversation Mr. Marsalis recently had with Richard Ouzounian from The Toronto Star here.

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Shows and Nominations and Good Music are all The Buzz: Feb 7 – 13

Posted by Wes Doerksen in  The Buzz  on  February 7, 2012

JUST ANNOUNCED
We’ve got some great spring/summer shows to tell you about.

Bonnie Raitt returns to Massey Hall on Saturday May 26 hot on the heels of releasing her upcoming album Slipstream. In her words the album has her “in the slipstream of those who came before me…holding up the traditions of the music that I love”.

Amelia Curran, JUNO Award winner in 2010 for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year, will play the Glenn Gould Studio on Tuesday, May 15. Amelia’s also appearing as special guest at the upcoming Whitehorse show we’re presenting at the Winter Garden on February 24.

And the Good Lovelies, also JUNO Award winners (and newly nominated for a 2012 JUNO), perform at the Glenn Gould Studio on Saturday, June 16. Expect witty banter, instrument swapping and beautiful three part harmonies from this Folk/Roots trio.

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Music News You’ll Be Glad You Read –
The Buzz: Jan. 31 – Feb. 6

Posted by Stefania Paterak in  The Buzz  on  January 31, 2012

JUST ANNOUNCED
We’ve had lots of exciting new Massey Hall show announcements in the past week or so. Daughtry will be stopping in at Massey Hall with their Break the Spell Tour on March 24. The band will be showcasing tunes from their latest album Break the Spell including “Crawling Back To You” and “Renegade.”

Then in April Death Cab for Cutie hits the Massey Hall stage on April 19. The concert should be pretty special as the band will be performing on stage with members of The Magik*Magik Orchestra. Magik*Magik Orchestra is, in fact, a modular orchestra who love collaboration and whose mission it is to “attract new listeners and participants to the orchestral experience.” As you can imagine, we think this is pretty cool – and obviously so does Death Cab For Cutie. You can get a feel for the kind of activities the Orchestra gets up to by checking out the “Watch and Listen” section of their webpage here.

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Gaffigan on camping and Spencer Wells on human migration in The Buzz: January 17-23

Posted by Stefania Paterak in  The Buzz  on  January 17, 2012

PERFORMANCES
Jim Gaffigan (Saturday): Jim Gaffigan hits the Massey Hall stage this weekend in what’s sure to be a very funny evening. You may know Gaffigan from his appearances on late night shows with David Letterman and Conan O’Brien but my personal fave was his guest appearance as the loveable, if odd, best friend to Murray on Flight of the Conchords (recall his initial introduction to Murray’s “newly added friends” Bret and Jermaine over barbeque). Check out the embedded video above for some of Gaffigan’s more classic stand-up, this time on the topic of camping from his perspective (he notes that he is “what you would call indoorsy”).

Spencer Wells, Deep Ancestory: Inside The Genographic Project (Monday): The third presentation in this year’s new National Geographic Live series, Spencer Wells is a Population Geneticist who is currently taking it upon himself to create a “detailed, genetically-based map of human migration.” Seriously impressive stuff, right? (Makes your victory dance about the accomplishment of finally cleaning the attic this weekend seem a bit lacklustre, doesn’t it?). You can read all about the project here and learn about how you can participate by doing a cheek swab to “reveal your deep ancestry” here.

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Snow Patrol, Frampton’s Guitar Comes Alive, and a Huge List of Audio-Files in The Buzz: Jan 10-16

Posted by Stephen McGrath in  The Buzz  on  January 10, 2012

JUST ANNOUNCED
We’re thrilled to relay that multi-platinum, Grammy nominated UK band Snow Patrol will perform their first Toronto headline gig in over 3 years when they play at our very own Massey Hall on April 17. The band will be in town to support their new album Fallen Empires which is available from your favourite music retailer beginning today! Tickets for the concert go on sale Friday, January 13 at noon and to FriendsFirst members tomorrow at 10am. Special guest is the fantastic Ed Sheeran. If you haven’t yet heard him, watch “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You” or the Rupert Grint approved video for Sheeran’s song “Lego House” here.

WEB WATCH
Speaking of new albums, RollingStone.com recently posted that digital music sales have surpassed physical album sales for the first time in history, making up 50.3% of all music sales in 2011. With that in mind, here is a nice healthy list of new releases we can look forward to in 2012.

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A 2011 Holiday Edition of The Buzz

Posted by Stefania Paterak in  The Buzz  on  December 20, 2011

JUST ANNOUNCED
Just yesterday afternoon we announced that comedian Ron “Tater Salad” White will be heading to Massey Hall on April 12, 2012 as part of his Moral Compass Tour. Ron White has been a busy fellow with a New York Times Best Seller, I Had the Right to Remain Silent… But I Didn’t Have the Ability, two Grammy Award nominations, and three of the top-rated one-hour TV specials in Comedy Central’s history. Tickets for FriendsFirst members are on sale today and for the general public on Friday.

PERFORMANCES
In addition to Justin Bieber’s hugely anticipated Home for the Holidays TV special being taped tomorrow at Massey Hall, Toronto’s own The Canadian Tenors bring their own, Home for the Holidays Tour to Roy Thomson Hall for two nights this week (Thursday, December 22 & Friday, December 23): The Canadian Tenors, who were recently called by the Washington Examiner “a perfect partnership of classical and pop,” perform two shows this week in celebration of the festive season. For a taste of the music of which these four gentlemen are capable, check out this CBC Concert on Demand from their 2009 benefit concert in Vancouver for the Bulembu Foundation. The concert included a version of their now-classic take on “Hallelujah” made famous in their performance of the tune on this year’s Emmy Awards. And to get an idea of the Tenors feeling festive, here’s a video for their “O Holy Night.”

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A Creole Christmas, Kings and Queens, and Diamonds (on the Soles of Her Shoes)
in the Buzz: December 13-19

Posted by Stefania Paterak in  The Buzz  on  December 13, 2011

PERFORMANCES
Preservation Hall Jazz Band: Creole Christmas: (Thursday): Preservation Hall Jazz Band returns to Roy Thomson Hall on Thursday night with their special holiday concert, Creole Christmas. The legendary band is celebrating its 50th anniversary in style in the new year with a special concert at Carnegie Hall featuring the likes of My Morning Jacket, Allen Toussaint, Blind Boys of Alabama, and Mos Def (via Consequence of Sound) – that’s some fine company. Check them out at Roy Thomson Hall this week and also be sure to read this LA Times article on the musical influences of band leader Ben Jaffe.

Toronto Children’s Chorus: A Chorus Christmas – Mystery of the Season (Saturday): An annual tradition at Roy Thomson Hall, the voices of the Toronto Children’s Chorus fill the Hall to the brim with joy this weekend. This year’s concert features the premiere of a Maori song with percussion and special guests True North Brass accompanying the chorus. You can hear (and see) a group of 35 of the 300 singers this Thursday afternoon at 4:20pm when they perform live (and video stream) at The New Classical 96 FM.

JUST ANNOUNCED
Last week we announced two shows coming up in the spring. Blackie and the Rodeo Kings will perform at Massey Hall on Wednesday March 21, 2012 in their show titled, Kings and Queens Live. The show will include appearances from and collaborations with a variety of women (or “Queens”) including Holly Cole, Amy Helm, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Serena Ryder and more. The Rodeo Kings new album, Kings and Queens, released in June 2011 features duets from the likes of Lucinda Williams, Roseanne Cash, Serena Ryder, to name a few. You can stream the tracks on the band’s site.

Also announced last week is a performance from Dala (in celebration of their forthcoming album, Best Day) with special guest Kevin Fox. Dala, comprised of duo Amanda Walther and Sheila Carabine, are JUNO Award CONTINUE READING >

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National Geographic Live, Bon Iver, and
Tori Amos in The Buzz: Dec. 6-12

Posted by Stefania Paterak in  The Buzz  on  December 6, 2011

PERFORMANCES
Brian Skerry, Ocean Soul: Photographing the Underwater World for National Geographic (Tonight-Tuesday): National Geographic Live returns to Roy Thomson Hall for the second in this series of four speaker events. Canadian photographer Brian Skerry, has spent more than 10,000 hours underwater learning and photo-documenting this mysterious world. Like the last presentation at Roy Thomson Hall from National Geographic (by photographer and filmmaker, Mattias Klum), the evening features prepared remarks and a showcase of the speaker’s work as well a Question and Answer session. Just last month, Boston Magazine had the opportunity to ask some questions and get some answers in this interview – check it out.

Bon Iver (Tonight-Tuesday & Wednesday): Bon Iver, who was just nominated for no less than four Grammy Awards (see Accolades, below) returns to town this week with two shows at Massey Hall. Lianne La Havas also performs on these nights – if you’re one of those do your homework in advance types, check out her website for a snapshot of her lovely music. We’re very much looking forward to a proper introduction (i.e. from the stage of Massey Hall) tonight and tomorrow.

Tori Amos (Thursday): Tori Amos performs at Massey Hall this week and we’re excited to see and hear what she’s been up to with her latest recording, Night of Hunters. You can read all about the project, a bit of a departure from the pop world and into the classical, in this weekend’s Globe and Mail. Rolling Stone has a CONTINUE READING >

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