Music
/ Outreach
Music
strikes a jazz note
 jazz
i.d. performer Tom Daniels, of the Tom Daniels Trio (Photo:
David Lee)
jazz
i.d.
was a national competition organized by the Canada Council to
give talented young jazz musicians a chance to reach new audiences
and markets. The five winning groups, chosen from among 61 contestants,
were the Bryn Roberts Group, the Donny Kennedy Quintet, the Tom
Daniels Trio, the Quinsin Nachoff Quartet and the David Braid
Sextet. They participated in the jazz i.d. showcase in
November 2001 at the Canadian International Jazz Convention in
Toronto. The convention, which also features workshops, exhibits
and networking sessions, brought together many Canadian and international
presenters and gave the young artists a unique opportunity to
present their compositions and repertoires. The free showcases
were a unique forum for discovering the next jazz generation.
Even
though the winners are age 30 or less, they all have long and
impressive experience in the jazz world. They have studied with
the great names in jazz, participated in concerts and festivals
in Canada and around the world and made critically acclaimed recordings.
Their performances in the jazz
i.d.
showcase led to subsequent concert dates in Mexico, Japan and
other countries. The jazz effort was a collaboration of the Council's
Outreach Office and Music Section.
 On
another note, several Council 'alumni' were front and centre
at the first annual National Jazz Awards in February. Of the 20
winners, 17 were helped along the way with funding from the Canada
Council. The Toronto ceremony honoured some of Canada's most
talented and celebrated jazz musicians, from Diana Krall, who
went home with three awards including Record of the Year, to Rob
McConnell, who took home awards for Trombonist of the Year and
Arranger of the Year. The Council supports jazz artists through
grants for professional musicians, career development, outreach
to new audiences and market development, as well as for touring
and festivals.
The
Canadian Opera Company production of Oedipus Rex with Symphony
of Psalms, directed by filmmaker François Girard and
conducted by Richard Bradshaw, will be presented at the Edinburgh
International Festival in the summer of 2002. (Photo: Michael
Cooper)
Top
of page
|