April Snow and Joy Spring - all in a week:

I have a friend who says that we can always expect one snow in April in Ontario, and on April 1st we had exactly that. This last gasp of winter, a huge dollop of precipitation that could be referred to as snow only in that it was frozen and white in colour, fell into huge piles of slush down toward Niagara, and left many of us feeling all the worse for wear. As we asked ourselves, “What did we do to deserve this?” Mother Nature had planned a couple glorious days shortly thereafter as recompense for having survived the worst of the season. Now on to Spring!

Worldwide airplay for Movie Songs:

I have been asked alot lately, "How is the new disc doing?" and I am glad to able to give you some news on the record industry front. Just check out the reviews and tracking for "Movie Songs" at the bottom of this message. The disc has been marketed to media through a number of channels including the web-direct efforts of RadioDirectX, and the feedback and airplay have been very gratifying. Folks all over the world are playing the disc, and have begun to write in with their comments and positive reviews. In short, if you have a project ready for a broader audience, RadioDirectX does a fine job of getting it "out there."

The State-of-the-art:

Toronto jazz fans were saddened to be informed of the demise of one of this country's premiere jazz venues, the Top o' the Senator. And as many of you know, the Senator has been a home base of operations for me as a performer since my arrival on the Toronto scene in 1999. With the sale of the establishment, the jazz policy will cease with little fanfare at the end of the season in June of this year. Though a commemoration of some sort would be in order, it is likely that the extent of this commemoration will be found through drinks in the club's honour raised in other venues around town.

For the musicians on the scene the loss of the room is a substantial one, but things will surely settle into a new groove as they always do in time. As for myself, “George Evans and his Quartet” are pleased to have opportunity to return to Toronto's other major jazz room, The Montréal Bistro for a three-night stay from April 14-16th. This welcome addition to the schedule is made possible by the ongoing support of Lothar and Brigitte, whose interest in the music has never flagged, and whose club we should applaud for a long-running and ongoing jazz policy, featuring Canadian and International headliners 52 weeks a year.

More and more this season, the Toronto scene has begun to go the way of a "special event programming" mentality where the presentation of jazz is concerned, and it remains to be seen whether as in other communities, this will negatively impact the health of the club scene and nightly jazz. No matter the growing popularity of the idiom in Canada, there are only so many consumer dollars to go around in any community, and these "special events" may in time drain the resources of the established venues who make it their mandate to present jazz not only on an "event" basis but in genuine support of the music and the musicians we love.

Support your favourite venue by being a regular customer. Enjoy the season, have a weekly jazz-night of your own, and become a part of Toronto's still active jazz club scene. The rewards go both ways.

George Evans, Toronto, April 6th, 2005