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  Her jazz dream diesMontreal Bistro abruptly closes after 25 years, shocking patrons Jul. 6, 2006. 05:13 AM ASHANTE INFANTRY ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER Vocalist Gabi Epstein's visions of making her Toronto debut at the city's oldest existing jazz venue were abruptly halted by an email in the night. That was how she found out Tuesday that the Montreal Bistro was shutting down. Customers found out yesterday, with a note on the door: "Dear Patrons, The Montreal Bistro has closed its doors for good. Thank you for all your support and loyalty for so many years," read the typewritten note taped to the door of the Sherbourne St. venue yesterday. McGill University music grad Epstein, 21, "freaked out for 20 minutes" then rallied resources to locate another club to accommodate the 70 plus friends and relatives who'd planned to attend last night's show. Within the wistfulness is the subtext of the Bistro's demise coming exactly one year after the closing of the Top O' the Senator jazz club. While the Senator's closure was related to the need for more theatre diners to fuel its adjacent dining room, jazz promoter Sybil Walker flouted industry speculation that Bistro owners Lothar and Brigitte Lang simply accelerated a discussed retirement because of a lease disagreement with their landlord. In brief emails to the Toronto Star Lothar wrote: "After a long fight to overcome several severe setbacks and with no immediate help on the horizon, we had to close.... We wish the circumstances were different. It is not easy for all of us to realize that after 25 years we just lost our livelihood." It won't be easy for jazz lovers to find a replacement for the 25-year-old institution, comparable to New York's celebrated Village Vanguard for the plethora of talent and notable recordings it has hosted. "This is a great loss," said trumpeter Jim Galloway, artistic director of the Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival. "It was really a great club to play and it put Toronto on the map." "For me it's quite sad," said drummer Don Vickery. "It was a wonderful place to go and hear music and socialize with other musicians." "This isn't a reflection on jazz, although it looks like it," said Walker, who managed the Senator for 15 years. "This has always been a vital jazz town. I don't know another city that has as many colleges and universities pumping out such great musicians and the recent Festival did very well." Ross Porter, president and CEO of Jazz FM 91, agrees the loss of the Bistro is not an indication of the audience for jazz in the city. "We've been doing well," he said, noting his station's 320,000 weekly listeners, "and we've seen an increase in the number of donors." The Langs, married 33 years, were honoured for lifetime achievement at the National Jazz Awards earlier this year. The 120-seat Bistro has hosted legends such as Oscar Peterson and Phil Nimmons and nurtured the early days of Diana Krall and Joshua Redman. "When you sat on that stage you were surrounded by jazz history," recalled pianist Ron Davis. "And they had a fantastic piano that had been played by greats like Jay McShann and Marian McPartland. This is not just a loss for Toronto, there are fewer and fewer good jazz clubs left in North America." Last month, Galloway recorded a CD there. "That's going to be a bittersweet thing when it's released in the fall," he said of the yet untitled album. "The Bistro was a warm room acoustically; it worked well for duo and well for big band. "Everyone likes to make cracks about club owners, but Lothar and Brigitte really did care about the music. This is not an easy thing for them to do." While Walker concedes that "people going out less" and a stretched entertainment dollar may be affecting the audience for jazz, she and other jazz stalwarts are encouraging others to jump into the void left by the Bistro to bolster a field which includes The Rex Hotel and Red Guitar Art House Café. "We've got to look at this as an opportunity to create another business model," said Porter. "There's a need, we just need someone with an entrepreneurial spirit." Adds Pat Taylor, executive producer of the Toronto Jazz Festival: "We're putting the word out that we will support them. Not financially, but we know real estate agents and properties that may be for sale. If I was a few years younger I'd open up a jazz club here." Epstein was looking forward to being part of the Bistro's tradition of breaking new talent. Accompanied by a pianist, she was to deliver her blend of pop, jazz and show tunes last night for the first time in a public setting. "I sent my demo to about 40 places and they were the only ones that responded. My dad is a huge jazz fan and in his mind the Bistro was the place to always be. This was a huge big deal." But Tuesday night she got an apologetic email from Lothar Lang. When the shock wore off she got on the phone. "I had tons of people coming and a gig ready and no venue," said the North York resident, "I was tempted to bring everyone to my house if I had to." But she managed to get into The Trane Studio on Bathurst St. — courtesy of the owners delaying their vacation for a day. "All I was thinking was that `this place is closing, but the show must go on,' it has to." Additional articles by Ashante Infantry |
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