The gala evening will take place Tuesday, March 22, starting with student performers at 6pm, followed by headlining acts from 7 to 10pm.

Right: Rita di Ghent

Jazz musician and composer , the Oscar Peterson Chair in Jazz Performance at 91��ɫ who was formerly with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, jazz singer (BFA Hons. ’83), a two-time Jazz Vocalist of the Year nominee for the National Jazz Awards, and   (BFA Spec. Hons. ’07), winner of CBC’s “Canada’s Next Top Crooner”, will take centre stage.

The Celtic Ensemble, directed by 91��ɫ Professor Sherry Johnson of the Faculty of Fine Arts and two-time Canadian Open Group Step Dancing Champion, and 91��ɫ music Professor Casey Sokol, winner of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations Award for Excellence in Teaching, will also perform.

Left: Ori Dagan. Photo by John Bregar Photography.

In addition, the 91��ɫ Gospel Choir and Winters A Capella Choir WIBI, among many others will showcase their talent.

The fundraiser is for the Winters College Dining Hall, which has been a cornerstone of the college community for more than 40 years. “It is one of only two remaining grand rooms out of the original seven constructed during the 1960s,” says Marie Rickard, college master of Winters College.

Right: Ron Westray

Over time, and with campus expansion, each of the others were in turn deemed obsolete and turned into classrooms, labs and offices. “These historic sites, widely used by students and faculty alike as educational and social spaces, served the college community for decades – our goal is to ensure the continuation of the Winters Dining Hall for many years to come,” says Rickard.

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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On Thursday and Friday, the renowned jazz musician will perform at the in downtown Toronto with the members of his critically acclaimed group, the Barry Elmes Quintet. The performance celebrates the group's 20th anniversary and marks the of their newest CD REDSHIFT

This is the group’s first new release in a decade. REDSHIFT features nine songs, including seven new compositions by Elmes, a Wayne Shorter composition plus an arrangement of a traditional hymn.

Right: Barry Elmes

The music is performed by the quintet’s regular members, a who’s who of the best jazz artists from Canada, including Elmes' colleagues from 91��ɫ's Department of Music, faculty members Mike Murley on tenor saxophone and Kevin Turcotte on trumpet and flugelhorn, Reg Schwager on guitar, Steve Wallace on bass, Elmes on drums and special guest artists 91��ɫ faculty member Kelly Jefferson on flute and tenor saxophone, and Vanessa Rodrigues  on the Hammond organ.

The CD's title REDSHIFT harkens back to Elmes' love of reading and fascination with astronomy. "Composed in honour of the astronomer Edwin Hubble and his associates whose work in the early 1900s provided convincing evidence that there are galaxies other than our own and that the universe is indeed expanding," says Elmes. "Photographing the light of stars in distant galaxies Hubble measured the spectral shift toward the red end of the spectrum, or the 'redshift'. The bigger the redshift, the faster the galaxy is speeding away from us.

"Hubble's work also provided a practical demonstration of the relationship between time and distance in space and offered substantial evidence for the Big Bang Theory," says Elmes. "Or put another way, I still experience a sense of wonder when I look up at stars in the sky knowing that everything I see happened a long time ago."

Elmes has played and/or recorded with many renowned jazz artists including: Tommy Flanagan, Charlie Haden, Hank Crawford, Diana Krall, Joe Henderson, John Abercrombie, Oliver Jones, Phil Nimmons, Dizzy Gillespie and the Moe Koffman Quintet.

His discography includes four previous recordings by the Barry Elmes Quintet (two-time winner of Acoustic Jazz Group of the Year), and recordings by the contemporary jazz quartet Time Warp, which he co-founded and co-leads with 91��ɫ music Professor Al Henderson. His honours include five Jazz Report Awards, two of which are for Jazz Musician of the Year.

In 1992, Elmes represented Canada with Time Warp at the Venezuela International Jazz Festival and was featured with the Oliver Jones Trio on the Governor-General's Tour of China, Japan and Korea in 1994. In 1996 he performed in Brazil and toured South Africa with the Canadian Jazz Giants. He toured Chile in 2000 with the Barry Elmes Quintet, and celebrated the ensemble’s 10th anniversary with a cross-Canada tour in 2001. He presides over the independent jazz label, , and performs frequently at major festivals and jazz clubs.

The performances at the Rex begin at 9:30pm on Thursday and 9:45pm on Friday. There is a cover charge of $9 on Thursday and $10 on Friday.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Joining Westray on stage will be Toronto jazz artists Chris Banks and John Maharaj on bass and Max Roach on drums, plus special guest, tenor saxophonist Michael Arthurs from the University of Texas, Austin, where Westray taught before joining 91��ɫ. The first half of the concert will feature works for solo trombone and for trio (trombone, bass, drums). In the second set, which includes a number of Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell tunes, Westray will make his performance debut on piano in works for trio and quartet, with Arthurs on sax.

Best known for his work as lead trombonist with the legendary Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra conducted by Wynton Marsalis, and his collaborations with Wycliffe Gordon, Westray has appeared in concert with such luminaries as Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Stevie Wonder, Benny Carter, Dewey Redman, Roy Haynes, Randy Brecker and a host of other leading artists. A regular on the New 91��ɫ City club circuit, he has played premier jazz venues such as the Village Vanguard, Blue Note, Sweet Basil’s, Iridium, Jazz Standard and Smalls, and is a standing member of the acclaimed Mingus Band.

Right: Ron Westray. Photograph by Dwayne Hills

In addition to his concerts and recordings with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Westray has recorded as a sideman on such major labels as Columbia, Sony Classical and RCA Novus. He performs as co-leader with trumpet player Thomas Heflin on the CD Live in Austin, released Jan.18, on Blue Canoe Records. His 2008 CD as leader, Medical Cures for the Chromatic Commands of the Inner City, garnered a No. 1 listening rating on Emusic.com.

As a composer, Westray’s personal catalogue includes dozens of original compositions and arrangements for big band and mixed ensembles. Among his numerous commissions for the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra are his monumental score, Chivalrous Misdemeanors – Select Tales from Don Quixote and arrangements of the works of Charles Mingus and Ornette Coleman. His charts were recently published by Walrus Music. His bibliography includes reviews and citations in Down Beat, Jazz Times, The New 91��ɫ Times and The New 91��ɫer.

Westray joined the faculty in 91��ɫ’s Department of Music in fall 2009 as the Oscar Peterson Chair in Jazz Performance. The Chair, commemorating Canadian jazz icon Oscar Peterson, was established with a $4-million endowment from the Government of Ontario, along with a $1-million endowment for Oscar Peterson Scholarships to support talented students from underprivileged backgrounds studying music at 91��ɫ.

Westray teaches performance, composition, history and theory in 91��ɫ’s renowned jazz program, and co-directs the 91��ɫ Jazz Orchestra with Al Henderson.

This is the final performance in the 2010-2011 Faculty Concert Series, spotlighting faculty artists in 91��ɫ’s Music Department. Tickets are $15, or $5 for students and seniors. For tickets, contact the Box Office at 416-736-5888.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin

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Right: Sathima Bea Benjamin

Sathima’s Windsong traces Benjamin’s story as it unfolds through her own reflections and reminiscence and is woven together with the music she has created. It also includes the reflections of five people who know her work and the milieu which shaped it.

In her flat in the Chelsea Hotel in New 91��ɫ, where she has lived for 32 years, Benjamin patches together her journeys, both literal and figurative. Those journeys have taken her from apartheid South Africa and “the pattern of brokenness” she grew up in to Europe where a chance meeting and recording with Duke Ellington took place. From there, she was on to New 91��ɫ where she started afresh and set up her own record company.

Left: Daniel Yon

“As it moves back and forth between Cape Town and New 91��ɫ, to the lyrics and rhythm of her music, it becomes, much like the title of her haunting song Windsong, a reflection on history, time and place, on apartheid, anti-apartheid and their legacies, as well as the passionate questions of memory, displacement and belonging,” says Yon.

This is not Yon’s first effort at making an ethnographic film. “In fact, it continues some of the themes and concerns of an earlier film, (2007), to do with memory, place, belonging, travel, identity. The qualities of Sathima Benjamin's music attracted my attention and my conversations with her revealed a fascinating history of ‘journeys',” he says.

Right: Sathima Bea Benjamin performing

The film will screen from 3:30 to 5:30pm at the Nat Taylor Cinema, N102 Ross Building., Keele campus. After the preview screening, a wine and cheese reception will follow in the Founders Senior Common Room, 305 Founders College, Keele campus. Admission to the film is free.

RSVP by Tuesday, April 20, to Emily Tjimos, administrative assistant in the Faculty of Education, at etjimos@edu.yorku.ca or at 416-736-2100 ext. 66301.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Performer, composer and educator Ron Westray has been appointed as the Oscar Peterson Chair in Jazz Performance at 91��ɫ.

“We’re excited and honoured to have an artist of Ron Westray’s calibre as the Chair,” said 91��ɫ President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. “This Chair will enable us to further advance the quality of education for our fine arts students and carry on the legacy of Oscar Peterson at 91��ɫ.”

Left: Ron Westray

Westray is best known for his work as lead trombonist with the legendary Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO), and his collaborations with Wycliffe Gordon. He has appeared in concert with such luminaries as Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Stevie Wonder, Benny Carter, Dewey Redman, Roy Haynes, Randy Brecker and a host of other pre-eminent artists.

A regular on the New 91��ɫ City club circuit, he has played premier jazz venues such as the Village Vanguard, Blue Note, Sweet Basil, Iridium, Jazz Standard and Smalls, and is a standing member of the acclaimed Mingus Band. In addition to his concerts and recordings with the JLCO, Westray has recorded as a sideman on such major labels as Columbia Records, Sony Classical and RCA Novus. His latest CD as leader, Medical Cures for the Chromatic Commands of the Inner City (Blue Canoe Records, 2008), garnered a No. 1 listening rating on eMusic.com.

As a composer, Westray’s personal catalogue comprises dozens of original compositions and arrangements for big band and mixed ensembles. Among his numerous commissions for the JLCO is his monumental score, Chivalrous Misdemeanors – Select Tales from Don Quixote (2005), as well as arrangements of the works of Charles Mingus and Ornette Coleman. His charts were recently published by Walrus Music. His bibliography includes reviews and citations in DownBeat, JazzTimes, The New 91��ɫ Times and The New 91��ɫer.

The Oscar Peterson Chair in Jazz Performance was made possible by a $4-million endowment announced by the Ontario government in January 2008, along with $1 million to establish music scholarships for talented students from underprivileged backgrounds.

“I want to congratulate Ron Westray on this new appointment. He brings a wealth of talent and experience to the jazz performance program at 91��ɫ and its students. Our government is happy to do its part to honour the memory of Oscar Peterson by helping gifted music students pursue their own dreams,” said Premier Dalton McGuinty.

Barbara Sellers-Young, dean of 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Fine Arts, said the Chair, under Westray, will expand and strengthen the program Peterson championed throughout his tenure at 91��ɫ.

“We’re delighted to launch this important new academic initiative with Professor Westray,” said Sellers-Young. “As the Oscar Peterson Chair, he will be working with the jazz faculty in our music department to develop a special student outreach and support program named for Peterson, to encourage talented aspiring jazz artists who might not otherwise have the opportunity to pursue university studies.”

An adjunct professor in 91��ɫ's Department of Music from 1984 to the late 1990s, Peterson was among Canada's most celebrated jazz artists. He was committed to teaching young people and established several student awards in the jazz program. Recipient of an honorary doctor of letters from 91��ɫ in 1982, Peterson was installed as 91��ɫ's eighth chancellor in September 1991 and served the University with distinction until February 1994. He was made an honorary governor of 91��ɫ in 1995 and was a Fellow of McLaughlin College. He died in Mississauga on Dec. 23, 2007.

“The appointment of Ron Westray as the Oscar Peterson Chair in Jazz Performance will give students and faculty in 91��ɫ’s outstanding jazz program the opportunity to learn from an extremely talented and prolific artist. It will also help to ensure that Oscar Peterson’s tremendous legacy lives on through the development of a new generation of jazz artists,” said John Milloy, minister of training, colleges & universities and minister of research & innovation.

91��ɫ offers jazz at all levels of undergraduate and graduate study, including a master and PhD in the field. The curriculum includes instrumental and vocal performance, history, theory, composition and arranging. Performance studies centre on small ensembles, plus jazz choirs and the 91��ɫ Jazz Orchestra. Repertoire spans jazz standards, big band, improvisation and contemporary jazz, enriched by world music traditions including Brazilian samba, Cuban jazz, gospel, West African drums, steel-pan and Afro-American music.

Westray joins colleagues at 91��ɫ who are among Canada’s pre-eminent jazz artists. Almost 40 full- and part-time faculty teach in the jazz program, including percussionist and music department chair Barry Elmes; bassist Al Henderson; saxophonists David Mott, Mike Murley and Kelly Jefferson; pianist Mark Eisenman; guitarist Lorne Lofsky; trumpeter Kevin Turcotte; multi-instrumentalist Sundar Viswanathan; and vocalists Bonnie Brett and Sacha Williamson.

Westray holds a BA in music from South Carolina State University and an MA from Eastern Illinois University. He comes to 91��ɫ from the University of Texas at Austin's Butler School of Music, where he was assistant professor in the Jazz Studies Program.

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