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| Toronto Jazz Festival Announces New Series Witness history in the making as jazz makes its debut at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts with three of the world's greatest jazz pianists. Dave Brubeck (Monday, June 25), Oscar Peterson (Tuesday, June 26) and Keith Jarrett (Friday, June 29) will take centre stage at the opera house as part of a new series developed for the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival. As the Canadian Opera Company's new home, the Four Seasons Centre opens its door for the first time to the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival. “We are so pleased to be making this debut at the Four Seasons Centre and absolutely honoured to be its first guests,” states Patrick Taylor, Executive Producer of the Festival. “With its incredible acoustics and great sightlines, there could not be a more befitting venue to host these legends of jazz.” Richard Bradshaw, General Director of the Canadian Opera Company agrees, “I know that the opera house has already become a standard by which others are measured, and I am certain that Jazz Festival audiences will find it an equally wonderful experience. We are thrilled to welcome these artistic giants.” The TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival, now celebrating its twenty-first anniversary, has grown significantly from its early years. Since 1987, the Festival has presented over 20,000 artists; contributed over $250 million to the GTA economy; welcomed over 6 million people to the annual Festival; and presented over 1,500 free public events. The TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival will take place this summer from June 22 - July 1, 2007 in over 40 venues across the city. The Four Seasons Centre is the first building of its kind in Canada; a theatre built specifically for opera and ballet performances with the finest level of acoustics. With 2000 seats, the traditional horseshoe-shaped auditorium provides unparalleled intimacy between the audience and stage with every seat computer-tested for the best possible sightlines. Located in the heart of downtown at the corner of Queen Street and University Avenue, the Four Seasons Centre is Toronto's newest cultural landmark and has already received extraordinary critical acclaim from around the world. On the heels of last year's three-time standing ovation performance, Dave Brubeck returns once again with his stellar quartet on Monday, June 25, 2007. A legend already made, Brubeck is a virtuoso who shows no signs of slowing down. The New Yorker rightfully proclaimed this quartet as “the world's most widely traveled, most highly publicized and most popular small group now playing improvised syncopated music.” Joining Brubeck are Randy Jones on drums, Bobby Militello on saxophone and Michael Moore on bass. Canada's most beloved and celebrated pianist, Oscar Peterson, takes the stage on Tuesday, June 26, 2007. With a career that spans over six decades, Peterson's notable accomplishments include - seven Grammy Awards, two Junos, The Queen's Medal, a Companion in the Order of Canada and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He is also the recipient of ten honourary doctorates and a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Those who have worked with Peterson read like a list of who's who in jazz, from Charlie Parker to Ella Fitzgerald to Duke Ellington to Louis Armstrong, just to name a few. With an equally illustrious career, Keith Jarrett is a brilliant composer, masterful pianist and a true genius whose sheer artistry has cemented his status in both classical music and jazz. On Friday, June 29, 2007, Jarrett along with drummer Jack DeJohnette and bassist Gary Peacock will perform and show precisely why many have labeled this trio as the preeminent jazz group interpreting standards today. The Grandmasters Series makes its inaugural debut this summer as a new initiative created for the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival. “We're thrilled to be part of another exciting summer of jazz in Toronto,” states Tim Hockey, Group Head Personal and Co-Chair, TD Canada Trust. “All of us at TD Canada Trust are proud to play a role in the ongoing success of this Festival, and we're committed to fostering an appreciation of jazz that helps our artists and communities thrive.” “Panasonic Canada Inc. (PCI) is a proud sponsor of the Canadian Opera Company and the Four Seasons Centre of the Performing Arts,” states Ian Kilvert, General Manager, Corporate Brand Management, PCI. “The TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival is a natural extension for our sponsorship activities, and we are excited to be a part of this internationally-renowned festival as a presenting sponsor of the GRANDMASTERS Series.” Kick start your summer on a jazzy note as the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival takes over the city from June 22 - July 1, 2007. Celebrating music in all its forms, the festival presents more than 350 concerts over ten days with 1500 musicians performing in venues all across Toronto. Be there as we colour the town in jazz! The full lineup of the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival will be announced on Tuesday, April 24, 2007. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page |