Recording: Eric Chenaux Trio

Artist: Eric Chenaux Trio

Song: Hello Eyes

Recorded at The Tranzac's Main Hall (TONE Presents), May 23, 2025.

Eric Chenaux Trio - Hello Eyes

Although not resident here for a good few years now, Eric Chenaux feels very much like a Toronto artist — part of the creative ferment that he was a part of in this city for so long. That made his joining with Ryan Driver and Phil Melanson on last year's Delights Of My Life feel like a fully natural move, and this show demonstrated how deeply in sync the trio has become. Chenaux's deeply unique widdly-wah guitar style was in excellent company with Driver's keybs and Melanson's electronic percussion, the latter of which was uncannily precise in how it fit with the music's wobbling rhythmic sensibility. Dawdling through the masterful "This Ain't Life" before steering into Chenaux's strangely soulful and abstractly funky terrain, it wouldn't do to say that these three were surprisingly vibrant — 'cause that's how they roll — but one can still be taken aback a bit by seeing the magic in action.

Recording: Cici Arthur

Artist: Cici Arthur

Song: Felt in an Instant

Recorded at The Tranzac's Main Hall (TONE Presents), May 23, 2025.

Cici Arthur - Felt in an Instant

Chris Cummings is not Marker Starling — and now, he is not Cici Arthur either. The former, his longtime "solo" vehicle has now been joined by the new "group" endeavour — an effort spearheaded by Joseph Shabason and Thom Gill (who was absent for this show) to provide some lush and smooth sonic settings for Cummings' songs. Nimble and soulful, this is a formidable soft-rock powerhouse that has lead to the very tasty Way Through album, as well as a star-studded band (with Mara Nesrallah, Dorothea Paas, Phil Melanson, and Bram Gielen) bringing the songs to life.

Recording: Mas Aya

Artist: Mas Aya

Song: Tú y Yo

Recorded at The Tranzac's Main Hall (TONE Festival), June 16, 2024.

Mas Aya - Tú y Yo

This night out at the TONE Festival reached back for some strong Healing Power vibes: not only had that scene/label issued some essential music (together and individually) from the night's co-headliners, but it was also a treat to hear HP co-principal DJ SlightBreezy (aka Wolf Nessel) slingin' and manipulating tunes between sets.

And as with his co-headliner, Brandon Valdivia's "solo" spotlight was anything but, bringing in family and friends to celebrate the sounds of Coming And Going. Leaning less on popsong frameworks than vibe-heavy compositional savvy, Valdicia served as the director on stage, co-ordinating the sonic inputs from rhythm compadres Reimundo Sosa (percussion) and Josh Cole (double bass, electric bass, bass synth) plus rotating guests including Colin Fisher and Isla Craig. And most heartwarming was the family band angle that saw vocals from Lido Pimienta (highlighted on this track) as well as the pair's daughter Martina Valdivia, whose presence was a joyful highlight.

Recording: Colin Fisher

Artist: Colin Fisher

Song: Deus Absconditus

Recorded at The Tranzac's Main Hall (TONE Festival), June 16, 2024.

Colin Fisher - Deus Absconditus

This night out at the TONE Festival reached back for some strong Healing Power vibes: not only had that scene/label issued some essential music (together and individually) from the night's co-headliners, but it was also a treat to hear HP co-principal DJ SlightBreezy (aka Wolf Nessel) slingin' and manipulating tunes between sets.

A "solo album" is rarely a one-person endeavour, so it made sense to see Colin Fisher celebrating the release of Suns of the Heart alongside key collaborator David Psutka who helped use the recording process to elaborate upon Fisher's realtime propensity for building and manipulating layers of sound. That meant the first half of the set was in duo mode, nudging up against some of the album's textures before closing out with an extended solo improvisation for guitar and sax.

Recording: Xicada

Artist: Xicada

Song: [last section]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Main Hall (TONE Festival), June 16, 2024.

Xicada - [last section]

This night out at the TONE Festival reached back for some strong Healing Power vibes: not only had that scene/label issued some essential music (together and individually) from the night's co-headliners, but it was also a treat to hear HP co-principal DJ SlightBreezy (aka Wolf Nessel) slingin' and manipulating tunes between sets.

And manipulating sounds on stage, Ilyse Krivel lead off the night mixing harsher textures and spattered samples in a customarily-succinct set.

Recording: Nate Wooley's Columbia Icefield

Artist: Nate Wooley's Columbia Icefield

Songs: [two excerpts from a suite]^*

Recorded at Standard Time (TONE presents), May 17, 2024.

Nate Wooley's Columbia Icefield - [excerpt 1]

Nate Wooley's Columbia Icefield - [excerpt 2]

My understanding is that this tour from trumpeter Nate Wooley’s quartet was partially to roadtest a new suite of compositions before recording. A tribute to Wooley's mentors and collaborators Ron Miles and Fred Hess, the pieces (incorporating some of Miles' phrases) were introduced as a way of "mourning loudly and softly". With Susan Alcorn (pedal steel guitar), Ava Mendoza (guitar), and Ryan Sawyer (drums) on board, there was room for a wide sonic range, with solo spots for everyone segueing into quiet reflections, jaunty tunes, and driving rockers.

^* Not sure if the individual segments have separate titles, but this will be updated in the future when at least the full piece's name is known.

Recording: Rob Clutton Trio with Kurt Newman

Artist: Rob Clutton Trio with Kurt Newman

Song: [1st piece, excerpt]

Recorded at Standard Time (TONE presents), May 17, 2024.

Rob Clutton Trio with Kurt Newman - [1st piece, excerpt]

Opening things up at this pre-festival night from the TONE team was this sort of Rat-Drifting all-star combo crew, with Kurt Newman (on pedal steel) augmenting bassist Rob Clutton's trio (including Karen Ng on sax and Nick Fraser on drums). Besides the immedediate differences from having Newman on board, the room (a pleasingly loft-like space a bit reminiscent of the Jam Factory, perfectly suited for seeing a Tad Michalak-curated show) also provided some different sonics, with the well-mic'ed band having a beefier sound than you might get at the Southern Cross — and keeping Clutton's bass from getting buried under other sounds. Newman used his pedalboard to find sounds that moved beyond trad pedal steel, sometimes doubling the sax and sometimes merging into Clutton's arco work.

[This quartet will be back in action at Karen Ng's monthly night at Wenona Lodge on Tuesday, June 18th.]

Recording: Zoh Amba & Chris Corsano

Artist: Zoh Amba & Chris Corsano

Song: [1st piece]

Recorded at June 21, 2023 at The Tranzac's Main Hall (TONE Festival).

Zoh Amba & Chris Corsano - [1st piece]

Zoh Amba played from the gut, so to speak, sax blasting into orbit from this set's outset. She also took an uninhibited turn at the piano, playing note-clusters with fists and elbows and even — in a wonderful, vulnerable moment — played a song on the borrowed Southern Cross guitar, its quietness as forceful as the preceeding volume. The ever-reliable Chris Corsano tied all of that together on the drumkit, integrating (and disintegrating) the sounds as necessary.

Recording: Farida Amadou

Artist: Farida Amadou

Song: [4th piece]

Recorded at June 21, 2023 at The Tranzac's Main Hall (TONE Festival).

Farida Amadou - [4th piece]

Exciting stuff from Belgian bassist Farida Amadou, whose concept on her instrument included some percussive extended techniques (snare springs and mallets) and bracing noisebursts. There was a physicality both to the playing and the sounds produced that was completely compelling, as the audience reaction at the end of this piece demonstrates.

Recording: Ways

Artist: Ways

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at June 21, 2023 at The Tranzac's Main Hall (TONE Festival).

Ways - [excerpt]

Although on paper Brodie West and Evan Cartwright's duo for sax and percussion was cut from the same cloth as the evening's headliners, they were also the inversion of the headliners as well — for while Zoh Amba and Chris Corsano would start with an explosion of sound and pull back into quiet moments, Ways' ways are to start with the smallest, most fragile of gestures and build up from there.

Recording: The New York Review of Cocksucking

Artist: The New York Review of Cocksucking

Song: [last section of set]

Recorded at Bar Orwell (TONE Festival), June 13, 2023.

The New York Review of Cocksucking - [last section of set]

The TONE Festival continued to do a nice job of mixing it up this year, presenting larger-scaled shows (including presenting the local return of the Sun Ra Arkestra) alongside smaller, more-experimental affairs such as this one in Bar Orwell's cozy livingroom-like space. Michael Foster (saxophones/electronics/etc) and Richard Kamerman (text/electronics/etc) have a certain amount of confrontation built into their project name, but also an attempt to attain — or mock — an intellectual distance from that confontation. In practice that saw them move from a (literal!) shaggy dog story told by Kamerman at the set's beginning into increasingly chaotic waves of noise, both performers busily working away at a tableful of gear that looked like it had been scavenged from Science Fair Day.

Recording: Laura Swankey & Patrick O'Reilly

Artist: Laura Swankey & Patrick O'Reilly

Song: Is there any such thing as a waste of time?

Recorded at Bar Orwell (TONE Festival), June 13, 2023.

Laura Swankey & Patrick O'Reilly - Is there any such thing as a waste of time?

The TONE Festival continued to do a nice job of mixing it up this year, presenting larger-scaled shows (including presenting the local return of the Sun Ra Arkestra) alongside smaller, more-experimental affairs such as this one in Bar Orwell's cozy livingroom-like space. The local openers at this one seemingly came prepared to get a little noisier than usual to get the crowd ready for the visiting headliners — Patrick O'Reilly's guitar effects were more spiky and distorted than they might be in this context. At one point I wasn't sure if one sound I was hearing was coming from the stage or if someone's car alarm was going off outside, although there was room for more shimmery, softer zones as well.

Recording: Del Stephen

Artist: Del Stephen

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at Bar Orwell (TONE Festival), June 13, 2023.

Del Stephen - unknown

The TONE Festival continued to do a nice job of mixing it up this year, presenting larger-scaled shows (including presenting the local return of the Sun Ra Arkestra) alongside smaller, more-experimental affairs such as this one in Bar Orwell's cozy livingroom-like space. The local openers at this one seemingly came prepared to get a little noisier than usual to get the crowd ready for the visiting headliners — here Del Stephen explored some of the room's resonant frequencies with distorted sputters as an outgrowth of his loopscapes and poems.

^* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!

Recording: Brian Ruryk

Artist: Brian Ruryk

Song: [second piece]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Main Hall (TONE Festival), July 3, 2022.

Brian Ruryk - [second piece]

Some things just have to be experienced live, and Brian Ruryk's full body/full commitment guitar noise/performance art is probably one of 'em. The junk-flinging spectacle remains a joy to behold, but so is the method behind the chaos — you might not notice right away, for example, that Ruryk is deftly skilled with his mixer, and as a sonic collagist he's doing something really unique. Just make sure you're out of the splash zone when considering these more subtle qualities.

Recording: Mary Halvorson's Code Girl

Artist: Mary Halvorson's Code Girl

Song: Muzzling Unwashed

Recorded at The Tranzac's Main Hall (TONE Festival), June 26, 2022.

Mary Halvorson's Code Girl - Muzzling Unwashed

A full house came out for this TONE Fest show that saw a smartly-combined lineup of two groups approaching the intersection of pop forms and sonic questing from different directions. This sextet, anchored by guitarist Mary Halvorson's compositions, hinted at sophisticated jazz-pop (especially in Amirtha Kidambi's vocal work) but wasn't beholden to the pop form, with the pieces stretching out and finding different spaces and combinations to explore within the band, giving Adam O’Farrill (trumpet), Brian Settles (tenor saxophone), Michael Formanek (double bass), and Tomas Fujiwara (drums) all room to shine. The very setup of the group on stage, an inverted V with Halvorson at the centre and furthest back (where the drummer would usually be) spoke to the anti-frontperson vibes — this is a deninitely meant to be considered as a group effort, and a chance for some Serious Listening.

Recording: Bernice

Artist: Bernice

Songs: Underneath My Toe + Big Mato

Recorded at The Tranzac's Main Hall (TONE Festival), June 26, 2022.

Bernice - Underneath My Toe

Bernice - Big Mato

A full house came out for this TONE Fest show that saw a smartly-combined lineup of two groups approaching the intersection of pop forms and sonic questing from different directions. This local institution, playing thwir first full-on quintet gig since The Beforetimes, centres the "pop song" but engages in a lot of play in doing so. The stretch/squish of Time and Events means that there's a whole album of tunes that haven't been engaged with on stage so much by band or audience, and those songs are already being gently nudged aside by the next batch (including the first selection here).

Recording: Gordon Grdina's Nomad Trio

Artist: Gordon Grdina's Nomad Trio

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at The Tranzac's Main Hall (TONE Festival), June 24, 2022.

Gordon Grdina's Nomad Trio - unknown

Gord Grdina brought his guitar and oud out for some explorations with this trio (though the latter instrument was a bit less present this night, taking a backseat to the guitar — and a little quiet in the mix when it did show up). Touring a brand-new Astral Spirits release, this unit, which sees Grdina joined by Matt Mitchell on piano and Jim Black on drums, brought some spirited interactions and plenty shredding to close out the night.

[Gordon Grdina will be on sideman duty Sunday afternoon at a free/outdoors jazz festival show as a part of François Houle's Quintet, alongside Mark Helias and Gerry Hemingway.]

^* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!

Recording: The Brodie West Quintet

Artist: The Brodie West Quintet

Song: Entrainment

Recorded at The Tranzac's Main Hall (TONE Festival), June 24, 2022.

The Brodie West Quintet - Entrainment

Another night at the TONE Festival mixing some of the best local acts with visiting headliners, hopefully once more blowing some minds amongst those who might not come out to see the locals so often when it's not an "event". This was also the first chance for a lot of folks to catch up with this unit since the release of Meadow of Dreams earlier this year, and the group drew from that for a good chunk of the set. Even with the stalwart Phil Melanson subbing in for Evan Cartwright on one of the drumkits, the intricate rhythmic division of labour with Nick Fraser was maintained as the group had a joyful time exploring meadows and bouncing through other landscapes.

Recording: BLOOP

Artist: BLOOP

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Main Hall (TONE Festival), June 24, 2022.

BLOOP - [excerpt]

Another night at the TONE Festival mixing some of the best local acts with visiting headliners, hopefully once more blowing some minds amongst those who might not come out to see the locals so often when it's not an "event". This opening set was also a welcome back from Berlin for trumpeter Lina Allemano, here in duo formation alongside sound processor Mike Smith. Extended techniques, extended electronically, there were plenty snaky/woozy sounds under the blats, sputters and rattles.

[Lina Allemano is currently touring the nation's jazz festivals with her quartet, and then her Berlin-based group Ohrenschmaus will be visiting Canada — be sure to check them out on July 19th at The Tranzac.]

Recording: Sick Boss & Co.

Artist: Sick Boss with Peggy Lee, Josh Zubot & JP Carter

Song: Useless Genius 2

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (TONE Festival), June 16, 2022.

Sick Boss with Peggy Lee, Josh Zubot & JP Carter - Useless Genius 2

This superb evening at the TONE Festival saw Sick Boss expanded from its core trio (Cole Schmidt, guitar; James Meger, bass; and Dan Gaucher, percussion) to include friends Peggy Lee (viola), Josh Zubot (violin), and JP Carter (trumpet) — a true Vancouver all-star troupe. The extra hands allowed the group to explore a lot of new terrain over a bunch of new music (including the three-part suite heard in part here) that moved from shifty prog-rock rhythms to sweeping GYBE-esque swells. Big band, big sounds.