VAL’CASSINO MUSIC
5.30-7.30
Val' Cassino Music is a project bringing traditional southern Italian songs to the city, reaching beyond the well-trod repertoire into the deeper depths of tradition. Like so much folk music of the world, these songs represent the artistic legacy of generations of disenfranchised, often illiterate people, and are a living testament to the consciousnesses of human beings whose worlds are otherwise lost to us.
Poverty, fate, mysticism, beauty, folk wisdom, and unbridled emotion constitute the world of these songs. Through music, people found expression not only in their sufferings but in the moments of ecstatic happiness they found, principally in one another..
ANGELA VERBRUGGE
8.00-11.00
Angela Verbrugge caught listeners’ ears with her debut album (released on NYC’s Gut String Records) and she won this year’s JazzTimes Readers’ Poll in the female jazz vocalist category. The magazine’s review of her album describes that Angela, who takes inspiration from vintage musicals, the swing era, blues, and bebop, has “conspicuously good taste”. Toronto Music Report writes that she is “a gem of a vocalist who makes all her chosen material sound magical. Her song-writing collaborations have received features in JAZZIZ Magazine. JazzWeekly describes the former actress as “fun and quirky, hip and a hoot, wispy and romantic; she slithers and oozes, and cleverly swings.”
Terry Clarke is a Juno- and Order of Canada winning jazz drummer who has performed with a who’s who in jazz history including Oscar Peterson, Jim Hall, the Fifth Dimension, and Rob McConnell. Reg Schwager is one of Canada’s leading jazz guitarists. He has performed with Mel Tormé, George Shearing, Diana Panton, Diana Krall, Hank Jones, Zoot Sims, and has toured the world extensively performing. Lauren Falls holds a master degree from Manhattan School of Music. She has appeared at leading US and Canadian jazz festivals and all major jazz venues in Toronto. She teaches at the University of Toronto.
Angela Verbrugge - vocals
Reg Schwager - guitar
Lauren Falls - bass
Terry Clarke - drums
DJ FRISSON
11.00 - ALL NIGHT
TRASH PANDA BRASS
11.30 - 2.00am
Only having hit the streets in June 2022, Trash Panda Brass is a new and exciting voice in the Toronto brass band scene. Comprised of six queer U of T graduates, Trash Panda Brass is on a mission to diversify the brass scene, promote inclusivity and bring welcoming energy to all. In an effort to bring music and joy to as wide an audience as possible, Trash Panda has primarily focused on busking at various locations in and around downtown Toronto. They are quickly gaining a large following with their upbeat and fun loving tunes, paying homage to iconic queer hits and icons. Trash Panda Brass is proud to be here and be queer!