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Pianist Chris Donnelly will feature tunesfrom his new album, Solo, at CafeParadiso on Friday.

Friday » November14 » 2008

Flying soloChris Donnelly could work with any top Canadian jazz band, butprefers to go his own way

Doug Fischer

The Ottawa Citizen

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

For a 25-year-old, Toronto pianist ChrisDonnelly has already played alongsidesome pretty impressive jazz musicians.

And he has more than held his own,based on the praise coming from the likesof Lina Allemano, Kirk MacDonald andRich Perry, who use words like "fantastic,beautiful, distinctive" to describe hisplaying.

With those kinds of reviews, Donnellycould probably get steady work in thebands of any number of top Canadianplayers.

But he prefers to go his own way, and todo it alone.

"There something very satisfying about crafting a performance when you're theonly one on the stage," he says. "It just seems to be the best vehicle for meto get out what I want to get out."

For Donnelly, that means stripping a composition down to its bare essentials tolearn "what makes that song a song" and then re-creating it by playing it againand again until it evolves into something fresh and personal.

There's plenty of that on his dazzling debut album -- called Solo, naturally -- acollection of surprisingly mature original compositions mixed with brash takeson tunes from jazz giants Bill Evans, Charlie Parker and Bud Powell.

The young pianist will feature tunes from the album when he makes his Ottawasolo debut on Friday at Café Paradiso.

The disc not only shows Donnelly's considerable skills on the keyboard, it alsoreveals an array of influences from both the jazz piano and classical worlds.And it displays his penchant for careful preparation.

"When I sit down to play the first note of my first tune I know what that note



is going to be well in advance," he says.

"That's not saying I don't improvise, but before I do that I have to workeverything out."

Sometimes Donnelly prepares a tune to the last note and the improvisationmight come in the tempo or in the way he approaches the structure. In mostcases, though, he leaves spaces for improvisation in and around the parts hehas written out.

"Everyone has their own balance between what is prepared and what isimprovised," he says. "There's no question I will change that balance overtime, but at this point I need a lot of preparation."

That's not to imply his music lacks a sense of adventure. Far from it.

Donnelly's interpretation of the Charlie Parker classic Donna Lee is done as aseries of variations that allow the pianist to attack the piece from severalangles -- playfully, aggressively, buoyantly -- and show the saxophonist'scomposing prowess in a new light.

Donnelly says that while most of the tune was carefully prepared and writtendown, the sections he left for improvisation "work so well only because I hadan overall vision for the piece."

Similarly, his version of the Bill Evans ballad Very Early, which he beginsdelicately and unexpectedly pushes to a quicker tempo, was purposefullyplotted.

"I know how I will begin and I know how I will end, but in between I have leftroom for chance," he says. "Although there's a structure, the tune is never thesame twice."

Donnelly says he was delighted to discover when listening to bonus tracks on areissue of Evans's ground-breaking 1968 solo album, Alone, that the legendarypianist took a similar approach to his playing.

"He had a clear vision of what he wanted from a tune," he says. "He wasn'tjust sitting down and making this stuff up as he went along. That was a realeye-opener for me."

The concept, of course, is not unique to Evans. Donnelly lists other playersknown for their disciplined preparations -- Egberto Gismonti, Fred Hersch, BradMehldau, Keith Jarrett and Russian composer-arranger Nikolai Kasputin -- asinfluences.

Like many jazz pianists, Donnelly has received classical training. But unlikesome others, his formal training was done alongside a parallel stream thatencouraged improvisation.

At three, his parents enrolled him Humber College's Community Music School,where he began by clapping, dancing, singing, playing the xylophone andeventually the piano. Recognizing the youngster's talents, Donnelly's teacherrecommended he also get formal training at the Royal Conservatory.

"I had these two things going on," he says, "but I definitely leaned more



toward improvising. By the time I got to high school, my priority waspractising tunes and improvising over them."

At 16, in his second-last year of high school, he realized that he didn't need tocomplete his final year to study music at University of Toronto. He took a fewsummer courses and was accepted a year early at U of T, where his reputationquickly flourished.

When he graduated with his master of music in jazz performance two yearsago, he won the award for the student with the greatest potential to make animportant contribution to music. In 2007, he finished second in the GreatAmerican Jazz Piano Competition in Florida and was selected a finalist in theNottingham National Jazz Piano Competition in Britain earlier this year.

At 25, he's already teaching part-time on the U of T's music faculty. But hispriority remains composing and performing. On his own.

He's not ruling out leading a band some day, but for now he has a list ofprojects -- writing music for a concept album inspired by the drawings of M.C.Escher, for instance -- that will keep him busy for a few years.

"What I'm doing with my career is kind of what I do with tunes -- strip themdown to fundamentals," he says.

"One man and one piano is the way I learn about me as a performer andcomposer. Maybe one day I'll bring in a trumpeter or a guitarist and start inworking in that direction."

Chris Donnelly performs Friday at 9:30 p.m. at Café Paradiso, 199 Bank St.613-565-0657. No cover charge.

© The Ottawa Citizen 2008

Copyright © 2008 CanWest Interactive, a division of CanWest MediaWorks Publications, Inc.. All rights reserved. CanWest Interactive, a division of CanWest MediaWorks Publications, Inc.. All rights reserved.

27/05/09 3:32 PMTheStar.com - entertainment - Up-and-coming pianist a lone arranger

Page 1 of 3http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/633912

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“I’ve been debating whether to play an original,” says Chris Donnelly, out to provehe’s the real deal at tonight’s National Jazz Awards.

Up-and-coming pianist a lone arranger

Chris Donnelly raiseseyebrows for daring to gosolo on his first CDrelease

May 14, 2009

ASHANTE INFANTRYPOP & JAZZ CRITIC

With his debut album Solohaving garnered a Junonomination this year,pianist Chris Donnellywould seem to haveproven himself for themoment.

But the Toronto nativemay use his performanceat tonight's eighth annualNational Jazz Awards, where he is nominated for both keyboardist and jazzrecording, to silence skeptics.

"I've been debating whether to play an original, or `Donna Lee (Variations),'"said Donnelly of the timeless Charlie Parker tune he adapted on Solo.

"I've had comments from a few people – in good humour – who aren't convincedthat I can actually play it. They thought there was some Pro Tools oroverdubbing involved. Part of me wants to just put it down and say, `Okay, thisis what it is.'"

Even the University of Toronto grad's decision to be unaccompanied on his firstrecording raised a few eyebrows.

"People think a logical choice would be to start with a trio, or quartet, or somekind of band," said the 25-year-old musician, who actually had to retool some ofhis originals to fit the album's solo context.

"I just did what I was comfortable with and what spoke to me. Solo piano is



where I connect with the piano most and I seem to have a much strongerconnection with listeners as well in that way."

Donnelly, who began playing as a toddler, balanced his interests in jazz andclassical repertoire in programs at Humber College Community Music School andthe Royal Conservatory of Music, respectively. Accordingly, his list of influencesis diverse, including pianists/composers Fred Hersch, J.S. Bach, Egberto Gismontiand Glenn Gould, as well as trumpeter Miles Davis and saxists John Coltrane andCharlie Parker.

"I don't sit down and say, `Okay, I'm going to combine jazz and classical,'" hesaid.

"I will listen to the music that I like – it doesn't matter if there's improvising ornot, whether it's classical or jazz or whatever tradition – I'm going to study itand naturally it's going to come out in my playing in some form or another."

That flexibility comes in handy, given that his wife, Natalie Donnelly, is an operasinger whom he often accompanies.

"I'm her first call (pianist). I know some spouses don't like working together, butI love working with Natalie. She definitely brings a completely differentperspective on learning music and listening to music.

"When I listen to music, I'm naturally drawn to the grooves, the rhythms or thechords, and maybe the melody. She's naturally drawn to lyrics. An entire songwill go by and I won't know what the song is about. She'll know the story and allthe inside metaphors and references. Through her, I've come to appreciate whatgoes on an opera stage."

The couple met at U of T's Faculty of Music and married in 2007. Theirrecreational playlist includes pop stars such as Dave Matthews, Stevie Wonder,Rihanna and Britney Spears – "for fun," Donnelly said.

"As well, every now and then Natalie will say, `Let's listen to La Bohème' andI'm very happy doing that."

Is she as eager to listen to Coltrane?

"No," Donnelly revealed with a laugh. "Maybe early Coltrane she would dig, butonce you get into the Transition (1965) and Interstellar Space (1967) stuff, thenit's starting to push her tastes."

Just the facts WHAT: National Jazz Awards with performances by Real Divas, Chris Donnelly,Mario Allard Quintet, Christine & Ingrid Jensen with Joel Miller, National JazzOrchestra, Yamaha All-Stars, and a multimedia slideshow "Hamilton/New York:Portraits of Sound" featuring photographs by Jimmy Katz.

WHERE: The Fleck Theatre, Harbourfront Centre



WHEN: Tonight, 8 p.m.

TICKETS: $57 at 416-973-4000

or harbourfrontcentre.com

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UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO BULLETIN • TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2009 • TEACHING NEWS • 5

MUSIC IS LIFELINEBY ANJUM NAYYAR

Juno nominee ChrisDonnelly’s musical rootsrun deep at the University ofToronto.

Donnelly is a renowned jazzmusician whose success is verymuch tied to the university. Hestudied music here and nowteaches other music studentshere as well. His first album,recorded at U of T, wasnominated for a Juno Awardearlier this year.

“My relationship withU of T has always been positivebecause I could always do andpursue whatever I wantedhere,” said Donnelly, who isnow on the faculty in the jazzperformance division at theFaculty of Music “There werealways people that I could talkto here to nurture me.”

“I was always studying musiceven before U of T,” he noted.In fact Donnelly says he’s hadmusic on the brain since hewas in high school, when hewas concurrently enrolled ina special music program atHumber College.

“If tomorrow Iwoke up andI couldn’t domusic, I’d bepretty lost.”

Today Donnellyhas found his wayin the world through musicsuccess. Heis a Toronto-based pianist,composer and improviserknown for his musicalityand versatility. He did his

undergraduate work in jazzperformance, allowing himthe opportunity to perform inmaster classes alongside topinternational musicians suchas Kurt Elling, Lee Konitz andRich Perry.

After completing his master’sdegree at U of T’s Faculty ofMusic in 2007, he recorded hisfirst album in Walter Hall. Hehas performed with numerousCanadian artists includingBrad Turner, Heather Bambrickand Andrew Downing and hasbeen on stage in concert hallsthroughout Toronto, such asRoy Thomson Hall, CBC’sGlenn Gould Studio and thenew Four Seasons Centre forthe Performing Arts. Donnellysaid he enjoys playing a solopiano repertoire consisting oforiginals, jazz standards andother compositions with cross-

genre qualities.In 2008, Donnelly released

his Juno-nominated debutalbum, Solo, with AlmaRecords, featuring a blendof original material andarrangements of jazz standards.

“I was in the company ofsuch great Canadian talent, it’ssuch an honour to have beennominated,” he said at thetime.

Professor RussellHartenberger, dean ofthe Faculty of Music, isn’tsurprised by Donnelly’ssuccess.

“Chris in particular has sucha positive attitude towards lifeand music-making that he’sthe kind of guy you want tomake music with and have inany group and so I knew rightoff the bat that he was reallyan exceptional case,”Hartenberger said.

Not only is Donnelly anexcellent musician, he’s a goodteacher who believes there arekey qualities that are importantwhen teaching other students.

“I try to be as honest andnon-judgmental aspossible,” Donnellysaid. “Studentsknow you’re beinggenuine and theygenuinelyappreciate that.”

Tyson Kerr, oneof Donnelly’s students couldn’tagree more.

“He’s very positive andknows what you need to workon, and so taking that activerole in addressing theindividual needs of a studentfor me is a really strongmotivator,” said Kerr.

Donnelly said he hopesstudents will continue to beinspired through his teaching,learning not only about musicbut about tools for furtheringtheir own learning.

“You don’t give students allthe answers, you show them alittle crack in the door andsometimes you don’t evenshow them how to open thedoor because if they are givenall the information they’re notgoing to be able to create aprogram for learning forthemselves,” Donnelly said.“I would say that the mostimportant thing I could relayto my three students is thatwhen they leave U of T, Iwant them to be able to teachthemselves.”

New collaborative course teaches the artand science of holography

BY TAMMY THORNE

High-powered lasers, intri-cately mounted mirrors and atable that floats… It could bethe set up for a magic showbut it’s actually a descriptionof the holography lab nestledwithin the 4,000 square feet oflaboratory space at U of T’sInstitute for Optical Sciences,housed at the McLennanPhysical Laboratories.

Thanks to a unique partner-ship between the institute andthe Ontario College of Art andDesign, 15OCAD stu-dents and 15U of T studentsfrom all disci-plines —including sci-ence, philoso-phy, semioticsand architec-ture — learnedhow to create holograms thisspring. These students are thefirst in Canada to literally learnthe art of holography in a sci-entific setting, a course calledHolography for 3-DVisualization taught byProfessor Emanuel Istrate.The course was first offered inthe spring of 2007 and becamea collaboration with OCADthis year.

Essentially, holography isa technique that allows lightscattered from an object to berecorded and later reconstructedto appear as if the object is inthe same position as whenit was recorded.

The image changes as theposition of the viewer changesmaking the hologram appear

three dimensional. Holographyis used for security purposes(such as the holographic stripeon Canadian paper money), in3-D medical imaging, by arche-ologists who don’t want toerode precious artifacts and as aprecise measurement tool forengineers. Istrate said the mostimportant future use of holog-raphy may be in data storage.

“When they record the holo-gram, it’s like taking a photo-graph. Really what this platewith the photographic filmdoes is act like a window with

memory,” said Istrate, whoteaches and co-ordinates theprogram. Besides the specialholographic film, it is thephysics of interference anddiffraction that is behindthe magic of holograms.Interference is when twowave forms interact.Diffraction is when a waveencounters an object andbends around the object intothe shadow region behind it.

“The physics of interferenceand diffraction works beautifullyto create holographic images

but thesephenomenaare used inmany otherplaces as well.Our cell-phones musttake interfer-ence intoaccountsince radio

waves and optic waves use thesame principles. Diffractioncan be used by two people withradios who are living on eitherside of a mountain — we candeflect those waves andsend them to the other side ofthe mountain,” explainedIstrate, who did his PhD inelectrical engineering at U of T.

Teaching holography usingart as the medium makes itmore accessible, Istrate said,and easier to teach. It helpsstudents realize that “scienceis not threatening.”

The course was a hit withartists and scientists alike.Istrate said it is the first timehe’s seen undergraduates askto do more work after thecourse was over.

TEACHING

HOLOGRAPHY USING

ART AS THE MEDIUM

MAKES IT MORE

ACCESSIBLE AND

EASIER TO TEACH.

IT HELPS STUDENTS

REALIZE THAT

SCIENCE IS NOT

THREATENING.

PROFESSOREMANUEL ISTRATE

Professor Emanuel Istrate is illuminated with the light from holographic lasers; below, hisimage is reflected in a mirror used to generate holograms in the laboratory.

JOH

NN

YG

UAT

TO

Juno nominee Chris Donnelly teaches at U of T’s Facultyof Music. Watch him on video athttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVfKneuzNU4

collaborative courseC

AZZYVATKAU

SKAS

Interview: Chris Donnelly on thejoys of jazz collaboration versusclassical loneliness at the pianoBY JOHN TERAUDS ON APRIL 23, 2013 · ADD COMMENT

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Toronto native Chris Donnelly chose jazzover classical piano because he disliked theloneliness of the classical pianist. So it’spretty appropriate that, on Friday, he will bejoining eight other pianists in Piano Ecstasy,a genre-crossing concert being presented bySoundstreams at Koerner Hall.

Having nine pianists on the same bill isunusual enough. Having as many as six ofthem playing at the same time in atraditional concert setting is even crazier.

But that’s exactly what’s happening Friday,as Donnelly joins a Toronto who’s who ofthe keyboard — Jamie Parker, SeroujKradjian, Tania Gill, Christina PetrowskaQuilico, Gregory Oh, Russell Hartenberger,Simon Docking and Glenn Buhr — in aprogramme of five 20th century works andthe premiere of a new commission.

Awe-inspiring works for 12 hands begin andend the programme: John Cage isrepresented by a late-life homage to the FabFour and the artists will be desperatelyfighting their senses in Steve Reich’sslightly-out-of-phase Six Pianos.

Parker and Quilico tackle DmitriShostakovich’s Concertino for Two Pianos(from 1954), Docking and Oh will splatter

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the hall with the magically orderedrandomness of Colin McPhee’s BalineseCeremonial Music, and Docking andKradjian will test their technical mettle inWitold Lutoslawski’s Variations on aTheme by Paganini.

Donnelly steps onto the stage alongside Gilland the composer for Buhr’s 2 Pieces for 3Pianos.

“It should be an interesting concert.Hopefully everyone likes piano,” laughsDonnelly, whose boyish charm and keenmusical insights have been seeping backinto the classical realm ever sinceestablishing a professional relationship withToronto clarinettist Kornel Wolack.

The two have been presenting concertsacross the country, and are just about torelease their first duo album.

I first encountered Donnelly when he wasan undergraduate at University of Toronto,very much focused on jazz piano, butequally at home with classical repertoire.His deeply committed artistry continues toearn the respect of anyone within earshot.And he’s a down-to-earth guy with a readysmile.

I ask him about the way he straddles bothjazz and art music.

“It goes back to my training,” he replies.

He grew up in Etobicoke, not too far fromHumber College and its excellent jazzprogramme. Donnelly’s parents took him tothe Humber Community Music School tostudy with one of the senior school’sgraduates, Catherine Mitro. She taught amix of methods, including Orff and Kodaly,to build a foundation for jazz and

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improvisational playing.

“At the time I was 7 or 8 she suggested I alsogo study at the [Royal] Conservatory, so Iwas making my way downtown once a weekto study with James Anagnoson my firstyear,” Donnelly recalls.

But between the anything-goes attitude ofhis other piano lessons and the freeforminfluences of attending a Montessori school,Donnelly admits he was ill equipped for therigours of traditional piano lessons.

“I’m sure I was a misbehaving student, so[Anagnoson] passed me on to LyndaMetelsky,” Donnelly laughs.

“My Mom tells the story how, one time inthe Conservatory building, back when theyhad big windows outside the piano studios, Iwas playing and my Mom looked in at onepoint and saw James rubbing his eyes withone hand. I was on the floor, under thepiano because I saw an airplane pass by andwas pretending to shoot it down.”

But the real reason Donnelly was moreattracted to jazz than classical was a groupapproach to learning and musicmaking.

In his classical studies, it was always a one-on-one situation with the teacher, whereasin the jazz classes, he would be part of agroup or an ensemble.

“We were interacting, improvising, playing,dancing with other kids,” he smiles. “I didn’tenjoy my classical lessons, and I think it’sbecause I was never playing with other kids– ever. I was practicing alone, I was in thestudio alone, performing alone. Always bymyself.”

Ironically, Donnelly started building his

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career and discography with two soloalbums for Alma Records, but over the pastcouple of years he has brought other peopleback into his everyday musicmaking: theMyriad3 jazz trio, with bassist Dan Fortinand Ernesto Cervini; and the Wolack /Donnelly Duo.

The trio came about through aserendipitous series of gig substitutions.The duo came out of a tour application.

Wolack and Donnelly had worked together,but had never considered a formalarrangement until they had both separatelyapplied for Début Atlantic tours. Thepresenter responded that they would have ahard time booking them separately, butmight be able to book them a tour as a duo.

“We talked, we hung out and we hadlunches, and we would riff,” recallsDonnelly. “We had to be careful, becausehe’s not my accompanist, and I’m not hisaccompanist. He’s a soloist and I’m asoloist.”

“We’ll challenge each other with theprogramme as well as the music. There arefundamental differences in our music, aswell as fundamental similarities,” thepianist explains. “It all comes back toperformance. We’re both really dedicated toperforming music; everything is about themusic.”

The way both of them are equals comesthrough on Common Ground, their new CDto be released next week on Alma Records.It is a crazy quilt of an album that rangesfrom the Flight of the Bumblebee and TicoTico to a very nice transcription of GeorgeGershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and theClarinet Sonata by Johannes Brahms.

Unifying it is the care and expressiveness ofthese two great young artists.

It’s great playlist-mixing fodder that tossesgenres and categories out the window — alot like the Soundstreams concert.

For all the details on Friday’s concert,including full programme notes, click here.

+++

Unlike other musicians, a pianist is at themercy of each venue’s instrument. Thisdrives some artists crazy. Others, likeDonnelly, who has been to more than onesmall Canadian town, learn to take it instride.

“I like to free up my mental capital and say Iwill make music on whatever piano I have infront of me,” says Donnelly.

Then there are the real surprises.

He tells of one jazz gig, where he arrived atthe club to discover that the owner had soldthe piano. He scrambled to get the closestYamaha dealer to deliver a piano by sunset— at his own expense.

“And when I got home, the club owner’scheque bounced, and then the club wentbankrupt,” shrugs the pianist.

There’s one Toronto club with an upright sobattered as to barely qualify as a piano.

“I can say this is absolutely unplayable, butthe truth is, it’s only unplayable for the typeof music I’m looking to play on it,” Donnellyexplains. “It’s my bias and my repertoirethat makes me say this piano is unplayable.If I were to play Brahms it would be awful,but I played Scott Joplin, it might actually

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be really cool and totally appropriate.”

Think of this as the musician’s equivalent ofthe half-full versus half-empty glass.

John Terauds

Tagged with: 2013 • April 26 • Chris Donnelly • classical •

Concert • jazz • Piano Ecstasy • Soundstreams

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