jazz'in it up in the kitchen · before - blues in the closet - and explains the band's...
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Seeing some of Toronto's most talented jazz musicians any time would be a spectacle but the
privilege of enjoying their music in such an intimate space is something special. That's likely why Jazz
in the Kitchen shows have all sold out since they were first introduced a year ago and why they now
sell out overnight. The small space and limited guest list is a determining factor as well and most of
those who have seen a show return over and over. They can't get enough.
Jazz listeners are a bit like that anyway I've learned. Those who like their jazz, really like their
jazz. Admittedly I am somewhat of a novice to the school of this sort of sound but those around me
at the Jazz in the Kitchen shows clearly are not, they know what they are listening to and they are
impressed. It's impossible not to be impressed at the talent - even for a novice. The core trio at these
shows is Mark Eisenman on piano, John Sumner on drums and Steve Wallace on stand up bass. The
three play with various jazz bands around Toronto and are each well known for their abilities. At most
shows, a guest joins in and Patti and John Loach, the hosts, participate as well. Patti on piano and
John on trumpet. Together they pull together an unparallelled evening of jazz.
"I love being able to invite people to have an experience that is much more intimate than
anywhere else," Patti tells me, "they feel that they are in some way a part of the performance." The
shows take place in Patti and John Loach's kitchen, as the title implies. One side of the room is set
JAZZ'IN it up IN THE KITCHEN
FROM THE TIME THE FIRST NOTE SOUNDS YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN FOR A MUSICAL TREAT AT JOHN AND PATTI LOACH'S JAZZ IN THE
KITCHEN SHOWS. FORTY PEOPLE SIT IN RAPT ATTENTION TAKING IN THE TALENT THAT SITS FIFTEEN FEET IN FRONT OF THEM.
STORY: SARAH DANN
PHOTOS:Courtesy ofPATTI LOACH
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up with seating and standing room around the island and
counter. The other side of the room houses the Steinway
B grand piano, the drum kit, the stand up bass and the
musicians who bring all these instruments to life.
The audience really is part of the show. Throughout the
sets of music, audience members call out, gasp, applaud,
comment quietly, or even interact with the band when the
musicians reach out looking for comments or requests. After
a particularly compelling song by a guest performer at the
show I attended recently, one audience member shouts out,
"I want you to know, that made me cry." This is intimacy.
It's not just the audience who experiences the intimacy
of the setting, the performers are also impacted by it. The
closeness is the distinguishing feature of the shows. Mark
Eisenman says, "It's great, we'll be batting around a tune
idea and the audience hears how it comes together. It's
very intimate. I'll say, just let me run through this and we talk
about the changes. Then we play it. The audience sees that
there is effort that goes into this music."
Most of the songs are chosen the night of the show so
the musicians don't have an opportunity to practice them in
advance. This keeps things fresh and keeps the performers
on their toes. Taking requests, a few each show, adds to this
sense of spontanaiety and interactivity.
The repertoire the band draws on is astonishing. Harry
Miller has been a Jazz in the Kitchen regular since the
beginning. He tells me he requested a tune they had played
before - Blues in the Closet - and explains the band's bass
player, Steve Wallace, is a keen Oscar Pettiford fan. Pettiford
has a street named after him in Copenhagen Harry tells me
(an indication the audience's repertoire is extensive as well).
"They actually played it." Harry tells me, clearly quite tickled.
He mentions Steve Wallace has a blog that deals not only
with jazz but also with baseball. The audience's knowledge
and appreciation of jazz and these performers runs deep.
One of the most enthusiastic jazz lovers in the room is
John Loach, who's room it is. Of jazz, John says, "It's pretty
amazing, the challenge of it, the creativity that's happening
on the spot." John joins the trio for several songs. "Selfilshly,"
he says, "I get to play a few songs with some very good
musicians." John started playing trumpet when he was
eleven. Born without one hand, it was John's grandfather,
"All the Energy you hear, every calorie of it, is coming from
the band. we are right on topof the audience." ~ Mark Eisenman
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a machinist, who realized that trumpet was an instrument
John could play with his one hand. John credits "a tyrant of a
trumpet teacher" with some early success. Years later, John's
trumpet is one of the most impressive instruments in the
room. There's nothing quite like hearing a trumpet in perfect
pitch from fifteen feet. It's pure and piercing.
Harry Miller says, "These guys are really good. I've
known who these guys are for a long time. I've seen them
in several places. The guy I was most impressed with was
John," he says about his first shows, "Here's a guy who's a
good player, playing because he loves it!"
He's not the only one. Patti says, "I come at jazz from a
place of total wonder. I mean here are guys composing at a
hundred miles an hour and it's also happening with synergy
with the other people in the room." Patti typically plays a
few songs at each show. A professional piano player, Patti
performs with many talented musicians from opera diva Jean
Stilwell to actor, singer Brad Hampton (who's song made
the aforementioned audience member cry) with whom she
performed their recent show The Picture of Happiness. Patti
is not strictly a jazz musician but says, "as a pianist I have
learned a lot about playing the piano by listening to jazz - I've
learned about time, and touch."
In fact, the origins of Jazz in the Kitchen can be traced in
part to Patti's piano. Years ago, Patti and John read that Roy
Thomson Hall was hosting a piano sale. It was a rare chance
to see high end pianos side by side and they decided to go
and check it out. Patti had always loved Steinway pianos
and a black Steinway B Grand Piano was at the sale. "We
had no intention of buying a piano," John tells me but says,
when Patti sat down and played, "Wow! It just sang." Even
Steinway's website says that The Steinway B is often
referred to "as 'the perfect piano' and does extremely well in
intimate settings." The piano moved in to the Loach kitchen.
The kitchen had been renovated with performance in
mind. Patti and John had long loved the idea of being able to
play music with friends and when they bought and renovated
their home years back, the kitchen was set up with a large
open space where instruments could reside. As well as the
piano, John acquired the drum set and bass that are used
during the shows. The room is also a high-end recording
studio and John has engineered several recordings.
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Mark comments on what a treat it is not to have to bring
anything when the trio comes to play at the Loach's and
adds, "There isn't a lot of work that pays and let's you work
with such a great piano." He says there is probably only one
other in the city. Mark met John and Patti in part because of
a conversation they had one day about the piano. John tells
me, "Word got out that there was a really good piano in a
really nice room," and explains that this led to some of the
recordings that have taken place in the kitchen.
Which brings us to the sound. Mark emphasizes that
one of the wonderful things about the Jazz in the Kitchen
shows is the purity of the sound. "All the energy you hear,
every calorie of it, is coming from the band," he says. "We
are right on top of the audience. No filter. All the sound is
coming from us." Mark talks about how everywhere else they
play, the music is piped through a sound board or through
speakers. At the Loach's, there are no microphones. Mark
says, "When it is good, you are good. It is totally clear who is
responsible for what is going into the audience's ears."
The audience gets to enjoy more than music at the
shows. Guests bring bottles of wine to enjoy in advance
of the show and at intermission. Treats such as shortbread
and veggies and chips and dip and Marny's apple cake are
nibbled on as guests swap stories about the band, the music
and how they discovered the shows. One man tells me he is
Mark Eisenman's neighbour and in the summer months when
windows are open, is often treated to the sound of Mark
practising piano first thing in the morning.
John talks about the "ability of jazz to be fun, fun to
listen to and fun to participate in. There is an element of
play" he says and adds, "They are beautiful songs. It is
beautiful to be able to interpret them or emulate ways old
jazz players played them." The ability to take well-known
songs and use them as jumping off points is the beauty of
jazz and Mark, who teaches jazz at York adds that, "you can
get there ten ways, the way you get there is very individual."
These guys love to play with one another - it shows in the
way they laugh together, play together, create together.
"For all this practice and effort, what is the point?" Mark
asks, "The point is to go to the Loach's. The audience is
great. We're treated nicely. It's a gift. It's very unusual. That's
why it's so special to the band."
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