Ron Sexsmith @ Danforth Music Hall, Friday

Ron Sexsmith presents songs from his Hangover Terrace album tonight with a full band and some secret special guests too! 

Here's Ron with his special guests at the Danforth Music Hall captured by Yvonne Matsell. 

Diana Panton's new album Soft Winds and Roses out October 25

Jazz singer Diana Panton cut versions of modern pop classics with longtime pals Don Thompson & Reg Schwager. Pre-order it here. 

JAZZ VOCALIST DIANA PANTON 

SHOWCASES MODERN CLASSICS FROM THE '60s ONWARD

WITH HER ELEVENTH ALBUM

Soft Winds and Roses (out October 25)

“What makes Panton special is that she’s herself. You feel her relaxed personality throughout, and the quality of her voice is remarkable … a voice that’s as gentle as a doe but smart as a fox. Bravo!” – Marc Myers, JazzWax 

“Her vocal style combines a light, buoyant lilt with immaculate phrasing, an authoritative delivery, and a convincing ability to portray the emotions of the lyrics’ protagonists.” – Bobby Reed, DownBeat

HAMILTON, ONTARIO – With a career spanning nearly two decades, two-time JUNO Award winner Diana Panton has established herself as one of the brightest lights on the international jazz scene, praised by listeners, musicians, and critics alike for her ethereal vocals, exceptional song selection, and emotive nuance. Diana is pleased to announce the October 25 release of her eleventh album, soft winds and roses.

A departure from Diana Panton’s more recent albums, soft winds and roses features modern classics composed from the 1960s onward, including songs by Lennon and McCartney, Burt Bacharach, Gordon Lightfoot, Don McLean, Ron Sexsmith, Leonard Cohen, Randy Newman, Joni Mitchell, and more. Diana’s signature sound, which Jazz Times called “arrestingly beautiful,” makes every song her own, and the feather-light intimacy of each track is so direct that the lyrics feel like a secret passed between Diana and her listener. The album’s arc follows a relationship, beginning shyly with hard-to-declare feelings, continuing through a deeply emotional connection, and finally separating, with lingering traces of love. 

Why songs from the ‘60s onward?  Diana Panton explains, “Through the years, I have recorded several compilations for the Asian market, and I was often asked to include a bonus track that was a bit more contemporary and well-known in that market than some of my more obscure song choices. Fast forward to the present: I decided to assemble a selection of modern standards composed from the 1960s onward. It was a fun challenge to bring our trio’s distinctive sound to these modern classics, mixing well-known songs, like Elton John's 'This is Your Song' alongside some new jazz standards such as Fred Hersch's 'A Wish (Valentine).'"

On soft winds and roses, Diana Panton’s evocative vocals are backed by the artistry of two longtime musical colleagues – both former members of George Shearing’s ensemble – who have made significant contributions to the beauty and passion of Diana’s previous albums: pianist/vibraphonist/bassist/arranger Don Thompson (Officer of the Order of Canada) and guitarist Reg Schwager (Member of the Order of Canada). The minimalist instrumentation on soft winds and roses enhances the raw emotion of Diana's vocals. Thompson plays as though he is in conversation with Diana, hanging on her every word, sensing her every breath, and responding in kind. Schwager dazzles with shimmering runs, yet is always understated, playing in full support of the lyric.

ABOUT DIANA PANTON

In command of a keen aesthetic sense, Diana Panton has attracted the attention of some of the jazz world’s most respected masters.  When legendary multi-instrumentalist Don Thompson first heard the nineteen-year-old Diana sing, he enthusiastically urged her to audition for the renowned Banff Centre for the Arts Jazz Workshop. It was there that she studied under Norma Winstone, and, in subsequent visits, with Sheila Jordan and Jay Clayton.  When the time arrived for her to go into the recording studio, award-winning guitarist Reg Schwager was invited to join Don Thompson in laying down a collaborative sound that has proved to be, on all of her albums, the perfect setting for the delicate nuance of Diana’s pure vocals. The late, great jazz critic Len Dobin called the product of that first session, …yesterday perhaps, one of the finest debut albums he had heard in years. 

Since the release of that first album in 2005, Diana Panton’s career has gathered astounding momentum, drawing international acclaim for her ten albums and the impressive variety and consistent quality of her catalogue of songs. The numerous honours garnered include JUNO Awards for RED in 2015 and I Believe in Little Things in 2017, three Silver Disc Awards in Japan, eight JUNO nominations, nine Hamilton Music Awards, and a host of National Jazz Award nominations and Canadian and American independent music award nominations. I Believe in Little Things charted simultaneously on Billboard’s Jazz and Children’s Music charts and went to #1 on Amazon’s “Movers and Shakers” chart, following an interview on NPR. The album received a four-star review in DownBeat magazine and was one of their Best Albums of 2016. Diana’s albums have also made the year-end lists of ICI Musique, NOW Magazine, Jazz Critique Magazine, The Montreal Mirror, The Ottawa Citizen, HiFi Trends, and DownBeat, among others, and, in addition to reaching #1 on Amazon and iTunes in Canada and the US, have made bestseller lists in Hong Kong, Japan, and Taiwan.

LINKS
Broadway World Diana Panton to release 11th album, "Soft Winds and Roses"

Remembering singer/songwriter Tom T. Hall

Since it's Tom T. Hall's birthday, here are a few renditions of his classic "That's How I Got To Memphis" starting with his own.

Ron Sexsmith shares some thoughts on Gordon Lightfoot

Before a show in Waterford, Ireland,  Ron Sexsmith jotted down some thoughts about the late Gordon Lightfoot. 

Check out Ron's versions of Gordon Lightfoot's "Stay Loose" and "Drifters" below.

Ron Sexsmith previews new album with two new songs

The new songs are off Ron Sexsmith's forthcoming Hermitage album – his first since moving to bucolic Stratford, Ontario – slated for release on April 17. 

Ron Sexsmith on Tour:
May 3 - Victoria, BC - Alix Goolden Performance Hall
May 5 - Vancouver, BC - Rio Theatre
May 6 - Calgary, AB - The National Music Centre
May 8 - Saskatoon, SK - Broadway Theatre
May 9 - Winnipeg, MB - West End Cultural Centre
May 28 - Ottawa, ON - National Arts Centre
May 30 - Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall
June 3 - Birmingham, England - Glee Club
June 4 - London, England - Cadogan Hall
June 5 - Cambridge, England - Junction
June 7 - Manchester, England - Royal Northern College of Music
June 8 - Glasgow, Scotland - Cottier
June 9 - Dublin, Ireland - Liberty Hall

Note: You can pre-order Ron's new Hermitage album and get ticket info at his site: www.ronsexsmith.com

Happy Birthday Ron Sexsmith!

Celebrating the birthday of Canuck singer/songwriter deluxe Ron Sexsmith with his 2016 appearance on the Trailer Park Boys Podcast.

Andy Kim's Christmas Show @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Wednesday

Andy Kim will be joined by Broken Social Scene, Ron Sexsmith & Alex Lifeson on Wednesday which is also Andy's 72nd birthday.

Happy Birthday Leonard Cohen!

Remembering Leonard Cohen on his day with Ron Sexsmith's solo acoustic version of Sisters Of Mercy. 

Happy Birthday Ron Sexsmith!

If not for Harry Nilsson and Ron Sexsmith, Feist may never have learned what a Brandy Alexander was. 

Ron Sexsmith's Carousel One out Tuesday

You can order a 180 gram vinyl version of Carousel One right here after hearing "Getaway Car" below.

Ron Sexsmith talks about Max Webster, Sarah McLachlan & Engelbert Humperdinck

Check out Danko Jones' podcast interview with Ron Sexsmith and Nick Flanagan below. 

Ron Sexsmith vs. The Flying Machine

Check out Ron's performance of his fave Flying Machine tune followed by the original. 

Happy Birthday Ron Sexsmith!

Hard Bargain (Ron Sexsmith) by Emmylou Harris @ Bowery Ballroom, NYC 4/26/11

Alex Pangman unveils 33 at Hugh's Room tonight

It's been some time since Toronto's Alex Pangman released a studio album of her own but I'm pleased to report that her fabulous new 33 debut for Montreal's Justin Time has been worth the wait. Evidently, Canada's Sweetheart of Swing couldn't think of any better way to spend her 33rd year than interpreting a well-chosen selection of classic American Songbook tunes popular in 1933 for a delightful concept recording.

For the sessions produced with Don Kerr at Rooster Studio last April, she was accompanied as always by her trusty Alley Cats in addition to singer pals Ron Sexsmith who sweetly duets on the Bing Crosby fave I Surrender Dear and Denzal Sinclaire who joins Alex on a lovely reprise of You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me. Of course, the clever kicker for the album concept was that 33 would have a limited-run 33 RPM vinyl issue. Brilliant right?
Well, everything would be perfect if those hot new albums were back from the pressing plant in time for tonight's release party at Hugh's Room (2261 Dundas West) with singer/pianist Julian Fauth opening the proceedings at 8:30 pm, but even if the records don't miraculously appear, you can count on there being enough copies of the CD version of 33 to go around. In any case, you know that the always charming Ms. Pangman will be at her top-dollar best this evening with the superb support of her Alley Cats namely Peter Hill (piano), Chris Banks (bass), Glenn Anderson (drums), Jesse Barksdale (guitar), Drew Jerecka (fiddle, alto sax) and Ross Wooldridge (clarinet/tenor sax). Certainly not something you'd want to miss.