The Bar Side of the Gig: Glasses, Games, and the Host's
What the bar side of a big band night looks like: the glasses behind the counter, the games between sets, and the table that keeps a room together.
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On the stand now
Toronto Big Band Notebook
Sixteen chairs, one book of standards, and a dance floor waiting to open. This notebook gathers what we have learned watching and writing about big bands in Toronto: how the sections fit together, which tunes get people moving, and what makes a reception swing. It is written for anyone curious about the sound: planners, players, and listeners alike.
Latest numbers
What a Summer Strings Program Teaches About Ensemble Work
The audition, the coaching, and the closing concert: what an intensive summer strings program teaches young players about playing well together.
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A Seaside Room That Hears the Band
How a touring big band reads a Mediterranean venue: sound, sightlines, floor, wind, and what a room by the sea must deliver.
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What a Reed Teaches a Horn Section
Lessons from the accordion and its reeds: breathing, blend, and the long note that carries a dancer across the floor. Notes for Toronto horn players.
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Seventeen Chairs: How a Big Band's Sections Fit
Five saxophones, four trumpets, four trombones, four in the rhythm section: the classic big band headcount, and what each chair actually owes the room.
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Where a Band's Library Comes From: Cue Sheets and Catalogues
How a big band builds its library: commissioned charts, published arrangements, catalog numbers, cue sheets and the quiet trade in production music explained.
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Haunted Halls, Hot Charts: Ontario Rooms Where Bands Played
From the Gibraltar Point legend to old theatres and inns, a look at the Ontario rooms big bands played and the folklore that follows them.
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Halibut Cove: Bringing a Band to a Village Reached Only by
What it takes to carry horns, charts, and a rhythm section to Halibut Cove, Alaska, a village with no roads, no cars, and a dock instead of a loading door.
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The desks
- BAND The Orchestra How a big band is assembled, from brass and saxophone sections to the rhythm chair. 2 charts Meet the sections
- TUNE Swing Repertoire The standards that fill a big band book, from Ellington and Basie to Miller-era dance tunes. 3 charts Read the book
- GIG Party & Reception What a big band brings to a wedding, a corporate evening, or a dance floor full of guests. 2 charts Plan the night
- TOWN Toronto Jazz Scene Rooms, players, and occasions that keep big band music alive across Toronto. 2 charts Where it plays
Other stages
A short list of places where Toronto swing and big band music is worth your time.