Paul Read News

Hi.
Just got the site for P.R.O. up on its proper URL. Please visit www.paulreadorchestra.com to see the site in its new home.

Just back from a wonderful trip to New Jersey. Stayed a couple of nights with Sharon and Scott Robinson (the fabulous saxophonist well known for his abilities to play anything and everything and an outstanding composer, band leader and also appeared on my quartet cd “The Heart of Summer” (available on iTunes or using links posted on this site). Oh, and also familiar as the baritone saxophonist in Maria Schneider’s Orchestra. Sharon is a top flight mathematician, and a flute player, an amazing cook and brilliant mind. I really enjoyed their hospitality and seeing them both again.

On Thursday, I drove over ot Montclair, NJ and spent the afternoon with Jim McNeely where we talked for hours about my music and his and composition and life and politics, but mostly about music. It was an inspiring and instructive experience and the man is simply one of the great composers of our time. He was generous in sharing his thoughts in both general and specific ways about his work and was supportive and encouraging about mine. He made many excellent suggestions.

That evening I drove back to Sharon and Scott’s and shared dinner and a session with Eliot Zigmund, Rufus Reid and Scott. What a privilege to have the opportunity to play with such high level players.

So I had a wonderful trip and a great time. Better stop blogging on and on here and get back to writing some more music.

Paul

If you are interested in having a look at a site dedicated to my new jazz orchestra, please visit P.R.O. – Home of the Paul Read Orchestra

Eventually I will have the site on a more intuitive URL, but the beta version is up and available so you can see some of the news about the band and so on.

I’m off to New Jersey this week to spend a day (a prolonged lesson) with Jim McNeely. Really looking forward to this. He is one of the great jazz composers of our day and his work continues to inspire. As an added bonus I’ve been invited to stay with Scott Robinson and his wife Sharon. They live about a half hour from Jim. So it will be wonderful to spend a little time with them as well.

After that it is preparation in earnest for the upcoming academic year at the University of Toronto where I teach. After missing so much of last year due to personal circumstances (this blog has too much info on that), I am looking forward to a “normal” year back at the school.

That’s all the news that’s fit to print for this evening.
P

Golf is one of my passions. I even get a little obsessive at times. This link has a nice way of putting some of the game in perspective:
GOLF

Incidentally, I’m working on a new website link to give you more info on P.R.O., the Paul Read Orchestra (I drop the word jazz on purpose). Please watch for a link to the new site in the next day or so.

Paul

Today marks the beginning of the 16th International AIDS conference in Toronto with up to 22,000 participants. The Toronto Star reports that instead of attending this important conference, to which he was invited, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is in Nunavut calling attention to Canada’s new efforts to defend its sovereignty there. That may well be an important prime ministerial function, but the conference is NOW and AIDS is killing people NOW and as of Aug 18 when the conference ends in Toronto, the situation in the north will still be there. “It’s a dreadful mistake in political judgement, and it’s not excusable,” said Stephen Lewis. Mr Lewis is our Canadian UN special envoy for AIDS/HIV in Africa. He is also a former NDP party leader and one of Canada’s most articulate citizens. Our PM should be at the conference, even for one hour to make a statement that this pandemic is of paramount importance to Canadians. The WORLD needs to find solutions and Canada should step up to the plate in every regard.

Apparently the only explanation as to why Harper is not attending (according to Lewis and the Star) is out of fear of being booed.????????? Well, Mr. Prime Minister, I am your worst nightmare. Here it comes:

BOO!

Now that wasn’t so bad was it?

I was greatly saddened to read about the imminent closing of the Montreal Bistro, arguably (and an easy argument to win) Toronto’s most presitigious jazz club. Speaking as one who had the joy and privilege of playing there from time to time, it will be sorely missed. I don’t know if there is much to choose between the frustrations and challenges of club management, ownership and operations and those of actually preparing to play the music, hunting for gigs and then going through the process over and over with very little compensation. Whatever the answer to that conundrum, we must all be thankful for the years that Lothar and Bridgette Lang put into the Bistro. This is truly a part of Canadian music history that will be and must be remembered with at least the same reverence as the Top ‘O the Senator, The Colonial, The Town Tavern, George’s Spaghetti House, Basin Street, Bourbon Street and others. Thank goodness there is always transition. Somewhere another jazz club will pop up here and there in the city. The longevity factor is certainly an issue, though and while there have been clubs like Judy Jazz and others over the years, there have been few that can rival the Bistro in this area.
THANK YOU LOTHAR and BRIDGETTE. On behalf of all the musicians and the fans for all the years.
P