Saturday September 2, 2017: A day of performance taking place in the heart of Toronto at Yonge-Dundas Square from 2-10pm. Robert Everett Green of the Globe and Mail describes the event as “a marathon of sound in the middle of traffic.”

DIALECTICA SAX QUARTET
2:15 – 2:45pm / Stage 1
Shannon Graham (tenor sax), Chelsea McBride (baritone sax), Olivia Shortt (alto sax), and Jennifer Tran (soprano sax) blur the lines between jazz and classical traditions. Both Graham and McBride sit in the composer’s chair along with Javier Vazquez, who all also write for Spectrum Music. Dialectica sees the group play with latin themes, minimalism, and not to mention dipping into new age territory at times. Leaving the idea of genre at the door they are able to traverse a varied musical landscape. Keeping a cohesive voice through a their playful voice & dialogue.

For more information about Intersection, presented by Burn Down the Capital and CONTACT contemporary music click here.

The Achromatics’s Summer Heat Wave is well underway but there are still many opportunities to experience their soulful melodies, Latin rhythms, and ferocious showmanship.

July 7 – Beaches Jazz Presents Sounds of Leslieville and Riverside – http://beachesjazz.com/sounds-of-leslieville-riverside/

July 16 – Mississauga Ribfest – https://mississaugaribfest.com/

July 27 – July 28 – Beaches Jazz Streetfest – http://beachesjazz.com/street-fest/

July 30 – Bradford Ribfest – http://ontariofestivalgroup.com/event/bradford-ribfest/

August 3 – 3030 – http://www.3030dundaswest.com/events/

August 6 – Scarborough Ribfest – http://www.scarboroughribfest.com/

August 20 – Esplanade Park Concert Series  – http://calendar.pickering.ca

August 26 – Newmarket Music Festival – http://newmarketmusicfestival.com/

September 3 – Canada’s Largest Ribfest – http://www.canadaslargestribfest.com/

September 14 – Burdock – http://burdockto.com/

Find out more:

Official website: www.TheAchromatics.com
Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBCOrmcl9ucTpkCjyWC4gFw
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theachromatics/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/the-achromatics
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theachromatics/

Toronto’s most unique saxophone quartet is back for two summer performances:

TD Toronto Jazz Festival presents Dialectica Sax Quartet and Hogtown Brass Quintet
Monday June 26, 7pm-9pm, Church of the Redeemer, Free admission

Music Mondays: Lunch hour concerts at Church of the Holy Trinity
Monday July 3, 12:15pm-1pm, Admission by donation

They are performing their signature, all original repertoire that fuses classical, jazz, pop, and Latin music.

For a preview, check out their live recordings here.

Portraits de Georgian Bay
Friday May 5th, 2017
Alliance Francaise de Toronto
Tickets available here

The evocative songs of bilingual (French/English) singer-songwriter duo “Georgian Bay” are performed in lush new orchestrations (with a 5 person chamber ensemble) arranged by the Spectrum Composers.

Tales from Turtle Island
Saturday June 3th, 2017
Alliance Francaise de Toronto
Tickets available here

Spectrum Music, brings storytellers and musicians together in a special concert in honour of Canada’s 150th birthday. “Tales from Turtle Island” features a remarkable ensemble of young and talented Indigenous performers to perform new works inspired by the storytelling tradition of Turtle Island, the land that encompasses most of North America.

Five new pieces by rising start Ojibwe playwright Yolanda Bonnell will be paired with compositions by five Spectrum composers. Actor Rachel Cantin will perform the pieces alongside an ensemble featuring acclaimed pow wow techno powerhouse DJ/electronic artist Classic Roots and members of the Metis Fiddler Quartet.

For more information on the Spectrum Music concert series visit spectrummusic.ca and see the world through a concert!

Dialectica will be performing on Sunday March 19th (the eve of the spring equinox) for “Six Saxes Sing for Spring”. A new work by Shannon “3 Pieces for Spring” will be premiered!

@ Burdock Music Hall in Toronto

Buy tickets: http://burdockto.com/shows/?show=560
$15 in advance, $20 at the door

Doors at 8:30pm, Show at 9pm

Two saxophone groups join to celebrate spring. Monsoon Trio – Andrew Kay (sax, Himalayan Singing Bowls), Jonathan Kay (sax, esraj), Justin Gray (Bass Veena, Electric Bass & FX), Derek Gray (drums & percussion) – has been creating music at the junction of jazz and Indian classical for ten years. Dialectica (Shannon Graham, Chelsea McBride, Olivia Shortt, and Samantha Etchegary) mixes classically- and jazz-trained saxophonists to explore the melding of these traditions. Jazz and Classical (East and West) meet here!

About Monsoon Trio
www.monsoontrio.com
https://soundcloud.com/monsoon-music/sets/monsoon-trio-pranaam

Listen to Dialectica’s “Live at the Music Gallery”

Inspired by the logical formula for “denying the consequent”, in a new project by Shannon Graham the term Modus Tollens becomes a metaphor for challenging one’s initial assumptions, especially those that we make about art music and ourselves.

Graham’s sophomore record Modus Tollens offers a new musical direction from the chamber-jazz-pop large ensemble of her debut project The Storytellers. Modus Tollens takes a simple approach in the attempt to find beauty and sincerity in new musical creations. “With this project I wanted to break out of the box I had established for myself in my previous project. Right now I’m interested in exploring sincerity over irony, beauty over strangeness, simplicity over complicity, no unnecessary notes, and no extra instruments.”

This stripped down ensemble of piano and saxophone require that the compositions get straight to the essence of the music. Graham’s saxophone performance moves to the forefront in Modus Tollens. “Without the horns and strings from the Storyteller’s front line, the saxophone needs to be the main expressive melodic voice. I was afraid of that responsibility when I created the Storytellers, but at this point I feel that it’s something I need to do.”

Graham hopes this project will cause audiences to question their ideas about jazz and classical music, while encouraging them to question their personal premises and find liberation in their own unknown.

Listen here

When your friend turns to you and says the most annoying of conversation openers: “I had the strangest dream last night…” we all know it’s the cue for us to glaze over, put on a brave face of mild interest, while furtively dreaming behind our open eyes of what’s for dinner. But how about this:…

Source: Prepare for a journey into the unconscious…

The Achromatics are back for their first show of 2017, at the iconic Lula Lounge. Get ready for a night of music and dancing as they bring their powerful female horn section, Motown-style vocals, a Latin-influenced rhythm section and a Top-40-calibre stage show (yes…silver pants included).

$10 Advance tickets ($15 at the door) available here.

For sneak previews of the show like them on facebook.