As a Toronto native, the Toronto Jazz Festival has been a part of my life for quite a long time. Much of the early exposure I had to jazz music came from the live shows that would happen each summer in the core of the city I’ve known for so long.
That’s why I’m so happy to talk to you about this festival! I’ll tell you about the lineup of artists, the venues, the atmosphere, and a couple great places to eat and hang out at nearby!
The Lineup
The Toronto Jazz Festival features a wide range of musical acts and artists. Due to its vast size, you’ll always be able to find something that suits your tastes.This past year, the festival offered a variety of ‘big name’ performers.
The booming baritone voice of Gregory Porter stood out as a highlight, alongside bands led by Jack DeJohnette and Hiromi. These well-known performers are a surefire way to catch some great live jazz. The downside is that tickets to these headliner shows tend to be rather pricey.
Gregory Porter was one of the headliners at the 2017 TD Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival
Alternatively, you can find countless other phenomenal concerts for a fraction of the headliner price (if not for free!)The Toronto Jazz Festival organizers split these shows into two categories; emerging artists and veteran artists. However, in my opinion, you can see some really great music no matter where you look.
One of my personal favourites is the Dave Young / Terry Promane Octet. On top of the flawless arrangments, this band features some of Canada’s greatest improvisers, namely Mike Murley and Kevin Turcotte.
You can check out more veteran artists here!
The Venues
Historically, the Toronto Jazz Festival has happened at the core of the city, in the City Hall / Nathan Phillip Square area. However, in 2017 the festival moved a little north, to the Yorkville neighborhood. 12 different venues participated across this rather small area, giving the festival a compact, yet effective, atmosphere.
There are also a smattering of participating venues across the city, ranging from the east end (Danforth Music Hall) to the west end (The Home Smith Bar at the Old Mill). Shows outside of the Yorkville area are mostly ticketed, but traveling out to these exterior venues will often be worth it to catch your favourite performer.
The Rex, a hub for jazz in Toronto, was a little bit farther from the festival location this year, but still featured countless great acts!
The Atmosphere
As I mentioned above, having so many venues participating in the Toronto Jazz Festival in such a small neighborhood really made it feel like everyone in the area was enjoying the same thing – great live music.
One thing that felt slightly different in the new Yorkville location was the amount of “passerby potential”. In previous years, people walking through the core of the city, or shopping at the nearby Eaton Centre would simply stumble upon the festival. When hosted in the affluent neighborhood of Yorkville, there was definitely less of this happening.
However, this was a very small problem, because the festival was still extremely well attended!
The outdoor stages provided a place for a perfect afternoon of jazz in the sun!
Other Things to Do!
Everyone knows that there is no shortage of things to do across the great city of Toronto. But if you find yourself in Yorkville during the Toronto Jazz Festival, you may want to stay close by.
EAT : POTBELLY SANDWICH SHOP
This is one of my go-to places to pig out (no pun intended!). With fantastic sandwiches, shakes, and cold beer, this is a perfect place to unwind after a day of consuming jazz in the summer heat.
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EXPLORE : THE ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM
The ROM is a must-visit place for any lover of learning. It’s the largest museum in Canada, and one of the largest in all of North America! The recent expansion features a beautiful dinosaur exhibit that shouldn’t be missed!
It’s located about a 5-minute walk from the festival hub, so if you have a night off between shows, this is a fantastic way to spend it.
The museum features forty different galleries to explore!
If you end up catching next year’s Toronto Jazz Festival, let me know! Also, If you’ve been to the festival before, tell me what your favorite part of it was, in the comments section below!
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