On The Beat

Daniela's Debut

DANIELA NARDI: This local songstress seems poised to make a splash with her debut CD, One True Thing. She has an eclectic singing and writing style, one that draws upon pop, jazz, folk, Latin and world influences. Her core trio (featuring drummer LARRY CROWE and bassist STEVE BRIGHT) is joined by such top local players as harpist TORTOISE BLUE, saxman JOHN JOHNSON, trumpeter CHASE SANBORN and bassist GEORGE KOLLER. On some tracks, Nardi's phrasing and the jazz-pop arrangements suggest JONI MITCHELL, never a bad thing. The album (out on Minerva Road/Festival) is self-produced, which shows she is skilled in the studio as well. The highly photogenic Daniela has already been featured on Omni shows, and will soon be gigging regularly in the clubs. For a taste, catch her at Indigo/Chapters at John & Richmond, Oct. 29 at noon.

CD PRICES: The troubled record industry has certainly shown signs of desperation recently in their fight to combat CD burning, downloading and piracy. Their U.S. lobby group, the RIAA, angered many when they went after a 12-year old for illegal downloading, a very dumb move in terms of public relations. Universal Music Canada took a better approach, slashing the price of their CDs drastically (from a list price of $21.98 max to $14.98). Now you get chains like Future Shop selling top new titles from the likes of STING and SAM ROBERTS for as little as $9.99. Even at $12.99 or $13.99, a new CD now stands as a good deal. You pay that much for a movie you've likely forgotten the next day or week, whereas good music will last you a lifetime.

TORONTO 1: Plenty of journalists have already raced to slag off Toronto's new so-called local TV station, but I can't resist joining them. The cultural bureaucrats at the CRTC who gave Craig Broadcasting this license should be red-faced with shame. Their schedule is littered with mediocre American talk shows, and their news coverage is shallow and celebrity-obsessed. Their late-night entertainment show, Toronto Show, has featured some of this city and country's excellent musical talent, but is largely unwatchable. Host ENIS ESMER screams the whole time and his attempts at hipster slang are embarrassing - the "Is T.dot in the house?" kind of thing. The fact that Toronto 1 didn't cover the Ontario elections on the big night speaks volumes. This is one crap channel!

IN STORES: On The Beat is no fan of monopolies like the INDIGO/CHAPTERS chain, but they do deserve credit for arranging in-store performances by some high quality musical acts. In the next week, for instance, you can catch MOLLY JOHNSON (Oct. 25, Bay-Bloor), and the wonderful THE HENRYS (Oct. 28, 110 Bloor). Both appearances are at noon.

UPCOMING: Fans of intelligent and sweetly soft alt(or art)-country should check out Brooklyn's CLEM SNIDE, in at The Horseshoe on Oct. 29. They're touring in support of a fine new album, Soft Spot (out on spinART/Linus). Get there early for a set by promising locals PRECIOUS LITTLE.

NEW RELEASES: Italo-Canadian SANDRO DOMINELLI is one of this country's most creative drummers and bandleaders, as shown on his new CD, Cafe Varze Jazz. Sandro's quintet do justice to the intelligent yet very accessible jazz compositions of Edmontonian DONALD VARZE. At 73 minutes in length, it's a generous album too. Available via www.varzerecords.com Also on the jazz tip is an excellent new CD from THE BRANFORD MARSALIS QUARTET. Romare Bearden Revealed (on Rounder) has an intriguing concept, for it comprises tunes selected as being complementary to the art of Harlem-based black painter Bearden. The liner notes explain that the hearer is challenged to see the music, viewers to hear the paintings. Romare's vibrantly coloured works are shown in the CD booklet. The playing is topnotch, and guests WYNTON MARSALIS, HARRY CONNICK and DOUG WAMBLE add depth to the tunes. Highly recommended.

Publication Date: 2003-10-26
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=3293