Toronto Magazine - Premier 2008 - 18

Cityscape around town Better than sex and it lasts longer According to Wynton Marsalis, jazz is music that swings. Cecil Taylor and Anthony Braxton would tell you it’s all about being free. Most prefer the definition found in the old musician’s joke that says jazz is “better than sex and it lasts longer.” The roots of jazz in Toronto run deep, a history that includes folkloric clubs of a bygone era — the Top O’ the Senator and Montreal Bistro among them — with boogie-woogie, swing, bebop and fusion jazz now filling The Rex, Pilot, Historic Distillery District, Courthouse, ’Nawlins and dozens of impromptu jazz stages across the city. Jazz in Toronto has endured, evolved and is enjoying a growing audience — the TD Toronto Jazz Festival (www.torontojazz.com), Beaches International Jazz Festival (www. beachesjazz.com) and Southside Shuffle (www.southsideshuffle .com) continue to spotlight the world’s most prominent jazz musicians in the most approachable manner possible. True jazz fans in Toronto believe it is the bedrock of all music. They also agree that the manner in which it’s embraced across the Toronto region is the reason for the modern-day jazz renaissance across Canada. Opening credits lose yourself v., slang. 1) to freak out. 2) to experience high levels of fascination and euphoria. 3) to behave like the crowd outside the Elgin Theatre, as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie walked the red carpet at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival. Curtain call for Toronto is September 4, 2008. The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is the most prestigious publicly attended film festival in the world, screening more than 300 films at 23 locations across the city. Widely touted as the premier film festival in North America, TIFF is considered a launch pad for many studios to begin the race for coveted Oscar supremacy. It is second only to Cannes in terms of high-profile films, stars and market activity, and although it has begun to give more attention to mainstream Hollywood films, TIFF still maintains its independent roots. It features retrospectives of national cinemas and individual 18 directors and highlights of Canadian cinema as well as a variety of African, South American and Asian films. What began as a collection of the best films from festivals around the world has grown to become a vital component of Hollywood. Many notable films premiered at this festival of festivals, including Chariots of Fire, The Big Chill, American Beauty, Sideways and Crash. In 2007 the Festival Group began construction on Bell Lightbox, a new signature facility at the corner of King and John streets in the heart of the Entertainment District. This dedicated facility will support continuing efforts to engage, enlighten and entertain while giving Toronto a fittingly high-profile venue to continue communicating the remarkable nature of film. The facility will open in time for the 2010 festival and will provide extensive year-round galleries, cinemas and archives. www.tiff08.com Photos: (top) Sam Javanrouh; (bottom) Doug Brown toronto | 2008

Toronto Magazine - Premier 2008

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