RON DAVIS: THE SAYONARA CONCERT
uchida fellow / visiting scholar in Japan
Thursday October 26, 2006 7:30pm - The Jazz At The J Series
Al Green Theatre at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre
750 Spadina Ave. Toronto | www.mnjcc.org | 416.924-6211

In his last North American performance for 2006, pianist / composer / arranger / producer Ron Davis will be serving up his unique brand of instrumental entertainment, in the Sayonara Concert. Part of the Jazz at the J series, the Sayonara Concert happens on Thursday October 26, 2006, 7:30pm, at the splendid Al Green Theatre located in downtown Toronto's Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre (MNjcc). Jazz at the J kicked off successfully last season, and is sure to grow into an important presence in the Toronto music scene. Tickets are $20, and are available through the MNjcc at 750 Spadina Ave., Toronto, or by calling 416-924-6211 X 0.

The Sayonara Concert will feature Ron Davis with Sasha Boychouk (clarinet and sax), Richard Underhill (alto sax), Mike Downes (bass) and Ted Warren (drums). The group will perform Davis' original songs and out-of-the-way standards, with the fresh energy that sets their sound apart, all the while echoing the great Oscar Peterson and Andr Prvin groups.

“I like calling our music instrumental entertainment," says Davis, “because it's accessible to all, but retains the integrity jazz fans recognize. Our music - all music - is ultimately about enjoyment."

Why the Sayonara Concert? Six days after the show, Davis will say sayonara to Canada, as he leaves for ten weeks in Japan. He has been awarded the Japan Foundation's prestigious Uchida Fellowship for the Performing Arts. Davis will live in Japan lecturing, performing and studying in Tokyo and elsewhere. At the same time, he has been granted the position of Visiting Scholar at Tokyo's Hosei University. All of this activity follows on his successful tours of Japan, in 2004 and 2005. When he returns, Davis will release his fifth CD Subarashii LIVE, featuring mostly original compositions, with the same personnel appearing in the Sayonara Concert.

Davis' ambitious and innovative 2005 CD Shimmering Rhythm garnered international acclaim and appeared on several Top 10 Jazz Recordings of 2005's lists, as did his 2004 Mungle Music CD. The pop-influenced So Much (with vocalist Lori Cullen) was a 2003 Jazz Album of the Year - Canadian Music Week Independent Awards nominee.