Home » Jazz Articles » Live Review » Molly Johnson - TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival

173

Molly Johnson - TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival

By

View read count
Molly Johnson,
TD Canada Trust Toronto International Jazz Festival,
Nathan Phillips Square,
Toronto, Canada
June 23, 2006

The TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival kicked off on June 23 with singer Molly Johnson on the main stage at Nathan Phillips Square. It was a packed house, along with two buildings that at times felt like they were peering over our shoulders, looking in.

Attired in a pink dress, Johnson hit the stage to thunderous applause and settled in for a night of music and laughter, provided by Johnson herself with her short explanations and ad libs between each song. By the time she got to "Melody" from Another Day (Marquis, 2002), the band had the crowd into it. Mark McLean on brushes played solidly throughout, not only on this song but the entire show. Backed by Mike Downes on bass, Andrew Craig on piano/Fender Rhodes and Colleen Allen on flute, sax and background vocals, the music was brighter than the projected green, red and blue light show in the background.

Johnson told the audience of her days in France and hanging out in Avignon, France. To her delight and ours, she recounted the tale of an Amish girl loving every minute of it, and how her pianist wrote some of the songs for her new album (which she confided is taking time but will be done soon). These songs sounded fresh and exciting and, judging by the applause and jubilation from the audience, the new album will be worth the wait.

From songs off her debut album to Another Day and ten songs from her forthcoming album, Johnson and her band, with special guest/guitarist Craig Ross—best known for his contributions to the Lenny Kravitz Band—put on a spectacular show. It was a great way to start off this year's Jazz Festival in Toronto. From "My Oh My" to new songs written by Marc Jordan and Steve McKinnon to "Diamond in My Hand," with each band member taking a turn in the spotlight, Johnson and her band made the room spin. The fans on the ceiling were still, the chandeliers shone and the two towers peered over us, looking in and probably loving every minute of it—the audience did.

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Jazz article: Downtown Tacoma Blues And Jazz Festival 2025
Jazz article: Bark Culture At Solar Myth
Jazz article: Hingetown Jazz Festival 2025

Popular

Read Take Five with Pianist Irving Flores
Read SFJAZZ Spring Concerts
Read Jazz em Agosto 2025
Read Bob Schlesinger at Dazzle
Read Sunday Best: A Netflix Documentary
Read Vivian Buczek at Ladies' Jazz Festival

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.