Doc: Toronto Jazz (1963)

In 1963, Toronto was a bustling jazz center akin to New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. The city's jazz establishments flourished after Ontario's Liquor Licensing Board changed its dining lounge rules in 1946 to permit live venues to sell alcohol. Toronto became a destination for Canadian musicians and for touring American artists. Clubs ranged from the posh Imperial Room at the Royal York Hotel to the House of Hambourg, George’s Spaghetti House, the Colonial and Bourbon Street, to name just a handful.

Fortunately, filmmaker Don Owen made a short documentary on the Toronto club scene in the early 1960s. Here's Toronto Jazz (1963), with appearances by the Lenny Breau trio, the Don Thompson Quintet and the Alf Jones Quartet...