Show Notes
Since quietly opening its doors in the spring of 2011, Poetry Jazz Cafe has become a popular live jazz, funk, and soul venue in the heart of Toronto's Kensington Market. However, like most music venues around the world, Poetry was forced to temporarily close in mid-March to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. And while it was able to resume its indoor service in July, the Ontario government restricted all bars to only patio service shortly after this interview was conducted.
I talked to the owner, Sean Pascalle about the struggles of running a live jazz venue, the absence of live music as a result of the pandemic, and the evolving sound of the coolest man who ever lived, Mr. Miles Davis.
More from This Broken Mixtape
I first met Jesse Ohtake when I was writing for The CyberKrib, reviewing records and interviewing hip-hop, R&B and soul artists. As the owner/founder of The Academy, Air Moves and other cultural initiatives, Jesse has spent decades building platforms for artists and bringing Toronto's music community together. Today, we're talking about the records that shaped him, the hustle behind building a scene, and what it takes to keep the culture moving.
Tara Kannangara is an indie-pop singer-songwriter, producer and trumpeter. From jazz, pop, r&b and rock, Tara's music is driven by curiosity and a willingness to follow an idea wherever it leads.
Toronto musician Victor Xu, better known as Vixu, is a pianist, composer, producer, vocalist and songwriter. Through his solo work and bands like Diskarte, he moves freely between jazz, R&B, hip-hop, indie, electronic and experimental. On this episode, Victor talks about his early piano training, how Toronto's early-2000s music scene and Broken Social Scene sparked his love of collaboration, and paying tribute to Frank Ocean's Blonde.
Liz uninvited is a Toronto-based indie singer-songwriter whose intimate, emotionally raw music draws influence from Elliott Smith, Jeff Buckley and Fiona Apple. A devoted Elliott Smith fan, she developed a unique connection to his music and legacy after collaborating with members of his creative circle in Los Angeles. In the this episode, we talk to Liz as she traces the soundtrack of her childhood through her dad's favourite Afrobeat and highlife records, discusses embracing an OCD diagnosis and transforming that experience into music, and explores the lingering spirit of Elliott Smith in her own songwriting.
Lexxicon is a dancehall/Afropop artist from Toronto by way of Jamaica and the UK. On his new album, Tropicon Islands, he strays away from his dancehall roots and dives head-first into a rich Afrobeats sound. Guest co-host Amanie Illfated and I talked to Lexxicon about his new album and novel, the third season of Netflix's You, and why Canadian musicians often have to move to another country in order to make it.