Tonight we are having our second Echoes of Harlem dance at Cat’s. Alain Fragman will be teaching a solo jazz class. And the great thing is that it’s free! Lesson starts at 9pm.
Here’s a video from the last Echoes of Harlem, with Ann Mony teaching some solo jazz steps.
This weekend, hundreds of dancers will congregate for three days of dancing during Smackdown.
Organized by Aidan Fisher, the Montreal Smackdown has now become an annual event, drawing dancers from the North-East and beyond to celebrate swing dancing in my lovely hometown. Some people come to visit the city, some come for the workshop classes, and some come for the amazing musicians we bring into town for the weekend.
This year, the event is going to be huge. We’ve even added a free Thursday night dance at Cat’s just for the occasion. Echoes of Harlem will include a solo jazz class with Ann Mony, and will be DJ’ed by the two Alain’s from Montreal.
For the Friday dance, Cat’s Corner is moving its Downtown Stomp Uptown. We are bringing in the Cangelosi Cards and Gordon Webster from New York City, huge favorites among Lindy Hoppers. For Saturday night, Aidan is bringing in Barbara Morrison from the West Coast for a special edition of Le Jazz Hot, accompanied by an all-star band of accomplished Montreal musicians. Both Gordon and Barbara played at the Albany Chill this year, and they were great!
The guest teachers this year are Skye Humphries & Frida Segerdahl, along with Max Pitruzzella and Annie Trudeau. I’ve had the chance to learn from each of these teachers in the past and they are worth the trip! Last year I was too tired/sick to attend the master classes, but maybe this year I’ll wake up on time. There’s also a DVD review for sale for those who are going to miss the event.
Espace Dell’Arte
40 Jean-Talon Est, at the corner of St-Laurent
Closest metros are De Castelnau and Jean-Talon on the blue line
Yay to amazing local dance events! I hope to see you all out and dancing.
This weekend, I had supper at the House of Jazz to celebrate my dance partner Mélanie’s birthday. Formerly known as Biddles (for Charlie Biddle, father of the Montreal Jazz Festival), the House of Jazz is a world-renowned hot spot in the heart of Montreal.
“The House of Jazz, formerly Biddle’s, first opened in 1968 but in 1981, became an exclusive jazz house when one-time forestry-engineer-turned-mega-entrepreneur Georges Durst took the reins. Oliver Jones, Oscar Peterson, Liza Minelli, Skip Bey—these are but a few of the legendary vocalists and musicians to have performed at the HoJ, where patrons swear by the Louisiana-style chicken and ribs. The formula has proven so successful, in fact, that Durst along with partner and former Soviet superstar goalie Vladislav Tretiak has new chains lined up for Hong Kong, Moscow and Paris.”
Taken from Play-Montreal.com
The live band Saturday night featured Michelle Sweeney on vocals, Tim Alleyne on drums, Samuel Cournoyer on bass and Steve Corbey on piano and keyboard. They played many crowd favorites, while adding their own flavor to the songs. Here’s part of their setlist, along with the artists/interpreters I associate these songs to: Midnight Train to Georgia (Gladys Knight), Respect (Aretha Franklin), Georgia on my mind (Ray Charles), Home (Bublé), Superstition (Stevie Wonder), At Last (Etta James).
They were awesome! They had rhythm and oomph to their sets, so that even the ballads had energy. And Michelle Sweeney is a born entertainer. Even with a voice that was off that night, she balanced it out with her energetic stage presence, bold wit and character. With her daughter in the audience, Michelle played off the mother/daughter relationship between songs and kept us thoroughly entertained. What a personality!!! Michelle alone is worth the $5 cover charge for live music.
Wanting to hire her for a dance event, I asked if she sang swing songs. Unfortunately, she replied, “I’m more of a Blues /R’nB person.” However, she would be perfect for a motown/soul night à la Swing & Soul! So I ended up buying her CD with her contact info on the cover.
Michelle did refer me to Ranee Lee, a Montreal vocalist known for her scatting skills. I will have to check her out.
For those who were there, you know how amazing the Cat’s Corner Halloween party was. For those who missed it, we’ll have pictures up shortly on the Cat’s Corner website.
Here is a sneak preview. Dianne Eramo’s hidden talent - spreading spiderwebs.
Because more than 50 Montrealers are going to ALHC, we moved our Halloween swing dance to November 2nd.
The Cat’s Corner Halloween theme this year is the Undead. Zombies, vampires, ghosts, mummies (and anything that lives between life and death…perhaps your boring chemistry teacher?) will be welcome in our jazzy cemetary. Bring your imagination, your lust for death and… your dance shoes of course. Be prepared for surprises and a prize for the best costume.
Here are some pictures from last year’s Pirate Halloween swing dance party at Cat’s:
