Audio

Photo: Eric Fefferman

Jonno Lightstone / Brian Katz Klezmer Duo

Brian Katz (guitar, piano, vocals), famed jazz and Jewish music artist and Jonno Lightstone, acclaimed klezmer clarinetist/flautist—at times augmented with renown bassist, George Koller—combine their talents to explore some rarely performed klezmer repertoire as well as the beloved pulsating dance music of this exciting genre.

Bringing together a multitude of musical styles and experience, they create a variety of diverse moods by weaving the melodies of klezmer with the sounds and textures of chamber music, jazz, Indian raga and down home rock’n blues! The inviting texture of the classical guitar and flute will especially intrigue listeners who have yet to hear the more intimate side of klezmer…and when they play some good old-fashioned, up-tempo Jewish dances with clarinet and piano you definitely won’t want to just sit there!

KatzTollar

(w Ernie Tollar, saxophones, eastern/western flutes) mostly performs original compositions in the “world jazz” genre: the music is rooted in the modern jazz tradition and extends outwards to embrace elements of Middle Eastern, East Indian, classical and various world music traditions.

Ernie Tollar performed his first professional gigs at age 16 and has since toured Europe, India, Egypt, Kapuskasing, U.S.A., Argentina, Mexico and Canada. He has performed and recorded with an incredible array of artists including Holly Cole, Kenny Wheeler, Trichy Sankaran, Joe Lovano, Maze Mazé, Space Trio, as well as several bands with his wife, vocalist Maryem Tollar; their collaborative 2009 recording, “Cairo to Toronto,” garnered them a JUNO award nomination. His collaboration with Brian Katz is decades young :)

Photo: Lori Ives-Baine, at the Hospital for Sick Children, Oct. 30, 2010

Talking You In
Dan Yashinsky & Brian Katz

You can listen to a demo of Talking You In, a collaborative work with storyteller Dan Yashinsky

Talking You In is a story by Dan Yashinsky about a father who tells stories to his sick son in the neonatal intensive care unit. Like Scheherazade, the father hopes to use his voice and storytelling as a beacon to heal the soul and body of his fragile listener – and of himself. It is semi-autobiographical, and also based on interviews with other NICU parents and with medical staff. The story was created with Canadian guitarist/composer Brian Katz, and features his music throughout. We have toured Talking You In to the Barbican (London), National Arts Centre (Ottawa), festivals in Holland, Wales, and Canada, and have also performed it in hospitals in Canada, Wales, and the US. We have also presented it as a keynote at numerous conferences, often followed by forums where audience members tell their own critical care stories.