KatzTollar Concert @ York University

When: February 15, 2018
Time: 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Where: Martin Family Lounge, 219 Accolade East Building, York University. 83 York Boulevard, Toronto

World @ Midday: KatzTollar

(Brian Katz, guitar/piano/vocals; Ernie Tollar, sax/bansuri flute/ney)

The Duo will perform original compositions in the “world jazz” genre. Their music is rooted in the modern jazz tradition and extends outwards to embrace elements of Middle Eastern, klezmer, East Indian, classical and various world music traditions.

Brian Katz is widely acclaimed for his personal approach to playing modern jazz and klezmer music on the classical guitar, and for his evocative compositions; saxophonist/ bansuri flautist/ney player, Ernie Tollar for his outstanding ability to synthesize diverse musical traditions. Of “Leaves Will Speak,” Brian Katz’s recent solo guitar recording, music critic, Stanley Fefferman of Opus 1 Reviews writes: “The whole vibe is Brian’s own blend of classical, medieval, Spanish, Jazz, Blues, finger-picking Folk, Greek, Middle Eastern, and Klezmer— you can hear all those threads in the weave of this album’s harmonic fabric. You can enjoy the play of musical intelligence on this album, and dig into a rich horde of experience gathered along the way of Brian’s 30-year international career.”

Hands On-Ears On!

When: February 4, 2018
Time: 1- 4 PM
Where: #1 James Street North, Centre for Continuing Education. McMaster, University, Hamilton, ON

Join internationally acclaimed guitarist, educator, and Dalcroze Eurhythmics practitioner, Brian Katz for an afternoon intensive where you’ll discover a variety of new ways to approach playing, practicing, and conceptualizing the guitar as an integral component of your Music Therapy practice.

Brian Katz, a seasoned musician, educator, and long time “inhabitant” of “guitar culture,” will guide participants in a rich variety of hands on/ears on techniques and explorations, with attention, to the necessity of being well-grounded in the basics, and understanding how to expand upon them.

By the conclusion of this workshop, participants will, especially, feel that they have a “tool kit” that will enable them to play at whatever level they are at with good, projected, tone, elegance, dynamics, more embodied, rooted, rhythm and overall confidence. Learners will feel empowered to discover more with their guitars and understand both logical/sequenced procedures (such as permutations of fingerpicking patterns), refinement of particular techniques (such as rest and free strokes), and more playful, discovery-oriented techniques/strategies involving improvisation that will begin to transform their guitar playing. My intention is to inspire participants to grow with their guitar skills and find new and interesting applications of these newfound skill sets to their particular Music Therapy practices. There will be some take-home handouts provided.