Entertainment

Beach author Sandra Joyce will be holding a special book launch for her first novel, The Street Arab, at Murphy’s Law Pub, Kingston Road and Queen, Nov. 7, beginning at 7 p.m.
The Street Arab – The Story of a British Home Child is a historical fiction based on her father’s life as one of 100,000 children sent over to Canada from The British Isles between the years 1860 and 1930. These orphaned children were sent here to work as farm labourers, and domestic help. For many of these children it was a chance to start a new life, and they thrived. Others, however, had a much harder time of it. They were forced to work long hours, and often suffered abuse at the hands of their new ‘family’.
The title character in The Street Arab is orphaned during the First World War. He is sent to a farm in eastern Ontario, and  eventually moves into Toronto’s newly amalgamated East Toronto, the neighbourhood now centred at Main and Gerrard.
Joyce debuted her novel at a reading at Upper Canada Village in September when she was the special guest for British Home Child Day in Ontario.
Joyce graduated in Journalism from Ryerson University and worked for a time in Germany as a contract negotiator for the German Department of Defence. After returning to Canada she worked for an independent music company, and is currently a part-time teacher and writer.
The Street Arab – The Story of a British Home child is published by Welldone Publishing, and is available at Book City, and Pippins on Queen Street East for more information, or to order online, visit www.sandrajoyce.com.
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Beach jazz drummer David Hutchison, is hosting a weekly jazz jam Friday nights from 10 p.m. until 1 a.m. at Remarks Bar & Grill, 1026 Coxwell just south of O’Connor. Hutchison will be joined by visiting musicians each week, and interested instrumentalists and vocalists are invited to come up to the stage and jam.
Nov. 4 sees guitar great Tony Quarrington and bassist Pat Kilbride join Hutchison. Nov. 11, Tania Gill, piano and Brendan Davis drop by. Nov. 18, Bruce Harvey, piano, and Victor Bateman, bass, take the stage, while on Nov. 25, Matt Newton, piano and Stuart Steinhart, bass, will team up with Hutchison.
There is no cover, and parking is free, so drop by and support some great jazz in the area.
For more information call Remarks at 416-429-9889, or visit Dave Hutchison’s website at www.davrio.com.
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There will be a special fund raising benefit for Carin Redman and Andy Woodley, former owners of the now defunct jazz club Ten Feet Tall, on Nov. 6, starting at 3:30 p.m. at Musideum, 401 Richmond St. W. at Spadina. The benefit will be hosted by Norman Marshall Villeneuve.
For more information call Musideum at 416-599-7323, or visit www.musideum.com.
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CORRECTION: In the Oct. 18 edition we ran a story about the late Daisy DeBolt (Musician Daisy DeBolt dies, pg. 34) in which  we mentioned that she composed music for Ballet Y.
Gloria Grant, Beach resident and former artistic director of the company, called to say that the company’s name was in fact Ballet Ys, a Celtic name. Back in the late 1970s Grant choreographed Don’t Push the River – a song by DeBolt – for Ballet Ys.

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