Entertainment Beat

Acoustic Harvest presents an evening of beautiful interplay of thoughtful lyrics, glorious harmonies and outstanding musicianship when Sam Turton, Jane Lewis and Eve Goldberg take the stage Dec. 1, at 8 p.m.

Turton (samturton.com) is a Guelph-based musician who has been heavily influenced by delta blues and southern gospel. His heartfelt vocals and ringing slide guitar have been pleasing audiences for more than 40 years. In Guelph he leads the All Together Now music series.
Lewis (janelewis.ca), by contrast, launched her career in 2003 singing backup for Turton. Eventually she gained more confidence in her singing, and began writing songs with Turton, and their partnership has grown ever since.

Goldberg (evegoldberg.com) is familiar to Toronto audiences. Her Watermelon Sorbet was the theme song for Bill Richardson’s radio show on CBC for years, and her concert appearances display her warm, engaging stage presence. From blues to ballads, instrumentals to a capella, Goldberg’s performances are always an intimate, authentic and uplifting experience.
Tickets to this evening of acoustic roots music are $22 for adults, $20 for seniors and students, and are available at the door, or by calling 416-264-2235. For more information visit acousticharvest.ca.
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The Scarborough Music Theatre (SMT) has been nominated for three BroadwayWorld Toronto Awards. Broadwayworld.com is a popular theatre website, and it recently open the bidding for the 2012 season’s awards.
SMT’s production of My Fair Lady was nominated for Best Community Theatre Production, while choreographer Diane Klich has been nominated for Best Original Choreography for her work on Nunsense. SMT itself has been nominated for Best Community Theatre.
“These awards are audience choice awards, and it would mean a lot to the cast and crew who worked on the shows to have our audiences vote for our shows,” said SMT Publicity Coordinator Mike Scott. You can vote online for these productions at http://toronto.broadwayworld.com/vote2012region.cfm?region=Toronto. Voting runs through Dec. 31.
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Beachers Carleigh Beverly and Noah Davis star in Echoes, a two-act play by Richard Nash about two people stuck in a mental asylum. A production by the Sterling Studio Theatre Collective, Echoes runs from Nov. 21 through Dec. 1 at 8 p.m., at the Sterling Studio Theatre, 163 Sterling Rd. in the Bloor and Lansdowne area.
Beverly is a life-long Beacher, while Davis recently moved into the area with his young family. Tickets for Echoes are $20, and are available at the door or through the website at sterlingstudiotheatre.com.
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The Ian White Band will be appearing at The Free Times Café, 320 College St., Nov. 22, at 8 p.m. White will be singing original songs from his CD Wonder Grows, as well as others planned for an upcoming recording project. For more information visit ianwhite.org.
Backing White will be Aldo Missio on mandolin, and Bill MacLean on bass. For more information, or to make reservations, call The Free Times Café at 416-967-1078, or visit freetimescafe.com.
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The Jeanine Mackie Band is holding a CD release party Nov. 23, at 8 p.m., at The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. The CD, called Live At The Drake, was recorded at this Toronto hot spot back in April of this year. It was reviewed here in the Aug. 28 issue (Beacher’s band shines on live recording) and I remember saying that the good thing about live recordings is that the band gets their time in the limelight. Mackie’s band for this gig will include Bob McAlpine, guitar; Matt Horner, keyboards; Byron Stoehr, bass; Colleen Allen, sax; Arturo Avalos, percussion; Steve Heathcote, drums, with backup vocals by Quisha Wint and Jarelle Christie. Of course Jeanine Mackie is the frontwoman for this superb ensemble, and if she sounds as good in November as she did on the April recording you’ll be in for a treat.
Tickets for Live at the Drake CD release are $10 in advance, either through thedrakehotel.ca, or jeaninemackieband.com, or $12 at the door. For more information visit either website.
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Fallingbrook Presbyterian Church, 35 Wood Glen Road, presents Breakfast With Jim Farintosh, Nov. 24, at 9:30 a.m. Farintosh will be speaking on My Paddle Journey: Passion and Life Lessons.
Farintosh has paddled competitively for more than 50 years, and has paddled just about every craft from outrigger canoes, to dragonboats, to sprint canoes. He teaches courses in dragonboat racing in Florida each spring. He says that the lessons learned from paddling can apply to most life situations as well.
For more information call Fallingbrook Presbyterian Church at 416-699-3084.
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Music for the Soul: Beach Jazz and Reflection finishes its fall season with a performance by B2, Dec. 1, from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m., at St. Aidan’s Anglican Church, 70 Silverbirch Ave. at Queen. B2 consists of Bill MacLean on vocals and Brian Stevens on piano. The pair appeared at this venue last spring performing their versions of Songs from the American Songbook,  and were invited back by popular demand. The theme this year is Together.

Admission is free, but there will be a goodwill offering. This is part of the Beach United Church series formerly known as Jazz Vespers, renamed last year. While Beach United Church is under renovation, the concerts have been held in St. Aidan’s church. For more information call 416-691-8082, or visit beachunitedchurch.com.
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The Scarborough Philharmonic (SPO) presents a special concert in honour of long-time guest conductor – and Canadian legend – Howard Cable, who will be turning 92 in December. Festive Music From Around the World will take place Dec. 1, at 8 p.m., at the orchestra’s new venue, the Salvation Army Scarborough Citadel, 2021 Lawrence Ave. E at Warden Ave.
Cable has been a leading figure in Canadian music for 70 years – from 1942 when he succeeded Percy Faith on CBC Radio, through the transition to live television, through Broadway (Man of La Mancha) to conducting for such musical greats as Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, and Bob Hope. For this concert Cable will take the podium to lead the orchestra through traditional Christmas selections from around the world.

Joining Cable will be guest conductor Geoffrey Butler who will lead the North 44˚ Ensemble Chamber Choir;  and Yiping Chao who will be singing popular Chinese songs. Ronald Royer, Music Director for the SPO, will also lead the orchestra through Festive Overture, by Shostakovich, and Polonaise from the Christmas Eve Suite, by Rimsky-Korsakov.
Tickets to Festive Music From Around the World are $30 for adults, $25 for seniors, and $15 for students. They will be available at the door, or by calling the SPO Box Office at 416-429-0007, or through the website at spo.ca. This concert is one in a series. For information and ticket prices to the entire series, please visit the website.
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Bowing the Strings is a special concert to be held at Faith Presbyterian Church, 140 Dawes Rd., Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. Along with the Faith Community Choir, the concert will feature James Levac, piano, Ray House and Mark Madigan on violins, jazz vocalist Jane Madigan, saxophonist Norm MacInnes and pianist Rachel Madigan. Joining them will be singer/songwriter Brighid Fry, singer Michelle Denis and jazz pianist Daniel Salvendy.
Admission is free, but a good will offering will be taken up for Community Centre 55. For more information call James Levac at 416-889-8100.
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Kingston Road United Church presents the third and final concert in its fall series – Women of Jazz – Dec. 2, at 1:30 p.m. Join jazz vocalist Shannon Butcher, along with Colleen Allen on sax, Nancy Walker on piano, and others in this fundraiser for the National Music Camp. Butcher is a  fixture on the Toronto Jazz scene with her two well-received CDs, Words We Both Could Say (2008) and Little Hearts (2010).
Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students, and are available at the door or through the church by calling 416-699-6091. For more information visit kruc.ca
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Glen Rhodes United Church, 1470 Gerrard St. E., one block east of Coxwell, presents a dramatic reading of the Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol, Dec. 1, at 7:30 p.m. Readers will include members of Curtain Call Players and friends, with the church choir. There will also be a bake sale with plenty of homemade Christmas cookies to purchase. Tickets are $20 and will be available at the door.

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