Winterfolk XXlll Brings Music To The Snow Event

 

This past weekend Toronto's Tranzac Club rotated 100+ artists across three stages for two days and three nights while a dedicated clientele absorbed a bright and broad array of talent in performances, workshops, and themed-concert formats sustained by volunteer power.

I was only able to attend on Sunday, and then only because TTC employees showed up for work in an epic blizzard to run shuttle buses along T.O.'s line one.

                 The Howard Gladstone Band

Winterfolk deployed an army of guitar slingers and wordsmiths to entertain a small but steadily growing audience throughout the day. Howard Gladstone's collegial crew opened the Main Hall stage with explorations of material from his recent Crazy Talk album. Blues veterans Ken Whiteley and Michael Jerome Browne colluded on some champion acoustic blues and touched upon their memories of Rev. Gary Davis and Mississippi John Hurt. 

          Michael Jerome Browne and Ken Whiteley

A cadre of Hugh's Room Live alumni, introduced by impresario Michael Booth, charmed the room with a set of songs featuring Dala, Donné Roberts, Lynn Harrison, and Noah Zacharin, who led a sing-along on his classic tune Red Red Bird to close the segment.

Hugh's Room Live Ensemble with Dala, Michael Booth, Lynn Harrison, Donné Roberts, Noah Zacharin and Yukiko Tsutsui. 

        The Storey Tellers with Robert Priest, right.

                Collette Savard and the Savants

In the Southern Cross Room, meanwhile, Wayne Neon rounded up a delightful and surprising repertoire based on his original tunes and disarming flute skills.

                              Wayne Neon

 Blasting us with soulful electric guitar and a dream team rhythm section of bass manager Terry Wilkins and the exquisitely tasteful drummer Al Cross, Ottawa's Jesse Greene swayed the crowd into a blue haze on the big stage. 

Jesse Greene and Al Cross (above) and melanie peterson (below) - photos by Charles P. Whaley

The fuse continued to burn on into the night with performances by Suzie Vinnick, Lynn Miles, and Melanie Peterson, along with a torrent of talented accompanists, including Tony Quarrington, Bob Cohen, Kevin Breit, Rebecca Campbell and Laura Fernandez.

Suzie Vinnick, Lynn Miles with Rebecca Campbell and Michael jerome Browne - Photos by Jesse Greene

Not just the songs, not just the solos, but the intrinsic sense of community and common culture gave the day a silvered patina that inspired grateful sentiments and memories that would maintain that glow as we headed onward and homeward through the ever-conspiring snow.