Downtown Jazz Festival events at C’est What? June 20 and 21

The Happy Pals
Friday June 20, 9 PM

The Happy Pals have been playing New Orleans dancehall jazz in Toronto for over three decades. The band was founded by legendary trumpeter Cliff “Kid” Bastien in the 1970s. Bastien was a Cockney who discovered the music of New Orleans as a teenager in the 1950s. He soon emigrated to Canada and began spending more and more time in New Orleans learning from the masters. Bastien is now widely considered to have been the foremost disciple of New Orleans trumpet great “Kid Thomas” Valentine, who he first saw playing a neighbourhood dance at the Westwego Louisiana firehall. Bastien began his long residency at Grossman’s Tavern in Toronto sometime between 1968 and 1971, depending on who you ask.

After a brief hiatus, the band was renamed The Happy Pals in the late 1970s. Drummer Chuck Clarke joined in 1982, followed by Patrick Tevlin on tenor saxophone and Roberta Tevlin on trombone in 1983. One Saturday in February 2003, Bastien didn’t show up for a gig. Some of the musicians went to search him out while the rest of the band started up. Word soon came back: Cliff “Kid” Bastien had died. The band was playing the traditional New Orleans hymn “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” when the phone rang. Musicians flew in from the United States and Europe for Bastien’s funeral, which was conducted with the New Orleans style Magnolia Brass Band. The wake took over the whole weekend at Grossman’s Tavern. The Annual Kid Bastien Forever New Orleans Jazz Festival is held every February to raise the roof and remember the Kid.

After Bastien’s passing, tenor sax player Patrick Tevlin switched back his first instrument, trumpet, to take on the leadership of The Happy Pals. Alto saxophonist Toby Hughes took over the reed chair. The Happy Pals’ New Orleans flavour is undiminished, since Tevlin is also a long-time disciple of Kid Thomas Valentine. The Happy Pals are featured each year at New Orleans’ French Quarter Festival. The Happy Pals have recently released four new CDs, New Orleans Party Orchestra (2005), The Happy Pals with Brian Carrick (2007), Moonlight Bay (with Dr. Michael White, 2009) and Lost Tracks (2009), which have garnered widespread acclaim.

The Hot Five Jazzmakers
Saturday June 21, 3 PM

The Hot Five style derives from the pre-depression era covering classic and revivalist jazz, spirituals, blues, and ragtime. Their jazz reflects formative artists such as Armstrong, Morton; Waller and the like. A good natured delivery and guest appearances by touring traditional jazz and blues musicians have helped develop a solid regular following. Now every performance has become a social event. They have been honing their presentation and repertoire at C’est what? for 25 years now and are well known internationally.

There have been numerous invites to Jazz Festivals in the USA including New Orleans, where they were recognized as Honorary International Citizens by the Mayor! They have toured North Germany twice and represented Canada in France at the Marciac Festival and Scotland at the Edinburgh International Jazz Festival. In July 2009 they played the Whitley Bay Festival Northern England and the Maribo Festival, Denmark. In June 2011 they appeared at festivals in Kirkudbright (Scotland) and Silkeborg Riverboat Jazz Festival (Denmark). The occasional Caribbean jazz cruise is a favourite with fans. One year, this led to a jazz club gig in Barbados. They have produced 16 CDs some of which were recorded “live” at C’est what? .