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As he prepares to release his first album in four years, Toronto Blues, Jazz and Pop guitarist, singer, songwriter and broadcaster Danny Marks is doing a pre-release show tonight at downtown’s Jazz Bistro.

Marks has been a pre-eminent figure on the Toronto and Canadian music scene going all the way back to the 1960s, when as a pup he was a member of the Edward Bear group that produced many Top 40 hits. With his eponymous band in the 1980s and 1990s he commanded a strong following, delighting crowds with his ability to bend and blend musical genres, quick wit and sometimes biting sense of humour and an encyclopaedic knowledge of North American Pop music that allowed him to challenge audiences to “stump the band” by asking him to perform any song they could name.

His guitar skills are the stuff of legend, particularly since he’s able to convincingly reproduce not only the sound but the feel of virtually any musical style on a single guitar with little or no technical assists. It’s been 20 years now since the release of his overpoweringly brilliant instrumental Jazz/Fusion album of originals Guitarchealogy, which established his credentials as a composer and serious musician. Then on True, his 2003 follow-up album he demonstrated his ability to craft songs that reflect honest emotion and catchy choruses on a still-compelling disc of Country-meets-Pop/Jazz tunes.

Marks, knighted by the Maple Blues Awards with the “Blues With A Feeling” lifetime achievement accolade ten years ago, has long been a force in music broadcasting as well. For a decade or so in the 1980s and 90s he appeared weekly on a CBC-AM radio “name that tune”-style segment, also hosted a show and began doing television (in addition to work on TV commercials and writing jingles) for seven years as the host for a nationally syndicated telecast showcase of his now legendary 15-year run hosting Stormy Mondays jams at Albert’s Hall and Silver Dollar. (Long before that he’d hosted the first-ever jam at Hotel Isabella starting in 1979!)

It was the spring of 1992 when I first met Danny as I was starting The Open Season magazine about jams and open stages (progenitor to to-nite from 1993 through 2007 and Toronto Moon since then) and he appeared on the cover of the eighth edition of that magazine (“Danny Marks: Showing It Off”) as well as the front page of to-nite #011, October 18-31 1993 (“Our Candidate –The Other Vote”), when, as a federal election was being held, we were plumping for him to be named Musician Of The Year by the Toronto Musicians Association.

As I stated with veracity way back in 1992 in my first article about Danny, even then it could be said that “it’s hard to do justice to Marks … for his activities, involvements and accomplishments over the years” in any one article —though that one did a pretty good job.

[Paid subscribers who are registered as members of our website can read the articles, which go into a lot depth about Marks, his philosophy of life and music and career, on the Vault section of our website.]

We’ve written about Danny Marks many more times, of course, as his star has only continued to shine brighter, as was presaged in the final paragraph of the to-nite #011 article:

While Marks never fails to remind us he has an ego, he seems to have also mastered playing it like an instrument, feeding a ‘positive visualization’ that makes things happen. “I’ve had a lot of dreams come true”, he mused. “And I’ve got more to do yet.”

Since then he’s released a collection of Blues-Rock party cover songs (Big Town Boy in 2005) and a third album of originals, A Friend In The Blues in 2012. He’s probably best known these days, however, as host of the weekly Saturday night “Bluz FM” radio show on JAZZ.FM91.1, a “can’t miss” weekly roundup of Blues news, views and tunes, always including stellar guests, that’s been running for coming up on 15 years.

More recently, and most germane to the release of the new disc, Marks is also the host of a HiFi.ca online and cablecast tv series, “Cities In Blue”, which explores the evolution and variations of The Blues from its origins in the Deep South through modern electric stylings.

He has, in fact, borrowed the title of the show to his new album, which is scheduled to be available at various shows he’s doing this week and at the Winterfolk Festival Feb. 12-14.

But if you want to be among the very first to lay hands on the new Cities In Blue recording, tonight he’s doing a kind of pre-release celebration at his 8 p.m. show in the club at 251 Victoria Street a street east of Dundas Square. There’s bound to be a cover but none of the show promo indicates how much it might be.

-Gary 17, TorontoMoon.ca

SHOW LISTINGS for Wednesday, February 10, 2022

Listings are organized by area in which the shows occur and within each area field shows are listed chronologically.

Listings preceded by an asterisk (*) are repeating weekly events. (Double asterisk indicates repeating event with different hosts/guest/etc.) Events preceded by question mark (?) usually take place but have not been confirmed. Admission prices followed by a slash and minus (/-) after the amount indicates door charge with availability of cheaper rates for some purchases. /+ indicates stated price is minimum.

Names of subscribers appear in bold and underlined and, where applicable, include a live link to their websites. Advertisers’ listings are in larger, highlighted type, include live link to website and also have ad icon included in listings.

416 – Toronto Central

5> Turbo Street Funk @ City Hall, Queen St. West, TO ~original Funk /Jazz

*5:30> Kama House Band @ Kama, 214 King St. W., TO ~Jazz

6-8> Gigi & Friends @ 120 Diner, 120 Church St., TO ~Jazz; $10

*6-8> James Dunbar @ Jazz Bistro, 251 Victoria St., TO ~solo Blues piano

6> Golden Country Classics @ Cameron House (front), 408 Queen St. W., TO

6> Comhaltas Irish Slow Session @ Tranzac Club (Tiki Room), 292 Brunswick Ave. TO ~folk dancing

6:30> Richard Whiteman Four @ The Rex, 194 Queen St. W., TO ~Jazz; $

*7> Jim Heineman Trio @ Nawlins, 299 King St. W., TO ~Jazz

7> Battle of the 6ix for Raising The Roof charity @ Revival, 783 College St., TO ~fundraiser; $

7:30> Arndt Jurgensen @ Tranzac Club (Southern Cross), 292 Brunswick Ave. TO

**8 (7 p.m. sign-up)> open stage with 9 p.m. feature by Ruth Jenkins @ Fat Albert’s, 25 Cecil St. (Steelworkers Hall), TO ~Roots

8-1> open jam with Wednesday’s Child feat. Johnny Bootz Hutt @ Lola, 40 Kensington Ave., TO

8> Danny Marks album release @ Jazz Bistro, 251 Victoria St., TO ~Blues

8> Shae Mitchell; Slow Collisions; Kendal Thompson; Komodo @ Supermarket, 268 Augusta Ave., TO ~indie; $

8-12> variety night with Jacelyn Holmes @ The Den, 423 College St., TO ~eclectic

8:30> Square Bear comedy @ Free Times Cafe, 320 College St., TO ~improv; $5

9> The Digs @ Reservoir Lounge, 52 Wellington St. E., TO ~Funk/Jazz/neo-Soul; $

**8-12> Girls Night Out Jazz singers’ Jazz jam with Lisa Particelli, Peter Hill et al @ 120 Diner, 120 Church St., TO

*9-2> What’s Poppin’ indie jam @ Sneaky Dee’s, 431 College St., TO

9-12> Scratch Nasty @ The Cavern Bar, 76 Church St., TO ~indie

*9> open mic with Sean Barker @ Monarch Tavern, 12 Clinton St., TO

9> Peter Boyd & The Mutant Mariachis @ Emmet Ray Bar, 924 College St., TO ~

9:30> Buddy Aquilina @ The Rex, 194 Queen St. W., TO ~Jazz; $

10> HarpAcash & The Morals @ Cameron House (front), 408 Queen St. W., TO

10> Ken Aldcroft & guests @ Tranzac Club (Southern Cross), 292 Brunswick Ave. TO

*10-2> Blues-Rock jam with Bruce Domoney @ Grossman’s, 379 Spadina Ave. TO

10:30> Chatty Cathy @ The Hideout, 484 Queen St. W., TO ~indie Rock

*10:30> Sam Pomanti @ Orbit Room, 580 College St. TO ~R&B; $10

416 – Toronto East

*7:30-10:30> The BTBs @ Relish, 2152 Danforth Ave., TO East ~Jazz

*8> acoustic open mic with Phill Hood @ An Sibin Pub, 709 Queen St. E., TO East

8> Lrzszn @ The Only Café, 972 Danforth Ave., TO East ~space Jazz

8:30-10:30> Gypsy Rebels @ Castro’s, 2116 Queen St. E., TO East

*9:30> open stage with Nicola Vaughan @ Black Swan (downstairs), 154 Danforth Ave., TO East

416 – Toronto Etobicoke

8-1> Tony Paglia Duo @ Timothy’s Pub, 344 Brown’s Line, Etobicoke South ~Pop

416 – Toronto West

5-8> Michelle Rumball Band @ Gate 403, 403 Roncesvalles Ave., TO West ~Jazz

7> Melissa Payne & Murder Murder @ Dakota Tavern, 249 Ossington Ave., TO West ~$10

*8> MFA open mic @ Remix Lounge, 1305 Dundas St. W., TO West

8:30> The Mercenaries @ Fat City Blues, 890 College St., TO West ~Rock/Soul revival

8:30> Steely Dan tribute with Lori Cullen & Gavin Hope @ Hugh’s Room, 2261 Dundas St. W., TO West ~tribute; $

8:30> Ninique; Leila Day @ Burdock, 1184 Bloor St. W., TO West ~$

9-12> Blues Night with Julian Fauth & guests @ Gate 403, 403 Roncesvalles Ave., TO West ~original Juno-winning Blues

9> Dino Toledo & La Mari @ Mezzetta, 681 St. Clair Ave. W., TO West ~Flamenco

9> Ben Sures @ The Local, 396 Roncesvalles Ave., TO West ~Roots songwriter

9> Tranky Lowe; Chuck Coles; Hudson Hogard @ The Painted Lady, 218 Ossington Ave., TO West

10> Good Bad Kid & guest @ Dakota Tavern, 249 Ossington Ave., TO West ~$10

*10> Kristine Schmitt & The Lonesome Ace Stringband @ The Hole In The Wall, 2867 Dundas St. W., TO West ~Pop

519

9> The Phil & John Show feat. Phil Naro @ Molly Bloom’s Waterloo, 170 University Ave., Waterloo ~acoustic Pop Rock

705

*7-11> open jam with Wayne Buttery Band @ The Beacon, 146 45th St., Wasaga Beach

7> Rob Phillips & Luianchuk @ Black Horse Pub, 452 George St. N., Peterborough

10> Sean Conway; Nick Ferrio @ The Garnet, 231 Hunter St. W., Peterborough

905 East

*8-11> open mic @ Frank’s Pasta, 426 King St. E., Cobourg

*10> Two For The Show @ Tartan Tavern, 555 Rossland Rd. E., Oshawa ~Pop Rock

905 North

*7> open mic night with Tanya Joy Senior @ Col. McGrady’s Pub, 44 Brock St. W., Uxbridge

*7> open mic with Kevin Ker @ The Mill, 139 Mill St., Unionville

*8:45> open mic jam with Matt Zady @ Magnums, 21 McMurchy Ave. N., Brampton

*9-1> open mic jam with Whiskey Birds @ Sweetz Lounge, 5289 Hwy 7, Woodbridge-Vaughan

*9:30> open mic with The Villagers @ Main’s Mansion, 144 Main St., Markham

*10-2> jam night with Switchbeat Trio @ Maguires, 284 Queen St. E., Brampton

905 South

*7> open mic night @ Donnelley’s Pub, 54 Front St., Thorold ~Blues

7:30> Ground Control to Hamilton @ Casbah Lounge, 306 King St. W., Hamilton ~David Bowie tribute; $

**8-1> Boogie N Blues jam with Ian Andrews & Friends @ Corktown Pub, 175 Young St., Hamilton

*8:30> Something Country @ The Endzone, 1900 King St. E., Hamilton ~Country

905 West

8-1> Matthew Hornell @ Moonshine Café, 137 Kerr St., Oakville ~songwriter; $5

8:30> The Carson Freeman Diversion @ Shore Grill, 71 Lakeshore Rd. E., Port Credit ~Pop Rock

9-1> Jeremy and Jenn @ Roc’n Doc’s, 105 Lakeshore Rd. E., Port Credit ~Rock/Pop; $

*9> open mic jam with Jack B Nimble @ Blarney’s Gate, 1151 Dundas St. W., Mississauga

*9?> jam with Michael Zane or Pat Dowds @ Shakers, 580 Kerr St., Oakville

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