\ TO EAST \

She’s never really had a public profile in the music biz, yet many in the Jazz genre and legions of east-Toronto music fans and fellow musicians across the city know who composer-songwriter and piano player Julie Long is.

While Julie has spent most of her adulthood raising her kids, music has always been a big part of her life.  A second-generation member of the family that co-founded and gave its name to the Long & McQuade Musical Instruments empire, she no doubt comes by her talent genetically —father Jack Long was highly regarded as a horn player long before he ever got into the retail side of the music business.

(The family’s musical legacy is looking assured in part thanks to Julie too: her daughter Emily Steinwall, the product of Julie and another piano player, Alec Steinwall, is an award-winning and fast-rising Jazz saxophone player who is now fronting her own combo and in the past few months has started to get high-profile gigs in highly regarded TO venues like Jazz Bistro, 120 Diner and the new Emmet Ray bar.)

I know Julie’s composing prowess primarily from the tune that she wrote for her late sister-in-law, Laurel Long, after the popular Jazz/Rock/R&B singer, who was married to Julie’s sister Jon Long and fronted the band Night Flyte, tragically passed away from cancer in 2003.  [Paid TorontoMoon.ca subscribers can read a 1994 to-nite cover story profile and interview I wrote about Laurel, long before her cancer diagnosis, in a post in our Vault section.]

“Isn’t The Sky Beautiful” is a poignant, heart-wrenching tune that nevertheless also shines with sweetness and hope, demonstrating how, even after we pass, we can live on in the hearts of those who loved us in life, even inspiring them to elegant artistic achievement. Shared at various events over the years and recorded, it has touched many in the musical community who wouldn’t know Julie otherwise but cannot forget its bittersweet beauty.

Although Julie has mostly kept her lamp under a bushel, so to speak, for most of her life, lately, as her children start to live their own lives, she’s been letting it shine more and more and, as I mentioned in an article recently, has been seen frequently of late in the company of eclectic multi-instrumentalist Fergus Hambleton, with whom she’s attended and performed at some open mic nights in east TO.

The most recently occasion on which I heard Julie perform was last month at the Sunday open mic at Relish, when she was accompanied by five other players (including master guitarist Tim Bovaconti) backing her on three original tunes.  In addition to ‘Sky’ she performed “Sun Rays” and “Sunglasses,” two new numbers she had just penned earlier this summer.  All three were impressive demonstrations of her talent and seem to suggest that Long (who sometimes also goes by Julie Steinwall-Long) may be starting a new chapter in her life.

Another page will get written tonight, as a matter of fact, when she’s one of two acts featuring at Elana Harte’s weekly M-Factor Mondays show at Old Nick at 123 Danforth Ave.  Whether she’ll have Bovaconti, Hambleton, neither or both with her we can find out when she does her set sometime after the 7 p.m. start of the evening, for which there’s no cover.

The other guest combo will also be an impressive one and includes another songwriting piano player:  Lawrie Ingles will be on keys and vocals teamed up with Henry Lees as a duo;  while I’m not familiar with Lees I can attest that Ingles is a versatile and commanding performer who will be well worth also hearing whether the pair perform before or after Long’s set.

-Gary 17, TorontoMoon.ca

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SHOW LISTINGS for Monday, August 22, 2021

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, are 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

6> Happy Abandon; Henopheno; Garbagi & Ravary @ The Central, 603 Markham St., TO

6> Jon Brooks @ Cameron House (front), 408 Queen St. W., TO  ~Roots songwriter

6:30> Andrew Downing’s Otterville @ The Rex, 194 Queen St. W., TO ~Jazz; $

**7-1 (sign-up at 7, show starts 7:30)> open stage with host Alex Zdravkovic @ Free Times Café, 320 College St., TO

*7-10> open stage with Brad Scott @ Lola, 40 Kensington Ave., TO

7:30> Happy Hour with Chris Banks @ Tranzac Lounge (Southern Cross), 292 Brunswick Ave., TO

7:30> Rick Levine Band @ Seven44, 744 Mount Pleasant Road, TO North ~R&B/Swing

8-11> Derek Harrison & Lisa Marie Kruchak @ Wolf Like Me, 834 Bloor St. W., TO ~

8> Ukulele jam @ Tranzac Lounge (Main Hall), 292 Brunswick Ave., TO

8:40> Foremast Jacks; The Isac Band; The Om Sound @ Horseshoe Tavern, 370 Queen St. W., TO ~indie; no cover

**9-1:30> jam with No Band Required @ Grossman’s, 379 Spadina Ave., TO

7:30> Moonriser; Slo Man Tofu  @ The Central (2^nd floor), 603 Markham St., TO

*9?> open mic @ Lou Dawgs Ryerson, 76 Gerrard St. E., TO

*9:30> open mic with host Mark Villamor at Amsterdam Bicycle Club, 54 The Esplanade, TO

9:30> Dan Pitt Quartet @ The Rex, 194 Queen St. W., TO ~Jazz; $

10> Jordan John @ The Orbit Room, 580 College St., TO ~R&B/Blues; $

**10> open mic (2 songs; sign-up starts 8 p.m.) with host tba @ Tranzac Lounge (Southern Cross), 292 Brunswick Ave., TO

10> Mike Todd @ Cameron House (front), 408 Queen St. W., TO

10:30> Big Otter Creek @ The Hideout, 484 Queen St. W., TO ~indie Rock

416 - TORONTO EAST

7-10> Dan Walsh @ Relish, 2152 Danforth Ave., Toronto East ~songwriter; no cover

**7:30> M-Factor Mondays with host Elana Harte & Lucio Agostini with features by Julie Long; Henry Lees & Lawrie Ingles @ The Old Nick, 123 Danforth Ave., TO East ~songwriters

*8-12> Riverboat Mondays acoustic open stage jam with Julian Taylor & Tyler Ellis @ Dora Keogh, 141 Danforth Ave. TO East

8:30-10:30> Alfie Smith @ Castro’s, 2116 Queen St. E., TO East ~Blues

9-1> Tom Waits Appreciation Congregation @ Linsmore Tavern, 1298 Danforth Ave., TO East ~Tom Waits tribute; no cover

*9:30-2> Sebastian Agnello & friends @ Black Swan (ground floor), 154 Danforth Ave., TO East

416 – TORONTO ETOBICOKE

*8-12> Al Reilly’s Catalyst also featuring Anthony Cee & Rick Anderson host Rock jam @ Rockpile, 5555 Dundas St. W., Etobicoke

*8:30-1> Davey Vantastic @ Refinery Public House, 3039 Lake Shore Blvd. W., Etobicoke ~acoustic Pop

416 – TORONTO SCARBOROUGH

*8-11> open stage @ McGradie’s, 2167 Victoria Park Ave., Scarborough

8:30 (signup starts at 8)> open mic with Kevin Ker @ The Loaded Dog, 1921 Lawrence Ave. E., Scarborough

9> Uke jam/workshop @ Stone Cottage Pub, 3750 Kingston Rd., Scarborough ~Pop Rock

416 – TORONTO WEST

1-5> Pat Temple & Hi-Lo Players @ The Wine Garden, Canadian National Exhibition Grounds, Lake Shore Blvd. West, TO, TO West

1:30-5:30> Danny Scott @ Casino patio/stage Canadian National Exhibition Grounds, Lake Shore Blvd. West, TO West ~Pop Rock

3-6> Gyles featuring James King @ CNE Midway Stage, Canadian National Exhibition Grounds, Lake Shore Blvd. West, TO West ~Urban/R&B

3-6> Eric Ethridge @ CNE Northern Comfort Stage, Canadian National Exhibition Grounds, Lake Shore Blvd. West, TO West ~Country

5-8> Steve Payne @ Gate 403, 403 Roncesvalles Ave., TO West ~solo Blues/roots U.K. songwriter

5-9> Toronto Tango Trio @ The Wine Garden, Canadian National Exhibition Grounds, Lake Shore Blvd. West, TO West ~Tango Jazz fusion

6:30-10:30> The Lost Patients @ Casino patio/stage Canadian National Exhibition Grounds, Lake Shore Blvd. West, TO West ~Pop/R&B

7> Daniel Fortin Brinks Quartet @ The Emmet Ray, 924 College St., TO West ~Jazz; pwyc

7:30-11> Strange Magic @ CNE Midway Stage, Canadian National Exhibition Grounds, Lake Shore Blvd., TO West ~tribute to ELO

7:30-11> Marshall Dane @ CNE Northern Comfort Stage, Canadian National Exhibition Grounds, Lake Shore Blvd. West, TO West ~Country

7:30> Aloha Elvis! With Steve Michaels @ CNE Bandshell, Canadian National Exhibition Grounds, Lake Shore Blvd., TO West ~Elvis Presley tribute

8:30> Phil Dwyer Trio @ The Emmet Ray, 924 College St., TO West ~Jazz; pwyc

*9-1> Hamstrung Stringband @ The Local, 396 Roncesvalles Ave., TO West ~Bluegrass

*9-1> eclectic open stage/jam with host Nelson Sobral @ The Painted Lady, 218 Ossington Ave., TO West

9-1> Rob Davis Duo @ Gate 403, 403 Roncesvalles Ave., TO West ~Blues

*10> open mic with Richard McCarthy & feature @ The Hole In The Wall, 2867 Dundas St. W., TO West

705

*7> Rick & Gailie @ Black Horse Pub, 452 George St. N., Peterborough

9?> jam night with Rob Drake @ Sticky Fingers Dunlop, 199 Essa Rd.

10> Alic McCormick @ The Garnet, 231 Hunter St. W., Peterborough

905 EAST

*8-12> open stage @ Simcoe Blues & Jazz, 926 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa

*10> L&M Jam with host Emerson Ireland @ The Thirsty Monk, 21 Celina St., Oshawa

905 NORTH

9:25-1:05> jam/open stage with backline @ Sneakers Uptown, 18025 Yonge St., Newmarket

905 WEST

*7-10> open mic with Chris Partland @ The Purple Heather, 3600 Dundas St. W., Burlington

**8-12> BBQ & jam night with Wayne Cheddie @ Moonshine Café, 137 Kerr St., Oakville; ($8.95 with BBQ dinner special starts at 6)

*9-1> open mic with host trio @ Roc’n Doc’s, 105 Lakeshore Rd. E., Port Credit

*9:30-1> jam with Tom Barlow @ Shore Grill, 71 Lakeshore Rd. E., Port Credit

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