The single most important aspect of my life is my family, that is my wonderfull wife Gloria Campbell and our four terrific kids After three years at McGill’s Faculty of Music, Gloria and I moved to Toronto (pre PQ). She to pursue French Horn studies @ The Royal Conservatory and I to eek out a living as a professional musician. The era was “discoâ€. “Live†music was in jeopardy. My “settling down†in Toronto meant a life of literally living out of a suitcase. Toronto was where I hung my hat. In 1980 our precious daughter Simonne was born and I got my first “day job†as the Directory Editor for the Toronto Better Business Bureau’s Directory & Consumer Guide. In time, my role at the BBB became more and more diverse as I took on greater responsibilities for my boss, Paul Tuz, but I continued my gigging and often played six nights a week. I found myself working 9:00AM to 5:00PM and then 9:00PM to 1:00AM and commuting from towns like Barrie, Hamilton and Niagara Falls. It was inevitable that after about five years of this life-style I found myself falling asleep at the wheel. My stamina had been compromised. To this day I have to be careful not to get over tired because sleep just over whelms me. In 1987 I ran out of gas on the Gardner Expressway so I pulled off to the shoulder. A motorist, blinded by the early morning sun, rammed my vehicle full steam. I spent the next year in physical therapy at the Back Institute.
It was time for me to re-assess my situation. My first “business venture†was with my old-time MRHS buddies Asher Warsawski and Harvey Wolfe. They both had recently moved to TO. We created a newspaper called “City Life†that was distributed in Rosedale, Danforth Village and Riverdale. City Life did manage to make some money but it was not enough for three of us. Asher and Harvey both dropped out and the business was left with me to run alone. By 1987, Gloria and I had three young daughters (ages 7, 5 & 3) I got the fine idea to open my own restaurant. We called it “The Eclectic Snack Barâ€. I had limited resources and virtually no experience in the restaurant business. Long story short, the project was doomed. Within 2 years time we ran out of every penny we could find. In a late effort to get an infusion of cash in our life, I got a job as an independent courier wound up driving our already battered station wagon into the ground.
No job. No money. No car. I was never more afraid. The next day I checked in on Harvey Wolfe had parlayed his experience with “City Life†to become the Publisher of the music magazine “Rock Expressâ€. His cousin owned Trend Records & Tapes Ltd. One phone call. It was the only reference I needed. It’s been fifteen years now and I’ve worked for (new name) Trend Music Group Inc. ever since. I’ve come to know quite a bit about the buying and selling of music in this country. In 1999, I partnered with like minded musicians to form the band Club Django. Mission statement: To recreate and promote the music of 1935 France made famous by Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli. Our first CD “A Tribute to the Quintet of the Hot Club du France†won the Canadian Collectors Congress Award for Best Traditional Jazz Album of the Year. Every jazz radio station in the country played tracks on frequent rotation. Record store’s like HMV and Sam’s featured it “Top Rack†for months. Toronto’s top jazz critics were singing our praises (including Geoff Chapman, Hall Hill, John Norris and others) Sheilaugh Rodgers @ the CBC did a whole morning radio program about the group. We were invited by CJRT (now JAZZ FM) to open their Jazz In Toronto Series. The band has been playing to large audiences at major music festivals in Canada and the U.S. and have just released our second CD titled “La Gitaneâ€It’s 2006/7 and I’m still at Trend Music, but I have to report that the business of selling pre-recorded music is rapidly changing and I’m doubtful that we can keep up.
Mose Scarlett w/ Tony Quarrington & Abbey Sholzberg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMcSKPKN1uE
The Sheik of Araby
CLUB DJANGO AT TD JAZZ FESTIVAL 2007 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU8rrciYgl8
Daphne
BOHEMIAN SWING @ DOMINION ON QUEEN http://video.yahoo.com/watch/2656395/7785562?v=265...
BOHEMIAN SWING @ DOMINION ON QUEEN
George Grosman
Jon Marks
Oan MacGillivrey
Abbey Sholzberg
BOHEMIAN SWING @ DOMINION ON QUEEN
Welcome To Abbey's Meltdown @ The REX http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqGFe62T_w8
Saturday afternoon @ The REX
