The Trane Studio: A Unique Gathering Space
Music Brings You In; The Art and Excellent Cuisine Makes You Stay
Feb 17, 2009
The Trane studio, taking its name from the last half of the Legendary Saxophonist John Coltrane’s surname is located at 964 Bathurst Street. It has been at its present location for just over six years
Created by Frank Francis, it was a natural progression for him, coming out of a need to find space to host the Black Underground showcases that his other creation the Caliban Arts Theatre was producing.
Working With and Paying Tribute to Legendary Musicians.
Over its’ young life the Trane studio has played and continues to play host to many international musicians, including: Kahil El Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, Ernest Dawkins and Corey Wilkes from Chicago. Jason Marsalis played two sets there in Jan 2008 and big brother Wynton Marsalis dropped in months later after he came off stage at Massey Hall.
Many New York based musicians like Bassist William Parker, Saxophonist Rob Brown, violinist Billy Bang and singer Noa Bursie, just to name a few, acquainted themselves with the Trane’s audience and found new fans and friends.
The Black Underground series has grown with it’s tributes to many legendary jazz musician and singers. It has become a much look forward too event. Tributes to John Coltrane and Miles Davis have become annual showcases with a month of Fridays’ each dedicated to these two legends.
Tributes to Marvin Gaye, Grover Washington and Luther Vandross were played too sold out audiences and local singers like Divine Brown, Sharron Mcleod, and Yvonne Moore stepped into the souls of singers like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan Nancy Wilson and Dinah Washington.
The Art of New Singers.
The Trane has also become a stepping stone for many up and coming soul and nu-soul singers who gets their chance to shine their creative light from stage on ‘Acoustic Soul Tuesdays’ a bi-weekly happening hosted by Poet/Producer Hajile Kalaike.
Some of these singers have gone on to work with professional in the music business and beginning to record themselves.
The Trane’s Art Gallery
The Trane, in keeping with its mandate as a cultural centre, has hung the works of visual artists on its wall, giving it that art gallery appeal.
Some of the sculptors painters and photographers whose works have adorned the wall include painters Angela Haynes and Sandra Brewster and photographer Mark Tearle.
The Major Projects
One of the more ambitious projects undertaken by the folks at the Trane was the 2007 Afrikan Millennium and Cultural Arts Feastival.
The Millennium project or feastival as it was officially called, was a three month undertaking that brought many local and international musicians together. From Philadelphia came activist, poet, singer Ursula Rucker, Jazz pianist Marc Carey who has played with the legendary singer Abbey Lincoln and based in New York traveled across the border and gave us a taste of his genius over two nights of excellent solo piano concerts. Josh White Jr son of iconic blues man Josh White; brought a touch of his fathers’ history and whole lot of soul to a classy evening of good songs and great blues.
The feastival opened with a drum-fest featuring drummers from all over the Afrikan diaspora...
The Trane’s Extracurricular Activities
The Trane has hosted book launches; Dubwise by writer Klive Walker come to mind and Poetry readings.
The occasional film night: Spike Lee’s 'When the Levees Broke' was shown there along with documentary films on jazz musicians like Eric Dolphy and Thelonious Monk. Political films that featured the African struggle for independence and Cuba’s help in gaining that plateau was shown and discussed amongst the clink of wineglasses and dinner plates.
The Trane in its’ short life has made and continues to make an important contribution to the cultural live of Toronto.
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