“Long before Ken Burford, President of The Ontario Wine Society, sent me a fascinating article about the effect music can have when tasting food and wine, I had already experimented in my ‘Leisure Lab’ with friends” says Jaymz Bee. “Sure Jazz and Shiraz sounds nice, but what type of jazz – and what brand of Shiraz? My tipsy lab rats, um, I mean special guests, had a great time sampling different wines while listening to music and deciding what paired best.”
“It was a wonderful evening but Ken is taking it up a few notches. This tasting event will include live jazz and food. When you mix great wine, amazing food and a phenomenal band led by Archie Alleyne, you are in for a real treat. Then, when adding the sophisticated ambience and friendly service from The Stonegrill, you are guaranteed for a night of pure bliss.”
Jaymz, who will be leading the tasting event, is host of JAZZ FM’s Saturday evening ‘Jazz In The City’ and is heard on the Benmergui in the Morning show. He runs the station’s fund raising The Jazz Safari™ that involves taking hundreds of jazz fans in small groups on tours of Toronto nightclubs. He also produces and hosts jazz events for JAZZ.FM91 and for other companies and charities.
And according to Archie Alleyne “Fine wine, being one of the original beverages of choice, will blend its many warm flavours with the original form of music ‘jazz’.
Wine+jazz = good taste.”
Archie Alleyne’s ‘Kollage’ The Rhythm section, which includes Archie on drums, David Virelles on keyboard and Artie Roth on bass, will be supplying the live jazz music for the evening. Archie, in addition to appearing in just about every club in the Toronto area, for example, House of Hambourg, Cellar, 1st Floor, Towne Tavern, Colonial Tavern, Top O’ the Senator, Montreal Bistro, George’s Spaghetti House, Bourbon Street, has also traveled all over the world with various artists, appearing in Birdland, New York, The Blue Note in Chicago, Baker’s Keyboard Lounge in Detroit, Festivals in Europe, and tours in Egypt, Nigeria, Scotland, Ireland, Antigua.
Ken Burford says that “even though this may be a pioneering event, we’ve put together a unique mix that can’t help but be fun and enjoyable”.
The Stonegrill on Winchester, the venue for the event, is in the old Winchester Hotel on Parliament street in Toronto though you wouldn’t know it from the chic décor and lush atmosphere. A stone theme runs throughout the space. The lounge tabletops have real stones beneath their surface and one wall is textured like a sandy beach.
For further information and to register, please refer to the Ontario Wine Society’s website and view the flyer:
http://www.ontariowinesociety.com/
* Stephen Delong – Director of Liquor Operations, City of Northfield, Minnesota
