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Oscar Peterson
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Music News Digest: Oscar Peterson's Legacy Is Celebrated, Canadian Live Music Association Responds to Weather Disruptions
Also this week: Canadian country stars Michelle Wright, Jason McCoy and Doc Walker join forces for a national tour, Corb Lund fights the coal industry and more.
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Jazz pianist/composer Oscar Peterson is one of Canada's most important and influential artists ever. That legacy will be reaffirmed with the upcoming release of Oscar Peterson's World Tour, a landmark collection of previously unreleased live performances spanning three decades and four continents. It will come out on Aug. 28, via Two Lions/Mack Avenue Music Group. Created at the beginning of the next 100 years of Oscar Peterson's enduring legacy (he was born in Montreal in Aug. 1925), World Tour is a collection curated by Kelly Peterson, drawing from scrapbooks, photographs and writings that illuminate the life behind a musical giant.
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It will be available as a limited edition, 6-LP 180-gram vinyl box set, accompanied byTour of Oscar’s World, a 48-page hardcover book with archival material, including Oscar’s own photography, poetry and personal remembrances from family, friends and fellow musicians. The release is also available as a 4-CD set, paired with a 20-page booklet featuring notes from Kelly and Celine Peterson plus tributes from his peers.
Earlier this year came news that the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History welcomed significant pieces of Peterson's legacy into its permanent collection. These included his performance tuxedo, Order of Canada insignia and a celebrated 1995 portrait by renowned Canadian photographer Edward Gajdel, a longtime friend of Peterson whose image was selected by Peterson as the cover photograph for his memoir, A Jazz Odyssey.
– This summer has already witnessed many extreme and unpredictable weather events that, combined with the issue of wildfires smoke, has had an impact on outdoor music events and festivals across the country. "These risks are no longer isolated or occasional — they are becoming structural conditions that shape how events are planned, delivered and financed, writes the Canadian Live Music Association (CMLA).
The organization is responding to the situation, recently announcing that ''to help event creators prepare, we have launched the first resource from our Climate Contingency Roadmap. This is a one-page reference guide outlining key considerations for building a proactive weather communication strategy.'' The work is grounded in both climate risk analysis and industry-led research and is meant to be actionable for people putting on concerts and events.
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''Consider this a foundation. Our complete Climate Contingency Toolkit is coming soon, featuring in-depth, step-by-step risk assessment and mitigation tools.'' You can download the guide here.
Festivals News
The 50th anniversary of Hamilton's famed free Festival of Friends took place at Gage Park, July 31 to Aug. 2. The first two nights drew large crowds for headliners Dallas Smith and Feist, respectively. The latter delivered a generous and superb set (almost two hours long) that I thoroughly enjoyed. Playing both solo and with her accomplished band, Feist charmed with both her renditions of her best-known material and with her onstage banter on topics ranging from the beauty of the park's old trees to her experience of performing for Joni Mitchell in Los Angeles. She has been somewhat under the radar of late, but this show reaffirmed her immense talent.
Poor weather plagued the fest's last day, with torrential rain forcing the cancellation of afternoon shows and delaying the highly-anticipated all-star closing set, featuring Blackie and the Rodeo Kings as the house band for a cavalcade of Canadian stars. In fact, with the plug being on the verge of being pulled, the cast performed their massed finale song, Andy Kim's ''Rock Me Gently,'' first. Thankfully, the rain then ceased and the show went ahead, with reports suggesting it was a highly entertaining affair. Those performing some of their classic material included Moe Berg, Dan Hill, Matt Mays, Teenage Head, Ashley MacIsaac, Brad Roberts, Maestro, Chantal Kreviazuk, Bif Naked, Tebey, Terra Lightfoot, Sharon Hampson, members of Finger Eleven, Elliott Brood and more.
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– Kaya Fest Toronto 2026 has added some big names to the previously-announced lineup for its inaugural Toronto edition, set for August 22 at Markham Fairgrounds. Described as ''one of Canada's biggest celebrations of reggae, dancehall, hip-hop, and Caribbean culture,'' the fest has just named multiplatinum hip-hop legend Busta Rhymes as a performer. He'll join the likes of Stephen Marley, Damian Marley, Julian Marley, Ky-Mani Marley, Shabba Ranks, Marley 3rd Generation, Lila Iké, Jesse Royal, YG Marley and many more.
A newly announced Canadian All-Star Showcase will feature soul star Jully Black, TOBi and Juno-winning reggae artists Exco Levi and Kirk Diamond. In addition, In addition, Wynn Records will host a legacy performance featuring CuhDeeJah, Smoke DZA, Statik Selektah, 2DB (Zombie Juice and Meechy Darko of the Flatbush Zombies), Papoose, Flash Garments, King Los and more.
Of note: The fest is produced by Stephen Marley’s Fruit of Life Productions and has steadily expanded in scope since premiering in 2017. Tickets and VIP passes are on sale now at kaya-fest.com.
– The free Habari Africa music festival at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto runs this weekend (Aug. 7-9). Headliners include acclaimed South African singer Lorraine Klaasen, Senegalese stars Zale Seck and Ilam, pioneering Ethio Jazz artist
Girma Woldemichael, Sounds of the Maghreb, with Maryem Tollar (Egypt) and Fethi Nadjem (Algeria). More info here. Presented by Batuki Music Society, the Habari Africa Festival is in its 13th year.
Industry News
The DREAMS! Music Artist Micro-Grant Program is a new initiative funded by Invest Durham and administered by DREAMS! Inc. (Durham Regional Excellence in Arts, Music & Sound) to support the growth of Durham Region's music community. Launched on Aug. 1, the program will provide three levels of micro-grants to help local artists fund recording, production, marketing, professional development, and career-building initiatives. Applications are now open until Aug. 21. Submit here.
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– Albertan honkytonk troubadour Corb Lund has been making headlines in his home province, but not for his music. He is a rancher as well as an acclaimed singer-songwriter and he has been a leading figure in Water Not Coal, a group protesting expanded coal mining. They launched a petition that gained a large number of signatures, but in July, Alberta's chief electoral officer deemed the Water Not Coal Citizens’ Initiative unsuccessful. On July 29, the group filed an application for judicial review in the Alberta Court of King’s Bench, arguing that the decision was unreasonable, procedurally unfair, and inconsistent with the purpose of Alberta’s Citizen Initiative Act (CIA), which is intended to facilitate public participation in direct democracy. “More than 200,000 Albertans signed this petition in good faith, and they deserve a fair and reasonable process,” says Corb Lund. Stay tuned.
Artists News
Three highly popular veteran Canadian country acts are joining forces. Michelle Wright, Jason McCoy (The Road Hammers) and Doc Walker will tour together as The Great Canadian Roadtrip, an extensive fall trek that starts on Oct. 20 with 10 B.C. dates, followed by shows in Alberta, Saskatchewan then nine Ontario concerts, concluding on Nov. 22. The shows will be intimate and acoustic-focused, with plenty of storytelling in between the parade of hits. Check the full tour schedule here.
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– Last week, Toronto punk rock/power pop quintet Doghouse Rose released a new album, Born To Break Even, on Montreal label Stomp Records, their third for the label. Produced, mixed, and mastered by Scott Komer (Boys Night Out, Silverstein), it has been termed their most vulnerable record to date, but it still bristles with punk energy. The band will play shows in Ontario and Quebec next month. Tour dates here.
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