When CBC Music launched, they asked some of Canada’s finest jazz musicians what they thought were the most essential Canadian jazz albums — recordings of timeless music performed by talented jazz Canucks.

Now that the year is soon drawing to a close, it seems timely to share the top 10 that the CBC Music jazz team put together, created from all of their choices as well as their own, and turn to jazz fans to help finalize a Top 10 Canadian Jazz Essentials list.

Wholenote's Ori Dagan talked to Fay Olson about the closing of Quotes Bar & Grill on King Street where she has been hosting a jazz series since 2006 with a who's who of Canadian jazz backed up by the Canadian Jazz Quartet

Quotes has been the home of the "Fridays at Five" series for 7 seasons now. What have been some of the musical highlights?

Top o' The Senator, one of Toronto's most missed (and beloved) jazz clubs, will reopen as Jazz Bistro in early 2013. Located in the heart of downtown, the club was purchased by Colin Hunter.

The Women's Blues Revue is the biggest event of the year for the Toronto Blues Society and it has a lot of history. I remember a few years back when Shelagh Rogers christened Rita Chiarelli Canada's "Goddess of the Blues". That label stuck to Rita like velcro. Last night Garvia Baily spontaneously coined the nickname Donna "Goddamn" Grantis and the audience was definitely in agreement at that moment.


The Nathan Phillips Square mainstage tent seemed to be packed beyond capacity as husband-and-wife blues duo, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, hit the stage. Accompanied by trumpet, trombone, tenor sax, organ, bass, two drummers and two backing vocalists, the Grammy-winning pair had no trouble connecting with the enthusiastic audience at the June 29th concert.
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The Becca Stevens Band (sans accordionist Liam Robinson) played an intimate show at The Horseshoe Tavern Saturday night that pleased seasoned fans and new listeners alike...Read the full story.

The atmosphere around Nathan Phillips Square’s mainstage took on a more intimate vibe Saturday evening. Previous nights’ flashy guitar solos and booming bass notes were replaced by smooth piano melodies and equally smooth vocals as Joan Osborne delivered her blend of blues and soul...Read the full story.