All proceeds to support children’s arts programs

Left to right: Kevin Cooke, Roger Dorey and Glenn Tooth bring the house down at the A Night of Jazz at 918 event. Photo by Alex Zakrzewski

By Alex Zakrzewski

Move over Ron Burgundy, Glenn Tooth is this town’s newest jazz flute virtuoso.

Jazz flute virtuoso Glenn Tooth charmed the ears and the keys in support of a local children’s charity.

On Oct. 13, Tooth headlined A Night of Jazz at 918, an event he and his daughter Stanzie organized to raise money for the St. Alban’s Boys and Girls Club, a charity that organizes after school programs for children.

Over 80 people of all ages filled the 918 Bathurst Centre’s Great Hall where they were also treated to performances by bluesman Roger Dorey and singer and bassist Kevin Cooke.

Stanzie Tooth explained that she originally planned on organizing a concert as a Christmas present for her father.

“I presented him with the idea and then he came back to me with the suggestion that if we’re doing an event and we’re putting all this effort into it, it might as well go to a good cause,” she said.

Stanzie, who works as a curator and manager at the Lonsdale Art Gallery, said they chose to support St. Alban’s because of all the arts programming the club provides to children in the community.

“Encouraging creativity in children is part of their mandate, so if we can give some money back so some kids can be exposed to art, then all the better,” she said.

Originally from Winnipeg, Glenn Tooth lived in Toronto for many years before settling down in Kingston. He cites local jazz flute legends Moe Koffman and Bill McBirnie as his biggest musical influences and said it was important for him to support an organization that helps the community’s art scene.

Dorey, a mainstay on Toronto’s blues stages, started the event with a fiery set of hard-strummed blues covers and originals that had the audience clapping and singing along.

“My theory is never turn down a microphone,” he said. “To be able to entertain people and know that you are also contributing to a worthy cause is a thrill.”

Tooth was next on stage where he performed a few solo numbers before Cooke joined him for a series of jazz tunes that included works by Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and the Beatles.

At the end of the night, all three performers came together in an improvised jazz/blues send off that had the crowd on their feet.
Cooke, who currently resides in Ottawa, said he felt particularly compelled to lend his talents to the event because he grew up on Markham Street and still feels part of the community.

“I have a lot of friends who are social workers in the city and they really look to St. Alban’s to do what they do,” he said, “In this time of austerity with our various governments, anything the individual can do to help is important.”

Thanks to the generosity of the concertgoers, who were asked to give a suggested donation of five dollars each, a total of $600 dollars was raised for the St. Alban’s Boys and Girls Club.

Natasha Eck, the club’s creative arts coordinator was in attendance to thank the Tooth’s for their efforts and the audience for their support.

“With all the cuts within the arts at the moment we rely on volunteer instructors and donations for art supplies and equipment,” she said.

“Without this sort of support, we wouldn’t be able to continue providing art programs for the community.”

Eck said the money raised will be put towards a range of programs including guitar, fashion, photography and dance classes.