Bill King Photography - Music Canada! Blurb.ca
When Kristine and I arrived in Canada in 1969, I remember the despair local musicians felt. It was the border between Canada and the U.S., and between artists and radio at home. It was assumed that homegrown artists were not as good, competitive, or worthy as their American counterparts. If they could make it there, they could make it here. Yet, our Quebec neighbours had long ago figured it out. Celebrate your own. Invest, promote, and embrace. The rewards in that approach were plentiful.
When photographing musicians, I made no distinction between the country of origin. It's always been about opportunities, a unique moment, and the resulting image. That connection between an instrument, audience and inspiration inhabits nearly all who take to a stage. The bodies twist and wind around an instrument similarly, but the faces vary. The expressions change.
I spent many nights photographing local musicians at the Silver Dollar, Top of the Senator, and the Rex Jazz Bar. I would also invite you to my make-shift photo studio in Mirvish Village, the home of the Jazz Report Magazine, for a sitting. I'd ambush musicians strolling through Kensington Market, those walking a side street, standing outside a favourite hang; any way I could engage folks in conversation and photo.
We are now a country of stars. Mega artists. Mega sports figures. No longer a loitering wannabe, a grand participant in advancing the arts and culture. A confident player on the rise.
Much of what fills these pages is me on the move. The Mod Club, my radio show at CIUT 89.5 FM, The Beaches International Jazz Festival, TD Jazz Festival, du Maurier Jazz Festival, Lula Lounge, the Tranzac Club, at home, the Orbit Room, the homes of others, Mix 99.9 BeachFest at Sunnyside, etc. Doors open—opportunities abound.
For the past 14 years, Facebook has been my gallery. I've freely shared my daily travels, those moments at an event or hanging out with artists of all genres and passions. Many of those images are etched in people's memories, much like those moments spent as a child flipping through Life and Look Magazine. A particular image that catches folks' attention sticks to the back of the brain. It prints a living moment that takes on a life of its own. Much like sitting behind the piano laying down a sweet groove or contagious melody. If it reverberates in isolation and is not shared, it will slowly fade from imagination. Sharing is easy for me. The camera speaks daily. I listen, I talk.
My long-time partner, Kristine, was the action figure behind this edition. Volume, one of MUSIC, blended universal and Canadian artists. Volume two had to be about us. We are a family.
Kristine and I have long felt our beloved Toronto's kind and caring embrace. Let the haters hate. It's not the world we inhabit. We have always understood how a home reacts to how it’s cared for. How you feel it, dig in and find your footing. We found our roots here and will forever be grateful to the hallowed ground we walk on, the soil that feeds, the sense of justice, fairness, and forward-thinking people.
A note to a friend. Roll back to 1985, and radio giant Gary Slaight invited me in and allowed me an hour of time on Sunday mornings, hosting Q-Jazz at Q-107 FM. That first open door was my entry to a world I wasn't privy to. Gary has opened countless doors since—each with a whisper of magic on the other side. Whether championing my music, journalism, or photography, Gary laid the new earth I've walked gently over the past 38 years. I've learned so much along the way. And cherish the many friends in and outside the music industry I know professionally and personally. G-man, you are a champ!
Kristine and I have danced five plus decades in rhythm, cameras hanging from our necks. Often, it is her broad smile and infectious laugh that gets us close to the action. My travel companion, guardian angel and closet friend. Cheers to you, my dear soul! And son Jesse, my radio, music, and family inspiration and creative partner. Every day is a big conversation, laughs and imagination. Gracious!
This is us. And we are all MUSIC Canada!