While the final weekend of the Toronto International Film Festival sharply separated fans from movie stars, a few blocks away, the 11th annual Kensington Market Jazz Festival brought artists and music lovers together for three days (Sept. 18 to 20) of live music on streets, patios and in intimate venues.
What to know
- The 11th Kensington Market Jazz Festival ran Sept. 18 to 20 across streets, patios and small venues in the Toronto neighbourhood.
- JAZZ.FM91More than 100 Canadian musicians performed in over 100 shows across 10 venues this year.
- JAZZ.FM91 Founder Molly Johnson says the festival’s guiding principle remains “Better, Not Bigger.”Despite founding and producing the festival, Johnson says she doesn’t perform at it and has never played a show in Kensington Market.
- Johnson released her latest album, Talk To Me, in June, featuring collaborations with Haviah Mighty and Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy.
More than 100 artists, including Alex Bird, Hilario Duran, Robi Botos, Rich Brown, Jane Bunnett, Billy Newton Davis, Jay Douglas and The Shuffle Demons, performed throughout the city’s most welcoming and eclectic arts neighbourhood. Some shows were free at Bellevue Square Park, while others were donation-based or traditional ticketed indoor performances.
“Every artist brings something different to the festival and to Kensington Market. Seeing all of those artists, audiences, venues and volunteers come together over the weekend is incredibly exciting,” founder Molly Johnson told Now. “It’s a lot of work, but I have a great team. I’m most proud of everything we’re able to accomplish together.”
A Juno Award-winning jazz singer-songwriter and longtime champion of Toronto’s arts community, Johnson has toured extensively in Canada and Europe. Her many honours include two JUNO Awards, the Governor General’s Award, the Order of Canada and the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
Her work as an arts advocate also includes the Kumbaya Festival, which she launched in 1993 as a fundraising concert benefiting AIDS hospices and Canadians living with AIDS. The event went on to become the largest music fundraiser in Canadian history, raising more than $1 million.
At Kensington Market, Johnson has taken a deliberately different approach, building the jazz festival around the idea of “Better, Not Bigger” — no massive sponsorship infrastructure, no distant stadium stages.
She says that approach “gets easier every year because people are looking for real experiences.
“They want to be close to the artists and the music. They want to walk through Kensington Market, move between venues, discover somebody new and feel connected to what’s happening around them. For us, ‘better’ means continuing to make that experience as special, intimate and genuine as possible.”
Johnson, who released her latest album, Talk To Me, in June on Universal Music Canada — featuring tracks with Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy and rapper Haviah Mighty — doesn’t perform at the festival. Remarkably, in her decades-long career, she has never played in Kensington Market, which she calls the heartbeat of Toronto.
“I’ve never actually played here, and I don’t perform at the festival. I produce the festival. My role is bringing all of these artists together and helping create something special in a neighbourhood that means so much to me,” she says. “I was born at Toronto Western Hospital in Kensington Market, and I’ve lived in the Market and surrounding area for most of my life. It’s been part of my life for as long as I can remember.”
Another important aspect of the Kensington Market Jazz Festival’s success which has kept it going over a decade is that it is artist-driven and volunteer-powered. Johnson is quick to express her gratitude to the people who help put the festival on each year.
“Our volunteers are incredibly important. They give their time and energy to the festival and help us make the weekend happen. They’re part of the team, and I’m enormously grateful for them every year.”
Johnson says she hopes to play some shows in the winter and next year to support Talk To Me. And the jazz festival will be back, too.
“I want us to keep doing what we do: bring great artists and audiences together, support the neighbourhood and create another beautiful weekend of music in Kensington Market.”
