Prior to his death at age 82 earlier this year, legendary Toronto jazz drummer Archie Alleyne spent 10 years working on a memoir.
Alleyne was planning to launch Colour Me Jazz: The Archie Alleyne Story, which he co-authored with Sheldon Taylor, in June when he passed away from complications related to prostate cancer.
The event has been rescheduled to November 7 from 5 to 7 pm at the Paintbox Bistro (555 Dundas East). Admission is free.
The book chronicles Alleyne’s six-decade career in music, as well as “his reflections on race, family life and politics and his passionate commitment to spreading the word about jazz and blues,” according to a press release.
A member of the Order of Canada, Alleyne was the go-to drummer for many visiting jazz performers, including Billie Holiday, Stan Getz and Lester Young. He was self-taught and broke colour barriers in the city when he appeared at Toronto “whites only” clubs like the Town Tavern at Queen and Yonge. A car crash in 1967 put his music career on hold, and he became a restaurateur before returning to the stage in 1980s.
Colour Me Jazz is independently published. The book will be available at A Different Booklist (746 Bathurst) and online at aasf.ca.
