Colonial Tavern
Encyclopedia
The Colonial Tavern was one of the most famous jazz
venues in Canada
from the 1950s till its closure in the late 1970s. It was located at 201 -203 Yonge Street in Toronto
(now an open lot between 199 Yonge Street and 205 Yonge Street
) where a historic plaque (now removed) remembered this key jazz venue. The Colonial Tavern was owned and managed by brothers-in-law Mike (Myer) G. Lawrence, Goodwin (Goody) and Harvey Lichtenberg. (197-199 Yonge Street - the former Canadian Bankof Commerce
and 201 - 203 Yonger Street are now owned by Parasuco of Montreal, P.Q.
at the back and at times stayed in apartments on the floor above.
It was a venue for soloists and small ensembles. Big bands performed either at the Imperial Room
at the Royal York, in Massey Hall
, or at various venues on the Toronto waterfront, including the Palais Royale
, the CNE Bandshell, and the Palace Pier.
Concerts were often recorded by CJRT's jazz disk jockey, Ted O'Reilly, and were broadcast on Saturday mornings with hundreds of full interviews of jazz artists discussing their performances and memories. Some of these interviews are in the Ryerson University
archives.
, who led the first full-scale black dance band in Canada. Artists who performed at the Colonial Tavern included major jazz artists from around the world. Musicians often stayed in very limited accommodation at the back. A brass plate memorial in the park which now remembers this historic building records the names of over 150 jazz musicians that performed at the tavern. Amongst notable performers were:
, the Town Tavern
and George's Bourbon Street. Upscale nightclubs and big band venues included: the Savarin Tavern, the Imperial Room
at the Royal York Hotel
, the Palais Royale
and the CNE Bandshell.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
venues in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
from the 1950s till its closure in the late 1970s. It was located at 201 -203 Yonge Street in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
(now an open lot between 199 Yonge Street and 205 Yonge Street
205 Yonge Street
205 Yonge Street was formerly a four-storey Bank of Toronto building built in 1905 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1975. The E.J. Lennox structure has a domed roof and Corinthian columns on the front, and is an example of neo-classical architecture...
) where a historic plaque (now removed) remembered this key jazz venue. The Colonial Tavern was owned and managed by brothers-in-law Mike (Myer) G. Lawrence, Goodwin (Goody) and Harvey Lichtenberg. (197-199 Yonge Street - the former Canadian Bankof Commerce
and 201 - 203 Yonger Street are now owned by Parasuco of Montreal, P.Q.
Performances
Jazz artists played on the ground floor, on a raised stage along one wall, beneath a multi-faceted disco ball. The stage could also be watched from the balcony dining area. Musicians had a green roomGreen room
In British English and American English show business lexicon, the green room is that space in a theatre, a studio, or a similar venue, which accommodates performers or speakers not yet required on stage...
at the back and at times stayed in apartments on the floor above.
It was a venue for soloists and small ensembles. Big bands performed either at the Imperial Room
Imperial Room
The 500 seat Imperial Room is a major events venue at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, Canada. The hall is located on the Lobby level of the hotel and has hosted major events, such as addresses to the Empire Club of Canada, but was more important historically as one of the most famous nightclubs in...
at the Royal York, in Massey Hall
Massey Hall
Massey Hall is a venerable performing arts theatre in the Garden District of downtown Toronto. The theatre originally was designed to seat 3,500 patrons but, after extensive renovations in the 1940s, now seats up to 2,765....
, or at various venues on the Toronto waterfront, including the Palais Royale
Palais Royale
Palais Royale is a dance hall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on Lake Shore Boulevard at the foot of Roncesvalles Avenue on Lake Ontario. Originally built as a boat works, it became notable as a night club in the now-defunct Sunnyside Amusement Park, hosting many prominent 'big band' jazz bands...
, the CNE Bandshell, and the Palace Pier.
Concerts were often recorded by CJRT's jazz disk jockey, Ted O'Reilly, and were broadcast on Saturday mornings with hundreds of full interviews of jazz artists discussing their performances and memories. Some of these interviews are in the Ryerson University
Ryerson University
Ryerson University is a public research university located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its urban campus is adjacent to Yonge-Dundas Square located at the busiest intersection in Downtown Toronto. The majority of its buildings are in the blocks northeast of the square in Toronto's Garden...
archives.
Performers
The first band to open the Colonial Tavern was a band led by Cy McLeanCy McLean
Cy McLean was a Canadian pianist and band leader, whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1970s. He is particularly notable as having led Canada's only full-scale black orchestra in the 1940s...
, who led the first full-scale black dance band in Canada. Artists who performed at the Colonial Tavern included major jazz artists from around the world. Musicians often stayed in very limited accommodation at the back. A brass plate memorial in the park which now remembers this historic building records the names of over 150 jazz musicians that performed at the tavern. Amongst notable performers were:
- Dizzy GillespieDizzy GillespieJohn Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
- Art BlakeyArt BlakeyArthur "Art" Blakey , known later as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, was an American Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer and bandleader. He was a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community....
- Roland Kirk
- Bill ChaseBill ChaseBill Chase was an American trumpet player and leader of the jazz-rock fusion band Chase.-Biography:...
- Carmen McRaeCarmen McRaeCarmen Mercedes McRae was an American jazz singer, composer, pianist, and actress. Considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century, it was her behind-the-beat phrasing and her ironic interpretations of song lyrics that made her memorable...
- Shorty RogersShorty RogersMilton “Shorty” Rogers , born Milton Rajonsky in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, was one of the principal creators of West Coast jazz. He played both the trumpet and flugelhorn, and was in demand for his skills as an arranger. Rogers worked first as a professional musician with Will Bradley and...
- Gene KrupaGene KrupaGene Krupa was an American jazz and big band drummer and composer, known for his highly energetic and flamboyant style.-Biography:...
- George ShearingGeorge ShearingSir George Shearing, OBE was an Anglo-American jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for MGM Records and Capitol Records. The composer of over 300 titles, he had multiple albums on the Billboard charts during the 1950s, 1960s, 1980s and 1990s...
- Oscar PetersonOscar PetersonOscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honours over the course of his career...
- Earl HinesEarl HinesEarl Kenneth Hines, universally known as Earl "Fatha" Hines, was an American jazz pianist. Hines was one of the most influential figures in the development of modern jazz piano and, according to one source, is "one of a small number of pianists whose playing shaped the history of jazz".-Early...
- Jeff HealeyJeff HealeyNorman Jeffrey "Jeff" Healey was a blind Canadian jazz and blues-rock vocalist and guitarist who attained musical and personal popularity, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s.-Early life:...
- Bill EvansBill EvansWilliam John Evans, known as Bill Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists including: Chick Corea, Herbie...
- Muddy WatersMuddy WatersMcKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...
- Peter AllenPeter AllenPeter Allen was an Australian songwriter and entertainer. His songs were made popular by many recording artists, including Elkie Brooks, Melissa Manchester and Olivia Newton-John, with one, Arthur's Theme, winning an Academy Award in 1981...
- Cy McLeanCy McLeanCy McLean was a Canadian pianist and band leader, whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1970s. He is particularly notable as having led Canada's only full-scale black orchestra in the 1940s...
- Charles MingusCharles MingusCharles Mingus Jr. was an American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist.Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third stream, free jazz, and classical music...
- Tal FarlowTal FarlowTalmage Holt Farlow was an American jazz guitarist. Nicknamed the "Octopus", Farlow's extremely large hands spread over the fretboard as if they were tentacles. He is considered one of the all-time great jazz guitarists. Michael G...
- Red NorvoRed NorvoRed Norvo was one of jazz's early vibraphonists, known as "Mr. Swing". He helped establish the xylophone, marimba and later the vibraphone as viable jazz instruments...
- Benny GoodmanBenny GoodmanBenjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
- Chuck MangioneChuck MangioneCharles Frank "Chuck" Mangione is an American flugelhorn player and composer who achieved international success in 1977 with his jazz-pop single, "Feels So Good." Mangione has released more than thirty albums since 1960.-Early life and career:...
- Big Mama ThorntonBig Mama ThorntonWillie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton was an American rhythm and blues singer and songwriter. She was the first to record the hit song "Hound Dog" in 1952. The song was #1 on the Billboard R&B charts for seven weeks in 1953. The B-side was "They Call Me Big Mama," and the single sold almost two million...
- Willie DixonWillie DixonWilliam James "Willie" Dixon was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. A Grammy Award winner who was proficient on both the Upright bass and the guitar, as well as his own singing voice, Dixon is arguably best known as one of the most prolific songwriters...
History of Jazz in Toronto
Other competing jazz venues in Toronto at the time were George's Spaghetti HouseGeorge's Spaghetti House
George's Spaghetti House was a famous jazz club in Toronto on Sherbourne street operated by Doug Cole in which Moe Koffman led the house band. It hosted many famous musicians from Don Francks to Sonny Rollins, operating from 1956 through 1984....
, the Town Tavern
Town Tavern
The Town Tavern located on Yonge St. near Queen st. was a famous jazz club in Toronto, Canada, from the 1950s through to the late 1970s. The art deco building hosted an afterhours jazz club with rehearsal bands for a while before it was bought and turned into a workout club, and then resold again...
and George's Bourbon Street. Upscale nightclubs and big band venues included: the Savarin Tavern, the Imperial Room
Imperial Room
The 500 seat Imperial Room is a major events venue at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, Canada. The hall is located on the Lobby level of the hotel and has hosted major events, such as addresses to the Empire Club of Canada, but was more important historically as one of the most famous nightclubs in...
at the Royal York Hotel
Fairmont Royal York
The Fairmont Royal York Hotel, formerly the Royal York Hotel and still often so called, is a large and historic hotel in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at 100 Front Street West. Opened on June 11, 1929, the Royal York was designed by Ross and Macdonald and built by the Canadian Pacific Railway...
, the Palais Royale
Palais Royale
Palais Royale is a dance hall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on Lake Shore Boulevard at the foot of Roncesvalles Avenue on Lake Ontario. Originally built as a boat works, it became notable as a night club in the now-defunct Sunnyside Amusement Park, hosting many prominent 'big band' jazz bands...
and the CNE Bandshell.