TAPS & TRAPS
HEATHER CORNELL tap dance
JESSE STEWART drums, percussion
Jesse Stewart has been internationally acclaimed as “one of the finest drummers and percussionists on the scene today.” In Canada, as a teacher, instrument-maker, improviser and collaborator, he has won acclaim ranging from the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award to the coveted Juno. He has found an ideal musical partner in his collaborations with New York tap dance master Heather Cornell, who regards tap as “a musical instrument … physicalizing the complex rhythms of Africa.” A founder of Manhattan Tap who has shared the stage with Buster Brown, Diane Walker, and Gregory Hines, Heather was mentored by the great jazz bassist Ray Brown. Constantly exploring “how these polyrhythms form the basis of so much of the music in the world,” Heather Cornell and with Jesse Stewart practice an art that is adventurous, inclusive, and improvisational, and constantly exploring the possibilities of making music with the entire body. Together, they give a performance where anything can happen!
GENNARO / HUNDEVAD
MARK HUNDEVAD vibraphone
MIKE GENNARO drums
Percussionist Mike Gennaro has collaborated with international improvisers such as John Butcher, Mats Gustafsson, and Eugene Chadbourne. He is a mainstay of the Toronto improvising scene, as well as teaching and performing with indie soul act Mantler and award-winning blues artists Raoul and the Big Time. Gennaro studied with former Rheostatics drummer Dave Clark and ace session drummer Rick Gratton, and has performed throughout North America and Europe. Mark Hundevad has been a mainstay of Toronto’s alternative music scene since the 1980s, playing vibraphone, piano, drums and electronics with such musicians as Kenny Baldwin, Sabir Mateen and Raphe Malik. To paraphrase Joe Strutt of Mechanical Forest Sound: “While power drummer Gennaro is the backbone, Hundevad (a noted percussionist himself) pivots from marimba/piano work to some cool Moog-powered synth moves. Suggesting funk squelch and Sun Ra soul-stabs, Hundevad shapes this duo in some very cool ways while Gennaro provides pulse and drive to keep things moving along.
HEATHER CORNELL TAP DANCE WORKSHOP (w/ JESSE STEWART)
[Admission to the double-bill includes observing the workshop.
Workshop participants pay an additional $25/20 for the 2 hour workshop.Register: cem@zulapresents.org (289) 993-1993]
Legendary New York tap dancer James “Buster” Brown (who sang and danced from Broadway to Hollywood, and performed with Duke Ellington and the Ink Spots), called Heather Cornell “one of the best tap teachers in the world.” Buster loved to drop in and hang out at Heather’s Tap Labs. Now Heather Cornell brings this once-in-a-lifetime tap experience to Hamilton. There are so many lessons inherent in the music and dance, and because Heather learned from this generation directly, those lessons are unique to her. Come and deepen your understanding of this oral tradition with someone who is a direct link to the dancers and the work that defines it. There’s no time like good time…and this is a good time to do it! Musical tap techniques, approaches to practicing, sources of inspiration, new approaches, collaboration with musicians – these are all part of the special artistic world of a Heather Cornell workshop.
Regular Admission: $25 door or $20 advance
Students, Seniors, Under-waged Admission: $20 door or advance
Passes: $125 regular (up to $225 value) / $100 students, seniors, under-waged for all 7 ticketed events