August 3 Money Matters Services and Solutions presents The Last Waltz |
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Lance Anderson’s acclaimed performance of ‘The Last Waltz - a Musical Celebration of The BAND - Live’ celebrates the songs and music of the iconic Canadian band - THE BAND An all-star Canadian cast of award-winning blues and roots musicians, under the direction of Juno award winning producer and musical director, Lance Anderson, will be playing and touring the spring and summer of 2017. They are celebrating the 41st Anniversary of THE BAND’s last concert in 1976 and The BAND’s amazing contribution to our shared Canadian musical heritage. This crowd pleasing show, which has thrilled audiences at the Ottawa City Folk Festival, CNE Bandshell (Toronto), Norfolk County Fair (Simcoe), the Shenkman Theatre (Ottawa), Peterborough, Orillia, Cobourg, Collingwood, Peter’s Players in Gravenhurst, and at Hugh’s Room in Toronto, completed a successful tour out west in the prairie provinces. They have headlined the Southside Shuffle, Wasaga Beach Blues Festival, Orillia Spring and Kitchener Blues Festivals. This is an all-star line-up, featuring featuring Jerome Levon Avis (Levon Helm’s godson), Chuck Jackson (lead singer of Downchild Blues Band) the always entertaining Johnny Max, gospel sensation Quisha Wint, Kitchener phenom Matt Weidinger and other special guest singers to be announced. The performance will recreate the atmosphere of The Band’s final concert, which was captured in Martin Scorcese's award-winning concert film, The Last Waltz. On the American Thanksgiving of 1976 at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom, The BAND performed what they called their “Last Waltz,” and invited many of their friends to join in the celebration. These friends included Bob Dylan, Ronnie Hawkins, Van Morrison, and Canadians Neil Young and Joni Mitchell and others who performed with The Band on this special night. In this homage to The Last Waltz, Anderson’s special guests will perform the songs played and sung by these guest artists at the memorable 1976 concert. Backed by a 9 piece band that includes Jerome Levon Avis on drums and vocals, Terry Blersh on guitar, Dennis Pinhorn (The Hawks) on bass, Rob Gusevs (Blood, Sweat and Tears) on organ and Anderson (Joint Chiefs of Soul) on piano and vocals, this is a group of seasoned veterans who love the music. Anderson’s band also features a stellar four-piece horn section including David Dunlop (Boss Brass) on trumpet, Gord Meyers (Blood, Sweat and Tears) on trombone and tuba, Chris Murphy (The Maple Blues Band) on tenor sax and Simon Wallis (Lighthouse) on baritone sax. An all-star band! “What makes this performance special is the connection these musicians have to the music,” says Anderson. “They love the music and perform these tunes from the heart.” Avis’ dad, Bill Avis was The Band's road manager from the early days with Ronnie Hawkins through the Bob Dylan years, right up until The Last Waltz. Bill was especially close to Levon Helm and he has a wealth of stories about times on the road with The Band. Dennis Pinhorn is an ex-Hawk, who joined Ronnie Hawkins some years after The Band left to tour with Dylan. And Anderson himself, produced a piano and vocal recording, 'Live at the Wolf', with Garth Hudson, The Band’s mercurial genius on the organ. Anderson’s production of The Last Waltz has experienced rave reviews at the many festivals where it has appeared over the past six years and has “It wasn’t just the musicianship, which was second to none; it was the energy … these musicians have brought forth a live music gem that is worthy of any stage I know of and probably more that I don’t,” said P. Rellinger of the Kawartha News after seeing Anderson’s show in Peterborough. The Band is a Canadian national treasure, with four members of the legendary roots music group originally from southern Ontario. In the 1960s, they were initially brought together as “The Hawks” by Ronnie Hawkins and later gained Don’t miss this opportunity to join in our celebration of the music of this legendary Canadian group on the 150th anniversary of Canada! |
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