Jul 31, 2010
It's a Small World, After All

Alan Small moved into the Parkdale/Roncesvalles neighbourhood in Toronto where I live just a few months ago. Now, I don't know Alan from Adam but he had heard about Voyageur and was talking about it with the folks who were helping him move in. One of the guys said to him, "well, you know, that guitar lives right here in this neighbourhood!".

That did it for Alan and he sought me out by phone and email and asked if he could come and get a first-hand look at Voyageur. I was only too happy to oblige. It's always such a delight to me that people know about the project and are moved by it. That was a while ago. Then, just last week, Alan spied me (or rather, spied my Calton case) from across the street as we walked to the Humber Song Studio event at Hugh's Room and asked if he might be able to use the guitar for part of his cocktail-hour set at Gate 403 last night. Sarah and I were planning a bit of a night out anyway so why not start there!

It was an intimate and informal affair with a bunch of friends and a few walk-ins but there was a very friendly vibe in the room and Alan played a mix of covers and his own jazz-tinged tunes - any one of which could be a standard. He has a real feel for those clever, laid-back blues tunes with smart turns of phrase. Indeed, some of his songs have been amped up by friends of his into Downchild-styled rockin' blues numbers.

From there, it was on to Fat Cat (we're planning something there soon) and The Local, where I was very happy to see Matty Powell back in town.

Thanks to Alan, Lisa and the folks at Gate 403 for such a great start to a great evening.

Posted at 11:47 AM

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