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Seeing some of Toronto's most talented jazz musicians any time would be a spectacle but the

privilege of enjoying their music in such an intimate space is something special. That's likely why Jazz

in the Kitchen shows have all sold out since they were first introduced a year ago and why they now

sell out overnight. The small space and limited guest list is a determining factor as well and most of

those who have seen a show return over and over. They can't get enough.

Jazz listeners are a bit like that anyway I've learned. Those who like their jazz, really like their

jazz. Admittedly I am somewhat of a novice to the school of this sort of sound but those around me

at the Jazz in the Kitchen shows clearly are not, they know what they are listening to and they are

impressed. It's impossible not to be impressed at the talent - even for a novice. The core trio at these

shows is Mark Eisenman on piano, John Sumner on drums and Steve Wallace on stand up bass. The

three play with various jazz bands around Toronto and are each well known for their abilities. At most

shows, a guest joins in and Patti and John Loach, the hosts, participate as well. Patti on piano and

John on trumpet. Together they pull together an unparallelled evening of jazz.

"I love being able to invite people to have an experience that is much more intimate than

anywhere else," Patti tells me, "they feel that they are in some way a part of the performance." The

shows take place in Patti and John Loach's kitchen, as the title implies. One side of the room is set

JAZZ'IN it up IN THE KITCHEN

FROM THE TIME THE FIRST NOTE SOUNDS YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN FOR A MUSICAL TREAT AT JOHN AND PATTI LOACH'S JAZZ IN THE

KITCHEN SHOWS. FORTY PEOPLE SIT IN RAPT ATTENTION TAKING IN THE TALENT THAT SITS FIFTEEN FEET IN FRONT OF THEM.

STORY: SARAH DANN

PHOTOS:Courtesy ofPATTI LOACH

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up with seating and standing room around the island and

counter. The other side of the room houses the Steinway

B grand piano, the drum kit, the stand up bass and the

musicians who bring all these instruments to life.

The audience really is part of the show. Throughout the

sets of music, audience members call out, gasp, applaud,

comment quietly, or even interact with the band when the

musicians reach out looking for comments or requests. After

a particularly compelling song by a guest performer at the

show I attended recently, one audience member shouts out,

"I want you to know, that made me cry." This is intimacy.

It's not just the audience who experiences the intimacy

of the setting, the performers are also impacted by it. The

closeness is the distinguishing feature of the shows. Mark

Eisenman says, "It's great, we'll be batting around a tune

idea and the audience hears how it comes together. It's

very intimate. I'll say, just let me run through this and we talk

about the changes. Then we play it. The audience sees that

there is effort that goes into this music."

Most of the songs are chosen the night of the show so

the musicians don't have an opportunity to practice them in

advance. This keeps things fresh and keeps the performers

on their toes. Taking requests, a few each show, adds to this

sense of spontanaiety and interactivity.

The repertoire the band draws on is astonishing. Harry

Miller has been a Jazz in the Kitchen regular since the

beginning. He tells me he requested a tune they had played

before - Blues in the Closet - and explains the band's bass

player, Steve Wallace, is a keen Oscar Pettiford fan. Pettiford

has a street named after him in Copenhagen Harry tells me

(an indication the audience's repertoire is extensive as well).

"They actually played it." Harry tells me, clearly quite tickled.

He mentions Steve Wallace has a blog that deals not only

with jazz but also with baseball. The audience's knowledge

and appreciation of jazz and these performers runs deep.

One of the most enthusiastic jazz lovers in the room is

John Loach, who's room it is. Of jazz, John says, "It's pretty

amazing, the challenge of it, the creativity that's happening

on the spot." John joins the trio for several songs. "Selfilshly,"

he says, "I get to play a few songs with some very good

musicians." John started playing trumpet when he was

eleven. Born without one hand, it was John's grandfather,

"All the Energy you hear, every calorie of it, is coming from

the band. we are right on topof the audience." ~ Mark Eisenman

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a machinist, who realized that trumpet was an instrument

John could play with his one hand. John credits "a tyrant of a

trumpet teacher" with some early success. Years later, John's

trumpet is one of the most impressive instruments in the

room. There's nothing quite like hearing a trumpet in perfect

pitch from fifteen feet. It's pure and piercing.

Harry Miller says, "These guys are really good. I've

known who these guys are for a long time. I've seen them

in several places. The guy I was most impressed with was

John," he says about his first shows, "Here's a guy who's a

good player, playing because he loves it!"

He's not the only one. Patti says, "I come at jazz from a

place of total wonder. I mean here are guys composing at a

hundred miles an hour and it's also happening with synergy

with the other people in the room." Patti typically plays a

few songs at each show. A professional piano player, Patti

performs with many talented musicians from opera diva Jean

Stilwell to actor, singer Brad Hampton (who's song made

the aforementioned audience member cry) with whom she

performed their recent show The Picture of Happiness. Patti

is not strictly a jazz musician but says, "as a pianist I have

learned a lot about playing the piano by listening to jazz - I've

learned about time, and touch."

In fact, the origins of Jazz in the Kitchen can be traced in

part to Patti's piano. Years ago, Patti and John read that Roy

Thomson Hall was hosting a piano sale. It was a rare chance

to see high end pianos side by side and they decided to go

and check it out. Patti had always loved Steinway pianos

and a black Steinway B Grand Piano was at the sale. "We

had no intention of buying a piano," John tells me but says,

when Patti sat down and played, "Wow! It just sang." Even

Steinway's website says that The Steinway B is often

referred to "as 'the perfect piano' and does extremely well in

intimate settings." The piano moved in to the Loach kitchen.

The kitchen had been renovated with performance in

mind. Patti and John had long loved the idea of being able to

play music with friends and when they bought and renovated

their home years back, the kitchen was set up with a large

open space where instruments could reside. As well as the

piano, John acquired the drum set and bass that are used

during the shows. The room is also a high-end recording

studio and John has engineered several recordings.

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Mark comments on what a treat it is not to have to bring

anything when the trio comes to play at the Loach's and

adds, "There isn't a lot of work that pays and let's you work

with such a great piano." He says there is probably only one

other in the city. Mark met John and Patti in part because of

a conversation they had one day about the piano. John tells

me, "Word got out that there was a really good piano in a

really nice room," and explains that this led to some of the

recordings that have taken place in the kitchen.

Which brings us to the sound. Mark emphasizes that

one of the wonderful things about the Jazz in the Kitchen

shows is the purity of the sound. "All the energy you hear,

every calorie of it, is coming from the band," he says. "We

are right on top of the audience. No filter. All the sound is

coming from us." Mark talks about how everywhere else they

play, the music is piped through a sound board or through

speakers. At the Loach's, there are no microphones. Mark

says, "When it is good, you are good. It is totally clear who is

responsible for what is going into the audience's ears."

The audience gets to enjoy more than music at the

shows. Guests bring bottles of wine to enjoy in advance

of the show and at intermission. Treats such as shortbread

and veggies and chips and dip and Marny's apple cake are

nibbled on as guests swap stories about the band, the music

and how they discovered the shows. One man tells me he is

Mark Eisenman's neighbour and in the summer months when

windows are open, is often treated to the sound of Mark

practising piano first thing in the morning.

John talks about the "ability of jazz to be fun, fun to

listen to and fun to participate in. There is an element of

play" he says and adds, "They are beautiful songs. It is

beautiful to be able to interpret them or emulate ways old

jazz players played them." The ability to take well-known

songs and use them as jumping off points is the beauty of

jazz and Mark, who teaches jazz at York adds that, "you can

get there ten ways, the way you get there is very individual."

These guys love to play with one another - it shows in the

way they laugh together, play together, create together.

"For all this practice and effort, what is the point?" Mark

asks, "The point is to go to the Loach's. The audience is

great. We're treated nicely. It's a gift. It's very unusual. That's

why it's so special to the band."

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