She was there that night. Kathryn is one of the reasons I play jazz. While on my way to spending the rest of my life in a library as a musicologist, I accidentally stepped into a jazz club and my life changed instantaneously. Kathryn Moses, Ted Moses, Lorne Lofsky… These were the musicians that made me think, “if this is what jazz is, this is what I want to be doing.”
Kathryn started as an inspiration and later became a colleague and friend. Women like Kathryn, Rosemarie Galloway, Jane Fair, Nancy Walker, Lisa Kaplan, and Jo Sergeant made it possible for me to imagine that I too, could play jazz. These powerful women paved the way in the male-dominated world of jazz and they were my role models.
I used to go and hear Kathryn play at places like George’s Spaghetti House, the Ship of Fools, Montreal Bistro and Cafe Soho. I was in awe of her. She played flute, sax, was a great singer, and I loved her original compositions. She was beautiful, sweet, and really encouraging.
And in the meantime, I started to study jazz privately with Frank Falco and later with Don Thompson…and listen, listen, listen. At that time you could hear jazz almost every night of the week in Toronto.
I don’t remember exactly when I first started to play with Kathryn. I know that I was way too intimidated to even think about playing in jazz clubs. I mean, I started out in piano bars and private parties. But I made private parties my own trial by fire jazz education. I hired people like Don Thompson, Kieran Overs, Jane Fair, Ted Quinlan, Rob Piltch, Michael Stewart and Kathryn to play with me. They were my jazz school.
I still have my press release, postcard and Jim Galloway’s notice in Whole Note from my 2003 concert at Heliconian Hall entitled “Even Divas Get the Blues” which featured Kathryn Moses. It was a huge thrill for me to finally play with Kathryn in concert. Laura Cesar played bass. Laura and I had weekly jam sessions at the time doing things like playing Confirmation in 12 keys. I commissioned poet Myna Wallin to write the title poem which she recited over an improvised blues. I later turned it into a song that I finally recorded in 2014!
Rest in power, my beautiful friend. Check out her gorgeous recording from 1979, Music in My Heart.
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