On gardens, groundhogs, being serenaded...

Yesterday at Jazz FM I had the lovely opportunity of listening to Chantal Chamberlain and her band rehearse. Even though, she has put out 3 previous albums and lives in Dundas...how come I have never heard of her until "Jazz Lives"!? Anyway, love her smoky vocals.... Her new album is called "The Other Woman" and she was doing a live to air thing last night at Jazz FM. Speaking of "Jazz Lives" I enjoyed Bob Dorough, Chantal, Ian Shaw, of course Russ Little and the house band, Terra Hazelton and the Jeff Healey tribute and the inimitable and still energetic (in his 80th year) Peter Appleyard. I confess I will check out more of Patricia Barber on disc as I found her stage mannerisms and fiddling around with the sound a little off putting... I went to see my young friend and fab drummer Max Senitt with his trio at Sidecar on College...they were wedged into the entrance...with Max using a conga drum....fun! As for gardening, which has nothing to do with jazz, I have now planted my new community garden plot and made acquaintance with the groundhog(s)....there are likely multiples since there is an enormous community a short distance away at Fort York. Being all crunchy granola, we put in plants and seeds from Urban Harvest, heirloom tomates, rainbow chard, dinosaur kale, beans, calendula, nasturium etc. I am especially excited about the Sorrel...which my dear friend Richard introduced me to a couple of years ago in Edmonton...hopefully it performs like his and is prolific. I need to dig out his recipes for "Sorrel Soup" and "Sorrel Salsa"....mmmmm! Tomorrow off to see Mr. Danny Marks at Jeff Healey's which should be a riot...then on Friday at Diesel for Neal Caine....an event put together by the amazing Keita Hopkinson. Hopefully on Sunday to the Rex to see what the Humber Community Band has produced...these are the next age group down from my Humber College kids.... And now to come up with a name for the groundhog....something jazzy I think....