Beaches Jazz Fest gets grant after all (so lay off Drake)

It looks like Drake will be welcome to stroll through the Beaches Jazz Fest this summer. The provincial government has found a $75,000 stash from the Ontario Music Fund to give to the free outdoor summer fest, hitting a note that brings to mind that proverb about squeaky wheels (sad trombones?) -- public outcry over the fest not receiving their usual grant from Celebrate Ontario, fueled in part by the knowledge that Drake's OVO was getting $300k, was loud and immediate. Who says Toronto doesn't care about the arts?

Twenty per cent of the fest's funding comes from the provincial government each year from this grant alone, so the situation was dire for promoters, who were not given a reason why their initial request was refused. The fest will run from July 18 - 27 this summer, marking its 25th year bringing big band, swing, Dixieland, smooth, post-bop, Afro-Cuban, fusion, funk, R&B, and soul to the east end.

Photo by Scott Snider