FILM | All Balls Don't Bounce Film Series: Benji
All Balls Don't Bounce is an ongoing film series taking place at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema that focuses on people involved in sports with an interesting story. Tonight's feature, Benji, is the second in the series, and the sport in question this time is basketball. Benjamin "Benji" Wilson is the subject of this gripping documentary about a young man who becomes a Chicago hero, exhibiting prowess on the courts beyond his years. He was already playing with seniors in his junior year of high school in Chicago's South Side neighbourhood, and led the school team to victory that year. Destined for greatness, his career was cut short by tragic events right at the beginning of his senior year in high school.
Bloor Hot Docs Cinema (506 Bloor Street West) 6:30PM $13

MUSIC | The TJO presents Thank You Thad
Trumpeter Thad Jones was one of three very important brothers in the history of jazz music: elder brother Hank Jones was a piano icon, his younger brother Elvin played with John Coltrane, and is considered one of the most important drummers of all time, and Thad himself was a man of many talents. He was known first as a trumpeter with incredible chops who worked with Charles Mingus, Thelonius Monk, Herbie Hancock, and played for almost ten years in the Count Basie Orchestra. It was later that Jones became known as an incredible composer and arranger, and tonight the Toronto Jazz Orchestra begins its 15th season with a two-set program entitled Thank You, Thad featuring music associated with and inspired by the jazz great. Some of TO's best players will partake in what is sure to be a seriously swingin' evening of music.
The Rex Hotel (194 Queen Street West) 9:30PM $10

BOOKS & LIT | Rowers Pub Reading Series
The Rower's Pub Reading Series is a literary gathering that takes place the first Monday evening of every month, and runs from October to June each year. The goal of this monthly event is to expose both established and emerging talent to an appreciative and attentive audience. Tonight's lineup of readers is indeed stellar: Sky Gilbert, Dani Couture, Rabindranath Maharaj, and Steve Noyes will be sharing their work will you in a comfortable and intimate setting. Please note that this series may be due for a name change, as it has changed location from its previous home at Harbord House (formerly Rower's Pub) to its new location at the nearby Victory Cafe.
The Victory Cafe (581 Markham Street) 7:30PM

MUSIC | Morbid Angel, Dark Funeral, Grave and Vadimvon
A dark and foreboding lineup of death metal descends upon the Opera House this evening. Morbid Angel headlines this show--and rightly so, being one of the bands that pioneered the American contribution to this intense sub genre of heavy metal (along with their Florida-based contemporaries Deicide and Obituary). This is Morbid Angel's first tour of the US and Canada in six years, and they will likely be sharing tracks from their 2011 release, Illud Divinum Insanus. Also on tonight's bill are Dark Funeral, a Swedish black metal band; Grave, a long-running death metal band, also hailing from Sweden; and Vadimvon, a young band from South Carolina, the most recently formed of the lot, learning the ropes from their heroes on this tour. Get your devil's horns ready!
The Opera House (735 Queen Street East) 7PM $28.50

OTHER EVENTS ON OUR RADAR

Experimental Film Night Party
Raising Hell with Richard Crouse

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Photo by cookedphotos in the blogTO Flickr pool