Jazz On A Sunday Afternoon
Jazz Music, the Wales Avenue Sessions and the birth of Connie’s Sunday Jam
In the timeline of jazz history, 1956 was an exciting year. At the same time Thelonious Monk, one of bebop’s founding fathers, was in-studio recording his influential, Brilliant Corners LP, jazz giants Sonny Rollins and Max Roach were releasing acclaimed albums of their own. That year, jazz aficionados received a double dose, with Rollins’ Saxophone Colossus, and Roach’s Max Roach +4. In June, trumpet phenom, Clifford Brown, died too young, at only twenty-five, in a car crash; five months later, jazz music lost stride piano virtuoso Art Tatum to kidney failure. On an upbeat note, 1956 saw music impresario, Norman Granz, founded his seminal recording label, Verve Records.
The same year in Toronto, the east end nightclub, George’s Spaghetti House, opened for business. Oscar Peterson’s trio was booked for a stint at Queen Street’s Town Tavern; less than a block north on Yonge, the Colonial’s marquee announced performances by big band leader, Duke Ellington. During this era, in both established venues and afterhours clubs, jazz thrived in Toronto.
And in 1956, St. Christopher House would unintentionally play a role in moving the genre forward.
According to The Story of St. Christopher House, post World War II, staff reported local youth were resorting to, “theft, pimping, prostitution [and] narcotic addiction.” This was attributed to a variety of reasons, including truancy and high unemployment. Partnering with the community, St. Christopher House redoubled its youth programming. Part of this strategy included hiring a young, Black social worker named Conrad Connie Carrington (1928-2004) as director of young adult activities.
Torontonian by birth, Connie Carrington studied psychology and sociology at Lincoln University in the United States. (Eventually, he earned a Masters degree in social work from U of T.) Prior to returning to Toronto, Carrington was a program director at the Negro Community Centre in Montreal.
Having come up in Kensington Market, Carrington and St. Chris were a perfect fit. With first hand knowledge of local issues, upon his arrival, he quickly gained the respect of coworkers, local youth, and parents alike. Known for his snappy wardrobe, Carrington’s shirts were notably well pressed; ties knotted flawlessly. Seldom was he without his trademark smoking pipe and cup of hot coffee. A consummate professional, Carrington comported himself in a casual, nonchalant style.
Motivated by St. Chris’s community development model, Carrington counselled teens, worked with parents, educators, police and the youth justice system. Under his direction, St. Chris’s basketball program ranked high within citywide leagues. Carrington was also responsible for the creation of a successful youth leadership program.
In 1955, Carrington helped found the Metro Toronto Jazz Society. A year later, inspired by his appreciation of the genre, Carrington, along with Rupert Hodge, St. Chris’s basketball coach and fellow MTJS founder, began an innovative music program at the House, providing practice space for young jazz musicians. With the introduction of this free program, Carrington was tapping into the rich vein of talent within Kensington Market.
Each Sunday afternoon, the large auditorium on the main floor of 67 Wales was crowded with musicians and jazz fans alike. Local media labeled the gathering, a jazz appreciation group. A Globe and Mail article from the era described the sessions this way; “Jazz fans assemble with their instruments and interested listeners gather round to ask questions or just sit and listen.”
This was no amateur hour. The novice musicians took their craft seriously. The Wales Avenue sessions allowed budding players the opportunity to test their chops before an enthusiastic audience. Repertoire ranged from Miles Davis compositions, like Milestones and Sid’s Ahead, to blues and jazz standards. More than a few participants, including Sonny Greenwich, Wray Downes, Doug Richardson, Archie Alleyne and Connie Maynard, went on to find acclaim in the industry.
Born and raised in Kensington Market, Archie Alleyne, renowned drummer and lifelong St. Chris booster, recalls those Sunday afternoon jam sessions with both fondness and appreciation. Alleyne claims unequivocally, “Connie [Carrington] and St. Chris were…responsible for the success of many in the community by providing us with a home outside of our own residence. Not only did the Black musicians in the area attend the sessions, so did a number of White musicians.”
Alleyne brings up an important point. According to social norms of the day, local Black musicians were barred from performing in many White-owned Toronto venues. With the exception of Sunday afternoon jazz at St. Christopher House, there were few options available for the aspiring Black musician. Whether intentional or not, the jazz odyssey begun by Carrington had the effect of chipping away at Toronto’s unofficial colour barrier.
The Wales Avenue sessions continued into the early 1960s, concluding only after Carrington left St. Chris to pursue other career options. Henceforth, live jazz performances, at least with any regularity, seemed a thing of the past. (In 1991, Carrington did return to St. Chris. Now in retirement, he volunteered for four years on the board’s nominating committee.)
Fast forward to August, 2001. While considering various fundraising possibilities, Bob Ellis and the House Alumni struck upon the idea of hosting a live jazz concert in the courtyard at 248 Ossington. The event would serve the dual purpose of honouring Connie Carrington’s legacy while raising funds for a range of House programs. Bob Ellis described Carrington fondly. According to Ellis, he was more than just a former St. Chris employee, “He was a mentor, a counsellor and friend.”
Intended merely as a onetime fundraising event, the tradition of Connie’s Sunday Jam was born. Combine a sunny August afternoon in the shady courtyard with frosty drinks; burgers sizzling above smoky briquettes; add old friends, new faces, plus first rate performers like Salome Bey, Jackie Richardson, Molly Johnson and Shakura S’Aida, and you have all the requirements for a brand new tradition based half a century in the past.
2011 marked the tenth anniversary of Connie’s Sunday Jam. The event was celebrated on Lake Ontario, aboard the Yankee Lady II. Fifty-five years after the first Sunday jam session was held at Wales Avenue, Connie Carrington’s contribution to the community continues. In a very real sense, one man’s initiative impacted both locally and nationally, affecting numerous young lives and altering the direction of jazz music in Canada.
The author would like to acknowledge the assistance of Bob Ellis and Archie Alleyne in the writing of this article. Source material includes The Story of St Christopher House by Patricia J. O’Connor and content from a draft copy of Dr. Andrew Scott’s PhD thesis, The Toronto Jazz Scene 1956-1961.
An organizing committee consisting of volunteers, staff and board members has been formed to plan St Chris’s centenary. The Century Committee meets monthly. Those interested in participating, passing along ideas or sharing a memory, may contact Lidia Monaco at 416 532-4828 (Ext. 234) or lidiamo@stchrishouse.org
St. Christopher House thanks the author, Edward Brown, who is a Toronto-based writer and volunteer on the St. Christopher House Century Committee. He is also the author of Playing Basra.
