It’s nearly impossible to walk past this Queen Street West café without peeking through its window and feeling captivated by the ambience and faint sounds of artists performing.
Toronto’s Poetry Jazz Café in the West Queen West neighbourhood near Dovercourt Road brings together artists and audience members to create an unforgettable and intimate live music experience.
The café is a space where various rising and established artists get to let loose and experiment with their sounds.
Matthew Micheal, the guitarist and singer for indie band Bonk, which performs on Wednesday nights, says smaller venues like these are great for artists to try out new ideas.
“These kinds of venues are great for testing out new material,” he said.
The café gives artists the chance to collaborate with musicians from different genres.
Realije, an artist, beatboxer and MC, says the diverse space helps to expand his musical knowledge and creativity, especially through his freestyle performances with Bonk.
“It’s amazing. I just love bouncing ideas off of people,” he said. “Whatever age you are, whatever level of artistry you're at, you should definitely try it out.”
Many artists are drawn to the café's collaborative environment, including weekly performer Darryl Joseph-Dennie, the creator of Shuffle: A Live Jazz-Hip hop Experiment he hosts at the café.
"It feels like a nostalgic party,” he said. “It’s people being able to connect with music they're familiar with and an opportunity to meet like-minded people.”
Shuffle: A Live Jazz-Hip hop Experiment is a weekly event and ongoing project that reinterprets old-school classics using jazz instrumentals, including saxophones, piano, bass and drums, to create a new sound.
Joseph-Dennie describes Shuffle as taking the top songs from the 1990s and early 2000s and creating a themed live playlist.
“I like to say it's the grown and sexy version,” he said. “You used to dance to it at a nightclub, and now you can sip a martini to it at a jazz club, but the music hasn't changed.”
“It's just the way its interpreted.” Joseph-Dennie said.
Shuffle are Tuesdays from 9 p.m. to midnight, featuring all your favorite throwbacks ranging from On & On by Erykah Badu to Suit & Tie by Justin Timberlake.
Aside from Shuffle, the café hosts a variety of performances throughout the week, except on Sundays.
Artists say spaces like the café help keep the jazz and live music scene alive, especially after the pandemic.
"Live music was hit hard by the pandemic, and it took a while for it to come back,” Bonk bassist Connor J. McCann said. “I think just now recently it's starting to come back."
Performers say working in live music today comes with struggles, like finding venues, earning enough money, and reaching audiences.
That's why Poetry Jazz Café has become a hidden gem for many artists, offering a spot to perform and an environment to collaborate.
Joseph-Dennie says live music is an ecosystem, where everyone involved depends on each other to make this exist.
He said live music relies on three parties coming together: performers, a venue, and an audience.
“If all three of those things come together, then you can have live music,” Joseph-Dennie said.
Despite the dilemmas, Joseph-Dennie stays optimistic.
"I think it’s facing new challenges, but I don’t think it will ever die.”
