Jack de Keyzer came to the 2011 festival as the Friday night headliner. He was already a two-time JUNO winner by then, having taken Blues Album of the Year in 2003 for 6 String Lover and again in 2010 for The Corktown Sessions . He had also won the International Songwriting Competition in 2007 for "That's the Only Time" . The man had the hardware.
He played Murphy's Community Centre on Friday, August 19, at 9:15pm. His band for the night was Al Duffy on bass, Rick Donaldson on drums, and David McMorrow on keyboards. The same rhythm section he had been working with for years.
The first time
De Keyzer had played the festival once before, three years earlier. That time he was given just one set, and by all accounts it was not enough. The festival bio from 2011 says it plainly. His technical mastery and jazz influenced licks, full of rhythmic and harmonic complexity yet always riding on a solid blues groove, left the audience calling for more. So this time they made him the headliner.
The quotes
The festival bio included two quotes that tell you everything you need to know about how he is regarded. Jeff Healey called him "the finest blues guitarist in Canada." Bob Dylan said, "If Jack de Keyzer was from Chicago, New York or LA, he'd be famous." Those are not small endorsements.
De Keyzer was born in Britain and came to Canada young. He has been based in Toronto for most of his career, playing around 160 to 180 shows a year across Canada, the US, Mexico and Europe . He has shared stages with Etta James, Otis Rush, Bo Diddley, Blue Rodeo and John Hammond Jr. He bridges the gap between blues, jazz, roots and rock, which is a harder thing to do well than it sounds.
That night
A Friday night headliner slot at Murphy's, with a full band and a crowd that had been warmed up by the rest of the week. De Keyzer is a player who builds a set, starting somewhere in the pocket and working his way up. By the time he got to the end, the room would have been with him. The festival called him back for a reason. He delivered.
Since then
De Keyzer kept going. He won more Maple Blues Awards, released more records, and in 2019 was nominated for another JUNO for Checkmate . He is still playing, still touring, still one of the best blues guitarists this country has produced. The 2011 festival was just one stop on a long road.
For the current festival, head to the schedule page or the main lineup page. This archive is kept for looking back.