To John music embodies his spirit, passion, and soul. His inspirations to compose lie deep in his heart; his mind is enraptured and lost within himself when performing. John has supported many health charities in the past. However, none have had the scope and ambition as the one he is currently involved, called “Let’s Find A Way”, a not-for-profit organization (chairman Robin Tomlin) that raises awareness, education, and funds for HIV among aboriginal children worldwide
John is an active blogger on York Scene. He was asked by Nancy Bodi, Executive Director of the York Region Arts Council, to be a blogger and has been writing since October 2010.
On January 12, 2010, the nation of Haiti was torn apart by a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake. An estimated 3,000,000 people were affected by the quake and the 52 subsequent aftershocks. The Haitian Government estimated that 230,000 people had died, 300,000 had been injured, and 1,000,000 were made homeless as a direct result of this disaster. Over 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings were damaged or utterly destroyed.
George Rondina – managing director of Number 9 Audio Group – felt he could not simply sit idly by without trying to contribute to the relief effort in some way. Utilizing his music industry contacts and studio resources, George kick-started a truly uplifting idea: gather together some of the greatest talents in the Canadian music industry to record a World Jazz For Haiti album. When released, the album will raise funds for the Red Cross’s Haitian disaster relief effort and create awareness of the continuing struggles faced by Haitian people.
Number 9 Audio Group in Toronto is proud to be producing this once-in-a-lifetime album with world-class artists for an extremely worthwhile international cause. Musical director/producer George Koller and associate producer Jesse Capon have put together an eclectic mix of talent for the album, including industry veterans David Clayton-Thomas, Holly Cole, and John McDermott. The final release is due out this August and is sure to be both a stunning music compilation and a major boon for Haiti’s disaster relief efforts.
Robin Tomlin had a vision of a song that could bring hope and inspiration to the AIDS and Viral Hepatitis B & C epidemics and their effects on children worldwide. In August 2006, he challenged two of his gifted friends and songwriters, Phil Koochin and Kevan Ehman to write a song that would inspire hope all over the world and serve as an AIDS and Viral Hepatitis B & C International Anthem. Upon the completion of the song Let´s Find A Way, Robin brought it to the attention of musician/producer Waleed Abdulhamid, and asked for his assistance in producing this song with several international performers.
Each performer delivers a reassurance of hope and inspiration by representing their culture and heritage through their voice. Their love and devotion is echoed in the song as their hearts beat together as one rhythm. From the roots of this song comes a documentary that shows the making of this international project, that unites the world to its cause.
In the year leading up to her “Au diapason” solo show at Craig Scott Gallery, Montreal-based painter Lorraine Pritchard collaborated with Toronto-based pianist John Ebata to produce a body of work — paintings and music — through the back-and-forth engagement of the two artists, each composing their works interactively, in response to each other, in a combination of a kind of non-stop jam session and an ongoing process of ‘tuning.’ The collaboration was simultaneously a tribute to the music of Dizzy Gillespie. Music composed and recorded by Ebata was performed at the opening on Friday, November 2, 2007. A DVD containing the Ebata compositions and images of the Pritchard paintings was produced and were available for purchase at the opening. See Exhibit at www.craigscottgallery.com
