I was lucky enough to have studied jazz at York University while Oscar Peterson was the school’s chancellor. Even though our paths never crossed, his presence was almost palpable. I played in an ensemble under the tutelage of Don Thompson, a Canadian jazz giant in his our right, and every once in a while he’d make us put down our instruments and stop talking theory so we could listen to the masters. He’d play us records from his collection - Clifford Brown, John Coltrane, Bill Evans - but more often than not we’d find ourselves listening to Oscar Peterson.

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If Joanna Newsom gave birth to Tom Waits‘ illegitimate daughter and then refused to breastfeed her, the girl might grow up sounding a lot like Toronto’s Ronley Teper. When I first heard the buzz about Teper, people told me she was weird - good, but definitely weird. Imagine, if you will, Kate Bush in her youth in a more rootsy, acoustic setting. Pretty cool, actually.

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In 1986 five white guys from T.O. got together to create bizarre mix of jazz, hip-hop, and comedy that sang the praises of riding the rocket and discussed landlord/tenant issues with the local bug population. Being a gawky teenager prone to inappropriate laughing fits, I soon found myself ROTFLMAO as their videos went into heavy rotation on MuchMusic. Little did I know that the Shuffle Demons were a gateway into another dimension, the first step in a long journey that eventually lead me to Miles, Mingus, and Coltrane, in much the same way that Björk lead me to Autechre and Never Mind the Bollocks lead me to Rock for Light.

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Christine Bougie knows a little bit about leading a double life. While studying jazz at Toronto’s Humber College, she fell in love with playing country. She was supposed to be studying guitar in the manner of Herb Ellis and Wes Montgomery, but she was secretly woodshedding on lap steel, teaching herself the skills that have made her one of the most in-demand side players in town.

Most jazz-snobs will tell you that it’s almost impossible to find common ground between two such disparate musical influences, but to Bougie, it seems to come effortlessly. On her debut album, Hammy’s Secret Life, the multi-instrumentalist lays down eight self-penned tunes that simultaneously make reference to several musical traditions with a confidence that belies her 26 years.

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