Toronto Recording Studios For Haiti

Online, August 11, 2010 (Newswire.com) - A group of Canada's top recording artists convened in Cabbagetown over the past few months looking to make a difference in Haiti.

Cabbagetown's Number 9 Recording Studios, at 222 Gerrard Street East, served as a home base for the upcoming album World Jazz for Haiti.

The album will feature such diverse talents as Holly Cole, David Clayton-Thomas (Blood, Sweat and Tears), John McDermott and the Shuffle Demons, whose talents were secured after George Rondina, the studio's managing director, decided to leverage his business contacts to do some good.

With a star-studded lineup donating their time - and Number 9 donating the use of the studio - the 24-track, double CD offers a wide selection of new and original world music and jazz tracks.

For Rondina, making the album was a way to give as much as he could to the Red Cross' ongoing rescue and rebuilding efforts in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

"I've been in the business for close to 30 years and I've met a lot of people in that time - a lot of great acts," he said. "I figured I could donate a little of my own money, but by getting all these great acts involved, we could give a lot more."

While Rondina was convinced his idea was a good one, he had no idea how - or even if - it would come together. He sent out some preliminary emails to get a sense as to how much interest there was and was inundated with positive responses from artists and producers, many of whom passed the word along and got friends involved.

"I just really put feelers out to see what people thought about it at first," Rondina said. "I decided to sort of jump in feet first and see what happened and it was amazing how many people wanted to help."

World Jazz for Haiti offers a great mix of internationally, nationally and locally-known artists, all of whom were thrilled to donate their time and gain additional exposure.

While Rondina was surprised by the response, Number 9 Recording Studios office manager Neale Ramakrishnan said it was a testament to his vision and philanthropy that the project was as well-received as it was in musical circles.

"George had the facility here to maybe do more than what most people could do and he felt it would be wrong of him not to do it," he said. "It was an out-of-the-blue thing, but it's been an incredibly productive thing."

While the project was not without cost - the studio donated some $30,000 in studio time - Rondina said it was an easy decision to make, given the long-term impact it could have on Haiti.

"It's for a great cause," he said. "Hopefully we sell a lot of records because collectively we can do a lot more through the music industry than we can do individually."

The project is nearing completion, with the album expected to be released on iTunes in August and a CD release party set to take place at Hugh's Room on Sunday, Sept. 26.

Once World Jazz for Haiti is officially out in stores, the team at Number 9 Recording Studios are looking toward new fundraising projects.

"We're thinking of setting up a not-for-profit foundation where we can do something like this a bit more often," Ramakrishnan said.

Updates on the album's progress can be found at:

http://www.number9.ca/world-jazz-for-haiti-nearing-completion/

You can also join our Facebook page at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/World-Jazz-for-Haiti/124013780974252?ref=ts