Beverly Taft inherited her love of jazz standards and show tunes from her music-loving parents. Mom (Margie) is a classical piano teacher who really swings on the weekends, playing popular music at parties and for seniors. Dad (Bill) is a fan of greats like Bunny Berigan, Anita O'Day, Ellington and the "Velvet Fog" (Mel Torme), and can be heard crooning enthusiastically (albeit a little off-key) 7 days a week in and around their suburban home.

This atmosphere and childhood trips to high school productions of shows like "Guys and Dolls" sparked Beverly's initial interest in popular standards and show/swing tunes. In April, 1992 she ventured timidly onto the stage as a guest at Toronto jazz singer, pianist, arranger and composer, John Alcorn's Sunday Salon at Theatre Passe-Muraille. About a year later she took up vocal lessons with Mr. Alcorn and studied with him on and off for about 5 years. Inspired by favourites Ella Fitzgerald and Anita O'Day, Beverly has always the music of Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin and lesser known composers whose obscure ouevre won't be forgotten if she can help it. The Mood Swingers Four! repertoire includes songs by all of the above, with a focus on the 1920s and '30s swing and novelty. As leader of her own group, Beverly focusses on the Great American Songbook, performing familiar and lesser known standards in more of a "jazz" context. Her trio (featured Friday nights at Bistro Creations, 35 Baldwin St) is comprised of Roland Hunter on guitar and Chris Banks on upright bass. She also performs with Gordon Webster on piano (most often at The Rex, along with Rob McBride on bass and Jesse Baird on drums).


EDUCATION

In addition to her studies with John Alcorn, Beverly has done workshops with blues and jazz vocalist Bonnie Brett, bassist/pianist/persussionist Howard Rees, guitarist/teacher Allan Gorman and a couple of clinics with bebop piano great Barry Harris. In May, 2001, Beverly participated in internationally acclaimed jazz vocalist Sheila Jordan's 8 day workshop at the Banff Centre for the Arts. In addition to Ms. Jordan, Vivienne Cardinal and Jay Clayton's inspired teachings, the Banff workshop gave Beverly the opportunity to work with stellar musicians like Toronto's Dave Restivo (piano), and Jim Vivian (bass), pianist Randy Halberstadt and drummer Owen Howard (both from the U.S.). Beverly's also studied and performed with Bob Mover, the great alto and tenor player whose knowledge of standards, appreciation of lyrics and sincere singing style are hallmarks of the era and musicianship to which Beverly aspires.


THE EARLY YEARS - (The '90s)

In 1994, Beverly began singing at open stage nights in Toronto (mostly Parkdale) and even Banff, Alberta. In the Spring of 1995, at John Alcorn's suggestion, Beverly hired an accompanist and rehearsed about 25 cabaret favourites for a performance at The Treehouse on Church St. The accompanist? None other than Bev's mom, Margie, who hadn't played jazz in a ginjoint for thirty years. The mother-daughter team was a big success, filling the club and raising money for Equity Fights Aids and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Bev really struck a chord with audience member Fred Spek, local saxophone player and jazz lover. The two were obviously in tune but Beverly was headed for Japan, so Fred made a plan to follow her. In the three months that Fred and Beverly were apart, loverboy would jam regularly with Margie in the suburbs, keeping up both his jazz chops and his connection with the Taft family.

In Japan, Beverly studied jazz theory with pianist Bill Montgomery and sang at clubs in Tokyo, as well as teaching English. When Fred arrived, he and Beverly performed with several local musicians and eventually began making music together under the name THe MooD SWiNgeRS. They work mostly as a quartet now in Toronto (guitar OR keys, with upright bass) but frequently bring in percussion for dances, weddings and larger venues. Hope you'll swing with 'em soon.

Fred Spek started playing the alto saxophone in 1982, inspired by the likes of Steven Brown (Tuxedomoon), Lora Logic (X-Ray Specs), Andy McKay (Roxy Music), James Chance (Contortions) and the tone of older players like Earl Bostic and Lester Young, among many others. In 1983 he signed up for an experimental music at Brock University (St. Catharines, ON) and, along with classmate Malcolm Lewis, produced a recording under the name of BLANK CROWD. Later this duo moved to Toronto and completed more recordings and also did many live concerts, adding guitarist Rich Konik (INFRARED WORLD, OBNOXiCO, DoGPiLE ) and later bassist/guitarist Richard Wyman (DIVORCE COURT, BLUE MARTIANS).

Other projects included film soundtracks for cinematographer Miroslav Bazak (of ROADKILL fame) and also indie filmmakers Sandra Moffat and Edie Steiner.

BLANK CROWD dissolved in 1991 and Fred continued the studies in jazz that he'd begun in 1985, attending various jazz workshops and jam sessions, studying with Howard Rees, Don Englert and later Perry White, Bob Mover and Alan Gorman. Other projects included recording dates with bands like avant Beefheartian WIGGLEPIG and jazzcore rockers VARSOL, and gigs with ethereal industrialists PARADE

In 1992 he attended the first rehearsal for a band called BRAINO.

In the winter of '92 he left for New Orleans, staying for approximately one year, busking jazz tunes, taking some sax lessons, hanging out at coffee houses, getting involved with some fringe artists/musicians, and learning a thing or two about the roots of jazz and blues music.

Back in Toronto in late 1993 he switched from alto to tenor sax and rejoined avant punksters BRAINO, playing many dates around Ontario. Friday evenings were spent jamming with DUB ENFORCEMENT AGENCY, a dub, jazz and ska outfit which counted SUCKING CHEST WOUND's Wayne Morris and UIC's Kevin Kelly among its ranks as well as a large horn section.

This continued until October 1995, when he left Canada to be with his love Beverly Taft who was teaching English in Japan. Beverly is a singer, and these two soon realized they shared a fondness for maudlin jazz standards and quirky novelty tunes. Together they decided to form a lounge duo called THe MooD SWiNgeRS. Utilizing a kitsch beatbox/sequencer as a backup band, they got paying gigs in Japan and expanded their repertoire to meet the demand.

In August 1997, they made a permanent return to their home in Toronto, and now, eschewing the mechanical beatbox, continue to work around town with various jazzers. Fred sits in with bassist Jason Clarke and the BUGNITE crew, blues singer/pianist Juliun Fauth, and other places like The Rex Hotel. In the summer 2004, he joined Richard Underhill's Kensington Community Orchestra, who livened up the streets of the Market during the car-free Sundays series.