April 30, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 30, 2007 at 08:00 PM
I've written about him hear before and you've heard him on Canada Live and Concerts On Demand but tonight Celso Machado illuminates The Signal with Laurie Brown.
Celso Machado can coax the most amazing sounds from his guitar, his voice - and his body. Tonight you'll hear Celso imitate a samba line in Rio and a common (or not so common) housefly - and play some mean guitar in the process. Plus the latest in Brazilian music from Bebel Gilberto and Cibelle.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 30, 2007 at 05:57 PM
Tonight on Canada Live with Matt Galloway, Winnipeg jazz pianist Michelle Gregoire joins the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra to premiere her brand new concerto for jazz trio and orchestra, "Gratitude Suite".
The program also includes music by George Gershwin, George Antheil and Hugh Fraser. Later…what happens if you cross Billie Holiday and Macy Gray and persuade the resulting crooner to sing in French? Terez Montcalm. Recorded at the Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre, the Montreal-based singer does jazz standards and original material in French and English
Plus a musical tribute to a number of well-known Manitoba composers, including Daniel Lavoie, Neil Young, Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 30, 2007 at 03:47 PM
I was DJ-ing in a club when I was 17 when I first encountered the "Dirty Mind" album by Prince and was instantly hooked.
While he is prone to occasional self-indulgence and musical dead-ends, on the whole you simply have to look at Prince's body of work to see that this is a pop-genius at work. Aside from his own extraordinarily distinctive musical voice, his ability to craft songs for others to sing is part of what makes him great. Just consider "Manic Monday", which was a huge hit for The Bangles or "Nothing Compares 2 U", which put Sinéad O'Connor on the charts in the biggest possible way.
Canadian jazz singer Dione Taylor puts her stamp on that particular song today on Tonic with Katie Malloch.
Also on the show, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles beg for a second chance with "Oooh, Baby, Baby." And then it’s "The Touch of Your Lips" from Tony Bennett and Bill Evans' classic duo album.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 30, 2007 at 12:54 PM
Well, perhaps not the last word - but the last word in this space.
Back in March I made a post that referenced Terry O'Reilly's wonderful Radio One show "The Age of Persuasion". This prompted a flood of comments requesting podcast versions of the show. I agree, I think it's a terrific programme.
Continue reading "The Last Word on O'Reilly" »
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 30, 2007 at 09:22 AM
No one will be sadder than the fictional morning radio guys Bill & Marty at KBBL in The Simpsons hometown of Springfield USA, that Bobby 'Boris' Pickett, the singer who was a one-hit wonder with the novelty tune Monster Mash, has died at age 69."
Read the full story at CBC | Music News.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 30, 2007 at 09:15 AM
I received a comment that was too rude to post from someone suggesting that Andrew Burashko's "Schubert - Source and Inspiration" piece for Concerts on Demand, Canada Live and The Signal was another case of "dumbing down" and the CBC trying to dress up the wolf of pop music in the sheep's clothing of classical music.
Continue reading "Unconventional Joy" »
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 30, 2007 at 08:44 AM
The English composer Gavin Bryars returns to Glenn Gould Studio, where he’s joined by Swedish soprano Anna Maria Friman (Trio Mediaeval), English tenor John Potter, (Red Byrd, and The Hilliard Ensemble), as well as Canadian instrumentalists Max Christie on bass clarinet and Douglas Perry on viola, in a beautiful melding of contemporary and early music.
Gavin Bryars & Friends using your Concerts on Demand panel.
April 29, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 29, 2007 at 08:13 PM
It's Made in Manitoba music Sunday night on The Signal with Pat Carrabré. From a Groundswell concert recorded in January, four world premieres by Manitoban composers. The featured performers are also Manitoban, including soprano Charlene Pauls and guitarist Ian Hodges.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 29, 2007 at 06:30 PM
and it's very Jazzy.
Tonight on Canada Live with Patti Schmidt, the Prairie Fire Jazz Band plays original compositions and arrangements in a hot concert recorded in front of a very enthusiastic full house on the University of Saskatchewan campus in Saskatoon. Also, the Kimbal Siebert Trio, featuring the critically-acclaimed Saskatoon finger-style guitarist leading his trio in a selection of original tunes. And Prairie Virtuosi, a chamber group that performs without a conductor, recorded in the acoustically beautiful St. Alban's Cathedral in Prince Albert. They're joined by guitar soloist Ben Schenstead and flutist Sally Cochrane, in a program of works by Vivaldi, Telemann and more.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 29, 2007 at 03:13 PM
An extraordinary night of music at the Prozz (Prosvita Hall) last night with performances by some wonderful Thunder Bay talent - including Rodney Brown, Norm Sponchia, Heather McLeod, Tracy K., Robin Ranger and many others.
Before heading home, the obligatory stop at the Hoito Restaurant for the traditional ham and eggs with Finnish pancakes and a tableful of other Finnish house specialties. As much as the restaurant is a popular spot every day for stick-to-your-ribs cooking, it's also got an important place in the history of the country - both as a home of the immigrant Finnish community and as the centre of a chapter in Canada's labour history. In fact, the restaurant is still run as a cooperative.
Thanks to all of the musicians and people of Thunder Bay for putting on such a great show last night.
And thanks for the pancakes!
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 29, 2007 at 02:41 PM
Let's see, first up there's Roots & Wings with Philly Markowitz.
Philly has great music from Italian trumpeter Ray Paci and from the Gangbe Brass Band from Benin. Plus an excerpt from an exclusive concert of folk music from Norway, in which contemporary singers breathed new life into old songs they found in old music archives.
Then, Alan Neal Fuses the talents of fiddler-to-the-stars Anne Lindsay and the country-gospeleers Jon-Rae and The River.
And on Tonic, Tim Tamashiro goes meatless - with music themed to everything from collard greens to black-eyed peas to tofu.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 29, 2007 at 02:36 PM
The coffin of Russian cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich was placed in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory on Saturday so thousands of Russians could pay their respects.
(Read the full story at CBC | Music News.)
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 29, 2007 at 01:00 PM
Do you remember that old prose poem by Gertrude Stein, called "It was black, black took"? How did it go? "Black ink best wheel bale brown. Excellent not a hull house, not a pea soup, no bill no care, no precise no past pearl pearl goat." This week, Skylarking separates the music from the words, to make a sound collage, a sound collage like Gert did, God bless her pointy little pearl pearl goat.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 29, 2007 at 11:08 AM
Just going through the schedule and noticing a few Bryars pieces and at that very moment - completely independently - Heather McLeod here in Thunder Bay started telling me about a piece she once heard that had her completely transfixed. "It had first an old English guy singing this song in a creaky voice and then Tom Waits took over!", she said. What a coincidence, I said - you're actually talking about a Gavin Bryars piece called "Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet" and all these other folks have got Bryars in the queue.
Oi mi lasso - music of Gavin Bryars / Old forms - New Sounds this week on OnStage. Though he maintains a summer home on Vancouver Island, the English composer Gavin Bryars hasn't performed in Toronto in more than a dozen years! A favourite of Canadian audiences, he returns to Glenn Gould Studio, where he's joined by Swedish soprano Anna Maria Friman, English tenor John Potter, (known for his work with Red Byrd and the Hilliard Ensemble), as well as Canadian instrumentalists Max Christie on bass clarinet and Douglas Perry on viola, in a melding of contemporary and early music.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 29, 2007 at 10:06 AM
Today on The Singer and the Song, Catherine Belyea welcomes special guest, operatic bass Phillip Ens. They'll sample the work of some of Phillip's favourite basses and bass-baritones, singing music by Verdi, Wagner, Mozart, Mussorgsky, even a little Cole Porter! From Titta Ruffo, recorded in 1915, to Bryn Terfel today, enjoy the vocal richness of the lower registers, along with the amazing SPEAKING voice of Phillip Ens.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 29, 2007 at 08:04 AM
Actually, this really is not to be confused with the Kiefer Sutherland TV show.
It's "A Day With Joseph Haydn", courtesy of Les Violons du Roy this week on Symphony Hall. You'll hear four Haydn symphonies, three of them nicknamed "Morning", "Midday" and "Evening".
No CIA agents, bombs or terrorists involved.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 29, 2007 at 06:01 AM
Not the Fellini version.
This Amarcord is an internationally-acclaimed male vocal sextet from Leipzig. This morning on Choral Concert with Howard Dyck, they'll perform a potpourri of musical delights from Dowland, Bach and Poulenc to Shearing, Burl Ives and Newfoundland folk songs.
April 28, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 28, 2007 at 07:55 PM
Tonight on The Signal with Pat Carrabré - the return of Vancouver's thoughtful DJ pioneers, the No Luck Club. They - along with composer Betsy Raum, producer/DJ Susumu Yokota, and minimalist composer Arvo Part - all contribute to the night's theme of carousels, carnivals and even the House of Mirrors.
Later in the program, you'll hear Gavin Bryars' "south downs" and Malcolm Forsyth's "Eclectic Suite" performed at the Music at Memorial concert in St. John's.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 28, 2007 at 03:49 PM
It starts with a bit of a dance party today on Tonic with Tim Tamashiro - with music from Fred Astaire and Oscar Peterson. You'll hear jazz mumbling, rambling and even a little scatting! You'll also have a chance to win Michael Bublé's new CD "Call Me Irresponsible"! And they'll spin a new track from Tierney Sutton's new disc "On the Other Side".
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 28, 2007 at 03:43 PM
Andrew Burashko of The Art of Time Ensemble is a classical musician who - like most classical musicians - also loves pop music. For this concert he invited some well-known singer-songwriters - Sarah Slean, Andy Maize (of Skydiggers), Martin Tielli (of the late Rheostatics), Danny Michel and John Southworth - to write and perform music inspired by Franz Schubert.
The concert begins with Andrew explaining the genesis of the concert followed by a performance of Schubert’s iconic E flat Piano Trio, D. 929. Then the singer-songwriters take the stage.
You may have heard Andrew in conversation with Laurie Brown on the Signal playing excerpts from the show. I was listening in the car on the way home from a house concert in Thunder Bay and it was spectacular. Now, you can hear it whenever you like at the click of a mouse.
Schubert - Source and Inspiration at Concerts On Demand
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 28, 2007 at 11:28 AM
Join Howard Dyck as he brings you the Metropolitan Opera .
James Levine conducts a new production of "Il Trittico" - three one-act operas by Puccini. "Il Tabarro" stars Maria Guleghina, Salvatore Licitra and Juan Pons. "Suor Angelica" stars Barbara Frittoli in the title role, with Heidi Grant Murphy and Stephanie Blythe. And "Gianni Schicchi" stars Alessandro Corbelli in the title role, with Olga Mykytenko and Massimo Giordano.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 28, 2007 at 11:00 AM
The advance copy for the last few weeks of Sound Advice with Rick Phillips has touted the series about Cecile Chaminade, calling her "an almost-forgotten composer who flourished around 1900 but has faded into obscurity since then". However, this being week three of the series, I'm hoping that Rick's fans have been paying close enough attention that she's moved out of the "who the heck" category into the "Who's Who" This week, Rick plays one of her foremost works, the "Concertino for Flute".
If you'd like to make her even less obscure, there is some information online to learn more about her.
Also this week, Rick catches up on all the new CDs that couldn't be fitted into any one category, including a new CD of music from movie Westerns.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 28, 2007 at 09:56 AM
Stuart McLean is in a revolutionary mood this week in the Vinyl Café. In fact, you may never peel another banana, as long as you live!
He also reflects on the merits of summer jobs, imagining what the world would be like if we all got up from our desks and walked away from the assembly lines of our lives and got ourselves a summer job. Wouldn't it be a better world if our politicians, for example, spent the summer flipping burgers?
I'm not sure about that, actually. It seems to me that politicians spend an awful lot of time on the campaign trail flipping pancakes and burgers and roasting corn and it doesn't seem to make a difference.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 28, 2007 at 09:00 AM
Now that was torture!
This morning, a press appearance required me to walk through the front door of the famous Hoito Restaurant in Thunder Bay, through a room full of happy looking breakfasters hovered over plates of Finnish pancakes and right into the kitchen amongst the simmering pots of mojaka - and i couldn't try any of it! However, I've been promised a proper Finnish breakfast at the Hoito tomorrow morning. I'll let you know how it goes.
April 27, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 27, 2007 at 07:38 PM
I met the Spanish trade commissioner at a party a year or two ago. I asked him what he thought accounted for the rise of Spanish cuisine on the international scene. He told me the roots of it went back to the death of Franco. Franco, of course, saw food as an industry and Spain was a major exporter. After the death of the dictator, democracy returned not only to politics but also to food. The country was divided into régions - much like wine country in France or Canada - for all sectors of the food economy. Very quickly, the idea of food as culture began to reassert itself as specific producers fought for recognition as producers of the best ham, best olive oil, best whatever. Regional dishes rose to the forefront and food lore came into the discourse about culture.
I just find this stuff fascinating - especially since Canada seems to be paying more and more attention to its regional cuisines and regional produce. Quebec is far ahead on this front in many areas, it seems and the result are some spectacular cheeses. What does this have to do with tonight's edition of The Signal with Pat Carrabré, you ask?
Continue reading "Food For Thought" »
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 27, 2007 at 05:46 PM
There are two concerts tonight on Canada Live with Matt Galloway designed to get you prepped for the weekend:
David Usher and his band perform material from his most recent CD, "Strange Birds", in front of an enthusiastic crowd at CBC Montreal's Studio 12.
Later, Vanessa Rodrigues and her Soul Project with their take on acid jazz funk. Rodrigues performs funky songs on her Hammond B3 organ with her trio, and pushes back musical frontiers with guest performer DJ Killa Jewel.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 27, 2007 at 03:42 PM
This weekend marks what would have been Duke Ellington's 108th birthday.
Why sing "Happy Birthday" when the Duke produced such an extraordinary amount of great music? Tonight on Tonic with Katie Malloch, she calls upon some stellar names to take a turn honouring the master: pianist Nancy Walker, saxophonist Dave Turner and singer Betty Roché.
She'll also have a little bit of disco-soul from Syl Johnson, plus a tap-dance medley from Dizzie Gillespie, Fred Astaire and Barry Elmes.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 27, 2007 at 01:10 PM
Here it is folks, the infamous ‘bum-wiggling’ concert! What’s this all about? Honestly, I’m not sure but I think it had something to do with the letters to editor section of the Edmonton Journal following this show.
This wasn’t your typical ESO Master Series concert. Sure ESO Music Director William Eddins conducted. But in the case of Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ he did so from the piano bench . . . while performing the solo part.
James Campbell is the clarinet soloist in a Stravinsky concerto. Makes sense. But jazz great PJ Perry? And then there was that Jazz Big Band on stage in the middle of the orchestra. Oh my.
It’s probably best if you just listen for yourself at Concerts on Demand.
And by all means, feel free to wiggle your bum.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 27, 2007 at 09:51 AM
You may have heard Canadian pianist David Jalbert from Rimouski Quebec back on the March 25th edition of Symphony Hall performing Ravel's "Concerto in G" with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra (which I just listened to today here in Thunder Bay, as a matter of fact).
He's in Ottawa as part of the National Arts Centre's "Quebec Scene" and he'll take a swing up the block by Studio Sparks for a seat at the Steinway today for an intimate session of live music and conversation with Eric Friesen.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 27, 2007 at 04:57 AM
Tom was a great part of my morning yesterday - with his description of "plinky" instruments played by the Combattimento Ensemble on their album "Soldiers, Gypsies, Farmers and a Night Watchman".
I also got lots of great comments already about what people love about Tom. You can read them in the comments under the post but I want to get a few more together and put them in a post of their own - so keep 'em coming.
April 26, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 26, 2007 at 07:55 PM
Tonight on the Signal, Laurie Brown delves into sound and image - .music inspired by paintings. You'll hear Harry Freedman's 'Images' as performed by the Amici Stings, as well as the Rheostatics' homage to The Group of Seven. Plus many more opportunities for hearing colours and tasting sounds.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 26, 2007 at 05:41 PM
George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" was the "Stairway to Heaven" of its time and genre.
Scoff if you must but it's true - a tour de force that shifts with considerable flash between distinct movements within a pop structure. Also like "Stairway to Heaven", it's one of those pieces we don't really hear in its entirety much: often, the opening bars recall the whole experience and we move on.
I'm used to not hearing "Rhapsody in Blue" in its entirety. My dad was a frustrated musician. He made the sensible choice to pursue Economics rather than music at some point and was left with this drive to master enough pieces to at least feel like a musician...
Continue reading "Rhapsody Blues" »
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 26, 2007 at 04:00 PM
Can you imagine being Harold Arlen and having written that song?
He was born Hyman Arluck, in Buffalo, New York, the son of a Cantor. And in 1938 he wrote what would ultimately be voted the number one song of the 20th century. It's pretty much perfection. He wrote some other great stuff to and you'll hear some of it performed by guitarist Peter Leitch and pianist John Hicks tonight on Tonic with Katie Malloch.
Also on the show, a gorgeous ballad from Melissa Stylianou and "Clara's Rap" from Brazilian singer Clara Moreno.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 26, 2007 at 08:22 AM
Touched down in Thunder Bay last night and was met at the airport by Heather McLeod from CBC Radio in T-Bay (it's like a big club, we all stay at each other's houses). Naturally, Radio Two was on in the car so I caught the end of the Jason Vieaux concert on Canada Live. Got settled in at the house and then headed out to the Calico Café for a late night latte. Caught the first part of The Signal on the way down.
Looking forward to a musical few days in sight of the Sleeping Giant.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 26, 2007 at 07:29 AM
Jurgen Petrenko stops by Here's To You with "Organ Thursday" and more music by Josef Rheinberger (didn't he become Pope?) - this time his "Suite for Organ, Violin and Cello". I don't know, Jurgen - sounds like you're drawing outside the lines a little there.
Also, Madrigals by Gesualdo and music by Bach, Haydn Franck and more.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 26, 2007 at 05:26 AM
This is my appeal to Tom Allen.
I love listening to the way Tom talks about music. But he never lets me know what's coming up so this is a bit of a public shaming. I know, I'd like everyone to write something they like about Tom and I'll pull them all together into one big We Love Tom post.
I await your Tom-isms.
April 25, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 25, 2007 at 08:04 PM
A few things about Franz Schubert:
First of all, one of my favourite pieces of music is Kraftwerk's "Franz Schubert" but I don't know for the life of me why it's called that. Is it based on a Schubert phrase? Is it simply a tribute? Any ideas, please make a comment below and let me know.
Second, Schubert really struggled for most of his career. He came from modest circumstances and had only modest success. His music didn't really take off until after his death. And yet, when he asked to be buried next to Beethoven upon his death, his wishes were honoured. Can you do that? Can you just say "I'd like to be buried next to [insert celebrity name here] and have it happen?
And finally....
Continue reading "Franz Schubert" »
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 25, 2007 at 05:45 PM
Tonight on Canada Live with Matt Galloway, two outstanding concerts from Vancouver.
Sangha is a quartet that combines tabla, tar, oud and sambak. As its instrumentation suggests, Sangha mixes a number of improvisational traditions - predominantly Arabic, Persian and Indian. In this concert, Sangha adds special guest clarinetist Francois Houle to the mix.
Later…Jason Vieaux from Ohio. He's a classical guitarist with an impressive performance, recording and touring resumé. He's got a broad repertoire and great sense of adventure on the guitar. His latest recording is a tribute to one of his own heroes, Pat Matheny, and apparently the feeling is mutual. Jason was in Vancouver as part of the "Music In the Morning" concert series.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 25, 2007 at 03:40 PM
For some reason, the folks at Tonic have nominated Oliver Jones' "Scrambled" as their official anthem for Wednesdays. Chaos notwithstanding, Katie will also sample a tune from Adonis Puentes' CD "Vida." And she'll calm things right down with Aretha Franklin's breathtaking version of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (though, for me, just about anything Aretha Franklin does is breathtaking).
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 25, 2007 at 11:58 AM
Many Mac users have been writing into the comments section - especially for the Concerts On Demand panel - pointing out that they had been left out of this great new CBC content feature. I know, because I'm one of them.
Now, I was lucky because, for me, Concerts On Demand also meant I could go into various studios or offices or send emails or phone messages to certain producers and simply "demand" to hear a particular concert (though asking nicely usually worked better). Well, those producers can now come out from under their desks and Mac users at home can now click away. While a few bugs remain to be worked out - for the most part, the Listen Live streams and Concerts On Demand offerings are now working for most Macs. I'm using an Intel Chip Mac but others around the CBC using PowerPC Macs have now experienced the joy of the Rheostatics live at Massey Hall via their computers so let's raise an Apple to celebrate.
Listen away.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 25, 2007 at 10:42 AM
Well, the world of piano concertos anyway.
Listeners loved a special series Studio Sparks did a while back called "The Concerto According to Manny." It was a look at the great piano concertos through the thoughts and fingers of one of the world's great pianists, Emanual Ax. So Studio Sparks is giving you another chance to enjoy it, every Wednesday in Hour Two, starting today. The journey begins with Mozart's earliest masterpiece - Piano Concerto No. 9.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 25, 2007 at 10:34 AM
There are quite a few people around who may not know the answer to that question. It's like that email that circulates periodically that reminds us that there are people now doing post doctoral work who were born into a musical world delivered primarily on compact discs.
Leroy Anderson's piece, "The Typewriter" is a link back to the pre-computer-keyboard world - a piece that is still often played as emblematic of office industry. If the sound of an old Underwood clacking away fills you with nostalgia or if you'd like a window into the sonic world of grandma and grandpa, you can catch the piece right around now on Here's To You with Shelley Solmes. Use the Listen Live panel to follow the show across timezones.
Also on the show: Al Dubin's "Anniversary Waltz", plus music by Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains, Arvo Part and more.
April 24, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 24, 2007 at 07:52 PM
Tonight on The Signal with Laurie Brown, a look at inspiration and influences.
Music doesn't exist in a vacuum, so tonight on the show, Laurie explores the musical lineage of some of her favourite artists. You'll hear how Joni Mitchell inspired Bjork and how Radiohead changed the way Brad Mehldau played jazz. There's also a selection from The Harry Smith Project - revisiting traditional folk music in new and interesting ways.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 24, 2007 at 05:45 PM
Celso Machado is certainly a middle-aged man but he has the look of a little kid, in some ways, when he plays. There's this sort of earnest concentration broken up with mischievous smiles. His hands cradle a guitar like nobody's business - snaking around those nylon strings doing things you didn't even know were possible.
Then, sometimes while still playing, he reaches down into a little bag of tricks - literally - at his feet. It's a satchel that contains all manner of tiny blown, struck and shaken instruments - toy and otherwise. And it all becomes part of his personal symphony. Make sure you make time at some point to see him perform.
Until then, you can hear him tonight on Canada Live with Matt Galloway. In this great performance he's joined by a hand-picked band, including his brother Carlinhos, who flew in from Sao Paolo for the occasion. Later, internationally-acclaimed Canadian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian wows a hometown crowd with a program of Cuban, Spanish, Catalan and Armenian songs.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 24, 2007 at 04:10 PM
Today marks the birthday of saxophonist Joe Henderson. And by way of wishing Joe all the best, Katie Malloch plays his version of "Dreamer" by Antonio Carlos Jobim this evening on Tonic. She'll also have another disciple of Dr. Saxe - Eric Alexander - doing a soulful rendition of "I Could Have Danced All Night" from the musical "My Fair Lady". And an R & B classic from the Nineties - "Secret Love" - sung by Kelly Price.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 24, 2007 at 02:13 PM
Musician and songwriter Paul Simon will be honoured with the first Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, a new award from the U.S. Library of Congress."
(Read the whole story at CBC | Music News.)
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 24, 2007 at 12:58 PM
The country-wide Canada Live / Concerts On Demand crew is back in action this week with virtual tape rolling at some great events.
Michael Occhipinti, whom I saw just last week at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, surfaces in Halifax with his Sicilian jazz project. Hilario Duran is getting picked up at the Courthouse in Toronto and, of course, last night was the 13th Annual Canadian Opera Company gala. That will go to air on June 3rd.
Be sure to keep your eyes on the Concerts On Demand panel for new and archived stuff.
Coming up this week:
"A Radical Remembered - A Tribute to John Weinzweig", The Art of Time Schubert concert with Danny Michel et al is also on deck.
Later in the week, the ESO concert with James Cambpell and there’s a Gavin Bryar’s concert for On Stage this weekend which should be up by the end of the week.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 24, 2007 at 09:52 AM
Canadian tenor Michael Schade wins raves for his interpretation of music by Mozart... so much so that he was honoured earlier this year in Mozart's Austrian homeland with the title of Kammersanger, a special distinction given to only the finest singers. Hear Michael's Mozart recordings - and more - when he joins Eric Friesen in studio for conversation about his remarkable career on Studio Sparks.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 24, 2007 at 06:43 AM
You know, it's probably not a bad idea.
If the music is too quiet or too gentle, I'll simply incorporate it into my dreams and carry on sleeping through that crucial meeting. A rousing march would do the trick - get me out into the day, back to High Park to look at the llamas with the proud posture, the strutting peacocks, the sure-footed mountain goats, the bouncing wallabees. But keep the Sousa on because otherwise I'm sure I'd start gravitating toward the highland cattle - who I'm sure are sleeping under that eye-covering fringe, or the lounging capybaras or the languid bison.
There you go, crank up the radio, this morning on Here's To You, Shelley Solmes has got John Philip Sousa's "Liberty Bell March". She'll also have the "Trumpet Concerto in C" by Albinoni, plus music by Haydn, Mozart and Bach.
And if none of that gets you going then you may have luck with a therapeutic little number by Frank Crumit called "The Prune Song".
April 23, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 23, 2007 at 11:25 PM
Tonight on the Signal: driving music.
Songs that, for some reason, sound better in motion. Music that evokes the open road and destinations unknown. You'll hear selections from Caribou and Boards of Canada, and in case you're not so fond of long drives, a cut from the Vancouver band Carsick.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 23, 2007 at 05:40 PM
Canada Live with Matt Galloway comes to you from Ottawa this evening.
Baritone Gerald Finley joins the National Arts Centre Orchestra in arias from his most famous Mozart roles. Also, Flute Extravaganza: Quebecer Robert Langevin, principal flute with the New York Philharmonic, returns home to join with Joanna G'froerer, principal flute with the NAC Orchestra, and Camille Churchfield, former principal with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
And singer-songwriter/pedal-magician Danny Michel returns to play in front of a loyal and lively crowd at one of the finest clubs in the country, the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, Quebec - a short drive from Ottawa to a whole world of music.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 23, 2007 at 03:37 PM
Remember that infamous studio head's dismissive comment on the audition by a young Fred Astaire? "Can't sing, can't act, can dance a little."
That poor, poor sap. Of course, Mr. Astaire was a charming vocalist, and his impeccable sense of rhythm gave him a special knack for the music of Cole Porter, as he'll demonstrate this evening on Tonic with Katie Malloch.
Katie will also have Billy Strayhorn's "Day Dream", performed by the Hot Club of San Francisco, along with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and their lovely version of "Detour Ahead."
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 23, 2007 at 12:23 PM
After a three-year search, conductor Anu Tali from Estonia has been named music director of Winnipeg's Manitoba Chamber Orchestra.
(Read the complete story at CBC | Music News.)
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 23, 2007 at 10:14 AM
Spent some remarkable hours in Peterborough Ontario over the last few days.
First, a trip to a school concert at Kenner Collegiate that was a real treat - made even sweeter by a surprise visit from Jimmy Bowskill, the Peterborough-area blues prodigy whose third CD drops later this week.
Then, last night, a concert by he-of-the-dedicated-fan-base, Fred J. Eaglesmith, and hometown hero (and Canadian national folk treasure) Willie P. Bennett. Willie opened the show with his own confident and finely honed songcraft and then fell into a supporting role for Fred's set. It's an interesting dynamic: while Willie appears the wry and perhaps even slightly shy gentleman, he lets rip on an electrified mandolin that seems to sing symphonies under Fred. Meanwhile, Fred - who is fully aware that he always seems to be on the verge of offending someone with an off-colour remark, seems to relish delivering a mischievous punchline just moments before transitioning into some of the sweetest, most thoughtful songwriting you've ever heard.
And this all took place at a wonderful venue, the Market Hall Theatre in downtown Peterborough - well worth a visit for the Folk Under the Clock music series, which takes place under the beautifully refurbished clock tower of the old building.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 23, 2007 at 06:56 AM
Shelley's tea is poured and pinky finger raised in preparation for this morning's show. If she wore a monocle, she'd be adjusting it right now.
A fair bit o' Britannia on Here's To You this morning, including Stanley Holloway's classic monologue "Albert and the Lion", along with music by Elgar, Ivor Novello and Vaughan Williams.
Pip, pip, Shelley.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 23, 2007 at 02:07 AM
I already wrote about this when the show debuted on Canada Live but I thought it would be worthwhile to remind you all that it is also available on the Concerts on Demand panel on this website so you can stream it whenever you like.
The concert, recorded at Lee’s Palace in downtown Toronto, was a trip back in time to a musical corner of Toronto 30 years ago, when it was the seemingly unlikely hub of a new breed of Jamaican-influenced funk music. At that time, funk and soul venues were spread throughout the city and the local R&B; scene was quickly developing. Influenced by the sounds of their Jamaican homeland and the then-new sounds of American funk and soul, a group of Toronto based musicians created a fresh new sound that still stands the test of time.
Fast forward to today, and these same musicians have come together to remind us of those early days of the scene. CBC Radio was there and in this concert you’ll hear the legacy of artists such as Carl Henry, the Mighty Pope, Jay Douglas and Glen Ricketts.
Yves Perret has a review and some photos from the show on his blog.
After listening to the concert you need more ‘Jamaica to Toronto’ see Light in the Attic’s Jamaica to Toronto: Soul, Funk & Reggae 1967-1974 compilation.
April 22, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 22, 2007 at 07:48 PM
The four elements that formed the leitmotif last night on The Signal with Pat Carrabré continue tonight with Alissa Poole and Teresa Doyle's "Earth, Water, Fire, Air" concert feature. Then, explore the fiery jazz of Joe Henderson and the ambient sound art of Winnipeg's duul_drv, as well as a beautiful piano composition by Rob Ellis entitled "Symphonies of Wind-Up Instruments."
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 22, 2007 at 05:45 PM
Catch the infectious energy of Les Charbonniers de l'enfer in concert with La Nef, Les Voix Humaines, fiddler Laura Risk and soprano Meredith Hall. They'll team up to play a program of folk songs from Quebec, Newfoundland and the Maritimes. It's one of two sensational concerts tonight on Canada Live with Patti Schmidt.
You'll also hear Ensemble Montréal Tango, playing traditional tango music along with new compositions by the leader of the group.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 22, 2007 at 04:03 PM
It's all about New Orleans this evening on Tonic with Tim Tamashiro.
You'll hear great blues from a 12-year- old guitarist, pop covers of music by Prince and rapper Pharrell with a jazz twist and even a little hip hop. You'll also hear from Kollage, Billie Holiday and Jeff Healey.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 22, 2007 at 03:00 PM
This afternoon on Fuse with Alan Neal:
Kellylee Evans is a jazz singer on the rise. She's opened for Tony Bennett and wowed critics with her stunning voice. Chet is made up of four musicians from Victoria who croon reverb-drenched songs of pure beauty. Together on Fuse, Kellylee Evans and Chet get to the heart of real soul music.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 22, 2007 at 02:00 PM
This week on Roots and Wings, host Philly Markowitz has an hour of sounds from artists pushing at the avant-garde edges of world music: Tuvan throat-singer Sainkho Namchylak, Brazilian iconoclast Carlinhos Brown and the American Ethiopian-jazz-funk band Either Orchestra to name just a few.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 22, 2007 at 12:49 PM
Last week, I was trying to find out what was coming up on Skylarkin' with André Alexis and he sent me this impenetrable paragraph - but that's OK because it's André and I know that no matter how whacked it might read on paper, it's going to sound totally coherent on the air.
Of course, someone out there assumed I wrote the paragraph and accused me of being deliberately obtuse. Clearly, they weren't familiar with the show.
However, this time, André may finally have gone off the deep end: he's going to do the show LIVE. No net. No retakes. This will be like Wilder Penfield prodding in the brain of the patient while they're still awake. I half expect to hear him shouting "I smell burnt toast" halfway through the show.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 22, 2007 at 12:07 PM
So let me get this straight: this is Jazz Appreciation Month and the ecosystem of the entire planet we live on gets oneEarth Day plonked in the middle of it.
I guess, to be fair, the Earth lately seems to be getting at least some of the attention scientists have been saying it needed for the last, oh, 40 years or so. I will celebrate by going to see Canadian folk icons Willie P. Bennett and Fred J. Eaglesmith at the Market Hall Theatre in Peterborough Ontario.
If you're staying by your radio, keep this webpage handy for a heads up on what's coming over the airwaves (or over that "series of tubes" known as the internet).
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 22, 2007 at 06:00 AM
Here's your classical music Sunday line-up - it should get you through all 8 pounds of the Sunday New York Times on this Earth Day!
Starting at 8, (8:30 in Newfoundland), check out the latest choral music CDs on Choral Concert with Howard Dyck.
Then, at 10 (10:30NT) on Symphony Hall with Katherine Duncan, soprano Measha Brueggergosman and harpist Rita Costanzi join the CBC Radio Orchestra in a concert titled "Tour de France". The program features works by Milhaud, Ravel, Henri Duparc, Debussy and Chausson.
At noon (12:30NT), Catherine Belyea gives in to Spring Fever on The Singer and The Song. with new releases of music by Mozart and Soler, sung by sopranos Sally Matthews and Maria Bayo, a zarzuela aria from the debut CD featuring Elina Garanca, and from the same disc, the trio from Der Rosenkavalier with Diana Damrau and Canada's own Adrianne Pieczonka. Also, selections from a long-awaited disc titled "Tales of Opera" featuring dashing baritone Simon Keenlyside. All this and Anna Netrebko, too.
And On Stage with Shelley Solmes at 1:00 (1:30NT) hear the heart-stopping voice of Canadian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian in her return to the Glenn Gould Studio following a series of successes at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, in London, England, and at the prestigious Salzburg Festival in Austria. This concert features Bayrakdarian joined by a handful of outstanding instrumental soloists, in a program that ranges from 17th-century French love songs and Lieder by Schubert to folk songs from Armenia and Catalonia.
April 21, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 21, 2007 at 08:00 PM
At least that's the case tonight on The Signal with Pat Carrabré - from Beirut's "Interior of a Dutch House" to Final Fantasy's "Furniture" to Snailhouse's "Hospitality," it's all about where we hang our hats.
Later in the night, gallop alongside Sofia Gubaidulina's "Rider on the White Horse" in concert plus Psapp's "Velvet Pony," and George Gao whinnies on his erhu.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 21, 2007 at 05:50 PM
I can't remember who told me the story but they were from Toronto and they were talking about some time in the late '60's - they went down to Detroit to see a big funk music extravaganza and they walked in this wild band with crazy costumes and crazier music and he turned to a local fan and asked: "Who ARE these guys?" and the guy answered: "I don't know - some band from Toronto".
Now, George Clinton - the grandfather of the whole Parliament-Funkadelic Mothership - was indeed an American but - either to avoid Vietnam or to get the rest of the band off of heroin (depending on which account you read) he brought the band to Toronto in the late '60's and holed up on Gerrard St. (part of a "Little America" scene at the time). The band would road test material to small audiences at the old Colonial Tavern on Yonge St. before playing packed arena shows back in the States.
And they were just one part of a funk scene in Toronto that was fed from U.S., Canadian and Jamaican sources. Last month, some very creative spirits re-created that scene at Lee's Palace. Legendary artists such as Carl Henry, the Mighty Pope, Jay Douglas and Glen Ricketts turned the clock back thirty years! You'll hear that remarkable concert tonight on Canada Live with Patti Schmidt.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 21, 2007 at 03:39 PM
I feel terrible. It's apparently Jazz Appreciation Month and I didn't get anyone a card.
I went online trying to find out who declares such things and if it's national or international or what. The Smithsonian seems to keep coming up as the source of the declaration but so did the U.S. Department of Defense. I decided to follow that link and found something interesting: of course, it was Glenn Miller who started the Army Air Force Band in 1942. His plane went missing in 1944 and was never found but in 1950, the U.S. Air Force instituted the Airmen of Note jazz band in his honour. So while they didn't start the month, they're big enthusiasts of it.
Meanwhile, back in Canada, Tim Tamashiro marks the occasion on today's edition of Tonic with the Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra. There's also music from some great twenty-something musicians, surprising jazz ventures from pop artists and some exciting TV theme music (I hope it's "The Rockford Files"). You'll also hear From Jamaica to Toronto, Jake Wilkinson and Ella Fitzgerald.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 21, 2007 at 11:29 AM
Alexandria - 48 BC. Julius Caesar arrives in Egypt and encounters the ambitious Cleopatra and her brother, the Pharaoh Ptolemy (and I thought he was a Greek mathematician!). This is the subject of Handel's 1724 opera, "Julius Caesar in Egypt", which was an immediate success when it was first performed in London.
It remains his most popular opera and it gets a revival at the Met in New York. You'll hear Harry Bicket conducting a cast that includes Ruth Ann Swenson, Alice Coote, Patricia Bardon, David Daniels and Lawrence Zazzo on Saturday Afternoon at the Opera with Howard Dyck.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 21, 2007 at 09:47 AM
It's mostly pianos this week on Sound Advice with Rick Phillips.
Rick samples news CDs of piano solos, chamber works and full orchestral, including a new disc of Chopin Scherzos.
Later, in the Library, Part Two of the series on Cecile Chaminade, the almost-forgotten composer who flourished around 1900 but has faded into obscurity since then (though hopefully she hasn't faded too much again since Part One last week).
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 21, 2007 at 07:45 AM
I have a terrible admission to make: it wasn't junior high history class that illuminated for me the intrigues, machinations, betrayals and sheer drama of the story of Louis Riel. It was Chester Brown's graphic novel that really blew the dust of the history books and brought the whole story off the page for me.
It may be a similar reason why the story on today's edition of The Vinyl Café with Stuart McLean is his most requested piece ever: "The History of Canada". As someone once said: History is too serious to be left to historians.
This history, featuring Stuart with the CBC Radio Orchestra, is a humorous story about the colourful characters of Canadian history set to music by Cameron Wilson of Joe Trio.
April 20, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 20, 2007 at 07:51 PM
One of the most transporting art performances I ever saw was by Daniel Barrow - a young artist from Winnipeg who uses hand painted acetates on a good old overhead projector. He moves through the images, using simple manipulations on some to create "animated" effects while he narrates the story. I imagined what it must have been like when Victorian families gathered in parlours to watch "magic lantern" shows. Instead of piano accompaniment, Daniel Barrow used music by the Russian Futurists. Not the actual Russian Futurists, but the project of Toronto electronic musician Matthew Adam Hart.
His "Russian Futurists" lead a pack of solo project bands on tonight's edition of The Signal with Pat Carrabré that also includes That One Guy and Julie Feeney.
Later on, the non-disco version of Earth, Wind and Fire drives the show; as musicians such as Feist, Patrick Watson and Junior Boys all get inspired by the four elements.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 20, 2007 at 05:37 PM
Tonight, Canada Live presents three concerts from Winnipeg that reflect that city's stature as a meeting-place of musical worlds.
Novillero, recorded at the West End Cultural Centre, paid tribute to the great soul music of the Sixties and Seventies with just a hint of the Eighties thrown in.
Next, Shabach Gospel Sound, also simply called Shabach, is composed of eight African refugees - seven from the Democratic Republic of Congo, one from Sudan - who now call Winnipeg their home. Their music intertwines irresistible African rhythms to create original songs of peace, hope and understanding.
And finally, House of Doc, all of whose members have a Mennonite background, recorded at last year's Winnipeg Folk Festival at a stage aptly titled "Mennofest".
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 20, 2007 at 03:55 PM
I mentioned the old Clairtone console hi-fi we had in the living room when I was growing up.
When I was 5, the number one spin on that Gerrard turntable was Disney's "Jungle Book".
It was - unbeknownst to me - a grand musicl education.
And what a cast: George Sanders (who, it turns out, was Tim Conway's brother!) as the wicked Shere Khan; Clint Howard (little Ron Howard's brother) as Junior, Bruce Reitherman - the son of director Walter Reitherman - as Mowgli (he was also the voice of Christopher Robin in the "Winnie-the-Pooh" films) and, of course, the great Louis Prima as King Louie. Remember "I Wanna Be Like You"?
Prima was born and died in New Orleans and the music of that city was in his veins. He started in jazz bands at a young age and soon added a 16-year-old girl singer named Keely Smith to the group. They recorded "That Old Black Magic" together and they eventually married (and divorced). You'll hear another of their duets - "For My Baby" tonight on Tonic with Katie Malloch.
Also, drummer Daniel Barnes and friends bid you "Sweet Nights" in a serene Latin tune, and trumpeter Rick Tait pays homage to the god of the sea in "NepTune".
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 20, 2007 at 10:37 AM
I think I mentioned I was at an event with the wonderful singer Lynn Miles Sunday night in Cobourg Ontario.
We were talking about sports because she has that song "Hockey Night In Canada", which is a great song but not exactly positive about hockey. She reaffirmed that she didn't actually like hockey - except where genius was involved. In this case, Sydney Crosby.
Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods - these people are the Mozarts of their field. There is something in them - some combination of aptitude, habit of mind, coordination, who knows - maybe something as basic as the balance of their limbs or how far apart their eyes are or something that makes their practice at something more effective than the rest of us. They still have to have drive. They still have to work really hard but there is something built in that means they don't have to question whether or not they can do the thing they're seemingly built to do.
Continue reading "Hints of Genius" »
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 20, 2007 at 08:08 AM
I think we should run that as a contest.
I only say this because Catherine Belyea is guesting for Shelley today and brings you music by Corelli, Albinoni and Rachmaninov. Also, Srul Irving Glick's lovely "Suite Hebraique", played by Suzanne Shulman, James Campbell, Andrew Dawes and Daniel Domb.
But here is a contest regarding Catherine:
I asked a bunch of Radio Two hosts to answer a little questionnaire. Among the questions was "What was the first record you bought with your own money?"
Catherine's was a cast recording of a pop band tribute show. Can you guess what it was?
I don't really have a prize in mind but I'll see if I can get Catherine to spin something your way.
April 19, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 19, 2007 at 05:45 PM
There's a trio of concerts from Halifax tonight on Canada Live with Matt Galloway.
First, Symphony Nova Scotia plays Malcolm Forsyth's "Trumpet Concerto". This is the trumpet in all its wonderful, colourful subtlety - muted, reverberated, cool.
Next, jazz bassist Chris Tarry teams up with Halifax's local sax genius Danny Oore, who wrote a new piece for this event.
And finally, the Halifax Jazz Orchestra - a collection of Halifax's best jazz musicians - in a big band concert full of new compositions, recorded last summer at the Dunn Theatre.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 19, 2007 at 03:39 PM
On this evening's edition of Tonic with Katie Malloch, hear the latest collaboration between Sergio Mendes and Stevie Wonder. Plus, a musical tribute to Harlem from guitarist Mark Whitfield and trumpeter Roy Eldridge. And Canadian vocalist Denzal Sinclaire sings the classic Frank Loesser tune "Can't Get Out of This Mood".
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 19, 2007 at 01:04 PM
I was 12 or 13 and it was beginning to be a bit of a drag trying to listen to my growing record collection.
The Clairtone console stereo was in the living room. Not only did that mean that I had to compete for access with mum, dad and my sister, it also meant limits on the volume and the kinds of things I could play. Plus, well.... it was in the living room for godssakes! How are you supposed to get all emotionally wrapped up in your music with the rest of the family drifting in and out and asking you to do ridiculous busywork? No, the natural domain of tweens and teens is the basement and that's where I wanted to be alone with my music.
Read on.....
Continue reading "A Small, Sweet, Creaky Disappointment" »
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 19, 2007 at 10:12 AM
Need I say more, people?
Blossoms and the promise of new life are fine and dandy but there is the sad reality of the malodourous thaw. Perhaps it's for that very reaon that Beatrice Lillie sings "I Hate Spring" on today's edition of Here's To You with Shelley Solmes.
On the other hand, I took a walk this morning with my friends Jen and Adele in High Park. We didn't encounter many other people but there were plenty of new animals in the zoo - baby mountain goats, baby llamas and some pint-sized peacocks doing their best to puff up their not-yet-fully-decorated plummage. In that vein, the Robert Shaw Chorale greets the season with the "Alleluia" by Randall Thompson, and Aradia responds with Handel's "Royal Fireworks".
(I will not make my Robert Shaw/Jaws joke again as someone took my head off last time).
April 18, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 18, 2007 at 08:02 PM
Well, they're MY favourite cat & mouse cartoon combo but there are legion.
There's lots of music for feuding cats and mice tonight on The Signal, along with intergalactic space monsters and Danish poets. That's right; you won't need to wait until Saturday morning to hear the music from your favourite cartoons and animated films. From the manic machinations of cartoon animals to beautiful atmospherics from Academy Award-winning animated shorts. You'll hear cartoon-inspired music by Bill Frisell, Laurie Anderson and many others. So pour yourself a bowl of cereal and join Laurie Brown for The Signal.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 18, 2007 at 05:51 PM
There's a pair of very interesting concerts from Toronto tonight on Canada Live with Matt Galloway.
First, a concert in which the Art of Time ensemble asked singer-songwriters Sarah Slean, Andy Maize (of the Skydiggers), Martin Tielli (of the late Rheostatics), Danny Michel and John Southworth to bring their own styles and their own unique voices to their choice of music from Franz Schubert's iconic "E flat Piano Trio".
Later, Sir Andrew Davis leads the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in his own arrangements of Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 18, 2007 at 04:00 PM
She's acknowledged in "Rebirth of Slick" by Digable Planets - talking not about how cool they are but what kind of cool they are: like Cleopatra Jones.
"Cleopatra Jones", starring Tamara Dobson as a black anti-drug crusader, was one of the classic "blacksploitation" films of the Seventies. It may have been short on plot, but the music was great.
How great? Find out this evening on Tonic, when Katie plays one of the best tunes from the soundtrack - Millie Jackson singing "Hurts So Good".
From the slightly ridiculous to the sublime, with Oscar Peterson leading his legendary trio in "Sweet Lorraine". And it's been ten years since the death of American songwriter Laura Nyro. Her songs became hits for everyone from Three Dog Night to Blood, Sweat and Tears. The group that had the most hits with her songs was the Fifth Dimension. And Katie will feature their rendition of Nyro's "Stoned Soul Picnic".
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 18, 2007 at 03:01 PM
Opera may seem like a glamorous occupation, but it brings with it some unglamorous hazards, including something known to gastroenterologists as "wet burping".
If you dare to get into all the phlegmatic details, read on at
Guardian Unlimited Music.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 18, 2007 at 01:46 PM
I'm sure most people have thought about this and I'm sure many have told their friends and families - even if it seems a little bit morbid. But I was reminded by listening to Shelagh Rogers'replayed interview with the late June Callwood, where she was talking about the song she made her grandchildren promise years ago to sing at her funeral - long before she was dead and long before they knew what a funeral was.
It's back to that idea of the power of music in our lives that we imagine that a piece of music can say something on our behalf in our permanent absence.
For me, it's a bit of a playlist that includes "Your Silent Face" by New Order, "Once In A Lifetime" by Talking Heads, "Slumber" by B. Fleischman, "Now Nothing" by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra and a few other tiny pieces of perfection.
What's on your last playlist?
Hit the COMMENT link below to respond.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 18, 2007 at 10:11 AM
Corb Lund was born and raised in rural southern Alberta and comes from four generations of Canadian ranchers and cowboys. He grew up riding horseback, chasing cattle and rodeoing on the prairies and in the foothills of the Rockies. Then he spent ten years driving across Canada, the States, Australia and Europe in an old van with his indie rock band called ‘the smalls’, playing every funky dive along the way. His writing and singing reflects the marriage of these experiences.
This sold-out concert, performed for an energetic crowd, includes songs from Corb Lund’s two most recent albums, ‘Five Dollar Bill’ and ‘Hair In My Eyes…’, both of which went gold the same week.
Corb Lund and The Hurtin’ Albertans at Concerts on Demand
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Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 18, 2007 at 10:03 AM
That acronym has been pretty much lost in a sea of contemporary digito-linguistic shortcuts: LOL, BTW, IMHO, etc., etc. etc. (I wonder if there's an abbreviation for mulitple etceteras - or is that etceteri? Latin scholars, help me out here!) Besides, it doesn't seem of much use to point out that something is Pretty Darn Quick when every thing we do is increasingly measured in nanoseconds.
Which is one of the reasons why PDQ Bach (aka Peter Schickele) seems so quaint - a musical comedian whose palette consisted of the stuff of composition: instruments, tempi, scales and the expectant and gullible ear of the listener.
Shelley Solmes delivers a hit of PDQ Bach in her own sweet time today on Here's To You - a little something called "March of the Cute Little Wood Sprites".
Also on the show, Mozart's "Piano Concerto in C Major" - that old chestnut better known as "Elvira Madigan" and Hungarian "Rhapsody No. 2" by that other rock star of the classical canon, Franz Liszt.
April 17, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 17, 2007 at 08:37 PM
It's a whole new world on The Signal with Laurie Brown tonight. The spotlight's on contemporary world music: genre-bending artists from across the globe demonstrate the versatility of world traditions and new technology.
You'll hear Cuban music fused with DJ stylings from Omar Sosa, trance-like African beats from Eccodek, and the sounds of "Heavy Traffic" from Indo-Canadian jazz-fusion group Autorickshaw.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 17, 2007 at 06:29 PM
Two concerts from Vancouver tonight on Canada Live with Matt Galloway - the first featuring the unpretentious but virtuosic bluegrass of John Reischman & the Jaybirds.
Later, the remarkable piano talent of Sara Davis Buechner. She arrived in British Columbia two years ago to take up a position at the University of British Columbia. Canada Live's recording team met up with her on the idyllic Sunshine Coast for a recital featuring the music of Friml and Gershwin.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 17, 2007 at 03:28 PM
Tonight on Tonic, Katie Malloch goes from the vintage to the ultra-modern.
She'll have Tiny Grimes leading a group that includes a young Charlie Parker in the tune "Romance without Finance". And Anita O'Day singing Cole Porter's classic "My Heart Belongs to Daddy". Plus a gospel-inspired number called "It Don't have to Change" from John Legend.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 17, 2007 at 01:40 PM
Well - quite a lot, actually.
In fact, I'm not sure I could really count all the ways in which music has impacted my life: opened doors, articulated the inarticulable, begun friendships, marked milestones, you name it.
Anyone who really cares about music - no matter what kind of music - has a list like this a mile long of the times when music was just there for them.
I'd love to hear from you about some moment in your life that was made whole by music.
Hit the comment link below to respond.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 17, 2007 at 10:24 AM
Shelley Solmes has the "Scherzo" from "Symphony No. 2" by Kalinnikov today on Here's to You, along with music by Beethoven, Stravinsky, Handel and more - including a revival of comedian Dave Broadfoot's "Sergeant Renfrew of the Canadian Mounted Police". Briefly.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 17, 2007 at 10:16 AM
Stanley Beckford was a pioneer of Jamaican "mento" music - a folk cousin of reggae and, ultimately, the inventor of the hybrid "reggaemento" - sometimes referred to as the Compay Segundo of Jamaican music.
He had a string of hits in the 1970's but fell out of favour as Jamaican music digitized in the '90's. A French label coaxed him to do a revival album which was a big European hit.
He died March 30th at age 65.
(Read the obit at Guardian Unlimited Music.)
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 17, 2007 at 10:06 AM
Jean-Pierre Gauthier and Mirko Sabatini treat us to another but rare reuniting of
Duo Travagliando.
J P Gauthier is an absorbing force on the contemporary art scene. His works are curiously kinetic visual and sonic sculptures that are often created to react to a spectator’s presence (triggered via motion detectors). This concert displays another facet of his sound art through an improvisation duet.
His Duo Travagliando partner, Mirko Sabatini, is an experimental musician and artist based in Bologna Italy. Here, he explores and expands the potential of electronic toys as his instruments of choice. Gauthier built his own unique electro-mechanical instruments (or ‘objects’) to coax and shape sounds unheard of before.
This was a feature performance within J P Gauthier’s exhibition at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. The duo set up in the middle of the performance space enclosed by the audience who were free to sit, stand and wander anywhere as the improvisation unfolded.
The resulting piece is a bartering of sounds between the two. In the French sense of the word, they chose to simply and aptly call it, ‘Troc’.
The Gauthier exhibition is on at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal until 22 April 2007. You can hear this unique concert right now at Concerts On Demand.
April 16, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 16, 2007 at 05:55 PM
Tonight on Canada Live with Matt Galloway, concerts that explore some of the myriad possibilities of the keyboard.
Tom Beghin plays music by Joseph Haydn on the fortepiano, the harpsichord and the clavichord, in a concert recorded at McGill University in Montreal.
Later, pianist Brigitte Poulin and violinist Silvia Mandolini perform the Canadian premiere of a new work by Montreal-born composer François Rose.
And finally, two great Canadian jazz pianists - John Stetch and Jan Jarczyk - meet onstage at McGill University's Pollack Hall for an evening of amazing jazz piano duets.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 16, 2007 at 04:06 PM
Bassist Dave Young and pianist Cyrus Chestnut offer you a Monday "soft landing" with J. J. Johnson's "Lament" this evening on Tonic with Katie Malloch.
She'll also have a torch-song trilogy brought to you by Hazel Walker, Stan Getz and Little Jimmy Scott.
And an 80s soul classic, "Sweet Love," from Anita Baker.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 16, 2007 at 09:48 AM
English musician Alison Balsom is one of the world's greatest trumpet soloists. She drops into Studio Sparks today to talk with Eric Friesen about her passions for pop, jazz, and Henry Purcell. (Well duuhhh, she is a trumpeter!)
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 16, 2007 at 09:05 AM
Technical rehearsals get underway today in Ottawa with Pinchas Zukerman and the National Arts Centre Orchestra for a programme of music by Strauss and Schoenberg.
Canada Live starts recording tomorrow for future broadcast.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 16, 2007 at 07:45 AM
How was your weekend?
Mine was quite nice, thanks for asking.
Sunday was busy but a refreshing reminder of the value of music and community.
In the afternoon, I attended an event at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. The RCM has been temporarily located to an old public school on Croatia St. in the west end while renovations continue at HQ, so it has even more of a grassroots sort of feel.
We heard guitar music from a wide group of students, faculty and alumni of the RCM Community School: from teacher William Beauvais to 9 year old Hannah and 8 year old Johnny. What was really nice was the sense they all shared of participating in the event and showing their stuff to friends, family, colleagues and curious members of the public.
After that it was up to Cobourg for a reception for the Shelter Valley Folk Festival, which takes place on the Labour Day weekend. The event was held at the beautiful MacKechnie House B&B; and the wonderful Lynn Miles played a short set for the assembled sponsors, supporters and volunteers. It was impossible not to get the sense from the room of how this humble festival has found a place in the heart of the community. Lynn reminded us that every dollar invested in the arts generated $8 more - you almost hate to use the economic argument but it does hold water.
Together, these two events were an affirmation of what it is that music can do in bringing people together. That's just my Monday morning philosophy coming through after a glow-y Sunday.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 16, 2007 at 05:04 AM
A Serbian production of Beethoven's Fidelio set in Cold War Europe tops the list of the four operas on Vancouver Opera's agenda next year, details of which were announced by company director James W. Wright this week.
(Read the story at The Globe and Mail - Music News.)
April 15, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 15, 2007 at 08:02 PM
Something old, something new, and yes - something borrowed and something blue...
Tonight on The Signal with Pat Carrabré it all goes beyond the wedding march: audio of Chet Baker talking is combined with the Quasar Sax Quartet in a concert performance of Jacob ter Veldhuis's "Pitch Black;"; new music shows up on the harpsichord, and DJs such as Akufen and the Rip-Off Artist borrow samples from old blues records.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 15, 2007 at 06:27 PM
Christos Hatzis’s ‘Mystical Visitations’ - four songs for Arabic singer, world band and electro-acoustic audio - had it’s world premiere at the Isabel Bader Theatre in Toronto. In ‘Mystical Visitations’, Hatzis explores the inner world of a woman visited by the divine.
The concert begins with Maryem Tollar performing songs from her CD ‘Book of Life’. In both sets Tollar is joined by an all-star cast of world music performers.
You can hear "Mystical Visitations" this evening on your radio on Canada Live, timeshifted online using the Listen Live panel to the right, or - if you just can't wait or you would rather wait until tomorrow, the whole concert is just a click away on the Concerts On Demand panel.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 15, 2007 at 04:13 PM
There's some great blues on Tonic with Tim Tamashiro today - from Peggy Lee and good old Downchild.
Tim also has Diana Krall on solo piano (fresh from her win at the Jazz Awards) and some great Canadian ukulele (oh please oh please be the amazing James Hill!)
Plus, some funk & soul is coming your way with Tower of Power, Eric Legnini and Jamiroquai. And you'll hear from Incognito, James Brown and the guy many consider to be the lynch pin of the music scene in St. John's these days - guitarist Duane Andrews.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 15, 2007 at 01:53 PM
This week on Roots and Wings with Philly Markowitz, she gets into a gypsy groove with music from Bulgaria via NYC and music from Albania via France.
Plus a fantastic gypsy brass cover of a favourite from Satie.
There's also Cuban-flavoured rumba from Congo and Senegal and lots more.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 15, 2007 at 01:11 PM
What if Andre Alexis spoke only Hindi?
What if he spoke Spanish, Dutch or French?
Answer: he could easily get a job with the U.N.
This week, Skylarking is so grateful to Mr. Alexis' benefactors, they're dedicating the show to the United Nations.
(Sponsored by Adolfo's on the Danforth: you can't window shop at Adolfo's, but you can buy beer for your bees and other insect intoxicants.)
It's a very strange world at Skylarking.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 15, 2007 at 10:45 AM
She's opened for Diana Krall at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. She was a double winner for Composer of the Year and Keyboardist of the Year at the National Jazz Awards in 2005. And today, Laila Bialli anchors OnStage with a host of Canadian jazz legends, including Phil Dwyer on saxophone, Guido Basso on trumpet & flugelhorn and Don Thompson on vibraphone.
The concert includes original selections along with classics of the Canadian songbook by songwriters ranging from Ruth Lowe to Feist to Bruce Cockburn.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 15, 2007 at 10:01 AM
Join Catherine Belyea this afternoon on The Singer and The Song, as she talks with mezzo-soprano Jean Stilwell about her multi-faceted career. But if you've got Jean Stillwell, it'd better be more than talking so you'll also hear Stilwell singing a great range of songs, from Reynaldo Hahn and Poulenc to Kurt Weill and Harold Arlen - and of course Bizet's "Carmen"!
Jean's latest CD is "Carmen Unzipped", with pianist Patti Loach, and you'll hear how Jean Stilwell is stepping out of the opera house and onto the cabaret stage.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 15, 2007 at 06:00 AM
You've got the paper, the crossword, some coffee, the dog has been out. Now, here's the rest of your morning:
Choral Concert with Howard Dyck presents Handel's "Israel in Egypt", performed by La Chapelle de Québec and Les Violons du Roy, under the direction of Bernard Labadie.
Then, on Symphony Hall with Katherine Duncan, Kent Nagano leads the Montreal Symphony Orchestra in a programme that includes music by Berlioz, Strauss and more.
April 14, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 14, 2007 at 08:14 PM
Tonight on The Signal with Pat Carrabré, the tuba finally gets a bit of the spotlight - thanks to folks like Beirut, Betsy Raum and David Long.
After midnight, a trip into the world of movie music: David Shire's piano compositions for film have spanned decades, while Bjork's music is a little newer on the scene.
Plus New Mexico's A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Japan's Rainstick Orchestra and B. Fleischmann of Germany all revise the sound of the waltz.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 14, 2007 at 05:59 PM
Well, to start off with tonight on Canada Live with Patti Schmidt, country/roots star Corb Lund and his band The Hurtin' Albertans showcase songs from Lund's two most recent albums, "Five Dollar Bill' and 'Hair In My Eyes...', both of which went gold the same week.
Later, Leonard Cohen Night, sponsored by the Cohennights Art Society, a non-profit organization supporting community-based cultural arts initiatives influenced by poet and songwriter Leonard Cohenwith Musical Director Jason Cody hosting John Gorham, Ann Vriend and Jared Sowan.
And finally, a concert of music commissioned in conjunction with Canada Reads. Juno nominee Maria Dunn, up-and-coming Colleen Brown and veteran Bill Bourne sing songs inspired by Canadian literature.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 14, 2007 at 04:04 PM
Gorée Island is an offshore suburb of the city of Dakar, Senegal. It was also the port from which so many African slaves began their journey in chains to America.
The rattling of those chains begat a mighty rhythm and the cries of the slaves morphed into the soul of black American music. Senegalese superstar Youssou N'Dour closes the circle in a brand new film called "Retour à Gorée" (Return to Gorée) which makes its World Premiere tonight in Toronto as part of the ReelWorld Film Festival.
In the film, N'Dour leads a group of jazz musicians from Europe and America on a tour of the island and its Slave Museum in search of the source from which their own music springs.
If you're in Toronto tonight, the screening takes place at the Rainbow Cinema, Market Square, at 9:30.
If not, I have a feeling this film will be making the rounds of the film festival circuits over the next year.
If you'd like to bring this film to your city, hit me a comment back and I'll put you in touch with the right folks.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 14, 2007 at 04:00 PM
I used to love the Black Eyed Peas. Still love the records, I guess, but there was that period where they were guest-starring in everything. That was the year they did the Grey Cup half-time show, which kind of made them honourary Canadians. Teaming up with Sergio Mendes made them honourary Brazilians. You'll hear the results of that collaboration today on Tonic with Tim Tamashiro.
Also, a true Brazilian-Canadian (and guitar-and-percussion genius) - Celso Machado.
Plus, there's more great guitar work from Oliver Gannon, Wes Montgomery and George Benson and a trio of wonderful women's voices in Heather Bambrick, Norah Jones and Feist.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 14, 2007 at 03:03 PM
Diana Krall and Michael Bublé were named best vocalists at the National Jazz Awards, Canada's sixth annual gathering to honour jazz musicians.
(Read more at CBC | Music News.)
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 14, 2007 at 02:55 PM
You might know Owen Pallett as a video game designer (Traffic Department 2192). You might know him as arranger for music Arcade Fire or as one of the cast-of-tens of the Hidden Cameras. You might even know him as winner of the inaugural Polaris Prize last year. And you might know him as Final Fantasy - the guy who plays violin with himself (via loops and pedals) and sings accompaniment. It's extraordinary music to listen to but I have to say - you really have to see him perform for the full effect.
Cadence Weapon (aka Rollie Pemberton) put Edmonton on the world Hip Hop map with rave reviews from Canada, the U.S. and Britain. He was also up for that coveted Polaris Prize. In fact, Toronto's Eye Magazine even pictured the two in fighting stance just prior to the awards.
Today on Fuse, Alan Neal brings them together again to make some prize-worthy music.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 14, 2007 at 12:50 PM
The Metropolitan Opera presents Puccini's "Turandot" this week on Saturday Afternoon at the Opera. The production stars Andrea Gruber in the title role, with Hei-Kyung Hong, Canada's Richard Margison and Oren Gradus. Richard Armstrong conducts.
This reminds me of a great film by Alan Miller that is available on DVD. "The Turandot Project" is a documentary about the staging of 9 performances of "Turandot" in the Forbidden City in Beijing with Zubin Mehta conducting and filmmaker Zhang Zimou directing the production. Fascinating.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 14, 2007 at 12:22 PM
Today on Sound Advice, Rick Phillips spotlights early music, going all the way back to the 12th century. Of course, the recordings are pretty crude and those granite LPs are gonna wreak havoc on your needles!
He'll also have music from the Baroque period all the way up to CPE Bach.
Meanwhile, in the Library segment, a profile on Cecile Chaminade, a pianist and composer who was wildly popular around the year 1900 - to the point that there were clubs formed by devotees of her work! Since then, however, Chaminade's music has faded into obscurity. Funny how that happens.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 14, 2007 at 12:13 PM
A few days ago, I posted news about the BBC's upcoming project to re-record the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper" album on the original equipment with a cast of Britain's top pop acts on the occasion of the record's 40th birthday.
In one of the best screeds I've read in a while, Rob Fitzpatrick of The Guardian writes that the exercise is "Totally pointless."
Read the screed at Guardian Unlimited Music.
April 13, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 13, 2007 at 08:38 PM
Inspired by the fact that the 10th episode of The Signal with Pat Carrabré lands on Friday the 13th, Pat and the crew decided to celebrate numbers and all that they mean to us. Whether it's the Jurassic 5 sampling science equations, Tan Dun's 2,000 passions or pianist Christopher O'Reilly covering Radiohead's "Everything in its Right Place" (which is played in a time signature of 10/8), take a listen to all things numerical.
Pat, I'm putting in my request for BT's "Fibonacci Sequence".
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 13, 2007 at 05:40 PM
A few years ago, I was in St. John's to participate in the CBC reading of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". The reading was at the Gower St. United Church, which holds about 500. It was a sold out event.
That same night, two musicals were opening - both sold out, Great Big Sea was playing at Mile One Stadium - sold out, a jazz show at Gräfenberg's was sold out and the Ship Inn and the George St. bars were all packed (as I discovered after the reading - ahem!). And this is in a city of just over 100,000 on a slushy December night!
You'll get just a hint of the extraordinary level of musical activity in St. John's tonight on Canada Live with Matt Galloway.
First, that trio of sirens, Shaye, showcase their new CD "Lake of Fire" in front of a packed house. Later, A Crowd of Bold Sharemen entertain a thousand lively fans at the St. John's Arts and Culture centre. They're a five-piece band, a mix of generations, influences and voices, delivering traditional songs and tunes with spirit and virtuosity. And finally, traditional music from Eastern Europe rubs shoulders with the folk songs of Newfoundland & Labrador as Balkan choir Sveti Ivan (based in St. John's) teams up with Newfoundland singer-songwriter Pamela Morgan and Greek performer George Miminis.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 13, 2007 at 04:15 PM
Can I just say in public right now how much I love Molly Johnson? I think I just did.
She's been a kind of anchor of the Toronto music scene for so long - and always a person of extraordinary warmth and generosity of spirit. I believe she was once one of the storied tenants of the Cameron House on Queen St. but I remember a couple of afternoon parties at her homey hideaway in Kensington Market. All that seems so long ago! She's a mature artist now and very much at the top of her game. She's just returned from a sold out show at the gorgeous 1872 Théatre l'Européen in Paris and she has upcoming performances on April 19th, 20th and 21st in Hamilton, Belleville and Toronto ON respectively.
If you can't make any of those gigs, you can certainly hear her tonight on Tonic with Katie Malloch , where she pulls out all the emotional stops with "It's Only Love".
Also on the show, Vibraphonist Milt Jackson joins Oscar Peterson's Trio for "Heartstrings" and 1970s disco divas First Choice put their own spin on Al Green's soul classic "Love and Happiness".
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 13, 2007 at 12:41 PM
Friday the 13th occurs an average of 1.7 times per year. Every year has at least one and a year can have as many as 3 occurrences. You'll know if there's going to be a Friday the 13th if there's a Sunday the 1st (just so you have a heads up when you flip your calendar pages). This concurrence of Fridays and 13s was not considered a particular problem until some time in the 1900's, when some bright spark put together the fact that Fridays were considered "unlucky" for some long-obscured reason as was the number 13. I guess they figured the two together would have to be really bad.
There are no statistics to back up any claim of a surplus of misfortune on this day and yet some studies suggest that the economy takes a nearly 1-billion-dollar hit every occurrence on account of people interrupting their normal activities out of fear.
BTW, Friday the 13th is only a problem in English, German, Polish and Portuguese-speaking cultures (or at the movies). In Greece or Spain it's Tuesday the 13th you have to watch out for!
So - I'm a sceptic in all things. Any paraskavedekatriaphobia sufferers out there? Anyone care to try to sway me with a really good Friday the 13th story?
Go ahead. Make my Friday the 13th.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 13, 2007 at 11:09 AM
"Caribbean All-Stars trumpeter with a passion for cricket dead at 90."
(Full Story at Guardian Unlimited Music.)
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 13, 2007 at 09:31 AM
Well, of course, Here's To You with Shelley Solmes always takes requests but with the special presentation you'll hear on today's show, they're taking the request line to the next level.
It all happens from the stage of the Chan Centre at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Geoffrey Moule leads the CBC Radio Orchestra in the "Twentieth Century Top Twenty" - a concert program chosen by more than 18,000 CBC listeners. Music by Respighi, Barber, Somers, Copland and more.
April 12, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 12, 2007 at 07:59 PM
Grab the popcorn because the focus is on movie music tonight on The Signal with Laurie Brown.
You'll hear soundtracks and scores galore. Laurie plays the music from your favourite films, and asks you to re-create the scenes in your mind. You'll hear cinematic sounds from Michael Nyman, Michael Danna, Francis Dhomont and many others.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 12, 2007 at 06:56 PM
Tonight on Canada Live, Soprano Measha Brueggergosman joins harpist Rita Costanzi and the CBC Radio Orchestra from Vancouver in a concert called "Tour de France". It's a journey through the sound worlds of some of France's greatest composers, including Ravel, Debussy and Duparc.
Later…after 17 years and 600 concerts leading the Quebec metal band Anonymous, Marco Calliari decided to unplug the amps and settle into a more acoustic musical groove. This is not to say he has lost any of his prodigious on-stage energy. In fact, Marco and his Quebecois party band got several hundred rain-soaked revelers jumping and shouting under the tents at Festival du Bois, the "wet" coast's annual nose-thumbing to March.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 12, 2007 at 05:50 PM
Wow, I wrote yesterday about Quincy Jones, who turns 74, I believe, this year.
Today it's Herbie Hancock's 67th birthday. Hard to believe.
In celebration, Katie Malloch will run a little tribute on today's edition of Tonic along with some classic Isaac Hayes and a tune called "Ipanema Breeze" from the new Latin jazz CD by Canadian bassist Paul Donat.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 12, 2007 at 01:02 PM
... as I was yesterday, there is a wonderful new project of the CBC Radio Orchestra in Vancouver that gets underway this coming Sunday afternoon at the Chan Centre. It's called the Great Canadian Songbook and it sort of picks up where kd lang's "Songs from the 49th Parallel" left off.
They've matched great songs with great singers and great arrangers. Here's the line-up:
- Gordon Lightfoot sung by Ron Sexsmith arranged by Glenn Buhr:
"Beautiful", "Now and Then", "The Last Time I Saw Her", "Mountains and Marian"
- Buffy Ste.-Marie sung by Veda Hille arranged by Giorgio Magnanensi:
"Summer Boy", "Co'dine", "Now that the Buffalo's Gone", "Cripple Creek", "Winter Boy", "Little Wheel Spin"
- Serge Fiori sung by Marc Dery arranged by Alain Trudel:
"Histories Sans Paroles", "De la Chambre au Salon", "Dixie", "La Moitie du Monde"
- Joni Mitchell sung by Sarah Slean arranged by Phil Dwyer:
"Both Sides Now", "Woodstock", "Free Man in Paris", "All I Want"
Cool or what?
For more information you can click here.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 12, 2007 at 07:36 AM
Today is Organ Thursday on Here's To You with Shelley Solmes. This does not require you to sign a donor card (though you really should). It simply requires you to enjoy a visit from Jurgen Petrenko - which is always a pleasure. Also on the show, pianist Arthur Ozolins plays Rachmaninov's "Piano Concerto No. 3" with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra while the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra tackles John Estacio's "Variations on a Memory".
After that, a bit of iconoclasm on Studio Sparks with Eric Friesen.
Gustavo Dudamel raised the roof - and plenty of eyebrows - when he conducted a blockbuster performance of Beethoven's Fifth with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa earlier this season. Now the Venezuelan, who is only 26, will take over the Music Directorship of the Los Angeles Philharmonic after Esa-Pekka Salonen steps down at the end of the 2008-09 season. Eric salutes the announcement with Dudamel's recording of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony performed with the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela.
April 11, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 11, 2007 at 08:15 PM
I find the whole notion of the "cover" song so interesting.
Of course, the history of the term is that white artists like Pat Boone would "cover" black artists like Little Richard. It was a version that literally covered up the fact that it was black music by a black artist.
The term doesn't mean that anymore. Usually, it is a kind of hommage. The rise of the singer/songwriter as the basic unit of popular music meant that it was assumed that most artists did their own material or at least a large percentage of it. So when an artist decides to "cover" a song by another artist, it really has become this sort of statement about the attitude of one artist toward another or about the depth and flexibility of a song that it can withstand multiple interpretations and take on different voices and meanings.
Tonight on The Signal with Laurie Brown she'll focus on a bunch of old songs covered by new artists. That's the other part of it - giving old songs new life in a new context.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 11, 2007 at 06:24 PM
An old girlfriend of mine who was a musician confessed to me at the beginning of the relationship that she had trouble playing Scrabble. It seemed like an odd confession - partly because we were talking about music, we weren't talking about word games at the time and it seemed an odd moment to admit to dyslexia or something.
Quite a bit later, I found out that what she actually said was that - as a pianist - she had trouble playing Scriabin. I got her a Scrabble board AND a Scriabin CD a few weeks later just to make sure.
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra has no trouble with Scriabin as they perform several works by the quasi-mystic composer tonight on Canada Live with Matt Galloway. Also on the show, Andrew Burashko leads his Art of Time Ensemble in a programme titled "A Song and a Prayer", featuring traditional folk songs, contemporary classical pieces and Klezmer - in short, Jewish music for everyone.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 11, 2007 at 03:07 PM
Quincy Jones' original application for admission to the Berklee College of Music in Boston is on permanent display there. He only went for one year and yet he's still considered that prestigious school's most successful alumnus.
I simply can't think of anyone cooler - anyone who has had a more profound effect on American popular culture through just about any avenue you can name: as a composer, arranger, performer, conductor, producer, publisher, TV and film producer, teacher, icon, etc. etc. etc.
He also once said:
"People have called me a jazz musician, but that's ludicrous. I have yet to figure out what a jazz musician is."
Nonetheless, he and the orchestra are featured backing up vocalist Dinah Washington this evening on
Tonic with Katie Malloch. Also on the show, Canada's Soul Gentlemen, Jacksoul, doing "Let Me Call You Baby", and Poncho Sanchez' peppy version of "Papa Gato".
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 11, 2007 at 10:25 AM
Canadian violinist Martin Beaver joins Eric Friesen today on Studio Sparks for a conversation about his career as first violinist with the high-flying Tokyo String Quartet.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 11, 2007 at 09:23 AM
Violinist Andrew Dawes and pianist Jane Coop join forces on Beethoven' s "Sonata No. 10 in G major" this morning on Here's to You. You'll also hear The Cambridge Singers perform excerpts from John Rutter's "Requiem". And violinist Angele Dubeau plays "Variations on Yankee Doodle" by Henri Vieuxtemps.
All I can say is that they really had better be extraordinary variations!
But this actually reminds me of something I learned about the teaching of music in Thailand from Bruce Gaston. He was an American expat living in Thailand for many years. He was a founding member of the Fong Nam ensemble and director of the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra. I went to visit him for tea one afternoon at his home while his son Teddy was practicing music on the renang - a set of pot gongs.
Bruce explained that the Thai system of music instruction differed greatly from the western tradition. In the West, typically, kids start with "Yankee Doodle" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and quickly abandon them as they grow more proficient. In Thai music, kids start with a 20-minute-long highly complex piece that they will continue to hone throughout their musical lives. It is a piece that encompasses virtually every technique and every necessary lesson needed by an expert musician. It challenges young people's memory - of which they tend to be very proud - and is a kind of mountain they can climb slowly over their careers.
I say we start kids off on "Rhapsody in Blue".
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 11, 2007 at 06:11 AM
I told you already the story of meeting Mavis and Pops Staples but I thought it might be kind of fun to get a thread started of people telling their stories about meeting famous musicians.
I've got a whole bunch but I'll get the ball rolling with this one:
I was working at a health-food store on Charles St. in Toronto in the late 80's. It was a Sunday afternoon and I was managing the store while the too-chatty assistant was filling bulk bins in the back room. The place was empty and I was busying myself tidying the counter when Brian Eno walked in. This was perhaps a year after he had turned my musical world upside down a couple of times - first by producing the Talking Heads' "Remain In Light" LP (which still gets my vote for one of the best albums of all time) and second by releasing the fourth album in his Ambient series "On Land" (which, to this day, summons images of a very specific, very personal and very primordial geography every time I hear it).
He poked around the store for a few minutes, not picking anything up. He was about to leave when I blurted out:
"Excuse me, are you Brian Eno?"
"Yes I am, actually"
"Ambient 4 changed my life. Remain in Light is the best record ever made!"
"Oh, well, thank you very much.... ummmmm........ Listen, do you know where I could find some good croissants?"
I'm quite sure there must have been decent croissants within a block or two but it took virtually every ampere of mental energy for me to come up with suggesting the Kitchen Table convenience store at the corner of Bay St. I have never forgiven myself for not staying cooler.
So, what's your story of Meetings With Remarkable Musicians? Hit the COMMENT link below.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 11, 2007 at 05:39 AM
Tony Scott: "A widely travelled clarinettist, he played with Billie Holiday and the King of Thailand. Died March 28th at age 85."
Colin Graham: "Opera director who worked with Benjamin Britten and premiered many new works in the US. Died April 6th at age 75."
(Via Guardian Unlimited Music.)
April 10, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 10, 2007 at 07:55 PM
If you've never been to Newfoundland, you really have to go. It is an extraordinary place. It gets just a little bit more extraordinary around the time of the Newfoundland Sound Symposium in St. John's. You'll get a sense of that tonight on The Signal with Laurie Brown, which features a concert from St. John's in which tubas try to sound like didgeridoos, and the xylophones are made of mirrors.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 10, 2007 at 06:31 PM
Tonight, Canada Live with Matt Galloway is home to three concerts from Montreal, the first featuring Cape Breton Gaelic singer Mary Jane Lamond, recorded at CBC's special celebration of the 30th anniversary of International Women's Day.
Next, Suzie LeBlanc teams up with Ensemble Joli Bois in a concert titled "Tout Passe," an exploration of traditional Acadian repertoire with a Baroque approach.
And finally, La Fiorenza, the winning ensemble of the 2006 Montreal Baroque Festival Galaxie-CBC Rising Star Competition performs early Italian music as part of the CBC-McGill concert series.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 10, 2007 at 04:39 PM
A DJ gave Mel Torme that moniker in 1946 and Mel hated it. He spent 4 decades trying to get away from it but he eventually gave in and had a license plate made with LE FOG on it.
You can decide if the description is apt or not when Torme gets wistful tonight on Tonic, with "It's a Lonely Town". Host Katie Malloch also features a soul classic - "Stop, Look, Listen," by the Stylistics, and another romantic classic - "I Only Have Eyes for You" - performed by a guy with a less-than-romantic nickname - Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis.
I don't know, it's probably better than Eddie "missed-the-tetanus-shot" Davis.
Speaking of which, you know that accent that William F. Buckley, Kate Hepburn and Mr. Howell from Gilligan's Island speak? It's known as the Boston Brahmins but also referred to as Locust Valley Lockjaw.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 10, 2007 at 01:20 PM
Some very interesting and well-written comments to some recent posts - including Piano Lessons, Some Other Easter Traditions and Fear of Bass.
I'm sort of surprised not to have had any offers to explain Winnipeg or heard any outrage over my enthusiasm for the 2008 Paris opera season, but that's fine. I'm just glad to see some conversations going on without me in the comments.
By now, most people have realized I'm not going to post off-topic comments and that the best place for comments on changes to RadioTwo that are more general in nature is to the Tell Us What You Think link to the left.
And as for all you Age of Persuasion fans out there, I suggest you follow up with Terry O'Reilly yourself on his Age of Persuasion blog.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 10, 2007 at 09:54 AM
So "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" will be re-made on 4-track tape. Lovely, appropriate and certainly a challenge.
Having said that, considerably more multi-channeled digital CBC recording mobiles are out and about again this week across the country. Among the shows on the docket:
- Today's "Combo to Go" at the Epcor Centre in Calgary with Lullaby Baxter and the Lily String Quartet.
- Cape Breton sensation Gillian Boucher (presumably with hubby Andrew White in the band) is in session at Studio H in Halifax.
- The Toronto crew records Jesse Cook at the Mississauga Living Arts Centre on Friday night
- while Ottawa picks up a performance by Mighty Popo.
- Saturday, Toronto records Great Lakes Swimmers at the Church of the Redeemer,
- Ottawa captures Jim Bryson performing his brilliant new album at the Black Swan in Wakefield PQ,
- and Halifax nabs the Dave Myles/Charlie A'Court concert at the Astor Theatre.
Watch for all of these to show up on Canada Live and the Concerts On Demand panel here on this site.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 10, 2007 at 09:36 AM
"Some of the U.K.'s most popular rock bands are set to remake the iconic Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band this spring."
That's the word from the BBC, who have commissioned the project on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the release of that iconic and groundbreaking album.
Click the link below to read the full story but keep an eye out for what I think is the coolest detail of all. Apparently, producer George Martin's engineer Geoff Emerick, who worked on the '67 original, will reprise his role on the remake using the same Abbey Road Studios equipment used the first time around. Keep in mind, folks, that "Sgt. Pepper" was recorded on 4-track tape machines - not the infinite-channel digital studios the bands participating in this tribute are accustomed to. Should be interesting!
(Via CBC | Music News.)
April 09, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 9, 2007 at 08:33 PM
I blogged about the "Combo to Go" programme in Calgary earlier today and you may be listening to the Calgary Philharmonic with Jerusalem Ridge on Canada Live as you read this! But it doesn't stop there...
The Calgary Philharmonic also makes an appearance tonight on The Signal with Laurie Brown performing Andrew P MacDonald's "Symphony Number 1: The Red Guru".
Also, you'll hear one of the most unusual Nordic singers out there. And I don't mean Bjørk. If Bjørk represents 11 on the dial of dynamic range, Stina Nordenstam (from Sweden) is somewhere around 2. Her voice trembles and whispers and conveys a kind of wide-eyed sweetness - even when she's covering a song by The Doors. It's perhaps a bit of an overused term, but if anyone sounds elfin, it's her.
Plus, Autorickshaw takes Leonard Cohen for a ride with their rendition of "Bird on a Wire", and The Legion of Green Men consider the implications of "Letters Never Sent".
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 9, 2007 at 06:44 PM
Are you familiar with the House Concert phenomenon?
It's well established in some communities across the country and only just catching on in others. Basically, the idea is that a touring artist might have a couple of free nights between official tour dates and someone offers up their home for a venue for the ultimate intimate music experience.
I know lots of artists who participate in this but hadn't been to one myself until my friends David & Sarah hosted a concert with the wonderful Quebec folk group, Genticorum. It was a tremendously snowy night but even still, about 30 people came - some bringing wine or beer. David and Sarah had cleared out the dining room of furniture, installed a little stage area under the chandelier in the breakfast nook and rented a bunch of folding chairs. They even laid out a few dips and snacks
With the snow falling outside and the warmth of the feeling in the room, it was easily one of my favourite concerts ever. It's just so rare that you get to experience music in close quarters like that any more.
The whole country will get a chance tonight on Canada Live with Matt Galloway. CBC rolled tape as 46 people crammed into a living room in Stettler, Alberta for a an intimate house concert featuring singer/songwriter Maria Dunn with Shannon Johnson from the McDades.
If you'd like to find out more about hosting your own House Concert, there are several resources online, including this website with a great how-to from Canadian folk veteran Bob Bossin.
Also on Canada Live tonight, the repeat of a concert that's already been the subject of a couple of posts here: The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra with the Edmonton bluegrass band Jerusalem Ridge. (The CPO also puts in an appearance later tonight on The Signal!).
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 9, 2007 at 04:39 PM
Just as it would not be Christmas without some of the songs, it would not be Easter without the Irving Berlin classic "Easter Parade". Hear it sung by two of the best - Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine - tonight on Tonic. Saxophonist Mike Murley chips in with a Latin version of the Cole Porter gem "I've Got You Under My Skin". And with everything that's been packed into this holiday weekend, who wouldn't agree with Macy Gray's request for "A Moment to Myself" ?
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 9, 2007 at 12:17 PM
The 6th Annual National Jazz Awards will be held tomorrow night at the legendary Palais Royale Ballroom on Toronto's waterfront. The gala will be hosted by Dione Taylor and David Clayton Thomas with performances by Oliver Jones, Peter Appleyard, Guido Basso, Holly Cole and many others.
Thomas and Taylor have been a musical item of late, having seemingly found their perfect duet partners in each other.
Speaking of finding the right partner.... CBC Calgary hosts a free noon-time series - kicking off its 4th season tomorrow - called "Combo To Go", which pairs up different artists for a little lunchtime collaboration. So if you're in Calgary, brown-bag it down to the Epcor Centre at noon to see Lullaby Baxter and the Lily String Quartet. If you can't make it, don't worry - stay tuned to Canada Live.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 9, 2007 at 08:48 AM
The coincidence of two important days makes for some extra special focus in music today on a couple of programmes before noon.
Guest host Catherine Belyea salutes the arrival of Spring this morning on Here's to You, with Renaissance and early Baroque music performed by Suzie Leblanc, Daniel Taylor and Les voix Humaines. Also, "Symphony No. 4" by Bizet, plus "Old Photographs from Constantinople" by Christos Hatzis.
Then, for Easter Monday, Studio Sparks offers a suite of music by Ralph Vaughan Williams, including some of the "Songs of Travel", excerpts from the "Oboe Concerto" and "Flos Campi", and more. Also, a musical tribute to the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
April 08, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 8, 2007 at 08:23 PM
Tonight on The Signal with Pat Carrabré, hear Jim Hiscott's "Spirit Reel," a piece inspired by the Cree and Ojibway spirit world, written for violin and button accordion.
You'll also hear some concert recordings hot off the audio press: Gary Kulesha's "Fireworks and Procession" and Mark Anthony Turnage's viola concerto "On Opened Ground" were both performed by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at the 3rd New Creations Festival in February.
And for the electronic music fans out there, something brand new from Amon Tobin's latest release, "The Foley Room".
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 8, 2007 at 06:20 PM
I know I mentioned this a week or so ago, but here's another opportunity to hear something truly remarkable tonight on Canada Live with Patti Schmidt.
A few years ago violinist Oliver Schroer walked the Camino de Santiago though France and Spain, a thousand kilometers on foot, retracing the route taken by ancient pilgrims. He took along an audio recorder and his violin. And anywhere he could, he recorded the sounds of village life as well as his impromptu violin performances. Back in December, CBC Radio recorded Oliver Schroer's "Camino" project in Vancouver. It was an evening of magical solo violin works intermingled with the sounds and stories captured during his trek.
Also, "The Labyrinth of Transformation" - music by BC composer John Burke designed for the spiritual experience of walking a labyrinth, performed by eight of Vancouver's top chamber musicians and recorded during a real labyrinth walking event in CBC Vancouver's Studio One.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 8, 2007 at 03:07 PM
Coming up this afternoon on CBC Radio Two:
David Byrne teams up with a roots-rock band to cover a classic Brazilian folk tune; music from the only Afghan woman in known history to ever be granted the title "Ustad" (master) and a wicked tuba solo in the midst of a little Balkan surf-rock? That's on Roots & Wings with Philly Markowitz at 4:00 (4:30 in Newfoundland).
An hour later on Fuse with Alan Neal, Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo teams up with the extraordinary Oh Susanna for some sublime music-making.
And then at 6:00 (6:30 in Newfoundland), Tonic with Tim Tamashiro features music that's been featured at one time or another in commercials. It's quite the list and filled with more than a few surprises.
I've put the times in, but of course you can listen to any of these shows at 5 different times using the handy Listen Live panel right here on this page.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 8, 2007 at 01:32 PM
"Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious skylark by some guy from York and all the clowns who glowered at the king's dome were buried in the spacious bosom of a woman from Peterborough".
These words, the first words of Shakespeare's Richard the Third are not heard, this week, on Skylarkin'. A lot of other poetry is, though. And you should listen because, you know, trust me, it's good for your soul, like chicken soup, eh?
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 8, 2007 at 12:52 PM
That's the title of this afternoon's edition of On Stage, featuring harpists Sharlene Wallace, Lori Gemmell and Monika Stadler, with Oliver Schroer, electric fiddle, Joseph Macerollo, accordion, and George Koller, bass.
Sharlene Wallace is an accomplished, innovative harpist, recording artist and composer, exploring Celtic, South American, and contemporary genres. She is joined by two similarly adventurous colleagues - Lori Gemmell, Principal Harp of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, and Austrian Jazz harpist Monika Stadler - plus some friends, for an evening of unlimited pleasure, exploring music for harps in various combinations and settings.
This sounds like fun. But Shelley, I'm putting you on notice: I want to hear some of my favourite harp, the west African kora, an east African nyetiti, an Ethiopian krar (antecedent to the lyre) and one of Bill Close's giant Earth Harps.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 8, 2007 at 12:17 PM
I thought last week's Symphony Hall / On Stage broadcast of the Calgary Symphony Orchestra with Jerusalem Ridge, the Edmonton bluegrass band, was a ton of fun and exactly the kind of collaboration that keeps creators and players vital and connected.
I encountered a couple of comments here that suggested it was some kind of denigration of the sacred halls of classical music. I find that point of view so troubling. Think of all the "revolutions" in classical music that never would have happened had composers and presenters not taken the chance on music that broke with strict conventions: Beethoven, Liszt, Bartok, et al. Heck, we'd still be listening to Gregorian chant instead of that dreadful, demonic polyphony!
Well, I'm sure those naysayers will be very much dismayed by the recently announced 2008 programme at the opera house Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. I find it tremendously exciting - possibly an enticement to move to Paris for a while.
Among the innovative new productions announced...
Continue reading "I Love Paris in the Springtime" »
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 8, 2007 at 06:02 AM
In just about every other language - from Arabic to Icelandic, Tagalog to Welsh - the name for this holiday is derived from the Hebrew word for Passover, Pesach. Hence, this morning's "Sunrise Pascha" on Choral Concert.
In English, German and some Slavic languages, the name derives from the Anglo-Saxon goddess, Eostre. According to the Venerable Bede's History of the Anglo-Saxons (which I've just been reading about in Billy Bragg's book, of all places), Eostremonath - the month of Eostre - is the month in which Passover took place and that's how it got its name. Eostre was also the goddess of illumination and the dawn star, Venus, so it would make sense that around the time of the Equinox - as the light returned and the days started to get longer - that this month (moon cycle) would be her time. It also nicely captures the "Sunrise" part of today's concert.
Keep reading for a list of some of the world's other names for Easter.
Continue reading "Easter Etymology" »
April 07, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 7, 2007 at 08:05 PM
You know how you're playing Scrabble and you've got a mix of consonants and vowels and although they don't spell any word you can think of, surely they must spell some word you simply don't know?
I always have the laptop open playing Scrabble now with the dictionary bookmarked on the Hasbro website. And inevitably, the little search window displays the result: not found.
And yet, last night I was at the movies watching the credits scroll by and thinking: how marvelous, the endless number of letter combinations that actually make up people's names. If only you could use names in Scrabble!
What is in a name? Well, apparently, some really great music tonight on The Signal with Pat Carrabré. You'll hear Nobody, New Buffalo, I Am Robot and Proud, and The Nuts. And that's just in the first hour. Later in the show, you'll get a wake-up call with music about sleep - Patrick Watson's "Sleeping Beauty," Electric President's "Insomnia," and "Lullaby" from Lori Freedman. Plus New Zealand composer Gillian Whitehead's "Hineputehue".
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 7, 2007 at 06:47 PM
I still remember their first photocopied posters plastered on telephone poles on Queen St. in downtown Toronto. Just as the Toronto punk scene was imploding, a group of guys from the then-borough of Etobicoke arrived to remind us that Canada had something different to offer. They were called the Rheostatics and for the next 27 years they would come to epitomize the Canadian experience of the music biz.
Everything about them, from their subject matter, to their fondness for key and time signature changes, to their deep influence on other bands, to their connection to Canadian iconography, to their failure to click commercially outside of our borders, make them almost quintessentially Canadian.
They called it quits on March 30th with a show at Massey Hall and CBC was there with the mobile studio. The concert is sublime and it's been up on the Concerts On Demand panel for a few days now. Tonight, it gets its broadcast debut on Canada Live with Patti Schmidt.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 7, 2007 at 02:34 PM
For the secular side of this spring holiday, there are some amazing variations in the kinds of activities people do to mark the day.
Of course, in Canada, the U.S. and much of the U.K., there is the classic hunt for painted or chocolate eggs left by the Easter Bunny. The motives of the Easter Bunny are unclear but I'm guessing that the rabbit and the egg are both potent symbols of fertility so this would probably really hammer the idea home for the start of spring's plantings.
Meanwhile, in Norway...
Continue reading "Some Other Easter Traditions" »
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 7, 2007 at 11:23 AM
Here's what's coming up to take you through from lunch until dinner time on Sound Advice with Rick Phillips, Saturday Afternoon at the Opera with Howard Dyck and Tonic with Tim Tamashiro...
Continue reading "Noon 'til Dusk" »
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 7, 2007 at 11:15 AM
I gave a longer heads up to this live radio event a few days ago but promised that I'd post it again today:
For the past dozen years, producer Robert Cooper and the gang at Choral Concerts HQ have been hosting a special public musical event on Easter Sunday in Toronto. It's called the Easter Sunrise Pascha Celebration. This is lucky year 13 and the event will take place in the Barbara Frum Atrium at the Toronto Broadcast Centre with a stellar line up - including host Howard Dyck. It broadcasts live to Newfoundland and goes out to the rest of the country in its regular 8:00am time slot. If you're in the Toronto area on Easter Sunday and would like to attend, or if you just want to see who's in that line-up, read on...
Continue reading "Re-post: Planning Your Day Tomorrow" »
April 06, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 6, 2007 at 08:30 PM
I have long been intrigued by the phenomenal artistic output of the city of Winnipeg. Although I had come through briefly on a sleepless, stopless, cross-Canada bus trip as a penniless 20 year-old, I hadn't had an occasion to really visit the city until more recently.
I had sort of imagined a place just oozing activity out of every doorway. And yet, when I finally arrived to do some hosting at the Winnipeg Folk Festival (an AMAZING festival, I should add) I was surprised to find mostly empty streets. I should have got my first clue from the doorman at the Fairmont hotel at one of Canada's most famous corners, Portage & Main...
Continue reading "One Great City" »
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 6, 2007 at 06:00 PM
Canada Live is a new radio venue for concert recordings from across the country. Tonight is an occasion to hear another new venue (well, actually, a renewed venue):
Bernard Labadie leads Les Violons du Roy and La Chapelle de Québec in the inauguration of their new home, the beautifully renovated Palais Montcalm in Quebec City. They're marking the occasion with a magnificent oratorio by Handel - "Israel in Egypt". Bringing together over 80 performers on stage, this performance highlights the great acoustics of this new hall.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 6, 2007 at 03:58 PM
I can honestly count this as one of the most memorable moments of my life:
I was working at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto coordinating shows and we were presenting the Staples Singers. I had been a fan of the group since I was a little kid when my family would tune in weekly to the "Flip Wilson Show". That's actually where I discovered the music of Taj Mahal, the Staples and many others. The staples always looked so serenely funky with their pre-disco flares and tight but undulatiing grooves.
I went into the dressing room before the show and there they were sitting in front of me - the real Staples, legends of gospel R&B; and soul. I said: "Before you guys go out there I just want to let you know that I've loved you guys for a long time. I was singing along with you when I was in my hockey pajamas and you were in collar-points out to here"
Mavis said: "Jowi, honey - you come over here". I went over to her and she gave me a big warm hug and Pops beamed at me. It was like all of their music condensed into one sublime moment.
Tonight on the Good Friday edition of Tonic with Katie Malloch, she'll have music from the marvelous Mavis along with more gospel-inflected jazz by Jubilant Sykes and Hank Jones. Katie will also have "I Do It For Your Love," a wonderful song from Herbie Hancock and Paul Simon, along with mesmerizing music about tropical birds from the Caribbean Jazz Project.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 6, 2007 at 02:07 PM
After an extraordinary evening of music last night at Manhattan's Music Club in Guelph and a night in the guest room at my friend Larry's house, a bit of a frustrating morning. Remember that Adam West Batman movie where he's got the bomb and he's trying to dispose of it safely but everywhere he goes there's schoolchildren or ducks or something? It was kind of like that with me running around trying to find WiFi to post this blog, laptop open, looking for a place to land. The rule seemed to be: if the place is open on Good Friday, it didn't have Wireless. If they had Wireless, they were closed.
So I got in the car and drove in heavy traffic for two hours and here I finally am.
The good part about it was that I got to listen to Eric Friesen on Studio Sparks walking me through the presentation of Bach's "St. John Passion", recorded in concert earlier in the week in Toronto. The Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and the singers of Les Voix Baroques are directed by Jeanne Lamon in a performance that uses forces very close to those used by Bach. Bach wrote this powerful and personal setting of the Passion story for Good Friday services in Leipzig in 1724. And here I was winging down the 401 and yet totally transported elsewhere.
You can take the journey too, using the Listen Live panel on this page.
April 05, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 5, 2007 at 08:31 PM
Barry Truax is a very interesting guy: a veteran - no, wait, a founder - of the Canadian Electroacoustic music scene, a performance artist and professor of both Communication and Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. I'd seen him perform a bunch of times and collected his recordings through the Canadian Music Centre but I really only met him by showing up at the same time as him at the old apartment of my friend, the percussionist Ben Grossman.
There's a lot to know about Barry Truax in the realm of music. But did you know he is also a breeder of champion Glenfraser Scottish Terriers? 'Struth!
You'll hear the music of Barry Truax (without barking) tonight on The Signal with Laurie Brown. Plus, the Esprit Orchestra with a performance of Joseph Schwantner's "Aftertones of Infinity" (really it will only take about 15 minutes) and the snappy music of Psapp.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 5, 2007 at 06:13 PM
Well, first of all - thanks to so many of you who've written very kind things about my show Global-Village, which ran for over 10 years on Radio One and here on Radio Two (not to mention RCI and Sirius 137). It wouldn't be right to post those comments here but I do appreciate them.
It was a great run. When we started, our aims were to bring more music from around the world to the airwaves without emphasizing "exoticism"; to demonstrate the social, political and cultural context of music in relationship to the news of the day all over the planet; to bring to the air a variety of voices to convey those stories authentically - sometimes as journalists, sometimes as travellers, sometimes as enthusiasts and sometimes as regular people caught in the middle of a story; and finally to foster the burgeoning "world music" scene in Canada.
We succeeded on all fronts. So much so that many of the people involved in the show over the years and many of the perspectives and techniques we championed have become part of the CBC Radio vision across the spectrum.
In celebration of our on-air tenure AND in celebration of just one of the new shows that would pick up the Global-Village torch, we held a little party at the Lula Lounge in Toronto a few weeks ago, featuring some of our many musical friends: Kiran Ahluwalia, Madagascar Slim & Donne Roberts, Amanda Martinez and Mr. Something Something. "Little party"... who am I kidding? The place was packed and there was a line-up out the door all night!
The results of our recording of that show have been up on the Concerts On Demand panel for the last little while but tonight the show gets its prime-time broadcast debut on Canada Live with Matt Galloway. Garvia Bailey and I host from the stage.
Please tune in for both the "goodbye" aspect and the "hello".
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 5, 2007 at 02:41 PM
Not to be confused with Music City.
Actually, I think various communities claim the title either temporarily or permanantly. But the City of Guelph Ontario actually makes a pretty decent case. For one thing, there are a whole bunch of great musicians who live in and around the city. For another, Guelph plays host to three extraordinary music festivals - each one pushing the envelope of its declared genre. There's Guelph MusicFest, which seems to have picked up the torch from the Guelph Spring Festival (once helmed by the likes of Louis Appelbaum and Nicky Goldschmidt); there's the Hillside Festival in July - a "folk" festival that always seems to know the "next big thing" a year before anyone else and September's cutting edge Guelph Jazz Festival.
I'll be spending the day in Guelph today - taking part in a lecture on Music & Botany at the invitation of Prof. Doug Larson - head of Integrative Biology at the College of Biological Science. Believe me, what I know about that could fill a thimble so my participation will be brief.
In the evening, I'll be hanging out at Manhattan's Music Club listening to some of the best talent in a talented town - including Radio 3's Craig Norris, Andrew McPherson (aka Eccodek), Scott Merritt, Louis Melville, Tannis Slimmon, guitarist Kate Schutt and recent Juno winner Kevin Breit (to name just a few). If you're in the neighbourhood, come by and say hello.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 5, 2007 at 10:37 AM
That's LAIV in the Lobby, not LIV in the Lobby.
(I can think of a few other occasions where it would be useful to have a spelling distinction between the two).
Anyway, Eric Friesen and the gang at Studio Sparks will venture off the Mall today, walk just a few blocks east to the National Arts Centre and - at least temporarily - LIV there for the duration of this afternoon's show.
It's actually going to be an extraordinary showcase for some young Canadian musical talent in the CBC-NAC Debut Recitals programme. Today's edition, features flutist Sara Hahn and cellist Arnold Choi, and the program includes music by Handel, Reinecke, Brahms, and Forsyth.
Also, selections from Mozart's Requiem from the celebrated recording by Les Violons du Roi.
Speaking of young musical talent, you might find interesting this article about the state of western classical music in China in this New York Times article.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 5, 2007 at 07:28 AM
I was in a Ukrainian deli last weekend and one of the impulse-purchase items on the counter was a decorative egg sleeve. It's kind of like a temporary tattoo for eggs except that instead of saying MOM or LIVE TO RIDE, it contains traditional Pysanky patterns. You put the sleeve on the egg, put the egg in boiling water for a few seconds and you get this elaborately decorated Easter Egg. I have no idea what I'm going to do with them but I bought two packages for less than $5. I suppose I could amuse myself....
For a better form of pre-Easter amusement, tune into Here's To You with Shelley Solmes today. She's got lots of goodies in her basket, including the Saint Mark Passion by Golijov, Gounod's Ave Maria and more.
And for Organ Thursday, Jurgen Petrenko has Gerhard Weinberger playing Franz Liszt's musical tribute to Bach.
April 04, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 4, 2007 at 07:50 PM
John Cage was famous in the mainstream as a provocateur, though I'm not sure he would ever have thought of himself as such. Perhaps a bit mischievous but mostly just a gentle but brilliant figure with a wonderful sense of humour.
My friend Katrina was working on a Cage piano piece many years ago and finding herself drawn deeper and deeper into the piece and more and more anxious about getting at the heart of it for her performance. So, she called up John Cage in New York. He answered the phone and they talked for a while until she finally blurted out the suggestion that she come to meet with him. "What's your time like in August?", she asked.
"August would be fine. What time?" was his reply. Typically Cageian.
So many aspects of Cage are reflected in the work of his students, including Gavin Bryars - the British composer who seems to have a strong affinity with Canada and the CBC in particular. Tonight on The Signal with Laurie Brown, Bryars' "Porazzi Fragment" performed in concert by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra as part of the 2007 New Creations Festival. You'll also hear the late night sonic wanderings of Colleen (the alter ego of twenty-something Parisienne Cecile Schott) and her ramshackle collection of found instruments and playful tunes.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 4, 2007 at 06:40 PM
My second favourite Ludwig Van symphony, the 3rd the "Eroica", gets the treatment tonight on Canada Live from Alexander Mickelthwate leading the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Also on the program, The Chairman Dances by American composer John Adams, a work inspired by Nixon's historic trip to Beijing to visit Chairman Mao. And later, an intimate jazz concert from Winnipeg's Park Theatre featuring the Roy Kirby Lowe trio.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 4, 2007 at 04:38 PM
Hear some classic tunes sung by sometime real-life lovers Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra today on Tonic. Guitarist Russell Malone plucks romantically at your "Heartstrings", and pop song wizard Burt Bacharach teams up with the late, great Dusty Springfield "In the Land of Make Believe".
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 4, 2007 at 01:20 PM
I was just listening to Here's To You with Shelley Solmes and she played Mendelssohn's "Midsummer Night's Dream Overture" by Charles Dutoit and the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. The piece includes a phrase that repeats several times in a pattern of two repetitions G-A-A#--F -- G-A-A#--F.
For Radiohead fans, it's the "from a great height" line from "Paranoid Android".
Which reminds me of a debate I had once with a Canadian composer who shall remain nameless.
At the time, the melody from the Chorale movement of Beethoven's 9th was being used in several commercials. It seemed to be everywhere. The composer was gnashing his teeth that this great piece of music was being denigrated by philistines. My response was this:
Continue reading "Radiohead Meets Mendelssohn?" »
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 4, 2007 at 12:12 PM
An 18th century Stradivari violin sold for about $2.7 million US at a New York auction Monday, but while the final price nearly doubled the pre-sale estimate, it was still dubbed a 'bargain.'
(Read the full story at CBC | Music News.)
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 4, 2007 at 09:23 AM
Now, normally I just try to write about stuff coming up on a day-to-day basis - there's lots there to mine so it's not a problem. And I hate to think that if I write about something coming up a couple of days hence, it will only be a matter of hours before it's been displaced off the front page and lost to most readers.
But in this case, I'm going to give a heads-up a few days out in the event that you're able to participate in this. I'll post it again the day before.
For the past dozen years, producer Robert Cooper and the gang at Choral Concerts HQ have been hosting a special public musical event on Easter Sunday in Toronto. It's called the Easter Sunrise Pascha Celebration. This is lucky year 13 and the event will take place in the Barbara Frum Atrium at the Toronto Broadcast Centre with a stellar line up - including host Howard Dyck. It broadcasts live to Newfoundland and goes out to the rest of the country in its regular 8:00am time slot. If you're in the Toronto area on Easter Sunday and would like to attend, or if you just want to see who's in that line-up, read on...
Continue reading "The Early Bunny Gets the Egg" »
April 03, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 3, 2007 at 08:00 PM
Or so says Futurama philosopher Philip J. Fry.
That may sound dangerously like nerd talk but after tonight's edition of The Signal with Laurie Brown, you may just agree. You'll hear highlights from Sound Symposium XIII in St. John's, Newfoundland. It’s an exaltation of sound from percussionists John Wyre and Trichy Sankaran improvising on a 'neighbourly' theme.
John Wyre was one of the founding members of percussion group Nexus - along with Steve Reich Ensemble alumni Bob Becker and Russ Hartenberger.
Trichy Sankaran - apart from being a master of the mrdangam, the South Indian double-headed drum, is the Founding Director of Indian Music Studies at York University in Toronto and is passing on his rhythmic genius to a new generation as an award-winning music prof.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 3, 2007 at 06:12 PM
A little bit of crowing here on behalf of CBC Records:
CBC Records had five nominations in three categories, and won in two. For the Best Vocal Choral category, the Mozart release, "Arie e Duetti" won in an extremely tough cateogory. This CD featured the incredible singing trio of soprano, Isabel Bayrakdarian, tenor Michael Schade and baritone Russell Braun with the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra conducted by Richard Bradshaw. Neil Crory, Doug Doctor and Peter Cook were the recording team beind the win. James Ehnes recording of the "Mozart Violin Concerti" won in the Large Ensemble category.
That makes for a total of 28 Junos over the years.
Congratulations to all the artists and recording teams involved.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 3, 2007 at 05:30 PM
Halifax has gone through so many identifiable eras in its musical life - from the national fame of Anne Murray and the late John Allen Cameron to the '70's rock of April Wine to the Rankin revivalist tradition to the ascendancy of Sloan, the Heavy Blinkers and Superfriendz to the wry beats of Buck 65. Whew! And that's just scratching the surface.
But a growing and changing Halifax is scratching several itches at once with a budding world music scene added to the electronic and jazz scenes.
Many of Halifax' musical identities come together in three concerts tonight on Canada Live with Matt Galloway.
The East Coast World Music Summit features 13 musicians from very diverse backgrounds brought together by CBC in the Maritimes, in a live-to-air special during the East Coast Music Awards last February. Next, from the Boxwood Flute Festival in Lunenburg, Dutch virtuoso Marten Root and Chris Norman, known as a virtuoso on the wooden flute, with David Greenberg and his string group Tempest, And finally, jazz from Nova Scotia's own Mike Murley at Staynor’s Wharf in Halifax.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 3, 2007 at 11:45 AM
I posted an article a few weeks ago about Apple CEO Steve Jobs' dare to the record companies to go DRM-free on the iTunes stores. DRM stands for Digital Rights Management. Consumers experience DRM as the digital "locks" that limit the number of players on which they can share their music. Jobs had been facing legal challenges in Europe over the file format of music on Apple's iPod players. This prompted him to respond that he wouldn't need to manage that stuff were it not for the requirement of the record companies to embed copy protection on the music files. This story posted on cbc.ca today suggests that the lid is about to blow off.
EMI unlocks songs sold through iTunes: "EMI Group has agreed to take the digital locks off songs it sells through the Apple iTunes store, the record producer announced in London Monday."
(Via CBC | Music News.)
Let me know what you think of this development. Do you think it will affect you? And if so, how?
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 3, 2007 at 11:38 AM
Mallet-wielding xylophone players have struck a discordant note in staid downtown Victoria. Since Jan. 1, the city's revised entertainment licence has limited the size of ensembles that perform on the streets to five and prohibits performances by loud groups until 5:30 p.m. on weekdays.
The new rule seems custom built to target two marimba bands, though city officials deny that's the point.
(Via The Globe and Mail - Music News.)
I would gladly keep the marimba bands. For me, it's the pan-flutes that have to go. Sorry Zamfir fans.
What's your street music preference? Lemme know.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 3, 2007 at 10:30 AM
I'd love to hear your comments about piano lessons. So few people that I know have good memories about piano lessons. Why is that?
My first teacher was Mrs. Underhill. I dreaded the afternoons I had to go to her doilied and antimacasarred house on the other side of the high school. First, there was getting through the threatening-looking older kids but they were nothing compared to this little old lady and her pointer that stayed ever-suspended above your fingers on the keyboard - ready to smack down whenever you lost that supposedly all-important arch. It's like she wanted my fingers to be high stepping dressage horses, when I wanted thorough-bred racers. I suppose it was unlikely this octegenarian was going to teach me Jerry Lee Lewis moves but anything would have been better than those pained renditions of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".
Continue reading "Piano Lessons" »
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 3, 2007 at 09:21 AM
April 3rd seems to be a good day for musical birthdays. Here are just a few:
Giovanni Battista Massarengo in 1569, William Smith in 1603, Antimo Liberati in 1617, Jean-Baptiste Lamoyne in 1751, Reginald De Koven in 1859, Eduardo Sanchez de Fuentes in 1874, Louis Applebaum in 1918, Stan Freeman in 1920, Wayne Newton, Tony Orlando, Richard Thompson, Mick Mars, Melissa Ethridge and Sebastian Bach (from the band Skid Row).
It's also the birthday of actors Leslie Howard, Marlon Brando and David Hyde Pierce from the Frasier show..
But the musical birthday Shelley Solmes marks today on Here's To You is someone who made a name as both a singer and an actor. And she really did literally make a name - the one she was born with wasn't really working for her: Doris Mary Ann von Kappelhoff. We know her better as Doris Day.
April 02, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 2, 2007 at 08:33 PM
Tonight on The Signal, Laurie Brown will have a feature on contemporary Chinese music, including Coco Zhao (Shanghai's answer to Billie Holiday) and highlights from a concert with pipa (Chinese lute) virtuoso Wei-Wei Lan. Also, a song from Sufjan Stevens' album of music for the Chinese Zodiac, and great music from Broken Social Scene and Susanna and the Magical Orchestra.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 2, 2007 at 06:45 PM
The York County Court House, located at 57 Adelaide Street East in Toronto, was designed by Cumberland and Ridout and built in 1851-52. Cumberland and Ridout were also the architects responsible for the nearby St. James' Cathedral, built in 1853. While it hasn't been a courthouse for some time, it has a brand new identity that kicks off another busy recording week for the Canada Live/Concerts On Demand team across the country.
The building is now known as the Courthouse Market Grille and Live@Courthouse is the 5 times weekly jazz series headed by musician and former Downtown Jazz Festival founder Pat Taylor. The place has been open for just over a week but tonight will be the first time tape rolls there for CBC. The featured artist is improvisational pianist and band leader Glenn Buhr.
Meanwhile, tonight on Canada Live with Matt Galloway, you can hear the fruits of previous labour from Ottawa with the broadcast of Pinchas Zukerman & Friends. You can also stream it from the Concerts On Demand panel if you like.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 2, 2007 at 04:29 PM
OK, OK, I know. We have this reputation as a nation that loves to talk about the weather.
I actually think that's false. It seems to me that people everywhere talk about the weather a lot. We may have to cover more ground than some other nations in order to embrace a wider range of weather - but no more, really, than the Danes or the Russians or the residents of Hokkaido.
Having said that, Tonic is getting ready to shower you with rainy music from singers George Evans and Sylvia McNair and guitarist Tal Farlow. And Sarah Vaughan is spending "April in Paris". Then get out the hankies when James Taylor joins saxophonist Michael Brecker for "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight."
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 2, 2007 at 01:53 PM
Speaking of the Juno Awards, DiscDrive this week is being guest hosted by two-time nominee, jazz vocalist Kate Hammett-Vaughan. Apart from a happening music career as a performer, she knows her way around a host chair as well so this should be fun - it's like this is how she prepares for gigs. She'll be in Quebec City with her Trio on April 12th.
If you'd like to find out more about Jurgen's stand-in for the week, check her out online here.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 2, 2007 at 12:00 PM
Who'd a thunk it?
The brilliant young Canadian soprano, Juno winner Isabel Bayrakdarian, teamed up with Vancouver electronica outfit Delerium for a couple of tracks on their latest album "Nuages du Monde". The lead single "Angelicus" has recently reached Number 1 on the Billboard Dance Chart.
She appears in the video, which you can watch online.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 2, 2007 at 11:47 AM
While all eyes were on Saskatoon for the Junos, K'naan, the Somalian-born Canadian hip-hop artist and poet, has captured the best newcomer trophy at the 2007 BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music.
(Via CBC | Music News.)
For more info on K'naan, visit his website.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 2, 2007 at 10:29 AM
Pete Seeger - that quintessential American folkie, campaigner for social justice and keeper of American song - is 87 years old. He's been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and he's been honoured with the Kennedy Center's Lifetime Achievement Award. Those are just two of the countless citations he's garnered over his long and storied career.
Now, a movement is underway to nominate Seeger for the Nobel Peace Prize - recognizing a life's work of trying to bring people together through music around issues from race relations to poverty to peace to the environment. If you'd like to add your voice to that growing movement, sign the online petition.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 2, 2007 at 10:15 AM
One of my favourite albums growing up was a selection of Rossini's Overtures. And I think one of my earliest conversations about music must have been with my dad about what kind of guy Rossini must have been. It seemed like this was a guy with a great sense of humour and a zest for life - someone who wasn't afraid to make the bombastic gesture if it was going to be FUN. I imagine also that he ate well.
I have similar suspicians about Erik Wolfgang Korngold - though, of course, absolutely no research to back it up. And I'd rather not know for sure. For me, it's through his music that I get this marvelous impression of a life well-lived.
He was born in Brno, in what is now the Czech Republic, in 1897 and composed his first original work around the age of 8. After a prolific and prodigious early career composing both orchestral and chamber works, he was lured to Hollywood in 1934 to arrange Mendelssohn’s incidental music for Max Reinhardt’s famous film version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” He went on to compose the original score for “Captain Blood”, which helped launch Errol Flynn’s film career in 1935, and his score for the movie “Anthony Adverse” received an Oscar for the best film music of the year 1936.
Today on Studio Sparks with Eric Friesen, Canadian violinist James Ehnes plays the Korngold Violin Concerto with the Vancouver Symphony. It was first championed by Jascha Heifetz, but James has made it his own. Beautiful romantic tunes, borrowed from Korngold's own movie scores, and transformed into a dramatic 20th century violin concerto.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 2, 2007 at 08:54 AM
The front pages and the radio headlines are filled with the big names from last night's Juno Awards winners list so I won't bother repeating those here. However, I will mention some of the names you'll otherwise have to turn the page for, starting with two Nova Scotians and ECMA Winners:
- Songwriter of the Year: Gordie Sampson
- Country Recording of the Year: George Canyon - "Somebody Wrote Love"
- Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year: Hilario Duran and His Latin Jazz Big Band - "From the Heart"
- Instrumental Album of the Year: Sisters Euclid - "Run Neil Run"
- Classical Album of the Year (Solo or Chamber): Les Violons du Roy /Jean-Marie Zeitouni - "Piazzolla"
- Classical Album of the Year (Large Ensemble): James Ehnes/ Mozart Anniversary Orchestra - "Mozart Violin Concerti"
- Classical Album of the Year (Vocal): Isabel Bayrakdarian, Michael Schade, Russell Braun, Canadian Opera Company Orchestra / Richard Bradshaw - "Mozart - Arie e Duetti"
- Reggae Recording of the Year: Korexion - "Xrated"
- Aboriginal Recording of the Year: Leela Gilday - "Sedzé"
- Roots and Traditional Recording of the Year (Solo): Stephen Fearing - "Yellowjacket"
- Roots and Traditional Recording of the Year (Group): The McDades - "Bloom"
- World Music Recording of the Year: Lubo Alexandrov - "Kaba Horo"
For the complete list, visit the Juno Awards website.
April 01, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 1, 2007 at 06:14 PM
Steve Dawson is up for a Juno tonight in the Roots and Traditional Solo Album category for "We Belong to the Gold Coast". So his fingers may be crossed that he edges out Stephen Fearing, Lennie Gallant, Loreena McKennit and Fred J. Eaglesmith for the award but they'll be decidedly UNcrossed for his performance with his usual musical partner Jesse Zubot for a concert recorded in Vancouver for Canada Live.
Once that's done, he can cross his fingers again.
And after that, host Patti Schmidt brings you another stringed-instrument summit called "The Glory of the Violin" featuring some top players from the worlds of classical and jazz.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 1, 2007 at 02:30 PM
In a bit of pre-show fun, Shelagh Rogers joins Jim Cuddy to host a Juno Songwriter's session featuring Saskatchewan native Colin James, Alberta country/pop artist Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Inuit singer-songwriter Susan Aglukark, new artist of the year nominee Tomi Swick, songwriting icon Ron Sexsmith, and jazz vocalist Kellylee Evans.
This comes to you live from SaskaTune!
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 1, 2007 at 01:46 PM
And yet, this is not a post about the show Fuse (which is pre-empted today by the Juno Songwriter's Circle - more on that in a later post) but rather about today's editions of Skylarkin' and The Signal.
I know I've already written glowingly about the new CD from Tinariwen but I'll do it again. It's called "Aman Iman: Water Is Life" - perhaps not a surprising sentiment from a band whose home turf is the edges of the Sahara desert in Northern Mali. Their music is raw and insistent - the very basics of rock and roll bound up with the traditional modalities of the Tamashek people. It's been in very high rotation in my iTunes lately.
Well, on Skylarkin' with Andre Alexis today, he finds in that desert common ground between Tinariwen and the writing of Yasunari Kawabata, the first Japanese Nobel Prize winner for Literature. A Skylarking that imagines shifting sands, first love, and the secret connections between distant worlds.
Later, on The Signal with Pat Carrabré, world music meets classical, featuring songs by Iranian-Canadian santur maverick Amir Amiri and New Zealand Maori singer Mihirangi. Also, a work commissioned by CBC for turntable and ensemble. Call it a concerto for turntable: Montreal composer Nicole Lizee's "This Will Not Be Televised," a world-premiere performance recorded at Winnipeg's New Music Festival.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 1, 2007 at 11:43 AM
"A Long Time Ago" today on OnStage with Shelley Solmes.
Two Canadian-born musical legends inspire this one-time-only event. World-renowned jazz trumpeter and composer Kenny Wheeler has called England home since the 1950s. He's dreamed of performing his music with the size of ensemble utilized by the late Robert Farnon. A dream team of soloists, arrangers and two dozen of Toronto's finest musicians make his wishes come true in a stylistic meeting of the minds.
Posted by Jowi Taylor on April 1, 2007 at 10:16 AM
Jerusalem Ridge is a kickin' bluegrass group from Edmonton, named for the birthplace of bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe in Jerusalem Ridge Kentucky.
I've seen the band in quite a few places: I've seen them in some bars, I've seen them on folk festival workshop stages and I've seen them in jam-packed hotel rooms in the wee hours at music conferences. But I've never seen them as you'll hear them today on Symphony Hall with Katherine Duncan, where they're backed up by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra under Claude Lapalme in a concert recorded at the Jack Singer concert hall in Calgary.
The Atlantic region has already had the pleasure but you can follow the concert across the country using the Listen Live panel.
Now, if that turns your crank, you're probably well aware already of Bela Fleck, but you may not be aware of the Creaking Tree String Quartet. I highly recommend that you check them out.
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