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Classical meet pop -- on Fuse. Today on the show you can hear cellist Denise Djokic (renown for her interpretations of Stravinsky and Schumann), and pianist David Jalbert with The Acorn, an indie/folk rock/crunk band beloved to Ottawa.
The Fuse folks say that The Acorn will soon "take over Canada with their catchy, sensitive tunes," and I have no reason to disbelieve them. You know, mighty oaks and all that.
Lori Yates has rightly been called a pioneer of alt-country music in Canada. Well do I remember hearing her play bars many moons ago with Rang Tango, part of the same scene that gave us Handsome Ned, Blue Rodeo, Cowboy Junkies. And it's great to see she is still going strong, with a new recording out, called The Book Of Minerva.
Also great to see that she's teaming up with Wendy McNeill an Edmontonian who has been spending most of the time in Europe, with her accordion, and her own original pop songs.
You can hear them today finding common (or possibly uncommon) musical ground on Fuse.
Now this is an interesting pairing, and I look forward to hearing what music these two create together: Andrew Cash and Jenn Grant. Cash, a stalwart on the scene for more than twenty-five years, playing everything from punk to roots music, is about to release his tenth record. Jenn two "n"s Grant is a young and talented Haligonian singer.
Now, it's easy to bandy about that word, "talented." In fact perhaps it's been so-bandied that it's become diminished in meaning. "Talented," may be the new "pretty good." But I mean talented in the traditional Merriam-Webster sense: "A special often creative or artistic aptitude."
And you can hear what kind of music they create together on Fuse.
Another season premiere this weekend, when Fuse brings together the exuberant pop of Henri Faberge And The Adorables (who play organs, bells and glockenspiels, among other things) And Abdominal, who uses just his voice and beats for some smart old school hip hop.
Can I just take a moment here to share just how very exuberant in all ways Henri and the Adorables really are, via CBC Radio 3's Grant Lawrence, who describes the heights of this exuberance in a post titled Take Your Shirt Off? And since that link will just take you to the Radio 3 blog where you'd have to search for the post, I'll do a little cut and paste down there in the Continue Reading zone...it's pretty funny. You don't get the visuals, but you still get the picture, as it were.
But back to Fuse. Naturally, together Abdominal and the Adorables -- as heard on Fuse -- become the Abominables. Presented in all their glory this evening by host Amanda Putz.
Let's see, Amanda, Abdominal, Adorables...Am-Indomitable?
Continue reading "Exuberant (And Clothed) Meet Old School" »
...is replete with excellent music.
Here's a quick 'n' dirty rundown. (Well actually it's all pretty much family listening, but you know what I mean.)
***OnStage presents Ancient Cultures/New Sounds this week - music for and inspired by the Gamelan ensembles of Bali, from music by Colin McPhee to the premiere of Aria, a new work for Gamelan and piano by Henry Kucharzyk. You’ll hear Elizabeth and Marcel Bergmann, winners of the 4th Murray Dranoff International Two Piano Competition, and the eight-member Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan, the only ensemble of its kind in Canada dedicated to the commissioning and performance of contemporary music.
***Roots & Wings begins with variations on Sephardic music, explores flute sounds from Ukraine and Egypt, celebrates the accordion from France and Texas, gets funky with Afrobeat sounds and ends with some time-tested classics from Cuba.
***Fuse takes Kobo Town's Trinidadian-Canadian calypso and introduces it to The People Project, who feature one Mexican cell, one French Canadian cell. What, you may ask is a cell? Here's the description from The People Project myspace site:
"Based simultaneously in Ottawa and Mexico, the group works in two cells—Philippe Lafrenière (2006 OCFF Songwriter Award Winner – Best Political Song and Best French Song) and Steven Patterson up north; Gabriel Bronfman and Maria Emilia Martinez down south. The group is often joined by 2006 Latin Grammy Award Winner Natalia Lafourcade. Each cell recruits new musicians locally and performs in Canada and Mexico. Both of them compose Afro-Brazilian music with lyrics that are sung in four languages. Airplanes, the Internet and ubiquity do the rest!"
A plethora of great voices on early evening R2 this Sunday night. First, a woman who has performed for the Queen, Dione Taylor, and a man whose music is self-described as "Stevie Wonder playing a Beatles song with Jamiroquai," db Clifford. (OK, so he hasn't performed for the Queen...yet.) Individually they are soulful, jazzy performers -- and they perform together tonight on Fuse.
And Tonic features tracks by Sophie Milman, Norah Jones, and Shirley Horn. Always wonderful to hear the late Shirley Horn. New York Times music critic John Pareles once wrote that "songs are lucky when Shirley Horn chooses them," and I don't think I could put it better than that.
Iffen you're wondering what you might be able to hear late Sunday afternoon on R2, here are a few of the highlights:
Roots & Wings: French singer Camille is known for, among other things, having created an album with one drone note running throughout the entire work. R&W; host Philly Markowitz describes the results as "stunning and playful," and I believe her.
Fuse: Today the musically welded are David Gogo, a master of old-school blues, and Elizabeth Shepherd, a hepcat these days on the jazz vocal scene. Both were nominated for Juno Awards this year, and Fuse nabbed them when they were in Saskatoon for the ceremony, put them into the studio together and voila, the results are on your radio today.
Tonic: The jazz ABCs today, with Jay Boehmer's A is for Adam and Oscar Peterson's C-Jam Blues. (Hey, no "b." Maybe they should have played the old Lambert Hendricks and Ross' The New ABC to cover the whole thing off.) But there's more than just spelling on the show, you can also hear Mississippi style blues from Phontaine, and what are billed as "intriguing covers of Jobim tunes." (The Boy from Ipanema?)
Three completely different and yet satisfying listening experiences ahead this afternoon. In other words? Same same, but different.
First Skylarking host Andre Alexis turns Book Reviewer and tackles three weighty tomes, of which his favourite is "Aaargh, Billy: Piracy in the Work of William Shakespeare". ("Ever been to sea, Willy?")
Then Roots & Wings features Zack Condon (a.k.a. Beirut) a 19-year-old trumpeter and singer who had a soft spot for The Smiths and then discovered Lou Reed's album Berlin and the trumpet sounds of Balkan brass superstar Boban Markovic. The musical results? Dreamy Balkan music.
And in the hole, Fuse, with singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Royal Wood's encounter with Priya Thomas, also a singer-songwriter multi-instrumentalist, but musically the two seem about as different as could be. Think romance/heartbreak vs. barb-wire guitar and scotch-soaked drums. Should be very interesting to hear what they come up with together.
I remember talking with a friend once about creating a radio show dedicated to musical families -- working title, "I Hate You, Let's Sing." Needless to say, it didn't fly. Besides, there seem to be (not dysfunctional) musical families out there in abundance -- and a couple representatives are featured on Fuse tonight. The Baird brothers, who between them play trumpet, saxophone and drums. And Jill and Matthew Barber -- Fuse describe their roles in the family as "sweet sister and rockin' brother." (Yeah, but who did Mom love best?)
Every now and then a singer comes along who almost shocks people with her potential -- and Kellylee Evans is one of those musicians. Winning second place in the prestigious Thelonious Monk competition in 2004 (in front of judges including Quincy Jones, Al Jarreau, Dee Dee Bridgewater and others of that ilk) didn't hurt her stock one bit. But since then she's gone on to focus on original material rather than jazz standards.
So, take one original up-and-coming jazz singer, and pair her with four musicians named Chet. That's right, Chet. Well, collectively that's what these four from Victoria are called. Their myspace site (see above link) claims they're an indie band, but I like this description from the folks at Fuse, who are responsible for pairing Chet and Kellylee: "Chet croon reverb-drenched songs of pure beauty."
Also from the horse's mouth: "Today on Fuse Kellylee Evans and Chet get to the heart of real soul music."
Sandro Perri is a composer, producer and musician known for both his work with bands like Great Lakes Swimmers, and for his own experimental, slow-burn drones and phaser-rock rhythms.
Andre Ethier says he was "born forty years too late," that in his heart of hearts he comes from "a time where simplicity in music-making was favoured over the new tradition of loops and layers and editing."
Seems an unlikely combo, no? Well, according to Fuse, together the two musicians create a "jammin' on the back porch' mood." They oughta know, having recorded these performers playing in CBC Ottawa's own Studio 40, for broadcast today.
As you probably know, the premise of Fuse is to take to disparate bands or musicians, and put them together. Thus the name.
Today the disparates are singer-songwriter Emm Gryner, who is also a pianist, and the composer and jazz pianist D.D. Jackson.
Both tend towards the lyrical in their own styles of music, so it should be quite something to hear what they come up with in collaboration.
This afternoon on Fuse, with Alan Neal - veteran Newfoundland songwriter Ron Hynes melds minds with Nova Scotia upstarts The Trews.
The result is quieter than regular Trews but full of Atlantic flavour (fish? salt? No, you know what I mean - musical flavour).
This week's edition of Fuse with Alan Neal is a potluck of outtakes, lost songs, and new-to-you material.
They've rounded up the best musical mashups you've never heard. Whether it's Ron Sexsmith harmonizing with Sam Roberts, or Jim Cuddy forgetting the lyrics to his own songs, Fuse is reaching back into its vaults to showcase the songs that haven't yet hit the airwaves (and, let's face it, may not other than right here).
Bob Egan is a folkie who has done time with Wilco and Blue Rodeo - to name just a couple from a very long list.
Zaki Ibrahim is an up-and-coming singer of hip-hop-soul.
Together, Bob and Zaki create a new urban-roots hybrid that blends everything from rap to pedal steel.
That's coming up on Fuse, with Alan Neal.
Last year, an album came out by a Toronto group called Kobo Town. They've been getting some attention from CBC and I see them playing around town and on the festival circuit a fair bit. I'm just willing to bet that 20 years from now, there will be a retrospective (a la Light in the Attic's "Jamaica To Toronto" compilation) that will marvel at this extraordinary group and their twist on a particular antecedent of Trinidadian Calypso.
They'll twist it up a little themselves on today's edition of Fuse when they team up with The People Project.
Alan Neal hosts as usual. The results will be anything but usual.
This afternoon on Fuse, with Alan Neal:
Ellen McIlwaine has shared stages with guitar greats like Jimi Hendrix and John Lee Hooker. But she's a slide-playing force to be reckoned with all on her own.
Lal is a Toronto trio who have beats, politics and a middle-eastern sensibility.
Together, Ellen and Lal re-define fusion, with sparks of blues, spoken word and tablas along the way.
Today on Fuse, with Alan Neal:
Mike Evin combines his sweet vocals with a playful piano style to create a love-song pop that'll keep you smiling. The Brothers Creeggan conduct a rich pop orchestra that fills their songs about joy and dreams.
Together, Mike Evin and the Brothers Creeggan weave a heart-shaped sound that will make you want to reach out and hold someone's hand.
This should be a really interesting edition of Fuse, with Alan Neal:
Andrew Whiteman's Apostle of Hustle is already a fascinating meld of Afro-Cuban rhythm and jam-rock sensibilities and Tanya Tagaq is a bold pioneer in projecting her Inuit traditional sound into the spheres of rock, electronica and much more.
Today's Fuse brings them together and, with them, all the musical forces behind them as well as their joint spirit of experiment and discovery. Should be fantastic and inspiring.
Patrick Watson (the Montréal singer, not the former CBC Head) is making waves with his atmospheric music and ethereal voice.
Torngat is a trio without a voice...but their instrumental melodies speak beautifully clearly.
Together, Torngat and Patrick Watson craft layers of moody music, sweeping songs and duelling drums. Hear them collide on Fuse, with Alan Neal.
I don't know where CBC is at with working out more licenses for more programmes "on demand" but today's episode of Fuse should be cause for a demand for more.
The Creaking Tree String Quartet isn't your usual quartet--they've got mandolins, guitar, and a bluegrass attitude and they are hot, hot players. I have the good fortune of living in the neighbourhood where they have a Tuesday night residency and they have never failed to blow the room away with sheer great musicianship.
Kevin Breit you might know from his extraordinary list of session credits or his recent Juno win with his outfit The Sisters Euclid. If you don't know him, he's one of those guitar players who makes other guitar players' jaws drop.
Alan Neal brings Creaking Tree and Kevin Breit together today and I'm not sure the world will ever be the same.
Royal Wood is the kind of torchlight piano and guitar musician whose songs float and soar through romance and heartbreak. Priya Thomas is all about barbed-wire guitar and scotch-soaked drums pounding underneath a tour-de-force voice. The clash of these brilliant sounds sparks this episode of Fuse, with Alan Neal.
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.
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.
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.
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.
You know, I think these kinds of monikers are basically corny and mostly wishful thinking. I can't really get too wound up about Oscars or Grammys or Junos because they are, after all, just elaborately staged popularity contests. But I have to admit that the Junos have been effectively carving out a soft spot in my hardened heart over the last few years. And frankly, it's not because of the ceremony itself or even particularly the people that it honours...
I can't stress enough, dear readers, the importance of a well-placed comma.
For the most part, if I'm typing something like "Symphony Hall with Katherine Duncan", you know that means a radio show hosted by a particular person. But if I type "Fuse with Alan Neal" it sounds like something out of Cronenberg's "The Fly".
This afternoon on Fuse, with Alan Neal, veteran St. John's songsmith Ron Hynes comes together with Halifax rockers The Trews, to mess with the DNA of Maritime music.
Should be fun.
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