November 20, 2007
Posted by Li Robbins on November 20, 2007 at 07:00 AM
There are some issues upon which I cannot even pretend to have an opinion. A prime example: which is better, the CFL or the NFL? In my house, the key to the entire mystery of football's appeal seems to rest on the shoulders of one Green Bay Packer, Brett Favre. (Whose name, oddly enough, is pronounced Farve, but then again, Winnipeg has Portage-rhymes-with-porridge-Ave.) This leads me to assume that at least in the eyes my nearest and dearest and not very nationalistic, the NFL is obviously "better."
Well, Music & Co. bravely takes on the question today in a Cage Match, in the second hour of the programme, results announced on Friday.
But isn't the Grey Cup coming up next weekend? Won't better adjusted Canadians than I be sitting on tailgates freezing their butts (or I suppose in keeping with the Canadian-ness of the event that should be "bums") off and eating chile or some such? So surely the CFL, even in some musical guise will win? Only Music & Co. fans can decide.
November 13, 2007
Posted by Li Robbins on November 13, 2007 at 07:27 AM
This week Music & Company features another inter-city rivalry Cage Match. We all know that Montreal beat Toronto, how could it be otherwise? Toronto could not win a match against any city in the country, that would be heinous. (And I say this as a Torontonian.)
But Winnipeg vs. Regina? That's a tough one. (And I say that as a former Winnipeger.) Tune in Tuesday in the second hour of the show, Wednesday in the first hour, and find out who wins on Friday!
Bonus: Musical Spies Music &Co.;'s ongoing series of musical spies features the one and only Casanova...how did he find the time for espionage? (Perhaps he multi-tasked -- you know, rounding up the less than usual suspects?)
November 08, 2007
Posted by Li Robbins on November 8, 2007 at 07:00 AM
One of Music & Co.'s new features is Thursday's Rogues And Scoundrels, something you wouldn't expect a gentleman like Tom Allen to know a thing about, but in the name of his work he steps into the gutters of music history on your behalf.
Today Tom shines the spotlight on Johann Mattheson, a shameless self-promoter who publically brawled with Handel. (Funny how often the word "shameless" is followed by self-promoter. Or hussy.)
November 07, 2007
Posted by Li Robbins on November 7, 2007 at 05:00 AM
It's the stormy weather edition of the Music & Company cage match this week, as Beethoven and Rossini duke it out to see who can come up with the wildest storm music...today in the first hour of the show. (That's early, yes, 6-7am, but you're up and reading this, right?) Results will be annnounced Friday in the second hour of the show. (So you can sleep in a bit.)
November 02, 2007
Posted by on November 2, 2007 at 08:00 AM
My Music & Company egg-timer arrived in the mail yesterday, in the cutest lil Music & Co. box.
It's all part of the Music & Co. Swag Exchange, something I talked about at length a couple days ago, in a post called Tom Allen, Swagmeister.
But I never dreamed I'd benefit with some graft I mean swag myself. Nor did I ever dream that an egg-timer would turn out not to be some kind of very basic stopwatch devise in the shape of an egg, as I had imagined, but instead something you actually put in the water to tell you when your eggs are cooked to just the right degree. I don't know how I could have lived without one all these years.
To see my eggtimer, and the eggtimer that could be yours if you donate the appropriate Swag to the show, go to the Music & Company Flickr page -- you won't regret it. Beets!
November 01, 2007
Posted by on November 1, 2007 at 08:00 AM
Talented and harried people put on radio shows every day at CBC, but here I'd like to focus on the talented part. One fine example (and actually he looks fairly unflappable whenever I've encountered him the hallowed halls) is Jurgen Petrenko, Music & Co. boss, and a musician in his own right.
Today on Here's To You you can hear him playing organ with the Elora Festival Singers, performing Arvo Part’s Cantate Domino. (Did a listener specifically request Jurgen? I hope so. Talented and harried (and even unflappable) radio producers need to step out from behind the computer/stacks of CDs from time to time.)
October 30, 2007
Posted by on October 30, 2007 at 06:30 AM
Ever been on some cheesy cruise where the big perk (along with drinks in plastic cups) is that "everybody gets a really cheap t-shirt with an unappealing logo on it?" No? Lucky you.
OK, what about this. Ever been a fan of a radio show that had a contest, and if you, say, wrote a sonnet that was also an ode to the show host, or a letter describing how the birth of your child was made more meaningful by playing the show's theme music in repeat mode -- you got, in return, a really cheap t-shirt with an unappealing logo on it?
Well, Tom Allen takes the notion of swag (and no crummy t-shirts!) to a whole new level on Music & Company with The Swag Exchange. Here's how Judith, Music & Co. Woman Behind The Soundboard, (a.k.a Chairwoman Of The Board), explained it to me.
"The premise is quite simple, we want swag and we're willing to give up our swag to get it. So, we've been asking listeners to send us digital photos of any swag that they would like to offer up. If accepted, we send them a piece of our swag (M&C; hockey pucks, egg timers, windup radios or ball caps) or, if requested, some listener swag. C'est tout."
But no, not c'est tout, it gets even more exciting! Music & Co. also has their very own Flickr page where you can see digital photos of The Swag.
And their Junk Drawer has more details.
I want an egg-timer.
October 23, 2007
Posted by on October 23, 2007 at 06:10 AM
Tom Allen, of course, is the real deal when it comes to being a broadcaster -- no chump change, he's gold.
But chumps abound, and this week's Cage Match on Music & Co. is an attempt to find out who the "champ chump" is -- Don Jose (from Carmen) or Hamlet? (Tune in Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. and Wednesday at 6:40 a.m.)
p.s. Now, now Tom, you know I did really mean it, it wasn't just some cheap way of getting to "champ chump" or an excuse to use one of my favourite phrases "chump change." Really, it wasn't.
October 15, 2007
Posted by on October 15, 2007 at 06:00 AM
If you're a Tom Allen/Music & Co. faithful you will already know about some of these developments, but perhaps not all. So, drum roll, here's the Music & Company news du jour! Or news du season, since like the school year, the radio year begins in the autumn.
Rogues and Scoundrels: Tom introduces us to some composers you wouldn't want to take home for Sunday dinner...hmm, I wonder who? And why? Will have to tune in Thursdays in the third hour of the programme to find out.
Musical Spies: The worlds of James Bond and music collide as Tom unmasks musicians engaged in espionage...also on Thursdays in hour three. (Tom, will this ever involve Daniel Craig? Please?)
The Music & Company Swag Exchange: Trade your stuff for our stuff on our Swag Exchange...details on the Music & Co. website.
Inter-City rivalry Cage Matches: Why is your city so much better than that other one? It's Toronto vs Montreal, Edmonton vs Calgary, and many more as the gloves come off in the cage...(Tuesdays Hour 2 & Wednesdays Hour 1) Hey, we already know that Montreal won, hands down. Though I still say the kid who said Toronto should win because we have the Blue Jays deserves some kind of medal. Particularly as it was the end of the season.
There is actually more than this -- but I don't want to entirely steal their on-air thunder about things that are upcoming, in progress and so on. So, as they say, STAY TUNED.
October 05, 2007
Posted by on October 5, 2007 at 07:44 AM
Was just listening to Tom announcing the Cage Match results on Music & Co., a Toronto vs. Montreal match, partly inspired by hockey. (But bless the boots of the young man who suggested Toronto should win "because they have the Blue Jays," yes, my boy, there's always next season.) Funny how that city rivalry lives on though. As for me, I live in T.O. but love Montreal -- which does not equate to loathing my own town though. Anyway, the Montreal music that was played as a result of popular vote was great -- Andre Mathieu's Concerto de Quebec. Thanks Tom!
September 10, 2007
Posted by on September 10, 2007 at 07:01 AM
...to the piano music of Richard Strauss, as played by Glenn Gould, is entirely possible this morning. (Depending, of course, on what time you rise.) If you rise during Here's To You, you're in luck. Host Catherine Belyea will also be playing music by Schumann, Grieg, and Hildegard of Bingen this morning.
Myself I woke to a chorus of irked cats in the alley, but this was just because the radio had not yet come on. It was not music to my ears. Here's To You, or Music and Co., or for you really early risers, Nightstream, are much better bets.
September 06, 2007
Posted by on September 6, 2007 at 11:21 AM
Studio Sparks is doing a tribute to Luciano Pavarotti, who as you probably know, died yesterday. In the second hour of the show, Eric Friesen will play a variety of music highlighting the breadth of Pavarotti's artistry -- and what a breadth that was. Earlier this morning Tom Allen was playing Pavarotti on Music & Company, and talking about just how natural a singer he was -- and the music was just breathtaking. I'll look forward to Studio Sparks' tribute. Also, there is a wonderful photo gallery at cbc.ca arts you may want to look at, featuring the singer at various stages of his career.
July 23, 2007
Posted by on July 23, 2007 at 07:39 AM
Just a note to Tom Allen fans. If you woke up to your radio this morning you already know that Tom is on the air. But in case you're one of those people who reads email and surfs before anything else (not that I'd know a thing about that kind of person of course) here's a heads up...Tom is in the Music & Co. chair this week.
July 10, 2007
Posted by on July 10, 2007 at 07:42 AM
Ah summer, the season of long, sticky days, of cool lakes and warm docks (for the lucky), and of course of music festivals (ditto on the lucky front).
But summer is also the season of guest hosts, and although you may miss your regular show host, it's a nice surprise to hear unexpected voices pop up on the radio, and refreshing to get different perspectives on music.
Today, for instance, on Music And Company it's Philly Markowitz, whose regular gig is hosting Roots & Wings. She just played some lovely tune by Astor Piazzolla. (At least I think it was Piazzolla, the caffeine hadn't quite hit yet. But then, that's what that playlist feature on the left is for...ain't technology grand.)
May 22, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on May 22, 2007 at 07:25 AM
Mozart, Dvorak, Liszt, Poulenc, Beethoven, Bach, Hayden....
String quartets, guitars, cello, piano....
Jane Coop, Yoyo Ma.....
And you KNOW Tom will have some stories about his weekend.
Tune into Music & Company with Tom Allen.
May 11, 2007
Posted by on May 11, 2007 at 06:00 AM
Who will end up in the hurricanrana? Tune in to Music & Co. this morning to find out.
It's either the "Flower Duet" from Lakme or "La Fleur que tu m'avais jetee" from Carmen.
Yes, it's a "flowers for mother's day" cage match.
Though if truth be told (and Tom told me, so it must be true), Lakme is about a girl who falls for a guy from the wrong side of the fence, and Carmen is about a soldier brought to ruin by a femme fatale.
In both cases Mom tells them to get wise to themselves, but do they pay attention? No they do not. This is why we do not celebrate anything called "daughter's day."
Although, speaking as a daughter, I don't see why we shouldn't, come to think of it.
Tom, got any ideas for a daughters' cage match? Or maybe daughters vs. sons? (We'll get the sons in the hurricanrana, just you wait...)
May 07, 2007
Posted by on May 7, 2007 at 07:24 AM
Good Monday morning.
It's lovely waking up to Music and Company at 6 a.m.
Tom sounds a little sleepy at first, like most of us at that time of day, but quickly brightens up (unlike most of us) as he starts talking about the "architecture" of C.P.E. Bach's music. Then it's music from France, specifically Versailles, since today is the anniversary of the inauguration of the palace in 1664. (We're starting to wake up!)
Next, Tom plays music inspired by birdsong at Versailles, which prompts some slightly less sleepy thinking about how musicians of all times have been fascinated by birdsong, and questioned how it fits into our ideas of what music is.
Musician and philosopher David Rothenberg writes about that in a book that came out recently called Why Birds Sing: A Journey Into the Mystery of Bird Song.
"Just because science demonstrates that a song has a specific territorial or sexual purpose," he writes, "doesn't mean that birds aren't singing because they love to."
Ah yes, the places Tom Allen can take us.
May 04, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on May 4, 2007 at 04:08 AM
It's Friday - and that means it's Tom Allen's weekly Cage Match - where the world's great composers take on the big issues and each other in a friendly musical duel.
En garde!!!
May 02, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on May 2, 2007 at 04:19 AM
It seems there's lots that people love about Tom Allen, according to the responses to my post last week. Gosh, I hope people didn't think I was actually taking Tom to serious task about letting me know about what's coming up on the show!
I'll tell you what I'm looking forward to later this week is the "Cage Match" (I think John Cage should win every week).
Do you think we could get Tom's Friday musical shootout into the weekly sports pools?
April 27, 2007
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 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.
March 30, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on March 30, 2007 at 05:26 AM
Pierre Juneau was the CRTC commissioner who instituted Canada's famous Canadian Content regulations for broadcasters in 1971. The Juno Awards, which roll this Sunday night in Saskatoon, are named in his honour.
CANCON had a remarkable impact on the Canadian music industry. Sure, it spawned a lot of lousy artists who got airplay just to fill the void but it also encouraged some very good ones. It also fostered the business end of the equation: labels, lawyers, studios, technicians, designers, etc.
Before CANCON, most Canadian singers were shipped to New York and Nashville to do Canuck covers of songs they didn't write.
The annual awards now honour achievements in almost 40 categories including different genres, producers, cover artists and so on.
Continue reading "Reading Juneau's Tea Leaves" »
March 23, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on March 23, 2007 at 05:39 AM
In spite of the fact that my mum is British and my dad is from Northern Ontario, it was my DAD who was the expert tea maker - always rising early to make a proper pot and bring my mum her cup in bed.
I never got a taste for tea, myself. I don't really drink coffee in the morning either - unless it's a latte but that's well after waking when I'm out and about. For me, it's water first and then juice. Creamy regular coffee is great with the classic breakfast on weekends at the local greasy spoon.
For my morning radio dose, I can't really wake up to just music. It has a way of weaving into my dreams and leaving me asleep. I need something that engages the language centre of my brain right away. That does not mean I like to wake up to the "hilarious" morning teams that every commercial station seems to have.
For me, it's either Radio One or Music & Company with Tom Allen on Radio Two.
I really like his stories and his easy manner that never gets in the way of him saying something insightful and interesting about the music he plays. It's my cup of tea.
March 19, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on March 19, 2007 at 09:34 AM
Incredibly, as I write this I'm listening to Music & Company from the Mountain timezone radio stream (you'll find the available streams on the top right of this page) and Tom is just talking about one of the stories I posted a day or two ago from cbc.ca about the new museum in Italy for compositions by WWII prisoners. That story inspired Tom to discover some new music by a Czech composer named Rudolph Carol and it's playing this moment.
That's the kind of connection I hope will begin to bloom between this site, the hosts and producers of shows both new and existing and you the audience.
You can be as involved as you like: switch on the radio in the kitchen and forget about it, track live radio streams across the country through the radio panel, access Concerts On Demand in the next panel down on the right hand side of the page or follow the conversation here.
March 16, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on March 16, 2007 at 08:43 PM
Hello.
Hello.
HELLO.
It's me. Jowi Taylor
Here in the middle of the page.
Welcome to the new CBC Radio 2. This is it kids. This is the place you want to be for music in Canada. This is your hub. This is where you conduct your own radio experience.
Continue reading "Well Cut My Ribbon" »
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