September 30, 2007
Posted by on September 30, 2007 at 02:00 PM
It's pretty incredible to think that the top-selling poet in the English language is a man who wrote poems in Farsi almost eight centuries ago. And today, on the final edition of Roots & Wings, host Philly Markowitz celebrates the 800th birthday of Sufi mystic and poet Mevlana Jallal-a-Din Rumi with an hour of music inspired by and created from his works.
You'll hear classical and contemporary music from the former Persian empire (including present-day Iran and Turkey), plus excerpts from Rumi’s writings about music. You'll also learn how Rumi's words echo through the voices of Canada's Sufi musicians, eight centuries - to the day - after his birth.
For the past fifteen years Philly has entered the homes of many CBC listeners, with her wonderful voice and her passion for music. You'll be glad to know that you can continue to hear her as weekend host of Nightstream (beginning in a couple of weeks), as well as contributing to the new network show Inside The Music, which starts next Sunday.
And a personal note...R&W; has a special place in my own heart, as fifteen years ago (Philly, has it REALLY been that long?!?) I had a little idea for a show that would present "world music" on disc, in what I hoped would be a fun and engaging way. Philly was the first and only person I thought of asking to host the show -- we'd both worked in community radio, and shared a lot of the same ideas about radio and the same excitement about all the music we were discovering -- it was at about that time that "world music" recordings began steadily funneling into North America.
Continue reading "Rumi At 800, Roots & Wings At 15" »
September 23, 2007
Posted by on September 23, 2007 at 02:17 PM
On Roots & Wings today Philly Markowitz celebrates the autumnal Equinox in song, presenting music inspired by the fragrance of tea. I don't know what specific music she'll be playing, but I'm not surprised that music might be inspired by the fragrance of tea.
Particularly if it was something like, say, Lapsang Souchong, which, if you start perusing tea websites, inspires much prose, for example: "The heady aroma of an oak fire," "an exotic smoky flavor," "quite possibly the most famous undrunk black tea in existence." What! That's just wrong, some of us drink it all the time, particularly in autumn, which it perfectly suits.
Though it is possible the music on R&W; was inspired by Red Rose, only Philly can say.
And a quick addendum, also on the tea beat. Apparently there are Japanese tea-oriented work songs that date back hundreds of years, with lyrics like:
In the weather beautiful,
Our peasant girls pick leaves while singing,
Their noise a joyful sound, free of care.
'Pick all you can, young maids, for if you
Do not, we Japanese will have no tea!'
At least, that's what the TeaMuse says.
September 09, 2007
Posted by on September 9, 2007 at 03:03 PM
Musically speaking, one of them is what Roots & Wings host Philly Markowitz calls “Gypsy-tronica,” music that mixes traditional Roma sounds with contemporary re-mixes. She'll be featuring some of those bands this afternoon on R&W.;
And in totally unrelated world music news...you might be interested in this feature piece about the recently released collaboration between Anoushka Shankar and Karsh Kale on Spinner.com. It's a project including Anoushka's famous dad, Ravi, and sister, Norah Jones. When Anoushka was just starting to become known I had occasion to interview her. She was a great interview, frank, and quite sweet, talking about her "Uncle George" (Harrison) and things like that in a completely unaffected way. It's interesting watching how her career is developing -- given the practically sainted place her father holds in international music. She seems to be both embracing that legacy and creating space for her own work in a more contemporary direction at the same time.
(She also told me that a number of Indian women told her they were going to name their daughters Anoushka after her, which she found quite funny -- the name being Russian, after all. Ah, the deep musical insights from a journalist, eh?)
September 02, 2007
Posted by on September 2, 2007 at 12:00 PM
...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!"
August 19, 2007
Posted by on August 19, 2007 at 03:00 PM
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?)
August 12, 2007
Posted by on August 12, 2007 at 02:00 PM
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.
August 05, 2007
Posted by on August 5, 2007 at 02:00 PM
I can't imagine what it would be like to be Bob Brozman. (And not just because of the beard.) Let's see, Sunday morning, practice Hawaiian slack-key, Finnish kantele, ukulele, Bolivian charango and Greek baglama. Sunday afternoon, form own orchestra and record all parts. Monday to Saturday, travel the world for more input. You can hear some of the results of multi-multi-instrumentalist Bob Brozman's work today for yourself, on Roots & Wings.
July 29, 2007
Posted by on July 29, 2007 at 02:50 PM
Tony Conjugacion, (a.k.a. Tony C.), is a singer from Hawaii who wants the whole world to hula. Really. But that's all I know. For the full story you must tune into Roots & Wings.
A couple o' other highlights: Music from Shubha Mudgal, a classical singer in India who is so popular she gets mobbed in the street for her autograph. And a vocal ensemble from Finland called Rajaton, performing jazzy a capella arrangements of Finnish folk songs. (Not really a surprise, what hasn't been done with a Finnish folk song? Seems like Finns enjoy exploring how far they can take their folk.) btw, if you are curious about Finnish folk music, one good starting point is the Finnish Music Information Centre.
July 15, 2007
Posted by on July 15, 2007 at 02:45 PM
Eugene Hutz came to the United States from Ukraine after the Chernobyl meltdown -- some stories say he wandered Europe as a refugee for seven years first, others say he came with his parents and settled in Burlington, Vermont. (So you see what kind of personality Mr. Hutz is already.)
Anyway, at some point in the 1990s he arrived in New York City and met the musicians who became Gogol Bordello, who play fierce, wild music.
The band is frequently called an "art band," but in a profile on the Bonnaroo festival site I read recently (they played the festival in June and made a whole lot of new fans) Hutz takes umbrage.
"I want people to know we are not an art band, or a folkloric band, but a gypsy punk band from New York City."
Of course, that clarifies it totally. Anyway, Gogol Bordello play pretty amazing high energy stuff, and you can hear some of it today on Roots & Wings.
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.)
July 01, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on July 1, 2007 at 02:14 PM
This afternoon on Roots and Wings with Philly Markowitz, in celebration of Canada Day and the upcoming festival season, Philly plays some of the best from Canadian and international artists on the circuit this summer.
You'll also hear the world radio debut of a song by Juno-award winning roots group The McDades remixed by ambient dub master Andrew McPherson, a.k.a. Eccodek.
June 24, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on June 24, 2007 at 02:14 PM
This week on Roots and Wings, host Philly Markowitz spins tracks from a new album of Afro Beat music that's raising awareness - and funds - for people in war ravaged Darfur.
Also, an exploration of a new wave of Asian women artists experimenting with exciting and often avant-garde sounds based in roots music traditions.
June 17, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on June 17, 2007 at 02:18 PM
That's the literal translation of vallenato - from the valley. It refers to both the music and the people of the valley between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serranía de Perijá in the northeast region of Colombia. It's a strongly Caribbean part of the country and the music of this area contains a strong connection to west African griot - or storytelling music.
On today's edition of Roots and Wings with Philly Markowitz, you'll hear the wildly popular vallenato music of Colombian superstar Fonseca.
Plus, new music from Brazilian poet and songstress Beatriz Azevedo and funky vintage beats from the Bokoor Band from Ghana, to name just a few.
June 10, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on June 10, 2007 at 01:59 PM
You may know the story of the controversy behind Enigma's multi-million selling hit "Return to Innocence". It was a big hit in Europe and took off in American when it was used as the theme for the Atlanta Olympic Games. The song included the sample of an Ami folk song sung by an elderly couple - Taiwanese aboriginal rice farmers who had made the recording for a French ethnographic record years before. It took a massive legal battle for these poor elderly farmers to get any recognition or any compensation for their role in the hit.
The British group Baka Beyond did things a little differently when they employed the rhythms and chants of the Baka pygmies of Cameroun.
Continue reading "Baka Beyond" »
June 03, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on June 3, 2007 at 01:48 PM
I first became aware of Karelian music back in 1999 on an album by the wonderful Swedish/Finnish folk-rock band Hedningarna. It was a real departure for them and you could almost imagine parts of it being made by a glass harmonica made of ice.
Karelia is a pocket of territory that straddes Finnish and Russian jurisdictions. To read the history of Karelia will make your head spin but you'll love the music.
This week on Roots and Wings with Philly Markowitz - highlights from a concert by the Karelian art-folk ensemble Va Ta Ga recorded in Russia earlier this year.
Plus the north-African fusion sounds of Karim Ziad and Odessa meets Havana in Toronto.
May 27, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on May 27, 2007 at 01:51 PM
Today on Roots & Wings with Philly Markowitz, three pieces of African music re-designed in Canada, plus some hauntingly beautiful instrumentals that bridge between world, ambient and jazz sounds.
May 20, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on May 20, 2007 at 02:00 PM
Roots & Wings reaches show number Six Hundred this week!
To celebrate this landmark event, Philly will be playing great world music that can be traced back 600 years, including Pakistani Qawwali, gamelan from Indonesia, West African kora and Sephardic music from Spain.
And to sweeten the pot, she'll also give away six copies of a fabulous two-disc compilation from the world's foremost world music label - tune in to find out which one!
May 13, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on May 13, 2007 at 01:59 PM
Macedonian Roma singer Esma Redzepova is a Peace Ambassador for the UN and UNICEF who is the mother of 47 adopted orphan children. She's also known as the "Queen of Gyspy Music".
You can check out some of the extraordinary range of humanitarian projects she's involved in here and you can check out her music this afternoon on Roots & Wings with Philly Markowitz.
May 06, 2007
Posted by Jowi Taylor on May 6, 2007 at 01:46 PM
This week on Roots and Wings with Philly Markowitz you'll hear new sounds from some of the biggest names in world music including Brazil's Bebel Gilberto and Cuba's late great Ibrahim Ferrer.
Plus a duet from jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater's new disc "Red Earth", which was recorded in Mali and features the extraordinary voice of Oumou Sangare.
April 29, 2007
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.
April 22, 2007
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.
April 15, 2007
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.
April 08, 2007
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.
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