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January 31, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-31-08 at 05:05 PM
Highlights from this year's Maple Blues Awards tonight on Canada Live (8 p.m.) It was hosted by Dawn Tyler Watson, and though I'm not sure what excerpts are on the show tonight, performances included Watson with Paul Deslauriers, Little Miss Higgins, Garrett Mason (son of the late Canadian blues legend Dutch Mason) Jack de Keyzer and others.
And there's also some blues from the powerhouse and charismatic young singer, Ndidi Onukwulu (pictured here) on tonight's show, as well as some of a concert from two extremely well-travelled bluesmen, Big Dave McLean and Doc MacLean from their Big Road Blues Tour. Hey, it's almost February in Canada. We got a right to sing the blues...
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-31-08 at 03:00 PM
Tonight on Tonic (6 p.m.), a plethora of singers including Denzal Sinclaire, Ivana Santilli, John Legend, Joe Williams, Madeleine Peyroux and the Iseley Brothers.
And a live set from the Kevin Dean organ band, recorded at Upstairs Bar & Grill in Montreal. And, crafty segue, it being Organ Thursday, here's your Online Organ Hit Of The Day: JazzWax on the Deep Blue Organ Trio.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-31-08 at 12:31 PM
Although candidates in the U.S. Presidential Campaign are dropping like candidates in a U.S. Presidential campaign, there's still time to see what the online constituency has to say about the musical choices that accompanied their paths to date.
Yahoo Answers briefly got in on the game, with the question, "Who else thinks the Presidential campaign music stinks?" The premise for the answer being -- pick a piece of music you best think represents that candidate. The "best answer" took no prisoners -- John Edwards awarded Everybody's Fool by Evanescence, for example.
NPR bloggers have considered the question -- Monitor Mix quite rightly asking "since when has U2 become the band to sum up U.S. sentiment?" (My answer, since John Cougar Mellencamp started doing Chevy ads.)
Naturally there have been video takes -- for instance the "infomercial" for Campaign Songs Of the 2008 Presidential Candidates. (Available on "one low priced compact disc, cassette or eight track.")
And of course, that excellent roundup mentioned before on The Huffington Post, Candidates Change Their Tunes.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-31-08 at 11:00 AM
Harry and Jarvis' aren't the only birthdays being celebrated today on CBC R2. (See Talk About Younger Audiences!)
Today Studio Sparks (12 p.m.) is paying tribute to this weekend's 107th anniversary of the birth of Jascha Heifetz, with the Heifetz episode of the series The Concerto According to Pinchas.
In episode 2 of the acclaimed series, Eric talks to violinist Pinchas Zukerman about the Bruch Violin Concerto and the Bruch Scottish Fantasy, both of which Heifetz championed and made his own.
If you'd like a little video sneak peek, here is Heifetz playing the allegro from the Scottish Fantasy. Spectacular.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-31-08 at 08:00 AM
Today a little boy named Harry who lives in Bridgetown, Nova Scotia, turns six. No, he's not a relative of mine, I mention Harry's big day because he and his Dad like to listen to Here's To You (9 a.m.), and his father requested some music to celebrate. You can hear it on the show today -- it's a hymn that Harry sings "all the time," Abide With Me.
And he's not the only birthday boy who has a request in his honour today -- and I do mean birthday boy. Jarvis, of Dundas Ontario, is just turning three, but he already loves the final movement of Mozart's Symphony N41. Apparently he has a specific dance he likes to do to No. 41, and his father requested a version so that Jarvis may dance on his day. Catherine will play the work, conducted by Karl Bohm, and performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
So...happy birthday Harry and Jarvis, long may you listen, sing, and dance!
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-31-08 at 05:00 AM
According to the COD (in this case not referring to a Concert On Demand, but to the Concise Oxford Dictionary) an eccentric is "an odd, whimsical persona." (As well as defining something to do with steam engines.)
But what makes a musical eccentric? Music & Company (6 a.m.) is planning to explore this very topic. Today they kick off this series with Peter Warlock. If you just thought, "who he?" tune in this morning to find out.
And don't forget, it's not too late to chime in on whether you want the Giants or the Patriots to win the Superbowl, (via their alter egos, the New York Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony Orchestra). This week on Music & Co.it's the Superbowl Cage Match -- Tom will have results of your votes on Friday.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-31-08 at 12:00 AM
Thursday night the The Signal (10 p.m.) features compositions for strings. First, Edgar Meyer's Violin Concerto, as performed by violinist Mark Fewer and the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra. Edgar Meyer himself is a bass player (apparently he started studying bass at the age of five, which I would have thought an impossibility -- but presumably there are child sized basses, just as there are wee violins). And if you think you don't know his music, but have ever seen the Ken Burns documentary on World War ll, think again, because you have.
Also on the show, some cello from Claire Goldfarb's album Or Propos, and jazz bass from The Chris Tarry Group CD, Almost Certainly Dreaming.
January 30, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-30-08 at 08:00 PM
A Concert On Demand you may want to check out...Marjan Mozetich's birthday party, celebrated with both cake and music. The Canadian composer turned 60 in January and to celebrate, the Department of Music at Queen’s University threw a birthday bash.
Thirteen performers highlight three decades of his chamber music, ranging from a work for solo piano to a septet. (And after the concert, Marjan was there to cut the cake!)
Marjan Mozetich’s 60th Birthday Celebration at Concerts on Demand.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-30-08 at 04:42 PM
Tonight's live set on Tonic (6 p.m.) is from the vocalist Andy Bey, recorded live at Birdland in New York City in May 1997. The Reader's Digest bio on Bey is that he was a child prodigy (early appearances included the Apollo Theater and sharing stages with performers of the Louis Jordan, Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington stature -- before he was 18.) You may also know him from his work with his sisters, Salome and Geraldine -- as Andy & The Bey Sisters they played all over Europe in the 50s and 60s. And then he went on to work with too many to list -- but they included McCoy Tyner, Lonnie Liston Smith, and Thad Jones.
OK, slight jump cut here. On the weekend I was listening to About Oscar on Inside the Music on Sunday (which will continue this Sunday at noon), and though I'd heard it before, I was still stopped in my tracks by Oscar Peterson's vivid descriptions of the racism he experienced while on the Jazz at the Philharmonic tour.
Continue reading "Andy Bey Live Set" »
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-30-08 at 03:00 PM
The Juno awards are set for April 6 in Calgary, and the pre-game warmups have begun, with the announcement that the amazingly successful Feist, as well as the also fairly amazingly successful Michael Bublé, will join the Juno gala lineup. It's a three day fest beginning April 4th, and this year's theme is "Wild West." Once I figure out what that translates to I'll let you know.
Meantime, you can get some details about the gala at CBC | Arts News. The Juno nominees will be announced next Tuesday.
P.S. Also on the music awards front, in case you missed the news, The Grammys did get their writers' strike waiver (the union will allow striking members to work on the annual music awards, saying it has similar concerns as do musicians when it comes to new media). The Academy Awards? I have a feeling that's another story, although I wouldn't want to put my money down either way just yet.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-30-08 at 11:30 AM
The other day I was talking to a musician who teaches instrumental/band music to grade 7 and 8 kids, as well as playing music. (This was Juan Valencia, of the excellent Latin-alternative band, Plan C.) He was telling me that even though the challenges of teaching kids that age are, how shall we put it, not insignificant, the rewards are tremendous -- when a kid suddenly totally connects to music, not just as a listener, but as a would-be musician.
Continue reading "Some (Good) Music Education News" »
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-30-08 at 12:02 AM
Yes, the Superbowl Cage Match continues today. And this week Tom Allen asks you:
Whose performance of Also Sprach Zarathustra do you prefer? The New York Philharmonic's, or The Boston Symphony Orchestra's?**
It's interesting how many ways this music has been used, most famously as the theme to 2001: A Space Odessey, but also as Elvis' introduction music for his early 70's Vegas shows. And now, eclipsing them all, as the subject of a Cage Match! Results will be announced Friday morning on Music & Company.
As always, Tom (& Blog) & Co. are happy to hear your thoughts as to why you prefer one or the other; votes cast both here and at the Cage Match site are added to the final tally.
**Commercial links provided strictly a potential point of comparison...
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-30-08 at 12:01 AM
Autorickshaw is one of the hardest working bands in cross-cultural music-making show business these days. They're launching into the first of three shows at Lula Lounge -- each featuring new repertoire and a special guest. But first -- their broadcast on Canada Live (8 p.m.) Wednesday night, of original music commissioned by Winnipeg's West End Cultural centre -- a collaboration between the group and the strings from the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. The piece is called Maya, and is written by the group's vocalist, Suba Sankarakn -- this was its world premiere.
Continue reading "Autorickshaw With The Manitoba Chamber Orchestra" »
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-30-08 at 12:00 AM
Back to back mentions of what's up on The Signal (10 p.m.), so you can start readying your ears early for Wednesday night's show. On it, Laurie explores the world of Chamber Pop music, in the first hour.
In a world of musical categorizations that struggle to convey some sense of what the music actually sounds like, I think chamber pop is one of the more meaningful terms. As the Signalites put it, "it's a style that blends indie pop and rock with a classical chamber music aesthetic."
Some examples that you can hear on Wednesday -- the absolutely idiosyncratic, faintly mediaeval sound of harpist Joanna Newsom, the choral-based pop of Polyphonic Spree and the music of violinist Owen Pallet's Final Fantasy.
January 29, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-29-08 at 08:04 PM
Who can ever get enough of them? Certainly not the organizers of the Vancouver New Music Festival, whose series Guitars! Guitars! resulted in a wide range of interesting guitar music, including the performance you can hear tonight on The Signal (10 p.m.)
Vancouver-based guitarist Gordon Grdina draws on a wide range of influences, from contemporary jazz to Arabic music to free improv, and in this performance you can hear him solo, on archtop guitar, resonator guitar, and the oud. (Admittedly not a guitar, but at least a cousin. Maybe next year they'll have a series called Ouds! Lutes!)
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-29-08 at 05:30 PM
Lisa Brokop gets a whole lot country in this performance at West Vancouver’s Harmony Arts Festival. She's a 13-time nominee for female singer of the year at the Canadian Country Music Awards, (I think she attended her first one when she was something like thirteen years old!), and here she performs songs from her six albums, including her latest, Hey, Do You Know Me?
Lisa Brokop at Concerts on Demand.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-29-08 at 03:47 PM
This evening on Tonic (6 p.m.) a concert set recorded in 1999 of Ray Brown, at, of all places, a Starbucks in downtown Seattle. (I'm trying to view this in a positive light, not as an indication of the health of jazz venues in Seattle.) There is a recent indication of the healthy state of Canadian jazz though, with yesterday's announcement of the 2008 National Jazz Awards nominees. The theme of this year's awards is A Tribute To The Next Generation, and there certainly are lots of up and comers to celebrate.
The performers at this year's ceremony, held at the Palais Royale in Toronto on April 8th include the awards hosts -- Kellylee Evans and Michael Kaeshammer, as well as the Mike Ruby Quartet, the much talked about 13 year-old phenom, Nikki Yanofsky, the Brandi Disterheft Quintet, the Elizabeth Shepherd Trio, Laila Biali Trio, Alex Bellegarde, and October Trio.
And here's the list of 2008 nominees:
Continue reading "The Health Of Jazz" »
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-29-08 at 12:33 PM
"The Beethoven sonata cycle is, how shall I put it? one of the most extraordinary musical diaries of any composer. They go through all his creative periods: early, middle and late. Mozart’s piano concertos have a similar quality, but they don’t span his entire creative life as Beethoven’s sonatas do.”
That's a quote from Daniel Barenboim, (in the news of late as a result of his dual Israeli/Palestinian citizenship), talking to the Times Online about why he is so drawn to Beethoven. Currently he's embarked on or an eight-evening series at Festival Hall performing all 32 of Beethoven’s piano sonatas.
The whole story is at the Times, called, A Lasting Testament.
But should Barenboim really be playing 35, not 32 sonatas if he is to claim to playing them all? A couple of weeks ago there was a story in the New York Times about Barry Cooper, the chairman of the music faculty at Manchester University, whose new critical edition of the sonatas (replacing the famed one Donald Francis Tovey made for the same publisher in 1931!) has caused some ripples, if not outright waves, in the world of all things Beethoven. Among other things, Cooper claims there are really 35 Beethoven piano sonatas, not 32. You can read the whole story at the NYT, under the crafty headline, Settling Old Scores by Beethoven.
P.S. Yes, the score pictured is not for one of the sonatas...but it is actually Beethoven's work!
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-29-08 at 10:30 AM
Thirty years ago, violinist Eugene Drucker, founder of the Emerson String Quartet, had an idea for a novel, always a dangerous thing. Unless, of course, you are a very disciplined person, as Mr. Drucker clearly is -- his novel,The Saviour, was published last summer to positive reviews. It's the story of a violinist in the waning days of World War ll -- forced to play his violin in a concentration camp.
Eugene Drucker will be in studio in the third hour of Studio Sparks (12:00), talking about his life both as a writer, and his musical life in one of world's greatest string quartets.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-29-08 at 12:00 AM
Jazz writer Mark Miller once called Montreal-based Christine Jensen "one of the most important Canadian composers of her generation," and that's good enough for me. She's also become one of the most respected alto and soprano saxophonist on both the Canadian and international jazz scene.
She's lived in Vancouver, Paris (and New York, I think), but these days she's in Montreal. The concert you can hear Tuesday night on Canada Live (8 p.m.) comes from the 2007 Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
Also on Can. Live tonight, Navaz, a collaboration between guitarist Eric Tompkins and Persian vocalist Neda Jalali. The name is a Farsi word that means "a soothing melody," and musically they combine aspects of Persian music, jazz, and nu-jazz. A lot of what they do is rooted in the Sufi poetry of Hafez and Rumi, but some of it is quite a contemporary Persian sound, combined with Spanish and Brazilian rhythms. This concert was performed in front of a full house at CBC Studio One in Vancouver.
January 28, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-28-08 at 09:02 PM
Laurie Brown has a crystal ball, a ouija board, and reads tea leaves...or possibly she and her producers just dig up a ton of good music from all eras of The Signal's repertoire to play on her show.
Tonight that last theory is supported, as on The Signal (10 p.m.) she peers into the past, present and future of Canadian music via the following selections:
In the present, you'll hear new releases from Calgary's Jane Vain & The Dark Matter, as well as Toronto-born vocalist Yoon Sun Choi and pianist Jacob Sacks and their tribute to the muppety music of Joe Raposo.
As a nod to the future, Laurie presents selections from a concert of emerging composers at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. The event was dubbed A Celebration of Future Classics and features music from Scott Good and Carl Schimmel.
And looking back to the past, some pioneering electronic/orchestral music from Montreal-based composer alcides lanza.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-28-08 at 07:00 PM
Monday night on Canada Live (8 p.m.), Source And Inspiration ll, a brand new show from Toronto's ground-breaking Art Of Time Ensemble.
You've probably heard, (or at least heard of), some of their earlier collaborative efforts combining indie musicians with classical music ensemble. For this performance, CBC Radio commissioned twelve original songs inspired by the Schumann Piano Quintet. The composers also perform their new work, and the composer/performers are Justin Rutledge, Andy Maize, Martin Tielli, Kyrie Kristmanson, John Southworth, and David Wall.
And then the concert comes back to the source -- Schumann's Piano Quintet in E flat Op. 44. It's performed by The Art Of Time: Steven Sitarski (violin), Erika Raum (violin), Steven Dann (viola), David Hetherington (cello), and Art of Time Ensemble Artistic Director Andrew Burashko (piano).
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-28-08 at 04:01 PM
Monday night's edition of Tonic (6 p.m.), includes a bunch of Brazilian music, from artists like Marisa Monte, Paulo Ramos, and the 90-year old Brazilian samba legend, Jamelao.
And speaking of things musical and Brazilian, some great news from a Canadian samba group --- the Escola de Samba de Toronto (pictured distantly here) has been invited to perform in Jundiaí, Sao Paulo for 5 nights Feb 1-5, and they'll be guests of honour in the city's street parade on the 2nd.
Escola director Alan "Canadense" Hetherington says, "To them, we're like the Jamaican bob sled team only in reverse. They appreciate that people in Canada are carrying on this tradition."
The Escola de S de T has a nice website too, promoting samba and related music in Canada, called Samba Toronto. And of course Brazilian music being as popular as it is, the online sources are multiple. Many are quite specific, such as The Brazilian Muse, which is specific to Brazilian music in New York City, or Choro Music, which focusses on that particular style, and Loronix, which concentrates on "forgotten music not commercially available."
Meantime, congratulations, Escola de Samba de Toronto!
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-28-08 at 12:36 PM
Why is it we like things that are bad? Movies that are so bad they're good. Or lyrics, that when heard, cause a coffee snorting cringe? Spinner has been indulging in the love of a bad lyric, as of late, the most recent being from the band, Interpol, a song called Heinrich Maneuvre:
"How are things on the west coast?
I hear you're moving real fine
You wear those shoes like a dove..."
Not so bad, really. I mean, someone could walk as though they were a dove in little booties. Besides, it's easy to criticize, harder to create.
It's also easy to be mean, something else Spinner explores through their Top Twenty Meanest Love Songs, a kind of anti-Valentine's Day warmup. (Personally I think that Bob Dylan, who comes in at #7 with Idiot Wind, should have been in first place -- the kiss off line being "You're an idiot, babe/It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe.")
Now over on Radio 1 As It Happens has been having some fun with the notion of most depressing songs -- this following the declaration that January 24th is apparently the most depressing day of the year. How s.a.d.
I believe As It Happens will be posting their Most Depressing Songs list later today, just to cheer everyone up. Every time I've tuned in, they seem to be playing Billie Holiday. Well, that makes sense.
P.S. Below, in reverse order, is the complete list of Spinners Top Twenty Meanest Love Songs.
Continue reading "The Good, The Bad, And The Just Plain S.A.D." »
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-28-08 at 10:36 AM
Studio Sparksites (12 p.m.) are very excited about the live performance they're playing on the show today of Brahms' fourth and final symphony -- performed by Thomas Dausgaard and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. Direct quote?
"They blow the lid off of it." The orchestra is also cited as proof that "you don't need to be one of the top five symphonies in the world to be awesome..."
You can also hear a concert from Montreal today, with cellist Matt Haimovitz and pianist Sara Laimon, (pictured here) performing the fifth cello sonata by Beethoven at Montreal's Bach Festival. This concert is also available as a Concert On Demand -- Bach And Beyond.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-28-08 at 07:49 AM
Where did you first see Shakespeare's work, or hear an opera? Here's To You (9 a.m.) listener, Michael From Calgary, wrote to the show to say that his daughter learned the plot of Hamlet from an episode of The Simpsons. M. From C. also said that he himself first heard classical music through Bugs Bunny cartoons. He requested Grieg's Morning Song, which he remembers accompanying a Wile E. Coyote cartoon -- you can hear it on today's program.
And in case you feel the urge to remind yourself of some of the pleasures of good old toons -- here's What's Opera Doc.
January 27, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-27-08 at 08:00 PM
Speaking of women, as I was in the last post, tonight on The Signal (10 p.m.) Pat travels between Sweden and Canada to bring you some music from two women the Signal describes as "really strong." Karin Rehnqvist is from Sweden, while Ana Sokolivic is a Serbian-Canadian composer, and they’re both in the spotlight tonight.
As well, Pat pays tribute to recently deceased composer Talivaldis Kenins, with a broadcast of his 3rd Piano Sonata.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-27-08 at 07:00 PM
The other day I heard Jian Ghomeshi, host of R1's Q, talking about how many Canadian women have made it big in music. (This was in contrast to the numbers of women in film, though he was suggesting that in the wake of the Ellen Page and Sarah Polley Oscar nominations things are looking good.)
This theory intuitively makes sense, although I don't know whether the stats would actually bear it out (that Canadian women musicians are more successful than men). Certainly there's no question that we have an awful lot (a great lot, I should say) of female talent. And one of those up and coming talents can be heard on Canada Live (8 p.m.) this evening -- Lily Frost. She's a singer-songwriter who has described her music as "dim candelight stuff, makeout music with Latino flavouring," and it certainly is jazzy and loungey, with a kind of tongue-in-cheek retro-attitude to a lot of it.
I bet even if you think you haven't heard her, you have -- her song Enchantment was featured on Grey's Anatomy, and then there's that catchy The Two Of Us in a Chevy commercial. Ah, television, that great breaker of songs.
And another bit of proof, should you need it, is that sharing the stage with Lily Frost at La Sala Rosa is Montreal-based Julie Doiron, a 2007 Polaris Prize nominee who began her career in music in 1990 playing bass in Eric's Trip (famed, among other things, for having been signed to Seattle's Sub Pop label). In this show she performs music from her latest CD, Wake Myself Up.
Continue reading "Jazzy, And Jazz" »
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-27-08 at 03:16 PM
And yet another birthday to blog about -- this one belonging to Skylarking (5:00) host, Andre Alexis. He admits he doesn't feel he's aging gracefully, or at least, that he doesn't feel graceful about aging -- just the thought of turning 51 this week is causing him to hyperventilate. To comfort himself he play music of people who are as old as he is, and considers ways in which to indulge by asking Skylarking contributor Peter Morey to fill him in about some of (50s era cooking queen) Fannie Farmer's favourite forbidden recipes.
If the recipes Pete brings in don't quite cut it, here's one for a F. Farmer birthday cake, the nice n ' light "Chocolate Marshmallow Cake." But some special instructions to heed -- as soon as your chocolate cake is removed from the pan, you have to "cover bottom with marshmallows pulled apart with tips of fingers, but not quite separated into halves." Of course, you wouldn't want mere marshmallow bits, you want to cram as many in there as you can.
And once you have created this sticky gooey concoction, you are instructed to make it even more delicate by pouring Chocolate Fudge Frosting over the whole thing. Happy bday, Andre!
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-27-08 at 12:05 PM
This week Sunday Afternoon In Concert (1:00) marks two birthdays. The Toronto Symphony Orchestra and conductor Peter Oundjian honor Mozart’s 252nd birthday (back in 1756) with a performance of his Symphony No. 35 (the "Haffner"). Argentine pianist Ingrid Fliter performs the solo part in the enchanting Concerto No. 23, and joins four of the TSO's brilliant principal wind players for the Quintet for piano and winds.
And then a composer of a rather different vintage than Mozart is fêted. Earlier this month Marjan Mozetich (pictured here) celebrated his sixtieth birthday, and his colleagues at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario paid tribute to him. Sunday Afternoon in Concert was there to capture the event (as was the Kingston based branch of my family, who quite enjoyed the concert!) and Bill spoke to the composer, so you can hear both music and interview today.
Mozetich is one of the countries best known contemporary composers -- in 2002 and 2006 he was awarded the Jan Matejcek Award by the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), which is presented annually to the Canadian composer of concert music whose music generates the largest amount of royalties. (Now there's an interesting contest. I wonder if they publish the amounts? Probably not.)
In 2001, his violin concerto, Affairs of the Heart was nominated for a Juno award. And as you know if you listen to Here's To You, of a weekday morning, his works are regularly requested by listeners to that show. Today you'll hear some of Mozetich's chamber works, including the septet Procession and the Fantasy On A Lost Language.
Should you miss it, this concert is also available as a Concert On Demand.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-27-08 at 11:05 AM
Today on Inside The Music (12:00), Part Three of About Oscar, Chris Brookes' documentary series about the late Oscar Peterson. This episode recounts the aftermath of Peterson's stunning 1949 debut at Carnegie Hall, touring with Jazz at the Philharmonic, and subsequent international recognition.
Despite that international stature, and all the touring he did, Mr. Peterson continued to maintain strong ties to Canada though, and not just the big cities. I thought some might appreciate seeing this -- an article about his connections to the city of London, Ontario, something I didn't know about, but James Reany recalled recently in the London Free Press.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-27-08 at 12:01 AM
You know the old joke, what do you get when you play a country record backwards? You get your wife back, your dog back, and your truck back...
Well, what constitutes country music has broadened considerably since the era when there might be some truth to that stereotype (if there ever was). And today on In The Key Of Charles, Gregory finds “country” all over the musical map.
He travels from Miles Davis to Shania Twain, from Gilles Vigneault to Fiction Plane, and from Buffy Sainte-Marie to the OSM. He’ll also have recordings by Patsy Cline, Ray Charles, John Denver, Ella Fitzgerald, James Taylor, Norah Jones, Gordon Lightfoot, Chris de Burgh and Babe Ruth.
Wait a minute, Babe Ruth? I'm assuming it's the rock band, Babe Ruth, who really can hit it out of the park.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-27-08 at 12:00 AM
Your weekly Choral Concert Bulletin: This week Choral Concert has a performance of Mozart's Mass in C Minor, with the Gabrieli Consort and Players, Paul McCreesh conducting. And the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus perform Verdi's Quattro Pezzi Sacri, with Mariss Jansons conducting.
By the by, if you are a fan of choral music, you may want to have a look at ChoralBlog, Choralista, and Podium Speak. Just a few entry points into the Choral Blogosphere....
January 26, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-26-08 at 08:30 PM
You can hear a sneak preview from Kate Maki's soon-to-be-released album on The Signal (10 p.m.) tonight, plus new music from Torngat, and Peteris Vasks' Symphony #2. Maki is a Sudbury-based performer who studied neuroscience at Dalhousie, but became a musician despite that. Or maybe because of that, not sure. Vasks is a Latvian composer who views each composition as a message. According to his website:
"Vasks resolutely addresses, preaches, advocates, therefore his music is not classical but programmed in a literary sense: in conjunction with an idea, a moral and emotional frame of reference."
An interesting notion -- the music is the message.
But before all this, Punjabi folk song meets Schubert. Not at the same time, I don't think, but in the same place, with music from the Indian River Festival in P.E.I. featuring singers Patricia O’Callaghan and Kiran Ahluwalia.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-26-08 at 05:30 PM
Not a raw deal, in fact the deal sounds pretty good -- the music of Kaba Horo (raw dance) has been described as "a caffeinated mix of energetic, wild Balkan Gypsy songs and music with elements of urban funk/rock/jazz grooves."
The band is led by Lubo Alexandrov, and it mines the possibilities of Balkan gypsy music when crossed with the rest -- a mix that has been very popular in recent years in clubs and bars, and festivals like the annual New York Gypsy Festival. Kana Horo only sprung into life a couple of years ago, but quickly established themselves -- last year they won JUNO for best world music album in Canada. This concert was recorded at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
The second concert on Can Live tonight is by a quartet called Uncommon Gold, who describe what they're all about like this:
"Culled from wide ranging frames of reference, Uncommon Gold infuses its potent concoction of sonic improvisation, incisive wordplay and popular song form with a healthy measure of rock ‘n’ roll relevancy. The band’s innate acumen for emotional resonance finds them riding a rich expressive wavelength. Their creative simpatico has generated a collection of songs and instrumentals which travel the contemporary existential landscape of love, conflict and the search for soul. Along the way Uncommon Gold exudes unabashed joy for the groove; a buoyant musicality that rocks and whispers with the delight of playing in the moment."
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-26-08 at 02:30 PM
Ah, this is what's needed on a chilly, late January Saturday, some gospel to get out of any winter funk. Today Tonic (6 p.m.) plays some gospel from Mavis Staples and Tangle Eye, and the first disc in three years from the Blind Boys of Alabama. (Though that recording leans more to the New Orleans jazz side -- but still so soulful...)
If there was an artist in that list you might not know, it was probably Tangle Eye, who remixed Alan Lomax's field Southern field recordings on Alan Lomax's Southern Journey Remixed. Contributing contemporary musicians include Meters bassist George Porter, Jr., Galactic guitarist Jeff Raines, pianist Henry Butler, old-time fiddler Dirk Powell, bluesman Corey Harris, keyboard work from Davell Crawford, trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis and bluegrass Dobro virtuoso Rob Ickes, and the recording was generally quite well received when it came out a few years back.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-26-08 at 11:50 AM
Do you remember the first time you heard opera? I bet for some it was on the radio, for others, by listening (whether intentionally or not) to a parent's collection. But for the third camp, I'm pretty sure it involved a vocalizing rabbit, singing such deathless lines as:
"How do! Welcome to my shop, Let me cut your mop, Let me shave your crop! Daintily . . .Daintily! Hey you! Don't look so perplexed, Why must you be vexed, Can't you see you're next? Yes, you're next,...You're so next."
And by now you've guessed it, this week's Metropolitan Opera broadcast on Saturday Afternoon At The Opera is Rossini's The Rabbit Barber of Seville.
This production features the Met Broadcast debuts of renowned mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca as Rosina (whom the Associated Press hailed as having a “powerfully focused voice, good looks and top-notch acting,” and pictured here), with bel canto specialist tenor José Manuel Zapata as Count Almaviva.
The complete cast is as follows:
Conductor: Frédéric Chaslin
Rosina: Elina Garanca
Count Almaviva: José Manuel Zapata
Figaro: Franco Vassallo
Dr. Bartolo: Bruno Praticò
Don Basilio: Peter Rose
But back to Bugs for a minute -- this link will take you to What' s Opera, Doc? which probably introduced more rapt children to Wagner than just about anything before or since. (Can't recall it? Does "Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit!" ring a bell?)
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-26-08 at 10:00 AM
There aren't so many success stories when it comes to record labels these days. Eloquence is an exception -- it’s a label that re-issues classical music, and they’ve just chalked up one million units in sales -- a real Canadian success story.
Today on Sound Advice, Rick takes a look at this label, featuring eight Eloquence recordings. I'm sure he'll speak about it most eloquently, too -- which will be helpful, as I can't seem to find any info about the company online. Now there's an interesting route to success!
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-26-08 at 08:00 AM
Today on the Vinyl Cafe, Stuart talks about his good friend and neighbour who has shown him many kindnesses over the years, and about his intentions to repay her. He could actually shovel her snow himself, but instead pays a fellow who’s down on his luck to do the job. When a key goes missing he wonders if he did more harm than good? Uh oh.
January 25, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-25-08 at 08:10 PM
Apparently Global Belly Laugh Day took place yesterday, but somehow I missed it. (I think I chortled once, but failed to belly laugh, damn.)
Anyway, if you missed it as well, tonight you can make up for that with The Signal (10 p.m.), as host Pat C., explores laughter in music -- selections include Jens Lekman, Apostle of Hustle and Andy Creeggan.
Pat also has electronic producer Vitaminsforyou, (who seems to celebrate Global Fanged Laughter day, if that link is any indication) on to chat about his latest project, a new album called He Closed His Eyes... So He Could Dance With You.
Plus there's a concert recording of music by Mark Templeton, music sometimes referred to as "white noise requiems," and a performance of Brian Current's Concertino For Flutes And Strings.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-25-08 at 07:11 PM
Two concerts to take in on Canada Live (8 p.m.) this evening -- the talented, and kind of under-recognized singer Gregory Hoskins, (formerly of a band you may remember, The Stick People) recorded live in Toronto, for release as a CD eventually. The concert features strings performing in two distinct quartets, operating separately on stage and coming together occasionally as well. This performance is also available as a Concert On Demand: Gregory Hoskins.
The second concert features guitarist/veena player Harry Manx, recorded live at the Glenn Gould Studio in a concert of blues and Indian ragas -- a combo that Manx has pioneered to considerable success. (Also in Manx news, he recently took home two Maple Blues Awards -- Songwriter of the Year and Acoustic Act of the Year, with Kevin Breit.)
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-25-08 at 04:00 PM
The Cellar is a restaurant/jazz bar in Vancouver that's only been around for about five years, but has become one of Canada's established jazz venues -- and more power to 'em, long may they run.
This evening on Tonic (6 p.m.) Katie plays a set of tunes recorded live at The Cellar, featuring two of Canada's best known sax players, Campbell Ryga and P.J. Perry, longtime friends and musical colleagues -- in fact their live recording is called Joined At The Hip. For more about that collaboration, you may want to check out a nice Q&A at Earshot. Or just listen. Or both!
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-25-08 at 12:28 PM
As well as being the time of year when kilted men address a haggis, it is also getting close to the time of year when many people say, "Gung Hei Fat Choy," addressing the Chinese New Year.
Todd Wong does both. He's a Chinese Canadian whose family has been in B.C. since the 19th century. Some years ago he was asked to help out with a Robbie Burns day celebration, and this is what it led to -- a fine example of cross-cultural Canadianism, with the annual celebration of Chinese New Year's AND Robbie Burns day, called Gung Haggis Fat Choy.
In the first year in his new guise, Toddish McWong, Todd played Scottish songs, read Asian Canadian poetry as well as poems by Robbie Burns. This year, (the celebration is being held on Sunday) bagpiper Joe McDonald and Toddish McWong are performing a (short) rap version of Burns immortal poem, Address To A Haggis. This, I am told, will also be presented on the 6pm news on CBC's Newsworld tonight. So, if ye wish her gratfu' prayer, Gie her a haggis! And raise your hands in the air, wave 'em like you just don't care!
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-25-08 at 10:15 AM
Well, the hotline from Tom Allen' s Music & Co. studio to R2 Blog HQ rang a few minutes ago, and Tom confirmed that right across the country the final results of this week's contest, Fire Vs. Water -- Handel Cage Match, have been announced. So there is no need for a spoiler alert -- here goes -- water wins!
Yes, Handel's Music For The Royal Fireworks was vanquished by Handel's Water Music. But if you voted for the former, don't turn on the waterworks, there's always next week's Cage Match. And this just in -- it's going to be the SuperBowl Cage Match, with the New York Philharmonic battling the Boston Symphony in the epic Also Sprach Zarathustra. Tune into the blog and Music & Co. next Tuesday for more details.
p.s. Although I realize you will just have to take my word for it, the person being doused in the photo actually was a fireman...
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-25-08 at 08:00 AM
One might think it a somewhat obscure holiday, if one did not know people who every year put on their kilts and sporrans and address the haggis. Yes, for many people Robbie Burns Day is serious business. (At least, until a certain amount of single malt is consumed.)
Today three R2 shows have wee celebrations in honour of the birth of Robbie Burns, back in 1759. First, on Here's To You (9 a.m.) Catherine plays Kenneth Mckellar’s version of Loch Lomond for Robbie (or Rabbie, as he was also known), but also for Leslie in Calgary who requested it to honor her father's birthday. Carol in Toronto asked to hear Meredith Hall's CD, My Love Is Like A Red, Red Rose while Adam in Toronto, despite being Polish, had a Burns Day request since he celebrates the day with his Scottish neighbours.
Studio Sparks (12 p.m.) gets in on the act with Eric spinning discs by Scotland's national bard in performances by Edith Weins, the Scottish singer/songwriter Ian Bruce, and the Scottish ensemble called The Old Blind Men.
Then this afternoon DiscDrive (3 p.m.) has a Burns tribute they're calling "Music To Eat Haggis By." (I would have thought afternoon was a little early for haggis, but then, I would have thought anytime was a little early for haggis.)
Happy Burns Day!
January 24, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-24-08 at 08:55 PM
Many of us probably know Colin McPhee best as a composer/musicologist who was fascinated by the music of Indonesia, but he was also a pianist, writer, and, in World War II, he was a "musical adviser" to the US Military Information Office. I'm not sure exactly what that entailed, though I'm fairly certain there must be a thesis or two out there that would answer that question...
Some of his interest in the music of Bali is showcased tonight on The Signal (10 p.m.), with a live recording of what is one of his best known works, Tabu-Tabuhan: Toccata for Orchestra, performed by the Esprit Orchestra as part of their 25th Anniversary Gala concert.
If you're interested in learning more about McPhee, you should check out the online archives, the Colin McPhee Collection at UCLA.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-24-08 at 07:20 PM
The Fits are Patsy Klein (not Cline, just not possible) and Veda Hille. They have been described, curiously, as "part cabaret, part art song, but mostly musical Frankenstein on a happy day," and their live shows have gotten great response.
If you missed the broadcast of their concert the other night on Canada Live (8 p.m.), you may want to check out Concerts On Demand: The Fits.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-24-08 at 04:30 PM
Tonic (6 p.m.) features a set of music from pianist Michel Camilos’ trio, recorded live at the Blue Note, in New York in March of 2003.
Camilo is one of those musicians who thrives on playing in front of an audience, and I love this story he tells of a performance a few years ago in a theatre in Malaga, Spain. (A rather nice smallish Spanish city where Picasso was born -- and home to a most interesting and fairly new Picasso museum, just as a travelogue aside...didn't hear any jazz on a recent visit there though...)
"In the middle of our show, with a thousand people in the audience, we suddenly lost power. Not just amplification, but all lights, air conditioning -- everything. We were truly 'Unplugged!'
With our eyes, we could not see each other on stage, we could not see our instruments, and we could not see the audience. But we could see all of these things with our hearts. So what did we do? What else could we do? We played. We played and played, sending notes into that warm Spanish night. And we listened, as the audience – mostly strangers to one another – came together as one."
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-24-08 at 02:30 PM
In case you missed this news -- the annual and exciting Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame will be hosted this year by R2's own Gregory Charles, host of In The Key Of Charles.
Remember that magic moment when Leonard Cohen was inducted into the Hall of Fame two years ago? With a tear in his eye and a hand on his heart he said, "If I knew where the good songs came from, I would go there more often."
Also on a Cohen note, (and another "in case you missed it"), Leonard Hits The Road Again -- this spring and summer Cohen plans to tour for the first time in fifteen years.
But back to this year's Songwriter's H. of F. Inductees include big-band era songwriter Alex Kramer, Paul Anka, Francophone songwriters André Lejeune and Claude Dubois, as well as the late Oscar Peterson, through the Frank Davies Legacy Award.
Performances will include Martha and Rufus Wainwright, Dione Taylor, Les Respectables, Boom Desjardins, Oliver Jones, and The Faith Chorale.
For more details, go to CBC | Arts News.
And a distant early warning of a positive kind -- here are the broadcsat times:
CBC Radio Two – Sunday, March 2 at 7PM
CBC Radio One – Monday, March 3 at 2PM and 10PM
CBC Television – Monday, March 3 at 7PM
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-24-08 at 12:30 PM
In the wake of a recent post, Classical Music In Bars, here's another place to steer you for an interesting look at the changing nature of classical music presentation and new audiences: Sandow: Greg Sandow on the future of classical music). He says this particular post is the first in a series exploring the following problem, "how to attract a younger audience."
In part one he talks about recent success stories, including the performances put on by the Wordless Music series... which featured new music by Gavin Bryars, John Adams, and Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood. (Pictured here; the collaboration is written up in the NYTimes.)
He describes the Greenwood piece as "a sharp and original essay in absorbing, biting sound," and the players, mostly young students from Eastman and Juilliard, as playing with "radiant focus."
An initial conclusion? He says that younger audiences, and performers, are being attracted less to the traditional repertoire, more to contemporary or 20th century work, presented in fresh ways. "To attract a large young audience, you have to do something new." Well, not revolutionary thinking at this point. But, methinks, absolutely true.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-24-08 at 10:45 AM
I don't usually get to write about the runway on the R2 blog. And while no fashionista myself (understatement), there are certain aspects of fashion that are compelling, involving extremes of outlandishness, and/or jaw-dropping design.
Studio Sparks (12 p.m.) is not prone to strutting down the catwalk either -- but today they do, in response to a momentous occasion in the world of fashion this week, as designer Valentino (whose work is pictured here, and don't you just want to sink your hands into that creation?) shows his final collection.
Yes, his retirement inspired Studio Sparks to pay musical tribute to the world of fashion today. Not sure what they're playing, but I think it unlikely it will be the disco, house music or R&B that typically accompanies the elongated beauties.
P.S. Want to see Valentino's bye bye show? The Juicer has it.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-24-08 at 12:00 AM
Coming together as "Canadian Divas," a bunch of talented Canadian women singers cover top female vocalists from the golden age of radio and early TV -- very fun concept. You can hear this show Thursday night on Canada Live (8 p.m.), or as a Concert On Demand -- Canadian Divas.
Here's some of what the singers take on:
Kellylee Evans covers Phyllis Marshall...National Arts Centre violinist Jessica Linnebach interprets vocalist/violinist Gisele Mackenzie...Alanna Stuart and turntablist DJ L'Oqenz interpret Deanna Durbin's tunes...Cabaret accordionist Marie-Josee Houle performs the work of accordionist/vocalist Joan Fairfax...Ottawa rocker Amanda Rheaume does Norma Locke...and special guest Kathleen Edwards closes the show with a version of Sheila Graham's When The World Was Young.
You could consider the second concert on Can. Live a concert of covers too. If, that is, you look at "covering" the great classical composers in this light. In which case the headline would read something like "Ottawa born double bassist and viola da gambist Pierre-Yves Martel does Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev."
Last month, at an album launch at Freiman Hall in Ottawa, Martel showcased his personal, jazz-influenced interpretation of works by Prokofiev, and CBC recorded the show for tonight's broadcast. The concert is also available as a Concert On Demand, Quartetski Does Prokofiev.
January 23, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-23-08 at 08:00 PM
Another Concert On Demand you may want to check out -- this one marking a Winnipeg homecoming stop on the Wailin’ Jennys near-constant touring schedule.
The Wailin' Jennys, (none actually named Jenny, the name is a play on Waylon Jennings, I believe) are a very nice rootsy band who have great harmonies, and two acclaimed albums to prove it.
This show also featured the first Winnipeg appearance of newest member Heather Masse, (upright bass and vocals), and included founding members Nicky Mehta (guitar, harmonica, ukelele, percussion) and Ruth Moody (guitar, accordion), as well as Winnipeg’s Jeremy Penner on violin.
The Wailin’ Jennys at Concerts on Demand.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-23-08 at 05:00 PM
You may know Gregory Charles best as a radio host, if you're a listener to CBC Radio 2 on Sunday mornings. His show, In The Key Of Charles, has gotten a very strong response from many listeners. But of course Monsieur Charles is also an accomplished musician with a thriving solo career, singing in both French and English, and you can hear an example of that tonight on Tonic (6 p.m.).
And vibes fans take note -- also featured on tonight's show, a concert set recorded live at the Blue Note in New York City in June, 1991, featuring the all-star band of vibraphonist Lionel Hampton.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-23-08 at 02:30 PM
NME and many other sources report that Leonard Cohen is going to be touring this spring and summer, in North America and Europe. As you know, if you've seen Cohen live or listened to the live recordings, his concerts can be killer -- in no small part because of the great musicians he surrounds himself with. (And what better reason than this to point you again to that fabulous performance Cohen did of Who By Fire with Sonny Rollins...from a live TV appearance, I believe.)
It's his first tour in fifteen years! And if you are Cohen devotee, you already had a heads up about this last June when he told Harp magazine he was considering the notion of touring: "Yes, yes,” he confirms. “I haven’t been out since ’93. The years went by and I thought ‘I’ll never go out again.’ But every so often you do have that itch. You’ve heard that saying in rock ’n’ roll, they don’t pay you to sing, they pay you to travel. But you forget about that stuff. The actual concerts are always compelling. If you’ve got good musicians, and you’re playing, and people know the songs, and they want to hear them live, it is a wonderful thing. And so I’m drawn to that.”
The Harp piece also covers the genesis of Blue Alert, a Cohen song that you probably know from Madeleine Peyroux's version -- which is beautiful -- or perhaps less happily, from her version as used in a jeans commercial. Ah well, even a monk has to keep body and soul together.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-23-08 at 12:32 PM
Talivaldis Kenins was one of Canada's great pioneering composers, and professor emeritus of the University of Toronto's Faculty of Music. As the Canadian Music Centre says, "the clarity of his musical expression and consistency of his craft have resulted in Talivaldis Kenins becoming one of our most commissioned and performed composers."
Throughout his career he was a creative force in Canada's professional musical life, founding the Latvian Concert Association of Toronto, becoming very involved in the Canadian League of Composers for many years (and its president in 1973-4), and a respected speaker on contemporary music, around the world.
Talivaldis Kenins passed away Sunday night, at the age of 88.
On CBC Radio 2, Sunday night, The Signal (10 p.m.) will pay tribute to Mr. Kenins.
Also courtesy of the Canadian Music Centre, here is a formal biography of Mr. Kenin's life and work in music in this country.
Continue reading "Talivaldis Kenins -- Pioneering Canadian Composer" »
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-23-08 at 11:05 AM
Depending on your POV, Shostakovich's 5th Symphony is the composer's terrified attempt to appease Stalin's Communist Party, or a subtle representation of the triumph of the State over the Russian soul.
Certainly it's a symphony that pushes any orchestra to its limits, requiring stamina, dexterity, and tenderness in equal proportions. (Kind of like a marriage, come to think of it.) Today on Studio Sparks (12 p.m.) there's a fine example of such a good musical marriage, when Canadian conducter Yannick Nezet-Seguin directs the Dresden Staastkapelle in a brilliant live performance from Germany.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-23-08 at 06:34 AM
The elements are battling it out this week on Music & Company (6 a.m.), with the latest Cage Match!
This week, Tom Allen asks the question -- which do you prefer, Handel's Music For The Royal Fireworks, or Handel's Water Music?
Tune in to hear him play with fire (and water) this morning at around 6:30, with results of your votes on Friday.
I'm going with Water. I mean, think about it, the premiere of the Fireworks caused a huge traffic jam on the London Bridge, which is probably why you can't drive for free in downtown London today. Whereas water involves floating peacefully down a river on a barge with a King.
You can vote for your choice at The Cage Match, and reveal your reasons for your preference here on the R2 blog.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-23-08 at 12:01 AM
On Veda Hille's "Fits" page of her website, she describes the group thusly: "The Fits, with P. Kleinenstein and V. Hilleovich. You don’t want to miss this rediculous atrostophy. With their splendiforous tempobularies and smooth harmonicizing, you’ll want to shout! Break on through with the Fits."
P. is Patsy Kline, V. is Veda Hille, and their project, The Fits, is inspired by vaudeville, cabaret, and general wackiness. Or, as the Red Cat Newsletter would have it:
"Arguably Vancouver best live act, The Fits are Patsy Kline (The Colorifics) and Veda Hille... and together they have all the magic of two (incredibly talented) 10 year old twin sisters putting a show on in their basement. It's so fun, and carefree, and unpretentious that it operates as the perfect panacea for anyone suffering from a case of the terminal FTW's. From old standards to show tunes to Supertramp songs... often all at the same time, it's a joy to behear, if that's a word."
You can hear The Fits on Canada Live (8 p.m.) Wednesday night, as well as two other concerts, the opening show from Outlaw Social, a Victoria-based bluegrass group, and The Jennifer Scott Quartet, a Vancouver based jazz singer.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-23-08 at 12:00 AM
Folk has been loved and revered and mocked and turned into the somehow less freighted (and possibly more encompassing) term "roots." Then there's anti-folk and pysch-folk and urban-folk, it's enough to make you shake your head and ask, what the folk?
One answer is to be found on The Signal (10 p.m.) Wednesday night, when Laurie explores some of that mighty mass of music that is lumped into the giant cauldron (or maybe that should be a mighty casserole, or no, better still a crockpot) of what gets called folk.
Fer instance: some quirky, imaginative music from Christine Fellows, Mendelson Joe, Devendra Banhart, and William Shatner. (Yes, William Shatner. You'll just have to tune in.)
Also, a live recording from the Vancouver New Music Festival Series 'Guitars! Guitars!' featuring Nicholas Bragg performing The Burial of Count Orgaz.
January 22, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-22-08 at 08:45 PM
There's something about that phrase, "perfect rythmic tilings," that has instant appeal. It sounds so, so exact, so complete. Interestingly enough, as a way of describing certain music the term, coined by American composer Tom Johnson, is based on the elegance of mathematics.
The Signal (10 p.m.) will be playing some of this beautiful minimalist music from Montreal tonight from a live concert recording of Quatuor Bozzini, a performance of Tom Johnson's Combinations.
As to the derivation of the phrase, my understanding of it is that Johnson is fascinated by combinations of single shapes (sounds) that can be tiled or placed side by side so that there are no holes or overlaps (like tiles in a mosaic). But you might want to have a look at this if you want to start exploring the idea.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-22-08 at 07:00 PM
Speaking of the blues, as we were earlier today in the wake of last night's Maple Blues Awards, if you're a fan of the "if I didn't have bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all" music, you may want to check out the Ray Bonneville show that's available as a Concert On Demand.
Bonneville has been described as a musician who "cooks up a deep groove, blending a unique percussive electric guitar style, a weathered voice, and soulful rack harmonica into his own powerful and unique version of the blues."
Ray Bonneville at Concerts on Demand.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-22-08 at 05:00 PM
"Happy, talk, keep talkin' happy talk...you gotta have a dream, if you don't have a dream, how are you gonna make your dream come true?"
Some days I think true wisdom lies within the lyrics of musicals. Even if you do sometimes have to put aside proper English and the real world to find it.
Tonight Tonic (6 p.m.) takes this route by accentuating the positive with some "happy" music to perk up those who need perking. (And in light of the economic horrors, not to mention the deprivation of sunlight, it does seem timely!)
So Katie is playing, among other artists, Nancy Wilson, (who just wailed during Simply The Best, the tribute to Oscar Peterson held recently), I assume singing Happy Talk from South Pacific. (As quoted at the beginning of this post, and as hugely reinvented in her version with Cannonball Adderley.)
Also on the happy front, tunes from Carol McCartney, guitarist Mike Rud, pianist Mark Eisenman and many others. C'mon, forget your troubles and just get happy! (Don't worry, I won't take the Pollyanna bit as far as "don't worry, be happy" though. Alternative Musical Reality aside, I'm more of the, "worry, but be happy" school.)
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-22-08 at 02:30 PM
Some news...although the winners of the BBC World Music Awards are not slated to be revealed until April, in light of the tragic death on Saturday of Andy Palacio, the much-loved Garifuna musician from Belize, the powers that be have decided to announce that he will be honoured, posthumously, with the award in the Americas category.
Continue reading "Andy Palacio Wins Prestigious BBC Award" »
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-22-08 at 12:30 PM
Downchild Blues Band are singing those "I've got the winning blues" today, after winning multiple awards in five categories of last night's Maple Blues Awards, honouring Canadian blues musicians. Seventeen awards were presented last night, and for the full roster of winners, read on, McDuff.
The concert portion of the evening will be broadcast on both R1's Saturday Night Blues this Saturday, and on R2's Canada Live (Thursday, Jan. 31).
Continue reading "They Got A Right To Sing The Winning Blues" »
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-22-08 at 11:05 AM
The Butterfly Lovers is a composition with a pretty incredible history. It's an orchestral adaptation of an old Chinese legend of that name, written by two Chinese composers, Chen Gang and He Zhanhao, in 1959. It was a huge hit -- but many of the people associated with the concerto were jailed within five years of it's premiere. The story itself is a kind of Romeo and Juliet tale of thwarted lovers, only in this case it's also about reincarnation -- the lovers as butterflies.
Today on Studio Sparks (12 p.m.), you can hear world-renowned (western classical) violinist Gil Shaham performing this work -- which was brutally buried by the Cultural Revolution. Mr Shaman (pictured here) is heard with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-22-08 at 12:00 AM
I like what one blogger said after hearing twenty-four-year-old Canadian singer (born in Russia, moved to Israel at 7, to Canada at 16) Sophie Milman for the first time:
"She has that kind of deep, warm buttery toast voice that had earlier generations of jazz fans falling in love with Sarah Vaughan, Rosemary Clooney, and Dinah Washington." (Teruah - - Jewish Music )
Milman's career really has taken off since her new recording Make Someone Happy came out, and on Tuesday night you can hear her on Canada Live (8 p.m.) To date she's appeared on Entertainment Tonight, CBC CTV, BBC, BET Jazz and NPR, and this concert right here on CBC Radio 2 comes from MacEwan Hall on the campus of the University of Calgary.
If you haven't heard her "Russian jazz," check out this video of Milman singing Ochi Chernye...very nice stuff.
Also on the show tonight, Charles Foreman, a U. of Calgary prof and a specialist in the solo piano works of Frédéric Chopin. He's set himself the task of performing ALL of them -- we're talkin' 153 works in 9 concerts over 3 years. Can. Live recorded him in the middle of the project, (called A Chopin Portrait), year 2, concert 2.
And finally, the opener for Sophie Milman's show, but totally worthy to headline in his own right, as he often does, Alex Cuba a Cuban-Canadian bassist and singer living in Smithers, B.C. When he first came to notice in Canada, it was as one half of the brother-duo, The Puentes Bros. Now he's working as a soloist, a singer/songwriter performing original Cuban-based music, music that's also influenced by funk and rock and jazz.
January 21, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-21-08 at 08:30 PM
If you're a regular listener of The Signal (10 p.m.) you may have done a double take at the subject heading of this post -- but of course, it's not classic rock, it's classical covers of rock tunes that Laurie will be playing tonight.
Music includes a string quartet take on the music of Arcade Fire, and Susanna and The Magical Orchestra revamp an old AC/DC song. Violinist Nigel Kennedy rocks out to the music of the Doors, and Rush get a classical make-over from The Section Quartet. Rock on, dudes! (But with strings.)
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-21-08 at 04:00 PM
There are some musical partnerships that are so successful the artists' names are enough to evoke not just a sound you hear in your mind upon seeing the names, but also time and place. I think Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto qualify in that category -- you think bossa, the 1960s and martinis, (the first time around), right? Anyway, this evening on Tonic (6 p.m.), you can travel back in time to the Cafe au Go Go in New York City for a 1964 concert set with the pair.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-21-08 at 02:05 PM
If it's Monday it must be Monday. And the beginning of the week brings with it the DiscDrive highlights, for those who wish to get a sneak preview of what Jurgen's got up his musical sleeve.
Continue reading "Disc Drive Highlights" »
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-21-08 at 12:30 PM
The 11th annual Maple Blues Awards, hosted by Dawn Tyler Watson, take place tonight and are being recorded for future broadcast on CBC. The winners are chosen by the fans, and for a list of nominations, here you go.
I'd like note that the Globe and Mail's Brad Wheeler, (a colleague of mine in another part of my writing life), is being awarded Blues Booster Of The Year. It's been nice to see more coverage of blues in Canada though Brad's work. And speaking of, he has a piece in today's paper about Jolene Higgins, a.k.a. Little Miss Higgins, who is vying for Best New Artist at the awards, and has a very well-received Concert On Demand, available here on CBC R2's website.
And here's more info about the awards via the official press release:
Continue reading "Canadian Blues Awards" »
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-21-08 at 11:05 AM
Paul McCreesh and the Gabrieli Consort have relased a new recording of Haydn's Creation, which the folks at Studio Sparks (12 p.m.) say "dazzles with beautiful singing and vibrant orchestral colour." They could have left it at that, (casually commenting that this new recording dazzles etc.), but not being cruel, they are also playing it today on the show.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-21-08 at 09:20 AM
In the Garifuna language, there is no word for music -- there is only a word for song -- because to the Garifuna, the voice IS the defining characteristic of music.
Andy Palacio, the modern voice of Garifuna music, died on the weekend. He was practically single handedly responsible for a growing international appreciation of a music he helped save from extinction -- Garifuna music -- music created (so some theories go) by the descendants of African slaves shipwrecked in the 17th century off the coast of what is now the island of St. Vincent, descendants who intermarried with people on neighboring shores.
Andy Palacio's recording Watina, which was released at the beginning of 2007, was critically acclaimed -- and for good reason, it's a fine recording of some truly beautiful music. If you're not familiar with it, here is Andy Palacio & The Garifuna Collective's MySpace page.
Palacio's musical and cultural achievements were also recently recognized at WOMEX, the world music expo held in Seville in October, where he was presented with the prestigious WOMEX award. To understand more about what he did and why -- you may want to have a look at this video featuring an interview with him from the Stern Grove Festival. As well as being a great musician, by all accounts Andy Palacio was a wonderful man -- as this video certainly indicates. He was a hero in his native Belize, and he was recently named a UNESCO Artist for Peace.
Andy Palacio died on Saturday in Belize City -- following a stroke and a heart attack. He was 47.
Continue reading "Andy Palacio -- National Musical Hero Of Belize Dies" »
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-21-08 at 12:00 AM
There are three concerts on Canada Live (8 p.m.) Monday night, and two of them feature the late Doug Riley, a.k.a Dr. Music.
Although he was a great performer, he was perhaps best appreciated by his many musical peers rather than the general public -- because so much of his work in music was behind the scenes, as a composer, arranger, producer. There is a nice tribute page to Mr. Riley at The Canadian Music Scene, by the way, featuring a few photos and reminiscences.
In the final years of his life, Riley lived in P.E.I., and both of these concerts come from the island, from the PEI Jazz Festival, who recently put on a major tribute to Doug Riley, that was by all accounts a wonderful evening.
The first of the two Doug Riley concerts you will hear tonight features the "Doug Riley B3 Quintet," and its heavyweight lineup includes Mike Murley, Kevin Turcotte, Ted Quinlan and Terry Clarke.
The second features the "Tonic Quartet," Doug Riley on B3, and another great lineup, with Halifax saxman Chris Mitchell, drummer Dave Burton and bass player Jamie Gatti -- recorded just after they had released their first CD project.
And there's still more keyboards on Can. Live Monday, with Michael Kaeshammer, boogie woogie/ragtime/stride pianist/crooner, from a show that was recorded in CBC Halifax's Studio H, while Kaeshammer was on tour last December. He performed with his own trio, Mark Rogers and Mark McLean, and was joined by the aforementioned Chris Mitchell as well -- Mitchell was commissioned by CBC to write a new piece just for this event.
January 20, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-20-08 at 08:00 PM
Scat singing is one of those things that when done well, is as hair raising as any brilliant instrumental solo, and when not...well, it's really not. There is no hiding, with the human voice.
Tonight on The Signal (10 p.m.) Pat explores some tunes he says are "scat-inspired," from Tim Brady, Elizabeth Shepherd, and Daniel Bernard Roumain.
Then from wordless music, to music based on manipulating words -- some of William Blake's poetry provides the basis for a composition by Jacob ter Verhuis, The Garden of Love, featuring oboe and boombox. (Which I have to say is one of the more unusual combinations to come down the pike recently. Now, oboe and turntables, that's as common as dirt.)
Also on this evening's show, a sample of music from several festivals, including concert recordings from the Byzantine Festival, Scotia Festival and Tuckamore Festival, with a highlight on composer Michael Oesterle.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-20-08 at 05:39 PM
All About Jazz said the writing on Chet Doxas' debut CD as a leader, Sidewalk Etiquette, "demonstrates a depth and degree of complexity beyond his years." Not a a bad way to come out of the gate!
Tonight on Canada Live (8 p.m.) you can hear the tenor player featured in a concert recorded at Quebec City's Palais Montcalm. Chet Doxas and his Quartet are joined by special guests saxophonist Janis Steprans, and pianists Marianne Trudel and Michael Kaeshammer.
The second concert on the programme is from a viola da gambist. (You don't get to say that every day.) But Jordi Savall has been serious about early music since he was a young man, and in the 1970s, along with his wife, soprano Monserrat Figueras, was at the forefront of the resurgence of early music. (Even by going to Savall's website you can get a sample of some of the beautiful music they make...)
This concert features both performers and their long-running ensemble, Hesperion XXI, exploring the music of of the Sephardic Diaspora, with music from Bosnia, Bulgaria, Morocco, and Greece.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-20-08 at 03:00 PM
Moving freely from avant-garde to traditional concerts, the Quatuor Bozzini has been characterized by the Irish Times as a “group which gets its teeth into music: quiet or loud, fast or slow, these Canadian musicians play with compelling engagement."
The ensemble hopes to communicate an aesthetic that transcends the tastes of any particular era or musical tradition -- quite an ambition! And they do so via an eclectic repertoire, playing music that's famous and music that's unknown, music old and new.
This concert is weighted to the new, (21st century compositions), and was part of the quartet’s 2007-2008 Montreal Series at the Tanna Schulich Concert Hall.
Quatuor Bozzini at Concerts on Demand.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-20-08 at 12:10 PM
I posted about this much earlier in the weekend, so if you missed it, here's the scoop on Sunday Afternoon in Concert (1:00 p.m. Sunday). Today, three extremely accomplished Canadian pianists with very well established careers: Jon Kimura Parker, perhaps best known as a winner of the prestigious Leeds International Piano Competition; Stewart Goodyear, long past his "child prodigy" status and now a rising soloist and budding composer, and finally Walter Delahunt, who oddly is perhaps better known abroad than at home in Canada. And here's what they'll be performing:
Continue reading "Three Canadian Piano Greats In Concert" »
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-20-08 at 11:10 AM
Today on Inside The Music (12:00): About Oscar, Part Two: Making It In Montreal. The episode takes a look at Oscar's rise to prominence in Montreal in the 1940s.
If you're interested in learning more about Oscar, as well as listening to the documentary I'd suggest picking up a copy of Gene Lees' The Will To Swing. Among other things, Lees has transcripts of some of the interviews the young Peterson did, which are revelatory about both how Peterson's talents were viewed ("six foot three, two hundred and twenty pounds of terrific musical sense and piano technique") and the way blacks were treated in the media of the day. Many jarring mentions of "coloured boy" and the like. And also, if you haven't yet heard it, I do recommend the moving tribute to Oscar Peterson which took place last week, (pictured here) Oscar Peterson -- Simply The Best, available as a Concert On Demand for the next year.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-20-08 at 12:01 AM
You used to hear a lot about the information overload. Less so now I think, as it's just a given part of modern life. You get up, you check your email and your RSS feeds and sync up your podcasts, all while the coffee is making itself and google is searching for your missing keys. (Trust me, this last bit is true, or will be one day soon -- digital encoding in household objects. Could it be more annoying than cars that talk? Probably.)
All this is why sometimes it's nice to simplify. Yes or no. In or out. On or off. And today on In The Key Of Charles, Gregory explores the binary universe of on and off. Both through ON music, by the likes of Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Sting, Shirley Caesar and Melanie Doane, and OFF music, including tunes by Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Rufus Wainwright, Emilie-Claire Barlow and the late and great Oscar Peterson.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-20-08 at 12:00 AM
Your weekly Choral Concert Bulletin: This week, a Byzantine Festival -- Soundstreams Canada presents the Elmer Iseler Singers, under the direction of Lydia Adams, singing music by Tavener and Harvey.
Later on the show, from the Holland Festival, Schubert’s Mass in E Flat major, performed by the Netherlands Radio Chorus and Chamber Philharmonic under the direction of Bruno Weil.
January 19, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-19-08 at 08:30 PM
Tonight on The Signal (10 p.m.), music from a concert featuring Sarah Slean and Toronto's Art of Time Ensemble, performing songs written by Hawksley Workman, Martin Tielli, and arranged by composers like Gavin Bryars, Aaron Davis, Michael Occipinti and more. (btw, this performance is also available as a Concert On Demand.)
As well, Francois Houle's Italian inspiration, the "glitch-hop" of Prefuse 73. (As opposed to the glitch-hop you occasionally hear on air, the unintentional kind involving skipping CDs and some poor technician's heart rate wildly accelerating.) And finally, also on the show tonight, some non glitchy music from Marjan Mozetich, The Passion of Angels for two harps and orchestra.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-19-08 at 07:00 PM
Saliou "Zale" Seck was born in Senegal, and is one of a long line of griots -- an inherited role meaning the inheritor becomes a story teller and musician. From childhood he played drums, later he took up the guitar. And in 2001 he left Africa for Canada, settling in Quebec, pursuing a career in music. Now he's a guitarist, percussionist, dancer, singer, author and composer -- and you can hear him tonight on Canada Live (8 p.m.) Really great, energetic music, and though I haven't heard this particular show, I'm betting it's good -- if you want to check out his music in advance of the live show, go to Music Africa's MySpace site.
Zale Seck's concert will be followed by two shows from Malagasy- Canadians, first from Hadjamadagascar, a singer and multi-instrumentalist, next from two guys who are probably Canada's best known artists with roots in Madagascar, named Madagascar Slim and Donne Roberts.
Actually, that's not really what they're named, that's just how they're known here -- I think Malgasy names even beat out Welsh names even when it comes to grand and glorious spellings! Donne Robert's full name is Rakotomamonjy Dieudonne Roberts, and though he was born in Madagascar he moved to Russia as a young boy (his father was a diplomat) and in his teens he was playing in bands there -- apparently he was the first black person to host a one-hour show on MTV Russia!
You may be familiar with his music through the African Guitar Summit, whose debut CD won a 2005 Juno Award. And as to that other lovely man from Madagascar, Madagascar Slim, his full name is Randriamananjara Radofa Besata Jean Longin, and he's lived in Canada since he was a young man. His many influences include Jimi Hendrix and a pantheon of blues players, and he's equally adept at Malagasy music and the blues -- sometimes at the same time!
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-19-08 at 02:27 PM
You know how sometimes your ears are opened by one particular musician? And then it's like a doorway into a whole new world of music? For me, a singer who forever changed my idea of what jazz singing was all about was Carmen McRae, so decisive and unafraid, with that extraordinary phrasing, and somehow she was so mature. Her's was a very compelling way into a song.
Tonight Tonic (6 p.m.) gets going with Ms. McCrae singing Old Devil Moon. And then continues with a devilish theme, as Art Farmer performs That Old Devil Called Love (counteracted by Hilario Duran playing Angel Eyes).
But back to the magnificent McRae. Check out this performance of I'm Gonna Lock My Heart And Throw Away The Key. And when she tells you she's throwing away the key, boy, you'd better look out!
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-19-08 at 01:03 PM
In case you missed this earlier this week, the Canadian Opera Company unveiled their 2008-2009 season, which John Terauds, writing in the The Toronto Star, believes very much bears the imprint of the late General Director of the C.O.C.Richard Bradshaw.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-19-08 at 12:00 PM
"Thy tiny hand is frozen..." ...ah, true opera fans already know what that means...it's La Bohème today on SATO. And it is from the Met, but from their archives, going back to March of 1977 and a recorded radio broadcast of the Puccini opera, with the legendary coupling of tenor Luciano Pavarotti and soprano Renata Scotto.
It's the story of the all-consuming love between Mimi and Rodolfo, and their circle of poor, starving friends in a Parisian garrett. For full details about the production, please click on over to an earlier post, The Boho Life. I would, but my tiny hand is frozen. Really, it is, crazy how the temperature is dipping this weekend...
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-19-08 at 08:31 AM
Courtesy of The Collaborative Piano blog, some nice links to classical music social networking sites. Now there are plenty of Facebook groups for this very purpose, but they tend to spring up, then wither away. Perhaps some of these that are not in Face will survive? The newbies are Klassikal Musik, which intends to be for "everyone in and around opera and classical music," and Dilettante Music, who state their goal as an attempt to "create a bona fide classical music community online." Go forth and network.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-19-08 at 08:00 AM
Funny how when you start talking dentists, often someone sheepishly admits they haven't gone in (Fill In The Blank) years. I don't know how dentists feel about this, although when I trundle in for the rest of a root canal this week I may ask -- if I can manage that in between the little saws sawing, the jaw propped open, and the general atmosphere of terror.
OK, stop right there. That last description explains EXACTLY why people sometimes stay away.
Case in point, on the Vinyl Cafe this morning, after a ten-year hiatus from the dentist (following an event where Dave ended up gnawing on the dentist's finger like a dog with a bone -- talk about occupational hazards) Dave ends up back in the chair. Both he and the dentist are nervous about Dave’s return and, as a result, they go overboard on the freezing.
On a much jollier front (and what wouldn't be, you may ask), musical guests today are the classical comedy group The Joe Trio, and banjoist Rae Spoon.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-19-08 at 12:00 AM
Sunday Afternoon in Concert, (1:00 p.m. Sunday) with Bill Richardson presents 88 Keys Plus...., the plus being the men at the 88s, who are all extremely accomplished Canadian pianists with very well established careers: Jon Kimura Parker, perhaps best known as a winner of the prestigious Leeds International Piano Competition; Stewart Goodyear, long past his "child prodigy" status and now a rising soloist and budding composer, and finally Walter Delahunt, who oddly is perhaps better known abroad than at home in Canada. And here's what they'll be performing:
Jon Kimura ("Jackie") Parker is the soloist in Beethhoven's Piano Concerto No. 5,the Emperor, with the National Arts Centre Orchestra led by Pinchas Zukerman.
Stewart partners violinist James Ehnes in a recital for the Women's Musical Club of Toronto (described by the Toronto Star as "one of the best Toronto recitals of 2007"). On that occasion they performed music of Mozart, Bach, Richard Strauss and an original piece by Stewart Goodyear, Dogged by Hell Hounds, a tribute to legendary bluesman Robbert Johnson.
And Walter Delahunt, who has concertized to great accalim with the likes of Martha Argerich, Gidon Kremer and Ida Haendel is "at home" in Halifax, for a performance of the Schumann Piano Concerto, performed with Symphony Nova Scotia. The musicioans of SNS are also heard in a performance of Respighi's symphonic suite Gli Ucelli, a.k.a, The Birds.
January 18, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-18-08 at 08:00 PM
Women and their pianos provide a bit of a focus tonight on The Signal (10 p.m.). For instance, Christine Fellows, Regina Spektor, and Canadian pianist Marilyn Lerner. And speaking of Canadians, there's lots of great new Canadian music on the show tonight, from National Parcs, Mother Mother and Kyrie Kristmanson.
Later, Pat brings some of his favourite (and somewhat extreme) cover tunes... from cello-rock outfit Rasputina to Robert Wyatt, it's some of the less-expected musical homages.
btw, that marvellous photo was taken by Alan Chandler, and can be found on Marilyn Lerner's website...
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-18-08 at 05:00 PM
Even seeing the words, "Mother Mother," immediately puts Mother, mother, there's too many of you crying in my head, where it then resides for a considerable amount of time, until something else is goin' on.
But Mother Mother is also the name of a Vancouver band you can hear tonight on Canada Live (8 p.m.), recorded at a homecoming concert at UBC, at the end of a summer of touring.
The second concert on the show is from Veda Hille, tracks from her new recording that at the time of this show, which took place in East Van's Wise Hall, she was still working on -- so you can enjoy some Hille in progress. This show is also available as a Concert On Demand.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-18-08 at 02:33 PM
Tonight on Tonic (6 p.m.) a set of tunes from the Miles Black Trio recorded live at The Cellar in Vancouver, vintage soul from The Marvelettes, some Canadian/Latin music from the group ¡Bomba!, and pianist Cyrus Chestnut channels "The King," Elvis Presley.
You know, for years I meant to read that Peter Guralnick two-book biography about Elvis, (The Last Train To Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley/Careless Love: The Unmaking Of Elvis Presley and then recently I finally did. Huge volumes, it's like reading Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy, or something, you could squash a small child with the things if you're not careful.
The first book provides an amazingly detailed account of Elvis' life pre-fame, but there's a certain level of detail that would really only interest complete-ists. But by the time you get to the second book, all of that preparation and detail is what makes the rest of the story of Elvis so much more understandable, and so much sadder. What an incredible talent. And so is Guralnick's. (Sorry about that link to a commercial purveyor of books, but oddly, can't seem to find a web page for the author.)
Anyway, good to know that a jazz piano great like Cyrus Chestnut gets that -- strikes me that to some Elvis became just a buffoon, and nothing could be farther from the truth. There's a little interview with Chestnut about this over at NPR. In it he says:
"I started listening and what I found out is that there are some similarities. Elvis loved blues and gospel. I love blues and gospel, so hence a connection. It was not my intention to re-create Elvis, just give an interpretation."
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-18-08 at 12:30 PM
I read an interesting discussion about how "world music" recordings should be filed the other day. Most agreed the traditional record store method (remember all those dusty LPs in their grimy sleeves?), by country, was simply impractical, given so much contemporary music has origins in numerous geographical and cultural locations.
These days this is also true when it comes to Canadian musicians playing pretty much any kind of music. For instance, Thomas Hellman, a singer-songwriter born in Montreal to a Texan father and a mother from Southern France.
His family background, plus years of studies in literature and his experience in Montreal’s musical underground, has made Hellman create quite personal and idiosyncratic songs, influenced as much by the French chanson tradition as by American folk roots music -- and he writes and sings in both English and French.
Thomas Hellman recently won the 2007 coveted Felix-Leclerc award at the Francofolies de Montreal. And if you missed the broadcast of some songs from the final performance of his latest tour, at home in Montreal's Club Soda, you can hear them online as a Concert On Demand.
Thomas Hellman at Concerts on Demand.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-18-08 at 10:14 AM
In the Nobel Prize-winning novel Diary Of A Bad Year, by J.M. Coetzee, the protaganist writes about music, and the differences in sensibility of the 19th century and our own time. (There certainly were musical differences, weren't there, for instance no one was aggravating about achieving a better sustain on an electric guitar. Imagine. Somehow I don't think that's what Coetzee writes about though, but I haven't read the book. I did read another, amazing book by Coetzee called Disgrace, nothing to do with music, but I recommend it, as did the Booker judges in 1999, when it took the prize.)
But to the reason for mentioning Coetzee, here on the R2 blog today. This afternoon on Studio Sparks (12 p.m.), you can hear some of the text of his book, Diary Of A Bad Year, as well as music from the new recording of Bach's Art Of Fugue by the French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-18-08 at 12:00 AM
This weekend on SATO it's La Bohème, from the Met archives -- from a performance was given on March 19, 1977, starring tenor Luciano Pavarotti and soprano Renata Scotto.
When La Bohème came on the scene it immediately got a strong response from the audience. What's not to like, after all, such drama, such melodies. Well, early critics found things that were not to like, as critics will, and according to Opera Today, "Turinese writers bemoaned what they called a decline in Puccini’s powers; some dubbed the new work a mere potboiler, others dismissed it as an operina or operetta, and here in New York the Tribune critic flailed the new work as 'foul in subject and fulminant and futile in its music.'"
(I can just imagine the critic's satisfaction at completing that sentence, with a mighty flourish of his pen.) Anyway, other critics eventually saw the opera in a more positive light, and of course today La Bohème is one of the world's best loved operas.
A few quick notes about this performance -- the role of Schaunard, the musician roommate, is sung by Canadian baritone Alan Monk (whose vocal prowess was celebrated a few years ago in a CBC Records CD with the Calgary Philharmonic).
Also, on today's show, SATO host Bill Richardson will add his own contribution with a look at "the Bohemian Life".
Here are some more details on La Bohème, this production, AND a plot synopsis:
Continue reading "The Boho Life" »
January 17, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-17-08 at 08:00 PM
Cell phones, cameras, computers, they're all getting smaller. In fact the last miniature device I purchased is so small that sometimes I think I imagined buying it, and forget to even use the damn thing. Which wreaks havoc with the accounts when I think that the bill must be imaginary as well. Digression alert. (Or no, I guess that should have come at the beginning of the paragraph.)
Anyway, the impact of nanotechnology is felt in music, too, for instance with some compositions called Nanosonatas, by composer Frederic Rzewski. He's interested in biomolecular nanomachines as well as music, which led him to the idea of compressing the long form of 19th-century sonatas into seven very small segments.
The Nanosonatas were composed specifically for Albertan-based pianist, Milton Schlosser, and you'll hear him perform them live in concert, recorded at The University of Alberta in Camrose, and broadcast tonight on The Signal (10 p.m.)
For those of us who do not compose music, we must seek our nanothings elsewhere. For example in the opening paragraph of this post, a kind of thinking I refer to as Nanothoughts. But you were probably already thinking that.
And on a less frivolous note, you may want to check out the blog, Nanoscience And Nanosociety, for a post on Rzweski's interest on biomolecular nanomachines.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-17-08 at 05:04 PM
Just a quick note to say that tonight on Tonic (6 p.m.) saxophonist Maceo Parker pays tribute to Ray Charles, in a concert recorded live on a 2007 European tour. From one musical giant to another...
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-17-08 at 04:00 PM
No doubt about it, on paper it's a seemingly unlikely combination. But courtesy of CBC's Fuse, the baroque orchestra Tafelmusik and the indie band Rock Plaza Central came together to play on the same bill, and do some collaborating as well. As that aspect of the performance leans on RPC's "rootsier" side, I guess you could (almost) call it Baroque n' Folk. (Listen to Excellent Steel Horse, if you want to get a sense of what I mean...)
Tafelmusik is of course one of the world’s leading ensembles of period performance. Rock Plaza Central is a seven piece band that uses violin, banjos, drums, guitars, bass, glockenspiel and accordions, and among other things the band is famous for their most interesting version of the Justin Timberlake song, Sexy Back.
Tafelmusik & Rock Plaza Central at Concerts on Demand.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-17-08 at 12:30 PM
Any number of classical musicians have been seen in pubs in recent years. No, I'm not talking the ordinary post-rehearsal pint, I mean to perform. I'm thinking about the cellist, Matt Haimovitz, for example.
But the desire to perform classical music in "new" places isn't going away. And although it seems to more frequently be acted on in other parts of the world, sometimes you see it manifest in Canada as well. Recently it even happened in Toronto! (Trust me, it's true. Hey, I've also seen people dance at indie shows in T.O. Once or twice.) Anyway, the particular performance I refer to was at Toronto's Gladstone hotel, written up in the Star. Writer John Terauds' conclusion? "It shows that classical music and cool venues should – and can – get along."
On a somewhat related note, there's a thought provoking piece called Shake Up, And Shakin' It!, over at The Concert, that connects to this. (It's also about the motives of performers in the "indie classical" music movement.) Here's an excerpt:
Continue reading "Classical Music In Bars" »
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-17-08 at 10:30 AM
No pressure here -- when Russian violinist Maxim Vengerov was 15, the music magazine The Strad said: "Vengerov is Heifetz on one hand and Kreisler on the other."
He's 33 now, and one of the leading violinists of his generation. Today you can hear some new music from Vengerov (Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante K.364) on Studio Sparks (12 p.m.) And what's his playing like now that he's matured as a musician? On the one hand, he's pretty great. On the other hand? Pretty great.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-17-08 at 08:00 AM
Yes, the weeks always seem to start out slow, then pick up speed and just roll around to Thursday -- every week -- and this week is no exception. Naturally that means it's Organ Thursday, and today on Here's To You (9 a.m.), Jurgen Petrenko drops by to feature organ music by Samuel Wesley.
According to the British Institute of Organ Studies (Registered Charity no. 283936, in case you were thinking of donating) "for around thirty years at the beginning of the nineteenth century Samuel Wesley (1766-1837) held an undisputed position as the finest organist in England." I'm sure Mr. Petrenko will elaborate.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-17-08 at 12:00 AM
¡Bomba! is a Latin music band made up of musicians from Calgary and Edmonton, and they've been getting some good press, including this review from Fish Griwkowsky writing for the Edmonton Sun.
“If you want actually funky, try some actual funk. If you crave 'groovy,' dig into some Latin grooves. This band is skilled at both, owning the adjectives in their purest forms. They are like feudal lords over your feet when they hit rhythm, and your tax is dancing feverishly."
Hmm, not sure they see themselves as feudal lords, but no matter. You can still pay the tax if you like, by tuning in Thursday night when the ¡Bomba! concert opens up a three-concert show on Canada Live (8 p.m.), from a performance the band did at the Yardbird Suite, in Edmonton.
Concert number two features Neil MacDonald, a long-time sideman with all kinds of indie bands, who is going solo with his own songs. And in the hole, Rich Aucoin from Halifax, caught on tour in Edmonton last summer. You may remember hearing about him at the time, possibly not even because of his music, but because he was CYCLING across the country with keyboard, laptop and presumably an instrument or two in tow. Now he presents the resulting "song cycle." Heh.
January 16, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-16-08 at 05:01 PM
No, not New Year's Day babies, but a bunch of new Canadian music tonight on Tonic (6 p.m.). Katie will be playing music from K.D. Lang's upcoming CD release, Watershed, which marks the 25th year of her career. There'll also be music from Canadian singer/pianist Fern Lindzon's latest recording. (Hey, a million years ago I played duets with Fern -- guess she kept practicing...) And you can also hear music from trumpet player Kevin Dean's most recent CD as well.
Of course Canadian jazz has been in the spotlight in recent weeks, as you undoubtedly know, because of the passing of Oscar Peterson. And just a reminder -- you can hear the tribute to O.P. as a Concert On Demand, by going to Oscar Peterson -- Simply The Best.
Also, despite my ongoing mentions of various matters IAJE, I neglected to note that on Sunday past there was a discussion at the conference about jazz blogging, which included Cdn. journalist Carl Wilson, taking some time out of Celine de-Dionifying. He has some good links regarding that discussion (the jazz blogging one, I mean) over on his blog, Zoilus. Was also pleased that the excellent music of Darcy James Argue (Canadian in NY) was so well received...
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-16-08 at 02:39 PM
In case you missed this concert when it was broadcast on Sunday Afternoon In Concert, you can catch it any old time as a Concert On Demand.
As part of the Montreal Bach Festival, the concert featured Montreal-based musicians Matt Haimovitz (cello) and Sara Laimon (piano).
Bach and Beyond was the theme of the evening’s performance - from the First Cello Suite in G Major to selections from the recent compilation of contemporary tributes, 13 Ways of Looking at the Goldbergs, which include a premiere performance of a new work by Brian Cherney.
Matt Haimovitz and Sara Laimon at Concerts on Demand.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-16-08 at 10:45 AM
There has been much talk for weeks about the impact of the writers' strike on television watching. Are we renting more DVDs of old Mary Tyler Moore shows as a result? Are we keener about what the wives of hockey players supposedly get up to than we might otherwise be? Are we -- gasp -- watching less TV?
And of course the impact of the strike on awards shows is also a concern, what with the Golden Globes being reduced to a mere announcement, and the impending Academy awards -- the Big Ratings Kahuna -- under threat.
But speaking as a music journo, what about The Grammys? According to various reports, including this one at the BBC, (also one at our own CBC.ca) "The Recording Academy, which stages the music honours, has asked the Writers Guild Of America (WGA) for a waiver to let its members work on the ceremony."
Now this makes me think two things. One, why should the Grammys be any different from the Golden Globes? Of course if big names stay away (Kanye West leads the nominations with eight awards, while Amy Winehouse is up for six awards, though the chances of Winehouse showing up for anything is always uncertain anyway) this is lousy for the music industry -- at least the capital M music industry. Its impact on what I think of as the "cottage music industry," (which means pretty much everyone who isn't Kanye West or Amy Winehouse) might be somewhat less significant.
Continue reading "Are We -- Gasp -- Watching Less TV?" »
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-16-08 at 12:02 AM
Round two of Shostakovich vs. Khachaturian this morning on Music & Co., when Tom asks: How should you waltz through winter? With small steps, a la Shostakovich, or big strides, a la Khachaturian?
If you'd like to weigh in, you can right here on the R2 Blog. For audio accompaniment listen to Music & Co. at around 6:30- a.m. (gulp) this morning. (Or not, but at least think about being up that early -- hey, Tom & Co. are!)
And of course you can cast your vote at the Cage Match; final results announced Friday morning. I bet I know how Bill Murray would vote. (Shostakovich, of course -- baby steps, baby steps.)
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-16-08 at 12:01 AM
Every instrument and every player of every instrument has particular concerns. One of the big concerns when it comes to electric guitars and guitarists, is the sustain -- how long will a note on this particular guitar ring out? And guitarists can't really achieve the equivalent of circular breathing, sadly.
On the other hand, they now have the technology to sustain until the cows come home, and Wednesday night on The Signal (10 p.m.), you'll hear some seriously long notes from guitarist Oren Ambarchi, in an improvised piece he calls October 17, for guitar and electronics, that stretches out over half an hour. It was recorded live at the Vancouver New Music Festival, from the series Guitars! Guitars!
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-16-08 at 12:00 AM
You might not think, "of course, classical violinist" when you hear the name, "Gilles Apap & the Transylvanian Mountain Boys." More likely you'd be thinking, hmm, blugrass? In truth, Gilles Apap seems to like not only to play a wide range of music, but also to toy with his listeners. (Check out his website!)
In 1985 he won the first prize in the contemporary music category at the Yehudi Menuhin Competition. His CD of a decade or so ago with Sony Classical was indeed called Gilles Apap & the Transylvanian Mountain Boys. And Wednesday night on Canada Live (8 p.m.) you can hear him from the Montreal Chamber Music Festival, paying hommage to jazz-violin great Stephane Grapelli. He performs tunes from the Grapelli / Django Reinhard songbook as well as arrangements of Bach, Ravel and Eugene Ysaye. You can also hear this as a Concert On Demand -- Homage To Stéphane Grappelli.
The second concert on Can Live is from Thomas Hellman, a Montrealer with roots in both Texas and Southern France. He writes and sings in both English and French, and in 2007 he won the Felix-Leclerc award at the Francofolies de Montréal. This concert, recorded at Club Soda in Montreal, is from the final performance on his most recent tour.
January 15, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-15-08 at 08:05 PM
Laurie Brown goes circumpolar tonight on The Signal (10 p.m.), with music from the northern regions of Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and, of course, Canada. You'll hear music from Mum, Jaga Jazzist, Élisapie Isaac, and Innu drummer Cyrille Fontaine.
Also tonight, a Celebration Of Future Classics -- highlights from a contemporary music concert at the National Arts Centre, featuring composer John McCabe's Rainforest 1.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-15-08 at 05:00 PM
Last week I heard Oliver Jones on Q, over on Radio 1, talking about his friend and mentor, Oscar Peterson, in advance of the tribute, Oscar Peterson -- Simply The Best. He didn't say too much -- with words. What he really said was in the music he played -- even through my office stereo, broadcast from a little radio studio, live, it was beautiful and expressive.
I think there is a sense now that Jones is carrying the torch, in terms of the founding history of jazz and pianists in this country. Nice that on Tonic (6 p.m.) that torch continues to be carried on the air -- you can hear Oliver Jones tonight playing some Jerome Kern.
Lots of other music on the show too, of course, including jazz French horn (!) played by James Macdonald, and some blues played on the Hammond B-3 by Jack McDuff, sung by Terry Morrison.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-15-08 at 02:30 PM
A reminder that Oscar Peterson - Simply The Best, is available as a Concert On Demand on the CBC website, for a year. (That photo to the right is Herbie Hancock playing at the tribute. Yes, I know it's teeny tiny, but it really is him!)
The event was hosted by Valerie Pringle and special guest speakers included former Ontario Premier Bob Rae, Her Excellency the Right Honorable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, Phil Nimmons, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder (via telephone), Celine Peterson and others.
Musical performers included Dave Young, Ulf Wakenius, Measha Brueggergosman, Herbie Hancock, Gregory Charles and many others. (It's pretty special, have listened twice already...)
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-15-08 at 01:28 PM
Daniel Barenboim, Argentine-born-Israeli pianist and conductor has been granted Palestinian citizenship for his intercultural exchange work -- it's thought he's the first person in the world to have both Israeli and Palestinian passports. He got his new passport after a recital in Ramallah in the West Bank on the weekend. (You can read more at Guardian Unlimited Music.)
Barenboim (whose ongoing work in the Middle East causes ongoing comment and strong reaction) told The Guardian he was "moved and very, very happy" to receive his new passport as it "symbolises the everlasting bond between the Israeli and Palestinian people."
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-15-08 at 11:05 AM
The Group Of Seven inspired more than just visual artists, they also inspired musicians -- for instance the Rheostatics (they even have a recording called (nice and to the point) Music Inspired By The Group Of Seven).
Contemporary classical composers have also been similarly inspired, as you can hear on Studio Sparks (12 p.m.) this afternoon -- when Eric plays the Lawren Harris Suite for Piano Quintet by Stephen Chatman, music inspired by the painter, in three movements, each one a response to a particular Lawren Harris painting.
Also in the musical hopper today on Sparks -- one of Eric's favorite recordings: Brahms' mighty First Piano Concerto, with the Russian pianist Emil Gilels, the recording he made with the Berlin Phil and Eugen Jochum in 1972.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-15-08 at 12:00 AM
The Latin-Canadian music scene is strong in Toronto, and one of its stalawarts is Venezuelan-Canadian singer-songwriter Eliana Cuevas. She's got a newish CD, Vidas, and you can hear music from that on Canada Live (8 p.m.) Tuesday night. And just to give you a sense of what one reviewer thinks of her music...
"Poetry and Rhythm - Subtle, strong, elegant, sophisticated yet simple and honest. She impresses with her strength but is never forceful. South American rhythms, poetry, jazz are all elements of her music which obviously flows from the core of her being."
- The Live Music Report - Joyce Corbett, June 2007
The new album, btw, is produced by great Canadian bass player, George Koller, and the concert is the official album release, recorded at the Glenn Gould Studio, featuring her quintet -- and a string quintet! If you can't make the broadcast, this concert is also available at Eliana Cuevas CD Release Concert as a Concert On Demand.
The second concert on the show features musicians from six different countries, who come together as Source. The band was created by Quebecois flutist Sylvain Leroux, and musically it's African jazz, featuring vocalist and guitarist Abdoulaye Diabate, originally from Mali, and Guinean fula flute master, Bailo Bah. This concert was recorded at Afrofest 2007 -- a great annual event held at Queen's Park in Toronto. I was at a fair bit of it this year, but missed this show, glad it's being broadcast tonight -- what I've heard on their website sounds very nice indeed...
January 14, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-14-08 at 08:00 PM
I've yet to see There Will Be Blood, just the trailer. Maybe my slight reluctance to see it has something to do with having seen the trailer before watching Sweeney Todd, and after that I had a little less stomach for more. But I have been quite curious about the soundtrack for There Will Be Blood, music written by Radiohead member Johnny Greenwood, and tonight on The Signal (10 p.m.), Laurie will be playing some music from that soundtrack recording.
Also, it being New Music Monday, you can hear some of same. First, the latest recording from Canadian composer Andrew Paul MacDonald, performed by the Penderecki String Quartet. And in hour two of the show, some concert highlights from the great and eclectic guitarist Bill Frisell, recorded at the Vancouver New Music Festival series Guitars! Guitars!.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-14-08 at 04:30 PM
On Monday, Tonic (6 p.m.) features a concert set from the Dave Brubeck Quartet, recorded live at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. Now the University of the Pacific, Brubeck's alma mater, is home to the Brubeck Institute, which was established there in 2000.
And in the wake of the International Association for Jazz Education conference, held in Canada the past few days, I thought it might be interesting to get Brubeck's take (and oh, am I resisting a bad pun involving the word "five" here) on formalized, institutionalized jazz education.
"Back in the ‘40s, the thought of a jazz studies program at the Conservatory of Music was inconceivable," says Brubeck. "We weren’t even allowed to play jazz in the practice rooms. Although I was enrolled in the Conservatory as a music major, I was also engaged in an unauthorized course of study, playing jazz piano in nightclubs and dance halls, gaining real life experience as a musician and performer. This was my internship and initiation into the world of music making. Now, such performance opportunities are created in the Fellowship program that allows talented students to focus on practice and performance while learning from professional musicians and visiting jazz masters."
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-14-08 at 02:00 PM
The eclectic DiscDrive mix this week includes some old favourites and some new finds, and should you want a small advanced preview, here's the scoop, day by day. Monday, that's today: An example of old favs -- Mae Moore & Lester Quitzau -- and the new-to-DiscDrive Geoff Lapp Trio. Alexander Sevastian delivers a paraphrase on a Rossini melody, and, speaking of melodies, a rather gorgeous one - Saint-Saëns’ The Swan.
Continue reading "DiscDrive Sneak Peek" »
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-14-08 at 08:45 AM
If you're a CBC listener or a regular reader of the Radio 2 blog, I know you know that the tribute to Oscar Peterson -- Oscar Peterson -- Simply The Best, took place on Saturday, to a full house at Roy Thomson Hall. It was quite wonderful, and I just want to make sure that you know you can hear the concert online, as a Concert On Demand, called Oscar Peterson -- Simply The Best.
And for some responses and reactions to the concert, as well as to a companion private event held at the IAJE, you may want to read the "reviews" at BBC News, the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star and All About Jazz. And I'd also like to point you to this nice tribute to Oscar Peterson written by Bob Rae. As for Saturday's tribute, there are some moving speeches from family, politicians, musicians... and some amazing music, including a beautiful version of Maiden Voyage, performed by its composer, Herbie Hancock.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-14-08 at 07:59 AM
Catherine answers a listener’s query about whatever happened to Welsh boy soprano Aled Jones today on Here's To You (9 a.m.)
And there's a story from a listener about a rare hiatus in fighting on the Russian Front during the Second World War -- all thanks to a violinist who played Bach very well. Plus Ms. Belyea willl help out a pianist who was given the sheet music for a couple of works by Brahms, and is apparently feeling a little overwhelmed.
Now, I don't want to be a spoiler on the Aled Jones front, but I do believe he has popped up occasionally as a (shocking occupation, I know) radio host. But Catherine will have all the details.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-14-08 at 12:00 AM
Amelia Curran is an up and comer on the east coast scene -- currently nominated as Songwriter of the Year at this year's ECMA's, coming up Feb 7-10 (it's the 20th anniversary!) and she's also been invited to perform in February's North American Folk Alliance, held in Memphis.
Monday night you can hear her live on Canada Live (8 p.m.), in a concert recorded in Carbonear, Newfoundland.
Also on Monday's show, guitarist/composer David Occhipinti, in a quartet performance recorded in St. John’s, and author, actor, theatre director and Celtic harpist Ed Kavanagh, playing solo, in the Basilica Museum in St. John's.
January 13, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-13-08 at 08:30 PM
Pat Carrabré wraps up his musical profile of Toronto this Sunday on The Signal (10 p.m.) And that includes music by Brian Current, Maryem Tollar, Autorickshaw, and Gary Kulesha.
Plus, a celebration of the Esprit Orchestra's 25th birthday with a concert recording, featuring Alex Pauk's Portals of Intent, John Rea's Over Time and more. (Note: If you aren't able to hear this concert on the show, you can also hear the Esprit Orchestra 25th Anniversary Gala as a Concert On Demand.)
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-13-08 at 07:05 PM
Last summer one of the most interesting concerts I heard was by Malian singer/songwriter Mamani Keita and French guitarist Nicolas Repac. Interesting because it was a strikingly original mix of Malian and European styles, with some ferocious guitar work from Repac. And tonight on Canada Live (8 p.m.) you can hear them from another show on that same tour, the Festival Nuits d’Afrique in Montreal.
And if you missed it the first time around, there's also a second concert on Can. Live that got very positive response the last time it was broadcast -- Pierre Lapointe performing with l’Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal, a sixty-piece orchestra, recorded at this year’s Francofolies des Montreal.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-13-08 at 03:00 PM
You never know where Andre Alexis will go with Skylarking. No, you don't, and that's the truth. So one shouldn't be surprised that today on the show he talks about the pain of giving birth (though I think we can take this to be figurative), and that he lies down and prays for rain while listening to the music of Albert Ayler. What can I say, you'll just have to tune in...
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-13-08 at 12:32 PM
Johann Sebastian Bach provides much of the focus for this week's Sunday Afternoon In Concert.
The first performances come from the early December 11-day, 18-concert Festival Bach de Montreal -- soprano Suzie Leblanc with the ensemble Il Gardellino in Sounding the Trumpet, a concert that included Cantatas and Concertos by Bach. The Brandenburg Concertos reflect the "secular side of Bach" in the Arion Ensemble's program with guest harpsichordist Gary Cooper. And for a reflection of Bach's continuing influence, cellist Matt Haimovitz and pianist Sara Laimon presented Bach And Beyond, where the Goldberg Variations provide the inspiration for several new works, by composers such as Brian Cherney, Fred Hersch and Fred Lerdahl.
Continue reading "JSB" »
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-13-08 at 11:05 AM
A number of people have asked if it's possible to get About Oscar, Chris Brookes' eight-part documentary series about Oscar Peterson, (which has been running on Tonic) on a podcast or CDs. Unfortunately the answer is no. BUT the good news is that the series is being repeated on Inside The Music, starting this morning, with a look at Peterson's young years in Montreal in the 1930s and 40s, when the depth and range of his remarkable talent began to be recognized.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-13-08 at 12:01 AM
The "what if" game is one that is frequently difficult to resist. IF I hadn't dilly dallied with all that arts stuff, I might be a brain surgeon. IF I didn't like cookies so much, I'd be fit and ready to be a ski jumper at the Olympics, if I was allowed to compete. And so on. But there's also the flip side, a kind of necessary acceptance of the eternal "ifness" of life, if you will, and you will hear songs of that ilk on today's In The Key Of Charles.
Because this Sunday, Gregory explores the conditional. He does this with gospel from Mahalia Jackson, jazz from Andy Bey, a capella vocals from Take 6, a Canadian pop classic from the Barenaked Ladies, and music from singer/songwriter Justin Nozuka. He also plays some legendary voices including Johnny Cash, Shirley Bassey and Leonard Cohen.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-13-08 at 12:00 AM
Choral Concert celebrates great German choral works this Sunday, with music by Brahms and Bruckner, performed by the RIAS Chamber Chorus and l’Orchestre des Champs-Elysees, under the direction of Phillippe Herreweghe.
And if you are curious to see l’Orchestre des Champs-Elysees' "graphic identity," just click here. And if you can explain it, even better!
January 12, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-12-08 at 08:30 PM
Once a month The Signal (10 p.m.) explores the music of a specific city, today it's the city so much of the country loves to hate -- yup, you guessed it, Toronto! That's OK, as a Torontonian I understand how annoying it must be NOT to live in the Centre Of The Universe.
But Pat Carrabré doesn't mind trundling from the boonies (hey, I lived in Winnipeg for years, great town, really) to play Toronto music -- from musicians like The Hidden Cameras, composer Omar Daniel and the Singing Saw Shadow Show. (They do indeed feature the saw, by the way, and it's quite an amazing sound -- at times sounding like a kind of sawrchestra.)
But before he gets too filled with Toronto envy loathing Pat peeks outside the city limits, playing music by Guelph's Barmitzvah Brothers, London's Basia Bulat and Hamilton's Junior Boys.
Also, around 11:30, a couple pieces from the tribute concert Don't be Frightened. Mr. Gould Is Here... DJ and improviser Martin Tetrault and composer Chantale Laplant both create music inspired by Glenn Gould.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-12-08 at 03:00 PM
I know I've written a lot in the past week about both the About Oscar documentary (originally broadcast on Tonic, re-broadcast starting tomorrow on Inside The Music) and the tribute concert taking place today, Oscar Peterson-- Simply The Best. It's been a funny kind of comfort to do so. I guess when you care about the music someone made, and they're no longer around to make it, there's something about keeping their name, their music, in the eyes and ears of the public that helps relieve the sadness over the loss.
Maybe it's a way of saying goodbye. Not that Oscar Peterson was a personal friend of mine, but boy, his music sure has had an impact on my life. The beauty of his touch on the piano, his fantastic chops, the majesty of both his playing and presence. And even though today's concert marks an end to a certain period of time following Oscar Peterson's death, fortunately his stature is such that I 'm sure his music will be played for years and years to come.
Today you can hear the tribute concert on Radio 2 at 8:05, in place of the usual Canada Live broadcast. As well, you can listen live at 4:05 on Radio 1. And at some point this evening, Oscar Peterson -- Simply The Best Concert On Demand will have the audio from the Roy Thomson Hall tribute online, for those of you who can't tune in for the broadcasts, but would like to hear how people like Nancy Wilson, Gregory Charles, Herbie Hancock, Monty Alexander, Bob Rae, and many others, celebrated the memory of Oscar Peterson.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-12-08 at 01:30 PM
The Guardian has a first person essay written by pianist Angela Hewitt, talking about why she took on the huge challenge of performing all 48 preludes and fugues of Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier...in twenty-five countries!
To read the whole story go to Guardian Unlimited Music.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-12-08 at 12:38 PM
Your SATO reminder -- John Relyea is singing the part of the doomed Scottish general, Banquo, in the Met's production of Macbeth, by Giuseppe Verdi, broadcast this Saturday afternoon at 1pm. For full details, please see Blood Red Syrup And Acrylic Paint.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-12-08 at 10:16 AM
Well, new recordings that is. Today on Sound Advice (12 p.m.), Rick Phillips spotlights new recordings of piano music by Beethoven -- everything from sonatas to the Emperor Concerto. He’ll be sampling new CDs by veterans and rising stars alike.
On the new(s) related Beethoven front, according to reports, conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim was scheduled to give a charity concert performing Beethoven sonatas in the West Bank city of Ramallah today -- to raise funds for medical care for children in the Gaza Strip.
Barenboim is paraphrased as saying he believes it's possible for people in that region to live together peacefully, and quoted as to his motives for doing the charity concert -- "We will continue to play music for that," he said.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-12-08 at 08:00 AM
Or at least, of five-year-olds. Such a child recently asked Stuart McLean, "Why do we have a new year? What's wrong with the old one?" and today on the Vinyl Cafe Stuart takes a stab at answering that question. I've often wondered myself, particularly since if we didn't have a new year, we'd all be spared all the New Year's Eve hoopla. I'm sure Guy Lombardo would have felt differently though.
January 11, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-11-08 at 08:00 PM
Earlier this week I blogged about the appearance of David Mott and Micahel Vlatkovitch on The Signal (10 p.m.) in a post called Black Triangles, Yellow Corn And Pink Medicine Drops.
And it was a nice surprise when weekend Signal host, Pat Carrabré, dropped me a line to say that this weekend, as part of their Toronto profile, they're featuring more from composer/bari sax player David Mott -- Friday there's a "vertical tasting," the Signal's nickname for a feature where they play a number of tracks from an artist's career, and then on Saturday they're playing his piece Eclipse, part of which was taken into space by astronaut Steve Maclean.
Also on the Toronto tip -- T.O. indie pop acts including,Stars, Metric, Nifty, and the Parkdale Revolutionary Orchestra, plus music from Chan Ka Nin, Mark Duggan and Woodhands.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-11-08 at 07:05 PM
Victoria's Chris Frye takes the stage with his band Analog Ghosts tonight on Canada Live. In a performance recorded at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, they’ll play music from his recently released disc Raised on Rhythm and Rhyme.
Also on tonight's show, The Bills, with a mixture of old favourites and new material -- some of which they are probably playing for audiences as we speak -- in January their plan was to head overseas for a gig in Paris, a bunch of shows in England, and an appearance at the Celtic Connections festival in Scotland -- a major celtic music festival that starts on January 16th.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-11-08 at 03:18 PM
"I'm just a cool guy like them who likes rock'n'roll music, and they identify with that. And I think that goes a long way in terms of helping people regain their dignity as a starting point on the road to getting healthy again..."
-Matt Camirand of the Vancouver band Black Mountain
Vancouver rockers Black Mountain work as drug counsellors by day. And while on tour in Europe, in advance of the release of their new CD In The Future later this month, their day jobs came to the attention of The Guardian. Also interesting that this feature indicates that the notion of a particularly Canadian "collective" approach to rock/indie scenes is alive and well on that side of the giant body of water...
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-11-08 at 12:30 PM
The final segment of the documentary, About Oscar, will be broadcast Friday evening on Tonic (6 p.m.) Fittingly, it looks at both his later years and at his legacy.
That legacy, and Peterson's importance as a musician and a person is being celebrated Saturday, at the tribute concert you've probably been reading and hearing about all week: Oscar Peterson -- Simply The Best.
Musicians including Nancy Wilson, Phil Nimmons and Monty Alexander, among many others, will be there to perform or speak about Peterson. Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, will speak at the event, as will Oscar Peterson's youngest daughter, Celine Peterson. And the concert finale will feature Peterson’s Hymn To Freedom, sung by Measha Brueggergosman with Faith Chorale, the Nathaniel Dett Chorale and the University of Toronto Gospel Choir, under the direction of Andrew Craig.
CBC Broadcast times are as follows:
Radio 1 4:05pm – 6:00pm/Sirius 137 (4:05pm ET - 6:00pm.)
Radio 2/Espace Musique 8:05pm – 10:00pm
While there have been many tributes and obituaries written, as well as a certain amount of scrutiny over the seemingly never ending debate as to whether Peterson's formidable technique overshadowed the emotional quality of his playing (most recently in an article by Paul Wells in MacLeans, Death Of A Working-Class Virtuoso), it's been an unexpected pleasure to stumble on other kinds of observations about Peterson's importance, for instance this piece about the particular loss trumpet players might be feeling, written by Matt Collar, called Oscar Peterson and the Angel Gabriel -- Duets with Trumpets.
And of course, as always, it's most satisfying to turn to the music. For instance this version, recorded live at Montreux Jazz Festival in 1977, of You Look Good To Me.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-11-08 at 11:00 AM
The lead up to the tribute concert to Oscar Peterson, Simply The Best, has been intense, to say the least. The other day I was emailing with the publicist; it sounded as though she scarcely had time to sleep -- the logistics of planning something that everyone wants to be worthy of the late Oscar Peterson were, to use an understatement, demanding.
But it's come together, aided and abetted by the presence of artists like Quincy Jones and Nancy Wilson who were in Canada already for the IAJE. But ultimately the event isn't about star power. It's about Oscar.
Today you can hear more about the inner workings of this tribute concert on Studio Sparks (12 p.m.), when Eric talks to Valerie Pringle, the concert host. And he'll play more of his favorite Oscar Peterson selections as well.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-11-08 at 10:32 AM
Another great musician has been added to the bill at Oscar Peterson -- Simply The Best, the tribute concert being held at Roy Thomson Hall on Saturday, and broadcast on CBC Radio 1 and 2 -- -- Herbie Hancock.
Peterson had a huge impact on Hancock -- as he wrote on his website after hearing of Oscar Peterson's death:
“Oscar Peterson redefined swing for modern jazz pianists for the latter half of the 20th century up until today. I consider him the major influence that formed my roots in jazz piano playing. He mastered the balance between technique, hard blues grooving, and tenderness. You’ll find Oscar Peterson’s influence in the generations that came after him. No one will ever be able to take his place.”
The concert will be broadcast live on CBC Radio 1/Sirius 137 at 4:05pm – 6:00pm; Radio 2/Espace Musique at 8:05pm – 10:00pm.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-11-08 at 08:00 AM
One of the Here's To You (9 a.m.) faithful has written to the show to admit that he's got himself on a mailing list for an on-line classical CD service and is finding it hard to resist buying more than he should. (This is indeed the temptation of subscribing to online music services -- oh, what's another ten dollars, you find yourself thinking...) Anyway, this listener decided to try and curb his acquisitions by asking that some of what he would like to hear would be played on the show, and you can hear some of those requests this morning.
Of course, you can do both...and just to be devil's advocate, if you're someone who likes to buy music online, and you're interested in contemporary classical music south of the border, you may want to have a look at New Amsterdam Records dedicated to "indie" classical music. They stream tracks from their releases and and their site is more than just a store, it has concert listings and the like.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-11-08 at 12:00 AM
Have you ever thought about what substances are used to create fake blood? According to the folks at SATO, when Canadian Bass-Baritone John Relyea wanders backstage at New York's Metropolitan Opera, covered in blood, it will be a combination of some kind of blood-red syrup and acrylic paint. All in the name of art I guess. Relyea is singing the part of the doomed Scottish general, Banquo, in the Met's production of Macbeth, by Giuseppe Verdi, broadcast this Saturday afternoon at 1pm.
Based on Shakespeare's "Scottish play," Banquo is just one in a long line of victims, as Macbeth and his conspiratorial consort, Lady Macbeth, attempt to consolidate their control of the Scottish crown.
Relyea is passionate about the role -- here's what he's said about the scene where Banquo is killed off:
“I love this death scene. ‘Don’t go down without a fight,’ I always say. At least that is what I like to think, metaphorically, as I don’t recall having ever thrown any real punches at anything animate. These supers are really making me look superhuman. Or could it be that perhaps I really can throw another man 10 feet across a room?! Note to self — Eat your wheaties!”
The production is directed by Adrian Noble (who was Artistic Director and Chief Executive of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1990 to 2003). And if you want a sneak peek, there's some interesting "backstage video" of Macbeth in rehearsal at the Met website.
As part of the broadcast you can hear John Relyea in a backstage interview, as well as soprano Maria Guleghina (Lady Macbeth) and conductor James Levine. There's also a special feature about the famous sleepwalking scene.
And here's the complete rundown of cast:
Continue reading "Blood Red Syrup And Acrylic Paint" »
January 10, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-10-08 at 08:00 PM
When Philip Glass collaborated with Leonard Cohen on Book of Longing and this work premiered last June, it was to mixed response. (Typical was the Toronto Star calling it "a confusing work of considerable importance.")
But when it comes to reviews, sometimes mixed responses are the best, implying that the work was challenging, not ordinary, provocative enough to be subject to a wide spectrum of interpretation. (Or sometimes it just means criticism is totally subjective.) Anyway, you can decide for yourself as some music from this collaboration is broadcast tonight on The Signal (10 p.m.)
As well, the second part of Music For Art's Sake. I surmised correctly that each part does focus on one of the three composers involved in this project, and tonight it is David Occhipinti, "guitar conceptualist", pioneering the genre of chamber jazz.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-10-08 at 03:45 PM
Tonic (6 p.m.) continues its salute to Oscar Peterson this evening with Part Seven of the documentary series, About Oscar.
Tonight's Tonic episode is The Price of Fame, which takes a look back at Peterson's family history, and the pressures a life on the road can exert on a family. This is something Oscar Peterson reflected a lot on, particularly later in life, and is also explored in the NFB documentary his niece, documentarist Sylvia Sweeney, made about her famous uncle, In The Key Of Oscar.
Tonight's episode also looks at Peterson's later work, including some of the music he did on keyboards other than the acoustic piano, and it touches on the reunion of his famous trio.
And though I've steadily been blogging about the upcoming weekend's concert celebration, in case you've missed it, we now have much relevant info up on the site about Oscar, and the concert, called Simply The Best. Note that Oscar Peterson: Simply The Best, Concert On Demand will be available sometime on Saturday night.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-10-08 at 01:30 PM
Peter Schickele returns to DiscDrive this afternoon in his persona as P.D.Q. Bach, with Jurgen sampling his newest CD, Jekyll & Hyde.
And one needs no more excuse than that to link to this video excerpting bits of his tour for this new album -- his first in twelve years. Without further ado, PDQ Bach, live. Very funny.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-10-08 at 10:45 AM
Ships have inspired much music, and I'm not just talkin' shanties. And today on Studio Sparks (12 p.m.) Eric presents a fleet of ship songs, including Bill Connor's Tall Ships Suite, Joni Mitchell's The Dawntreader, and Dawn Upshaw singing My Ship. (And what a gorgeous song that is, my ship has sails that are made of silk, the decks are trimmed with gold...")
Just as a wee preview of the song, albeit with a very different kind of singer performing it, here's Carol Sloane singing My Ship -- following a lovely a capella version of Never Never Land. (I hear you can get there under sail power too...)
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-10-08 at 08:00 AM
The reasons why people want to hear music never fails to entertain -- witness the motive behind this request, for example, heard this morning on Here's To You (9 a.m.).
David in Victoria was bugged that Catherine said Mozart's Clarinet Concerto is beyond the playing ability of a high school student. He claims that he (not only he, but two of his friends!) played the work while still in high school quite nicely, thank you very much. Still, his disgruntlement motivated him to request another favourite clarinet piece -- James Campbell, performing Carl Maria von Weber's Concertino in E flat.
Many other requests on the show this morning aside from this one, of course, but also don't forget, it's (thunderous chord) ORGAN THURSDAYS. Jurgen Petrenko will be presenting Mendelssohn's War March of the Priests with Wayne Marshall at the organ of Peterborough Cathedral.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan-10-08 at 12:00 AM
A very nice double bill Thursday night on Canada Live (8 p.m.), with the Sultans of String, followed by the Hilario Duran Big Band.
First, the Sultans. They're in that Django-esque end of the jazz world, and draw on rhythms of Spain, Morocco, and leader Chris McKoohl's middle Eastern heritage, as well as French Manouche Gypsy-jazz.
It's fun and lively music, or as Bob Ezrin (Producer, Pink Floyd, Kiss) has reportedly said: “Chris McKhool and the boys were fantastic! They can play my Bar Mitzvah.”
Continue reading ""They Can Play My Bar Mitzvah!"" »
January 09, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 9-08 at 08:00 PM
Music might be for money's sake, for vanity's sake, for Pete's sake or any number of other sakes, but not tonight on The Signal (10 p.m.). No, tonight it's strictly for art's sake, as part one of a three part concert that goes by this name (Music For Art's Sake) is played on the show.
It was recorded at the Glenn Gould Studio, and features new works by saxophonist and composer Quinsin Nachoff, written for jazz ensemble and string quartet. Presumably parts two and three have music by the other composers involved, David Occhipinti, and Romina Di Gasbarro, but when I get that info I will confirm. Meantime, hope you enjoy the Nachoff segment of the performance.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 9-08 at 03:00 PM
Now there's a way to get your attention. But really, it's not a cheap ploy. (On my part, anyway.) It's the name of a new recording by violinist Tasmin Little. But she's not in the news for the title, she's in the news for taking the Radiohead approach to releasing a new recording online one step further -- by next week you will be able to download her album FOR FREE online.
(Not) oddly enough, she's gotten quite a bit of publicity about this, pre-release, with mags like BBC Music saying "The violinist is giving away her new studio recording of Bach and Ysaÿe free. Why?"
She answers the question, more or less, in The Guardian: "Classical music, for some reason or another, has this reputation that you need a certain kind of education to listen to it, you need to be a certain colour or live in a certain place and I'm a bit fed up with that. I wanted to take away any possible barrier and see if it makes a difference."
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 9-08 at 01:07 PM
When the organizers of the Canadian stop of the International Association of Jazz Educators planned for their Oscar Peterson tribute, obviously they'd hoped that Mr. Peterson himself would be able to attend. And now their internal tribute is no longer a public event (by necessity, I'm sure, due to the ensuing logistics involving suddenly much bigger crowds). Fortunately there is this weekend's public tribute, Oscar Peterson, Simply The Best.
But Oscar Peterson passing away has also put a spotlight on the state of jazz, of jazz education, and on this conference. I went to the last one, and it really was a feverish little hotbed of activity, with workshops, concerts, panel discussions. It was also dogged by an ongoing conundrum -- while jazz in schools (mostly American, though some Canadian as well) is going strong, the reality of jazz as a music that people play in bars and clubs and cafes is another matter entirely.
There's an interesting take on this by Nate Chinen, a piece called Jazz Is Alive and Well. In the Classroom, Anyway.
Though it explores various aspects of the issues, it ultimately takes a pretty positive stance: "However counterintuitive it sounds," reads the article, "local action may be the best hope for the revitalization of the music’s audience. Thanks to these educational programs, jazz now exists in college towns and isolated high schools where no club scene has ever thrived. The implosion of the monolithic music industry has little effect on that network. In that sense, jazz has a shot at becoming a folk music again."
Let's hope that's true.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 9-08 at 11:19 AM
Last night two more additions to this Saturday's tribute to Oscar Peterson were announced -- legendary singer Nancy Wilson (that album she did with Cannonball Adderly still sends shivers), and Quebec singing star (and host of Radio 2's own In The Key Of Charles), Gregory Charles. Many other great musicians are also involved (Monty Alexander! Quincy Jones!) and full details are further along in this post.
The concert, held at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, is free, no advance tickets -- I predict they'll be lining up for hours. But if you can't actually be at the concert, CBC is providing the next best thing, with the following broadcasts:
Oscar Peterson, Simply The Best live at 4:05pm – 6:00pm on CBC Radio 1, and Sirius 137 at 4:05pm eastern - 6:00pm.
Radio 2 and SRC Espace Musique at 8:05pm – 10:00pm. Also, as I've mentioned, it WILL be available as a Concert On Demand as well, likely sometime on the weekend.
Meantime, tonight on Tonic (6 p.m.), don't forget that you can hear Part Six of the documentary series About Oscar, this episode called About Canada, where Peterson talks about his sense of Canada, his major work dedicated to the country, the Canadiana Suite, his fight to promote ethnic diversity in Canadian advertising, and some of his frustrations with the country as well.
Now here is the full scoop on Saturday's tribute concert, via the official press release:
Continue reading "Oscar Peterson -- Simply The Best " »
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 9-08 at 08:00 AM
Animal requests and animal responses to music seems to be something of a theme lately on Here's To You (9 a.m.). Remember Arvo Pärt's "Cats-ercise?"
Well, a listener from Olds, Alberta, wrote to the show to say that their miniature dachshund, Lily, is ready for some culture. As such Lily's owner feels Mozart is an appropriate start, and so today Catherine will be playing the Piano Sonata in B Flat performed by Mitsuko Uchida. I hope Lily's person understands that the so-called "Mozart Fffect" is a much disputed theory.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 9-08 at 12:00 AM
Have you ever asked, upon hearing their name, exactly who are these Wailin' Jennys, an why do they wail so? Well, none of them are named Jenny and they actually don't wail, except maybe in a country music sense. Really they're very good singers who have a great blend, and people like it.
Since they came together five years ago they've released two acclaimed albums, toured a lot, won a Juno award, and (a unique marker of success) performed a number of times on NPR's Prairie Home Companion.
Their concert on Canada Live (8 p.m.) Wednesday night was a home town show in their native Winnipeg, and featured their then new singer, Heather Masse, the token American. (Just kidding, and I'm sure they don't actually call her that, but she is from Maine and is based in Brooklyn. See what happens when you start fraternizing with that NPR crowd?)
Continue reading "Wailin' Jennys Wailin' On Canada Live" »
January 08, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 8-08 at 07:15 PM
Yesterday I wrote about (sometimes I do prefer to "write about" rather than "blog about," usually when I'm sipping tea and feeling a trifle genteel) the collaboration between David Mott and Michael Vlatkovich, in a post called Black Triangles, Yellow Corn And Pink Medicine Drops.
And I am delighted to report that tonight on The Signal (10 p.m.) Ms. Laurie Brown will be playing "more of the energetic improvisations and compositions from trombonist Michael Vlatkovich and saxophonist David Mott," recorded live at the Bus Stop Theatre in Halifax.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 8-08 at 03:00 PM
Tonic (6 p.m.) continues to salute Oscar Peterson this week, with part five of the documentary About Oscar.
Continue reading "About Oscar, Part Five" »
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 8-08 at 12:14 PM
An interesting post over at Dial "M" For Musicology about the choices that politicians (or their people) make about the music they use to represent them -- including a list of the music currently being used by the campaigns of Clinton et al. (btw, those news reports earlier today about her emotional moment? I honestly could not truly hear The Quaver. It sounded more like The Marginally Less Assertive Tone Of Voice to me.)
Our very own Bachman Turner Overdrive is always in heavy political rotation, and these days proves to be bi-partisan as well, used by Romney and Clinton.
It's a thought provoking piece with some great links...and here's a quote to whet your appetite to click on over:
"Musical taste is an intimate personal thing, and an arena political event is about the most un-intimate musical setting imaginable. Either you really do choose music that 'says something about you' and expose yourself to particularly cruel mockery, or else your choices remain safely impersonal and you come off as a soulless hack."
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 8-08 at 10:30 AM
A few Sparks notes: now if you've already read this post you will notice a slight change, but do read on and pretend Death And The Maiden has not ever been mentioned this morning...
Today on the show (12:00 noon) Eric will be playing Schubert's Quartet N.13, called Rosamunde, performed by the Takacs Quartet. They also performed music from their Schubert recording last fall, at Carnegie Hall, in a programme that included a collaboration with the actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, where Hoffman read from the Philp Roth novel, Everyman. (The Schubert had nothing to do with that reading though -- the music that was interwoven with spoken word was by Arvo Part and Philip Glass. An interesting concept involving many Philips.)
Also on Studio Sparks (12 p.m.) today, from a recent concert called Sketches of Spain, performed by the CBC Radio Orchestra, you can hear Rodrigo's ever-popular Guitar Concerto, featuring guest guitarist Alvaro Pierri. I wonder how Erica feels about this version compared to his all time favourite, the version featuring featuring guitarist Jim Hall, trumpeter Chet Baker, and saxophone player Paul Desmond?
Note, you can also hear the Sketches Of Spain programme as a Concert On Demand.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 8-08 at 07:40 AM
The holidays are truly over when the hosts come home to roost, and this morning Catherine Belyea returns to the host's chair on Here's To You (9 a.m.). How do you imagine that host's chair? Decorated with a large star and the word "host" emblazoned across the back? In truth it's an office chair, the fanciest thing about it is one of those hydraulic things to make it go up and down, with a little sigh. (Ah, the dispelling of illusions...)
Anyway,from that fabulous chair Catherine will help a bread-maker keep the rhythm of her kneading with a Strauss waltz, ("1-2-3, bread-2-3, bread-2-3 etc.") and she'll join in the celebration of the 80th birthday of Canadian violinist Joseph Pach by playing some of his work.
There will also be some new releases played this morning, including a new recording of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde featuring Canadian baritone Russell Braun, and a new CD of concertos by Saint-Saens and Franck, performed by pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 8-08 at 12:00 AM
Feeling the need for a little ukulele music? I know I am. A perfect place to turn is Canadian Ukist, James Hill, at Concerts On Demand, also broadcast this very Tuesday evening on Canada Live (8 p.m.). He's the guy CBC's own Stuart Mclean called him "the Wayne Gretzky of the ukulele."
James Hill (whose slogan is "ukulele...seriously") is a fine player, whose website is also a great portal to the worldwideweb of ukulele lore, links abound.
And here's a little primer on how Hill, " a kid from Canada" became what the Honolulu Star-Bulletin called "a rare peer of Hawaii’s premier ukulelists." It's a testament to Hill's talent, but also to music education in the schools, as it turns out.
Hill comes from Langley B.C. where ukulele instruction has been mandatory in many schools since the late 1970s. He started playing at nine, and by his teens was playing in the Langley Ukulele Ensemble under the direction of Peter Luongo.
After twelve years touring with this ensemble Hill went solo in 2002, releasing his first recording, Playing It Like It Isn't, and the rest is, as they say, four-stringed history.
January 07, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 7-08 at 08:00 PM
David Mott has influenced countless musicians in this country, (and some of us who are lapsed), through his work as a prof at York U. But he's also done that admirable thing many find difficult -- maintained a composing and performing career at the same time as having a thriving teaching career.
Tonight on The Signal (10 p.m.) you can hear him with trombonist Michael Vlatkovich, recorded live at the Bus Stop Theatre in Halifax, performing a work called Black Triangles, Yellow Corn And Pink Medicine Drops.
Curious about that title? Of course you are. Here's an excerpt of a review of Vlatkovich's disc, ALiveBUQUERQUE, from Sequenza 21, that clarifies the origins:
"From the first gesture of Black Triangles, Yellow Corn, and Pink Medicine Drops through the 'oom pah pah' section to the freewheeling bari solo and then the punchy trombone/sax duet that gradually pulls everyone in, etc. and so on, there is a real Zappa-esque feeling throughout the disc. We go to unexpected places within a single track but each move, no matter how drastic, sounds right. The music seems to come from a place of serenity and organicism. I’ve known a number of people who respond this way to time in New Mexico and it seem the Michael Vlatkovich Quartet has fallen under the same spell."
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 7-08 at 06:00 PM
Three great pianists from Western Canada pay tribute to Glenn Gould tonight on Canada Live (8 p.m.) -- Angela Cheng, Katherine Chi, and Jane Coop, performing music by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and Berg, music that Gould played in his only two Calgary concerts.
Then, it’s a different kind of musical tribute to Gould, as singers Kellylee Evans, Emm Gryner, Danny Michel and Chad VanGaalen explore music inspired by Gould's fascination with sixties pop singer Petula Clark. (Speaking of, you know I have slept in the subway, and it really wasn't that bad, other than the waking up at the end of the line part.)
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 7-08 at 03:00 PM
Tonight on Tonic (6 p.m.) part four of the documentary, About Oscar.
This episode recounts the celebrated Oscar Peterson Trio, which existed from 1953-1958. (Was it really only that long? So much great music for five years.) And in the episode Peterson recalls the highs of this glorious musical period -- but also laments the loss of some of the great jazz talents of the era to drugs and alcohol.
And for those who find the ongoing discussions about the late Mr. Peterson's music of interest, there is more to be read and thought about over at Jazz Beyond Jazz....
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 7-08 at 12:30 PM
There was a point, over the holidays, where a very young family member said to me, "everyone loves Feist, what's with that, EVERYONE."
I knew what she meant. There've been plenty of artists I could see crossing all of the generational lines, at least, for people who listen to a broad range of music. And yet Feist is one of the few who seems to have achieved this.
Musically it's understandable -- she's a great singer, sometimes a great songwriter, and the arrangements are often quite startling in their beauty. But still, you might expect other singers, say Regina Spektor or Amy Winehouse (were it not for the latter's personal life, or coverage of same, which may unfortunately prejudice some against even checking out her music) to have the same widespread appeal. And yet they do not.
Why Feist then? Clearly one reason is marketing, and the use of that smart, appealing music in some smart, appealing commercial ways. (Yes, the ipod commercial, but also things like the ad for the Bell Lightbox, future home of the Toronto Film Festival, an ad that ran in front of every movie in last fall's fest.)
But I also think another reason is that while musically Feist has such immediate, fresh appeal, the lyrics are either whimsical or almost neutral in their impact. In the former camp, sure, mushaboom, sha boom, sha boom, or sea lion. Yeah, sea lion! But even those that stick in the mind are not terribly demanding. They become part of the wash of a beautiful sound, almost like a painting where any deeper meaning, if there is one, is obscured by the gorgeous colours. Whereas, say, Regina Spektor's lyrics are all knotty and edgy, sometimes not that good, sometimes brilliant, but rarely disappear into the song. Anyway, it's my theory of the day.
But getting back to the impetus for this post.Today on DiscDrive Jurgen salutes a pair of Canadian Grammy nominees – classical violinist James Ehnes...and Feist. And his producers kindly sent along a pronouncer for all audio users of this info who may have been locked in a cave for the past few years, that it's "feist as in feisty."
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 7-08 at 10:34 AM
Back in the host chair, Eric Friesen shakes off the holidays today on Studio Sparks (12 p.m.)
How does he do this? Partly through what the Sparks' describe as "somber Russian passion combusting with Argentinian fire." Goodness.
This translates to Martha Argerich performing Sergei Rachmaninov's daunting Third Piano Concerto. And to music said to induce "dreams of sunny days in Rome." (I'm all for that, would sure beats gray days in Toronto, as per this morning.) The music in question? Respighi's Gli Uccelli.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 7-08 at 08:01 AM
Yesterday I went to see the movie of Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street. Johnny Depp was great, and will deserve the inevitable Oscar nomination. Helena Bonham Carter was good too -- improving considerably after a weak opening performance of The Worst Meat Pies In London song. As for the guy who wrote the music and lyrics, yup, that Stephen Sondheim, he's not half bad either.
Anyway, it put me in a frame of mind to nose around for new things musical, and lo and behold -- not a new movie musical, but a new stage musical -- The Diary Of Anne Frank. It's being made into a Spanish musical, and opening in Madrid next month. Understandably the reaction to the notion of a musical about Anne Frank has been mixed, though apparently the Anne Frank Museum has endorsed the production.
For more details, go to BBC News/Entertainment.
January 06, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 6-08 at 08:00 PM
Pat Carrabré goes minimal, stark minimal tonight on The Signal (10 p.m.), with a concert from the Bozzini String Quartet and the beautiful Henryk Gorecki composition, Symphony No.3.
Also, music to build (simple) furniture to, by Sigur Ros, Julia Kent and more. Or wait, shouldn't that be, "and less?"
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 6-08 at 05:00 PM
Sometimes when the Tonicians send me info about the highlights on Tonic (6 p.m.) I check the list and think, "uhuh, yup, heard that, like it, don't know that one, oh yes that's a nice choice," etc. But every now and then they catch me totally off guard, and tonight there is one item that falls into that category -- "Ella singing about farm animals."
OK, unless they have some version of the Tisket Tasket song I don't know involving chickens in that little basket or something, I have no idea which song they're referring to. Curiouser and curiouser. I shall listen and if I miss it, check the full playlist to educate myself.
I should mention that there is also a feature tonight on the influential Toronto independent record label Arts & Crafts, (can you say "Feist," anyone?) and on Canadian bassist Chris Tarry. (He's New York based now, but I think we can still claim him!)
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 6-08 at 03:30 PM
Cultural differences are such an intriguing and sometimes baffling matter. As simple a matter as a head shake might mean "no" in one culture, "yes" in another, and "please can you pass the chili sauce" in a third. (OK, the last I made up, but still, you get the point.)
Today on Skylarking Andre Alexis looks into the world of cultural differences, and he also takes a little tours of some of the great music he really likes from 2007.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 6-08 at 12:05 PM
Some consider the number four as an indication of luck or good fortune. Others, not so much. In Japanese culture, for instance, four is avoided, (like thirteen around these parts), maybe because the word for four, "shi," sounds the same as the word for death. Though why is thirteen avoided? I'm guessing it might be Christian in origin, Judas at the Last Supper and whatnot.
Continue reading "Lucky Four" »
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 6-08 at 11:15 AM
Today it's episode 10 of the Concerto According to Manny, featuring Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 in B Flat Major, Opus 83, broadcast on Inside The Music at noon.
Some say that as War And Peace was for Tolstoy, and the Mona Lisa was for da Vinci, so was the Piano Concerto #2 for Johannes Brahms. In other words? A masterpiece.
Continue reading "Brahms Piano Concerto #2, According To Manny" »
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 6-08 at 07:30 AM
You know how it goes, everything old is new again, and again -- leggings, martinis, pez dispensers. But today on In the Key Of Charles, Gregory Charles' first show of the new year is dedicated to all that is about newness. Admittedly not through brand new compositions, but through music that touches, in some way, on new beginnings. And who knows, perhaps as presented by the inimitable Mr. Charles, some of the music may well sound as though you've never heard it before!
Today's playlist includes choral music by Aaron Copland and Orlando Gibbons, American big band artist Bobby Darren and gospel powerhouse Carlton Pearson, music for brass band by Howard Cable, and post-rock chamber music by Montreal's Bel Orchestre, as well as tunes from Ann Murray, Frank Sinatra, The Rolling Stones and The Pursuit of Happiness.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 6-08 at 07:00 AM
Your Sunday morning Choral Concert Bulletin: Today on the show, an oratorio by Hector Berlioz, L'Enfance du Christ, performed by the RIAS Chamber Choir under the direction of Roger Norrington.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 6-08 at 12:00 AM
Concerts take place in all kinds of venues, of course, but some locations seem more probable than others. For example: concert hall, quite probable. Large living room belonging to neighbors -- slightly less probable. Firehall? Seemingly very unlikely. (For acoustical reasons alone, one would think -- concrete, and of course those steel poles might not make for good sightlines.)
Still, Fire Hall #9 near Commercial Drive, in Vancouver's Eastside is clearly a fire hall of a different colour. It was home to a concert you can hear Sunday night on Canada Live (8 p.m.), featuring some fine musicians playing music with roots in Brazil and South America -- multi-instrumentalist Celso Machado, mandolin and guitarist John Reischman, and latin percussionist Salvador Ferreras.
Aha, a little searching uncovers this tidbit from the Georgia Straight:
"How to get live music happening in venue-starved parts of the city? It's an old question, and Kevin Mooney has an imaginative answer: he's putting on a series of concerts in Vancouver's firehalls."
Also on the Can. Live bill tonight: The CBC Radio Orchestra in a programme called Sketches of Spain, featuring the excellent guitarist Alvaro Pierri in a performance of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez plus a new work commissioned by the CBC from Montreal composer Robert M. Lepage.
January 05, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 5-08 at 08:00 PM
Just as you probably have artists who enter your collection and have a period of high rotation, (like your own personal all-star roster), so do radio shows. And tonight The Signal (10 p.m.) celebrates some of those artists, with music from Caribou, Kid Koala, Björk and Radiohead.
Also, a feature concert from Vancouver's The Inhabitants, an exploratory improv group that reminds me, at times of Bill Frisell, Miles Davis...not bad things to be reminded of, not at all.
Downbeat described their self-titled release in 2005 as "an aural introduction to a dream," which strikes me as pretty accurate. (And rather nicely put as well.)
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 5-08 at 03:08 PM
You can hear a bit of a feature on Mel Tormé with the Boss Brass this Saturday on Tonic (6 p.m.)
Speaking of "The Velvet Fog," as Tormé is sometimes called -- I was recently charmed by a very young Tormé doing April Showers. As you'll hear, the nickname really does capture something of his vocal quality.
But did you know that Tormé apparently hated it, at least for much of his career? The moniker was a holdover from his earlier years of pop, before he gravitated more towards jazz. Though according to an appreciation of the singer in Salon, following his death in 1999, later Tormé somewhat embraced it -- at least, he had vanity plates saying "Le Fog." Maybe a case of "can't beat 'em, join 'em?"
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 5-08 at 12:30 PM
Not sure if you saw an earlier posting, Barbie Performs At The Symphony, but if you did, and wondered exactly what it is like to attend a concert of classical music with Barbie (yes, that Barbie, the anatomically improbable one) chatting with the conductor, a thorough review of the Barbie Tour's stop at the Barbican at Times Online will satisfy your curiosity.
Favourite quote: "Barbie’s on-screen pronouncements are all about empowerment. 'I’m always pursuing my dreams at light speed,' she claims. 'It’s a privilege to be given the opportunity to make a difference.' It’s hard to imagine Simon Rattle holding this kind of conversation with a talking doll. "
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 5-08 at 11:00 AM
If it's Saturday, it must be Verdi. At least, if you're planning on tuning in to SATO -- today from the Met it's Un Ballo in Maschera, A Masked Ball.
For more details, please click on over to Viva Verdi.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 5-08 at 08:00 AM
There's been a fair number of "best-of" moments on radio shows in the past week. But most shows have pulled clips etc. from the past year. The Vinyl Café goes far deeper into the vaults though, by presenting the most-requested moments from the past fifteen – yes fifteen – years this morning. Highlights include the story of Roger Woodward, who, as a young boy, went over Niagara Falls protected by nothing but a life-jacket. Stuart McLean tells this incredible – but true – story.
Fifteen years, egad. I wonder how many producer/listening hours that took? (Thinking as a some-time radio producer myself.) I'm sure it's worth it for V. Café fans though, so if you count yourself among that number, don't forget to tune in today!
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 5-08 at 12:00 AM
"His guitar suggests the more sophisticated teachings of Grant Green and Kenny Burrell while his vocals, too, have evolved bearing out his love of Marvin Gaye..." so reads a review of Jack de Keyzer, a stalwart on the Canadian blues scene, a talented and eclectic guitarist/singer who also incorporates jazz, funk, soul and old school R&B into his music.
Saturday night you can hear him on Canada Live (8 p.m.), in a concert recorded at the Yardbird Suite in Edmonton with hometown players Sandro Dominelli on drums, Dave Babcock on sax, and Doug Organ playing bass and Hammond B3.
And second up on the show, a concert featuring Karla Anderson, a performer who was part of the Edmonton folk scene years ago, but then left to raise kids. In February 2005, the hit American TV series Joan of Arcadia featured one of her songs, What Else Can I Do, and this song, as well as her performance of it, got immediate response from viewers/listeners around the world. She got so many requests that she recorded what was her debut album, The Embassy Sessions, and re-emerged as a performer. What a nice, good news story, eh? Heck, the kids can get their own cereal now I'm sure. And btw, the concert you'll hear tonight was recorded at the 2007 Edmonton Folk Festival.
January 04, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 4-08 at 08:00 PM
I haven't come across too many "ghost tracks" on CDs lately (thankfully, I always found them kind of annoying, particularly when falling asleep at the end of a CD), but the intro album track remains an essential part of the sound of any recording. And tonight on The Signal (10 p.m.) Pat Carrabré plays intro album tracks by hip hopper Common, Montreal's Bell Orchestre, producer RJD2 and others.
On tonight's show he also takes a look (a listen, to be more exact) at/to music for the prepared piano by the likes of Vancouver's Chris Gestrin and Dusseldorf's Hauschka.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 4-08 at 05:00 PM
About Oscar, the award-winning documentary series produced and narrated by Chris Brookes continues on Tonic (6 p.m.) tonight. The series looks at the life and music of the late Mr. Peterson, and is presented by Tonic host Katie Malloch. Today is Part Three, and the series will pick up again on Monday, continuing until January 11th.
btw, if you are interested in reading more of the online coverage, tributes and so on to Oscar Peterson, you may want to go to The Omniscient Mussel for Ms. Mussel's list, and a beautiful picture of Oscar too.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 4-08 at 01:00 PM
A few interesting turn ups from idle online trawling to share...
If you are interested in all things singing, The New Forum For Classical Singers, wherein singers talk, gripe, extoll about just about everything connected with singing and singers is one place to be. (It also has a specifically Canadian forum, though I think the big international one has the sparkiest debates going on.)
For those wanting to know all things lap steel guitar, there's Brad's Page Of Steel
And for "all the news about kazoos," check out The Kazoobie Kazoos Blog.
On a more event-oriented front, if you're in Vancouver and getting primed to celebrate either Robbie Burns Day OR Chinese New Year, don't forget Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner.
That's it for now!
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 4-08 at 10:45 AM
Still in the chair over at Studio Sparks (12 p.m.) today, guest host Andy Sheppard bids a cheerful farewell to the Christmas season with trumpet, drum and voices in the glorious part six of Bach's Christmas Oratorio, written for the twelfth day of Christmas. (Though until there is no more fruitcake and crunchy chocolate brittle stuff being passed around the season won't entirely disengage, in my humble opinion.)
And some music by Dvorak also featured today -- the Second Piano Quintet, featuring violinist Sarah Chang, and Norwegian pianist, Leif Ove Andsnes.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 4-08 at 08:00 AM
It seems the non-distaff side have been writing in to Here's To You (9 a.m.) a lot lately, requesting music to be played on the show.
For instance a man we only know as "Ken From Vancouver," who thinks many conductors conduct too slowly, so he requested something conducted by Bramwell Tovey as an antidote -- and today you can hear Tovey conducting the WSO performing Elgar's Cockaigne Overture.
"Bob In Dartmouth" noted that January 5th (that's tomorrow, for those of you still on vacation time) marks the 77th birthday of the great Austrian pianist, Alfred Brendel. "B. In D." wanted to hear a recording of the very same Schubert Impromptu in G flat that he once heard Brendel play in concert.
And "Duane Of Calgary" noted that his home town's Rocky Mountain Concert Band will be performing the Suite Francaise by Darius Milhaud at its spring concert. The group is starting rehearsals of this work in January, so he asked to hear a recorded performance to help the band prepare. (I hope they take this in the spirit intended!)
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 4-08 at 12:01 AM
In case you are looking ahead to the first weekend of the new year, and wondering which opera will accompany your Saturday afternoon, here is the scoop on SATO -- it's Verdi's opera Un Ballo in Maschera, A Masked Ball. It started out as a fictionalized version of the assassination of Gustav III, King of Sweden, but by the time of its premiere in 1859 the locale had shifted to the English colonies in the New World.
In Verdi's day, Italy was made up of city states, and much of the country was dominated by foreign governments. Verdi was a well-recognized supporter of the nationalist uprising, the Risorgimento. (The chant of Viva Verdi was raised in support of the composer's patriotic views.)
Naturally, in such a politically charged atmosphere, civil authorities and opera impressarios were reluctant to stage an opera in which a reigning monarch was to be killed and overthrown. Verdi had to make numerous concessions and plot changes to satisfy their concerns. The character's names were changed, and thus the locale shift to 16th century Boston.
In the current MET production they have restored the Swedish setting, but maintain the names from the Boston setting.
And here are some factoids about the history of the production, and the current cast etc.:
Continue reading "Viva Verdi" »
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 4-08 at 12:00 AM
Pianist/singer/larger than life guy Dr. John - (aka Malcolm John "Mac" Rebenack or "the night tripper") has become practically synonymous with New Orleans music. No surprise he's been quite involved with various charities aimed at rebuilding New Orleans, post-Katrina, and supporting artists there, including via promoting the New Orleans Musicians Clinic.
And Friday night on Canada Live (8 p.m.) you can hear him in concert. (Here's a little preview of him in live performance, with Such A Night). It's the first of three concerts on the programme, the second is by David Myles, a singer songwriter who also plays trumpet. (Shades of Zach Condon, though admittedly their music is not at all alike in any other way...)
Myles' song, When It Comes My Turn has gotten a fair bit of CBC airplay -- it won the 2006 International Songwriting Competition folk singer/songwriter category, so you may well have heard him -- though this concert will obviously give you more than just that hit. It was recorded at the Astor Theatre in Liverpool, Nova Scotia, as was the third and final concert on the bill, R&B, blues and soul from Charlie A'Court.
January 03, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 3-08 at 08:46 PM
"A world of fine music, classical, jazz, maritime and world, is to be found at the Indian River Festival, held annually through July and August at St. Mary's Church, located in beautiful, picturesque Prince Edward Island (PEI)."
That's how the Indian River Festival describes their annual event, and tonight on The Signal (10 p.m.) you can hear music recorded at this year's incarnation: highlights from a concert featuring soprano Patricia O'Callaghan, ghazal singer Kiran Ahluwalia, percussionist Anne-Julie Caron, pianist Robert Kortgaard and others -- quite a blend of musical styles and traditions.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 3-08 at 06:40 PM
Classical guitarist Michael Strutt performed a concert as part of the first ever classical music showcase at the Western Canadian Music Awards that explored some atypical classical repertoire -- music from Spain, Japan, Greece, Africa, and elsewhere.
And if you missed this concert when it was broadcast recently on Canada Live, you can hear it now as a Concert On Demand.
Michael Strutt at Concerts on Demand.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 3-08 at 02:28 PM
Part Two of About Oscar, the eight-part documentary series about the late Oscar Peterson continues tonight on Tonic (6 p.m.), presented by host Katie Malloch.
And a major update to yesterday's post mentioning the Oscar Peterson tribute concert being held at Roy Thomson Hall on January 12th. This concert will be broadcast on Radio 2 at 8 p.m. that same day. (And 4 p.m. on Radio 1 as well.)
I also wanted to steer you towards a very interesting response to attitudes towards Mr. Peterson's phenomenal piano technique -- attitudes which were not always positive, the suggestion being that emotion or feeling was sacrificed for speed. It was a subtext to much of the writing about his playing over the years, and in the wake of his death. The insightful Matthew Guerrieri, keeper of Soho The Dog, takes a thoughtful look at what he frames as "the reflexive mistrust of virtuosity."
I also like the way he describes Peterson's lightening speed. "Lots of pianists play fast; some of them play extremely fast. But Peterson played extremely fast and swung very hard, which is kind of a violation of piano physics."
Guerrieri's perspective is really very interesting -- you should go read the whole thing if you have time, but for now here's another quick quote: "I never thought that Peterson was letting his technique go on autopilot; rather, he was always putting his technique at the service of the rhythm."
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 3-08 at 01:08 PM
Ask and ye shall receive -- some of you wanted to see the complete list of Top Ten Trends of 2007 assembled by the weekend crew of The Signal (10 p.m.) -- and here they are, along with a couple of performers or bands featured in each category:
THE SIGNAL'S TOP 10 TRENDS OF 2007
Clapping (Basia Bulat, Bell Orchestre)
Shouting! (Yeasayer, Woodhands)
Whistling (Andrew Bird, Ariane Moffatt)
Nature Sounds (National Parcs, Kyrie Kristmanson)
Choir (The Choir Practice, Christine Fellows)
Glockenspiel (Patrick Wolf, Ohbijou)
Baritone Ukelele (Beirut, Krista L. L. Muir)
Banjo (The Weakerthans, Butane Variations)
Brass Band (Emily Haines, Bjork)
Harp (Múm, Joanna Newsom)
The Signal also asked the question. "Mirror mirror, on the wall, who was the trendiest 2007 artist of all?"
The Answer: Hint, rhymes with "mice." (Mice if you added a "t" to the end of it, that is.)
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 3-08 at 10:00 AM
Andy Sheppard continues to guest host Studio Sparks (12 p.m.), and today he features a live performance of Beethoven's Third Symphony (better known as the Eroica), performed by the NDR Symphony Orchestra conducted by Christoph Dohnanyi.
Also some music from Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter -- from the new soundtrack to Sweeney Todd. I've yet to see the movie, but its arrival had me wondering if it's an indication of something of a movie musical moment -- first the fabulous Across The Universe, now Sweeney Todd. Well, two is not such a great sample, I suppose, but still, here's hoping. (Though I know not everyone would agree. Particularly those who say things like, "I always hate it when people in movies suddenly burst into song." But what do they know.)
Funny, even Stephen Sondheim told the New York Times recently “The only kind of movie I didn’t like as a kid were musicals."
There were some he admits to liking though, Love Me Tonight, Under the Roofs of Paris, The Smiling Lieutenant and a couple of the MGMs that were conceived for the screen. The rest, he told the NYTimes, are either “either stodgy or rely on flash.”
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 3-08 at 12:00 AM
Back in September, as part of observations for the International Day of Peace CBC and Espace Musique collaborated in a celebratory concert at The Theatre National in Montreal, featuring musicians who are part of the African diaspora. It really is quite a lineup, and includes a large number of prominent African-Canadians -- guitarist Alpha Yaya Diallo (based in Vancouver, born and raised in Guinea Bisau) singer Oumou Soumare (based in Moncton, originally from Mali). Also Lilison, a Montrealer originally from Guinea Bisau and Cameroonian-Canadian Muna Mingole, who lives in Quebec as well.
There were two international stars on the bill as well, Paris-based guitarist Lokua Kanza, who witnessed the atrocities in Rwanda, and London-based Sudanese rapper Emmanuel Jal, once a child soldier.
January 02, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 2-08 at 08:13 PM
It's always so interesting to hear musicians covering music that isn't typical of the genre, or genres of music they are usually associated with. Tonight on The Signal (10 p.m.), Laurie plays a few covers of that ilk, including Bill Frisell’s re-working of Bob Dylan’s A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall (Though admittedly you'd be hard pressed to be too dogmatic about which genres Frisell is connected to, the Dylan song still seems a bit unexpected.) Also The Bad Plus with their jazz version of the Tears For Fears classic Everybody Wants To Rule The World -- much fun.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 2-08 at 04:00 PM
A reminder that starting tonight, and running on the following dates (Jan 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11) in the first hour of Tonic (6 p.m.), you can hear About Oscar, an award-winning documentary series produced and narrated by Chris Brookes. The series looks at the life and music of the late Mr. Peterson, and will be presented by Tonic host Katie Malloch.
Now that the new year has begun, the tributes to Oscar Peterson are beginning too, including the recently announced free tribute concert January 12th at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto called "Oscar Peterson - Simply the Best: A Concert Memorial Tribute to a Great Artist". Also, the Oscar Peterson tribute that was already scheduled for January 11ths IAJE conference will of course still be presented; apparently members of Mr. Peterson's family will attend -- here are the details.
And as always, there is simply listening to Oscar Peterson's music -- which you can do for the next eight weeknight broadcasts of Tonic (6 p.m.).
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 2-08 at 01:00 PM
And so it is January 2, 2008, and life post-holidays begins its quest to slip back into normalcy, memories of sugar plum highs and lows fading. And if you took time off, you well know the odd mental effort required to get back into the groove of daily life. Radio, of course, can be quite a help in that department.
Beccause for all that many of us like to listen to music in a multitude of ways -- podcasts, concerts on demand, actual, gasp, CDs, there's still something so calming and re-routing (or should that be re-rooting) about listening to the radio.
They say that with contemporary technology the era of appointment television is a thing of the past -- interesting that the same is not usually proclaimed about radio. There seems to be a place, even for those of us who like to listen in a variety of ways, to still enjoy tuning in, in real time no less, to the radio.
I guess it's a time of day thing; the marking of the passage of time. So if part of your "normal" day daily ritual is to tune into DiscDrive, here is some of the music that Jurgen will be playing to help get you back into your daily-life rhythms. (In between sneaking bits of leftover fudge and whatnot. One does have to do these things gradually, after all...)
Continue reading "DiscDrive Highlights" »
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 2-08 at 10:13 AM
This just in, Radiohead's Thom Yorke says an internet-only release of their new album would have been "stark raving mad". (No kidding.) You can read the whole story at BBC News.
And in related news, Ben Rayner over at The Toronto Star writes about how it's quite a coup for indie Canadian label, MapleMusic Recordings, to have secured the deal to release the physical copy of Radiohead's In Rainbows to the country. After the much, much, much-discussed original download of the CD as a "pay what you can," the literal CD hit the stores yesterday -- and according to The Star, MapleMusic had already shipped more than 50,000 copies. Mr. Rayner quotes Grant Dexter, Maple's founder and CEO as saying:
"To use a hockey analogy, this is like having Vincent Lecavalier or Sidney Crosby on the free-agent market. It's unbelievable."
Good thing the music justifies the frenzy over the delivery method...
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 2-08 at 08:30 AM
The oh-so scientific investigation into the relationship between Arvo Pärt and cats continues on Here's To You (9:00) this morning.
A listener and cat-owner wrote to the show to say that his cat, "Spook," is partial to the Fratres by Pärt but dashes out of the room when the Cantus In Memory Of Benjamin Britten is played. According to the Here's To You Producers, this listener, "wishing to see his cat move around a bit more" requested the Cantus.
Leaving aside the question of how Pärt would feel about this, I'm sure it's all in the name of keeping the cat fit. After all, who wants one of those bolster-type cats? You know the kind I mean, they just lie there, a mass of cat that's barely indistinguishable from the seat cushions.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 2-08 at 08:04 AM
Just a quick note to say that today and for the rest of the week Andre Alexis will be guest hosting Here's To You, (9 a.m.) and Andy Sheppard will be guest hosting Studio Sparks (12 noon). I'm not sure what Andy will be focusing on, but I hear that among other things, Andre will be exploring more about the remarkable effect the music of Arvo Part seems to have on domestic cats. (Is this like Hello Kitty for men? Probably not.)
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 2-08 at 12:01 AM
When Oscar Peterson died on December 23, 2007, and the news became public the following day, it wasn't a surprise to many -- since it was well known he'd not been in the best of health for some time. But still, it was a shock. A shock because of the passing of greatness -- the greatness of Peterson as a musician, as an outspoken voice against racism, and as a kind of emissary for Canada -- former Prime Minister Jean Chretien called him "the most famous Canadian in the world.''
Starting tonight, and running on the following dates (Jan 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11) in the first hour of Tonic (6 p.m.), you can hear About Oscar, an award-winning documentary series produced and narrated by Chris Brookes. The series looks at the life and music of Mr. Peterson, and will be presented by Tonic host Katie Malloch.
So much has been written in the days following Peterson's death about his tremendous musical ability, but I'm finding the personal anecdotes more interesting, the way he had an impact on peoples' lives, and the stories that reveal the kind of man he was.
So there's a Montrealer who recalls how Peterson almost got her expelled from McGill University in 1944, as she wrote to the Gazette. And the story Peter Goddard tells, writing in the Toronto Star, about how Peterson, at his church in Mississauga, was asked on one occasion by the very nervous organist what piece Peterson might want to hear the organist play. Likely to put the man at ease, and also out of his own characteristic humour, Peterson suggested "How about,`Who Let The Dogs Out?'"
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 2-08 at 12:00 AM
Tune in Wednesday night to Canada Live (8 p.m.) to hear Jodi Proznick, Vancouver bassist and composer, with her quartet, featuring musicians who met at McGill University’s jazz program over a decade ago, reuniting to record her debut CD. (The other three are pianist Tilden Webb and sax player Steve Kaldestad - both originally from Regina - and drummer Jesse Cahill.)
You can also hear the Jodi Proznick Quartet at Concerts on Demand.
And the second show on Can. Live tonight is from guitarist Michael Strutt, who performs music from Spain, Japan, Greece, Africa and more, recorded at the Western Canadian Music Awards.
January 01, 2008
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 1-08 at 08:30 PM
Laurie Brown kicks off 2008 tonight on The Signal (10 p.m.) with the eerie sounds of the theremin, performed by Canadian composer Gordon Monahan. Plus the latest from experimental folksters, Tunng, as well as instrumental music from Daniel Lanois.
btw, did you know Margaret Atwood plays theremin? Or at least, she did once, with the band One Ring Zero. (Note: Atwood on theremin at 2:45.)
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 1-08 at 05:30 PM
In case you missed this post earlier, in the wee sma's, a note about two tribute concerts Tonight on Canada Live (8 p.m.)
First, Dionne Taylor (who has quite a set of pipes!) pays tribute to the “Queen Of Soul” with special guests, David Clayton-Thomas, Sharon Riley & The Faith Chorale and music director Lou Pomanti.
Though a tribute for Franklin will do any old time, the reason Taylor chose late 2007 was to mark the 40 year anniversary of Aretha Franklin’s first landmark recordings with Atlantic Records, which produced I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You.
The concert is a retrospective of the music and life of Aretha Franklin, from her early days in church, those great early jazz recordings, and her rise to fame as an R&B superstar.
And if you can't make a date with your radio, make one with your computer -- Dione Taylor -- A Little Respect at Concerts on Demand.
I suspect it's a concert that concert the late Doug Riley would have loved -- soulful and energized and in front of a great audience.
On Canada Live Tuesday Mr. Riley's music is also celebrated, in a broadcast called Dr. Music: A Concert Celebrating Doug Riley's Life and Music. The concert took place at Convocation Hall at the University of Toronto in November, and features performances by Michael Burgess, David Clayton Thomas, Motherlode, Dr. Music, Planet Earth, numerous celebrated jazz artists - including Alex Dean, Mike Murley, Ted Quinlan, Guido Basso, Don Thompson - and many others, in a fitting memorial to the great Canadian musician.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 1-08 at 02:28 PM
I know when this concert was broadcast earlier this month a number of you expressed an interest in hearing it again -- and now you can, as a Concert On Demand.
The Canadian Folk Music Awards took place at the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec, and the show features live performances from Ron Hynes, Vishten, Ian Tamblyn, Florent Volent, Galitcha, Sylvia Tyson, The Duhks and Tamara Nile.
Canadian Folk Music Awards at Concerts on Demand.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 1-08 at 12:37 PM
As with the turn of every new year, I resolve anew not to make resolutions. Too much pressure. Better to have general intentions, intentions which, if their mark is missed, will scarcely make a ripple in the progress of life.
So here are my top intentions for 2008, some music-related, some not. Feel free to share yours too, musical or otherwise.
-Get piano tuned. Intend, once tuned, to play it.
-Be less dismissive of curling.
-Consider taking up new hobby -- opera-house-themed hat making, for example.
-Don't stare at tiny matching dogs wearing tiny matching dog coats...and visibly shudder.
-File tax receipts as they arrive, not in big clump at last minute. (Like I say, it's an intention.)
-Re-organize itunes playlists and CD racks, possibly while creating new and better filing system for tax receipts. (Ditto.)
I think that's enough. After all, the road to hell. But if you are made of sterner stuff, and have made actual resolutions, to start singing opera, or learn the chord changes to Giant Steps, or jog in time to Flight Of The Bumble Bee, played presto, I sincerely hope all your resolutions are met. Happy New Year's Day, by the way!
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 1-08 at 11:00 AM
I have to admit that as a way of describing music "chill," for me, is only one step away from its more recent (and to me even more irksome) variant, "chillax." I don't wish to chill, or chillax, I wish to listen, and maybe slump quietly, or become sloth-like as I do so.
That said, I certainly appreciate the intent behind "chill mixes," sets of music designed to enable said slumping. And today, post-hysterical gift-wrapping, parties, visits with family and friends, Boxing Day/week/month/lifetime sales, noisemakers, Studio Sparks (12 p.m.) plans to enact this in a wonderful way, with a special blend of the most beautiful and calming music the Sparks' know... from Thomas Tallis to Joni Mitchell.
(As for my mini-diatribe about word choice, I know, I know, I should probably stop being so uptight, and just chillax. But that would take too much effort.)
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 1-08 at 08:00 AM
Inspiration is a mysterious thing. What made you passionate about music, as a listener? And, if you're a composer, what music ignited your career, inspiring audiences? Today on Here's To You (9 a.m.), as a way of ushering in the new year, host Catherine Belyea looks at these kinds of musical beginnings, with pieces by Paganini, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Rachmaninov and many more...all performed by Canadian artists.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 1-08 at 12:01 AM
Tonic (6 p.m.) promises "soothing music for the day after the night" on Tuesday evening. Katie casts a little spotlight on vibraphonist Milt Jackson, who would have celebrated his 85th birthday on this day. She’ll also have music from Canadian pianist Bryn Roberts, vocalists Dione Taylor (who you can also hear in concert later tonight on Canada Live at 8 p.m.), Bobby McFerrin, and the vintage soul group Jerry Butler and the Impressions. Plus she'll have highlights from a concert recorded at the 1997 Montreux Jazz Festival, featuring the Brazilian-Canadian group of guitarist Paulo Ramos.
And a note about the documentary About Oscar, an eight part series by Chris Brookes about the late, and truly great Oscar Peterson -- the first part will be broadcast Wednesday night, January 2 on Tonic, so do make sure to tune in for that as well.
Posted by Li Robbins on Jan- 1-08 at 12:00 AM
I remember hoping that when Dione Taylor was slated to perform a tribute to Aretha Franklin it was being recorded for broadcast, and might be available as a Concert On Demand -- and lo and behold, my hopes have been fulfilled, on this first day of 2008.
I've been listening online, and it's a great concert. It's also the first of two tribute concerts Tuesday night on Canada Live (8 p.m.)
Dione Taylor (who has quite a set of pipes!) pays tribute to the “Queen Of Soul” with special guests, David Clayton-Thomas, Sharon Riley & The Faith Chorale and music director Lou Pomanti.
Though a tribute for Franklin will do any old time, the reason Taylor chose late 2007 was to mark the 40 year anniversary of Aretha Franklin’s first landmark recordings with Atlantic Records, which produced I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You.
The concert is a retrospective of the music and life of Aretha Franklin, from her early days in church, those great early jazz recordings, and her rise to fame as an R&B superstar.
And if you can't make a date with your radio, make one with your computer -- Dione Taylor -- A Little Respect at Concerts on Demand.
I suspect it's a concert that concert the late Doug Riley would have loved -- soulful and energized and in front of a great audience.
On Canada Live Tuesday Mr. Riley's music is also celebrated, in a broadcast called Dr. Music: A Concert Celebrating Doug Riley's Life and Music. The concert took place at Convocation Hall at the University of Toronto in November, and features performances by Michael Burgess, David Clayton Thomas, Motherlode, Dr. Music, Planet Earth, numerous celebrated jazz artists - including Alex Dean, Mike Murley, Ted Quinlan, Guido Basso, Don Thompson - and many others, in a fitting memorial to the great Canadian musician.
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