One of the highlights of NACO's Brahms series: Zubin Mehta conducts his life-long friend Pinchas Zukerman in the Brahms Violin Concerto.
Malian guitarist and singer Habib Koité brings his band Bamada back to Montreal.
To celebrate Quebec City's 400th anniversary, CBC headed to Québec City to record a very special edition of our A Propos' Songwriters' Sessions with guests Daniel Bélanger, Marc Déry, Marie-Pierre Fournier and Ariane Moffatt. Join host Jim Corcoran and hear this exceptional event as these four artists share the stage at the Théâtre Petit Champlain to perform unique and original versions of their songs.
Almost impossible to categorize, the teenager who seems old beyond her years captivates audiences with her voice, guitar and trumpet. Part jazz, part pop, and part experimental musician, Kyrie has nabbed Canadian Folk Music awards and impressive CBC airplay, but this is her first full concert recorded for air.
Alex Cuba's trademark sugarcane-sweet melodies, pop-soul hooks and rock chords subtly subvert commonly held notions of what Cuban music is.
The NACO Brahms Series opened their new 2008-2009 season with great success. The series was already a box office hit weeks before the first concert even took place. The concert series showcased Brahms' Symphonies No. 1 to 4 and the Brahms Violin Concerto, Op. 77.
For the past ten years, Dora Keogh's Irish Pub, on the Danforth in Toronto, has hosted arguably the premier traditional Irish music session in the city, if not the country. Both the proprietors and the musicians strive to replicate the authentic experience of music sessions as they would occur in Ireland. The core group of regular local musicians are regarded as some of the finest players around, and their numbers are frequently augmented by guests of national and international stature.
The Skydiggers celebrated 20 years together with this CD release concert for "City Of Sirens".
Michael Ondaatje, Justin Rutledge and others join Art of Time Ensemble for an evening of literature inspired by music and music inspired by literature.
One of the most accomplished composers of the 20th Century, Burt Bacharach dominated the music scene in the 1960s and 1970s, with 52 Top 40 hits. The master of memorable melodies.
The Orchid Ensemble has performed at the JFK Centre for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, the National Gallery in Ottawa and Harbourfront Centre in Toronto to name but a few. They meld Chinese and Western music in unique and inventive ways.
Since the release of his debut album, "An Impeccable Shine", JR Shore and his band, The Jury, have taken their music to many of Alberta's liveliest listening rooms. A multiple award winner at Calgary Folk Music Festival's Songwriter Competition, Shore continues to establish his place alongside Alberta's finest songsmiths.
The Twisters deliver a sweaty night of energetic, toe-tapping, decidedly westcoast jump/blues tunes.
Multiple Grammy & WC Handy Award winner Joe Louis Walker is one of the most heralded blues artists of our time. Recorded for Canada Live on a warm summer Saturday night at the Vancouver Island MusicFest, Joe Louis Walker crafts traditional blues with funk, R&B and rock-tinged blues, all with a soulful quality that draws on his rich blues and gospel background. He is simply one of the most versatile, exciting and innovative blues guitarists performing today. One just needs to hear his guitar to know it's the blues and Joe Louis Walker.
Tonight on The Signal, we're diving into the "Festival Suoni per il popolo" in Montreal. This festival is now a big event in the Montreal's musical life, and tonight we're going to hear one of the highlights of the festival: The Nels cline Singers. This band is a unique collaboration of the sonically creative and highly acclaimed guitarist Nels cline, drummer Scott Amendola and bassist Devin Hoff. Hear what they whip up in this dynamic but intimate concert, tonight on The Signal with Laurie Brown.
Critics describe Tiiu's music as warm, honest and unpretentious, but the combination of her voice with her perfectly crafted arrangements makes for an enjoyable listen. Backed by four musicians with cellos, pedal steels, percussion, bass and more, she performs unique folk rock music that sets her apart from her contemporaries.
Slide guitarist & singer/songwriter Rachelle van Zanten was raised in the foothills of northern B.C.
In the fall of '95, van Zanten moved to Edmonton and formed the renowned Canadian rock quartet, Painting Daisies. Simultaneously, she heard the inimitable slide guitar stylings of local artist Lester Quitzau, and immediately began to develop her own slide guitar technique. This is Rachelle's only tour stop supported by a band.
Ben Sures is funny and melancholy; sometimes dark, but with a ray of light always shining through... and so are his songs.
This concert was a release party for his latest disc 'Field Guide to Loneliness', which brought out the who's who of the local music scene, both on-stage and in the audience.
A fixture on the Edmonton music scene for over 3 decades, Terry Morrison's original songs draw inspiration from the rural landscape and the inner city of the west. Along with her own tunes, Terry handily re-works a few favorite jazz standards on her latest disc 'Riches and Grace'. For this concert, Terry welcomed many musical friends on stage of the beautiful and baroque Free Mason's Hall in Edmonton.
A celebration of the music of the acclaimed American composer, Duke Ellington, featuring performances by John Alcorn, Don Francks, Jackie Richardson and Andrew Craig.
Valeriy Sokolov, Violin and David Fray, Piano, perform Bach, Beethoven, Schumann. Vancouver Recital Society
A Virgin Music DVD about him is subtitled "A Natural Born Fiddler." Russian violinist Valery Sokolov is presented by the Vancouver Recital Society, (along with pianist David Fray) in Violin sonatas by Bach, Beethoven and Schumann.
And from the Vancouver Chopin Society - 23 year old Polish pianist Rafal Blechacz, playing Debussy, Szymanowski and Chopin. At the age of 20 Rafal won five first prizes at the Chopin Piano Competition. In the view of one hudge, the distinguished Irish pianist John O'Conor, Blechacz "...is one of the greatest artists I have had a chance to hear in my entire life,"
Prize-winning Mezzo soprano Susan Platts is heard in recital from the Vancouver International Song Institute, accompanied by Rena Sharon in songs of Schumann, Argento, Mahler and more.
Peter Oundjian leads the TSO, Susan Platts, Women of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the Toronto Children's Chorus.
With only voice and acoustic bass Julie Michels and George Koller offer fresh takes on jazz standards and well-known R & B and pop tunes.
10-member vocal and percussion ensemble, Desandann celebrates and preserves the rich legacy of Haitian cultural traditions in Cuba.
Soul Influence is five vocalists who sing Christian gospel music in an Afro-Jazz style. This show was recorded at the 3rd Annual Art Of Jazz Celebration in Toronto's historic Distillery District.
During their 20th Anniversary Tour, performances of Strauss, Haydn, Dvorak and a CBC Radio commission by Elizabeth Raum.
A musical odyssey between Montreal and Mumbai, which melds the ancient tradition of Indian ragas with contemporary jazz - and a few forays into flamenco, funk and gamelan for fun.
Singer-songwriter Courtney Wing leads a 13-piece "operatic folk ensemble" in a unique and inspired performance.
Harris Newman is a solo acoustic guitarist based in Montreal. He performs in the style of John Fahey, but offers his own quite original and contemplative instrumental pieces.
Celebrated Canadian guitarists Rene Lussier and Kevin Breit have played with everyone under the sun -- Rene as a film score composer and founder of label Ambiances Magnetiques in Quebec, and Kevin as sideman for k d Lang, Norah Jones, and his own projects - the Tallboys and Sisters Euclid. But Rene and Kevin had never played together until the Guelph Jazz Festival invited them in for a night of improvisational fun. Often surprising, frequently humourous and always masterful, Kevin Breit and Rene Lussier play a set of wild, on-the-spot tunes.
Recorded at the West End Cultural Centre, the group Cruithne provides an acoustic set of traditional Irish music.
Seven musicians gathered at the West End Cultural Centre in Winnipeg perform a night of old time, clawhammer and modern styles of banjo.
On the last Tuesday in May, seven musicians most of whom have never performed together and six of whom play the banjo, gathered at the West End Cultural Centre in Winnipeg to perform a night of old time, clawhammer and modern styles of banjo.
Recorded at Summerfest in the Joe Zuken Park, singer/songwriter Don Amero inspires listeners to take care of themselves and the world around them.
Described as "a five-hour contemporary epic for solo piano" and "a set of contradictory etudes," this concert is a a musical cycle of 12 pieces by the composer Alvin Curran for solo piano, played by Eve Egoyan.
Directed by the prolific bass player, Miles Perkin, this sextet teeters between the freedom of improvisation and the structure of written material. With Sarah Page on harp, Chet Doxas on clarinet and tenor sax, Erik Hove on alto sax, Joe Grass on guitar, dobro and mandolin, Miles Perkin on doublebass and vocals and Thom Gossage on drums and percussion.
The Carlos Jimenez Quartet in concert - featuring Carlos Jimenez on guitar, Joel Miller on saxophone, Dave Watts on bass and Michel Berthiaume on drums - performing in a new bop style.
From the Festival en chanson de Petite-Vallee, in the Gaspe region, hear a special tribute to Michel Rivard, this year's honoured artist. Featuring performances by Daniel Lavoie, Tricot machine, Bia, Vincent Vallieres and many more.
Beija Flor is a 6 member band from Calgary, led by Steven van Kampen. They play a wide range of original material - from wistful ballads to full-on rock and roll.
Carolina Chocolate Drops is a group made up from a classical violinist, a celtic musician and a multi-instrumentalist. They bonded together at the first ever Black Banjo Gathering in 2005, and took their name from the Tenessee Chocolate Drops which was a stringband in the 1930's. Today the Carolina Chocolate Drops put their own spin on stories and songs from the past.
The Sparrow Quartet is an all-star musical lineup that bring North American folk and roots music together with Chinese Traditional tunes. The combination of two banjos along with the five string fiddle and the cello makes for a unique string quartet.
"Doubling" is an improvisational work by composer Chris Paul Harman performed by Francois Houle, Eric Wilson, Corey Hamm, and Paolo Bortolussi "Coming Together" by composer Frederic Rzewski performed by Mark Beaty, Paolo Bortolussi, Marie-Claude Brunet, Ted Cole, Corey Hamm, Francois Houle, Rebecca Whitling, and Eric Wilson
"Aeriali" is an improvisational work composed & performed by Francois Houle & Keith Hamel
"Calm Like A Bomb" is composed by Jesper Nordin and performed by Rebecca Whitling
"Stillpoint" is composed by Jeffrey Ryan and performed by Paolo Bortolussi, Marie-Claude Brunet, Rebecca Whitling, Heidi Krutzen
Undeniably one of today's most riveting jazz painists and composers, John Stetch performs with his trio in his hometown of Edmonton.
Mani Khaira brings an emotional energy to his sound that always makes it personal. This is keyboard oriented pop for those who love a good tune.
Wayne Lavallee is a Cree/Metis musician from Vancouver. He was the 2006 winner for "Best Aboriginal Songwriter" for the Canadian Folk Music Awards. In 2005, Wayne received a Juno nomination in the "Aboriginal Recording of the Year" category. He has also received a WCMA nomination and won the 2004 Canadian Aboriginal Music Award for "Best Album of the Year". Wayne Lavallee is putting the final touches on a new CD called "Rock n' Roll Indian Cowboy".
Fri 10 2008: Mayke Nas, Netherlands; Nicole Lizee, Canada; David Fennessy, Ireland
Sat 11 2008: Gundega Smite, Latvia; Damian Barbeler, Australia; Olga Jezkova, Czech Republic
Sun 12 2008: Ole-Henrik Moe, Norway; Dobromila Jaskot, Poland; Pawel Mykietyn, Poland; Daniel Bjarnason, Iceland
Lina Allemano is originally from Edmonton and has said she practically "grew up at the Yardbird Suite". The Lina Allemano Four is a group known for their forward motion and inventiveness, and they are definitely not afraid of taking musical risks. These four creative musicians cross over from improvised music to jazz in their musical lives and hence lend a fresh and free-spirited feel to their music. The Lina Allemano Four have been nominated for the Canadian Independent Music Awards' Favourite Jazz Group and the National Jazz Awards Acoustic Group of the Year.
Highlights from Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 1.
Almost impossible to categorize, the teenager who seems old beyond her years captivates audiences with her voice, guitar and trumpet. Part jazz, part pop, and part experimental musician, Kyrie has nabbed Canadian Folk Music awards and impressive CBC airplay, but this is her first full concert recorded for air.
Nathan Lawr is from Sudbury, Ontario. His last album, "Sea Of Tiny Lights", delves into his dreams and nightmares, and takes inspiration from many of Nathan's literary heroes. Whether he's singing about subway-bound lions, or dancing chimneys, or the creepiness of someone chewing through chains or finding bodies in the trunk - you not only want to listen to his dreams and nightmares - you want to stay there a while.
A veteran to blues and roots music, in her twenty years of experiences Sue Foley has shared stages with such notables as B.B. King, Buddy Guy, George Thorogood, Tom Petty, Joe Cocker, Rufus Thomas, Bill Doggett, Pinetop Perkins, Joe Ely, Chuck Rainey and Lucinda Williams - to name a few.
Fri 10 2008: Mayke Nas, Netherlands; Nicole Lizee, Canada; David Fennessy, Ireland
Sat 11 2008: Gundega Smite, Latvia; Damian Barbeler, Australia; Olga Jezkova, Czech Republic
Sun 12 2008: Ole-Henrik Moe, Norway; Dobromila Jaskot, Poland; Pawel Mykietyn, Poland; Daniel Bjarnason, Iceland
Every year, for nine days in October, the Celtic Colours Festival attracts tens of thousands of visitors to Cape Breton Island and features hundreds of musicians. Communities all around Cape Breton Island host their concerts and events - places like the local fire hall, parish hall or community centre. This year, Ashley MacIsaac was a featured performer. He has performed at Carnegie Hall six times, opened for Sting at a May Day concert in Rome, played in Australia at the Melbourne Opera House, at BAM in Brooklyn, New York, in Shanghai, China and most recently at the Luminato Festival in Toronto. Aside from counless live performances over the years, Ashley has appeared in several movies, and has had a few documentaries made on his life. Ashley even has tried his hand at federal politics. Hear one of the greats, on his home turf.
Gillian Boucher started touring the world at just 15 - first as a featured performer at Green Linnet's 20th Anniversary Gala in New York, and then throughout North America, Scotland, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia. She has shared the stage with the likes of Emmylou Harris, Solas, Natalie MacMaster, Cappercaillie, The Battlefield Band, Tom Paxton and many other performers.
Alanis Morissette comes home for Canadian Thanksgiving to the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.
Groundbreaking Scottish mavericks Shooglenifty push the word 'traditional' to its limits with their unique blend of dance vibes and roots music. Genuinely genre defying, they have been described as everything from "acid croft" to "hypnofolkadelia".
Vancouver Rectial Society unveils a new Hamburg Steinway with a special recital by pianist Paul Lewis.
Tenor superstar Ben Heppner helps his alma mater celebrate its 100th anniversary in this concert with the CBC Radio Orchestra, the UBC Choir, and conductor Alain Trudel.
Jet-setting conductor Yannick Nézét-Séguin now holds important positions in London and Rotterdam. He takes time from his busy international schedule to open the new season of Orchestre Metropolitain du Grand Montreal. Two vocalists - soprano Marianne Fiset and mezzo-soprano Julie Boulianne - are featured in Nuits d'été by Berlioz, and the orchestra promenades its skill in Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.
Percussionist Mark Duggan, drummer Dave Burton, bassist Tom Easley, guitarist Christian Koegel and clarinetist Kinan Azmeh perform together for the first time.
Rachid Taha proves that rock power, punk atitude and Arabic roots can get along famously.
The Esprit Orchestra's New Wave Composers Festival puts the spotlight on young & emerging composers, in a context that places them alongside one or two mature artists.
Fri 10 2008: Mayke Nas, Netherlands; Nicole Lizee, Canada; David Fennessy, Ireland
Sat 11 2008: Gundega Smite, Latvia; Damian Barbeler, Australia; Olga Jezkova, Czech Republic
Sun 12 2008: Ole-Henrik Moe, Norway; Dobromila Jaskot, Poland; Pawel Mykietyn, Poland; Daniel Bjarnason, Iceland
This concert by T. Nile was recorded before an intimate, engaged crowd at Vancouver's home to emerging and established singer/songwriters - the Railway Club. T. Nile was awarded the title of "Best New/Emerging Artist" at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. Listen in and you'll hear why.
It's an evening of intimate Irish music on B.C.'s idyllic Saltspring Island.
Bill Coon and Oliver Gannon are two stalwarts of the Vancouver scene. Each has a melodic gift that becomes apparent when they step into the soloist's spotlight. This is melodic jazz at it's finest.
Based in Montreal, Zal Idrissa Sissokho is descended from a long line of griots - musicians and storytellers who are the keepers of the oral tradition. His infectiously energetic shows feature a daring blend of traditional and modernity. For this show, Zal is joined by his band called Buntalo.
Composer-pianists Joshua and Min Rager present a fresh approach to jazz that is both melodic and modern.
The concert features Minuet and a Trio in 3 Movements, a tagteam world premiere by Min and Josh Rager commissioned by the CBC to mark the 250th anniversary of the death of G.F. Handel.
New York meets Toronto as two generations of award-winning modern jazz trumpet players unite on stage. Nick "Brownman" Ali and his former teacher, Randy Brecker, join the Brownman Electryc Trio to give Toronto a taste of funkified modern jazz trumpet pyrotechnics.
New York Klezmer clarinetist David Krakauer, Ottawa Hip Hop artist Socalled and legendary funk trombonist Fred Wesley come together to create a whole new sound.
Bharath and His Rhythm Four play Old-school sepia-sounding Chicago style blues with real conviction and fire.
Christine Fellows, Kim Barlow and Old Man Luedecke join forces in concert.
This Balkan-influenced ensemble fronted by guitarist and composer Luba Alexandrov, serves up a flavourful musical blend of tzigane, funk, rock and jazz. A festive event that also launches the group's new album, "Contrabanda".
Some of the country's most innovative musicians have assembled to create a beautiful odd-sorts stew of sweet frailing banjos, guitars, piano, a string section, warm harmonies, and great, great songs.
The WCMA's hit Edmonton with a series of showcases around town that present the newest and brightest. Our Canada Live crew will be at a special presentation at the Starlight Room (nominee for "Live Music Venue Of The Year") in downtown Edmonton. Scheduled to perform are Regina's roots writer extraordinaire, Jason Plumb and his band the Willing (nominee "Outstanding Pop recording"), Dawson City native - now Edmontonian - pop singer/songwriter, James Murdoch (nominee "Outstanding Pop recording" & "Outstanding Video"), the ambiant post-rock sounds of Edmonton's The Faunts, hip-hop duo from Vancouver and Regina, Moka Only and Def 3 (nominee "Outstanding Urban Recording") and Winnipeg's firey blues/rock trio, The Perpetrators (nominee "Outstanding Blues Recording" & "Outstanding Independent Album").
Babe Gurr is a veteran of the folk/rock scene in Vancouver. She has a loyal following who love her polished performances and finely crafted songs. Her latest collection of songs is on her new CD called "Chocolate Lilly" and this concert was recorded when Babe Gurr launched the new disc.
UHF are Shari Ulrich, Bill Henderson and Roy Forbes. They first joined forces in 1989 and they are all seasoned and prolific songwriters, who continue to have solo careers on the side. This concert was recorded at the Harmony Arts Festival and it captures UHF's warmth, history and humour - as well as their fine music.
Composed or Improvised? An impeccably-played suite from three musicians at the Guelph Jazz Festival blurs the lines as British bassist Barry Guy, Swiss violinist Maya Homburger and Canada's own Jeff Reilly on bass clarinet bring together experiences that range from baroque repertoire to freewheeling jazz. Hear compositions by Reilly, Guy and H.I.F. Biber - living, pulsing chamber music.
The erhu, pipa and tabla in music by Alexina Louie, Chan Ka Nin, and Jin Zhang.
Together since 2001, the Shannon Thue Trio began while all three members were attending the Jazz Studies program at Capilano College in North Vancouver. Shannon received the first ever "Jazz Award of Merit" from the CBC. The trio consists of Shannon Thue on piano, Patrick Metzger on bass and Mike Magnusson on drums.
Bill Gilday, Ray Bethke and Steve Lacey combine vocal harmonies with guitars, mandolin, fiddle, recorder, tin whistles, accordian, harmonicas, bodhran, banjo, some cello and even moose bones. From the tragic to the triumphant to the tongue-in-cheek - no other group tells Northern tales quite like the Gumboots.
The weight of that surname (think Rogers folk/roots singers) is enough to earn Nathan Rogers a preliminary buzz, but after checking out Nathan's razor-sharp brand of folk rock, it becomes obvious that he would have earned himself a name even without the famous surname. Overcoming that alone would be enough for Nathan to become a postscript, but with one foot planted firmly in folk music traditional roots and the other stepping proudly into its dynamic future - Nathan performs tunes that are filled with insight and moving with purpose.
Kevin Breit and the Sisters Euclid visit Yellowknife for the first time and lead singer, John Dickie returns. He was last in Yellowknife in 2004 with the band The Mississippi Hippies - the former backing band for Long John Baldry. Enjoy the blues, Northern style.
School of Music trumpet prof, Aaron Hodgson offers transnational dialogue for his St. John's debut with a recital of recent Canadian and American music from trumpet
Paul Reddick is one of Canada's unsung heroes of the blues. His understated and shy personality are fully evident in person and during in between song banter but is nowhere to be found once a song starts. Canada Live caught up with Paul at the very packed Hugh's Room while he celebrated the release of his latest CD Sugar Bird. Paul was joined on stage by Sugar Bird producer Colin Linden on guitar, John Dymond on bass, Gary Craig on drums and Denis Keldie on keyboards.
The WCMA's hit Edmonton with a series of showcases around town that present the newest and brightest. Our Canada Live crew will be at a special presentation at the Starlight Room (nominee for "Live Music Venue Of The Year") in downtown Edmonton. Scheduled to perform are Regina's roots writer extraordinaire, Jason Plumb and his band the Willing (nominee "Outstanding Pop recording"), Dawson City native - now Edmontonian - pop singer/songwriter, James Murdoch (nominee "Outstanding Pop recording" & "Outstanding Video"), the ambiant post-rock sounds of Edmonton's The Faunts, hip-hop duo from Vancouver and Regina, Moka Only and Def 3 (nominee "Outstanding Urban Recording") and Winnipeg's firey blues/rock trio, The Perpetrators (nominee "Outstanding Blues Recording" & "Outstanding Independent Album").
Canadian violinist Yi-Jia Susanne Hou performs with her cousin Elaine Hou, in a program of Mozart, Strauss, Sarasate and more.
Bandoneón virtuoso Daniel Binelli joins the CPO in a concert of music by Piazzolla, Copland and Bernstein.
During their 20th Anniversary Tour, performances of Strauss, Haydn, Dvorak and a CBC Radio commission by Elizabeth Raum.
Alex Cuba, Luke Doucet, Molly Johnson, Danny Michel, Mikel Rouse, Ron Sexsmith, Nikki Yanofsky, Dan Zanes, Kim Stockwood and Damhnait Doyle pay homage to this country's greatest songwriters.
Live at the Gould welcomed Juno Award winner Melanie Doane and special guests as they celebrated the release of her new album "A Thousand Nights".
The North End Klezmer Project gave their first Winnipeg performance to a sold out crowd. The band consists of Winnipeg family members - Myron Schultz on clarinet, Victor Schultz on violin and Erica Schultz on piano. Joining them are Daniel Koulack on bass & guitar, Ben Mink on guitar, violin, mandola and mandolin and accordian master, Nicolai Prisacar. A spicy blend of Eastern European classical works and klezmer tunes.
Yair Dalal is a musician who creates pathways to peace through his music. He has been honoured by the BBC and has also played on behalf of the signing of the Oslo Peace Accord. Yair Dalal is an acclaimed educator who brings Jewish Iraqi music to new listeners and keeps the flame of Jewish music from Arab lands alive and well.
The Instant Composers' Pool Orchestra has a combative friendship at its heart - the Dutch duo of pianist and composer Misha Mengelberg and drummer Han Bennink has been going strong for more than forty years. Through the decades, they've nurtured an ensemble of musicians that keeps playful improvisation and creative composition at its core. At this Guelph Jazz Festival concert, the players' solos butt up against each other, Han Bennink goes running across the stage and Misha Mengelberg keeps it all together at the piano.
Jireh Gospel Choir is going places. Led by their inspiring conductor, Carol Bernard, this Montreal choir has performed with Cirque du Soleil and has 3 CDs to its credit. Canada Live caught up with them on the eve of their November 2008 tour of France, and the results are electrifying. This is Gospel at its best - committed, upfront and joyful.
Pink Martini grew from a 4-piece band that played at political fundraisers to a 12-piece band that now performs at festivals and with symphony orchestras around the world. The band brings that golbal perspective to their music too. Artistic director, Thomas Lauderdale, says that Pink Martini's music is like "an urban travelogue".
Canadian musician Jayme Stone went to Mali in search of the roots of the banjo. There he met kora player Mansa Sissoko, a renowned "griot".
Mason Bates - composer, turntable; Edwin Outwater - conductor; Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra
Tonight on The Signal, we feature a groovy electro-acoustic collaboration between DJ Masonic and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra. Mason Bates is an internationlly-recognized classical composer, and as DJ Masonic, an accomplished club and lounge electronica DJ. In "Omniverous Furniture" he pulls these two worlds together to create a funky, driving, and fun work, part composed, part improvised. Mason joins the percussion section of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra with his laptop and percussion pad.
The extraordinary Polish contralto Ewa Podles his featured with pianist Garrick ohlsson in a recital for the Musical Club of Quebec, performing songs of Tchaikovksy and Rachmaninoff.
Hot off her Juno win for Best Traditional Jazz Album, Brandi Disterheft took the stage by storm. Guest vocalist Sophia Perlman joins in along with a killer band of Toronto jazz hot shots.
"Reggae visionary" Jason Wilson debuts his solo CD "The Peacemaker's Chauffeur" surrounded by an all-star cast.
"Doubling" is an improvisational work by composer Chris Paul Harman performed by Francois Houle, Eric Wilson, Corey Hamm, and Paolo Bortolussi "Coming Together" by composer Frederic Rzewski performed by Mark Beaty, Paolo Bortolussi, Marie-Claude Brunet, Ted Cole, Corey Hamm, Francois Houle, Rebecca Whitling, and Eric Wilson
"Aeriali" is an improvisational work composed & performed by Francois Houle & Keith Hamel
"Calm Like A Bomb" is composed by Jesper Nordin and performed by Rebecca Whitling
"Stillpoint" is composed by Jeffrey Ryan and performed by Paolo Bortolussi, Marie-Claude Brunet, Rebecca Whitling, Heidi Krutzen
From Calgary's Rosza Centre, the Millennium Music Foundation presents the Polish-Hungarian pianist Piotr Anderszewski, in a concert entitled King of the Keyboards. Music of Bach, Mozart and Beethoven is featured.
The Canadian songwriter extraordinaire returns to Massey Hall following the release of his latest album, Exit Strategy of the Soul.
On the surface Lynne Hanson creates beautifully catchy country songs, but on the inside her music is assertive, haunting and eerie. A country crooner with a niche for story telling, she captivated her audience at her hometown cd release concert at the NAC 4th Stage.
Critics describe Tiiu's music as warm, honest and unpretentious, but the combination of her voice with her perfectly crafted arrangements makes for an enjoyable listen. Backed by four musicians with cellos, pedal steels, percussion, bass and more, she performs unique folk rock music that sets her apart from her contemporaries.
Calgary's Land's End Chamber Ensemble in a concert exploring the musical diversity of China.
Singer-songwriter Courtney Wing leads a 13-piece "operatic folk ensemble" in a unique and inspired performance.
The Four Seasons Harp Quartet perform transcriptions of Mozart, Vivaldi's The Four Seasons and Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells.
Virtuoso flamenco-style guitarist Jorge Martinez and his band are joined by the fabulous gypsy violin of LaBrigitte.
Send + Receive: A Festival of Sound
Moskitoo is Sanae Yamasaki (b. 1978), sound+melody artist and graphic designer in Japan. She began making music in 1997 playing guitar and small casio keyboards in various bands in Sapporo. In 2005 she began writing, playing, and singing under the moniker Moskitoo. Yamasaki's gentle, airy vocals play off of broken beats and aqueous sound drops evoking half-awake memories lost and found.
Singer Dobet Gnahore was born in Ivory Coast and now lives in Marseille, France where she has been developing her own original songs. She sings in seven African languages as welll as French. With her powerful voice and her poetically charged lyrics, she is one of the rising stars of African music. Hear her breathtaking live performance at this year's Festival International Nuits d'Afrique.
This Balkan-influenced ensemble fronted by guitarist and composer Luba Alexandrov, serves up a flavourful musical blend of tzigane, funk, rock and jazz. A festive event that also launches the group's new album, "Contrabanda".
Celebrated Canadian guitarists Rene Lussier and Kevin Breit have played with everyone under the sun -- Rene as a film score composer and founder of label Ambiances Magnetiques in Quebec, and Kevin as sideman for k d Lang, Norah Jones, and his own projects - the Tallboys and Sisters Euclid. But Rene and Kevin had never played together until the Guelph Jazz Festival invited them in for a night of improvisational fun. Often surprising, frequently humourous and always masterful, Kevin Breit and Rene Lussier play a set of wild, on-the-spot tunes.
Ana Miura, Amanda Rheaume, NLX: Natasha Alexandra, Q the Romantic Revolutionary and Caridad Cruz (with Cesar Ricardo) perform their works in support of a variety of charities for the research and support of breast cancer.
A one man band, a prolific songwriter and Polaris prize nominee.
Jerry Granelli, J Granelli, Gordon Gridina, Kenton Loewen and Simon Fisk at the "ONE IS THE WATER (not the fish)" Festival in Calgary. A Festival of Improvised Music. A 2 drum, 2 bass, guitar and oud quintet.
The concept of One is the Water (not the fish) is bringing together like minded creative spirits to create music spontaneously.
A surrender of one's opinions and musical judgements (the fish), to the greater creative spirit (the water). This festival produced a two night collaboration with a two drum / two bass / guitar / oud quartet featuring Jerry Granelli, J. Granelli, Gordon Grdina, Kenton Loewen, and Simon Fisk.
Send + Receive: A Festival of Sound
Alexandre St-Onge is a composer, a bass player, and improviser. He plays in quite a few bands, including Shalabi Effect, Feu Thérèse, mineminemine, Et Sans (with Roger Tellier-Craig), Klaxon Gueule (with Michel F Côté and Bernard Falaise). As a composer he has worked for interactive/mixed-media company Kondition Pluriel, as well as composing for dance (for Karine Denault, Lynda Gaudreau, Maryse Poulin, Mariko Tanabe and Marie-Claude Poulin), theater and video.
Wearing their Newfoundland patriotism on their sleeves, the boys raise the roof of the St. John's Arts and Culture Centre with a rollicking set of favourite tunes and songs. Shanneyganock's trademark is the powerful sound of its two lead singers - a combination of Mark Hiscock's tenor with Chris Andrews' growling bass. You'll hear the distinctive range of their Newfoundland and Irish repertoire in this concert recorded during the band's 10th anniversary tour of Canada.
One of the busiest sidemen in Newfoundland, here's Patrick Boyle performing his first love: jazz.
The Instant Composers' Pool Orchestra has a combative friendship at its heart - the Dutch duo of pianist and composer Misha Mengelberg and drummer Han Bennink has been going strong for more than forty years. Through the decades, they've nurtured an ensemble of musicians that keeps playful improvisation and creative composition at its core. At this Guelph Jazz Festival concert, the players' solos butt up against each other, Han Bennink goes running across the stage and Misha Mengelberg keeps it all together at the piano.
Bageshree Vaze - dubbed 'ubbharta sitara' (rising star) by MTV India - brings the Indian and Canadian aesthetic together within the language of music and dance.
When Dean McNeill isn't working as the head of the music department at the University of Saskatchewan, performing with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra or leading Saskatoon's Metro Jazz Ensemble - he finds the time to hone his skills as a trumpet player and composer...and be a dad to a toddler. This year Dean released a CD where he performed with jazz pianist Jon Ballantyne and classical pianist Bonnie Nicholson. In this concert we'll hear Dean playing both trumpet and flugelhorn on some of his jazz favourites as well as an original composition. He's joined by guitarist Jack Semple, Carlo Petrovitch on bass and drummer Arlan Kopp.
Karin Plato grew up in Alsask, Saskatchewan. (Yep, you guessed it... right on the Alberta-Saskatchewan border...). While Saskatchewan might not seem the most likely place for someone to blossom into the fantastic jazz vocalist Karin is today, Karin was introduced to some of the great jazz vocalists of the 20th century during her time as a music student at the University of Saskatchewan. Her passion for that music slowly grew. Karin has made her home in Vancouver for the last 20 years or so, but whenever she comes back to Saskatchewan she says it feels like a homecoming. For this concert, Karin is joined by the fabulous John Roney Trio from Montreal, with John on piano, Remi-Jean Leblanc on bass and drummer Martin Auguste.
The erhu, pipa and tabla in music by Alexina Louie, Chan Ka Nin, and Jin Zhang.
Festival Vancouver likes to go with themes for its festivals. This year one of those themes is the music of Latin America. That's great news for lovers of the tango and other musical forms having their origins in the city of Buenos Aires. Three different acoustic ensembles offering three shades of musical experiences of Argentina. Recorded in the warm, wooden acoustics of Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver.
Composed or Improvised? An impeccably-played suite from three musicians at the Guelph Jazz Festival blurs the lines as British bassist Barry Guy, Swiss violinist Maya Homburger and Canada's own Jeff Reilly on bass clarinet bring together experiences that range from baroque repertoire to freewheeling jazz. Hear compositions by Reilly, Guy and H.I.F. Biber - living, pulsing chamber music.
Voices are raised both at home and abroad this week. Three Canadian performers took part in a recent concert by the Orchestre national de France, celebrating the 400th anniversary of Quebec City. Contralto Marie Nicole Lemieux is heard in songs of Duparc, and pianist Alain Lefevre performs a Piano Concerto by André Mathieu, conducted by Jean-Philippe Tremblay.
Bill Stevenson, Mike Evin, Kellylee Evans, Ian Tamblyn, Ana Miura, Suzie Vinnick and a handful of other performers all get together on one stage for one evening to pay tribute to the songs and poetry of Ottawa folk legend, Bill Hawkins
This event was in celebration of Sheila's upcoming 80th birthday. As the last remaining female be-bop master, Sheila has worked with a long list of jazz greats (including Charlie Parker) and is known for her continually evolving, highly creative work and her indomitable spirit.
Every summer the Boxwood Festival in beautiful Lunenburg, Nova Scotia brings together kindred spirits from all over the world, to explore traditional music. This concert features Paul Halley - if you were a fan of the Paul Winter consort - you know Paul Halley, because he was Paul Winter's keyboard player for 18 years and with him, won five Grammy awards. Paul now lives in Nova Scotia and in this concert he is featured with flutist Chris Norman, along with his son and fellow keyboard player, Nick Halley.
KOJO is a quartet of lokembes or thumb pianos - a traditional African instrument made from resonate wooden boxes and metal tongues, ranging from the tiny soprano to the big bass box. KOJO's music is an all acoustic blend of rhythmic overlays with exotic vocals - the sound is mesmerizing! Alex Atiol and Paul Atayna formed KOJO in 1996 after escaping their war-torn country and emigrating to Canada. KOJO, in Didinga, means "re-birth" or "new crop" and reflects the refugee's search for renewal in an adopted country.
Cool, rich and exotic - these three musicians create a musical tapestry that is deeply colourful and inspiring. Dinuk Wijeratne is a composer, conductor, and improvising pianist who is internationally respected for his virtuosity and sensitivity as a musician. Living now in Halifax, Dinuk teamed up with tabla virtuoso, Mayookh Bhaumik, and Syrian clarinetist, Kinan Azmeh, to play a set to a packed house at the 2008 edition of the Atlantic Jazz Festival.
Tonight on The Signal, we're diving into the "Festival Suoni per il popolo" in Montreal. This festival is now a big event in the Montreal's musical life, and tonight we're going to hear one of the highlights of the festival: The Nels cline Singers. This band is a unique collaboration of the sonically creative and highly acclaimed guitarist Nels cline, drummer Scott Amendola and bassist Devin Hoff. Hear what they whip up in this dynamic but intimate concert, tonight on The Signal with Laurie Brown.
The Brandon Chamber Players collaborated with Winnipeg's Contemporary Music series Groundswell for a concert of spacious, spiritual and thought-provoking music.
Brandon Chamber Players and Groundswell collaborate for a concert of spacious, spiritual and thought-provoking music. Conductor Michelle Mourre takes us through a dramatic program featuring two exciting world premieres: a new setting of Michael Oesterle's meditative 'Agate Rosary' for solo cello, strings and percussion, featuring WSO principal cellist Yuri Hooker, and a new composition by Michael Matthews, based on poems by Novica Tadic, sung by soprano Mireille Lebel.
This celebration of Canadian composers and soloists also includes Linda Catlin Smiths' 'Les Fleurs Anciennes' and two pieces by Brandon University alum Jocelyn Morlock. The haunting 'Katarynka' by Poland's Marta Ptaszynska rounds out the program.
Whether he's playing electric blues, picking up an acoustic guitar or serving up jazz or tango - one thing remains constant - Jack Semple is a phenomenal guitarist. This set from the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival features Jack along with Dave Chobot on bass and drummer, Steve Hoy.
Saxophonist Mark DeJong and his ensemble at the 2008 Saskatchewan Jazz Festival.
Canada is home to many of the world's great percussionists, representing an extraordinary diversity of heritage and traditions that has spawned one of the most innovative musical landscapes anywhere in the world. Cool Drummings celebrates the richness and creativity of this landscape, drawing together dazzling ensembles and soloists from around the globe.
Anne Schaefer stunned critics with her debut CD, "Twelve Easy Pieces", a few years ago. Now the singer, composer, guitarist and pianist has unveiled her next project called "The Waiting Room". The enthusiastic audience at Victoria's Alix Goolden Hall listened in to the new collection of songs dedicated to fictional personalities inhabiting Anne's imagined waiting room.
Recorded at Vancouver's infamous Penthouse Nightclub -- Coco Love Alcorn, Christa Couture and Ian Sherwood rocked the house performing both alone and together. A raucus, slightly bawdy but spirited show in front of a large, appreciative crowd.
Aggressive versus quiet. Seven versus one. It didn't seem like a very fair matchup when Vancouver's Fond of Tigers and Toronto's Sandro Perri met in CBC Ottawa's Studio 40 to meld their music. But the gentle-voiced Sandro and his subtly experimental folk proved a perfect foil to the rock-jazz improvisations of Fond of Tigers.
Pacifika was recently named one of "Revelation-SRC" and Espace Musique's top world music acts. The Vancouver based group is making a new kind of global pop, music that nods to its diverse international influences, while forging its own unique voice. Jazz infused and Latin tinged, marked by gently flowing melodies, deep grooves, waves of cracking percussion and the occasional burst of exhilarating guitar noise - Pacifika's comfortable, complex sound defies categories, creating soothing soundscapes held together by Silvana Kane's smooth, intimate vocals.
One of the most accomplished composers of the 20th Century, Burt Bacharach dominated the music scene in the 1960s and 1970s, with 52 Top 40 hits. The master of memorable melodies.
From the 2008 Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival featuring Canadian composers Katie Agocs, Jonathan Berger, Gary Kulesha, and Harry Somers.
Soprano Erin Wall and baritone Philip torre join the CPO for a program of Strauss and Mahler.
Chet Doxas, Seamus Blake - saxophones John Roney - piano Remi-Jean LeBlanc - bass Jim Doxas - drums
Baba Zula's "Oriental Dub" music fuses traditional instruments such as the darbuk and saz with a contemporary electronic ambient dance-floor beat.