Be There and Be Square

Posted on 2014-03-03 by Rod Wilson

SPECIAL EVENT

For most of us it would be before our time. By that I mean a time when music had a social context. And I don’t mean a time at the local disco, club or pub. Although those situations, for most of us, also seem to be fading into the past. There was a time when music was more entwined with our daily lives. A time for friends, family and straight forward socializing. A time when a night out at a dance or picnic meant a trip to the local school house or community centre and, heaven forbid, LIVE MUSIC. It was a time for friends, family and heaven forbid (again) a night of fun unadulterated by the commercial motives of image and spectacle. Although I have only had a passing acquaintance with the notion of traditional dancing I do have a hankering for the experience. Well, this coming Saturday evening that hankering is about to become reality. A group of well known local acoustic musicians and friends have organized a Square Dance. The event is a benefit to help raise money to support 14 year old Jenna Homeniuk in Calgary’s Childrens Hospital. Jenna is receiving treatment for Leukemia. So there’s the motivation of a good cause but more than that there is the chance to re-establish something that has been long lost. The chance to give music it’s true value as a social cement in our daily life. And, you never know, it maybe just so much fun that we will want to do it again.

So, DARE TO BE SQUARE and come out to the Square Dance at Wardner Hall on Saturday March 8, 2014. There will be fiddlers, mandolins, banjos, guitars, dancers, callers, kids, families and fun. And, to paraphrase and old saying, BE THERE AND BE SQUARE.

@@@@@@@@@@@@

Beannick Subscription Series #7 – The Last One

Posted on 2014-02-22 by Rod Wilson

Terry Miller and Gord Johnston have just released the line up for the Beannick Subscription Series #7.

Monday March 24, 2014: MARTYN JOSEPH, Marty returns – he performed in the second concert and left a huge impression and it will be good to have him back. Click on Review of Martyn Joseph Concert

Monday April 7, 2014: MICHAEL JEROME BROWNE is a highly acclaimed and recognized roots musician. Check his website by clicking on Michael Jerome Browne

Wednesday April 30, 2014: DAVID FRANCEY. “One of Canada’s most revered folk poets and singers”, David is a multiple Juno winner who performed in Cranbrook some years back. This is a fitting finale for the series.

All shows are at 8:00pm at the Stage Door.

Note that this is a fully subscribed series but occasionally a few tickets may be available at the door.

Series 7 of the Beannick Concert Series will be the final series.

Gord Johnston is retiring from his career at the Boy’s and Girl’s Club and is ready to move on to new adventures. It’s been a good run we can’t thank Gord and Terry enough for enriching Cranbrook`s cultural landscape. We should also thank the audiences who`s support of the series and made it such a success. Thanks too, to Ben Blomander for keeping things sounding great, to Jean Ann and Joe Debreceni for keeping us in drinks, to Kris Aasen and Rusty Gahr and a few others for keeping the lights on.

Thanks again and keep on supporting live music at every opportunity.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Quote of the week – Martin Simpson

Posted on 2014-02-17 by Rod Wilson

“ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF LEARNING ANYTHING IS MAKING SURE YOU REALLY KNOW THE MELODY YOU’RE WORKING WITH. IF THERE’S A FAULT WITH MODERN MUSIC, IT’S THAT PEOPLE AREN’T REALLY VERY GOOD AT TUNES – I DON’T HEAR GREAT MELODIES VERY OFTEN. I REALLY DESPAIR THE LACK OF MELODY IN MOST MODERN GUITAR PLAYING, SO I AVOID IT, TO BE HONEST. BUT IF YOU WORK WITH TRADITIONAL MUSIC, OR THE WORK OF THE BEST SONG WRITERS, THE BOTTOM LINE IS YOU HAVE THIS BEAUTIFUL TUNE, AND YOU HAD BETTER TRY AND DO IT JUSTICE.” Acoustic Guitar, March 2014.

[Martin Stewart Simpson (born 5 May 1953) is an English folk singer, guitarist and songwriter. His music reflects a wide variety of influences and styles, rooted in Britain, Ireland, America and beyond. He has been nominated 23 times in the 11 years of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, including nine times consecutively as Artist of The Year, which he has won twice. His album Prodigal Son was named album of the year in 2008 and a song from that album, “Never Any Good” was named best original song of the year. Martin Simpson is regarded by many as one of the most skilled folk guitarists currently playing on the British and American folk scene – Wikipedia. Martin Simpson lived in the US for a number of years and in his travels from Santa Cruz to Edmonton he stopped in a number of times in Cranbrook and performed a number of memorable solo concerts at the Studio / Stage Door.]

There, somebody has finally said it – nobody really knows how to play melodies any more. There is a reason for this and I’m not just hankering after the good old days. In the Swing Era and before, instrumental music was the predominate mode of expression and the primary melodic instruments in pop music were trumpets, sax, trombones, etc. Somewhere around the 1950’s pop music went into a transition and things started to change. The major melodic instruments had retreated from popular music into the esoteric world of Jazz and Be-bop. Now, apart from the occasional horn section, the major melodic instruments are mostly absent from pop music. The crooners and popular singer/songwriter have moved to center stage. By the time Bob Dylan and his colleagues had finished exerting their influence the song had become king in popular music. But there is a difference from the golden days of ‘tin-pan alley’ pop songs. Moon, spoon and June are no longer the primary lyrical motifs. Songs had moved into the realm of politics and personal statement. Lyricists and tune writers no longer work in tandem. The usual mode of creation has become the almost sole preserve of the singer/songwriter. And, as near as I can tell, the creative process, seems to revolve around the lyrics. The words come first and the melody and harmony arrive later. Nobody seems to write and harmonize a great melody then attach lyrics. The net result is that writing good strong melodies is secondary. Of course there were (are) exceptions. The Beatles being the most notable. Melodic expression comes in the form of instrumental solos inserted in the performance. The only problem with that, despite some magnificent exceptions, is that the solos tend to become fairly generic. A kind of one size fits all. Music has become more and more predictable and is basically the servant of the commercial world. It is now an “industry”. Musicians are notoriously conservative and none more so than your average rock/pop musician. The old image of the outlaw anti-establishment rock musician is basically a myth. When pop music is used to sell everything from toothpaste to automobiles it is hardly rebelling against anything. It is basically the servant of the commercial world. When was the last time you heard pop music that was really interesting? Nobody is really taking any musical risks anymore. We all know that revolution and rebellion are the life blood of change and pop music is in need of a significant change. There are a wealth of melodies (old and new), rhythms, harmony, styles and even pure noise (long live John Cage) out there that could rejuvenate the popular musical world. So let the revolution begin.

@@@@@@@@@@@@

Anja / Dan / Hannah at Centre 64

Posted on 2014-02-03 by Rod Wilson

These three musicians are definitely CFAs (“Come from Away”). The fact they kept their outside jackets on for the sound check should have been the first clue. Anja McCloskey (vocals, pianio and accordion) is a German American girl originally from Des Moines, Iowa, now resident in Hamburg Germany; Dan Whitehouse (vocals and guitar) is a singer song writer from Birmingham; Hannah Moulette (cello, vocals and guitar) is from Sommerset, England. How these three CFAs originally got together is probably a story worth telling but it suffices to say that this tour was probably thrown together on a whim. Anja has a brother in Vancouver and the only way she could make the trip was to tie it in with a concert tour. So she trolled through her musical friends and managed to line up Dan and, at the last minute, Hannah to commit to an off the cuff tour of Canada in ……. January!! What were they thinking? They say ignorance is bliss and it could not be more true than in this case. They landed in Canada, rented a cello and guitar for fifty bucks, borrowed an accordion, rented a vehicle with all- season radials and hit the road. On mentioning the all-season radials you could hear an almost inaudible gasp from the audience. So far they have been to Banff, Calgary, Pincher Creek, Kimberley and are heading further west for the rest of the tour – snow, ice and avalanches be dammed. So far no problems. As I said “ignorance is bliss”. Appropriately, Hannah and Anja kicked off their portion of the evening with Songbird, a charming vocal duet about traveling. Hannah, with her impish looks and demeanor could have stepped out of a J.R.R.Tolkein novel. The red cape picked up at thrift store en route was an inspired touch. The on stage persona she projected well suited her musical style. Hannah continued the show with a number of solo pieces that included The Night is Young (“and there is plenty of rum”), Devil of Mine, Circle Song, and Blood and Thunder. Anja returned to the stage for an accordion/cello instrumental entitled Seven and continued with Too Many Words, Italian Song, and, with piano accompaniment, Cross the Seas. The trio, Dan, Hannah and Anja, came together for The Calm and Instigated. The final selections of the evening featured Dan’s songs including A Light, The Fire of Lust (“an Ode to Testosterone”), Three Bodies (about tourist photographs), Born to Run, Somebody Loves You, Sleeping and probably the strongest song of the evening Why Don’t We Dance. That last mentioned song deserves a view of the YouTube version. Here are some images from an evening of music that was definitely “outside the box”.

Special thanks should go to the opening act Daze of Grace (Sharon Routley, Jubal Routley and guest percussionist, yours truly, Rod Wilson); sound techs Ray and Marty; Terry on lights; the MC Keith Nicholas, and all the staff and volunteers of the Kimberley Arts Council. Also extra special thanks should go to the corporate sponsors The Burrito Grill for feeding the musicians and Mountain Spirits for provide accommodation for the CFA musicians.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Death of another Hero – Pete Seeger dies at 94

Posted on 2014-01-31 by Rod Wilson

Pete Seeger Wikipedia entry

“Peter “Pete” Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and left-wing activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead Belly‘s “Goodnight, Irene“, which topped the charts for 13 weeks in 1950. Members of the Weavers were blacklisted during the McCarthy Era. In the 1960s, he re-emerged on the public scene as a prominent singer of protest music in support of international disarmament, civil rights, counterculture and environmental causes.” (wikipedia entry). He died peacefully in his sleep January 27,2014. He survived his wife of 75 years by a mere 6 months. There will never be another like him or at least that is the wish of most right wing reactionaries.

I was fortune to be able to hear Peter Seeger live in Australia in 1963 at a concert held at Sydney University. Because of his left wing views Seeger had been prevented from leaving the USA (“land of the free”) to tour and, I suspect, the Australian tour was one of his first appearances outside the USA. I am not one to be celebrity struck but that concert left an indelible mark on my memory. Pete strode onto the stage with a banjo in one hand and a 12 string guitar in the other. With only his voice and those two props he gave us a memorable night of mostly traditional songs and counter culture attitudes. It was a portrait of an America that we hardly knew. Before that concert I had never heard banjo played that way; nor seen a 12 string guitar; and I had never heard of Huddie Leadbetter (Leadbelly). Since that time I have not heard a performance that matched the one on that night. The nearest I have come to it was the concert by Chris Coole at the Clawhammer in Fernie a year or so ago. The wikipedia entry suggests that the Peter Seeger tour initiated a folk boom in Australia and was responsible for the explosion in folk clubs and folk music in general in Australia. I would contest that notion. I further suggest that the Seeger tour was a response to an already significant ground swell of traditional music, and specifically Australian folk music, that was well under way prior to the tour. I suspect the folk boom got under way in Australia because of the influence of the new British immigrants to the country who were already well versed in traditional music back in the old country. Be-that-as-it-may, I am forever thankful for the concert and the life of Pete Seeger.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@

LOCALS COFFEE HOUSE – January 11, 2014

Posted on 2014-01-18 by Rod Wilson

Bill Cleland – MC

The original “Maddy” was the English singer Maddy Prior who, along with Sandy Denny, virtually defined the female voice role in the British Folk Rock genre of the 1960s. Sandy Denny may have had the looks and the rock persona but Maddy had the voice. Young local singer Maddy Prinn has a voice that does not suffer from any comparison with either Maddy Prior or Sandy Denny. Miss Prinn, accompanied by her father Dave, made her first appearance at the Local Coffee House on Saturday. It was a stunning performance. She dipped into the recent rock repertoire to sing U2’s With You or Without You, The Dixie Chicks Easy Silence, and, for me two unfamiliar tunes, Sky Scrapper and Love your Memory. Maddy played Ukelele and guitar and, off to one side her father sang harmony and played some really beautiful back up and lead on his vintage Martin D-28. Dave looked so happy I thought he was going to burst. As they say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and Maddy sounds like she will continue the Prinn legacy and in all probability out shine her dad. Here are a couple of links worth checking: Maddy Prior singing Gaudette and Sandy Denny singing “Who Knows Where the Time Goes”.

Mark Casey – “a folk singer with attitude” (guitar and vocals) is a big fan of the 60’s British invasion band The Kinks. His special treat for the evening was a collection “Kink” songs. He was joined on a couple of tunes by Barry Coulter on blues “harp”. The other “Mark”, there are many “Marks” around this town, Mark Rosini and his partner Krista have recently returned to the area and this was their first exposure at Locals. Mark on guitar and vocals backed up Krista on some songs that include Smokey Robinson’s You’ve Got a Hold on Me. “Mr. eclectic” (Barry Coulter) on such diverse instruments as blues harp, guitar, 12 string guitar and amplified dulcimer is a frequent performer on local stages. His special treat for the evening was a full-on “Nic Drake” experience. For those who don’t know Nic Drake “he was an English singer-songwriter and musician known for his acoustic guitar-based songs. He failed to find a wide audience during his lifetime but his work has gradually achieved wider notice and recognition” (from Wikipedia). He suffered from chronic depression and towards the end of his life was smoking what has been described as “unbelievable amounts” of marijuana and exhibiting “the first signs of psychosis”. By the winter of 1970, he had isolated himself in London and in 1974 he died from an apparent suicide. The resurgence of interest in his music may be due to the use of Pink Moon in a 1999 VW Cabrio commercial. Drake tended to use open tunings in his guitar music. So, to achieve the full “Nic Drake Experience” Barry has opted to use some of Nic Drake’s tunings such as B E B E B E (alternating 4th and 5ths), E A D F# B E, and C G C F C E (? Csus) and, rather than haul a number of pre-tuned guitars on stage, he felt the experience demanded the full visual and aural sensations of re-tuning the guitar for each song. Barry is not only eclectic he like to be authentic as well. His final piece of the evening was Pink Moon. Darin Welch is a local singer / song writer who runs the Driftwood Concert House in Kimberley. Darin and his family (Jen and Silas) are dedicated to promoting intimate and sustainable music in a house concert setting. To read reviews and see images from recent Driftwood Concerts do a “Driftwood search” in this blog. He performed three of his original songs that included Wilderness, Pretty Water and Simple City. Darin writes great songs for his own unique voice and his guitar finger picking technique on an outstanding instrument. His performance strength is in his sensitive use of dynamics. RedGirl (Anie and Mike Hepher and Steve Jones) need no introduction. They have been staples on the local music scene for years and during that time they have continued to grow and evolve. Each performance is a fresh look into their musical world. They were joined on guitar by Keith Larsen. Prior to the show they were busy in the “Green Room” pulling together the material for this performance and the result, as usual, was smooth, polished and flawless. For RedGirl there is no other way to perform. For the evening they performed a few bluegrass and “old-timey” tunes (with the emphasis on “old-timey”). Keith was given ample opportunity to display his flat picking talents on Lazy John. Their encore was the old American bluegrass favorite Darli’n Corey.

Once again the Stage Door was sold out and thanks should go to Lorraine Casey and all the volunteers that make this wonderful institution such a joy. Here are some more images from the evening.

@@@@@@@@@@@@

A YOUTUBE Pick (#2) – “This is just stupid good”

Posted on 2013-12-31 by Rod Wilson

Treat your self and click on the above link for some of the most amazing foot stomping joyous music you are ever likely to hear. The musicians are Troy MacGillivray on keyboard and fiddle and Tim Edey on button accordion and classical guitar. This is an extended 12 minute set of about eight tunes that includes Silver Spear, Moving Cloud, Road to Errogie, MacArthur Road, Lad Obeirne’s and the great Quebecois tune Mouth of the Tobique (at minute 7:18). This is an amazing set of great tunes, blazing runs, stomping rhythm (just listen to the audience), great variations, instrument switching, and some sly capo repositioning by Tim. These guys are so good that they sound like they are from another planet. The two musicians are obviously having great fun and Tim’s comment mid set “what’s the next hymn Troy” is priceless. This link was passed to me by local fiddle player Angus (‘Gus’) MacDonald. It is from the Cape Breton Celtic Colours Festival that is held every fall in Nova Scotia. ‘Gus’ has been taking fiddle lessons from Troy MacGillivray………….. This is amazing stuff.

@@@@@@@@@@@@

Apre Ski with The Rosie Brown Band

Posted on 2013-12-29 by Rod Wilson

The Rosie Brown Band at the Stemwinder Bar and Grill (Kimberley Ski Hill), Sunday December 22, 2013, 3-6pm

Paige Lennox – banjo & vocals; Cosima Wells – vocals, guitar; Janice Nicli – bass and vocals; Shauna Plant – mandolin & vocals; Heather Gemmell – guitar, dobro & vocals

The Kimberley Ski Hill and the Stemwinder Bar and Grill are once again back in the Apre Ski business. This time with the bluegrass collective known as The Rosie Brown Band. These local ladies are the step children of the Sorrento Blue Grass Camp in Salmon Arm. At one time or another they have all attended the camp and workshops to learn, polish their skills, jam and have a good time playing acoustic music. From their experiences they bring to the stage a wealth of traditional and original songs and tunes that they reinvent in a unique vocal style.

Here are some images from Sunday’s performance:

The Rosie Brown Band would like to thank Dave Prinn for coming to their rescue as a sound tech for the Sunday session.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Jim Hall – R.I.P. December 10, 2013

Posted on 2013-12-25 by Rod Wilson

“A light snow falls today on the wonder that is New York City. As I walk the streets and ride the subway, I glance at the faces around me. Young jazz student firebrands blow be-bop in the West 4th St. station. A young woman wearing earbuds mouths the words to a song and does some dance steps down Sixth Avenue. It is another day, a new day. But as I ponder the news received this morning that Jim Hall, one of the greatest musicians of all time and a monumental influence on me and many of my elders and colleagues, has passed away, it’s not just the blessed arrival of a new day and all its possibilities that assails me. It is the sad fact that one of the great ones has moved on, and that feeling always affects everything as I/we move forward…. “ – Nels Cline

Jim played some of the most innovative and visionary jazz throughout his career, From the late-50s, he blazed trails and made history with the Chico Hamilton Quintet (Chico, R.I.P.), the Jimmy Giuffre Three, Paul Desmond, Sonny Rollins, and in duet with Bill Evans, among many others. – Nels Cline

Jim Hall Wikipedia entry

Jim Hall Documentary

It seems like the jazz guitarist Jim Hall has been around forever. The first time I heard him was on a Jazz Anthology LP in the mid-1960`s that, unfortunately, also featured the superb Herb Ellis. I say unfortunately because Herb was a blues oriented player with an edge that, at the time, had more appeal to my youthful rock&roll sensibilities. I tended to overlook Jim Hall. He was more laid back with a very mellow approach. It took me many years to develop a real appreciation for Jim`s approach and realize that he is one of the true giants of jazz guitar. My appreciation grew exponentially when I first obtained the Mosaic Box Set of The Complete Capital and Atlantic Recordings of Jimmy Giuffre. Recorded from 1954 through 1958. Jimmy Giuffre was a clarinetist, saxophonist and composer with a somewhat experimental approach that proved to be a perfect fit for Jim Hall. The Complete Recordings of the Paul Desmond Quartet with Jim Hall was another milestone in my developing appreciation. Paul Desmond was definitely one of Jim’s musical soul mates and this collection features a fairly straight ahead jazz approach to many jazz standards as well as a wealth of Bossa Nova tunes. The material was recorded between 1959 though to 1965. Like a lot of true musical giants Jim Hall recorded prolifically throughout his career and constantly evolved from one project to the next. He was not a dramatic figure; no prima donna acting out; no drug abuse issues; just a solid ordinary guy with a family, a career, and a very professional approach to his craft. Throughout his life he played exceptional music in a plethora of circumstances. He was still actively performing, and I don’t mean just going through the motions, right up to his death. He died peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday December 10th, 2013.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Jazz at The Heid Out

Posted on 2013-12-21 by Rod Wilson

Ferdy Belland informs me that way back in the 1960’s Cranbrook was a jazz town (“don’t judge Cranbrook by the sawmill”). I didn’t arrive in Cranbrook until 1976 so I can’t vouch for that but I do know that in the 1980’s there was jazz around town. The big band, The Sounds of the Forties was a going concern as was the band Wham Go the Ducks. I don’t recall any significant local jazz groups since those bands stopped performing. There have been the occasional touring groups that have dropped into the Studio / Stage Door to take part in Gord & Jill Johnston’s Swing Street concert series. The the Key City Theatre featured jazz and blues on an infrequent basis. But, by and large, the town went over to mostly Classic Rock in the bars and now, of course, that scene has largely dried up as well. Over the past 18 months there has been a resurgence in live Jazz in the area. There have been two mini-festivals run by the Kimberley Arts Council that featured jazz groups from as far away as Poland and Belgium. Two local bands, The Jazz Council and The Little Jazz Orchestra, have also kept the jazz flame alive and burning during that period. The Little Jazz Orchestra (featuring Dave Ward on trumpet and Flugelhorn, Jim Cameron on Guitar, Janice Nicli on Bass and Graham Knipfel on drums) is still around and holding down a regular gig (every first Thursday of the month) at the Heid Out in Cranbrook. This was the basic core group for the special Christmas session on Thursday, December 19, 2013. They were Joined by vocalist Shauna Plant, keyboard player Evan Buekert; Bernie Primbs on Baritone Sax, Ferdy Belland on Bass, Stu Taylor on Trombone and Sven Heyde on drums and Congas. In other words it was an all-star cast of local jazz musicians.

Fittingly the band kicked off the evening in a bluesy mood with Miles Davis’ All Blues from the classic album Kind of Blue. That album was recorded in 1959, has never been out of print, has sold over 20 million copies and, nearly fifty years after its original release it is still selling at a rate of about 5,000 per week. “In the church of jazz, Kind of Blue, is one of the holy relics“. With it`s innovative modal approach it forever changed the face of jazz. If there is a need to have only one jazz record in your collection then this is the one. But, I digress, this tune was a classic start to a classic evening and it set the stage for what was to follow. A wonderful evening of live, free wheeling jazz that leaves one pondering “how do they do that?”. Mostly working from lead sheets the group played a wide selection of Jazz, and non-jazz standards. From time to time the guest musicians took centre stage for tunes such as Besame Mucho, My Funny Valentine, St. Thomas, Lagrima Negras, some Christmas ambience in Let it Snow, Let it Snow, I Wish you a Merry, Merry Christmas, and A Charlie Brown Christmas. The country tune Walking After Midnight featured the wonderful voice of Shauna Plant and Janice Nicli (also on vocals) rocked it out on Jump N’ Jive. The old time jazz classics featured during the evening included Bill Bailey Won’t You Please Come Home, Ja Da (written in 1918) and Duke Ellington’s C-Jam Blues. The stand out tunes for me were Sonny Rollin’s St. Thomas and, with its shades of a New Orleans funeral, the old Gospel tune Take a Closer Walk with Thee. Classic Rock and Blues are fine but there is nothing quite like the snap and crackle of straight up jazz in a wonderful venue like The Heid Out. Thanks should go to Heidi, the staff and the musicians for a wonderful night of music. Here are some images from the evening: