Category Archives: Music

Jun 21 2010

Music Monday – The Marimbist

Today’s Music Monday post is very personal as it takes me back to the very genesis of my interest in percussion.  I was just a wee lad, watching the 1992 Miss U.S.A. pageant on television with my ma and pa, when Mr. Regis Philbin introduced an artist who would change my life forever.

Until that point in the talent portion of the competition, the performances had been pretty boring.  Lots of dancing and Broadway show tunes, and one decent baton twirler.  But then Miss South Carolina took the stage, and this marimba virtuouso gave the performance of a lifetime.

Her performance was a rare combination of technique, phrasing, and showmanship.  She flew up and down the keyboard, her hands a blur.  It was the talk of the percussion world the next day, and I dare say many young musicians, including yours truly, were inspired to take up this noble instrument.

For many years, this video was only circulated amongst the marimba cognoscenti.  Thankfully, technology has evolved and her talent, her joie de viver, can now be shared with everyone.

Take it away, Regis.

Jun 16 2010

Yannick and Mahler

This was going to be a big week for the National Arts Centre Orchestra.  For the conclusion of its 40th anniversary season, the orchestra had programmed Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, the famous “Symphony of a Thousand”.  Canadian superstar conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin was engaged to lead the combined orchestras of the NAC and l’Orchestre Metropolitain, eight soloists, and singers drawn from six choruses.  The buzz around this concert had been building steadily for the past few weeks.

And then, on Sunday morning, Arthur Kaptainis at The Montreal Gazette broke the story that Yannick was going to be the next Music Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra.  Suddenly, Ottawa was part of the week’s biggest classical music story. The buzz has become a roar.

Just 35 and universally acclaimed as Canada’s greatest conductor, Yannick is almost too good to be true.  He was appointed Principal Conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic when he was 31, succeeding Valery Gergiev – you know, only the world’s most powerful conductor.  A year later, he added Principal Guest Conductor of the London Philharmonic to his resumé.  He debuted at the Met and the Salzburg Festival to rave reviews.  Now he’s Music Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra, whose previous Music Directors include Ormandy, Stokowski, and Muti.  And yet despite all the demands on his time, he is still committed to l’Orchestre Metropolitan, the orchestra he’s led for the past decade.  Oh yeah, he’s also young, handsome, well-dressed, and completely engaging. 

I attended the dress rehearsal last night to watch him in action.  There was certainly no sign of the exhaustion that had forced him to bow out of performances in Toronto last week.  The orchestra sounded great, especially when you consider the musicians only came together for the first time just 36 hours earlier.  His directions are clear, and he exudes a confidence from the podium that seems infectious.   His smile and thumbs up to the youth choir flanking the stage after the first movement was a nice touch.

I’d urge you all to go to the concerts on Wednesday and Thursday night, but unless you have a ticket (or you’re a major music critic), you’re out of luck - they’re completely, totally, 100%, no-standing-room-left sold out.  The performance at Place des Arts on Sunday afternoon is also sold out.  You can, however, listen to the concert on CBC Radio Two on Sunday.

A final note – Sunday’s performance will also mark the final concert in the distinguished career of Principal Timpani Ian Bernard.  An original member of the orchestra, he’s anchored the percussion section for 41 years and influenced two generations of aspiring timpanists.  I wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement.

Jun 14 2010

Music Monday – The Swell Season

Festival season is almost upon us, and I’m starting to get really excited about some of the artists I’ll get to hear this summer. At the top of my list is The Swell Season, the duo of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, who shot to fame in the film Once.

Incredibly, there are some among us who haven’t seen Once yet. If you are one of those poor, unfortunate people, I strongly urge you to set aside 86 minutes tonight and watch it. You should probably also set aside a couple of hours tomorrow to buy a guitar if you don’t already have one – after watching the movie, your life will feel incomplete without one.

Watching Glen sing Leave was one of the reasons I bought an acoustic guitar last year. I had this romantic idea that a guitar would be a conduit, a way to unlock a passionate side of me that is just looking for a way out. So far, no dice. If and when it does happen, I’ll let you know.

Three years after the film was released, Glen and Marketa are still recording and touring together. They’ll be on the main stage at the Winnipeg Folk Festival on Friday, July 9th and at Ottawa Bluesfest on Sunday, July 11. Other tour dates can be found on their website.

You can listen to other Swell Season tracks at the usual places

The Swell Season Website

The Swell Season on MySpace

Jun 7 2010

Music Monday – Right Drummer, Wrong Gig

Playing ZZ Top tunes in a cover band once might be fun.

Playing ZZ Top tunes in a cover band 200 times a year would be excruciating.

Especially if you’re the drummer.

Unless…

Unless you cast aside the conventions of what a drummer should look like and adopt your own unique style.

Steve Moore, from Rick K. and the Allnighters, is one such drummer.

With a bag of tricks inspired by Tommy Lee and the Muppet Show’s Animal, limitless energy, and a commitment to being completely over-the-top, he’s gone from relative obscurity to world-wide fame in approximately six days.

He’s now simply known as, “the drummer at the wrong gig.”

May 31 2010

Music Monday – I’ll Be Gone

This week’s Music Monday pick is courtesy of Douglas Coupland.  Actually, it’s courtesy of Douglas Coupland’s Twitter feed (www.twitter.com/DougCoupland).  Wait, it’s actually courtesy of David Weir, who originally posted the link and then Douglas Coupland re-tweeted it.

In any case, the track is I’ll Be Gone by Lithuanian producer Mario Basanov, with Vidis, featuring Jazzu.  The song is fine, but I think the video is brilliant.  Simple concept, great execution.  The needles are hypnotic, and when the ink begins to lift off the page – it’s magic.