Home : Plato's Words : June 2003

June 2003

My new CD was officially launched at THE CELLAR a couple of weeks ago here in Vancouver. It should arrive in stores across Canada very soon. Thank you to all of you who came out and filled the club both nights. What fun we had! Saturday was extra special in that Lou Mastroianni was our guest on several tunes and helped elevate the music to another level. Lou, who is always so modest and unassuming in his approach, played beautifully and enticed some cheering and whistles from the audience after some very inspired playing on his part. Everyone really seemed to shine musically on that night, particularly Bill Coon. Darren Radtke and Dave Robbins are always fun to play music with. "Fun" is an understatement. Each of the three are such incredible musicians who give completely to the music and make each song a type of gift that I am able to open and delight in and share with them. That is what it feels like. A surprising gift… Isn't it fun when you get to open a gift that truly surprises you?

I'll be opening gifts again so to speak with Bill, Darren and Dave at the upcoming Jazz Festival later this month at The Vancouver Sun Stage in Gastown on Saturday June 21st in the afternoon.

There have been a couple of CD's that I have listened to lately that friends have loaned to me because they thought that I would enjoy the music. I love discovering music that way. Sometimes it can be a musician that I have never heard of before so I have no preconceived idea of what the music will sound like while at times it is an artist that I already enjoy but have not heard a particular recording before. Norma Winstone comes to mind. I have loved her music since first discovering her several years ago. I was loaned a fantastic CD that she made with pianist John Taylor and clarinetist/tenor saxophonist Tony Coe called "SOMEWHERE CALLED HOME". It is one of their older recordings made in 1986. The songs are beautiful and include the song/poems that I have come to expect with Norma as well as re-workings of standard songs such as TEA FOR TWO. When Norma sings a song the story of the lyric sweeps you in and quietly so you are within her world where notes and melodic lines are carefully placed as she artfully with the piano and horn creates a unique and peaceful soundscape. Norma is also a wonderful lyricist and here for this recording includes songs by Bill Evans and Ralph Towner singing her own text, always thoughtful and interesting, There is something understated about Norma's approach that I love. Never singing to be showy or flashy, always the poet and painter using subtlety and sensitivity as her medium in order to connect with the listener.

Another CD that was loaned to me I finally listened to after it sat on the shelf for months. It is a solo CD by bassist Victor Wooten called "A SHOW OF HANDS". I didn't know Victor's name but was told that he is the bassist for the group Bela and the Flecktones, a group that I have never been able to see when they have come to Vancouver. This CD is fun and surprises you with every turn. Victor is an electric bass virtuoso and on the recording goes through many grooves and plays everything live with no overdubs on the bass. He does include vocals on some of the tunes and leads into certain tunes with little insightful thoughts on life and in this way it is as if you are at a concert where you are hearing what he might say in between tunes. There are songs that he raps on, pieces that are funky groove tunes, melodic ballads and a stunning medley that includes the songs "SOME DAY MY PRINCE WILL COME, MISTY & A NIGHT IN TUNISIA". I was so impressed with how the music kept changing throughout the recording. What a feat that is with the bass performing triple duty; rhythm, harmony and melody are all covered by Victor. It actually sounds as though you are listening to an entire rhythm section at times and sitting still is not an option on the pieces that really groove. Wonderful music!

As far as listening to live music I went to a concert last night that really inspired me.
Mae Moore is a BC based folk rock musician that I have admired over the years. I always loved the rich timbre of her voice and thought her songs were intelligent, interesting and soulful. I actually do not own any of her CD's but had seen her live many years ago and on occasion would hear one of her songs on the radio. She was performing a duo concert with her partner guitarist Lester Quitzau, someone I had not heard before. What a beautiful concert it was. The concert took place at the Wise Hall in Vancouver. The venue seems to lend itself to an intimate warm listening environment where the performers and audience can truly relax and enjoy the experience as they sit in the casual cabaret style seating with a glass of wine or a pint of Guinness. Mae and Lester sounded wonderful as they both played guitar and sang harmony for each other's tunes. They really seemed to have such fun performing music together and sharing little bits of nonsense and humor with the audience in between the songs. Lester was absolutely hilarious with his little stories and personal anecdotes. Lester is more of a blues artist while Mae seems to have folk and jazz as her main influences. Together the music they made was magical. Lester played most of the solos and is a fantastic blues slide guitarist. Sometimes they would play in perfect synchronicity either strumming chords or playing lines. The synchronicity of two acoustic guitars in perfect time, playing the very same thing is a lovely thing to witness.

I believe that one of the reasons that I enjoyed the concert so much is that it was a complete experience. I was able to enjoy listening to some beautiful songs performed by two very good musicians who were so very obviously having the time of their lives and I was also entertained by the very natural and delightful personalities of the two artists in between songs. Perhaps some artists have that naturally; they are talented performing artists who also have the ability to share more than just the music with the audience and that seems to make the experience very personal in nature. You are made to feel as though you actually know a little bit more about the artists as human beings. Through the music they inspire emotion within you and with their conversation between songs they make you laugh out loud or provoke some thought about something to do with human nature or the political climate in which we live. Mae and Lester are two such performers. They are talented songwriters and performers who also happen to be very entertaining in between the music that they are sharing with an audience and you leave their concert feeling happy and inspired by the experience.

That's it for this month. Here's to being inspired by music and more!

Karin