Home : Plato's Words : December, 2005

December, 2005

As I write these words it definitely feels like December. The sky is full of snow and the flakes are huge it seems. So it truly does look and feel like a winter day. I always notice that on days like this there is a playfulness that comes out in people of all ages. There seems to be laughter and fun in the air as folks are walking around the park near where I live. The snow, which here in Vancouver is actually quite a rare occurrence, is a source of wonder and amusement it seems.  Kids are tossing snow balls at each other and dog owners seem to have the same enthusiasm that their dogs have in frolicking about in the snowy expanse, This kind of behavior does not seem to happen when it rains here. Maybe visually the snow is more appealing? I don't know but I have often witnessed this transformation in people's moods when it snows here. Perhaps it really is because the snow so rarely seems to fall here in Vancouver. I like seeing people laughing and having a good time and witnessing that the snow is the cause of it all.

I have been working on my arrangements of Christmas music for my THERE'S A SONG IN THE AIR concert that will take place later this month at the ACT in Maple Ridge. It is the same concert that I performed last year at The Vancouver East Cultural Centre but of course I always seem to find new tunes to arrange and I also like to improve whatever arrangements have been done in the past. This certainly is a lot of work but I suppose that it is one of my labors of love. It is actually amazing to me just how long it has been taking me to come up with arrangements and to write out the parts. I think I am almost done now so hopefully I have come up with a nice program for the audience to enjoy. Now comes the task of making sure that I actually know all the tunes since many of them are not the ones that we tend to hear day in and day out this time of year which means they are in some ways unfamiliar to me as well. I am singing a few of them in foreign languages and that is more difficult for me to memorize.

Lately I seem to have had several appointments around town whereby I have been on the bus. I have taken my walkman and CD's on all these bus trips. I love listening to music on the walkman and gazing out the window at the people walking by or at the scenery as I listen.  I guess I haven't quite caught up to the 2005 trend of listening to mp3's on ipods and the like and perhaps at some point I too will own an ipod but for now listening to my CD's seems just fine. One disc that a friend loaned to me has become an absolute favorite. It is a recording called Witchcraft with guitarist John Ambercrombie and bassist Don Thompson. It was recorded in 1986 and was engineered by Don himself and produced by the two musicians together. It is exquisite. The interaction and chemistry between the two musicians is apparent throughout the recording. It is what I would call a quiet record. They don't just play ballads but there is an introspective quality to it overall. They do swing hard on some tunes but with the combination of guitar and bass with no drums there is still a quietness that remains somehow. John and Don play with intensity as well whether that is on a slow ballad or one of the more uptempo tunes. They include beautiful standards including Witchcraft, My Foolish Heart; You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To and others, all equally beautiful and adventurous. It is a really special recording in my opinion and it thrills me to hear it each time.

I do go through phases in my listening as well and lately I have been immersed once again in the magic of pianist Alicia DeLaroccha's music. She is a wonderful classical pianist and is considered one of the masters of Spanish classical music. I have always loved the music of Granados and Albeniz and studied much of that music earlier on as well. Alicia's mastery of the piano allows her to convey every nuance that the composers include in their music. In her piano playing you can hear the sound of a flamenco guitarist or hear the rhythm of a flamenco dancer. The piano is a difficult instrument to make "sing" but she is able to do that with ease it seems. The melodies are plaintive and flowing with emotion and it is hard to believe that wooden keys and hammers hitting strings are making those melodies soar.

Another disc that I have listened to over and over as of late is Calgary bassist John Hyde's most recent CD. It is recorded with his trio called Manic Thematic, which includes guitarist Ralf Bushmeyer, and drummer Andy Ericson. They perform several of Ralf's pieces, one of John's and they also include one standard; Slow Boat To China. I think the writing and the arrangements are really hip and the trio play beautifully together. The melodies are very catchy and they remain in your head for a long time. There are some pieces that really cook and there are others that are absolutely mournful. Some of those tunes really affect me emotionally and I do love when that can happen as you listen to music. There are some notes that John plays high on the bass that almost seem to cry and the same can be said of some of Ralf's guitar melodies. When I hear certain sections of these tunes I actually feel terribly sad and find my breathing pattern change as I listen. I think it is amazing that music can be that powerful to affect your actual mindset. Nothing seems out of place and each tune leads logically to the next and holds your listening attention from beginning to end. I really love this new disc and each time I listen I hear new things that surprise me.

I am getting excited about some of my Christmas jazz gigs coming up. Of course I have my annual Christmas Jazz Vespers and that is always such a great pleasure to perform. I also have my performance with The Three Christmas Angels (ha!) at The Cellar. The Three Angels are Kate Hammett-Vaughan, Jennifer Scott and myself doing a night of Christmas music arranged in a jazz style. Most of these songs are performed in three-part harmony and we will also include some solo pieces as well. It's very exciting to share the stage with two of my favorite-singing friends. Both are hugely talented and both are really beautiful human beings as well so I am lucky to be in their company. We will be singing with a fantastic trio, which includes Tilden Webb on piano, Rene Worst on bass and Tom Foster on drums. This will be a fun gig!

Of course my There's A Song In The Air concert is coming up as well and it will be interesting to see how that goes in the ACT Theatre in Maple Ridge. I haven't performed in that theatre before but I have been told that the acoustics are very good so I look forward to experiencing that. Following on the heels of that concert will be….down time! Holiday! Yes I do love the notion of Christmas holidays. I hope to get together with friends that I haven't seen in a long while and to get out and be a tourist in my own city since I don't seem to do that enough. Finally I will have the time to do that.

As 2005 slowly draws to a close I have some thoughts about what has taken place in the past 12 months for me regarding my musical life. For the most part I know that I have had a good year and I have been blessed with several positive experiences, many which I have learned a great deal from. I have made music with some truly wonderful musicians and I have heard concerts and I have been inspired several times by artists that I have listened to and other artists that I have been able to study with as well. I have hopefully grown somewhat as a musician and will continue to grow and improve as I head into 2006. I know that there is more to life than music but for the most part music is what brings me my greatest joy and passion. I feel very lucky to be able to do what I love. Here's to music! What would I do without it? I cannot imagine it!

I hope that everyone has a Merry Christmas.

Peace…

Karin