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David Ian, Valentine’s Day, Prescott Records The music of the great American Songbook, when given a personal touch, never ceases to charm and delight. Toronto-born pianist David Ian has arranged these 11 pieces—classics of the standard repertoire, except for the gospel tune Sweet By and By—into smooth, easy listening yet spirited and […]
Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit to Israel and Jordan last month in which he reinforced Canada’s already strong support for the Jewish state got a mixed reaction in major Israeli and Canadian media. Bernie Farber, former CEO of the now-defunct Canadian Jewish Congress, wrote that Harper’s “giant hug of the […]
Yiddish, and the rich literary output of the last century in Montreal when the language thrived here, has a new and unlikely champion. Chantal Ringuet, raised in Quebec City’s Charlesbourg suburb, never heard a word of Yiddish in that almost exclusively French environment. At the Ursuline school and Collège St-Charles-Garnier, […]
Don’t postpone joy. That injunction is a guidepost for the partnership of violinist Luis Grinhauz and pianist Berta Rosenohl, in love and music and their life and work together. It is on the wall of their basement rehearsal space in their cozy Côte St. Luc townhouse, and it reflects the […]
Rafael & Energia Dominicana Enamorarse en la playa Vivo Musique We can’t all go south in the winter, so the next best thing for those of us stuck in El Norte is to feel the warmth, energy and love that permeates this wonderful album of Latin music. It is a […]
The election of Mindy Pollak to the Outremont borough council in November made headlines internationally because it was regarded as a first for a practicing Hasidic woman. Pollak, 25, is a trilingual (English, Yiddish, French) beautician and community activist, and a member of the Vishnitz Hasidic court. It is one […]
Gregory Baum, a leading and often controversial Catholic theologian, has added his voice to those who oppose the Parti Québécois government’s Charter of Quebec Values. But in so doing, the former priest cautions that it would be wrong to label as xenophobic all who support banning the wearing of conspicuous […]
Joking about politics can be a risky thing, as Montreal comic sensation Sugar Sammy recently discovered. Sammy—the stage name for Côte des Neiges-born Samir Khullar—caused a sensation when he posted side-by-side photos of Quebec Premier Pauline Marois and Toronto Mayor Rob Ford on his Facebook page. He asked, “Who would […]
When the kids leave home, it leaves a huge void for caring parents left behind. If around the same time one’s own parents are confronting life-threatening diseases, the stress can be dramatic. That is exactly the confluence that Minda Miloff faced as her three children were moving on and parents […]
Never trust anyone over 30, we were told in the forever-young 1960s. Now that the Baby Boomer generation is pushing into their late 60s and early 70s, a well-known futurologist took a look at where we are heading and came up with some fascinating conclusions. Richard Adler, a distinguished fellow […]
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