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Having attended hundreds of concerts at the Montreal International Jazz Festival over more than 30 years, I am happy to share my picks for the best of the fest. Non-jazz players performing at the festival do not qualify for this list. JUNE 28 Legendary saxophonist Charles Lloyd, in the first [...]
The music industry may be in crisis, but that hasn’t stopped truly great CDs from being produced, in particular by local and Canadian artists. Three of the best I’ve heard recently: Matt Herskowitz, Upstairs (Justin Time) Pianist Matt Herskowitz—born in Albany, N.Y., a graduate of the Juilliard School in New York [...]
Montreal’s Folk Fest on the Canal—newest kid on the spring festival block—is back with an exciting program well worth checking out June 12-15. Much of it is free and outdoors. If the weather cooperates, it’s a winner. Last summer, we dropped by and came away with a happy buzz, thanks [...]
Having covered all 22 previous incarnations of the Fringe, I have a good feeling of what rough beasts may appeal. (These do not include dance or French films, as I am not qualified to judge those categories.) Most shows are about 60 minutes long. Most tickets are $10 plus $2 [...]
Musical gems culled from three centuries played in small-group formations by top-tier performers—that and some first-class jazz is in the cards during the month-long Montreal Chamber Music Festival that gets underway this month. Talking about it with festival founder, cellist Dennis Brott, I returned in my mind to the marvelous [...]
Throughout Israel’s embattled history, it has been a badge of honour to serve in the country’s armed forces. For obvious reasons, public expressions of conscientious objections, draft dodging or anti-war sentiments have been virtually non-existent. While objections to the draft remain relatively marginal, there has been a change among Israeli [...]
David Sherman – journalist, editor, playwright and singer-songwriter – is presenting his latest work, a musical titled Lost & Found, with fellow musician Nancy Lee. Its subtitle – a story of love, loss, life and lunacy – reflects Sherman’s travels of the mind and heart. It is directed by Guy [...]
In early March, publisher Barbara Moser and editor Hayley Juhl visited Jukebox Burgers in Marché de l’Ouest. These are their stories. Barbara Moser I love those “create your own hamburger restos” in L.A. and New York, the ones that include veggie burgers as choices, so it was with a deliberately [...]
North American Jazz Alliance; The Montreal Sessions (Challenge Records) The accordion never threatened the dominant place of the saxophone, trumpet or piano in jazz combos, but virtuoso Art Van Damme (1920-2010) was the instrument’s leading exponent. In the 1960s and 1970s, he created a unique group sound in combining his [...]
Your mother scared the daylights out of you last week. She said she was going for a quick walk but when she didn’t return three hours later, you went looking for her. You were frantic, she was confused, you were embarrassed. She has early-stage Alzheimer’s and you’re trying to cope [...]
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