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Normally placid Victoriaville becomes a musical Mecca May 16, as musicians and fans from across North America gather for the 29th edition of the Festival International de Musique Actuelle. With 20 concerts over four days, it offers a panorama of musical territories and sonorities, expanding the possibilities of organized and improvised [...]
In the pantheon of musicians who emerged in the late 1950s and 1960s during the folk revival, holding a prominent place alongside Bob and Joan and Joni is clear-as-honey voiced Judy Blue Eyes. Listening again to the five LPs she recorded during that era, I was transfixed by Collins and [...]
Two very important things happen each May: Mother’s Day (May 12) and International Workers’ Day (May 1). While labour activism has always been a monumental part of Quebec life, in the 1960s women burst onto the scene by forming groups that raised awareness of women’s issues and led to demands [...]
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 [...]
Since Chubby Checker’s performances of Hank Ballard’s The Twist ignited the dance floor in the early ’60s on American Bandstand, the artist, the song and the dance are still with us, compelling us to move. And no one can do The Twist without a big smile on their face, no [...]
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 [...]
In her youth, Janina Fialkowska’s name was associated with Chopin, since the renowned pianist Arthur Rubinstein had taken her under his wing and pronounced her “a born interpreter” of the great Polish composer. Her name became synonymous with courage, as she conquered cancer that threatened in mid-career to destroy her [...]
by Kristine Berey When a loved one is stricken with Alzheimer’s disease, it is hard to feel hopeful and not let the sense of loss take over. In her coming lecture See Me, Hear Me and Listen at the Alzheimer Groupe’s Education Conference, gerontologist Pamela Atwood will describe techniques that [...]
Iconic performer Harry Belafonte, the king of Calypso, will be honoured by the 8th Montreal International Black Film Festival held September 19-30. The 85-year-old singer, songwriter, actor and social activist will be presented with the 2012 Humanitarian Award on September 19, at the Opening Ceremony and Tribute to Harry Belafonte, [...]
BY IRWIN BLOCK Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary, a charter member of the 1960s folk music revival, is alive and well and doing what he has always done—singing about struggles past and campaigning for the underdog today. For about 200 fans who packed his concert at the Georges [...]
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