Pat Blythe – Here comes summer!!

March 30 was the last column I wrote for this site…..the “Canadian edition” and finale of my jazz series. It’s now been six week since DBAWIS was able to publish due to some serious computer issues. There’s a wee bit of catching up to do. Live music is happening again, the camera seems to have found its way back into my life, the whole England move has been sliding sideways, reviewing photographs (not just Chris’s, but mine too) has sent me down several rabbit holes, and life generally, has been pretty busy. So…..let me just dive right in.

GWNtertainment #44 by JAIMIE VERNON

The world was sent reeling March 25th, with the death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. He had become a seminal part of Dave Grohl’s self-declared rock and roll machine. At age 50, it was a shock to see a man so vibrant and on top of his game lose to what appears to have been a substance battle.

Pat Blythe – All That Jazz VII – The Canadian Connection

Jazz was birthed in the U.S. but it didn’t take long to head north to Canada. It was first introduced to Canadian audiences in 1914, when a New Orleans band The Original Creole Orchestra performed a matinee gig at the Pantages Playhouse Theatre in Winnipeg. The stop was part of their western Canada tour. The band of six musicians included one of jazz’s early masters, cornettist Freddie Keppard. Jazz pianist Jelly Roll Morton performed in Vancouver cabarets from 1919 to 1921. Canada and the U.S. share the longest land border in the world so it was no surprise Canada quickly became the first country outside the U.S. to cultivate its own jazz scene.  “In Canada, as elsewhere, musicians took to jazz and made it their own, although not before they’d had the benefit of good tutelage from touring U.S. musicians – mostly black – for whom “Canadian time,” as they called touring north of the border, was a relief from the constant racism of the U.S. and a new, quite profitable source of revenue.” – Quill & Quire

Gary Pig Gold has EIGHT QUESTIONS for BIG BOY PETE

Allow me to quote, word-for-most-accurate-indeed-word the shrinkwrapped stickerhype affixed to Mono-Tone Records’ The Cosmic Genius of Big Boy Pete 1965-1977, the very first of two (so far!) volumes of audio esoterica culled from the great man’s already voluminous discography:

Like an English Kim Fowley produced by Joe Meek or a one man Barrett era Pink Floyd, Big Boy Pete is the unsung hero of the sixties! This first ever vinyl compilation features his best 60s stuff on one side and seven unreleased gems from the 70s on the other – ranging from wild and fuzzy garage to psych pop and freaky country-rock!

What more could ever I hope to add to that?? So instead then, Let’s let the Big Boy speak for himself:

Chef Tom – Whiskey-A-Go-Go

The word “whiskey” comes from the Gaelic uisge, a shortened version of uisge beatha meaning “water of life,” also known as aqua vitae in Latin. 

Whiskey was originally used as a medicine, both as an internal anesthetic and an external antibiotic.

There is no wrong way to drink whiskey. The higher-end whiskeys (e.g., really old scotch and specialty bourbons) are often enjoyed straight. Some people like their whiskey on the rocks while others add a splash of water. This can open up the aromas and flavors, particularly of high-proof whiskeys. A shot of whiskey is popular and it’s often mixed into shooter recipes.

Pat Bythe – All That Jazz Part VI

This is going to be a long one…….

For the early students of jazz, there were no books or educational courses. The best a young musician had was listening to the music live, following by recordings. You couldn’t take a live performance home, and recordings could be scarce, or simply out of reach financially. As jazz grew in popularity throughout the decades, more and more recordings made this rapidly changing genre more available and attainable.

GWNtertainment #43 by JAIMIE VERNON

Aside from many, many tour announcements for most of Canada’s working musicians, it’s been a quiet week for new Canadian music releases. Many artists were ensconced in the revived annual music showcase SXSW in Austin, Texas, while others were already on the road putting music back on stage nationally. This is good news. We encourage people to support our working musicians and live venues with care and caution as mandates continue to be lifted. If everyone does their part the live music industry will continue to grow and prosper back to its pre-2020 levels.

Chef Tom – Salad Days

One of my favorite all-American treats, and one that’s starting to gain popularity after having fallen out of favor for a few decades.

Iceberg lettuce (aka crisp lettuce) got its name from the method of transportation, once the cross-country train system was created. Before refrigerated train cars, they would pile crushed ice on top of the pallets of lettuce (at the time, the number one vegetable in the US). The heads would peak out from below the ice and look like icebergs.

Pat Blythe – All That Jazz – Part V

I’m going to start with a quote from Encyclopedia Britannica. “Most early classical composers (such as Aaron Copland, John Alden Carpenter—and even Igor Stravinsky, who became smitten with jazz) were drawn to its (jazzes) instrumental sounds and timbres, the unusual effects and inflections of jazz playing (brass mutes, glissandos, scoops, bends, and stringless ensembles), and its syncopations, completely ignoring, or at least under appreciating, the extemporized aspects of jazz. Indeed, the sounds that jazz musicians make on their instruments—the way they attack, inflect, release, embellish, and colour notes—characterize jazz playing to such an extent that if a classical piece were played by jazz musicians in their idiomatic phrasings, it would in all likelihood be called jazz.

GWNtertainment #42 by JAIMIE VERNON

Kiss me, I’m Irish. Somewhere in the deep recesses of my family tree my great, great grandparents came from hearty Irish stock and were driven to Canada during the roiling industrial transition between the 19th and 20th century in search of a more prosperous life. I have no way of knowing whether they did, but their progeny and the lineage that came after them  – including myself – thank them as we are most likely living out the lives they could have only dreamed of. But deep in our DNA we displaced Irish here in North America are still drawn to the Emerald Isle. Visiting there is on  my bucket list.