September…..the beginning of my favourite time of year. There’s something so crisp and refreshing…..a newness spring doesn’t possess. New jobs, new schools, new grades, new homes, new lives…..September to me has always meant “beginning”. Maybe because it’s the month of my birth, or maybe it’s all the fall colours and brightness of the air, but I always feel inspired and invigorated in the comfortable cool months of fall. Of course, all things pumpkin spice doesn’t hurt either!
Continue readingI could continue with the “cymbal saga”, but I think I’ll take a different tact this week….it’s all about the music. Summer is in full swing and coming alive with concerts, both public and private, on both sides of the border. In person or in car, people are attending in droves, almost desperate to see and hear their favourite bands and artists….live and alive. The camaraderie, the faces (both on and off stage), the laughter, the joy, the amps, the earplugs, the dancing, the oxytocin from the many hugs, all those endorphins coming alive, even mic or guitar feedback sounds good these days…..it’s literally impossible to replace any of this over the internet. We all need each other and the “in person” interaction and touch it provides.
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It’s a glorious fall day today (Tuesday), and my walk in the sunshine was equally wonderful. I needed it, not just to clear my head, but to rid myself of the crushing guilt of thoroughly enjoying a piece each of apple and pumpkin pie this morning. Open the fridge and there they are, staring me in the face, gently calling (nope screaming) my name. So coffee and pie it is for breakfast! C’est la vie as they say.
We here at “Don’t Believe A Word I Say ” are taking a few weeks off (August 10th thru September 10th). This column will therefore be very much abbreviated.
In the future, I will continue to write about important issues such as gay rights, the right of everyone to have a decent living, access to education, universal health care and the right to have a dignified retirement after slaving their lives away selling their soul “to the man”.
I am completely, unequivocally lost in the world and the power of jazz.
Call it a little pre-spring cleaning but tidying up I found, tucked away in among my vast collection of British history books, (okay, one large floor to ceiling bookcase) was this wonderful coffee-table book on jazz. Unfortunately I cannot remember who gifted me this gem but I thank you. Photographed by the late Toronto-based photographer John Reeves, Gene Lees Jazz Lives encompasses 100 portraits of jazz musicians from around the world. The forward is a brief but concise history of jazz. The following pages are gorgeous portraits of the individual artists and a short history of each.
I want to thank everyone who responded to last week’s column. Mary was very dear to me, and it was so nice seeing your responses. Many familiar names, (even if the pictures appear different from my memories 😉 .) Naturally, I later found a picture of her and Brian and l, posted it and again, so nice to see your reactions.
Mental health.
Did that grab your attention? It’s been on my mind and in my social media feeds in one form or another lately. There’s been so much hullaballoo from endless voices (not the ones in my head) and sources including the yearly Bell “Let’s Talk” campaign, personal stories and “helpful” advice on FB to the multiple daily postings from #soul, etc. on Instagram. I’m seeing “regular” ads and click-bate that offer instant help, healing and gratification (whatever the hell that is).
Music is omnipresent in our world, and sadly, it is far too tempting to judge the current level of musical proficiency by what gets rammed down our throats on a regular basis. Mainstream radio, the media, even commercials, these all purport to “spread the gospel” of contemporary music to the uninitiated, or at least, to those who want others to do their thinking for them and to dictate their taste.
Music festival season is upon us. CMW (Canadian Music Week) is usually first out of the starting gate. This year FCLMA was ahead of the game so for me, one segues right into the other. I’ll also be heading to Mariposa in July and Summerfolk in August. With a myriad of music shows and festival in between it’s going to be a busy summer for many and one that will pass by far too rapidly.
This week’s column is going to be a little unusual, in that I will not be sharing any music. I suggest that you go through some older columns of mine or Pat Blythe’s or Frank Gutch Jr, for example, and you will find great music to listen to. There is a lot of amazing music being made all the time, and it’s not on mainstream radio. That doesn’t mean that it’s not worth seeking out and listening to! Check out “Ivory Hours” or “James Blonde” or “Vajra” or “Hotel Mira” or “Jailbirds”, to name just a few!(Your ears will thank you.)
Bullseye Records of Canada
Segarini: Don't Believe a Word I Say 