The Chopin Program includes: Ballad in G minor Opus 23 • Fantasie-lmpromptu Opus 66 Nocturnes Op. 9 No. 2 & Op. 55 No. 1 (with and without a string quartet) Waltzes Opus 64 No. 1, Opus 69 No. 1 & 2 • Improvisation Polonaise Opus 40 No.1 Military • Mazurka Opus 6 No.1 Etude KK II b/3 No. 1 in F minor • Prelude No. 4, 7, 20 Tickets - Call Ticketmaster 416.870.8000 or 416.250.3708 For Promo Video: www.nivmusic.com anyway, he is a gypsy. For this, his fifth CD, Mr. Cook packed up his laptop and guitar and left Toronto to go to where the sounds he was looking for reside. Recording in Cairo, London, Madrid, Los Angeles and even Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, he has captured some exceptional performances, especially from the singers. Legendary Brazilian American Flora Purim, Flamenca cantra Montse Cortes and Egyptian Canadian Maryem Tollar, all lend their beauty to these songs. In addition there are collaborations with the Afrocelts and musicians from the BoDeans. But his stalwart Toronto backing musicians - Art Avalos on percussion, Collin Barrett on bass, Chris Church on violins - all lend a strong presence, too. With more vocal tracks than usual Nomad is a bit of a departure for Mr. Cook, but his trademark sound - complete with jaw-droppingly fast fills and melodic runs - make this a familiar and solid musical journey well worth your listening time. Cathy Riches Blue Muse Kenny Burrell Concord Records CCD-2191-2 In a Mellow Tone Howard Alden and Bucky Pizzarelli Concord Jazz CCD-2207-2 Concord Records has always been an extremely guitar-friendly company. In fact Concord's first albums were nearly all by guitar players. It was quite some time before a wider spectrum of instrumentalists began appearing on the label. The company's present owners continue to record guitarists whose music spans a wide range of mainstream jazz. Kenny Burrell, a veteran of the post-bebop style favoured by the jazz artists who moved to New York City from Detroit in the early and mid-1950s, is well showcased on Blue Muse. Recorded last December, the leader is heard on acoustic and electric guitars together with pianist Tom Ranier, bassist Roberto Miranda and drummer Sherman Ferguson. Pianist Gerald Wiggins is added on two tracks and reedman Herman Riley on five. In addition to four Burrell originals there are pieces by Ellington, Miles Davis, Kirk Lightsey, Herman Riley, Kenny Dorham, and Thelonious Monk. Burrell is a master guitarist whose warm, understated playing is always imbued with a strong blues feeling. His very personal sound has been captured to perfection here. Burrell also sings on four selections. His vocals may be something of an acquired taste but they're certainly not objectionable. Overall a fine example of Kenny Burrell's singular artistry. The Howard Alden/Bucky Pizzarelli set, recorded in September of 2000, pairs guitarists from two generations. Pizzarelli was 74 at the time and Alden 42. Strongly influenced by the legendary sevenstring acoustic guitarist George Van Eps, both Alden and Pizzarelli play that instrument here. The extra string allows each man to play a bass line for the other. The program opens with a cooking In a Mellow Tone and closes with an attractive blues original the two men wrote for the soundtrack of Woody Allen's Sweet and Lowdown. The highlights, too numerous to describe in any detail, include an unusually brisk treatment of Claude Thornhill's Snowfall, some wonderful interplay on Tangerine and Three Little Words and three superb solo performances - Alden's on I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles and Bix Beiderbecke's In the Dark, and Pizzarelli's on The Very Thought of You. Then there's the brilliant Jitterbug Waltz. Here the two guitarists truly capture the mischievous spirit of composer Fats Waller. Highly recommended. Don Brown O ctober 1 - November 7 2003
Daigle. An extraordinary journey from darkness into light! /l//~~ MDRll L EWIS: ARTISTIC DIRECTOR R ifYAL WINN IP E G BAL LET 0 A CO-PRODUCTI ON WITH THE NATIONAL ARTS CEN T R E CENTRE NATIONAL DRS ARTS SPONSORED BY Tickets at Ticketmaster (416) 872- 1111 or ticketmaster.ca / TORONTO CENTRE FDR TH E ARTS 5040 Yonge St. I mare magic at www.rwb.org CLA SS ICA!:)if~J7?l, M aking life sound 1¥t°cr. • THE GLOBE AND MAIL , .•• •• ,,.,,, .. ,,, ,,.,,,,,, •6•·""'"''''
