Nanette Workman is not a born Quebecer. A fact which some people know … Nanette was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. She was inducted into The Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame in 2000. Not bad for a Quebecer … eh ? The now 70 year old singer / musician / composer and actress moved to Montreal with her Pop Idol … Continue reading Nanette Workman – ‘You Can Always Get What You Want ‘ …
Pianist Mike Jones has spent the past fifteen years playing magic. Sorta … Jones is the pianist for the Las Vegas magic act of acclaimed magicians Penn and Teller. A gig which Mike would not change for the world. Not only does he choose the music, Mike also enjoys a stationary existence. No ‘on the road’ gigs or – very few. Please listen below to … Continue reading Mike Jones – Penn and Teller’s Pianist Explains the ‘Magic’ Of His New Record
Sometimes we hear music composed by a name we do not know. That music is adored globally, wins awards and yet the composer goes relatively unnoticed in everyday life. Such is the case with Jimmy Van Heusen. Van Heusen was instrumental ( no pun intended) in the career of Frank Sinatra. Penning ( among other songs) ‘Come Fly with Me’, a huge success for Ol’ … Continue reading Singer and Pianist Daniela Schachter Suffers a ‘ Vanheusinism’ With Latest Record
Vocalist Scott Morgan did not start out that way. Or – perhaps he did … Starting with a background in musical theatre, interrupted by a corporate gig and interrupted once more by a social conscience, Morgan’s return to music is a long and winding one. Egged on by his partner ( musically and romantically) Fred Hersch, Scott’s debut CD is a journey through the past … Continue reading The ‘ Songs of Life ‘ As Told by Scott Morgan
A lot happened in music the past few days and a lot more will be happening! The ‘Hip’ and Gord Downie put on a show for the ages on Saturday evening before 11.7 million Canadians. To put that into perspective, that’s approximately 11.7 million more than Justin Bieber has of stable relationships. At least – some Canadians act Canadian ! Eh? What’s going on in … Continue reading In the Words of a Jealous Spouse; ‘ What’s Going On ‘ ?
What could possibly be be going through Gord Downie’s diseased head tonight as he prepares to take his final curtain call as the frontman for Canada in front of the ‘ home crowd’ ? Downie – and his band, The Tragically Hip, are closing out a career prematurely due to Downie’s incurable brain cancer. The show ( broadcast nationwide at 8:30pm est on CBC) will … Continue reading ‘Tragically’ … Hip. A Farewell to Gord Downie.
The Blues are a community … Following a brief hiatus – Trois Rivieres en Blues is back once more for it’s eight session in it’s current format. Local Montreal stars such as Angel Forrest, Pat Loiselle and Justin Saladino will grace the stages along with Trois Rivieres-boy-done-good; Mr. Steve Hill. Please listen below as the artistic director for the Festival … Continue reading Trois Rivieres En Blues – From Local Star Justin Saladino to Colin James and Steppenwolf, This Festival is a Must Hear !
Take Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground. Add Tom Waits. Add Gram Parsons. Mix ’em all together and you get … The Underground Divas. Singer / songwriter / multi – instrumentalist Rick Murrin is the mastermind behind The Underground Divas. A man with a vision and a man with soul. Please listen below to my chat with Rick and listen to some of the … Continue reading Rick Keene Music Scene – The UnderGround Divas ! Somewhere Gram Parsons is Smilin’ …
Martha and Lucy Wainright Roche are a lot of fun … Martha and her half-sister Lucy have written and performed with most of their family. Kate and Anna McGarrigle, the Roches, Victor – the list is long and musical. For reasons which are comically dark, Lucy and Martha collaborated on their first project ‘ Songs in the Dark’ in 2015. Fast forward to July 8th, 2016 au … Continue reading The Wainright Sisters; Laughing All the Way to The Jazz Festival !
Dawn Tyler Watson does not enjoy studio work. Preferring instead the spontaneity of live music. The feel. The energy of audience – singer interaction. Last night at L’Astral as part of The Montreal International Jazz Festival – Dawn displayed her true colors. On the heels of her magnificent album ‘JawBreaker ‘, Tyler-Watson was in the form of a much younger singer. ‘Shine On’ ( Jawbreaker) … Continue reading Dawn Tyler Watson – On Top of the World! Jazz Festival Review
To get an idea of what type of personality Andria Simone is – one does not have to look past the name of her band. ‘Those Guys’. The guys are – Mark Wilson on Bass, Brian Dihari on Sax, George Nikolov on drums and Dave Kirby on guitar. ‘Those Guys’ and Simone delivered a monstrous set of Soul, R&B, Blues and Rock n Roll to … Continue reading Andria Simone and Those Guys – Raising It Up a Notch. Jazz Festival Review
Susie Arioli ain’t new to these parts … From her humble beginnings jammin’ with The Stephen Barry Band to her meteoric rise with Jordan Officer, Susie has earned her place in Montrealers hearts. Susie took her ‘ new ‘ act to the stage of Club Soda Friday evening as part of The Montreal International Jazz Festival. New meaning – sans Officer et avec Jim Bland. … Continue reading Susie Arioli; Montreal’s ‘Dearest Darlin’. Jazz Festival Review
Rick Keene Music Scene 