October has been busy with lots of live music concerts! These were my favourite three --
P. J. Perry Quintet
Edmonton's Sunday afternoon concert series Jazz & Reflections had a fine autumn lineup, including Canadian jazz icon P. J. Perry. I've been a fan of his for years and have several of his albums, so his concert was a real treat to attend! P. J. Perry is actually the person who created the Jazz & Reflections series 30 years ago. We are so lucky that he lives here in Edmonton!
[Photo credit: Ian Kucerak /Postmedia]
Vertex String Quartet
The highlight of Vertex's excellent fall concert was the premiere of Edmonton composer Conrad Sobieraj's String Quartet No. 3 "Mizeria." As stated in the program notes, "This piece is a reflection of adulthood, the isolation of independence, the weight of the past, and the morbid death and decay of the inner child." In other words, it is all about the turbulent and emotional journey of surviving our 20s, full of Sturm und Drang.
Connie Kaldor
I last saw this Canadian folksinging legend of the prairies in concert 30 years ago in Winnipeg. I was a big fan of her feminist singer-songwriter style. I'm pleased to learn that, at 72 years of age, she still has her powerhouse voice and soaring vocals! She's touring this fall with her new album Wide Open Spaces, on which this song "Hitched Together" is featured. It was a fun concert and a good time!
These are fantastic!!!
ReplyDeleteConnie Kaldor is wonderful. What a voice. What a presence. The song is a heartbreaking/heartwarming dose of reality.
ReplyDeleteA trio of musical bright spots!
ReplyDeleteQuite an eclectic mix of music here. I love live shows and it seems like you have no shortage of talent to choose from.
ReplyDeleteThey all sound good. I should email my blog reader who plays cello with the Philly Orchestra to see the bit about Vertex Quartet. Of course, he probably already knows of them.
ReplyDeleteQuite an eclectic set; love it and love the idea of a Cellobration.
ReplyDeleteThat wonderful cacophony of sound.
ReplyDeleteWhat a busy musical month!
ReplyDeleteJazz is on of my music genre 👏
ReplyDeleteYou were lucy with the great music🎶
I love "Wood River" by Connie Kaldor.
ReplyDelete@ Pixie -- Me too! One of my faves!
DeleteCellobration sounds rather deathly!
ReplyDeleteUsed to go to those types of concerts quite a bit when the wife worked for a music school....
ReplyDeleteOhhhh
ReplyDeleteI have to say that Connie is fab!
Love that voice!
XOXO
Just not a fan of jazz. Rock and roll, R&B, the Blues. And oh, yeah, I love violins. Sometimes wish I could play the violin.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard Connie Kaldor in years.
ReplyDeleteOh, Debra, these are wonderful 😍 ❤️ 💖
ReplyDeleteConnie Kaldor is wonderful! Thank you for the introduction.
ReplyDeleteI grew up hearing jazz as my dad would play Dave Brubeck on the 'hifi'. I didn't think I was highbrow enough to like it until a friend took me to hear some live in Portland. Whole new world!
You've had a front-row seat to some world-class music this month, Debra!
ReplyDeleteFrom jazz royalty with P.J. Perry to the dramatic Sturm und Drang of Vertex Quartet's premiere, what a treat. And thirty years between Connie Kaldor concerts makes her soaring performance all the sweeter—she truly is a prairie treasure.
Sounds like October went out on a glorious high note!
Edmonton impresses me more and more! What a great collection of live performance musicians to enjoy, Debra!
ReplyDelete@ Fundy Blue -- Yes, Edmonton is a happenin' place! We're no longer "the boiler room of Canada" as Mordecai Richler called us in the 1980s, lol.
DeleteMore 70somethings on tour, I say.
ReplyDelete@ DB Stewart -- I don't know how they do it. I haven't even reached the Big Seven Oh yet and I wouldn't be capable of that energy level!
DeleteI'm a sucker for a good yodel. Connie Kaldor is very good.
ReplyDeleteThat was lovely to listen to, thank you.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great song! And what a great la-a-dy singing it! Thank you for introducing me to Connie Kaldor.
ReplyDeleteYou are so lucky to have live music available. I'd have to drive to Granada, which is too far to do in one evening.
I need to go to more concerts.
ReplyDeleteIt's been ages since I listened to live Jazz. Lucky you!
ReplyDeleteYou know, it’s a long time since we took in a live performance, and we used to have tickets to the local opera company and KW Symphony Orchestra. I guess the enforced distancing from other people during COVID has lingered in the form of avoidance of large gatherings of people.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun month you've had. I like going out for live music, but I also like living in the boonies so listening to the birds is my live music. I think the string quartet sounds amazing. My mother played the violin and I have hers, but I can't make anything but squeeks on it. :)
ReplyDelete