After Hours OCAD!
Black is the Colour, Trad
I finally had a chance to test the acoustics beneath the massive ‘floating box’ of Toronto’s Ontario College of Art & Design despite it being after hours…
With the area deserted, and just an occasional passerby in the distance, I felt a little exposed as I set up to record; however the soothing strains of Black is the Colour (of
Telekinesis
Telekinesis
As mentioned in a previous post, I stumbled upon musicians warming up for some west coast band at the Horseshoe the other night as I made my way back from R. Murray Schafer’s Children’s Crusade opera. Oh, that’s kinda appropriate, dontcha think: a band called An Horse at the Horseshoe?! The sign out front of the ‘Shoe announced some main act Telekinesis. The name sounded
Sanctuary of Sound
Evans, Thoronet
With so many incredible church spaces in Toronto, there was only one place I could think of that would really work for this wonderfully meditative and reflective piece, and last Friday I had my chance…
Venturing into this hidden, abandoned site up in Toronto’s Overlea neighbourhood, I figured that the chances of running into some graffiti artists late in the day on a sunny Friday afternoon were
High-Rise Jam Session!
High-Rise Recital
Biking across town to catch the penultimate performance of Schafer’s The Children’s Crusade, I didn’t have much time to spare. I had hardly gone two blocks, however, when I heard what I thought to be some kind of noisy, musical protest at the Chinese Embassy on St. George Street, which struck me as odd given that the ever-present Felun-Gong gang is usually notably subdued.
Glancing south, I
Bach Invention
Hydraulophone Improv
OMG!! Check out this wonderful YouTube of the music of Bach being played on the Mega-Hydraulophone located at Toronto’s Ontario Science Centre! Bach is reputed to have loved hearing his music played on different instruments, so I’m sure he would have been blown away by this! I had absolutely no idea how fantastic this outdoor, stainless steel beauty of an instrument actually
Aqua-Flute, My Friend!
Hatikvah
Yes, that’s Aqua-Flute, not Aqua-Lung, you Jethro Tull fans! This is a tale that I’ve been wanting to get out for some time, especially since reconnecting with Steve Mann, the inventor of the Hydraulophone, or Aqua-flute as I affectionately call it. Not just a unique solo instrument, here you have a chance to discover - as I did - just how wonderful it can sound
Sound Check
King Eddy Improv
After having slipped into the darkened space, here is the sound of my set-up and a warm-up improv to sound the awe-inspiring resonance of the space . The acoustics were superb, and somehow magically enhanced by the incredible lighting! Thank you to those of you who attended my first-ever ‘Phantom Concert’ in the haunted ballroom of the King Edward Hotel…you know who you are!
King Eddy Sarabande
Bach, Partita in a-, 3rd Mvt
Here is the evocative slow movement from Bach’s Partita in a-, the splendid and brooding Sarabande. I can think of no better setting for this section of Bach’s work for solo flute than in this empty ballroom, as the full moon hovered in view, its reflected light shimmering in the waters of Lake Ontario just beyond the reach of the Toronto Islands.
Silvery moonlight, quicksilver
Phantom Concert
Bach Partita, 2nd Mvt
After the success of my first ‘Phantom Full Moon Concert’, feel free to drop by the abandoned ballroom atop the King Edward Hotel on June 7th between 10 and 10:30 p.m. More detailed directions to the concert venue and how to infiltrate this hallowed space will follow closer to the date.
Rare Group of Seven Exhibition
Muir, The Maple Leaf Forever
Admittedly I have been recording in some fairly run-down and decrepit buildings; however a passion burns deep within me for seeking out culturally vibrant, historically significant architectural spaces. The Arts & Letters Club of Toronto on Elm Street, just around the corner from the modern monstrosity that is the new Dundas Square, is just such a location . Be prepared
Back in the Slammer!
Atrium Improv
Well I’ve gotten busted playing my flute in public spaces in the name of Art and fab acoustics, but no, I’m still without a criminal record…so far! The resident ghost is sometimes seen in this lofted central atrium of Toronto’s historic Don Jail, and here is a little ditty to let her know that everything’s okay!
Native Yorkville
(Untitled Improv, Native Flute)
Happy Victoria Day, Canadian readers! Here’s some North American First Nations’ Flute for you - this cedar flute was brought back by a student from New York City a few years ago, and its voice is subtle yet deceptively powerful. While developers and local Residents Associations squabble over land use and heritage issues in the Yorkville area, like kids fighting over