The Piano In B & W

The Music Room

The Baldwin

.....from somewhere else
above and below............

where practice and passion live, where love of piano is visually portrayed and where words are never necessary.

meaning is seen, heard.

The Boombox Project

The Boombox Project

by Lyle Owerko

"generate heat, friction and dialogue"

"We're becoming much more consumers and much less creators"

celebrating human life...a celebratory device

artistic metaphor and a cultural metaphor

Check out Lyle Owerko's photography HERE. You'll be glad you did!

Experience Blue!

A night under a sky so blue,
so blue, so blue.

The music, the setting, the emotion....all for a very worthy cause.

I should have blogged about this a couple of months ago, but just came across some of the opening music to this spectacular fundraiser that took place back in October of 2011. It was the major Bell fundraiser for CAMH called "One Night Under A Blue Sky"

You must listen to "MIRROR MASK" by Composer/Producer Robert Marchand (Bobbyfreeze). It was one of the 'opening pieces' for the gala. I would also like to acknowledge that this amazing night was produced by Montreal's Circo de Bakuza under the guidance of Vincent Drolet. Art direction by the very talented Tony Babinski.

As you stare at the top photo and play the music, it will give you a good feeling of what being there was like. Can you imagine? What an incredible audio/visual experience that elevates to a whole new level of performance.

As part of a company group whose a major Bell Canada partner, a friend was invited to this 'blue' gala and said it was most interesting and definitely worthwhile.

You may wonder what it was all about? "One Night Under A Blue Sky" was a big time corporate fundraiser run by Bell for CAMH - Centre for Addiction and Mental Health - and aside from the financial support, the event goes a long way to raising awareness and the understanding of mental health issues. We've become so enamored with our always-on, hyperconnected lifestyles, it's sometimes easy to forget that we're humans and not machines. If you don't think this takes a toll on mental health, I'd say you need a reality check.

From what I've heard the entertainment was a cut or two above Medievel Times. They had two world class troupes, along with several performers covering a variety of expressive modes. Let's just say it was a heady mix of highbrow cabaret, precision dance, performance art, world music and Cirque du Soleil; along with lots of haute coutere, fire, fog and water. See that piano? It was on WATER! The entertainment went beyond description and those in attendance were oooh and awwwed by spectacular music and performance artists.



Congratulations to Bell for getting so much support around such an important issue. If you're looking to take your next big party to the next level and want to add a little spark, you should probably get in touch with Freedom Ballet, Robert Marchand and La Salamandre. Just make sure you give them lots of space and don't leave anything around that easily catches fire. Anyhow, just for a taste, here's a bit of what they had going on - are you thinking Peter Gabriel?




**Photo's were taken by a guest with an iphone. I enhanced them in Picasa.

*** Tony Babinski is a Montreal based writer, creator and filmaker. He has worked with SID LEE since 2000 and is author of Cirque Du Soleil:20 Years Under The Sun, the authorized history of Cirque Du Soleil. Check out Tony Babinski's blog HERE.

***CIRCO DE BAKUZA is a creative agency specializing in events, branding and experiential marketing.We define our work as telling stories and starting conversations. Our creative and strategic services are designed to create universes, create conversation and create ambassadors.

Music Progression Into Rock

To demonstrate music progression into a complex rock song I've chosen our own Canadian Sarah McLachlan's "Building A Mystery."

Progression into a complex rock song

Repetition, some musicologists tell us, lies at the heart of rock music. To prove this, they not only point at the rhythms, but also at the harmonic structures of rock music. Indeed, in many rock songs almost identical patterns of chord material recur over and over again. Sometimes even a whole song is built on the repeated sequence of just the same few chords. Sarah McLachlan's beautiful song "Building A Mystery" offers a perfect example of precisely such a song. It is based on the chord progression: Bm -» G -» D -» A. Almost instantly the song opens with this sequence and then it keeps going on till the end. Still, as a whole the song doesn't sound monotonous or boring. Not without reason: a swift modulation or key shift keeps changing the semantic meaning of the chords.

For the chords of the song, check HERE.
* Caution: Video contains language.

VINCENT

A little something for you this Monday morning.



Woke up this morning listening to this. As beautiful as his paintings are, there is a sadness surrounding them when you realize his troubled mind. The mind of an artist can be exceptionally complex and understanding this takes someone just as special - one who shares the same depth with soft understanding.



Do you have a favorite Van Gogh painting? Which one?

Art of Listening To The Moment

A child prodigy in her youth and a competition-winning virtuoso by her late teens, cellist Anne Gastinel has gone on to handsomely fulfill all the promise augured by such auspicious beginnings. She has appeared on French television, received countless awards, made over a dozen recordings, and given concerts at the major venues throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, often with the leading conductors and orchestras. In addition, despite her busy concert and recording schedules, Gastinel has served on the faculty of the Lyon Conservatory as professor of cello. Her repertory is broad, spanning Baroque and modern music, taking in solo, chamber, and concertante works by J.S. Bach, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Dvorák, Elgar, Bloch, Rachmaninov, and contemporary French composer Éric Tanguy.

When I hear Anne play, I wish I played cello, but I play piano.
When I hear Anne speak, I wish I spoke French, but I speak English & Italian.
She is an inspiring musical gift to all of us so maybe it's time for language and music lessons once again!

Wishing all a fantastic day and hope you enjoy listening to Anne Gastinel as much as I am this moment!

Photo of Anne Gastinel : HERE

"Overcast Day of Deep Shadows"

In the deepest shadows of this rainy November day

with secret steps we walk

_ silent as night, eluding all watchers.

November sky, but in this dreary darkness,  a ray of light beaming

from within the soul

for spirits soar this day

Francesca