How about a Hockey Night in Canada theme composed by a Chinese-African-Canadian jazz musician?


D.D. Jackson is one of Canada's prolific jazz musicians and composers.  He composed the jazz opera Québecité with author George Elliot Clarke - which incorporated the themes of diversity, multiculturalism, racial and religious intolerance

Here is a message from D.D. Jackson with a link to his music/video new theme for "Hockey Night in Canada."

Ron MacLeod is former Chair of the SFU Scottish Studies program.  He sends out regular reports about Scottish-Canadian culture and news in the Vancouver area.  Simon Fraser University Pipe Band first won the world Grade 1 title on Glasgow Green back in 1995. The band repeated in 1996, 1999, 2001, and now for 2008.

- photo from http://www.sfupipeband.com/

Harry Aoki is a musical legend.  He has a strong vision about music, and how it crosses boundaries and builds bridges to help enrich both culture and society, as well as personal lives.

Harry Aoki stands beside his musical friend Themba Tana and holds his special gift from the evening, a yellow cedar paddle carved by Chief Cedric Billy, mast carver of the Squamish Nation.  Harry has a long time respect for First Nations heritage.  - photo Todd Wong

Last Sunday's Harry Aoki Tribute concert July 20th, at the Firehall Arts Centre not only highlighted Harry's musical legacy through a wonderful multicultural music event, but it also established the Aoki Legacy Fund for St. John's College, UBC.  Here's the program write-up for The Aoki Legacy Fund:


The musical program featured many musicians and friends, with some such as mezzo-soprano Liya Ahmad flying in from Edmonton, and pipa player Xiao Yu flying in from Florida to perform.  Long time Aoki supporter Cath Bray flew in from Nova Scotia.  There was also a very special surprise appearance from Harry's brother Ted Aoki, who arrived from Edmonton.

Harry Aoki was featured at this year's Vancouver International Jazz Festival, participating in the JazzStreet presentations at the Vancouver Public Library on June 10th.  Another highlight for Harry this year was performing "Star Dust" on his harmonica with the Dal Richards big band at the Britannia  High School Reunion in May 2008.

Harry Aoki performed at the first public open house event at Historic Joy Kogawa House in September 2006.  Harry had been a big supporter of the "Save Kogawa House campaign," . - photo Deb Martin

I have known Harry since 2002, and he gladly performed at some of our awareness-raising or fund-raising events for Joy Kogawa House, as well as attended our literary events.  It was a real honour to participate in the Harry Aoki Tribute concert with so many wonderful musicians such as CBC radio journalist Margaret Gallagher, oboeist Janine Oye, drummers Thema Tana and Albert St. Albert, pianist Alison Nishihara, cellis Kira Van Deusen, and shakuhachi player Al Ramos.

Harry has been producing an event held at the National Nikkei Museum and Heritage Centre, called First Friday Forum.  He brings together musicians and stories and songs from ethnically diverse cultures, and demonstrates the links between them. 

The first half of the tribute concert started off with emulating the format of these forums,  by inviting all the performers on stage to perform a musical soundscape.  Themba Tana and Albert St. Albert played percussion to start a musical journey around the world, that represented music and stories from the world's 5 major continents.  Margaret Gallagher followed by singing the celtic song  "Danny Boy", followed by an Indonesian song titled "Putri Gunung" accompanied by Sutrisno Hartano who played an Indonesian gamelan instrument.

"Moo Li Hua" is a traditional chinese song known as "Jasmine Flower", was played by clarinetist Janine Oye and accordionist Todd Wong.  I had a lot of fun practicing this traditional song with Janine, as we played it first by alternating 8 bars of music, then by playing a musical game of tag, as Janine followed my playing, two bars behind me to create "a round."

Highlights of the event included:
A reading of "My Enemy" by Duncan Shields in English, and Chigusa Sherry Barnes in Japanese, while Janine Oye and FFF Friends accompanied them performing a Harry Aoki composition "Yoko's Theme."

"Bachianas Brasilieras" sung by mezzo-soprano Aliya Ahmad with Kira Van Deusen on cello and Alison Nishihara on piano.

Todd Wong plays "Dark Eyes" - photo Deb Martin

"Harry loves Romanian and gypsy music," I told the audience.  I once asked him if he could attend a concert with me, and he told me "No... I have to go on a cruise, with Gypsy musicians."  For Harry I played the traditional song "Dark Eyes."

Co-MC Jan Walls recited the words to the Hoagy Carmichael song "Star Dust," as Harry went to pick up his harmonica and returned to centre stage.  Ken Keneda accompanied Harry on piano, as Harry performed a very touching harmonica solo of  "Star Dust" - one of Harry's favorite songs.  You can hear a You Tube performance of Harry playing "Star Dust" at the 2007 Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner, accompanied by Jaye Krebs on piano.
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/gung-haggis-fat-choy-207-harry-aoki-stardust/2045846013

It is hard not to have met Harry, and been touched both musically and personally by him.  I think of Harry as a courageous man, who at age 21 left Vancouver in 1942 on his own, to avoid being forcibly sent to the  Japanese-Canadian internment camps during WW2.  He couldn't take his violin with him, but he took his harmonica.  Harry knows that he can reach people through music, and his life has become a tribute to end racism through musicians playing together, and people learning about intercultural cross-boundary similarities of the world's musical cultures.

- photo Todd Wong

Janine Oye, Harry Aoki, Chigusa Sherry Barnes, Bev Nann and Todd Wong, share a moment with Harry after the concert as all the performers and the event organizers went for dinner at the Congee Noodle House. 

Harry Aoki is interviewed in the Bulletin, a journal of Japanese Canadian community, history and culture

John Endo Greenaway is the editor of Bulletin, published by the Japanese Canadian Citizens' Association of Greater Vancouver,
celebrating their 50th Anniversary in 2008.  There are two feature interviews about Harry in the July/August 2008 Bulletin.

Interview: Harry Aoki

I sat down with Gary Cristall and Harry Aoki last week at Nikkei Place. Gary is writing a book on the history of folk music in Canada and had been wanting to talk to Harry for quite some time. When I invited him along, he jumped at the chance. We covered a lot of ground in the course of our conversation and the following is just a portion of what we talked about.

JEG I You were involved in a redress movement in Alberta right after the war, something I’d never heard of before.
Yeah, that was . . . that was a tough one, you know. There was this Justice Bird. Lot of brain. You know, photographic mind and photographic reading, and the attorneys were arguing, you know, arguing their cases, and he’s looking at this evidence, you know, he’s going like this, slowly (mimes turning pages), and he’s reading the darn thing. It’s in his brain.

JEG I  This was like a mini redress movement, then?
Yeah. This is when people were allowed to leave and to move around, and it got some people like the Ohamas started. They moved to, what it’s called, Rainier. And others did about the same sort of thing. They were very successful as farmers, they were good farmers. So, yeah, that was the first redress. It was just a handful, you know, able to do something about it. They had to have a few bucks themselves too, you know.

read more at:
http://jccabulletin-geppo.ca/featured/interview-harry-aoki/

Harry Aoki is one of Vancouver's musical treasures. 

A Celebration of Harry Aoki

Harry was already high on the harmonica when he fell in love with the double bass in the early 1940s, and the rest is history in the making. For the past half-century he has been actively, sometimes hyperactively, using classical, jazz, popular and ethnic music and dialogue to promote the theme of harmonious diversity in culture and identity. Join co-hosts Margaret Gallagher, Sherry Tanaka and Jan Walls, together with Harry's old and new friends and fellow musicians for an afternoon of musical, verbal and gustatory celebration of Harry and his noble "work in progress."
Musician/Composer/Ethno-musicologist Harry Aoki is truly a pioneer of world music. Come join us to commemorate Harry's achievements with an afternoon of multi-cultural music, storytelling and more! Join his many friends in the creation of a Legacy to continue Harry's Dream!

Food and Beverages will be Served
Tickets: $26.00
Limited Tickets Available

July 20th
2pm
Firehall Arts Centre
280 Cordova Street



Todd Wong performing with Jessica Cheung, Masaki Watanabe & Harry Aoki, at the September 2005 Open House event at Historic Joy Kogawa House - photo D. Martin

I first met Harry Aoki through Asian Heritage Month events around 2002.  Margaret Gallagher (CBC Radio) raved about Harry, as he sometimes performed with her.

Soon after, Harry came and performed at Todd's Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner events, including the inaugural Gung Haggis Fat Choy Seattle dinner in 2007.  A friendship was formed and Todd soon played at Harry's First Friday Forum.  Harry has been a big supporter of the Save Joy  Kogawa House campaign which Todd was one of the organizers of, subsequently Todd has joyfully invited Harry to perform at a number of events including the 2006 Canadian Club Vancouver "Order of Canada" luncheon where Dal Richards introduced himself to Harry, and the first open house event at  Historical Joy Kogawa House in 2006, captured on film for the CBC documentary Generations: The Chan Legacy.  Songs they have played together included "A Highland Lad", "Hungarian Dance #5", and "Chinatown My Chinatown", "Until We Meet Again".

Harry Aoki performing on harmonica with musical friends, cellis Kira and percussionist Themba, at his First Friday Forum at the Nikkei Centre in Burnaby - photo Todd Wong

Here's a letter invitation from Wayne Soon to come to the Harry Aoki Celebration Concert.

I saw a bagpiper playing beside Cornwall Ave. by the Kitsilano Showboat on Tuesday evening. 

I walked back to discover there were Scottish dancers from the Stave Falls Scottish Dancers from Mission BC.  Imagine my surprise to find a dancer with both Japanese and Scottish heritage.

It was fun to watch the dancing.  There was a sword dance, country dances, and even some vaudeville numbers.  It's always amusing to watch the little  ones dancing and trying to keep in time.  The older dancers are much more competent and doing well for a non-competitive dance group, so you know they genuinely are dancing for the love of the activity.

After the show I talked with Barry Leinbach, executive for the Kitsilano Showboat Society.  Barry was MCing the event as he is taking over from his mother Bea Leinbach who has helmed the Kitsilano Showboat for decades.  Beatrice Leinbach has volunteered her time to this venerable Vancouver summer cultural institution for over 60 years, and has recived the Order of BC and the Order of Canada.

I used to watch the shows at the Kitsilano Showboat when I was a young child in the '60's, when my parents would bring our family down to Kitsilano Beach.  It was always amazing watching the performers on stage, wiht the ocean and mountains in the background.

The Showboat season only started on Monday.  Thank goodness the weather has been good.

On Tuesday, The Vancouver Firefighters Band performed with firefighter/opera singer Andy Greenwood.  But sadly I was unable to attend.  Andy has been a friend of my girlfriend's parents for the last few years.  It's amazing what you can find when you walk around in your neighborhood.

Check for upcoming FREE shows starting at 7pm
There are lots of ethnic cultural groups performing and even some surprises!
www.kitsilanoshowboat.com

And I know and have performed with many of the featured musicians. Silk Road Music's Qiu Xia He and Andre Thibault have performed at Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner & First Night events since 2004. In the past few years I have become a big fan or Orchid Ensemble's Lan Tung, as she plays her erhu..... This incredible collaboration brings together 17 of Vancouver’s best world music artists in a one of a kind partnership in which influences from around the world mix into a melting pot of sights and sounds. Centred on a spirit of cooperation and collaboration, Music for a New World celebrates the diversity of world music.    more »

Soprano Heather Pawsey and pianist Rachel Iwassa pose with Todd Wong after a successful "Dead Serious" concert - photo Tim Pawsey

Ever attended a concert at a funeral home?  Or how about the Vancouver Crematorium?

In the latest venue for the New Music in New Places, opera soprano Heather Pawsey brought the theme of death and dying out into the open.  No bagpipes playing Amazing Grace.  But pianist Rachel Iwasaa accompanied Pawsey, as did flautist Kathryn Cernauskas.

It was a very interesting evening, full of surprises.  Guests first met at the Hamilton-Harron Funeral Home at Fraser St. and 38th Ave.  We then walked up Fraser St. across from the Mountain View cemetary, to 41st Ave.  It was a chilly evening, as we crossed Fraser, and made our way to the Vancouver Memorial Services and Crematorium.

Atmosphere was created in the service rooms.  The accoustics were good, and it seemed like any concert setting in a Church.  Ushers were dressed in robes.  One even wore gloves with skeleton designs.  Hand shakers created a bone-rattling sound, as the musicians entered the stage area.  Pawsey sang two new songs by composer Leslie Uyeda, based on poetry by Joy Kogawa: Zen Graveyard; and Stations of Angels.  Cernauskas accompanied on bass flute for this world premiere.

After these two songs, we exited through a different door, and walked downstairs past memorial places for urns.  Seeing the flowers and pictures honouring deceased loved ones gave the evening a thoughtful dynamic.  We filed out the back door and up some stairs, coming beside still more memorial plaques along the walls of the building.  Next we walked south through the cemetary, then East towards Fraser St.

Back at the Hamilton-Harron Funeral Home, we viewed some of the artist displays by S.D. Holman.  There was a unique altar display featuring tiny sugar sculptures in the shapes of human skulls, apparently a tradition for Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations.

In the service room, draperies hung down the aisle along with artworks suspended from the rafters.  It all spoke to images of death and transition.  The piano was draped over with a white cloth.

Rachel Iwaasa entered the room, and started playing piano.  A disembodied voice was heard.  Where was it coming from?  From the piano.

After the song, Heather Pawsey revealed herself, by lifting off the white drapery off herself and the piano.

The evening followed with a variety of songs, some solemn, some joyous, and some like Rodney Sharman's "Crossing Over"- obviously campy.   Composer Chris Sivak set the Phyllis Webb poem "Treblinka Gas Chamber" to music for another world premiere.  My favorite musical piece was the Kurt Weill song, "Complainte de la Seine", sung in French as was "Mon Cadavre est doux comme un gant" by Francis Poulenc, with words by Louise de Vilmorin.

The final highlight was another world premiere, The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey, set to music by Robert Ursan.  It is a musical version of the macabre ABC book by Gorey, in which goes through an alphabet of children's names, who each strangely die untimely deaths.

Truely, an interesting evening.

Below is an e-mail from Heathere Pawsey, performer and producer of the Dead Serious event

Hey Todd,

Thanks for the great write-up.  You really captured all the elements of what we 
were trying to achieve with the concert (profundity, fun, reflection, remembrance).
I'm so glad you enjoyed it.  

I think that's the first time I've been able to present THREE world premieres in 
a single concert.  As you know, I'm very passionate about promoting the 
creative work of Canada's fantastic composers.  You know Leslie, I believe.  
She is one of the most profound and brilliant composers in this country - period.  

Chris Sivak is a 4th year student at UBC; I met him when he was attending Cap 
College and writing music for some of my singing students.  He wrote "Treblinka 
Gas Chamber" as a gift for me; I didn't know he had done it until I found the 
score in my mailbox at the college.  

Rob is an old friend since Grade 9.  We toured the prairies together singing with 
Prairie Opera, and one year we premiered his children's opera The Snow Queen 
and toured it (it was also broadcast by CBC Radio).  I was very honoured to be 
able to sing the music of three composers I know and respect so highly.

Mined Over Matter coming up on March 16 at the BC Museum of Mining!  I'll let 
you know more details.  Off to the first workshop of Veda Hille's new children's 
opera Jack Pine for Vancouver Opera (and rehearsing Fidelio in the evenings).  
Life is never DULL!

Cheers
Heather

It's Chinese New Year week....

here are some FUN events this week.... after recovery from Gung Haggis Fat Choy Chinese Robbie Burns Dinner recovery....

Tuesday February 5, 2008 - 6:00 PM

CITY COOKS with Simi Sara

Channel 13 in Metro Vancouver
Our cooking dragon boat chef Dan Seto (Chinese Canadian Historical Society of B.C.)

1. Lotus Root Soup
2. Steamed Pork with Salt Fish
3. Green Beans with Fooyi Bean Cake

Check out
TUESDAY to Saturday FEB 5 - 9th
BANANA BOYS
Firehall Theatre
The fun play by Leon Aureas, based on the Terry Woo novel
Back from a hit run last year... manic comedy and Asian identity... or Asian confusion.

THURSDAY Feb 7
CHINESE NEW YEAR DAY
- Kilts Night at Doolin's Irish Pub
FREE pint of Guinness if you wear a kilt.
8:00pm - Raphael to greet you.
Hockey game starts a 7:00 pm - expect music by Halifax Wharf Rats to begin afterwards around 9:30

FRIDAY Feb 7 - 16
THE QUICKIE
- Playwrights theatre centre on Granville Island
- this is the play excerpted at Gung Haggis dinner
- this is by the same group that did Twisting Fortunes last year

purchase tickets online via PayPal at www.scriptingaloud.ca/quickie.
but see them:

Friday, February 15 concert of DEAD Serious 
7:30 p.m. at Vancouver Memorial Services and Crematorium / Hamilton-Harron Funeral 
Home, 5390 Fraser Street) will TAKE PLACE AS SCHEDULED.  
If you would like to make reservations, 
please call 604-325-7441.

Italian Girl in Algiers
Vancouver Opera
Queen Elizabeth Theatre
January 26, 29. 31 and February 2nd 2008

An Italian girl in a Muslim harem?  A Korean soprano wife singing in Italian to her German-Canadian bass husband?  Opera is so very multicultural, and Vancouver Opera's new production of Rossini's "Italian Girl in Algiers" is a delight!

Can you imagine anything crazier than one of the opera's stars, Randall Jakobsh playing Mustafa, dancing around "naked" behind a towel, or being "powdered" by his servants while singing to a beautiful Rossini score?

I have always loved Rossini's music.  Many generations have grown up identifying Rossini's "William Tell Overture" as "The Lone Ranger Theme" - the musicality burned into our brains.  The Italian Girl in Algiers also has many memorable passages that dusted off my early memories of listening to one of the essential classical music collections - Rossini Overtures.

Vancouver Opera's new production of "Italian Girl In Algiers" originally presented in 1813, is now set during the roaring '20's, a time of mad-cap comedy described as Emily Earhart meets the Marx Brothers.  This sets the stage for the audience to accept the absurd comedic plots and situations that are to come, and all accompanied by a gorgeous Rossini musical score.

Now imagine sitting in the audience, when a 1920's bi-plane flies over your head, then sputters, crash landing on stage of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.  It actually happens... and the audience claps enthusiastically!

The opera opens with a super huge gigantic book on stage, that opens up to reveal the set design - the palace of the Governor of Algiers.  Just like a bedtime story,  the message is this: don't take this opera seriously... sit back and enjoy the story.

The Governor Mustafa has grown tired of  his wife Elvira, and thinks that an exotic Italian girl will bring him happiness.  He decides to send his wife off with Lindoro, an Italian slave at his court captured only 3 months earlier by Mustafa's pirates.  Suddenly, an airplane crashes, Isabella is looking for her lost love Lindoro.  The pirates take this "Italian Girl" to Mustafa who is instantly infatuated with Isabella, who is shocked to see her beloved Lindoro, who is supposedly being married off to Elvira, who is still in love with Mustafa. This is a comedy of love infatuations and a battle of the sexes begins.  Oh... and then there is Taddeo, the would-be Italian suitor of Isabella, during Lindor's absence. He accompanied Isabella in her search for Lindoro... what a stand up guy! Not!

Soprano Sandra Piques Eddy is perfect as a Katherine Hepburnish, pants wearing, independent woman named Isabella looking for her lost love Lindora, played by lyric tenor John Tessier, who was captured by pirates. Their voices are wonderful.  But despite this ensemble cast, Eddy clearly shines the brightest, as she loves her role as an Isabella who can tame men with a look or a wave.

Randall Jakobsh plays Mustafa, the governor of Algiers, who is instantly smitten by the vivaciously exotic Isabella. This is his debut performance with the Vancouver Opera, and his first appearance as Mustafa.  It's a perfect fit, and expect Jakobsh to be getting calls from around the world for this Rossini play as he brings so much life into a this hilarious role.

Sookhyung Park, plays Elvira the Governor's wife that he is handing her over to Lindora, to make way for this new "Italian Girl" to be added to his harem.  The Korean born Park, balances both her anger and love for Mustafa, and learns from Isabella what it takes to properly "train a husband."

Rounding out the cast is Hugh Russell as Taddeo, who brings additional comic relief.  Mustafa wants to impress Isabella, and so he names Taddeo as Grand Kaimakan (a lieutenant position amongst his followers).  Taddeo meanwhile does everything he can to thwart Mustafa's advances on Isabella.

But who is Randall Jakobsh, and why should BC opera goers be proud of him?

Imagine a younger, sexier, slimmer Ben Heppner singing Bass - and born and rasied in Vernon BC.  This is Randall.

If there ever was a role made for Randall Jakobsh to demonstrate his abilities, this might be it.  It allows Randall to be charming and sexy, but this also pushes him in his first bufo-comedy role.  He shared with me that this is the hardest role he has ever done, and he was quite anxious about his Vancouver Opera debut when I talked with him on Boxing Day in Vernon. 

But after watching Jakobsh on stage in not much more than a "towel" while singing in a "bath" while the audience laughed at the unexpected rubber ducky, we can all be assured that Randall's star is rising.  He was calm, and looked to be having fun in his role, even when not singing.  He asked what we thought of his "dancing bear" as he hammed it up on stage singing about his infatuation with the Italian Girl, while his slaves powdered him and washed him "behind the towel."  I had to laugh because when Randall had come over to the house to visit in Vernon, it had been us sitting in the hot tub, and inviting him to come join us.

What happens when you take 5 very talented classically trained Chinese musicians and mix them up with composer/guitarist John Oliver, who likens his style to "an experimental mix inspired by John McLaughlin, Pat Methany Group, Robert Fripp, and World Music, processed through computer granular synthesis?"   more »

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss: What if Led Zeppelin went bluegrass?

I grew up on Led Zeppellin Music... particularly LZ IV with Stairway to Heaven, Black Dog and Rock and Roll.  Over the last 10 years, I have listened to a lot of Alison Krauss.  I saw her performance in Vancouver two years ago with Union Station, and also her performance with the "Down From the Mountain" tour of the music and musicians from the movie soundtrack for "Oh Brother Where Art Thou?" 

But Robert Plant, lead singer for Led Zeppellin with Alison Krauss, and produced by T-Bone Burnett?  Did somebody slip some magic mushrooms into the sweet potatoe pie?

This is definitely crossing musical boundaries, as well as both sides of the Atlantic.  Lots of blues and rockabilly riffs here.  I have been listening to it everyday since it was released on Tuesday Oct 23.  Check out this YouTube video:

YouTube - Alison Krauss and Robert Plant Duet for ...

A look at the making of Raising Sand, a duet collaboration ...
8 min -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5KF4dKq-6I