Just picked up a new cd at Starbuck's called "the Measure of Monk", by Thelonious Monk. This guy is a jazz legend, one of the best piano-players of his time. I'm only a minor jazz fan, but am always tryng new things, and feel that this is a very good sort of beginner's sampling of this guy's work. Very easy to listen to at first, then just gets better on repeated listening...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelonious_Monk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2s6LZUdYaU
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
SouthSide Shuffle Blues Festival in Port Credit
We (brother-in-law Brian, hockey-buddy Brock and I) went to see Buddy Guy on Saturday night...great show at a pretty interesting outdoor venue, right beside the Credit River, and just above the Lakeshore. They had "waitresses" walking around the whole place selling cans of beer! So civilized!
Very energetic old Buddy can still sing in a strong, clear voice and can also still play the hell out of his electric guitar.
Friday night Brian and I went to the Crooked Cue and played a couple of games of pool (I lost. Big. As usual.) We went downstairs to catch the second set of "Rave On", a pretty decent Stevie Ray Vaughan tribute band. The guy has the look, and the guitar-playing down, but can't quite match Stevie on vocals...but was very good to watch nonetheless.
On the street on Saturday, we came across a young guy from Quebec called Ricky Paquette who just floored me with his guitar playing abilities...he picks the strings with his fingers (not a guitar pick) much like Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits...he covers Buddy Guy, Stevie-Ray Vaughan and others really well, and has an exceptionally strong singing voice, particularly for someone so young. He should only get better with age, and my prediction is that he'll be a big star in the blues community (which, sadly, is pretty small relative to the "pop" music scene). You can check him out here on his myspace page, or look him up on youtube.com :
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=86864404
After the street re-opened at around 7:00 p.m. and the bands dispersed or went into the various bars for a few more sets, we had some time to kill before Buddy Guy's show at 10:00 p.m., and even before his opening act "The Detroit Women" who were also very good and very fun-to-watch singing soul, blues, gospel, etc. We walked over to a great little Thai restaurant http://www.thaisignature.ca/contact.htm for some very excellent food and Singha beer.
A really great weekend of music, food and enjoying some beers with friends and family! If you missed it (and I think most of you did!) you should really think about it for next year - it'll be the 10th anniversary of the SouthSide Shuffle, and will no doubt have some extra-special things on tap.
Very energetic old Buddy can still sing in a strong, clear voice and can also still play the hell out of his electric guitar.
Friday night Brian and I went to the Crooked Cue and played a couple of games of pool (I lost. Big. As usual.) We went downstairs to catch the second set of "Rave On", a pretty decent Stevie Ray Vaughan tribute band. The guy has the look, and the guitar-playing down, but can't quite match Stevie on vocals...but was very good to watch nonetheless.
On the street on Saturday, we came across a young guy from Quebec called Ricky Paquette who just floored me with his guitar playing abilities...he picks the strings with his fingers (not a guitar pick) much like Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits...he covers Buddy Guy, Stevie-Ray Vaughan and others really well, and has an exceptionally strong singing voice, particularly for someone so young. He should only get better with age, and my prediction is that he'll be a big star in the blues community (which, sadly, is pretty small relative to the "pop" music scene). You can check him out here on his myspace page, or look him up on youtube.com :
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=86864404
After the street re-opened at around 7:00 p.m. and the bands dispersed or went into the various bars for a few more sets, we had some time to kill before Buddy Guy's show at 10:00 p.m., and even before his opening act "The Detroit Women" who were also very good and very fun-to-watch singing soul, blues, gospel, etc. We walked over to a great little Thai restaurant http://www.thaisignature.ca/contact.htm for some very excellent food and Singha beer.
A really great weekend of music, food and enjoying some beers with friends and family! If you missed it (and I think most of you did!) you should really think about it for next year - it'll be the 10th anniversary of the SouthSide Shuffle, and will no doubt have some extra-special things on tap.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Great Dinner in Scarborough!
We went, over the weekend, to one of our very favourite spots for dinner. I guess you could say we're "regulars" there now, although we haven't visited as often as our hosts would like, I'm ashamed to admit!
It's tucked away in the eastern part of Scarborough in a quiet little residential area - West Hill, in fact. Just past the sketchy part of town, and just before the Rouge.
It's a smallish venue, but has a beautifully-laid table for the four of us with fresh flowers centre-piece, and perfectly-lit candles. That nice blue & white china, and antique-looking wine glasses, in a very private room.
We had started with a small appetizer platter of cheeses and crackers, and had a pre-dinner drink or two on the lovely private back garden patio. When it was time for the main course, we moved back inside to our previously mentioned dining area. Billie Holliday, Sarah Vaughan, Etta James and Molly Johnson's wonderful jazz music was playing softly but insistently in the background, and set just the right tone for our meal.
We opted for a bottle of one of my favourite Australian Red wines: a Shiraz/Cabernet blend called Jacob's Creek. It went very nicely with our dinner selection.
We skipped any further appetizers or pre-dinner items and went directly to the entree: beautifully pink-in-the-centre prime rib of beef, accompanied by roast potatoes and cauliflower with cheese sauce. A couple of croissants on the side, then over to dessert, which was another home made classic: warm Apple Crisp (or Apple-Brown-Betty as some people refer to it) with vanilla ice cream! Some mugs of steaming hot coffee and a glass (or three!) of Frangelico liquor, and some very entertaining conversation with our charming dinner companions capped off the experience.
All of a sudden it was close to 11:00 p.m., and we decided to head back into the city - totally satisfied and very happy with our dining experience. We've made plans to return soon!
p.s. this "hidden gem" is my Mom & Dad's place...thanks again folks. We had a great time!
It's tucked away in the eastern part of Scarborough in a quiet little residential area - West Hill, in fact. Just past the sketchy part of town, and just before the Rouge.
It's a smallish venue, but has a beautifully-laid table for the four of us with fresh flowers centre-piece, and perfectly-lit candles. That nice blue & white china, and antique-looking wine glasses, in a very private room.
We had started with a small appetizer platter of cheeses and crackers, and had a pre-dinner drink or two on the lovely private back garden patio. When it was time for the main course, we moved back inside to our previously mentioned dining area. Billie Holliday, Sarah Vaughan, Etta James and Molly Johnson's wonderful jazz music was playing softly but insistently in the background, and set just the right tone for our meal.
We opted for a bottle of one of my favourite Australian Red wines: a Shiraz/Cabernet blend called Jacob's Creek. It went very nicely with our dinner selection.
We skipped any further appetizers or pre-dinner items and went directly to the entree: beautifully pink-in-the-centre prime rib of beef, accompanied by roast potatoes and cauliflower with cheese sauce. A couple of croissants on the side, then over to dessert, which was another home made classic: warm Apple Crisp (or Apple-Brown-Betty as some people refer to it) with vanilla ice cream! Some mugs of steaming hot coffee and a glass (or three!) of Frangelico liquor, and some very entertaining conversation with our charming dinner companions capped off the experience.
All of a sudden it was close to 11:00 p.m., and we decided to head back into the city - totally satisfied and very happy with our dining experience. We've made plans to return soon!
p.s. this "hidden gem" is my Mom & Dad's place...thanks again folks. We had a great time!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Best Music Event of the Season?
Beginning on Friday evening, September 7th, 2007, and continuing on Saturday the 8th, and into Sunday the 9th, is a great blues and jazz music festival in Port Credit (QEW west to Hurontario Street/Hwy. 10 south to the Lakeshore). http://www.southsideshuffle.com/
I've gone out to these for a few years now, and have always enjoyed the various kinds of bands and solo performers that are posted all along the Lakeshore (which is closed to vehicle traffic on the Saturday) from Hwy. 10 west to the Credit River. This year, it looks like I'll have to also buy a weekend ticket, as Buddy Guy is playing on Saturday night at one of the main stages, and both the Downchild Blues Band and the Powder Blues Band are also going to have mini-concerts over the weekend. "Lighthouse" is playing on Sunday there as well - a real "blast-from-the-past", as they put on a show at U. of T.'s Scarborough College in the Meeting Place area in my first year there...great little show! (Although they may have changed a bit, unlike me, since that was 1971!!). Port Credit is a wonderful place to wander around and visit nice shops, restaurants, and bars at any time during the summer. It's at its best, I think, during this event. (p.s. I may have been tricked into going in to a few bars last year by Brian M. and Mark J.) Good times!
I've gone out to these for a few years now, and have always enjoyed the various kinds of bands and solo performers that are posted all along the Lakeshore (which is closed to vehicle traffic on the Saturday) from Hwy. 10 west to the Credit River. This year, it looks like I'll have to also buy a weekend ticket, as Buddy Guy is playing on Saturday night at one of the main stages, and both the Downchild Blues Band and the Powder Blues Band are also going to have mini-concerts over the weekend. "Lighthouse" is playing on Sunday there as well - a real "blast-from-the-past", as they put on a show at U. of T.'s Scarborough College in the Meeting Place area in my first year there...great little show! (Although they may have changed a bit, unlike me, since that was 1971!!). Port Credit is a wonderful place to wander around and visit nice shops, restaurants, and bars at any time during the summer. It's at its best, I think, during this event. (p.s. I may have been tricked into going in to a few bars last year by Brian M. and Mark J.) Good times!
Monday, July 23, 2007
URGENT!! Public Service Announcement:
OK, it's maybe not exactly urgent, but it is something that I think you all need to know!
1. I drink Corona in the summertime - very cold...with a little slice of lime.
It costs $39.95 for a case of 24 bottles (330ml. size)
I've recently tried "Brava", which is $26.40 for a case of 24 (341ml.size)
http://www.lakeportbrewing.ca/site1/sub/s_op_brava.php
To my uneducated taste-buds, the Brava, with the requisite slice of lime, served very cold, tastes as good...maybe even better than the Corona! Plus it's cheaper and it's made in Canada.
2. At the L.C.B.O. I can buy Heineken in those 330ml. cans for $13.05 per six-pack. That's 1980 ml of beer.
I can alternatively buy 6 single cans of Heineken in 500 ml. cans for $2.35 each can ( $14.10 for six) That's 3000 ml. of beer.
So that's 1020 ml. more beer (three x 330ml. cans worth) for an extra $1.05 !!!
Too much math? Sorry...just trust me...buy the bigger cans of either Heineken or Pilsner Urquell.
Govern yourselves accordingly...and don't drink and drive.
Happy Summer!
1. I drink Corona in the summertime - very cold...with a little slice of lime.
It costs $39.95 for a case of 24 bottles (330ml. size)
I've recently tried "Brava", which is $26.40 for a case of 24 (341ml.size)
http://www.lakeportbrewing.ca/site1/sub/s_op_brava.php
To my uneducated taste-buds, the Brava, with the requisite slice of lime, served very cold, tastes as good...maybe even better than the Corona! Plus it's cheaper and it's made in Canada.
2. At the L.C.B.O. I can buy Heineken in those 330ml. cans for $13.05 per six-pack. That's 1980 ml of beer.
I can alternatively buy 6 single cans of Heineken in 500 ml. cans for $2.35 each can ( $14.10 for six) That's 3000 ml. of beer.
So that's 1020 ml. more beer (three x 330ml. cans worth) for an extra $1.05 !!!
Too much math? Sorry...just trust me...buy the bigger cans of either Heineken or Pilsner Urquell.
Govern yourselves accordingly...and don't drink and drive.
Happy Summer!
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Motown in the Falls
We went to the "new" Casino in Niagara Falls with my brother and sister-in-law to see "the Magic of Motown" in the Avalon Ballroom. We stayed in the Embassy Suites hotel in a nice room with a very good view of the Falls.
A great venue for a band like this: not-too-big, with no bad seats that we could see. We were in the second row, stage left!
This band was very tight, with the three remaining members of the band still pulling their weight - specially Bob Babbitt, the bass player. The people they've added to fill in the roster are all excellent, too. The two lead singers - a guy and gal - were outstanding, easily covering all of our favourite songs by Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves, the Four Tops, etc.
Half-way through the show they brought out one of the original Supremes, Mary Wilson, who looked and sounded terrific (she's 63!!!), and who led the band in a wonderful 7 to 10 (?) song set of classic Supremes songs !
We did some shopping the next morning around the outlets, etc., then took a very nice drive out along the "River Road" from the bottom of Clifton Hill towards Niagara-on-the-Lake, where we did some people-watching, and shopping in the Greaves Jams store, as well as the bakery, and the fudge shoppe. We had another excellent lunch at the Angel Inn (Guinness Beef & Onion Pie for Fran, and Bangers'n'Mash for me - both perfect).
All-in-all, a very satisfactory trip, and one we can recommend to everyone!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Funk_Brothers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtvBdgyDH8U&mode=related&search=
http://www.standingintheshadowsofmotown.com/index.htm
http://www.standingintheshadowsofmotown.com/funksbio.htm
Samples (audio only, unfortunately...go get the DVD!) from the DVD:
http://www.standingintheshadowsofmotown.com/soundtrack.htm
Great pub-food at the Olde Angel Inn: http://www.angel-inn.com/
Mary Wilson (of the Supremes) http://www.paradiseartists.com/artists/mary_wilson/index.html
A great venue for a band like this: not-too-big, with no bad seats that we could see. We were in the second row, stage left!
This band was very tight, with the three remaining members of the band still pulling their weight - specially Bob Babbitt, the bass player. The people they've added to fill in the roster are all excellent, too. The two lead singers - a guy and gal - were outstanding, easily covering all of our favourite songs by Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves, the Four Tops, etc.
Half-way through the show they brought out one of the original Supremes, Mary Wilson, who looked and sounded terrific (she's 63!!!), and who led the band in a wonderful 7 to 10 (?) song set of classic Supremes songs !
We did some shopping the next morning around the outlets, etc., then took a very nice drive out along the "River Road" from the bottom of Clifton Hill towards Niagara-on-the-Lake, where we did some people-watching, and shopping in the Greaves Jams store, as well as the bakery, and the fudge shoppe. We had another excellent lunch at the Angel Inn (Guinness Beef & Onion Pie for Fran, and Bangers'n'Mash for me - both perfect).
All-in-all, a very satisfactory trip, and one we can recommend to everyone!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Funk_Brothers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtvBdgyDH8U&mode=related&search=
http://www.standingintheshadowsofmotown.com/index.htm
http://www.standingintheshadowsofmotown.com/funksbio.htm
Samples (audio only, unfortunately...go get the DVD!) from the DVD:
http://www.standingintheshadowsofmotown.com/soundtrack.htm
Great pub-food at the Olde Angel Inn: http://www.angel-inn.com/
Mary Wilson (of the Supremes) http://www.paradiseartists.com/artists/mary_wilson/index.html
Friday, June 8, 2007
Amy Winehouse in Rolling Stone
The June issue of Rolling Stone has a good piece on my favourite singer: http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/amy_winehouse_back_in_black_rehab_married_soul_beehive_diva/page/1
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