Free Concerts!!!

A few months ago now Rob and I went to Hugh's Room and saw Kevin Fox perform, and it was the perfect place to sample some new tunes from his CD, "Songs for Cello and Voice." You can hear a lot of those same songs, performed live in the Glenn Gould Studio, just by clicking here to visit CBC concerts on demand. (p.s. to some of my friends, you don't need iTunes to enjoy this, just click and listen!) If you're only sampling a few tunes, check out "Fool in Love" "My One and Only" and "Sweet Dreams" (the Annie Lennox cover).

When I was there I discovered a band I hadn't heard before called Autorickshaw. Their concert was recorded live at the University of Waterloo, where they joined forces with the Penderecki Quartet. "Bollywood strings and east/west masala" is how singer/composer Annamalai Reddiyar described the music. String quartet + tabla mix for a totally unique rendering of Leonard Cohen's song "Bird on a Wire" in which they indulge us for a full ten minutes. That's followed with some Ravel, a bit of Bartok, and the beautiful and original composition "Maya," a jazz fusion tribute to a Hindu goddess. It sounds like a jarring mix but it flows quite nicely, I think because it is the same instruments and musicians just "playing" a bit differently.

If you are looking for something to do while you are sitting in front of the computer, here are some of my favourite 'fun' sites
Mr Picassohead to drag and drop bits to make your own 'Picasso'
Vai Avanti to mesmerize you with its shifting sands
Fridge Magnet Poetry to collaborate over poetry on a giant online fridge
and while you're at it, Create Your Own Snowflakes...

Life is so full of distractions it's a wonder I get any real work done.

;-)