Every year Sophie and I look forward to visiting the Elora Festival, on now until August 4th, and this year's pilgrimage was this weekend. We chose not to stay over this year as our favourite B&B was unavailable this weekend, so we left immediately following the concert and made a late-evening stop in downtown Guelph to eat and see the city. In both cases we were pleasantly surprised!
The concert we chose to attend at Elora this year was the Jorge Miguel Flamenco Ensemble at the Gambrel Barn. Jorge was born and raised in Toronto but his family heritage harkens back to his native Spain. In fact his sister was born in Spain; he at St. Michael's Hospital in downtown Toronto. Even though he is from Toronto, true Spanish blood is certainly coursing through his veins. He presented nicely updated renditions of the flamenco musical tradition, complete with percussive effects, vocals and of course, exotic flamenco dancing too. The entire package was thoroughly enjoyable and I wouldn't mind seeing Brock Centre for the Arts snagging him and his troupe for a date down this way some season.
The concert was a little short, actually, starting at 7:30 and we were in our cars heading out about 9:15. That included an intermission, by the way. I actually didn't mind that as I was quite tired from the day and a fairly early exit was actually good for us with the long drive ahead of us. What did disappoint me was the small crowd - far less than half full at the good-sized Gambrel Barn. Those who were there really got into the music, but I wonder if maybe the more conservative concert-goers just dismissed the concert as unnecessary in favour of a more traditional concert during the festival. Granted, they can't fill the house every night when you are holding a three-week festival, but the small crowd last evening must have been disappointing for the Festival staff.
The Elora Festival is certainly one of Ontario's premiere music festivals, and they continue this week with the two-piano team of Anagnoson & Kinton on July 25th; a performance of Orff's Carmina Burana July 26th and Steven Page, formerly of The Barenaked Ladies on July 27th. More concerts are scheduled as well, so you can check out the complete listings on the Calendar page of my website at www.finemusic.ca, or go to www.elorafestival.com, or by calling 1-519-846-0331/1-888-747-7550.
As we headed into Guelph after leaving Elora, we decided to check out the downtown scene on a Saturday night, and were pleasantly surprised to find downtown Guelph is still a vibrant, well-populated happening kind of place. It has long been one of my favourite cities to visit, especially on a Saturday morning for their exceptional farmer's market. Years ago I spent every Saturday in Guelph for several months running a music store for my old friend Paul Gellatly on Carden Street before it closed several years ago. Carden Street between then and now has undergone a tremendous transformation, with a total revamp of the streetscape, new eateries lining the street and in front of the City Hall complex a wading pool that had more than a few visitors when we arrived about 10 pm. In the winter it is a downtown skating rink, which I am sure is very popular as well. Note to St. Catharines downtown boosters: check out this section of downtown Guelph to see just what can be done with a downtown core as we mull over the idea of closing James Street and maybe even putting a public rink in a new civic square here.
You have got to love a downtown that includes a pub called Frank & Steins, by the way, but there is lots more to see and enjoy in Guelph, so Sophie and I decided on the spot we have to go back and spend a weekend there to explore even more. But no working in a music store that weekend, if you could even find one these days.
When we were in Elora I couldn't help but think of the jazz legend Peter Appleyard, who made his last Elora appearance last summer and unfortunately I was not there to enjoy it. Peter lived just outside of Guelph and was a regular performer in the area as well as down here in Niagara, where he performed often for the annual Willowbank fundraiser down in Queenston. In fact, I remember emceeing the first Willowbank fundraiser about 10 years ago with headliner Peter and his friends performing along with local pianist John Sherwood and a host of other great jazz musicians.
Peter passed away this week at the age of 84 and I was very much saddened to hear the news. He always seemed so young while performing and just never slowed down. He lived life to the fullest and knew how to make every concert a special event for those in attendance. His great outlook on life no doubt served him well over the years and it seemed to rub off on those around him while they were performing. Imagine touring, playing regularly and making recordings into your 80s. Just amazing.
I met Peter a few times since that Willowbank concert years ago and we did a wonderful interview years ago where he reminisced about his early years in the music business in his native England, and what brought him to our Country in 1951. I am looking around for that last interview I did with him so I can replay it and maybe even post it for others to hear, too.
Peter played with all the greats, with Benny Goodman in fact asking him to join his sextet and tour the globe with him back in 1972. That was probably the turning point in Peter's storied career, but not the only highlight. Pretty much everything he did musically made people sit up and take notice.
I found it odd, though, our national newspaper The Globe & Mail only gave a quarter-page obit for Peter on Friday. He was, as one music fan noted, as big a jazz musician as fellow Canadian Oscar Peterson was, yet his passing is not getting anywhere near the coverage Oscar received when he passed away a few years ago. It's a shame, really, as he was certainly one of the best jazz musicians in the world let alone in Canada.
Recordings by Peter Appleyard remain few and far between, unfortunately. He recorded frequently in his peak years for many labels including Concord Jazz, but those are all long out-of-print. He made a lot of recordings for the old Canadian Talent Library for radio station airplay, most of which were okay but not exceptional, although he did do a lovely version of Midnight Sun back in the 60s on one of those I still have in my LP collection today. Later recordings were all issued privately by Peter, usually only available at his concerts. I always tried to get some of those to sell through my website, but we never seemed to get around to it. Oh well...
Anyway, Peter was a force of nature, a great Canadian with more enthusiasm than just about any other 84-year-old I've ever had the honour of knowing. We won't see his like again, and he certainly will be missed.
Thanks for the memories, Peter!
July 21st, 2013.
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