Anya M. Wassenberg's Blog: Art & Culture Maven, page 38

Electropop | David Thompson: The Wall (Independent / 24 September 2020)

Electropop
David Thompson: The Wall
(Independent / 24 September 2020)

Stream it on Spotify or Bandcamp

The Wall is the second solo release from electropop composer and musician David Thompson. The music is infused with the flavour of classic 90s pop, but with a thoroughly modern gloss and technical superiority. 

He takes a multi-layered approach to composition. According to the media notes: The titular "wall" cribs a melody from Gershwin

Experimental Solo Guitar | Dan Pitt: Monochrome (Independent / September 4 2020)

Experimental Solo Guitar
Dan Pitt: Monochrome
(Independent / September 4 2020)

Buy it on Bandcamp

Toronto guitarist and composer Dan Pitt explores new ground in Monochrome, a recent release. The compositions for solo guitar each take a different approach.

Pitt's musical imagination is inventive. Ghosts is contemplative, criss-crossing the line between jazz and classical music, and in and out of tonality. It has an interestingly eerie effect. The piece contrasts with Attraction and its buzzy, erratic energy that bursts into spurts of lightening quick notes.

He returns to a more conventional contemporary jazz idiom in The Sorrow - but one that ends with an intriguing twist on the form. Long Lake is a classic acoustic guitar track, folky and melodic.

Ditto is a standout, a distinctly contemporary exploration of contrapuntal melodies that at times sounds like a murmur of voices. Which Way Is Up is another highlight of the release with its elegant approach to minimalism.

Electronic effects enter the picture in Brooke, where they create a disturbing and moody sound.

Highly recommended for anyone who likes experimental an interesting jazz guitar.

Monochrome by Dan Pitt

Blaise La Bamba & Kotakoli November 7th 2020 Online - PWYC

 From a media release:

Batuki Music Society and Alliance Francaise Toronto present
A virtual concert featuring Blaise La Bamba & Kotakoli
November 7th 2020 at 8:00 PM

Enjoy the concert from home!

Kinshasa’s vibrant nightlife has long been world-famous. It is home to the subculture known informally as the Society of Ambiance-Makers and Elegant People (SAPEUR), which has spread its influence through artists such as Papa Wemba. Blaise La Bamba is part of this scene. He has worked with some of the top names of Congolese music, in particular General Defao.

In 2018, Blaise La Bamba founded Kotakoli, an all-star collective of musicians that perform an energetic mix of Congolese rumba and soukous. In the company of Kotakoli, this veteran musician brings Congolese popular music back to the forefront, with spellbinding dances.

The Details

Date: Saturday November 7th, 2021 Blaise La Bamba and Kotakoli Virtual ConcertTime: 8:00 PMTickets: Pay what you can

This concert is offered to you on a Pay What You Can basis (with a minimum of $5 covering credit card fees). Your support is very valuable in enabling our institution to offer quality cultural events. Cultural institutions have been very strongly affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Today, more than ever, you can support our action.

How To View:

Book your tickets on link below.Get a viewing link before the concert.Enjoy (and be ready to dance!)

Ticket Links:

https://www.bemusednetwork.com/events/detail/789 http://batukimusic.com/site2/

Batuki Music Society gratefully acknowledges the support of Ontario Arts Council, Canadian Heritage and Alliance Francaise Toronto.

Cuba Re-Opens To International Tourism

From a media release:

Cuba Re-Opens To International Tourism
October 2020

Cuba adapts to the “new normal” and announces the re-opening of international tourism in most of the country.

Cuba - Varadero

After controlling the pandemic, local authorities announced the country is embracing a “new normal” for most of the country’s provinces except: Havana, Ciego de Avila and Sancti Spiritus (Which still have some cases of local transmission).

All international airports are already open, except Havana Airport, which will remain limited to humanitarian and cargo flights for the time being, and Cayo Coco airport, open only for tourism due to the current situation in the province of Ciego de Avila.

The Minister of tourism, Mr. Juan Carlos Garcia Granda, said that “air only” passengers will be able to enter the country through all the open airports, with the exception of Cayo Coco Airport, which will continue to work as before (Holiday package: air and hotel).

The Minister noted that foreign tourists will be able to stay in private rental homes (B&B), in all the territories that are in the new normal (with the exception of Sancti Spíritus, Ciego de Avila and Havana), and also that the locals can stay at tourist facilities shared by international visitors, including The Cayos, as long as they come from the provinces in the “new normal”.

Cuba

Other measures announced by the Minister of Tourism include: resuming car rentals, the re-opening of the tour desks that can arrange and sell excursions and day trips to all the territories that are in phase three or in the new normal, except Havana and Trinidad as those territories are not open yet; likewise, in Cayo Coco, Cayo Guillermo and Cayo Cruz, excursions will take place within the cays; tourists will not be able to travel to Ciego de Avila as this province is not in phase three so far.

The international marinas located in the territories declared in the new normal are restarting operations and  pleasure vessels are allowed to entry and stay in the territorial waters; the same, from October 19th cruises are permitted. In both cases it will proceed under the approved strict health protocols.

In order to expedite movement at the airports, the maximum baggage allowance for now is up to two checked pieces, up to 32 kg each (depending on the specifics by each airline).

Lessner Gomez, Director of the Cuba Tourist Board in Toronto points out that, “all major Canadian tour operators are including Cuba in their winter programs and these openings mean more flexibility and more chances for Canadians to enjoy Cuba their own way.” 

“It’s also happening at the time when the trees are turning and there is a chill in the air, which it means that winter is coming,” he said.

Cuba Tourist Board represents the Ministry of Tourism in Canada. It provides general travel information to Canadians who would like to visit the island.

For additional information please contact the Cuba Tourist Board

Vancouver Art Gallery Fall Exhibitions | Victor Vasarely, Op Art in Vancouver & Uncommon Language October 17, 2020 to April 5, 2021

From a media release:

Vancouver Art Gallery New Fall Exhibitions
Victor Vasarely, Op Art in Vancouver & Uncommon Language
October 17, 2020 to April 5, 2021

To book tickets: Visit vanartgallery.bc.ca

October 17, 2020, Vancouver, BC – This fall, the Vancouver Art Gallery presents Victor Vasarely, a selected survey of paintings, sculptures and prints by the Hungarian-French artist Victor Vasarely (1906–1997), internationally renowned for his colourful abstract patterns and playful, and visually engaging aesthetic. 

Victor Vasarely, OERVENG, 1968, tempera on wood composite board, Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Gift of the Estate of Kathleen E. Reif, Estate of Victor Vasarely/SOCAN (2020), Photo: Ian Lefebvre, Vancouver Art Gallery

The exhibition focuses on his artistic production from the 1960s and 70s, at the height of his popularity. With the most extensive collection of Vasarely artworks in Canada, the Gallery offers a unique opportunity for the public to discover this influential artist’s rich and varied practice. Widely celebrated as the founder of Op Art (Optical Art), Vasarely was an innovator whose vibrant art produced the optical illusion of dynamic movement: they appear to pulse, shimmer and vibrate.

Organized in conjunction with Victor Vasarely is the exhibition Op Art in Vancouver—a selection of paintings and prints from the Gallery’s permanent collection that reflects the emergence of Op Art in Vancouver.  

Joan Balzar, Blue Neon, 1967, acrylic, wood, neon tubing, electronic transformer on canvas, Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Gift of Alexander Cotter, Photo: Vancouver Art Gallery

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, several Vancouver artists began a focused engagement with abstract art and ideas that developed locally and had distinct and formative links to artists and movements gaining prominence both nationally and internationally. Op Art celebrated instability, transformation and movement—caused by both optical phenomena within a composition and by the physical activity of the viewer in front of the artworks. Artists such as Gordon Smith, Brian Fisher, Takao Tanabe, Michael Morris, Joan Balzar, and Bodo Pfeifer actively embraced this dynamic new form of abstraction. 

Allison Hrabluik, The Splits, 2015 (still), digital video with sound, 15 min., Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Purchased with proceeds from the Audain Emerging Artists Acquisition Fund

Developed in response to Victor Vasarely, the group exhibition Uncommon Language critiques and confounds Vasarely’s romantic desire for a universal aesthetic language.  Featuring local, national and international artists from the Gallery’s permanent collection including Josef Albers, Sonny Assu, Vija Celmins, Allyson Clay, Andrew Dadson, Beau Dick, General Idea, Jean Goguen, Betty Goodwin, Angela Grauerholz, David Hockney, Jenny Holzer, Allison Hrabluik, Robert Indiana,  Mary Kelly, Ann Kipling, Lui Shou Kwan, Ken Lum, Agnes Martin, Robert Motherwell, Ad Reinhardt, Françoise Sullivan, Takao Tanabe, Cy Twombly, Rachel Whiteread, Joyce Wieland, Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun and Zhu Jinshi, as well as invited artists Karin Jones and Zoe Kreye.

Victor Vasarely, Op Art in Vancouver and Uncommon Language will be on view from October 17, 2020 to April 5, 2021.

Victor Vasarely was conceived in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou, Musée National d’Art Moderne in Paris.

FACTORY presents World Premiere ACTS OF FAITH November 19 to 28 2020 - Free Livestream

 From a media release:

World Premiere
FACTORY presents 
ACTS OF FAITH

by David Yee
Directed by Nina Lee Aquino
Starring Natasha Mumba

November 19 – 28, 2020 @ 7:30PM
Streamed live for 6 performances
Free of charge

TORONTO (October 19, 2020) - To kick off its groundbreaking 2020/21 season, Factory presents the world premiere of acts of faith, by multi-award winning Asian Canadian playwright David Yee, directed by Nina Lee Aquino, and starring Natasha Mumba. Written specifically to be performed for a digital platform, acts of faith will stream live to audiences at home for six performances, November 19-28, 2020. 

Thanks to the generous support of the TD Bank Group, admission is being offered entirely free of charge to audiences across the country and beyond.

acts of faith tells a story about the power of faith, the inescapable persistence of our online identities, and the nature of truth in a digital age. The story follows Faith, a young woman who gets mistaken for a prophet. When a questionable religious leader attempts to take advantage of her, she begins using her ‘gift’ to right wrongs and punish the wicked. 

As her spiritual notoriety grows, her own faith gradually erodes, driving her away from her home, the church, and all the secrets those places hold. Her quest for truth amidst an overabundance of facts and faiths is a timely meditation on how we construct our realities and how the things we have faith in are so easily believed while almost effortlessly falsified. Far from home, Faith will come up against the ultimate test of her beliefs, her resolve… and the extraordinary questions of who, what and why we forgive. 

Admission is free of charge, however audiences will have to register in advance on Factory Theatre’s website to secure a spot for their preferred performance night  at this link . Information on how to access the livestreamed performance will be sent out to registered audience members via email 24 hrs before the performance. acts of faith will be performed for six nights - November 19, 20, 21 & 26, 27, 28 at 7:30PM. Each show is performed live and will be streamed to registered audience members watching from home via Factory Theatre’s website.

David Yee (playwright) is a mixed race actor and playwright, born and raised in Toronto. He is the co-founding Artistic Director of fu-GEN Theatre Company, Canada’s premiere professional Asian Canadian theatre company. 

With a string of firsts in Asian Canadian theatre, Nina Lee Aquino (director) was the founding Artistic Director of fu-GEN Asian Canadian theatre company, organized the first Asian Canadian theatre conference, edited the first (2-volume) Asian Canadian play anthology, and co-edited the first (award-winning) book on Asian Canadian theatre. She became Artistic Director of Cahoots Theatre, currently holds the same position at Factory Theatre and is now the youngest President of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres.

Natasha Mumba (actor) was born in Kalulushi, Zambia and is currently based in Toronto. She graduated from The National Theatre School of Canada and credits include Factory Theatre, Canadian Stage, Shaw Festival, Obsidian Theatre and The Citadel.

Missing Italy? A Virtual Exhibition Can Help

From a release:

Missing Italy? A Virtual Exhibition Can Help

Check Out The Exhibition Online

ENIT and Italy: A Beautiful Tale, is a three-dimensional online virtual exhibition presenting the origins and development of ENIT (the Italian National Tourist Board) and its fundamental role for more than one hundred years in promoting Italy, as an international tourist destination. Telling our story means presenting part of Italy’s history.

You can visit the exhibition through four sections:

Establishment of the National tourist board and its development;A historical selection of posters presenting travel throughout Italy;Editorial pages promoted by the tourist board;A selection of photographs from our archives covering all of the Italian peninsula from north to south.

The goal is to let the public about the agency's work in promoting Italy in a digital, interactive display.

Recently Released | The smallest Creature: Magic Beans (Independent / 30 September 2020)

Recently Released
The smallest Creature: Magic Beans
(Independent / 30 September 2020)

Stream it on Spotify

With influences from The Beatles to Alice in Chains, The smallest Creature's Magic Beans is an album of alt-rock with an intimate, almost alt-folk feel to it. The lyrics are poetic and integral to the song, lit up with tight chops and accomplished musicality.

Would You Blink has a nice sense of urgency and a driving rhythm, contrasted by October Song, something of an old blues song with a 21st century rock makeover. 

Their grunge influences come to the fore in Glow, with Let Burn another guitar-heavy rocker. The band goes softer in Break Me, an acoustic song that spotlights Stefanos Marnerides' soft tenor. 

The smallest Creature hail from Larnaca in Cyprus in the sunny Mediterranean. The smallest Creature is the brainchild of Stefanos Marnerides, with the name starting off as an alias in NYC where Stefanos was performing solo gigs and recording demos. When later Stefanos moved to his home town Larnaca, The smallest Creature turned into a power trio, and eventually a quartet.

This is their second album.

Personnel: Stefanos Marnerides: Vocals, Guitars; Andreas Matheou: Guitars, Vocals; Pavlos Papadopoulos: Bass' Iacovos Stylianides: Drums

Tracklist:
1. Would you Blink; 2. October Song; 3. Glow; 4. Break me; 5. You are Ready; 6. Crawl; 7. Let Burn; 8. Find; 9. Cut Through Me; 10. Come Back; 11. The Mist

Stay in touch:
Official site: https://thesmallestcreature.com/magic-beans
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3icVtGx
Youtube: https://bit.ly/30n7PpE
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thesmallestcreature/sets/magic-beans

Alt Country | Doc Straw & the Scarecrows: Get on By (Independent / July 31, 2020)

Alt Country
Doc Straw & the Scarecrows: Get on By
(Independent / July 31, 2020)

Stream it on Spotify

Clever lyrics that tell a story and an appealing acoustic bounce give the new single by Doc Straw & the Scarecrows a classic modern folk vibe. The vocal harmonies are pleasing and the words are an upbeat ode to persevering during tough times.

It's a timely message, and Doc talked about it in a release.

"I wrote this song after getting off of a 3-hour long phone conversation with my sister, Jessica, and a lot of our conversation that evening  centered around some of the tougher things in life and how we were dealing with these struggles. If a person lives long enough then at some point they will experience these trying seasons. I've learned that it's important to pay attention during those times because that is when we have some of the best opportunities to grow."

It has a nicely haunting harmonica line and builds to an emotional peak. 

Virginia based Mike Straw is a combat vet who now works as a doctor physical therapist along with his music, and who lives full-time in an RV. 

Mike has planned and written a full Doc Straw & the Scarecrows album, which will finish recording soon. So far 4 tracks have been recorded, with two being released. Straw has stayed creative and productive during the pandemic.

"Since I'm travel PT I can hit the studio between contracts and some weekends. I'll start playing live shows more once the album nears completion and COVID risk diminishes. For now, I'm focusing on recording and I stick to open mics/small shows with friends." 

Personnel: Mike Straw: Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Drums, Harmonica / Vaughn Thomas: Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar / Shelton Sprouse: Bass Guitar / Taylor Bess: Keys

Stay in Touch:
Official Website: Docstrawandthescarecrows.com
Facebook: facebook.com/docstrawandthescarecrows
Twitter: @strawwrites / twitter.com/strawwrites
Instagram: @docstrawandthescarecrows

Psychedelic Punk Rock | Lord Sonny the Unifier: (All My Friends Live) Underground (Independent / 25 September 2020)

Psychedelic Punk Rock
Lord Sonny the Unifier: (All My Friends Live) Underground
(Independent / 25 September 2020)

Stream it on Spotify

Layers of rhythm and percussive piano characterize this earworm track from Brooklyn's Lord Sonny the Unifier. With spooky harmonies and guitar that is all distortion with a psychedelic vibe, it's a compelling single for the time. Sonny builds the track with an almost orchestral sensibility to a big sound finish.

Greg Jiritano, the main impetus behind Lord Sonny, talked about the song in a media release.

"(All My Friends Live) Underground is a song about iconoclasts and outsiders who find their group of freaks, or Tribe in the shadows and underbelly, outside the conventions of  society. It's a calling to join us and leave behind  what society has embraced as the norms and the acceptable, the well trod path above. Leave the trivialities being thrust upon us since birth and join our Tribe and rediscover there the truths that will enrich you and not those who suck your energy in order to enrich themselves. "

It sounds like we have the same kind of friends. :)

After years of writing and recording, a fire destroyed Greg Jiritano's studio. 

"I decided to not purchase a new studio but rather to use ones available to me and to pay up front as in the end it would be a more expedient way to accomplish the recordings. I'd plotted with my good friend Carmine Covelli to play drums and soon thereafter met Tyler Wood who is a keyboard wizard freak and also a sound guru in the studio. It was he who swore by his good friend Derek Nievergelt on Bass and so Lord Sonny the Unifier was created."

Lord Sonny the Unifier's anticipated new EP 'All New Information' will be released 11/13/20.