Dance Roots

 Image: danceroots.ca When Sarah Nolan-Downs moved to Ottawa with her husband, Brandon, to find there was no dance studio in their growing community of Riverside South, they seized the chance to share their passion. The two met when they were both apprenticing with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Originally from Saskatchewan, Sarah

Diary of a Jazz Fest Goer

 When I lived with my parents, Saturday afternoons meant it was jazz time. Actually, any time was really jazz time, but Saturday afternoons especially. Latin Jazz would heat up my living room as Café Latino host Laura Fernandez shared her favourites. Whether my family was busy or not, we would

Pilar’s Picks: David Vest

 According to the Cascade Blues Association, David Vest is “Blues Piano Perfection.”  It’s safe to say that anyone would agree with this statement upon listening to this impressive  Maple Blues Award winner. Roadhouse Revelation is David Vest’s brand new album, released on April 29. The album contains 11 catchy, upbeat

OLM Book Review: Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan

 Author Esi Edugyan’s eloquent prose pays a worthy homage to the blues, as it is often considered the simplest yet most difficult music to play. The beginning of World War Two has The Hot Time Swingers on the run. This Blues band, along with their prodigy trumpet player, Hieronymus Falk

The Frozen Sound of Ice Music: World-renowned ice musician Terje Isungset will perform in Ottawa on instruments made of ice.

 By Marie Harbo Dahle Norwegian percussionist and ice musician Terje Isungset creates music from instruments made entirely out of ice. On February 16, ice music will be played in Canada for the first time when Isungset performs for a Winterlude audience. In 1999, Norwegian jazz musician Terje Isungset was invited to

The Gospel of Nick Drake — Coming to a church near you

 British poet and singer-songwriter Nick Drake was not the kind of musician, admittedly, that I'd had much exposure to, or even had much knowledge of, when my appetite for music first kicked in. My exposure to Drake had always consisted primarily of other songwriters' mentions of him: people like Elvis

Some Day at the Beach! Destination Weddings: Cuba

 When my brother-in-law announced his intention to wed in Cuba, my wife Trine literally jumped for joy. She had seriously considered holding our wedding party on a beach in the Caribbean, so she could get hitched while barefoot in the sand. I was happy too – I like a beach vacation