Saturday, June 28, 2014

Secrets Live

In this latest bootleg from her recent European concert tour, Allison Crowe, again, shows how and why she’s loved – and earns hearty plaudits - ‘round the globe.

"Canada's finest songwriter" says writer Stephen Thomas, co-founder of the UK’s Folkroom Records. "In a world of copycats and wannabes in the singer-songwriter field, Crowe is a true original and is playing in a league of her own," notes L.A.-based writer/producer and AMG journalist Tom Mureika.

Delivery of musical joy and genius today come via pathways distant from the corporate product and pop / rock ephemera of the establishment record industry.

Here at the storied Jazzhaus in Freiburg, Germany, Allison Crowe reveals her “Secrets



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Music Hath Charms

Allison Crowe rocks hard as any musician - and is just as moving when she gently delivers a reflective ballad such as "Hold Back" - first heard on her "Little Light" album - http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/little-light


Here Crowe picks up her guitar and plays for a wonderful audience of music-lovers at Jazzhaus Freiburg - a Muttertag / Mother's Day show on the "Heavy Graces" 2014 European concert tour.

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Sunday, June 22, 2014

Skeletons and Spirits - Allison Crowe - Live Jazzhaus Freiburg

Skeletons and Spirits” is performed here by Allison Crowe live in Jazzhaus Freiburg, Germany.


This original song, a favourite for other young musicians to cover, was first recorded for Allison’sThis Little Bird” album/CD: http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/this-little-bird

It contains some of the Canadian singer-songwriter’s most deliciously fun lyrics, including:

“I'll pretend I'm a cloud
and my rain will surround you
And if you keep hurting me
I'll eventually drown you

And, yes I know
I'm a little bit off…”

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Running for Home “flake” – Allison Crowe – Hot Jazz Club Muenster

Another artifact of Allison Crowe’s latest concert tour – and another off-kilter bootleg.

A friend in London kindly gave me the first of Marianne Faithfull’s autobiographies – and I completed reading it on the flight from the UK to Canada.  In some stream of consciousness this video flows with the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics of which Faithfull is a Professor.


Running for Home” is a song penned by Canada’s Matthew Good and Dave Genn. Allison Crowe’s notably performed it since 1999 – in band and solo shows. She’s included it in her live repertoire this Spring and in the trove of concert videos from Freiburg there’s upcoming a full performance.

Here, now, from the pulsing joint that’s Hot Jazz Club Muenster is a CCTV feed that’s viewed by an overflow crowd. NB when the camera shifts to looking at the guitar-stand and unoccupied stage area, that’s about half of legendary Road/Tour Manager Axel Dollheiser – sitting at the ready to help Allison switch from piano to guitar songs.

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Saturday, June 21, 2014

Famous Blue Raincoat "flake"

After enjoying “The Ballad of Geeshie and Elvie” in The New York Times Magazine, I’m encouraged to post more, and more, and then some – even if it be just a flake of Allison Crowe’s life, or, in this instance, a flake of her most recent concert tour: http://youtu.be/vGT3HRWKjF4

      

John Jeremiah Sullivan’s NYT mag essay tracking early blues recording artists L.V. Thomas and Lillie Mae ‘Geetchie’ Wiley and cultural field-worker Robert “Mack” McCormick is a reminder that we enrich the world by sharing: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/04/13/magazine/blues.html 
 
Here from beautiful Lindenpark Potsdam, Germany (and a decidedly off-kilter camera-style), is the opening of Allison Crowe’s performance of the Leonard Cohen classic “Famous Blue Raincoat”.
 
For a full recording of this song seek out “Famous Blue Raincoat - Allison Crowe - Teatro del Sale, Florence – live” @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or2iHTA9X9A Two different verasions – solo and choral – are heard on her “Heavy Graces” album @ http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/heavy-graces 

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Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Between Two Trees

In 1976, Harry Hibbs, one of Newfoundland's favourite music-makers, most famously released "Between Two Trees" -- this song of love penned by Charlie McKinnon of New Brunswick, Canada.
It's revived in 2013 for the premiere run of "Newfoundland Vinyl". Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador's hit show enjoys its third revolution this Summer at the Gros Morne Theatre Festival as "Newfoundland Vinyl: The 'C' Side". NV's conceived by TNL's Artistic Director, Jeff Pitcher, and its Musical Director is Allison Crowe -- who curates and arranges the songs for TNL's wonderfully talented and spirited cast and crew.

On her latest sensational European concert tour, Crowe carried with her music from home -- and in this bootleg video, she duets on "Between Two Trees", with Canadian musician and photographer Billie Woods.
Their performance delighted audiences, including here at Germany's Jazzhaus Freiburg, a storied venue that's soaked in the notes of such artists as Miles Davis, Lionel Hampton, Art Blakey, Bill Evans, Archie Shepp, and Betty Carter -- and, for the first time, is serenaded with this sweet music from Atlantic Canada.



On the airwaves and online, passionate stewards such as DJs Rob Carnell, (of "Salt Water Music" on CFRC 101.9FM), and Wayne Tucker, (of CHMR 93.5 FM's "Newfound Records Radio Hour") share the musical riches of the region -- from the vinyl era to the latest tracks. A mother-lode for music-lovers and players is "GEST Songs of Newfoundland and Labrador" -- a marvellous celebration of musical heritage @ http://www.wtv-zone.com/phyrst/audio/nfld (at last count home to 3660 songs, 2462 videos, and plenty of midis, song charts and scores and more). GEST’s Owner/Archivist Gery Deugauw, in addition to his own channel, is caretaker of two wonderful YouTube collections built with great love and rare dedication – 'oldirishladdie' @ http://www.youtube.com/user/oldirishladdie and 'NLTreasure' @ http://www.youtube.com/user/NLTreasure (this latter channel created by Jim Yetman, whose video legacy lives on).

TNL's "Newfoundland Vinyl: The 'C' Side" spins each Tuesday and Friday from July 11 - August 29 at the GMTF -- The Ethie Room, Shallow Bay Motel and Cabins, 193 Main Street, Cow Head, Newfoundland A0K 2A0 (
On July 28, 2014 Allison Crowe Sings "Newfoundland Vinyl" and More - in GMTF's "Who's Darkening Our Door" Concert Series at The Warehouse Theatre, Main Street, Cow Head, NL. (For info on this performance and all GMTF shows - call 709-639-7238 or toll-free 1-877-243-2899)

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My Funny Valentine

On her most recent European tour, Allison Crowe's concert venues included several classic jazz joints.
 
Crowe, who started playing piano at age five, first sang publicly around that same time - belting out the Jazz Era-hit "Ja-Da Ja-Da (Jing Jing Jing)".
 
Making music her life full-time since age 16, the artist, now 32, is one of the great singers and musicians in popular music on-stage and on record this century. While she's known as a singular writer and performer of rock, folk, pop, Newfoundland, Celtic, and other sounds - her roots in jazz go deep, and she now includes some favourite standards in her many-hued repertoire.


Here, at Germany's Jazzhaus Freiburg, Allison Crowe sings Rogers & Hart's "My Funny Valentine" - accompanied by the always delightful Billie Woods on guitar.
 

Discerning culture blog Muruch says: “I never thought anyone could match, let alone surpass, the great Etta James on this song, but Allison’s gut-busting high notes take the melody to a whole 'nother level…”

http://www.muruch.com/2014/06/allison-crowe-my-funny-valentine-live-video.html

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Sunday, June 08, 2014

Famous Blue Raincoat - Allison Crowe - live Teatro del Sale, Firenze

Much audio and video to catch up with – from Allison Crowe’s touring. Herewith, a recording from Firenze:


Allison Crowe’s live interpretation of “Famous Blue Raincoat” – captured by Diego in concerto at Teatro del Sale in Florence, Italy during Crowe’s sensational May 2014 “Heavy Graces” tour.

This song is among those in Allison Crowe’s repertoire penned by the great, and greatly-loved, Canadian poet, author, singer-songwriter, Leonard Cohen.

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In Love in Vain - Allison Crowe - Live Jazzhaus Freiburg

Next up in our series of stellar live performances from Allison Crowe’s European tour – “In Love In Vain” by Jerome Kern & Leo Robin:



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