Celebrating avec "Montreal"

Long story short - this is a beautiful cover of my song ‘Montreal’ by a wonderful student and singer in Dorval (musicians of L'école Dorval-Jean XXIII).

Short story long (and rambling): So writing songs (for me, anyways) can be a weird thing - and can feel like no one will ever hear you, or care, or connect with how deeply you feel what you're saying - but then you kind of have to accept that maybe that doesn't matter, and it is in that instant only about what the creation for you means right then - and maybe that's all it'll ever be, it's absolutely possible no one will care, and so you just do it anyway, because it's what you do.

Maybe after you write it, it doesn't matter what it means to you, it isn't about yourself at all, it's about what someone else can take away from it, heal, commiserate, rage, sing or laugh along - and you put every emotion you have in to whatever you're saying in one moment - but then that time passes, A LOT OF TIME PASSES VERY QUICKLY, and everything takes on different meanings. Sometimes it's hard, sometimes it's funny, sometimes it makes you cry.

Students in Dorval are celebrating 375 years of Montreal, and this is a young woman singing a verse and chorus of my song ‘Montreal’, and I can honestly say that a) i never saw that coming b) i don't actually know what to say so i am saying too much and c) I'm crying.

Montreal

On Allison Crowe’s first cross-Canada tour, a dozen years ago now, she and her trio (Dave Baird on bass, Kevin Clevette on drums) performed at Upstairs, a jazz club below-ground in Vieux-Montréal – Old Montréal, Quebec.

Dear friends - nos copains, Gerry, Gilles-Mathieu et autres – introduced us to the delights of this French-Canadian city – the tasty smoked-salmon spread, the maple pies in Côte des Neiges Farmers Market, the Tam-Tams of Mont Royal, and Brother Andre’s heart at home still, above it all, in St. Joseph’s Oratory.

Forest fires raging in the province’s James Bay region screened the city – not in clouds of thick smoke, but, in a sepia-tint making all appear antiqued, dream-like as if in aged photographs or cinema reels.

So, come on, follow the alley down, take the steps to be greeted with a song, “Montreal”, from Allison’s album “secrets” – music.allisoncrowe.com/track/montreal - produced by Rainer Willeke - accompanied by Hedy Lamarr and Charles Boyer in a turn from “Algiers”, a 1938 film directed by John Cromwell. 

"Imagine" peace again - and again

Among her interpretations of songs by the Beatles, during the group’s collective and solo years, chanting the mantra - peace and love – here’s “Imagine” performed “Live at Wood Hall” by Canadian musician Allison Crowe.

Gerry Deiter, assigned by 'Life' magazine, was the only photographer present for the entire eight-day Bed-In staged by John Lennon and Yoko Ono at Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel in 1969. His collection of images from that happening come together in the book "Give Peace a Chance: John & Yoko's Bed-In for Peace" - compiled by Joan Athey and edited by Paul McGrath.

And Joan Athey’s graciously allowed Gerry Deiter’s photographs to accompany the music to make this video.

Since it’s Groundhog Day leading us into the week celebrating 50 years of Beatlemania in North America+ - here’s an encore version of “Imagine” recorded by Allison at home – with peace signs courtesy of Top Pun.

"Hallelujah" - Allison Crowe performs Leonard Cohen

Tonight, at the Banff Centre, a cultural beacon alight in the majestic Rocky Mountains since 1933, Canada’s amazing Royal Winnipeg Ballet presents an exciting and inspiring mixed program of dance from three exceptional choreographers: “Quantz by Quanz” (Peter Quanz); “The Doorway” (Jorden Morris); “Pas D’Action” (Brian Macdonald).

“The Doorway: Scenes from Leonard Cohen”, choreographed by Jorden Morris, lattices interviews/spoken word recordings, along with: "The Letters" performed by Leonard Cohen and Jennifer Warnes for the CD "Dear Heather"; "Bird on a Wire" as recorded by Adam Cohen for the compilation “A Song for My Father”; "Hallelujah" – the “Tidings” album recording by Allison Crowe; "Since You Asked", a poem composed by Judy Collins and recited by Leonard Cohen from the CD "Born to the Breed”; and "Sisters of Mercy" recorded live by iconic US singer-songwriter Cris Williamson on the CD "Circle of Friends".

The RWB was the first company anywhere in the world to stage a production melding works of the Montreal-born singer-songwriter, musician, poet, and novelist – presenting "The Shining People of Leonard Cohen", with choreography by Brian Macdonald, in 1970. Choreographer Jorden Morris’ “The Doorway” opened in 2012 and, again, represents a company uniquely in tune with the zeitgeist.

Cohen, at age 79, is today enjoying universal appreciation of his works. “Hallelujah” is a much-loved modern standard. His recordings, from “Suzanne” to “The Darkness”+, remain as popular now as the day of their release. A key to such timeless appeal was revealed some years back - when asked by an interviewer about the impact of commercialization, the songwriter explained:

“Well, each person here at this table is a victim of the commercialization of life. I’m sure I haven’t escaped. But I can say one thing - I have been tempted by the money. I have been tempted by the glory... I don’t think there is any man that can escape those temptations. But I feel that I have not put out any songs that were designed to exploit the commercial market.”

Hallelujah - Allison Crowe performs Leonard Cohen from Allison Crowe on Vimeo.

Allison Crowe’s first release of “Hallelujah” was over ten years ago – http://music.allisoncrowe.com/track/hallelujah - and, it, too, has continued to increase in resonance since the “Tidings” EP of 2003. Here, in video form, Allison performs Cohen’s song - captured in real-time by film director Alex Postowoi and crew and audio engineer Larry Anschell at Turtle Recording by-the-sea in White Rock, BC, Canada. (As with recent Beatles’ interpretations from this same live-in-the-studio session, this is in higher-fidelity than has been previously available.)

Montreal

"Spent a little time in Montreal, with a fire in the sun, smokescreen covering over the entire city". Summer fires rage in the James Bay region of Quebec and Ontario provinces sending up smoke that makes everything appear sepia-tinted as if in a vintage stereoscope. Especially in Vieux-Montréal, (Old Montreal), where Allison Crowe and trio perform at Upstairs Jazz Bar. "S' come on, follow me down the alleyway..."

Montreal

As Allison Crowe readies her seventh album/CD for release, it's opportunity to post here some songs which, as yet, have not been been captured on video.

In time for Valentine's Day, V-Day, and, simply, any day, year-round romance, here's "Montreal" - a love song that joins Crowe's other originals such as "Wedding Song" and her covers, including "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)", in expressing the heart.

During her years touring across Canada, Allison Crowe has performed in a range of concert venues in la belle province, Quebec, in the beautiful city of Montreal - from La Salla Rossa to Place des Arts.

On her first visit, she performed at a jazz venue in the old city, (or Vieux-Montréal), called Upstairs and it's there and then she penned this ballad. Allison Crowe, vocals and piano, is joined on this recording by Dave Baird, on bass, and Kevin Clevette, on drums.

This song recording is on her "Secrets" CD.

Montreal - audio