Allison Crowe, Tonic! & The ScotianAires Share the Love

Mother Nature’s showing Canadians a lot of love for wind, ice and snow this season. Still, Spring is coming – and with its flowers and bird song arrives, in the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, unalloyed joy in the form of a concert featuring Allison Crowe, Tonic! and The ScotianAires.

At the Bella Rose Arts Centre, Saturday, April 1st, 2017 “Music Speaks Louder than Words” (even those words used to describe the weather):
https://www.facebook.com/events/253414015091473/permalink/268387346927473

"On Feb. 14  give the gift of music! Share the a cappella love!"

"Music Speaks Louder Than Words"

Just announced! Allison Crowe returns to the lovely Canadian city of Halifax, Nova Scotia - her first visit since performing in H-town with Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 2012. This upcoming special concert event - "Music Speaks Louder Than Words" - happens Saturday, April 1, 2017 at the Bella Rose Arts Centre.


Here's the scoop from The ScotianAires:
https://www.facebook.com/events/253414015091473  Much fun ahead  :)

Traditional New Year’s cheer : "Love and joy come to you..."

Traditional New Year's cheer: "Love and joy come to you..."

Ding Dong Merrily on High - Day 26 on the Musical Advent Calendar

Allison Crowe, the most original, vital – and versatile – voice of her generation in popular music rings in Day 26 on the Advent Calendar with this playful song off the all-a-cappella “Souling” album:

Written originally as a French dance tune in the 1500s, words were added to create “Ding Dong Merrily on High”, first published in 1924’s “The Cambridge Carol-Book: Being Fifty-two Songs for Christmas, Easter, And Other Seasons”.

Enjoy a new song each day through Christmas open on Allison Crowe’s Musical Advent Calendar @ http://allisoncrowe.com/MusicalAdventCalendar2016.html

Someday at Christmas - Day 24 on the Musical Advent Calendar

“Someday at Christmas”, a cappella, rings in Day 24: 

Each day through Christmas open a new song on Allison Crowe’s Musical Advent Calendar @ http://allisoncrowe.com/MusicalAdventCalendar2016.html

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Day 21 on Musical Advent Calendar

“God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman” opens Day 21 on the Musical Advent Calendar. This traditional Christmas carol dates originally to 18th century England - and makes an appearance in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" almost 100 years later. In this new millenium, Allison Crowe delivers the song a cappella - on her album "Souling”.

Each day through Christmas celebrate with a new song on Allison’s Musical Advent Calendar @ http://allisoncrowe.com/MusicalAdventCalendar2016.html

The Wexford Carol - Day 19 on Musical Advent Calendar

From 12th century Ireland to here and now, Day 19 on Allison Crowe’s Musical Advent Calendar, “The Wexford Carol” brings tidings of comfort and joy - "Good people all, this Christmastime...":

Each day through Christmas enjoy a new song opening on Allison’s Musical Advent Calendar @ http://allisoncrowe.com/MusicalAdventCalendar2016.html

Santa Baby - Day 12 on Musical Advent Calendar

On Day 12 of her Musical Advent Calendar, all together for CBC’s Feed NL Day show, Allison Crowe met this jolly man in a red suit – and, so, the calendar opens on “Santa Baby”:

Allison Crowe and special guests bring "Tidings" to the ACC Corner Brook in Concert - Saturday, December 10 at 8pm: https://www.facebook.com/events/578139959061288

>Each day through Christmas celebrate a new song on Allison’s Musical Advent Calendar @

http://allisoncrowe.com/MusicalAdventCalendar2016.html

Blue Christmas - Day 5 on Musical Advent Calendar - "All the Colours of a Song"

Day 5 of our Musical Advent Calendar opens with “Blue Christmas” – from Allison Crowe’s remarkable all a cappella collection, “Souling” (2015). Composed by Jay W. Johnson & Billy Hayes, the song’s first recorded in 1948 by Texan Doye O’Dell - “All America’s Cowboy”. Several popular renditions followed – and, in 1957, another singer/actor, this time from Tupelo, Mississippi, stamped it indelibly as an holiday classic.

Blue Christmas from Allison Crowe on Vimeo.

Allison Crowe’s fresh arrangement and performance of an Elvis Presley signature tune launches December’s 25 song videos - blending her own originals alongside music from The Beatles, Leonard Cohen, Gary O’Driscoll, Aretha Franklin, Eartha Kitt, Stevie Wonder, Patty Griffin, Phil Ochs and Nat King Cole. (November’s calendar revealed Crowe’s takes on gems heard decades earlier by Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Joni Mitchell, Ryan’s Fancy, Harry Hibbs, Bell Island’s Ray Mclean +.)

Allison Crowe’s repertoire, including her classic “Tidings” and a cappella “Souling”, unites traditional tunes, carols and hymns, with sounds of rock, jazz, folk, Celtic and soul to celebrate “music for the season and all time”. "You really have to see Allison Crowe live. The way she splits those notes, it's like light through a prism - all the colours of a song," reflects longtime radio/tv host Rick Dennis. From a vantage point atop a snow-peaked mountain in Canada, print journalist Stephen Smysnuik observes: "Crowe's voice (is) as much a manifestation of Christmas spirit today as Bing Crosby's was in 1942. It's as warm as an open fire; as gorgeous as snow-frosted evergreens; as tender as that hug you give your mother on Christmas day."

Each day through Christmas a new music video link will open @ http://allisoncrowe.com/MusicalAdventCalendar2016.html 

Soul Cake - Day 2 on Musical Advent Calendar

Day 2 on Allison Crowe’s Musical Advent Calendar opens “Soul Cake” - another favourite from the musician’s all a cappella collection, “Souling”. Each day through Christmas a new music video link to savour, songs sacred and secular, traditional to modern, will open @ http://allisoncrowe.com/news.html

Soul Cake from Allison Crowe on Vimeo.

Baby, It's Cold Outside - Day 1 on Musical Advent Calendar

Our Musical Advent Calendar opens with “Baby It’s Cold Outside” ~  ~ from Allison Crowe’s all a cappella album “Souling”.


Baby, It's Cold Outside from Allison Crowe on Vimeo.

And, it is :)

Musical Advent Calendar: November 27 - December 25

Each day through Christmas another music video link will open - click on each image to enjoy the music there revealed and shared.

"Best of this season and of all the seasons to everyone near and far... may the New Year and those years to come bring you joy, contentment, the best of what you want, and the clarity of who you are..." ~ Allison

~ Peace on earth, goodwill toward all ~

Images courtesy: The Graphics Fairy + band fotos by Billie Woods & Stephen Drover+

Soul Cake

An earlier form of carolling – and trick or treating, to boot - is the tradition of “souling” or “soul-caking”.


Soul Cake from Allison Crowe on Vimeo.

As singers make the rounds, door-to-door, chanting ancient rhymes a welcome reward is a soul cake – for which there are a range of recipes.

Here’s one from Shropshire, a county in the West Midlands of England, that’s collected by Dorothy Gladys Spicer for publication in her 1960 book “Feast-Day Cakes from Many Lands”.

“INGREDIENTS

6 cups sifted all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 envelope active dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1 egg white, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

DIRECTIONS

Cream shortening and sugar. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water to which a teaspoon of sugar has been added. Set aside. Scald milk and add to the creamed mixture. When cooled add yeast mixture and stir until thoroughly blended. Sift together flour, salt, and spices, and add gradually to other ingredients, kneading into a soft dough. Set sponge to rise in warm place in greased covered bowl. When doubled in bulk, shape into small round or oval buns. Brush tops with slightly beaten egg white. Bake in moderately hot oven (400° F.) for 15 minutes. Drop temperature to 350 ° F. and bake until delicately browned and thoroughly done.”

To join in the musical feasting, here’s Allison Crowe, with the first song track served up by her a cappella album "Souling": http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/souling-bonus-tracks-edition

Santa Baby

Allison Crowe hurries down the chimney for a special a cappella delivery of “Santa Baby” – penned by Joan Javits, Philip Springer, & Tony Springer.

This track is on Allison's just-released “Souling (Bonus Tracks Edition)” – an all-a cappella collection which expands upon a cherished album of last Christmas. To the original “Souling” collection, Crowe’s added one more traditional carol plus her take on secular songs popularized by Elvis, Eartha Kitt, Louis & Ella, Nat King Cole and Stevie Wonder. Happy holidays!

http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/souling-bonus-tracks-edition

Blue Christmas

Composed by Jay W. Johnson & Billy Hayes, “Blue Christmas” was first recorded in 1948 by Texan Doye O’Dell - “All America’s Cowboy”. Several popular renditions followed – and, in 1957, another singer/actor, this time from Tupelo, Mississippi, stamped the song indelibly as an holiday classic.

Rocking and rolling into this season of joy and reflection is Canada’s Allison Crowe whose 2015 recording here gifts us one of the freshest takes on the song since Elvis Presley - “The King”.

Blue Christmas from Allison Crowe on Vimeo.

This a cappella track is on Crowe’s just-released “Souling (Bonus Tracks Edition)” – an album which expands upon a cherished release of last Christmas. To “Souling” Crowe’s added one more traditional carol plus characteristically distinct colourings of secular songs popularized by Elvis, Eartha Kitt, Louis & Ella, Nat King Cole and Stevie Wonder among others:
http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/souling-bonus-tracks-edition

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Indoors, music-makers and music-lovers are radiating joy and excitement – but, “Baby It’s Cold Outside”:


Baby, It's Cold Outside from Allison Crowe on Vimeo.

Here’s Allison Crowe with her a cappella icing of the Frank Loesser Wintertime classic. The musical stocking warms with glowing tunes from the popular songbook on Crowe’s just-released album - “Souling (Bonus Tracks Edition)”.

The genesis of “Souling” is found within the creative family of Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador, an Atlantic Canadian professional theatre company founded in 1979. Each Summer from 2012 through 2015 Allison Crowe's served as Musical Director of "Newfoundland Vinyl" – an hit stage show produced by TNL for the Gros Morne Theatre Festival. Alongside this ongoing success, in 2014, TNL Artistic Associate SaraH McDonald invited the Corner Brook, NL-based musician to also be MD for a vibrant production of “A Christmas Carol”.

The Adaptation of this classic Charles Dickens story by playwright Jeff Pitcher, TNL’s Artistic Director, excited Crowe’s musical imagination – as did the desire of McDonald, the play’s Director, to incorporate songs in the style of Victorian Era carolers.

So inspired, Allison Crowe immersed herself in curating and arranging music for choral presentation – a process which gave an unique breath of life to these solo performance recordings. “Her arrangements are undeniably exquisite,” notes Celtic Music Fan.

In 2015, Crowe musically directs a new TNL show for the holiday season – “The Gift of the Magi”. O. Henry’s short-story is adapted for the stage by Jon Jory and directed by TNL’s AD Jeff Pitcher. Carollers in this show will perform favourite Christmas carols, and also modern, secular, tunes. And from these latter songs, popularized by Elvis, Eartha Kitt, Louis & Ella, Nat King Cole and Stevie Wonder among others, Allison Crowe’s selected the newest tracks for “Souling”.

https://allisoncrowe.bandcamp.com/album/souling-bonus-tracks-edition 

Wassail Song

Like souling and caroling, (even the more sonorous of trick-or-treating), wassailing can involve a merry band of people going door-to-door and singing from porch-steps. (Though some go a-wassailing to the orchard where they can serenade the trees.) Fortifying such merriment may be a supply of cider, punch, mulled wine, or spicy ale.

Dipping anew into the bowl of this season’s traditional music, here’s Allison Crowe’s serving of the “Wassail Song”

Peace

Peace - from Allison Crowe - Someday at Christmas (Souling)

That Night in Bethlehem (Don Oíche úd i mBeithil)

"That Night in Bethlehem (Don Oíche úd i mBeithil)" is the third song track on "Souling":

Silhouette.animation by the amazing Lotte Reiniger, (whose 1926 creation of "The Adventures of Prince Achmed" is the first animated feature film), is seen here in an excerpt from "The Star of Bethlehem" (1956).

Allison Crowe’s gorgeous voice brings tidings of comfort and joy with “Souling” – her 11th full album release.

http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/souling

The artist, one of our greatest living musicians, singer-songwriters and performers, has always created authentic music.

With this newest song set her voice is heard wholly a cappella.

The songs themselves have a purity of expression – a 21st century take on music of faith and spirit – sounds and themes aired by carollers and soulers of old.

The genesis of “Souling” is found in the bond Allison Crowe’s formed with the creative family at Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador. Founded in 1979, this professional theatre company presents a dynamic and diverse repertoire of plays and maintains, as well, a strong commitment to youth theatre in the Atlantic Canada community.

For these past three Summers TNL’s engaged Crowe as Musical Director of “Newfoundland Vinyl” - a perennial favourite at the annual Gros Morne Theatre Festival. Following another hit season at GMTF, in late August of this year TNL Artistic Associate SaraH McDonald invited the Corner Brook, NL-based musician to serve the same role with a vibrant production of “A Christmas Carol”.

The Adaptation of this classic Charles Dickens story by playwright Jeff Pitcher, TNL’s Artistic Director, excited Crowe’s musical imagination – as did the desire of McDonald, the play’s Director, to incorporate songs in the style of Victorian Era carollers.

So inspired, Allison Crowe immersed herself in curating the music for the abundantly-talented, multi-aged, choir of singers who’ll perform in “A Christmas Carol” at the Corner Brook Arts and Culture Centre from November 27th – 30th, 2014.

This artistic process of selection and arrangement led to her recording solo versions of those songs that will receive another distinct breath of life from the TNL vocal ensemble.

(In parallel fashion, the first season’s run of “Newfoundland Vinyl” brought forth Allison Crowe’s album of the same name – one of 2013’s top recordings. Culture blog Muruch praised it as a “lovely, vintage collection of traditional Irish and Canadian folk ballads, lively sea chanteys and drinking songs, parlour songs and country tunes” possessing “unique charm” and “the timeless beauty of a classic folk album”.)

In 2003, (and expanded in 2004), Allison Crowe released Tidings – an album of singular interpretations - “River” (Joni Mitchell), “Hallelujah” (Leonard Cohen), “In My Life” (The Beatles) and more from the secular canon – alongside such favourite traditional carols as “Silent Night”, “The First Noel”, and “O Holy Night”. Tidings has proven to be a modern classic – “music for the season and all time”.

This time out, as befits TNL’s telling of “A Christmas Carol”, Allison Crowe gives pure voice to the sacred songbook. “Souling” is:

Soul Cake
I Saw Three Ships
That Night in Bethlehem (Don Oíche úd i mBeithil)
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
The Wexford Carol
The Holly and the Ivy
In the Bleak Midwinter (Cranham)
Ding Dong Merrily on High
Once in  Royal David’s City
Wassail Song

“Souling” is available now via Allison Crowe’s own website @ http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/souling as well as on iTunes @ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/souling/id933188580 plus CD Baby @ http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/allisoncrowe10 and all major digital music outlets worldwide.

Ding Dong Merrily on High

Joy for the child in us all – “Ding Dong Merrily on High”. Originally a French dance tune, "Branle de l'Official", by Jehan Tabourot (1519 – 1593), it’s published as a carol in the early 1900s with English lyrics by composer George Ratcliffe Woodward (1848 – 1934). In our time, it’s been recorded by a range of folks including The Chieftains and The Muppets… and, now, Allison Crowe on “Souling”.

The accompanying visual is an excerpt from “Christmas Comes But Once a Year”, a Fleischer Studios Color Classics animated short released in December, 1936.

http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/souling

Allison Crowe’s gorgeous voice brings tidings of comfort and joy with “Souling” – her 11th full album release.

The artist, one of our greatest living musicians, singer-songwriters and performers, has always created authentic music. With this newest song set her voice is heard wholly a cappella.

The songs themselves have a purity of expression – a 21st century take on music of faith and spirit – sounds and themes aired by carollers and soulers of old.

The genesis of “Souling” is found in the bond Allison Crowe’s formed with the creative family at Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador. Founded in 1979, this professional theatre company presents a dynamic and diverse repertoire of plays and maintains, as well, a strong commitment to youth theatre in the Atlantic Canada community.

For these past three Summers TNL’s engaged Crowe as Musical Director of “Newfoundland Vinyl” - a perennial favourite at the annual Gros Morne Theatre Festival. Following another hit season at GMTF, in late August of this year TNL Artistic Associate SaraH McDonald invited the Corner Brook, NL-based musician to serve the same role with a vibrant production of “A Christmas Carol”.

The Adaptation of this classic Charles Dickens story by playwright Jeff Pitcher, TNL’s Artistic Director, excited Crowe’s musical imagination – as did the desire of McDonald, the play’s Director, to incorporate songs in the style of Victorian Era carollers.

So inspired, Allison Crowe immersed herself in curating the music for the abundantly-talented, multi-aged, choir of singers who performed in “A Christmas Carol” at the Corner Brook Arts and Culture Centre from November 27th – 30th, 2014.

This artistic process of selection and arrangement led to her recording solo versions of those songs that will receive another distinct breath of life from the TNL vocal ensemble.

(In parallel fashion, the first season’s run of “Newfoundland Vinyl” brought forth Allison Crowe’s album of the same name – one of 2013’s top recordings. Culture blog Muruch praised it as a “lovely, vintage collection of traditional Irish and Canadian folk ballads, lively sea chanteys and drinking songs, parlour songs and country tunes” possessing “unique charm” and “the timeless beauty of a classic folk album”.)

In 2003, (and expanded in 2004), Allison Crowe released Tidings – an album of singular interpretations - “River” (Joni Mitchell), “Hallelujah” (Leonard Cohen), “In My Life” (The Beatles) and more from the secular canon – alongside such favourite traditional carols as “Silent Night”, “The First Noel”, and “O Holy Night”. Tidings has proven to be a modern classic – “music for the season and all time”.

This time out, as befits TNL’s telling of “A Christmas Carol”, Allison Crowe gives pure voice to the sacred songbook. “Souling” is:

Soul Cake
I Saw Three Ships
That Night in Bethlehem (Don Oíche úd i mBeithil)
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
The Wexford Carol
The Holly and the Ivy
In the Bleak Midwinter (Cranham)
Ding Dong Merrily on High
Once in Royal David’s City
Wassail Song

“Souling” is available now via Allison Crowe’s own website @ http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/souling as well as on iTunes @ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/souling/id933188580 plus CD Baby @ http://cdbaby.com/cd/allisoncrowe10 and all major digital music outlets worldwide.