Reflecting on my arrival in Canada back in 2003, I’m reminded of the proverbial first meeting of the dog and cat. Upon spying the highly enthusiastic, overly confident yet slightly clumsy dog, the cat finds herself mildly amused and even somewhat charmed so she begins to purr. However, when the dog hears the cat’s purring […]

Pianist and composer David Braid is one of Canada’s most creative and prolific young musicians. His own compositions combine a harmonic intricacy gleaned from his study of Western classical music with the improvisational tradition of American jazz. He has recorded seven albums with five different ensembles, garnering four Juno nominations. Currently, he is focusing on […]

What do you get when you cross a sharp Latin dance band with a grand symphony orchestra? It’s a rare hybrid—and one Winnipeg audiences will have a chance to hear this January when Papa Mambo steps out with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Rodrigo Muñoz, the driving force behind Papa Mambo, is more than a bit […]

If life were food, George Colligan would weigh in at 12,000 pounds—he has a voracious appetite. He wants to live. He’s fascinated by everything musical: apart from his brilliant keyboard work, he plays a mean set of drums, and I’m happy to put him on gigs as a trumpet player too. He doesn’t do anything […]

Guitarist Ron Halldorson is a bit of a Winnipeg legend. Now in his sixties, Ron was born and raised here in Winnipeg, and has been playing music professionally for almost his entire life.  Over the last several years I have come to know Ron, both musically and personally, and his story is a fascinating one! […]

The guitar player Lenny Breau is one of the most tragic figures in jazz. He is not widely known, neither today nor in his day, but he should have been an international jazz star. Breau’s playing was extraordinary, and he often left the impression of playing more than one guitar at the same time. His […]

We all know there are many diets for losing weight and maintaining good health. There’s the Atkins diet, the low-carb diet, the low-fat diet…the list goes on and on. The concept is clear: if you do certain things consistently, you’ll achieve a certain outcome. It’s in fact pretty motivating, which is why I’ve created a […]

I was 22 when I first heard pianist Geoffrey Keezer. It was the early 90s and people had been talking about him—he joined Art Blakey at 17, he was a prize pupil of James Williams, he had ridiculous technique. But when I actually walked into Bradley’s in New York’s Greenwich Village and heard Keezer up […]

A faraway friend has shipped me a box that’s very large, very light, and (I’m told) very fragile. I’m dying of curiosity, and sometimes I’m tempted to give it a good shake, but I have another week to wait. To be honest, I’m actually enjoying the waiting and wondering. Anticipation has a nice edge to […]