MUSIC EVENTS
MUSIC EVENT #1
The London Irish Folk Club
On Saturday January 19, 2019 I had the pleasure of attending the London Irish Folk Club for the first time. The Irish dance Ceilis are all done in one place which is located in London Ontario at the German Canadian Club on 1 Cove Road. I was amazed by the amount of people that were in attendance. Since this was my first time experiencing Irish folk tunes, I made sure to capture all the performers that were on stage with their typical Irish instrumentation that they had at hand. The London Irish Folk Club presented me with music, dance, song and even Irish language. Dances called by Maureen O’Leary were my favourite part of the whole experience. I am a huge fan when it comes down to learning new dance styles and moves. Each step was shown with precision by Maureen making it easy for beginners like me to follow and not trip. Everybody wanted to be involved in the dances which made the setting of the whole club very comfortable for “outsiders” like me. What I appreciated was that Maureen taught a lot of traditional Irish group dances. This allowed everyone who attended to get up and participate in what she was teaching. Many members of this club originated from Ireland and I could tell that they could teach in any specific area of interest, for someone like me, about Irish folk music, or certain dances that would be used for particular ceremonies. Being an instrumentalist myself, each of the instruments on stage caught my attention as well. The instruments that I saw and heard were the keyboard, accordion, banjo, fiddle and they also had what I think was a Bodhran which is an Irish frame drum ranging from 20-60 cm in diameter backstage. Each instrumentalist that was on that stage except for the keyboardist did not have a piece of music in front of them. They were all listening to each other producing notes that would fall perfectly in each of the main harmonic structures. I found this very entertaining to look at, because there were times that the performers would have little solos where they would show off their instrument for everyone to hear, and then get faster and faster as the solo went on. Whenever I listened to any one of the instrumentalists it just made me want to get out of chair and dance, which is exactly what I did. I love how this club accepts all ages. There were kids, to young adults, to grown men and women. The diversity amongst everyone that showed up that night was truly amazing to see. It made me more complacent to know that I was not the only one new to this amazing venue. The other great thing about the London Irish Folk Club is that they provided food and beer! That for me was the icing on the cake. Dancing, singing, listening to Irish music, eating and drinking is more than anyone can ask for. I had a truly outstanding time, and will most definitely attend another one of their Ceilis in the near future.
Link of the sound clip that I captured on my phone of the instrumentalists on stage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTt6Y19HZ0I
On Saturday January 19, 2019 I had the pleasure of attending the London Irish Folk Club for the first time. The Irish dance Ceilis are all done in one place which is located in London Ontario at the German Canadian Club on 1 Cove Road. I was amazed by the amount of people that were in attendance. Since this was my first time experiencing Irish folk tunes, I made sure to capture all the performers that were on stage with their typical Irish instrumentation that they had at hand. The London Irish Folk Club presented me with music, dance, song and even Irish language. Dances called by Maureen O’Leary were my favourite part of the whole experience. I am a huge fan when it comes down to learning new dance styles and moves. Each step was shown with precision by Maureen making it easy for beginners like me to follow and not trip. Everybody wanted to be involved in the dances which made the setting of the whole club very comfortable for “outsiders” like me. What I appreciated was that Maureen taught a lot of traditional Irish group dances. This allowed everyone who attended to get up and participate in what she was teaching. Many members of this club originated from Ireland and I could tell that they could teach in any specific area of interest, for someone like me, about Irish folk music, or certain dances that would be used for particular ceremonies. Being an instrumentalist myself, each of the instruments on stage caught my attention as well. The instruments that I saw and heard were the keyboard, accordion, banjo, fiddle and they also had what I think was a Bodhran which is an Irish frame drum ranging from 20-60 cm in diameter backstage. Each instrumentalist that was on that stage except for the keyboardist did not have a piece of music in front of them. They were all listening to each other producing notes that would fall perfectly in each of the main harmonic structures. I found this very entertaining to look at, because there were times that the performers would have little solos where they would show off their instrument for everyone to hear, and then get faster and faster as the solo went on. Whenever I listened to any one of the instrumentalists it just made me want to get out of chair and dance, which is exactly what I did. I love how this club accepts all ages. There were kids, to young adults, to grown men and women. The diversity amongst everyone that showed up that night was truly amazing to see. It made me more complacent to know that I was not the only one new to this amazing venue. The other great thing about the London Irish Folk Club is that they provided food and beer! That for me was the icing on the cake. Dancing, singing, listening to Irish music, eating and drinking is more than anyone can ask for. I had a truly outstanding time, and will most definitely attend another one of their Ceilis in the near future.
Link of the sound clip that I captured on my phone of the instrumentalists on stage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTt6Y19HZ0I
MUSIC EVENT #2
Light of East Ensemble
On Friday, March 22, 2019 I had the pleasure of listening to The Light of East Ensemble’s vibrant repertoire. It included Traditional Sephardic Folk songs, Traditional Andalusian, Modern Greek Instrumental, Modern Egyptian Songs, Traditional Folk Songs from Asian Minor, and Turkish Folk Songs. The ensemble encompasses there music around neighbouring countries in the Middle East which include Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and Israel. The performers of this ensemble are Mary Ashton (Violin), Tracey Atin (Vocals), Jedd House (Bass), Jana Starling (Clarinet/Accordion), Kareem El Tyeb (Percussion) and Panayiotis Giannarapis (Oud/Bouzouki). There was one song in particular that sounded quite familiar to me and that was Rampi-Rampi. I have heard this Turkish Folk Song during one of my cousin’s weddings in Toronto. It is an intense piece that is full of interesting rhythmic parts which were clearly brought out by Kareem through his percussion instrumentation. Hearing and watching a live performance compared to how I remembered it at the wedding which was done through a stereo system was an awesome experience and something I will never forget.
I appreciated how every performer on stage had a specific role in each of the songs throughout this performance. Everyone had a solo, which I loved because it gave me an exact idea of how each instrument is being played though the Middle Eastern style, and how each specific instrument ends up fitting in perfectly with the ensemble after their solo is over.
The other thing that caught my attention in this performance was the two Westernized string players Mary Ashton on the violin and Jedd House on the double bass. I believe that they performed all the songs by ear and by memory, because there was no music stand to be seen in front of both the performers. Memorizing certain pieces that you are not familiar with can be very challenging, but for them it seemed as though they knew exactly what to do, which meant that they familiarized themselves with the culture so that it was easier for them to understand the specific sounds and notes that are needed in the chosen repertoire. There were times through both their solos where I felt like improvisation was used, which got me thinking about the Irish Folk Club for a second. Both musical events had a group of performers that played their culture’s specific instrumentation, and both of the group’s musicians did improvisation at least once during their specific performances.
Panayiotis Giannarapis was the oud/bouzouki player, and I couldn’t get my eyes off of the way he played his stringed instrument. In my opinion the Oud is really the backbone in Middle Eastern repertoire. As soon as you hear it played it reminds you of Western Asia and North Africa. The specific tuning in fourths by the Oud allows the other instruments to pick up on the chordal structure and play harmonies on top of the main melody line. This theme occurred in many of the traditional folk songs that were being presented and I loved it!
Overall this musical event was an outstanding adventure for me, and I am looking forward to seeing Light of East Ensemble’s next performance in September.
Below are YouTube links to clips of the seven songs that were performed:
1. Ala Una Yo Naci Traditional Sephardic Folk Song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yeb8jplO24
2. Lamma Badda Yatathana Traditional Andalusian
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnsxC972oNE
3. Evdokia Modern Greek Instrumental
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKI0CwAUQKY
4. Rampi-Rampi Turkish Folk Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4Pj7rlU5Do
5. Enta Omri Modern Egyptian Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsszsIOEFmg
6. Ocho Kandelikas Traditional Sephardic Folk Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LWvJkFbnPM
7. Morena Me Llaman Traditional Sephardic Folk Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QIbCiEYwWY
On Friday, March 22, 2019 I had the pleasure of listening to The Light of East Ensemble’s vibrant repertoire. It included Traditional Sephardic Folk songs, Traditional Andalusian, Modern Greek Instrumental, Modern Egyptian Songs, Traditional Folk Songs from Asian Minor, and Turkish Folk Songs. The ensemble encompasses there music around neighbouring countries in the Middle East which include Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and Israel. The performers of this ensemble are Mary Ashton (Violin), Tracey Atin (Vocals), Jedd House (Bass), Jana Starling (Clarinet/Accordion), Kareem El Tyeb (Percussion) and Panayiotis Giannarapis (Oud/Bouzouki). There was one song in particular that sounded quite familiar to me and that was Rampi-Rampi. I have heard this Turkish Folk Song during one of my cousin’s weddings in Toronto. It is an intense piece that is full of interesting rhythmic parts which were clearly brought out by Kareem through his percussion instrumentation. Hearing and watching a live performance compared to how I remembered it at the wedding which was done through a stereo system was an awesome experience and something I will never forget.
I appreciated how every performer on stage had a specific role in each of the songs throughout this performance. Everyone had a solo, which I loved because it gave me an exact idea of how each instrument is being played though the Middle Eastern style, and how each specific instrument ends up fitting in perfectly with the ensemble after their solo is over.
The other thing that caught my attention in this performance was the two Westernized string players Mary Ashton on the violin and Jedd House on the double bass. I believe that they performed all the songs by ear and by memory, because there was no music stand to be seen in front of both the performers. Memorizing certain pieces that you are not familiar with can be very challenging, but for them it seemed as though they knew exactly what to do, which meant that they familiarized themselves with the culture so that it was easier for them to understand the specific sounds and notes that are needed in the chosen repertoire. There were times through both their solos where I felt like improvisation was used, which got me thinking about the Irish Folk Club for a second. Both musical events had a group of performers that played their culture’s specific instrumentation, and both of the group’s musicians did improvisation at least once during their specific performances.
Panayiotis Giannarapis was the oud/bouzouki player, and I couldn’t get my eyes off of the way he played his stringed instrument. In my opinion the Oud is really the backbone in Middle Eastern repertoire. As soon as you hear it played it reminds you of Western Asia and North Africa. The specific tuning in fourths by the Oud allows the other instruments to pick up on the chordal structure and play harmonies on top of the main melody line. This theme occurred in many of the traditional folk songs that were being presented and I loved it!
Overall this musical event was an outstanding adventure for me, and I am looking forward to seeing Light of East Ensemble’s next performance in September.
Below are YouTube links to clips of the seven songs that were performed:
1. Ala Una Yo Naci Traditional Sephardic Folk Song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yeb8jplO24
2. Lamma Badda Yatathana Traditional Andalusian
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnsxC972oNE
3. Evdokia Modern Greek Instrumental
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKI0CwAUQKY
4. Rampi-Rampi Turkish Folk Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4Pj7rlU5Do
5. Enta Omri Modern Egyptian Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsszsIOEFmg
6. Ocho Kandelikas Traditional Sephardic Folk Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LWvJkFbnPM
7. Morena Me Llaman Traditional Sephardic Folk Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QIbCiEYwWY