Summer Concerts

There are many opportunities to attend outdoor concerts if you find yourself in the Okanagan Valley this summer.  Parks Alive puts on two or three free concerts a week in Kelowna, Festivals Kelowna has a great line up at the Keloha Festival happening in Waterfront Park July 6th to 8th. I even know of a few people who hold jazz and blues jams in their back yards, but I think the best venues in the valley for sound and beauty are the wineries.  Imagine yourself in a low slung chair with green grass tickling your toes.  The evening is warm, and grape vines and mountains surround you as you sip a citrusy rosé or an aromatic gerwertz.  

If you're looking for something casual, East Kelowna's Vibrant Vine hosts local musicians starting at 3:00 on Saturdays. If you head out Lakeshore Road Cedar Creek Winery provides a spectacular view of the sun setting behind the mountains as you listen to Chantel Kreviazuk or Andrew Allen this year.  Head south some time to the Naramata Bench where a number wineries host musical events including Sunday Sounds at Elephant Island winery.  If country music is more your style Township 7 is celebrating the Calgary Stampede's 100th anniversary with great wine, food and music July 6th.

Lyle Lovett and Chris Isaacs are scheduled to rock the Mission Hill Amphitheatre July 19th and 27th respectively and last night I was lucky enough to attend Chris Botti's performance there, along with the 899 other souls who prayed away the threatening rain (to paraphrase our host Ingo Grady). 

When I purchased my tickets in March it was more for the enjoyment of a romantic night out with my husband, drinking wine in a  beautiful outdoor venue.  My impression of Chris Botti was of an easy listening, albeit talented musician who played the type of jazz overheard as you walk through the mall.   The impression was strengthened as Botti started with a ballad whose name escapes me.  He did up it a notch when he threw in a few what I call "look what I can do" riffs, delivering rapid notes that reached impressive heights.  He transitioned seamlessly into the very recognizable When I fall in Love.  This only served to further support my expectations, but once the piano player  took off with his first solo, I knew it was going to be a night of real jazz.   Damn he's good!  I thought and was then embarrassed when Botti introduced him and I discovered I hadn't recognized ten time nominated, four time Grammy winner Billy Childs.   

Chris Botti more than met the bar set by Childs and the rest of the band was spectacular with Richie Goods on bass, drummer Billy Kilson, Brazillian Guitarist Leonardo Amuedo and a synth player whose name I'm sad to say I didn't catch.  

I wasn't expecting any other performers but after the second tune we were treated to our first guest. Swathed in a glittering violet gown, pale skin bathed in matching floodlights, virtuoso violinist Carolyn Campbell was outstanding.  She joined the band on several tunes and stood in for the orchestra on Botti's version of the Miles Davis classic En Aranjuez con Tu Amor. Her dynamic, passionate playing filled the amphitheatre.

I was thrilled they performed this piece as it beautifully illustrates the very definition of jazz through inspiration, improvisation and cooperation.  Miles Davis recorded his version in 1959, influenced by a concerto for guitar written by Joaquin Rodrigo in 1939.  Perhaps as a result of time spent in Davis's band, in 1972 Chic Chorea was inspired to create his iconic Spain.  I regret I was not at his performance at the Vancouver Jazz Festival a few years ago when the audience traded fours with Chorea through one verse.  Lastly Chic Chorea's version led to the inclusion of lyrics by Al Jarreau.

Lisa Fischer, who toured with the Rolling Stones for 19 years, was the next guest.  She was an inspiring vocalist with a range that blew my mind.  Fischer matched Botti on many of the high notes and harmonized beautifully with him on others.  I basked in the liquid warmth of her bass notes on Italia and her notes that reached the stratosphere were still full and sweet with none of the harsh strain that cause many singers to fail in the high registers.

The energy of the band and the crowd was truly invigorating and audience members gave well deserved standing ovations throughout the night.  Early in the evening Botti had spoken to a young musician in the crowd named Eric and he invited him up on stage to play the drums during the first encore.

With Eric, Billy Kilson and a roadie on the drum kit, they brought Nessun Dorma to a dramatic conclusion.  And speaking of drummers I really enjoyed Billy Kilson who Sting referred to as "badass".  I find most drum solos boring, kind of like a car chase in a movie - they're fast, furious and end with a crash. Kilson was very cool.  He showed speed, technique and dynamics tempered with thought, making me pay attention as he lowered the volume of his playing...before ending with a crash. I loved how he supported his bandmates with his body's constant motion and appreciative facial expressions, unlike some guys I've seen who stare blankly into thin air or seem to be sharing some mocking secret with the piano player.

For me the true talent of musicianship comes in knowing when to keep it simple.  Chris Botti ended the night with a perfect illustration of his genius by dismissing six of his seven band members.  He and Billy Childs then gave a haunting, subdued version of My Funny Valentine, where notes were pure and meaningful.   Towards the end of the piece Childs ran his fingers over the taut piano wires, sending shivers down my spine.  The arrangement was the perfect romantic ending to the evening.

Park It!

While running some errands downtown last week I decided to wander over to Stuart Park to see what was happening.   The outdoor ice rink that opened last winter has been getting rave reviews from my friends and neighbours and I was keen to check it out.

I picked a perfect day.  It was crisp, clear and sunny and the park, located right next to Kelowna Yacht Club on Okanagan Lake, was a hive of activity.  Not having brought my skates, I had to be content watching people of all ages, from children to seniors glide around a sheet of ice as smooth as glass.

A particularly cute couple caught my attention as they skated around the rink holding hands, while Taylor Swifts "Fifteen" played over the P.A.

On the lakeside promenade, skaters of a different sort sped along the boardwalk, some on roller blades, some on skateboards, dogs trotting happily along with them. Between docks in the Yacht Club Marina, a flock of feathered skaters toddled along the ice surface, appearing to walk on water.

Overseeing it all, was the Kelowna Bear, a lovely sculpture in my opinion, that looks quite stunning at night when the park is lit up.  The Bear has had it's controversy for several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that the artist is from Rhode Island, and not the Okanagan.

Whatever your thoughts on the bear, Kelowna's Stuart Park is part of a very vibrant area just north of the downtown core across from City Hall.  It's worth a visit in all seasons, but particularly in the winter when the ice rink draws the community and tourists together.

Afterwards a visit to Giobean Espresso,  just up the street for a warming latte would top off an afternoon of skating perfectly!  In fact, if you began your afternoon at the nearby Kelowna Art Gallery, you'd have yourself one heck of a date.

In the summer,  I've strolled by the park a number of times and watched the Okanagan Derby Dolls doing their thing.  Looks like fun, but I think it's a little out of my league.  For now I'll be storing my figure skates in the car, so I'm prepared the next time I find myself driving past.  

I love a rainy night

Photo by Dean Barrera, Flicker

While driving home one dark and soggy evening I switched to a jazz station and found myself in the middle of a piano solo that swept me away.   It was so simple and smooth, yet nimble and within the improvised notes I could detect the ghost of a song I knew.  I strained to recall it, trying to hold onto the thread of the melody as the pianist deftly tugged my mind free of familiarity, drawing me into a musical labyrinth.

There is something magical about driving alone on a rainy evening. Solitude, darkness and the white noise of falling rain muffles the outside world and tunes your ear to rhythmic ambient noise; the swoosh of passing vehicles, the deep thrum of the wipers as you wait at the light, the tick, tick, tick of the blinker, the crescendo of water spraying the sidewalk as you round the corner.

As the piano was joined by bass and drums  I felt it had to be the Keith Jarrett Trio.  I listened more carefully and my feeling was confirmed by the sound of Jarrett's voice on the live recording. He hummed and moaned along with his playing, so engaged in creating his art I imagined he didn’t even realize he was doing it.  

The beautiful noise enveloped me in it's spell and triggered my returned to 2004 when I recorded my CD Between Love and Fascination.  Before the final session, the piano player made a practice backtrack for me.  As we listened to the playback I closed my eyes and became lost in the music.  When I opened them I felt like I had been in another world and blinked in surprise to find myself back in the studio.

Oh to be able to move people like that! I was struck by such a yearning to do the same and in a Mittyesque moment I imagined myself at a keyboard.  In my mind I stretched for those same notes with confident fingers as my friends were surprised and delighted by my hidden talents.

The bass solo drew me back to reality and I bobbed my head along with each note. The piano returned, following the written melody for a moment and I was tickled to discover the song's identity. “My Foolish Heart” was a favourite tune I claimed as my own despite the fact it was written more than 60 years ago and was recorded by hundreds of singers and musicians.   I was not surprised when realized it was the same song that moved me to another world when I listened to the backtrack nearly ten years ago. 

On the radio Jarrett brought the tempo down once more; slower... now slower.  He hesitated, he lingered on the keys as though like me, he couldn't bear the end.  The closing notes were arpeggiated, then a trill. His touch pianissimo, the tempo diminuendo.  The final sound,  a gentle cymbal swell that echoed the shhhhhhhhh of the water beneath my tires.  As it faded into silence I quickly turned the radio off before the announcer could break the spell, and allowed the music of the falling rain to carry me home.

September on the Oregon Coast

The next several entries of this blog detail a recent trip my husband and I took along the Oregon Coast.  Though my intent upon return was to write a comprehensive travel guide I forgot a very important detail that might prevent me from doing this:  my failing memory.  I believed the photos, the guide book, notes I took at the restaurants, and judicious use of Google would provide all the prompting I would need to recall everything we did.   This doesn’t appear to be true, but I will do my best to inform and entertain with what I have and hope that as I have found in the past, things will come to me as I write.  

As for a comprehensive guide, I highly recommend a publication by Moon Handbooks that I picked up at Mosaic Books in Kelowna - Coastal Oregon by W.C. McRae and Judy Jewell.  I purchased it a few weeks before we left and it helped us with some early planning.  Once on the road it was our bible, providing excellent and accurate information on what we should see, where we should eat and even recommending  where and when to go for the best sunrise and sunset photos. Though it would take several weeks to do everything recommended in the book, it really helped us decide on the things we definitely wanted to do and the things we’d do if we had time - so useful if you are visiting someplace you know nothing about.

The other thing I highly recommend is to buy or borrow a GPS system, despite the fact that they are known to make the occasional mistake.  We borrowed “Magellan” from a friend and though I wouldn’t necessarily call it a marriage saver, it preempted a number of incendiary comments about poor driving and navigation skills.  Neither my husband nor I will ever win an award for patience, and in those few instances of error, Magellan allowed us the much healthier alternative of yelling at an inanimate object, rather than each other.  

If you are under the age of 10 or over the age of 40 another good thing to know about driving the Oregon Coast is that there are bathrooms a-plenty!  I’m with Martin Short who says “The only time I don’t have to pee is when I’m peeing.”   So have no fear there are public restrooms pretty much everywhere you go; at every rest stop, every State Park and sometimes when you ask nicely, at the out of the way gallery you discovered.  Even though they didn’t have a washroom, The Lookout Gift Shop at Cape Foul Weather thoughtfully provided a hand drawn map that showed the location of the nearest restrooms, both north and south of the cape. 

I look forward to seeing you visit here over the next few weeks as I share photos, stories, restaurant reviews and suggestions for a wonderful drive along Highway 101 in Oregon, U.S.A.  Stay tuned for the next post which will cover Chuckanut drive, the wreck of the Peter Iredale and the quaint little town of Seaside.