Jazz in the Garden

Summer 2020 has been a very different summer than most! (I know that is the case for everyone) This is the first summer in so many years that I have been home in Vancouver for the entire summer. Typically, I am away teaching at various music camps during the summer months. Since I have been at home, I have been able to devote some time to gardening. It is a small and what I would call “humble” garden. It contains mostly flowers and herbs and one large breezy Japanese Maple.

This summer I have been able to watch the sweet pea seeds that I have sown have an entire lifespan before my eyes. My coaxing and nurturing (and the sun!) have enabled those sweet peas to flourish and bloom, bloom, bloom.  I adore their gorgeous scent and silky colourful flowers. Now, I am still watching and coaxing 4 sunflowers that I started in early June. They are tall and the flowers are just beginning to form. They are late bloomers around here because I see many sunflowers around the city that have reached their peak and are already hanging their heavy heads.

I noticed something else in my gardening activity this year. It is a silent activity. **Note. I tend to be a loud person who (accidentally) uses too many decibels when I speak.  My husband will gently say “I am right here” not in an admonishing way but rather reminding me that I will still be heard at a slightly lesser decibel level. I get excited and my decibel level goes up and so does my tempo. Still, I do need and appreciate and crave silence in my life as well. So much happens within silence! Creative thoughts. Problems solved. Relaxation achieved. Observations. Awareness. New ideas.

The only sounds I hear as I am out in the garden on most days are the chickadees, the hummingbirds, and the bumblebees if I am lucky. I may hear the neighbor’s children playing on the other side of the fence and that is a pleasant sound as well. Yes, there is the sound of city traffic just a block away but when I am “involved” with the plants and the soil that almost disappears. Mostly, I am listening and observing, and I am not the one making sound.

This is interesting to me since I am a musician and (I think) that part of our job as musicians is the making of sound while the other important aspect of our job is to maintain an active silence. I know this to be true, but gardening is another reminder.

Speaking of the garden and music, since all my gigs were cancelled due to the pandemic, in August I decided to perform a small Jazz in the Garden concert with brilliant pianist Chris Gestrin. The back deck became a stage and the audience sat down below within the garden, safely distanced apart from each other. This was a wonderful experience for me, (hopefully for Chris too) and I think the audience enjoyed themselves as well. For some attendees this was the first live performance they attended since the pandemic began. For me, it was my first gig since February. Yes!

*photo of Karin and Chris on “stage” by Vincent Lim

At the end of September, I am going to do another “Jazz in the Garden” concert. In fact, I will be doing two concerts with exceptional ukulele player/guitarist/vocalist Guido Heistek. I am hoping that some of my autumn blooming flowers will hang in there for that concert and of course I am hoping for a sunny and warm September afternoon. I am fortunate to be able to perform in this personal way right within our own garden to a purposefully small physically distanced audience.

Good night garden. Good night everyone. Have a wonderful September!

Karin

What do you know! ‘Tis AUTUMN

I am somewhat surprised and yet willing to accept the fact that Autumn has indeed arrived. Summer was wonderful and filled with music and vacation time too.

I’m back to teaching in my music studio and I certainly do have some interesting piano and voice students ranging from very young to much older. Some like jazz. Some like classical music. Some are pop singer-songwriters. Some are absolute beginners. My task? To help teach and guide and motivate and cultivate the joy of music no matter what genre my students are interested in studying.

I still have space for new students in case someone out there is considering lessons. Note: typically, my music room is far more cluttered than this photo indicates and that is a fact! Often song books and piano books begin to pile up during the week. There is table for that specific purpose and every once in awhile I decide to place books back on the shelf in an attempt to keep things tidy, at least for a day or so. Ha!

Aside from my teaching I have some lovely opportunities to perform coming up, here in Vancouver and also in Toronto and I am certainly excited about the month of October.

Soon, I’ll be singing at Vancouver’s premiere jazz club: October 11th at Frankie’s!  I’m delighted about sharing some of the music I’ve been working on this past September. I’ll be singing lots of jazz standards, some are new to me and others I have revised after many years of neglecting or “resting” them. I have one new original that I will debut that evening with my band mates. Reservations can be made here: Frankie’s Jazz Club

Just a week later I will be heading to Toronto to attend the Audio Festival and the Vinyl Festival and, even more exciting to me, I’ll be singing two exclusive concerts with the acclaimed Mark Eisenman Trio. The one of a kind “Jazz In The Kitchen” concert series is where these performances will take place and tickets are available here: Jazz In The Kitchen

Last but certainly not least it’s time for the new Joy of Jazz Concert season to kick off and Sunday October 27 will be a doozy! Kate Hammett-Vaughan and I will be joined by Miles Black and Conrad Good and the evening will be a Cole Porter celebration.

Many years ago Kate performed Porter themed concerts entitled “Kate Loves Cole”. We both love Cole! So, our concert is entitled “Let’s Do It” and we’ll definitely include that song as well as many others. Further information at the website: Joy of Jazz Concerts

Enjoy your Autumn days everyone!

Karin

Kate McGarry and Keith Ganz…for the love of music

For the love of music…That’s right! The love of music is the reason I decided to produce the “Joy of Jazz Concerts” series in Vancouver.  Over a year ago now I began to sculpt and hone and shape my idea of presenting a small concert series which would enable the musicians to perform a nuanced and dynamic program where each and every note, phrase, word and musical line would be heard by the audience.  It’s all about the intimate and shared experience of a jazz performance whereby freedom of expression and playing in the moment help create the situation where both the listener and the music makers come together and connect and experience a type of bond.

The 3^rd and final concert of this inaugural season takes place at the end on Sunday May 31 at St. James Hall.  Entitled “Songbird of May” the concert will feature Grammy nominee vocalist Kate McGarry and her husband Keith Ganz; an absolutely exceptional guitarist. This will be their Canadian debut and I certainly wish for a warm Vancouver welcome for the two of them. It is true that here in Vancouver Kate and Keith might not necessarily be house hold names.  I am one of several jazz fans who admire and appreciate these two fine artists and their approach to music making. Together they have made several recording together within larger ensembles and their latest release “Genevieve & Ferdinand” is a celebration of their ten year marriage and musical relationship. It’s a duo record and the recording has been receiving rave reviews from music columnists and reviewers everywhere. If not yet widely known in Vancouver, Kate and Keith are certainly well known in the USA and beyond and they have fans all around the world.

As I am concert presenter I believe I must cling to that adage “if you build it, they will come” and I need to continue to work on spreading the word of the upcoming concert in a variety of ways. I admit to having had a few insomnia-filled nights as I worry about how to attract a full house for these acclaimed musicians. Let me tell you more about Kate McGarry and Keith Ganz and why I love their music so much.

Kate and Keith perform what I call “music without glam or glitz”. It’s all about the soul, the story, the improvisations.  Those who know, really KNOW about these two great musicians and are well aware of their exciting musical chemistry and the high level of artistry they present in concerts and on recordings. Kate and Keith dig deep within songs you may have heard before but will hear again for the first time as new meaning announces itself within the lyric interpretation and harmonic development and soundscape. They seem to dig deeper still into their own souls and reveal some fragility while remaining strong at the same time (yes, that might sound like a contradiction) The duo remain confident in their exploration of the human condition. Their candor and truth allows us to experience our own personal stories and emotions and reactions. We are gently led on a type of journey that lays it all out on the table: this is life, this is love, this is sorrow, this is beauty, this is in the moment, this happened, this is connection…

It’s not all a deep chasm of serious stuff. There’s joyful abandon in the musical motifs and rhythms and improvisations.  There’s exhilaration in the energy release in the faster burning grooves and the interplay between voice and guitar. Above all there remains this truth seeking within each song interpretation. We breathe more deeply, we listen, we dance, we experience, we think, we identify, we remember.

Tickets are available now at Brownpapertickets.com  or follow links at www.joyofjazzconcerts.com You can also buy tickets at Red Cat Records on Main Street in Vancouver.

Special thank you to The Georgia Straight, Stikjazz Music, The Rogue Folk Club, Oceanwest Construction and to Coastal Jazz and Blues Society.

Time to look back; time to look ahead…

It really is time. The New Year approaches and therefore I feel the need (as do so many of us it seems) to take the time to look back over the past year’s accomplishments, disappointments, joys and adventures. Mostly (although I do love reminiscing about what has happened; i.e. last year this time I was in New York City!!) I do tend to be a person who looks ahead at what’s to come. Sometimes that’s a good thing since there can be a level of excitement and anticipation. Sometimes that can be a burden such as when it leaves me with a worried mind or the idea of the unknown sets within me with a feeling of hesitation or trepidation.  Some days I seem to be a crow sitting on a branch, steadfast in my choices; in my decisions. Some days I view the world the world like a huge art gallery full of creativity and possibility and unique perspectives and ideas. Those are good days!

Well it’s been a great year. Thank you 2014 for all you had to offer in the way of music, friendship, family and experience, good health and life lessons too.

2015 is arriving any day now and I know I am a lucky person. I live in Canada. I have people in my life that are intelligent, creative, fun loving and kind and thoughtful. I am able to live my life with relative ease and I know for that alone I am indeed lucky. I have music and I do have TIME to make music and create opportunities within music such as my JOY OF JAZZ CONCERT SERIES. That began in 2014 and now will continue into 2015.

There were a few worries (ha, let’s say there were lots!) about the expense, time and effort that went into preparing for the first of the concert series in November. Was it successful? Yes indeed it was and Hurrah for that! The audience was appreciative about the music presented and with the artists I had chosen. Jillian Lebeck, Adam Thomas and James Danderfer played and sang beautifully and I was able to sing a set of music with the three of them as well; sort of kicking off the series I suppose since now for the remaining concerts in the series I am simply Artistic Director and chairs and table mover AND audience member.  I love music, particularly when you can hear every nuance the artist intends and that’s what I am after in presenting this concert series: intimate, natural and nuanced music where dynamics are heard and experienced.

The ambience and over all warmth in St. James Hall is something that I personally find very satisfying. This hall enables an audience to get comfortable, settle in and really experience an intimate concert with great sound and mood, perfect lighting to relax and simply listen and experience MUSIC.

What I look forward to now in 2015 is presenting John Alcorn in concert at St. James Hall for a special Valentine’s Day themed show. This second concert in the Joy of Jazz series is called “My Funny Valentine” and certainly this will be a concert geared towards people who enjoy the great jazz standards. It will be an evening featuring the superb and perhaps underrated Canadian vocalist John Alcorn singing with two of Vancouver’s jazz greats: guitarist Bill Coon and bassist Darren Radtke.  THIS concert I know will be a wonderful experience and I’ll work hard to try to sell tickets and promote these great artists so that they have welcoming audience to perform to.  Tickets are already on sale through the website: joyofjazzconcerts.com

I continue to work on my own music and I ponder the ways I could, should, might use some of those new songs and arrangements. It appears that I am still in my “simmer mode” when it comes to my own music career. I suppose there is no one waiting for more “Karin Plato music” and thus when the TIME is right and when I feel strongly enough about recording or presenting more of myself, I’ll work towards that end. Now is simply the time to work on my labor of love for this season (that would be The Joy of Jazz Concert Series) and also I’m embracing fully the performance opportunities that I accept or seek. I see some lovely ones on the horizon but that’s for another TIME…