Ron Korb Flute Traveller

Ian Clarke spotted at Spotted Dick

2011-10-08T18:55:00.001-04:00

Celebrated British flautist Ian Clarke gave a concert in Toronto at St. Andrews on Bloor Street. The program was a nice assortment of his own music with some standard repertoire such as a Bach Sonata and the Carmen Fantasy. After the show a bunch of us Diane, Patricia and Cathy Miller from Miyazawa all went to a nearby English pub called the Spotted Dick. In this shot you can see Ian and I caught in the act of air fluting while discussing the differences and similarities between the French flute and various World flutes.

Final Bows at Hugh's Room

2011-10-05T20:21:00.009-04:00

(L to R) John Hawken, RK, Larry Crowe, Jim McCarty,
Jann Close, Jean-Michel Kajdan, George Koller

Final bows of the night wrapping up an intense few days. It was a nice way to complete the European touring earlier in the year by playing a few show in Ontario. It was also nice to revist Hugh's Room with this band. Last March we played there with a different line up.

Shapes Of Things

2011-10-05T19:53:00.001-04:00

For the last songs of the night Jim played drums and had the yougsters out front. Here Ron and Jann Close rock out to Shapes Of Things. Jann is a musician who is originally from Germany but now lives in the Bronx where he is carving out a living as a solo singer songwriter. Jann joined Jim's tour in Canada as an opening act.

Isadora - British Prog

2011-10-05T19:45:00.001-04:00

In this show we played some classic Renaissance material like Madonna Blue and Isadora. It was a great chance for to play authentic progressive rock with two master musicians.

Beyond The Day

2011-10-05T11:30:00.000-04:00

Here Jim and Ron are performing a song from the Renaissance Illusion album which was released in 2001. On the CD Ron recorded his flute part at Chiswick Reach Studios. Like many top facilities Chiswick closed many years ago. Beyond the Day has always been a favorite. RK likes the challenge of singing backing vocals and switching to whistle.

Having a deep conversation with a drummer

2011-10-05T11:13:00.001-04:00

On Wednesday we played in Toronto with the Jim McCarty Band. Here Larry and I spend a quiet moment before soundcheck discussing the finer points of rock music.

John Hawken

2011-10-04T18:59:00.007-04:00

(LtoR) John Hawken, RK, Larry Crowe, Jim McCarty, Goerge Koller, Jean-Michel Kajdan

As always on Jim's tours with the Yardbirds he likes to spend some down time in his favorite North American city.
Jim recorded his album Sitting On The Top Of Time in Toronto and this past trip it was a chance to play some of the material with a full band as well as invite his friend pianist John Hawken. John played in the Nashville Teens, Renaissance (with Jim) and The Strawbs in the early days of the rock and roll scene in London. It was the first time in 30 odd years Jim and John had played together. In this shot the band is playing at This Ain't Hollywood in Hamilton. Jean -Michel came from Paris to participate in the gigs.

Monty Hall's 90th birthday party

2011-09-27T18:40:00.001-04:00

Here is a shot taken at Monty Hall's 90th birthday party at the residence of the Consulate General in Los Angeles. photo The organizers put me up at The Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. That day I had to get up early and take a propeller prop plane from Eureka to San Francisco and then to LAX. Shortly after I arrived at the hotel I was picked up and taken to the residence to run through the songs with the band.
The whole event was an incredible variety show hosted by Peter Marshall with entertainers like Gloria Loring, Norm Crosby, Nita Whittaker and Jack Jones. Paul Anka and David Foster both gave birthday salutations via video. My whole contribtuion was two songs Cuchulainn and a brand new piece called Cantata.

Monty Hall, his wife Marilyn, R K and Canada's Ambassador in Washington D.C. His Excellency Gary Doer.

Saturday Night at the Flute Festival in Oakhurst

2011-09-24T21:02:00.001-04:00

One of the participants was kind enough to take Ron on a tour through the park and seeing the giant Sequoia trees. It is really a thrill to experience such incredible nature.

That night Ron headlined a concert with two other acts at the Sierra Sky Ranch. Halfway through his show he was joined by native musician Randy Granger on the halo drum. For his encore Ron was joined by the two other performers Rona Yellow Robe and Rafael Bejarano. The following morning Ron gave a class on breathing and tone production.

Yosemite Flute Festival

2011-09-23T20:53:00.000-04:00

Got a ride from Los Angeles to Yosemite Flute Festival with Scott August who is a prominent flutist in the Native Flute genre. His albums are featured in all the American National Parks gift stores. The lovely organizers of the festival Rick and Linda Dunlap provided a beautiful ranch style house for the artist outside of Oakhurst where the festival is held. Really enjoyed hearing the other musicians and what they have created using the Native Flute.

Yardbirds at The Key Club

2011-09-21T20:46:00.000-04:00

As a complete coincidence the Yardbirds were in California doing a tour while I was in LA enroute to my activities at the Yosemite Flute Festival. The Yardbirds were playing 20 dates in the States from New York to Hawaii. I took my friends Linda Stella (Bill Evans my keyboard player's wife) and Makoto Tani a life long friend from Japan to see them at the Key Club in West Hollywood. Great show. I would have to say the band is sounding better than it ever has. Linda went to their next gig to do some photography.

Orchestra Rehearsal

2011-09-10T20:38:00.004-04:00

Orchestra rehearsal for a concert at The Queen Elizabeth Theatre. RK is the opening act and also featured playing solo flute for the NY singer Michael Castaldo. The date chosen was an interesting one 9, 10,11. It was fun to play with some Classical musicians that RK went to University of Toronto, Faculty of Music.

Kitchener Waterloo Chamber Society

2011-09-04T21:51:00.002-04:00

The following day Anne and Ron performed at the Kitchener Waterloo Chamber Society. The duo perfomed a very eclectic program contrasting major classical works with jazz, blues and world influenced pieces. One such piece was Winter in Gros Cap written by Anne for bass flute and piano inspired by the beauty of the nature of Northern Ontario.
Other pieces included were:
Prokofiev Flute Sonata in D Major
Franz Liszt: Etude de Concert "un sospiro"
Wladislaw Szpilman: Suite "The Life of the Machines"
Winter at Gros Cap, composed by Anne Louise-Turgeon

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Two Etudes-Tableaux op.39 nos. 1
Rachmaninoff-Kreisler: Liebeslied
A Muse, Dark Eyes, Casco Viejo, La Sirena, Mozart's Wedding, Pasqualiti House, Canata by Ron Korb

Classical music at Q

2011-09-03T21:39:00.005-04:00

Here Anne and RK are playing a concert at the Q Music Summertime Music Series in Toronto. They were the only artists to perform Classical music in the series and without any amplification. The beautiful Bechstein grand piano certainly made it a pleasure. The audience was mainly comprised of many local musicians and composers. Afterwards it became kind of an reaquaintence party for many.

Rehearsals with pianist Anne Louise Turgeon

2011-09-01T21:19:00.002-04:00

Ron attended U of T with Anne Louise and her husband Ed Turgeon before the couple went to graduate school to get their masters and PhDs in music at Yale University. Both Anne and her husband are professors of music Florida Atlantic University. Here Ron and Anne are practicing the Prokofieff Sonata in D and some original pieces.

Hiroshima Lantern Festival

2011-08-06T21:13:00.000-04:00

Every year the Toronto's Hiroshima Day Coalition presents an event on August 6th. This year it was the Commemoration of the 66th anniversary of the 1945 Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings. The event had a particular resonance this year because of the Fukushima Nuclear disaster.

RK performed at the beginning of the event at the Holy Trinity Church. At the end of the night he played the Japanese ryuteki and walked the crowd Pied Piper style over to the reflecting pool at Nathan Phillips. There the participants set adrift their paper lanterns as a symbol of peace.

"Gambaro Japan"

2011-05-28T21:21:00.003-04:00

RK performed at the Tsunami Relief benefit concert called "Gambaro Japan" at the Japanese Canadian Culture Centre last Saturday night. There was a wide array of talent raising money for the Japan relief effort. The devestation in Japan has been very deep. Areas near the nuclear plant will be uninhabitable for many decades. RK played some selections from his Japanese Mysteries CD. Photo by Sachi Kikuchi.

Munching in Munchen

2011-05-11T20:30:00.001-04:00

After Vienna we made our way to Munich for our flight back to Toronto. What trip to Munich (let alone Germany) would be complete without a visit to the world famous Hofbrauhaus. Jumbo pretzels, Wiener sausages, Bavarian salt pork knuckles, apple strudel and ... oh and yes, the beer! We met our German friend and aerospace engineering student Tobias Hauk at the train station and took a quick taxi through the pouring rain to the cavernous beer hall. As far as popular touristy activities it is actually pretty enjoyable.

Vienna - Beethoven's Apartment

2011-05-10T19:01:00.003-04:00

Vienna is a gorgeous city and a good blend of modern and traditional culture. The Emperor's palaces are indeed impressive but it seems unfair that most of the people in the history books are either aristocrats or military conquerers. A notable exception is Beethoven. Clearly one of the greatest musical geniuses of all time and one of the most famous people in history. What you probably don't know is that Beethoven moved 60 times while living in Vienna. Roughly once every six months. One such place is the Pasqualatihaus. Beethoven's apartment where he wrote the 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th symphonies. I read on a blog that this place is hard to find. That certainly is true as I walked up and down the street several times and couldn't figure out the street number. Locals I asked had no idea either. Finally, I realized it was up the hill behind a grove of trees. The blog mentioned he had to bang on the door for about ten minutes before anyone answered. When we went that wasn't true but there were no other vistors while we were there.

Prague Digs

2011-05-09T18:32:00.002-04:00

We stayed in the top floor of a heritage building behind the main town square across from Franz Kafka's house. I hit my head on the ceiling of this staircase several times. 4th floor makes you realize how much extra exercise the people got back then.

New World in the Old World

2011-05-09T18:19:00.001-04:00

Here RK is posing with Dvorak's statue also along the Vltava River - just to counterbalance Jethro Tull. Antonín Dvořák is one of the Czech's greatest sons. Deeply proud of his heritage he often employed folk tunes from his native Bohemia.

Salzburg and Mozartkugel

2011-05-09T17:26:00.002-04:00

View from the Salzach River of Salzburg's city centre.

playing umbrella in Mozart's birthplace Museum

Leipzig can learn a lot from Salzburg in terms of marketing. Whereas Leipzig has Bach and many other composers and generally a deep musical history, Salzburg has turned Mozart and The Sound of Music into an absolute tourist bonanza. There are as many souvenirs of Mozart as there are of Mickey Mouse. Mozart, pens, t-shirts, chocolate, candy, hats, you name it - there is something with Mozart's name on it.

Jethro in Praha

2011-05-08T13:03:00.001-04:00

Finding a flute friend in Prague. As we were waling along the river I spotted this poster to ham it up with. Prague is one of those few untouched cities left in Europe where you really can feel you are stepping into the past. The Czech director Milos Forman said Prague was the perfect location to film Amadeus because it still looks 18th century because of the incompetence of the Communists. Meaning there wasn't much commercial development during their reign.

Leipzig and J.S. Bach

2011-05-07T16:19:00.000-04:00

On our way to Prague we stopped off in Leipzig. A few people discouraged us from visiting it, but actually it was a high point for me. It is not only the city from which Mendelssohn, Mahler and Schumann are closely associated but also the father of Harmony himself - Johann Sebastian Bach. It is also the city my own father was born. I had only been there once as a child and I must say it has improved since reunification. First stop was the Bach Archive which was very moving for me to see some of J.S's original parchments. Across the square was St. Thomas Church where Bach had composed and choir directed for more than 25 years of his career. We actually watched a service which contained quite a bit of music. Amazing to realize that many of the most beautiful pieces of music were written and premiered in that space.

Downtown Blues Bar - Hospitality

2011-05-06T20:37:00.000-04:00

This venue has lots of Rock&Roll memorablia like these early Beatles photos.

Our bandleader Jim McCarty told us that the owner of the Downtown Blues Club always provides incredible hospitality. He certainly was right about that! When we arrived for sound check he greeted us with glasses of Champagne, which he said was really just medicine for the heart. After getting the sound together he invited us out to the patio for an amazing five course meal. As we were coming off the stage after the encores, he was pouring more Champagne. Then after some beer, he said how about some coffees and ice cream cake.

Braunschweig

2011-05-06T13:01:00.000-04:00

The next day, Barry our driver took us to the town of Braunschweig where we were to play Barnaby's Blues Bar that night.
Before sound check Jim and I went to do an interview at the local radio station Radio Okerwelle 104,6 by a very well prepared host Florian Damm.
In Braunschweig there was a peculiar building that looks like something from Dr. Seus. Very creative.

Travel Day to Hamburg

2011-05-05T20:12:00.003-04:00

Jean- Michel Kajdan, Jean Christophe, RK, Uncle Jim, and Donald Quan

Flew from Paris CDG to Hamburg with the band. Had an interesting conversation on the plane about the dwindling resources and future food shortages with a raw industrial alcohol dealer.
Hamburg is a nice city and apparently one of the most eco in Europe. After dinner Donald, Jade and I took a night walk around the, surprizingly empty, area near the Rathaus (city hall). Beautiful area.

City Of Light

2011-05-05T19:54:00.017-04:00

Ah yes, "The City Of Light". As beautiful as Paris is during the day it takes on a different character at night. I particularly like it around the banks of the Seine around the Louvre. Although I have been to Paris probably about 6 or 7 times I had never made it up the Effiel Tower until today. We took the last elevator of the day. As touristy things go it was something well worth doing.

Saint-Germain

2011-05-04T18:38:00.000-04:00

Going down to Café de Flore, in the Saint-Germain area to sample the coffee and chocolate treated by our generous band leader. Imagining all the countless hours many of the greatest minds have spent in this café when they could have been painting or writing.

Unlike of course, the serious business of experimenting with apps from the Iphone.

Paris

2011-05-03T19:49:00.000-04:00

(L to R) Ron, Donald Quan, and Jim McCarty

Great to meet and work with the French musicians, Jean-Michel Kajdan on guitar, Jean-Christophe on drums and Laurent on bass at the rehearsal near Bastille.

France

2011-04-29T18:02:00.003-04:00

In typical RK behaviour, I rarely write in this blog and then suddenly I get inspired and start filling in the last 6 months all at once. This is one such occurrence and I will start back in May with my trip to Europe.

Arrived in CDG Airport in Paris in the rain and proceeded to travel down to Provence to visit our friends living in a picturesque town surrounded by fields that immediately remind us of Van Gogh’s paintings.

Ron Korb playing Little Jade Live in the historic Shanghai Concert Hall

2011-03-12T16:06:00.002-05:00

Faraway - Chien Li Zhu Wai

2011-03-10T16:17:00.008-05:00

Ron Korb singing Chien Li Zhu Wai at a Chinese New Year Television broadcast.

Happy Year Of The Rabbit 2011

2011-01-01T14:54:00.002-05:00

This is a video of the beautiful fireworks ringing in the New Year down by the river Thames in London last night. It has already been a year since I started this blog. I does feel like a complete revolution around the Sun. A lot of great things have happened this past year and I am very grateful. Thank you all for your support and I hope that the Year of the Rabbit will bring joy, abundance and love to everyone.

White Christmas

2010-12-24T14:47:00.000-05:00

Day in the Museum

2010-12-09T14:27:00.007-05:00

ROM Tyrannosaurus rex

Visited the Royal Ontario Museum on Thursday with the idea of seeing the Terra Cotta Warriors. Spent my time actually enjoying the permanent galleries. I haven't been there for a while and I noticed some nice improvements.
It is really interesting how dinosaurs and ancient history put our modern lives in perspective.

Sir Ian Thomas

2010-12-05T11:48:00.004-05:00

Ian Thomas perform at Hugh's Room ably supported by Paul Intson on acoustic bass and Kevin Adamson on keyboards. A great retrospective of his work spanning from the 70's right up until songs he wrote last week.

Canada

2010-11-24T14:10:00.009-05:00

Back in Canada after a 14 hour flight it is nice to feel the cold snap of winter and the beauty, peace and quiet of my neighbourhood. It will be some days before I get over the jet lag.

End Of Tour - Kao Yuan University, Kaohsiung

2010-11-20T16:38:00.013-05:00

The last date of the tour was in Kaohsiung at Kao Yuan University. Kaohsiung is in the Southern part of Taiwan. The motorcycle parking lot was quite interesting as that kind of parking lot doesn't exist in the West.
This concert was simple. Just Amanda on piano, Cyrille on bass and RK on his various flutes. It was beautiful facility and a great way to end the month of activities in Asia.

Gum Wun Haah Finale

2010-11-18T15:27:00.038-05:00

The second half ends with the whole audience singing Gam Wun Haah also know as Kaohsiung My Friend from the new album Once Upon a Time. After that we did three encores. Fields of Home, Jay Chou's Faraway and Green Light. In Faraway RK grabbed a person in the front row and brought her up on stage to the screams and cheers of her fellow students. The autograph session at the end of the show took over an hour.

Singing Gam Wun Haah and getting the students to join in the chorus

Singing Chien Li Zhu Wai (Faraway) as an encore

Students buying CDs

Autographs after the show

Fans and volunteers pose for a shot after the autograph session

On Stage At KSU

2010-11-18T15:01:00.007-05:00

a piece on the white penny whistle

The two hour concert begins simply with a piece for flute and piano. The crowd seems very receptive to the different styles and instruments RK and the band is showcasing.

Testing the black Guo flute in front of the audience

A Gift from the University

2010-11-18T14:35:00.000-05:00

Before the concert started their was an introduction by the students then the University President. After that the 90 year old university founder Mr. Tsen- Ho Lee presented Ron with a gift from KSU. Later the founder and his wife generously sent RK a crystal logo from the school along with expensive vintage teas from Taiwan.

Kun Shan University - Bodyguards

2010-11-18T14:24:00.001-05:00

We arrived around 2pm for set up and soundcheck at Kun Shan University in Tainan. When we arrived our dressing room and the stage was already set up. They even supplied us with these bodyguards to watch our equipment and clothes etc. while we were on stage.

Audience

2010-11-17T13:04:00.001-05:00

The audience proved to be a very enthusiastic crowd. Many of them waited afterwards to get autographs. Some of them even brought CDs from home they had bought years ago in the shops.

Pei-Ying Lin violin and Amanda's Oboe

2010-11-17T12:36:00.001-05:00

The venue actually suggested the violinist Pei-Ying Lin to be included in our presentation. Although she is primarily a classical violinist she worked out very well in this concert. I always enjoy playing with another lead instrument on stage.

Our pianist Amanda Wu played the oboe on one song. She excelled on oboe during her childhood winning several competitions but then left it in favor of studying jazz piano. This was the first time she has played it seven years. She really enjoyed rediscovering the instrument and hopefully she will start to incorporate it in her regular performances.

Chang Gung University today in Taoyuan

2010-11-17T12:00:00.000-05:00

Performed at Chang Gung University today in Taoyuan with the new band. Upon arriving at the University I realized I had played there before in 2005. Nice stage and a good piano. The musicians all showed up early and we were able to run through all the songs again at soundcheck.

Chang Gung University Taoyuan, Taiwan

2010-11-16T22:27:00.000-05:00

8:30 Taipei, Taiwan: preparing all the gear for driving out to Chang Gung University today in Taoyuan, Taiwan. Today I will be playing with four musicians from Taiwan. Violin, piano, bass and drums.

leaving Shanghai for Taiwan

2010-11-12T23:02:00.001-05:00

All good things must come to an end. We made some great new friends and had some wonderful experiences in Shanghai but now it is time to continue the rest of our tour in Taiwan.

Peace Hotel on the Bund

2010-11-11T17:00:00.039-05:00

Since its completion in 1929 the Peace Hotel has been an important landmark along the Bund. Noel Coward began work on Private Lives while recovering from influenza in 1930. Other famous guests include Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. The classic hotel is now owned by Fairmont who closed the building down for a major 3 year renovation. The hotel reopened this year and has been brought back to its 1930's glory. Even the hotel staff wear period attire. This hotel is also well known for its legendary vintage dance band where the average age is 76.

Puxi Side of the Huangpu River

2010-11-10T22:51:00.000-05:00

On the West side (Puxi) you have the stately European style buildings from China's colonial past. Once old banks these buildings now host stylish restaurants, and chic clothing boutiques. At night they have bright floodlights that create a dramatic effect. The boardwalk has been expanded along with some other improvements for this years Expo. Along the boardwalk you can see fantastic views of the east side of the river.

Two side of Huangpu

2010-11-09T04:10:00.002-05:00

My favorite part of Shanghai is down by the Huangpu river. On the East side (Pudong) you have the ultra modern space age skyscrapers. This side of the river is home to the largest building in China called the Shanghai World Financial Center which is 101 floors. SWFC will soon be surpassed by another building presently under construction that will be 140 floors

Lunch at Chef Louis

2010-11-07T03:53:00.002-05:00

The next day after the event we all had brunch at Chef Louis who is one of the big supporters of the Charity Carnival. Chef Louis said he has worked in 127 countries but he feels Shanghai is going to be his home forever.

Pipa Virtuso Li Jia and Ron Korb

2010-11-06T23:48:00.000-04:00

Pipa virtuoso Li jia played a challenging piece from the classical pipa literature and then I joined her to play one of my pieces Dark Eyes. Li Jia plays in the womens' five memeber music group the Oriental Angels which my band and I played with in 2007 so she know this piece by heart. Li Jia is the first woman to receive a PhD in Chinese classical music.

Ron on stage

2010-11-06T23:39:00.000-04:00

Ron performed several pieces whith the different flutes in his collection.

Children Choir

2010-11-06T23:38:00.001-04:00

Shanghai Honey Kids Children's Choir performed a few lovely pieces which really helped focus the meaning of the Charity Carnival for the audience.

Michael Jackson loses his costume

2010-11-06T23:30:00.001-04:00

An incredible Chinese Michael Jackson impersonator surprized everyone by opening the show with his amazing rendition of Jam. His name is Zhu Hai and he runs a belly dancing school. Later in the show he performed a belly dancing number as well. I never knew there was such a thing as male belly dancing. A few days later we heard that he unfortunately lost his MJ costume at the event.

Charity Carnival

2010-11-06T03:38:00.003-04:00

The Charity Carnival is a very grand annual event held at the Millenium Hotel in Hongqiao. This event raises money to pay for operations for children from poor families with congenital heart disease. The administration are all volunteers and the entire proceeds go directly to sponsor the children. This year's concert raised over 1,000,000 RMB (approx. $165,000 USD)
The event has not only a concert but also has a silent auction, live auction, raffles and a five course dinner. The event is now in its ninth year but this is the first year it featured live performance.

Arrival in Shanghai

2010-11-03T03:32:00.004-04:00

Another day, another flight. This time to Shanghai where we are picked up at Pudong Airport and taken to our friend's place where she has arranged to have my suit altered that I am going to wear at the Charity Carnival event on Saturday. I originally had this jacket made in July and I left it at Alice's because I knew I wouldn't need it until then. Here you can see expert tailor Mrs. Wang at work. While I was there she measured me for a Mandarin jacket she made out of white silk which I also wore on Saturday .

Guo Flutes

2010-11-02T03:24:00.005-04:00

Since we are staying in Taichung what better way to spend an afternoon than to vist Taichiung's own Guo flutes. It is a fascinating place where they make flutes from a composite material. Very creative designs that are partly futuristic and partly inspired by the wooden flutes of the past. Their main business is making concert flutes but they also make G flutes as well as piccolos and now bass flutes.
The company is owned by two brothers and they graciously let me borrow one of their black Grenaditte models to take on the road to Shanghai.

Concert at National Taiwan University of Arts (NTUA)

2010-10-28T22:50:00.002-04:00

NTUA is an arts university with courses in music, dance, theatre and film near Banciao station in Taipei. One of its famous old pupils is director Ang Lee. The theatre at NTUA is very nice with its beautiful Steinway piano and nicely designed stage.
I really enjoyed playing this noon hour concert with just flute and piano. No microphones or amplifiers and therefore no feedback or distortion. Of course classical musicians normally perform this way and it makes me realize I should do more performances like this in the future.

Rehearsal with Amanda

2010-10-27T22:48:00.000-04:00

Still fighting jet lag of the 12 hour time change it is time to rehearse for the concert on Thursday. The rehearsal is at 2pm which isn't bad. Around 7pm I start to fell really tired. It is always hard for me to play an evening concert just after arriving in Asia from North America. The accompanist is Amanda Wu a young Taiwanese pianist. She is a recent graduate from McGill Universities jazz program.

Arrive in Taiwan

2010-10-25T22:34:00.002-04:00

After a 14 hour direct flight from Toronto it feels good to arrive in Taoyuen Airport. Can feel the humidity as Taiwan basically has two seasons. Summer and Summer.

Neve

2010-10-13T13:16:00.001-04:00

Noticing the night before the Q had a Neve mixing desk on loan I booked myself in the next day to finish off some of my own mixes. Quite remarkable how much better this desk sounded than others I have used recently. We managed to mix three songs including Gypsy Cove.

Q Music

2010-10-12T13:03:00.001-04:00

Recording at Q music for an album by Donald Quan called Spirit Earth. Donald played the Native flutes on this CD and I was called in to play some silver and bass flute. The session was masterfully recorded by Gary Honess.

Canadian Immune Deficiency Society's Fundraiser

2010-10-06T12:30:00.003-04:00

Perfoming today at the Canadian Immune Deficiency Society's annual Golf Tournament fundraiser. This organization helps children with immune deficiencies. For more information about the good works of this organization visit http://www.cisociety.com/

Recording with Yuri

2010-10-01T12:19:00.005-04:00

Recording session with Russian composer Yuri Sazonoff at Phase One Studios in Toronto. Yuri has put together an album with a full orchestra recorded in Moscow. My part was just to put some world flutes to several of the pieces. Right after my session some singers came in to do some choral parts.

Lil Crow Cafe

2010-09-19T12:39:00.004-04:00

At the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, Kim and David Maracle have created an outdoor performance space behind their Lil Crow Cafe. Donald Quan, Rakesh Tewari and Ron joined David in the evening on stage. Donald and Ron did extended improvisations on some of their older repertoire. The beauitful bonfires and the nearby river created a great setting.

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Guilin

2010-08-04T13:36:00.004-04:00

They say Yangshou is the most beautiful place in Guilin and Guilin is the most beautiful place on Earth. A lofty claim but still not far off the mark. To look at the mountains in Yangshou is to be reminded of all the Chinese bruch paintings and Shuimohwa that you have gazed at thorough one's life.

Suzhou

2010-07-24T13:20:00.012-04:00

Had a great day sightseeing in Pan Men park in historic Suzhou. The temperature was around 39 degrees but still it was lovely. After Pan Men park we went for a stroll in Wang Shi Yuen or "Master of Nets Garden". This was a beautiful place to explore and escape the heat as the refection pond is the central feature.

Xitang Water Village, China

2010-07-23T23:29:00.029-04:00

After the fan meeting at Kento's it was time to go for some sightseeing. My interest in culture and history drew me to the picturesque ancient water town of Xitang 2hrs outside of Shanghai. The 39 degree heat and humidity was really punishing brutal that day. The town with its beautiful bridges and canalas is really quite remarkable. There are many historic attractions like vintage gardens, temples and my favorite - the doctor's house. The gondola rides are of course a highlight. Xitang posed in Mission Imposssible III as Shanghai. In modern Shanghai nowadaysareas like this really no longer exist. However, using Xitang really added a lot of visual impact and character.

Finale

2010-07-22T22:32:00.001-04:00

At the end of the night, the fans who had stayed until the bitter end all gathered for a photo. About 2am by the time we returned to Sun Island.

Flute advice

2010-07-22T21:55:00.002-04:00

Asking for pointers on the flute a fan plays his version of Fields Of Home from Behind The Mask He says it is the song that inspired him to take up the bamboo flute. RK tells him to try to play with less tension in his hands.

After Party

2010-07-22T21:52:00.000-04:00

After the concert there was a videotaped Q&A for the fans and an autograph session.

2010-07-22T19:55:00.001-04:00

The event started on the dot. The soundman finally showed up 15 minutes before the downbeat. The house band played one song as a warm up. Originally they were to play three but the organizer was worried because the club was already packed and restless. Ron played some of the favorites the fans had voted on in member polls held months earlier. Although many of the fans were familiar with the tunes they had never seen the penny whistle and some of the other exotic flutes played before. Ron Played one flute duet to the piece "Courtship Song" with an ocarina player who had studied in the Ukraine.

Afternoon Soundcheck

2010-07-22T15:30:00.004-04:00

Running through the set at soundcheck. The band is starting to feel more settled with the material. Still no sign of the soundman. Fortunately the bus boy knew how to turn on the PA.

Outside Kento's

2010-07-22T14:00:00.000-04:00

Ron Korb and Tang Tang outside Kento's Live House on a hot Thursday afternoon before soundcheck.

RK with Tang Tang outside Kento's before soundcheck on Thursday afternoon.

Afternoon Rehearsal The Day Before

2010-07-21T19:43:00.003-04:00

After the interview we had a quick meeting at Flamesky and then a rehearsal at the club where the fan meeting was going to be held. RK met the members of the house band and they read through the charts. Mp3s and Pdfs had already sent ahead. Upon hearing the band RK made a few changes to the set.

Love Radio - Shanghai

2010-07-21T18:59:00.002-04:00

Bright and early on Wednesday morning we drove into central Shanghai to do the interview for Love Radio (Shanghai's biggest English language station). The interview lasted about an hour and then Zhang Ming had Ron record about 10 different station identification greetings. The IDs were all different lengths for different occasions like Christmas or Chinese New Years and for different shows. He asked Ron to play several versions of the Station theme song. He played several examples from other musicians first to get him in the mood. Zhang Ming has interviewed many foreign stars in all genres of music from Renee Fleming to the Rolling Stones.

Interview by Flamesky

2010-07-20T17:54:00.002-04:00

A six member crew from the music website Flamesky came out to film an in depth interview out in a cottage in Sun Island in the countryside 1 1/2 hours outside of Shanghai. This website proports to have 300,000 members. The questions were posed in English by Tang Tang the lady in this photo and will be subtitled in Chinese.
Some live playing was filmed as well as some exteriors.

Dressing Room

2010-07-17T17:33:00.003-04:00

The backstage area of the hall is very nicely designed. My dressing room had a rehearsal area complete with a Steinway grand piano. During intermission the Angels had to work hard to change and prepare makeup in the 15 minute interval.

Here we took a few quick pictures as a souvenir.

RK and The Angels Concert

2010-07-17T16:40:00.003-04:00

Ron joined the Angels in playing some popular songs from his albums - Dark Eyes, Harvest Jig, Shadow Puppets etc. The newer group is not accustomed to moving on stage so we presented the performance just like a classical recital.
Inbetween some of the pieces there was an MC Zhang Ming who helped introduce some of the songs. He is a radio personality and he invited RK to come on his program the following week.

The Shanghai Oriental Art Center

2010-07-17T16:18:00.002-04:00

The concert at The Shanghai Oriental Art Center on Saturday began with the Angels playing some traditional Chinese repertoire. Classical style unamplified that works perfectly in this beautiful new recital hall.

Rehearsal with Oriental Angels In Shanghai

2010-07-16T16:17:00.001-04:00

Ron arrived in Shanghai Pudong airport on Thursday July 15th and the next day practiced with the Oriental Angels. The Friday was a very rainy hot and humid day indeed. The line up of the players has changed completely so we had to rehearse the songs from scratch. Many of the older players that played with Ron and his band back in 2007 have all gone on to raise children. The new Angels are all in their twenties. The oldest is Li Jia who is just 28 and will be the first female pipa player to received a PhD.

Golden Maple Awards

2010-06-27T19:30:00.001-04:00

The first annual "Golden Maple Award" presented by the Canadian Chinese Culture and Arts Asssociation was held Sunday evening June 27th 2010. The ceremony celebrated the achievement of artists, musicians, producers, directors and special contributions by people assisting artitc endevours. Ron Korb received an award for "Best Artistic Acheivement."

David Celia

2010-06-10T19:04:00.002-04:00

Singer songwriter David Celia released his new CD "I Tried" at Hugh's Room on June 10th 2010. The band included David on vocals and guitars, Joan Besen on keys, Mia Sheard background vocals, Cleave Anderson on drums and Derrick Brady on bass. David also had trombonist Al Kay and Ron Korb playing flute. Ron played on two of the songs on the record. David is now touring in Europe.

Radio Taping at CIUT

2010-04-13T18:03:00.001-04:00

This morning we recorded five of Jim McCarty's songs live in the studio for CIUT radio at their lovely studios in Hart House at the University Of Toronto. The taping was videotaped and perhaps will be posted on youtube in the future. In the photo from left to right we have: George Koller, Jim McCarty, Ron Korb, Mike Bowell, and Donald Quan. This is the University I attended and visiting it today brought back many memories.

Jim McCarty's show at Hugh's Room

2010-03-30T19:03:00.004-04:00

Set up at Hugh’s Room at 4:30 and did a quick soundcheck. Larry Crowe our drummer was holding a drum clinic in Brampton so could only join us in the second set. We played the entire “Sitting On The Top Of Time” album and some Yardbirds hits Shapes of Things and For Your Love. Good Crowd and we got a standing ovation after our encore.

Live Radio interview and rehearsal

2010-03-29T09:00:00.001-04:00

Jim and I had an interview at 9am at CIUT which is the campus radio station at the University of Toronto. They asked us to come back and do a live recording in April. We went from there directly to our rehearsal at Q music from 10am to 2pm.

Next day- travelling day

2010-03-28T19:00:00.000-04:00

Met in the lobby at 6:30 am to catch the shuttle van for our 9:50 am flight back to Toronto. The Chrysler van kept stalling every half mile. The driver continually pulled over to restart the vehicle. Eventually we made it to the airport and made the flight on time.

Olivia's show

2010-03-27T22:00:00.000-04:00

Some of Olivia’s fans had come from as far as England, New York and Texas and were singing along to all the songs as we played them. After the concert and Olivia had met her fans to sign autographs she invited us back to her hotel were she treated us and the crew to a late night banquet. We got back to our hotel around 1 am

Olvia Newton John Concert

2010-03-27T18:48:00.002-04:00

We had a rehearsal at the venue and ran all the songs making small adjustments to the lights, staging and blocking. Then Olivia came and we went through the material again. After the practice we went back to the hotel for a few hours and then back to the venue to play the show. Here is the band and crew having a good luck shot of Zamu before the show.

Arrived in Philadelphia

2010-03-26T18:45:00.005-04:00

Flew to Philadelphia via US Air. The band all met at Pearson Airport at 7:45 am for a 9:45 am flight. Everyone was there except Mark Lalama the pianist. He had planned to be at the airport at 6:45 but due to a major accident he was stuck on the QEW. Fortunately half an hour before the flight he arrived and was able to board the plane. Once we arrived in Philadelphia we were driven to West Chester for an afternoon rehearsal with Olivia. When we got there the stage was set up exactly the way it was in the rehearsals at the Sound Academy.

Rock Talk 1010

2010-03-25T18:44:00.000-04:00

Did an appearance at 1010 Rock Talk this afternoon with Blair Packham. Jim McCarty, Mike Bowell and myself went into the studio. We performed the songs Hummingbird from Sitting On The Top Of Time. We also did a Christmas song which will be played during the season.

Tuesday Rehearsal for ONJ

2010-03-24T22:18:00.000-04:00

Arrived again at 10 am at the Sound Academy for the second day of rehearsal. Olivia flew in from London, England the night before and was there to start going through the music with the band in the morning. This concert involves performing all the music from Olivia's CD Grace and Gratitude. ONJ has sung a few of the songs in her concerts through the years but most of the repertoire will be new to her as much as it is to the band. Because she is mounting this new show from scratch she also brought her choreographer friend Randy to help direct the look and blocking of the show. As we went through the songs it gave the lighting people to create the different lighting effects for each piece.

Purpose of Olivia's Event

2010-03-22T21:38:00.009-04:00

This concert with Olivia Newton John is part of a two day Integrative Health Conference held this Friday March 26 and Saturday 27th at the campus of West Chester University in Philadelphia. This event is to benefit the ACEER Foundation (Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research), the College of Health Sciences, and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre Appeal. For more information please visit http://www.wcupa.edu/aceer/onj/

Monday Rehearsal For Olivia Newton John

2010-03-22T17:30:00.003-04:00

Arrived at the Sound Academy in Toronto at 10 am for the first rehearsal for the Olivia Newton John concert in Philadelphia this Saturday. The music director for the show is Amy Sky and the other musicians include Maury Lafoy (bass), Mark Lalama (keyboards), Lyle Molzan (drums), Mark Masri (voice) and Kevin Fox (cello and guitar). Because there is so much gear to set up it is around 1pm before we actually go on stage and start rehearsing. At this rehearsal they set up full sound, lights and staging exactly the way it will be done on Saturday night. After our rehearsal tomorrow the crew will dismantle everything. Then they will load all the sound equipment, instruments, lights in a truck and drive to the venue in Philadelphia.

Yardbirds in Winnipeg

2010-03-14T13:13:00.000-04:00

I went to Winnipeg to see the Yardbirds show and help the band with their merchandaise. It was great to see Chris Deja (rhythm gtr), Ben King (Lead gtr)and Jim McCarty (drums) again. It was also nice to meet the new members Andy Mitchell (lead singer) and Dave Smale (bass).
Jim McCarty is coming to Toronto to play a solo gig at Hugh's Room Tuesday March 30th here in Toronto.

Music Student Scholarship Fund

2010-03-04T20:00:00.002-05:00

Danny Lockwood & the Favorite Grooves played at the Downtown Arts Center in Hamilton in support of the Richard Newell Scholarship Fund. Richard Newell is better known as King Biscuit Boy the legendary blues harmonica player who died in 2003. The 7 piece band was funky, boppy, rocky and soulful. It was an absolute joy to watch with stellar performances by all members.

Meeting

2010-03-01T10:30:00.001-05:00

Met Amy Sky at her house to discuss the March 27 show with Olivia Newton John in Philadelphia. At the concert we will be playing music from Olivia's Grace and Gratitude CD. The album was produced by Amy in 2006 and I had the good fortune of recording on the original tracks.

Luminary Awards

2010-02-27T23:34:00.000-05:00

Valerie Pringle and Hamlin Grange are the Masters of Ceremonies. We all have to stand for the playing of the vice regal salute for the entrance of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. Then Amoy sings the national anthem, official greetings, introductory remarks, acknowledgements then dinner. Lance and the group stretch out playing some cooking jazz numbers. Then the live auction of a Mercedes-Benz C250 4matic, Dinner Chair address, Vice Chancellor Awards, a vocal performance by singers Shawna-Gae Turner and Rory Frankson pictured below with me.

Then the student acknowledgement, then the Luminary Award presented to Harry Belafonte and the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia The Honourable Mayann E. Francis by the Pro Vice Chancellor. Harry Belafonte spoke to the audience via the internet on large screens on both sides of the stage. Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu also sent his best regards via a taped message. Then we all played the finale. Quite an evening. It was about midnight when the musicians began to pack up. "Day light come and I want to go home."