composers – Fordham PR

It looks like it’s red carpet time again for Canada’s leading flutist/composer! I’m so proud of my friend and client RON KORB who scored 2 more Grammy nods for albums recorded with India’s superstar composer and musician, RICKY KEJ, and for his collaborative work with Japan’s composer, producer and instrumentalist, MASA TAKUMI.
Several years ago, Ron’s album Asia Beauty was nominated for Grammy’s Best World/New Age Music album and I was thrilled to secure red carpet fashions for Ron’s beautiful wife, Jade (pictured above in Canadian designer Lucian Matis gown) then 2 years ago, the fab couple again found themselves in Los Angeles, rubbing shoulders with the world’s greatest musicians and Ron hit the stage to accept his two collaborative honours (below, with Masa Takumi) and later with Ricky Kej & Stewart Copeland for the winning Divine Tides Global music album. I spoke with Ron after all the nominations had been announced last Thursday and he kindly answered a few interview questions …..

Congratulations, Ron, on this year’s Grammy nominations for your outstanding collaborations with Indian superstar Ricky Kej, and on Masa Takumi’s album. You’ve previously won with both of these artists – you must be their lucky penny! How did these collaborations come about? Ha ha…I think I am a lucky charm. Certainly we are all grateful for the good fortune we just received. Ricky called me and said he was putting together one of the inaugural albums for a new label called Vedam Records which is part of Universal Music Group, and Masa asked me to play on Kashira which was part of a score for Himuro Renji a Japanese Yakuza Film released this year. Linked below are the 2 nominated tracks on which Ron played….

During those 2 years of Covid isolation, you worked remotely with international musicians via internet accessibility – is this the way now that artists in far flung corners of the world get to work with each other? And how does that all work from a production perspective? Even before the pandemic many producers and musicians were working remotely but during COVID there was no other way and that changed things forever. It is, in many ways, much easier to work remotely but I do miss the real life interaction you used to get from working with clients and other session players in those big studios back in the old days. That said, all the bed tracks of Global Canvas were done live off the floor and in person and I was with the players for most of then over-dubs too.

Your latest (30th) album, Global Canvas, was short listed for a Grammy nod this year and although it just missed the final cut, your work with Ricky and Masa will enable you to walk the red carpet in February alongside your fellow musicians. Do you see this as a great opportunity to connect with other composers and performers? Do you enjoy the “schmoozing” at the Awards ceremony and all the parties? It is really wonderful attending the Grammy parties in Los Angeles that start the week before the actual broadcast. One of the best events is the nominees’ dinner which is the night before the ceremony. It’s an amazing party where you meet so many incredible musicians and producers. Everyone is so happy that night and that is when they give you your medallion and take an official photo. Canada does a good job, too – the SOCAN and the Canadian Consulate parties are also particularly nice. (pictured below- at previous Grammy Awards with Ricky Kej (L), Jade, Ron, Paul Avergrinos, film composer Bear McCreay + his wife)

(above – at Socan soiree prior to Awards night)

Global Canvas is already garnering critical and audience acclaim around the world – do you anticipate receiving international honours as did your previous albums ? I hope it can, I know this will sound insincere, but what I actually enjoy the most is getting feedback from fans and learning that people are really enjoying the music.

When writing and recording Global Canvas, you met Cambodian human rights activist Arn Chorn Pond through a personal introduction from legendary musician, Peter Gabriel. You dedicated your Angkor Wat track to him – has this connection made you even more aware of the affect of music on the world? I think Peter Gabriel is very interested in the spiritual power of music. The Angkor Wat song does touch on that feeling. When we toured the ruins, we were amazed by the ancient architecture and I hope some of that feeling of that awe is felt within the song.You’ve performed live in some of the world’s greatest concert venues, in front of royalty and world leaders, and solo’d with great symphony orchestras in China, Japan, and all across Europe as well as home here in Canada. How does it feel to perform for such diverse audiences? That is one of the blessings about being a musician – you can travel to a different part of the world and interact with people and even a crowd of people in direct way. Music is a very intimate form of communication. With my own music I’ve learned certain songs work better in Asia and others work better in the western world.

How can music lovers hear your new album and other music you’ve created? Physical CDs and Mp3s copies can be ordered through my own website www.ronkorb.com and the music can also be heard on Spotify and all the streaming services.

Congratulations, Ron…fingers crossed it’s gonna be another double Grammy night for you, Masa and Ricky!
Follow Ron’s Grammy journey on his social media and of course, I’ll be posting photos of all the Awards’ week festivities with Ron & Jade.

I’ve been aware of Toronto’s internationally acclaimed flautist and composer RON KORB and his music for many years, having attended one of his concerts back in the late 90’s – I remember being completely mesmerized by his flute playing; I never knew there were so many different types of flute or the vastly dissimilar sounds and tones each emits.

Famous for playing a wide variety indigenous woodwinds from around the world, Ron’s critically praised music has been released in twenty countries around the world, and he’s toured extensively throughout Europe, North and Central America, Australia, South Asia, mainland China and Japan, performing for many heads of state and royalty. His compositions evoke imagery of the diverse cultural traditions and experiences he’s encountered on his travels.

Several months ago, I reconnected with Ron during a taping of the Rogers Daytime Toronto tv show and we started chatting in the green room about the release of his upcoming new CD, Asia Beauty. On Tuesday July 7^th, Ron will be performing at Musideum, 401 Richmond St West (at Spadina) accompanied by renowned pianist Lou Pomanti with Linlin Wang on the Chinese Erhu, as he introduces Asia Beauty to world, classical and new age music fans. Tickets are $20 and available on Ron’s website: http://ronkorb.com/asia-beauty-tickets

His past albums have run the gamut of Celtic themes, a salute to the European masters, Native American, Japanese, mystical and even a Christmas album, all original works using a multitude of wind instruments accompanied by indigenous and traditional musical instruments. I asked Ron about his latest album and he shared his inspirations and the story behind the new album:
This album is the result of my travels through China over the past 13 years. The music is inspired by the dramatic landscapes, ancient history, the people and their stories, the arts and culture and their dynamic present-time where, in cities like Shanghai, entire communities are changing rapidly. More specifically, as you flip through the album booklet you can see the background inspiration for each song. All the pieces have a unique story that reflects something about Asian culture.

Asia Beauty also features a beautiful 36 page picture book containing full colour photos of both rural and urban China. I asked Ron about these gorgeous photos:
I am proud that there are no stock photos in the picture book. Most of the original photography is by my wife, Jade, with a few shots taken by myself and others, notably Dan Shao. The exotic locations in China include: Guilin, Yangshou, Suzhou, Shanghai, and the Forbidden City in Beijing. Other locations include Hanoi, Vietnam and the gorgeous bamboo forest at Xitou in Taiwan.

Ron continued by telling the story behind his original songs on the album:
Seven of the songs from Asia Beauty are the musical setting of an original story called “Dragon Flute and the House of the Five Beauties” which I wrote in my hotel in Shanghai (where Ron is pictured below) after a week-long rehearsal schedule and concert performance. I spent an extra week travelling around and each night I would add a few more pages. I was inspired to write a supernatural story set in ancient China based on historical legend and some of my own experiences. There was even interest in turning the story into a feature length animated film, however, I’m happy that it’s finally available in the liner notes of the album.

Originally I was going to call the whole album “The House of the Five Beauties” but as other songs included were not part of that story, I thought of calling the album simply “Asia”. I liked adding the word “Beauty” because the essence of the music is celebrating the beauty of Asian nature and also refers to “The Beautiful Sadness” aesthetic and the characters in “House of the Five Beauties”.

I noticed on his website that Ron has performed for many international heads of state and royalty over the years so I asked him how it feels to play in front of such prestigious audiences:
Aside from the diplomatic etiquette, the performing process is really the same. Music is about relating to each other as human beings. Personally, it is just as much a privilege to play for a King or Queen as it is for all audiences.

And I also asked him how Chinese audiences differ from Canadian audiences:
They come from a completely different perspective when it comes to appreciating the arts. I explain some of the cultural difference in the album with the song The Beautiful Sadness. I think the Chinese audiences are brutally honest and they won’t sit through something that they find boring. However, if your music touches them they will really show it enthusiastically.

Which brought me to another question – does Ron see opportunities for other Canadian artists to explore the HUGE Chinese/South Asian music markets?
I think there are opportunities for Canadian artists but it is not as straightforward as expanding into the USA or Europe where we share a similar media culture and musical taste. I know some musicians who have tried to make it in China and been underwhelmed by the results and reaction from audiences. There was one North American superstar who was performing there and after a few songs the audience began to leave en masse. There was another case where the audience was talking so loudly that the group stopped playing and lectured the audience on how to pay attention.

With such a level of expertise, knowledge and personal experience, I asked Ron how long he has studied and played the flute, and which instruments are his favourites:
I started on recorder in elementary school and began playing flute in high school. I like each type of flute for different reasons. The classical flute has good intonation and pure tone but the mechanical key system lacks some intimacy, similar to the difference between an automatic transmission and a standard car. With the wooden flute your fingers touch the wood and you feel every curve and bump of the instrument. I also love the wonderful organic tone of the Chinese bamboo flute or wooden Irish flute.

With all this training and years of touring, Ron must have advice he could share with music students and aspiring performers so he offered the following:
Seek out the best teachers and learn the craft as best you can. Attend as many concerts of as many different genres as possible. As you develop, discover who you are as a person and learn how to express that through the flute. Resist copying other artists’ styles and develop your own special voice.

I mentioned to Ron that his upcoming CD release concert is being held in a unique venue, Musideum (pictured below), where I believe he had previously played, even collaborating with the owner, Donald Quan on musical projects:
Yes, I‘ve played there before and I even played at Musideum’s inaugural opening concert. I have known Donald since I was 17 and in many ways, our love of World Music has developed simultaneously. Musideum was the realization of a dream that took many years to create and it has become a wonderful Aladdin’s cave of exotic instruments from around the world. It has personal significance to me and that is why it’s so appropriate to launch my Asia Beauty there.

So we’re just a week away from the official release of Asia Beauty and as space is limited, I encourage fans of World, Classical or New Age-style music in the Toronto area to get your tickets now!