Tag Archives: Johannes Linstead

INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED FLUTIST/COMPOSER RON KORB LAUNCHES LATEST ALBUM WITH STANDING ROOM ONLY CONCERT

Last Friday night, fans, family and friends gathered at Toronto’s 3030 Dundas West music venue and cheered, stomped, danced and even conga’d as RON KORB introduced his latest album, World Canvas, to a capacity crowd. The album’s 18 tracks incorporate Latin, Asian, Middle Eastern and European themes recorded by Ron and his band of award-winning musicians contributing their skills on a diverse range of instruments from multiple cultural heritages. It truly was a canvas of world music that took listeners on a journey of sound discovery.After the show, I asked Ron to share his impressions of the night and he graciously offered the following…

Ron, congratulations on a wonderful night of music and entertainment. We all loved the show out in the audience…how was it for you up on stage?  Because there was a lot of new material in the show it’s always that mixture of excitement and concern about how it will come off and how the audience will react. But from the moment I walked out and played the first note it just felt great.

The players from the Samba Squad added some serious Brazilian vibes – you incorporated so many diverse music elements, how difficult is it to find players who are expert on the various cultural instruments?  We are very lucky in Toronto because it is a place where so many cultures live and thrive. Although I had some difficulty finding Korean musicians in Canada this time, I have known master percussionist Rick Shadrach Lazar and his group Samba Squad for decades so it was fairly easy and fun to incorporate the Brazilian vibe and to get them to play the show live. (below – Xiaoqiu Lin on the erhu)You had so many other musicians in the audience with whom you’ve played and recorded – that was very respectful (and exciting for us in the audience) to see so many award-winning and world-renowned players coming out to support your new album. So who were they?  That was a wonderful night with so many people in the business in attendance. Off the top of my head, there was veteran guitarist Bill Bridges who toured with Lena Horne, Peggy Lee, Eartha Kitt, Vic Damone, John McDermott & Bowfire, and a kinder gentleman you will not find. Sharlene Wallace a fabulous Classical & Celtic harpist, Johannes Linstead an incredibly popular award-winning guitarist, bass player George Koller from the original The Shuffle Demons who has worked with Holly Cole, Herb Ellis, Art Farmer. Saxophonist John Panchyshyn, flutist Jamie Thompson and jazz singer Tanya Wills. I’d also like to shout out to radio vet Brian Master from Chum FM and photographer Yosh Inouye who shot several iconic album covers for Max Webster, Ian Thomas and the covers of 2112, Hemispheres and A Farewell to Kings from the Canadian power trio Rush, and Siobhan Grennan former producer at MuchMusic currently working at Zoomer Media and 96.3 The New Classical.

The show ended with 2 encores and a massive conga line dancing around the club – did you think you’d see that?  My original idea of having the CD release in a club was that I wanted it to be really fun. I was motioning to the audience to get up and clap along but when it exploded into to this huge conga line and it really made me laugh. From the corner of my eye I saw the chef and wait staff dancing, too. It so beautiful to see people having such a great time.

And further congratulations for your just-announced inclusion of Global Canvas on the Grammy World Music nomination ballot. When will you hear whether the album made it on the full voting ballot?  Global Canvas is on the ballot and voting closes October 15th. We will see who gets nominated for the World Music Grammy on Friday, Nov 10. I would really like to thank my core band of Ray Hickey Jr, Bill Evans, Steve Lucas and Larry Crowe for all their support and dedication in the studio and onstage throughout the decades.

Thanks, Ron, and good luck with this year’s Grammy selection.

I’d like to give my own shout-out to Ron’s wife, Jade (below), who not only manned the ticket and merch. table on the night, but also designs Ron’s album covers and a multitude of other support duties. She always looks so glamorous and is a welcoming presence at his concerts.As the night wound down and after 2 encores, Ron happily joined in with a meet-n-greet, posing for selfies and signing copies of the CD… I managed to snap a couple of celebrity pics of two of my favourite music people congratulating Ron: international guitar guru Johannes Linstead and popular singer Tanya Wills… Based on audience response, Global Canvas is destined to become another hit album for Ron – there was no doubt as each new track played was met with glorious applause and foot stomping! You can stream the album via Spotify, iTunes or your favourite platform, and several videos have been uploaded to YouTube. CDs are available from Ron’s website:  www.ronkorb.com and I encourage you to follow Ron on social media (linked from his website).

So thumbs up to Ron and his amazing group of musicians who rocked the stage at 3030 Dundas…and I’ll leave the final word to Ron’s #1 fan, Susan,  who apparently approves of Global Canvas!!

GRAMMY NOMINATED RON KORB RELEASES 20th SOLO ALBUM “WORLD CAFE” WITH OCT. 17TH CONCERT IN TORONTO

Three years ago, internationally acclaimed flutist & composer Ron Korb‘s album “Asia Beauty” was nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Age Album category. Ron has just released his latest album, “WORLD CAFE”, this time with a distinct Latin flavour, and it has been receiving a lot of attention from international music media as well as fans, and is rising quickly on various music charts. back cover World cafe smallRon’s previous albums have garnered critical and popular acclaim from around the world; he’s shared many musical journeys, from the wonders and mysteries of Japan and China, to the infectious joy and tender melancholy of Celtic song and dance. For his World Café album, he takes us to sunny Spain, the island of Cuba and the alluring lands of South America. He explores how things sound when crossing a rhythm from one region with a melody inspired by another. All the music is played by living, breathing musicians (no computer generated tunes here!) including renowned award-winning jazz, world and Latin musicians Hilario Duran and Johannes Linstead, with an emphasis on using acoustic instruments.

Here’s a quick taste of World Café …..

I recently sat down and chatted with Ron (fittingly, in a cafe) and asked him a few questions about his music….

With a personal collection of 250 flutes, your reputation as the “king of flutes” is well earned – which instruments did you play on this latest album?  In World Café, the main instrument is my concert flute but I also used some Asian bamboo flutes and the ocarina on some tracks. I was also able to experiment with the Ellis-Korb flute mouthpieces that I’ve been developing with California flute maker Geoffrey Ellis. With the different cuts and various hardwoods we used, I could tailor the sound for each piece. It has been a long 6 year project creating the holy grail of embouchure designs and now Geoffrey and I are very excited about what we‘ve achieved together.DSC02624seasideYour previous album for which you received a Grammy nomination, Asia Beauty, explored Asian musical themes. What made you choose to record this latest album in the Latin style?  World Café has been very well received but it has taken everyone by surprise, especially listeners who have just discovered my music in recent years. Older fans know I’ve already written and performed tunes like Casco Viejo, La Sirena, Desert Night and Dark Eyes. Even back in my student days I often would write tunes that had a Spanish flavour. Latin music is the rhythm of the heart and I had been looking forward to making an upbeat album with a Latin theme for many years. Now when I look at the finished physical CD I can hardly believe it is finally manifested. It’s like a dream come true and I’m very happy with the production and the way it sounds.not for publicHow did you created the music for this album?  For the last decade I have been writing songs with pen and paper. I have books of manuscript paper full of hand written sketches and ideas. When I’m away from home and an idea pops into my head I will just sing the melody or beat box the rhythm on to my phone and transcribe it later. After the musical phrases have had time to ferment, I revisit them and discard the less than brilliant sketches and focus on the melodies that have real magic. Some songs come together very quickly and others take years to find the right contrasting section.  It’s always possible to finish off a song quickly but to write something really special takes a lot of time and effort.

It must be very rewarding to hear the completed album – what was the most enjoyable part of recording World Café?  I would say the most rewarding aspect about making World Café is collaborating with the musicians. It is amazing to hear the songs come alive when you workshop it with a band. In the past, I used midi and computer software quite a lot but since doing my Ron Korb Live album in Quebec in 2004, I gradually transitioned to being completely acoustic. It’s far more expensive to work that way but I prefer the result. Working with legendary Cuban pianist Hilario Duran and guitarist Johannes Linstead was a particular highlight. When I wrote the song Hilario, I didn’t really think that he would record it. Again, this is like another dream come true. After I contacted him, Hilario invited me to his place and I showed him the song. He immediately liked it and suggested some Cuban players to join us on the recording. It was really a thrill to work with such authentic players.

Being so musical, you must play other instruments – which ones?  Concert flute, bass flute, penny whistle, low whistle, shinobue, dizi, xun, bawu, Cambodian pie pook, ocarina. I play piano just enough for composing and songwriting. I also have sung backing and some lead vocals professionally.VIL0_XIw

On October 17th, Ron will be presenting World Café to a live audience for the first time. Performing at Jazz Cafe in Toronto, Ron will be joined on stage by an exciting group of musicians including Bill Evans (L) and Hilario Duran (C) pictured below with Ron.Bill Evans and Hilario DuranWorld Café represents a meeting place where people from many cultures can intermingle, laugh and make friends in a relaxed space – much like Ron’s own multicultural Toronto where this album was recorded.  The album is available thru Ron’s website or via Amazon.ca, iTunes, Spotify & Tidal. Listen online or purchase the gorgeous full-colour hardcover 24pg CD package designed by Ron’s talented wife and photographer, Jade. These will be available at the event, too. Perfect as gifts, as well as for yourself. .

Tickets to the concert as well as Ron’s complete discography are available at: www.ronkorb.com  dRIXZvJw

RON KORB presents WORLD CAFÉ

Wednesday Oct. 17th at 8pm (doors open 7pm)

JAZZ BISTRO, 251 Victoria St, Toronto

Cover: $15 advance from www.ronkorb.com   or $20 at the door