Tag Archives: Latin music

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 WINNER RON KORB LAUNCHES LATEST ALBUM “GLOBAL CANVAS” WITH OCT. 4 CONCERT IN TORONTO

Internationally-renowned flutist and composer Ron Korb is again sharing his love of world music with his latest album full of Latin, Middle Eastern, European and Asian influences, played by outstanding culturally diverse musicians. The physical CD of Global Canvas drops officially on Friday October 4th with a special concert on at the 3030 Dundas West club (details at end of blog). He will be joined on stage by many of the artists who recorded the 18 tracks with Ron, including Bill Evans (piano/keyboards), Steve Lucas (bass), Xiaoqiu Lin (erhu), Larry Crowe (drums), Victoria Yeh (violin), Rick Shadrach Lazar (Latin and Middle Eastern percussion) Ray Hickey Jr (guitar & koto) plus other guests.

I’m going to let Ron tell you about the project himself…..

You always give us beautiful cover art (photographs) and liner notes on your albums. Your wife, Jade, is a talented photographer and a brilliant design collaborator, creating such beautiful covers for all your albums. It was pointed out to me by one of your dedicated fans that this is the first time you’re shown without a flute in hand. Why the change in style….are you re-branding? The Global Canvas cover and album design wasn’t a conscious rebranding but the image just felt right. It is the idea of having a blank page from which the inspiration will spring. If you look closely you will even see subtle white brush strokes adding some texture and the white shirt I am wearing just blends into the canvas texture. We did try the opposite approach of having explosive vivid colours representing the energetic world music grooves on the CD but in the end this seemed more true somehow. Now that I think about it, the introspective cover portrait really captures the look of someone working out ideas in their head.

Ron incudes a track called “Angkor Wat” that was inspired by a trip to Cambodia with Human Rights activist Arn Chorn Pond, to whom Ron was introduced by one of the most famous artists of the past 40+yrs. Watch this video to learn who….

And what’s next once Global Canvas is out in the world…do you have special performances lined up or more film work? I have been invited to perform in Ricky Kej’s group in Dubai in January. Ricky is a 3 time Grammy winning artist and very well known and popular in his home country of India. There are some other great performing opportunities materializing in 2025. I also play on Ricky’s new album and also Masa’s new single Kashira. In my life, I never know what new thing is around the corner. Film work or studio always comes up very quickly so we shall see what the New Year will bring.

If you’d like to join Ron at his launch concert in Toronto you can click on his website for full details: www.ronkorb.com
GLOBAL CANVAS album release concert
Friday October 4^th at 3030 Dundas West in The Junction (Toronto)
Doors open 7pm – Show starts 8pm
Tickets $35 at door or $30 in advance from Ron’s website or via Eventbrite.ca
To reserve your table, contact club 3030 Dundas W at 3030.table.reservations@gmail.com

Follow Ron on social media: Fcbk + IG @RonKorb

INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED FLAUTIST/COMPOSER RON KORB DEBUTS 20th SOLO ALBUM IN TORONTO

Last night (Wed. Oct.17), Grammy-nominated and internationally acclaimed RON KORB delivered a sizzling show from the stage of Toronto’s Jazz Bistro, introducing tracks from his latest solo album, WORLD CAFE, showcasing Latin-themed original instrumentals. Ron was joined on stage by world-renowned musicians who also played on the album: Bill Bridges, Bill Evans, Steve Lucas and Larry Crowe, with special guests Hilario Duran (piano) and Joseph Macerollo (accordion).

That same day, nomination ballots for this year’s Grammy Awards were also distributed to academy members around the world and all fingers are crossed that Ron receives another Grammy nod like his previous album, Asia Beauty.
In World Café, Ron takes us to sunny Spain, the island of Cuba, and the alluring lands of South America where he merges a rhythm from one region with a melody inspired by another. World Café represents a meeting place where people from many cultures can intermingle, laugh and make friends in a relaxed space – much like his own multicultural Toronto where this album was recorded.The packed audience at Jazz Bistro swayed to the rhythms and there was a lot of chair dancin’ during the two sets; the show must have blown up on social media based on all the phone cameras held high to catch the action….like this beautiful accordion solo from Joseph Macerollo…

The evening was hosted by the always-charming Miss Ziggy Lorenc (Zoomer Media) who many in the crowd remembered from her Citytv days – Ziggy now hosts a nightly show during the week on Zoomer Radio AM640 called Stardust and Midnight Blue. Here she is (below, L) with friend Barbara (R) and on stage MC’ing the show. As for many of Ron’s albums, the cover and accompanying 24-pg full colour booklet was designed by his talented wife, Jade, seen here (below, R) with fans. This next brief video was hard to shoot – all I wanted to do was dance!! So please pardon my cha-cha-cha moves and enjoy another brief taste of World Café here:

Ron’s final set resulted in multiple encores and lots of CD sales with some audience members purchasing multiple copies as presents for friends and family! To learn more about Ron, listen to World Café and previous albums, visit www.ronkorb.com or you can download World Café from Spotify, iTunes or Amazon. Thank you for supporting Canadian musical artists.

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. Ron’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.Your 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.How 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.

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.World 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

RON KORB presents WORLD CAFÉ

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

JAZZ BISTRO, 251 Victoria St, Toronto

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

AFRO-CUBAN TRUMPETER ALEXIS BARO PACKED THE HOUSE @ POETRY JAZZ CAFE

Last night, I was thrilled to be part of the capacity audience at Kensington Market’s Poetry Jazz Cafe (224 Augusta Ave) as Toronto-based Afro-Cuban trumpeter ALEXIS BARO and his band killed it on stage as part of this year’s TD Toronto Jazz Festival.

Performing music from his recent album, Guilty Pleasure, Alexis was joined by drummer extraordinaire Amhed Mitchel, Jeremy Ledbetter on keys and Yoser Rodrigues on bass. He also teased us with several new compositions from his upcoming Alexis Baro & Pueblo Nuevo Jazz Project that pays tribute to his Cuban musical roots – his new CD, Sugar Rush, due for release this coming September.

Alexis has performed and recorded with many celebrated artists including David Foster, Pacquito D’Riviera, Paul Shaffer, Andreas Bocelli, Omara Portunda, Joey DeFrancisco, Gino Vanelli, Wayne Newton and Tom Jones. He has been the opening act for Herbie Hancock and has led his own groups on tour across Canada, Europe and the West Indies.

His Guilty Pleasure album is a collection of laid back, soulful original compositions touching on a variety of genres including Latin, Afro-Cuban and Contemporary Jazz, and features Cuban female rapper Telmary and Dwayne Morgan. Congratulations to Alexis – Guilty Pleasure was recently named the Gold Medal Award winner at the Global Music Awards. You can purchase the album via iTune dowload or via www.alexisbaro.com

The venue, Poetry Jazz Cafe, located in the heart of Toronto’s Kensington Market, is a cosy showroom entered via an enclosed front foyer filled with comfy chairs and couches. Out back is an open-air patio with candlelit tables surrounded by shrubery that offers a discreet area for conversation or a romantic date night. Run by the charming Sean Pascalle and his welcoming staff, it’s a great new find for Toronto’s live music fans and I recommend you check it out in person. www.poetryjazzcafe.com (you can find lots of photos and news on their Facebook page, linked via the website). I sat at the bar with Alexis’ wife, Tracey (below) who kept me informed on the story of each tune and joined me in cheering along with the rest of the enthusiastic crowd as the band took their bows.The bar itself is decorated by some pretty cool posters and giant photos of legendary jazz figures such as Miles Davis (‘natch), Nina Simone, Stachmo…and over the bar, Sean has installed a giant tv screen – last night it was showing a famous Cuban animated feature to complimented the live music.I was really moved when Alexis picked up his flugelhorn and performed this gorgeous smooth jazz number….

Watch for the release of Alexis’ new album in September – I’ll post an event page on Facebook to promote the concert in Toronto. In the meantime, visit his website www.alexisbaro.com for more music and videos.