So, as long as I have this blog about music I might as well review the concerts I go to. Depending on who's in town, and where, and how much tickets cost, I seem to get to four or five shows in an average year. Usually one or two at the General Motors Centre in Oshawa. Now that's a great place for concerts--it's big enough for the big shows, and far enough away from Toronto so that many artists can play there as well as Toronto. Yet it's small enough to be way more intimate than the Air Canada Centre or the SkyDome (sorry, Rogers Centre). Massey Hall in TO is great, as is Roy Thompson Hall. And the one I just went to for the first time, Koerner Hall on Bloor Street, right next door to the Royal Ontario Museum, is a fantastic place for a concert.
As part of the TD Toronto Jazz Festival, Nikki Yanofsky played at Koerner Hall on Tuesday, June 25th, 2013. As you may know, if you know me or if you follow my blog, Nikki is one of my favourite singers. Thank goodness the concert was on a Tuesday night so it was no problem attending (no show for me on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesdays). And, even though I've seen her three times before, I would have hated to miss this one. This is Nikki's "Little Secret" tour, previewing her upcoming, long-awaited album.
Previously Nikki sang from the "Great American Songbook", songs that Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald would have done in their day. She had a few original songs, and did some newer songs as well, but that was secondary to "Take the 'A' Train", "I've Got Rhythm", and "On the Sunny Side of the Street", for example. Well, things have turned around now.
She has a new, eight piece, funky band behind her--guitar, bass, drums, two keyboardists, trumpet, trombone and saxophone. A very young band, though very good, professional musicians. They sound like they could be backing up Stevie Wonder.
That seems to be Nikki's new direction, based on the album preview. She is now being co-managed by Quincy Jones, and her style seems to be leaning more towards bluesy, funky jazz instead of the traditional vocal jazz we are used to hearing from her.
Because Nikki is only nineteen, I think it will work. I hope she has a big hit or two from this album and gets a whole new audience. It would be nice to see more young people at her shows, instead of all the grey heads she usually sees when looking out. And if it's not a big hit, again she is only nineteen, and has plenty of time to fine-tune and change.
She performed twenty songs, plus one encore. Although we stayed and cheered for more she just came out and waved, then the lights came up. I assume she and her band had nothing else rehearsed. Personally I would have loved her to sing "Ain't No Way" again, a standout track from (I hope) the upcoming album. It was so good that the audience spontaneously began to applaud half-way through the song.
If I had gone to see the Rolling Stones and they did seventy percent new material I would be very upset. But it's been three years since her last album ("Nikki") came out and I was very happy to hear her new material. I'm not sure I would feel the same way though, if I hadn't seen her sing live three times before. I did hear a few (just a few) grumbles from the older members of the audience. She did do some old songs--"Airmail Special", "Let the Good Times Roll" (the Louis Jordan/Ray Charles song), "Jeepers Creepers" (a little funkified), "Relax Max", "Witchcraft", her own song from her last album "Bienvenue dans ma vie", and her best-known song, the 2010 Olympic anthem, "I Believe".
Nikki is also quite proficient as a songwriter. Some of the best material from her last album were co-written by her, including the aforementioned "Bienvenue dans ma vie", and "Cool My Heels". She didn't specify which, if any, of her new songs were written by her, but I would assume many, if not all, were. I guess we'll find out when the album comes out, possibly in October.
At the end of the show she came out to the lobby and met anyone who wanted to meet her. She autographed the photo of us from last summer's show in Huntsville, and posed for a new photo that she'll autograph next time I see her. Soon, I hope.
We had fantastic seats for the concert, practically sitting on the stage. Unfortunately though, right near a stack of speakers, and this show was LOUD. Usually we bring ear protection for rock concerts, but never find it necessary for jazz shows. But because of the funky, eight-piece band, and our proximity to the speakers, my wife and daughter found the sound level very uncomfortable. I didn't have as much of a problem, probably because I am older and have some hearing loss to begin with. And I'll admit, I didn't hear anyone else complaining so it was probably just us.
I have a feeling that there is a lost Nikki Yanofsky album out there. In the three years since her last album she has done a lot of recording, in London, New York, and at home. And, since her association with Quincy Jones, in Los Angeles. I suspect that she recorded a bunch of tracks for an album more similar to her previous album, "Nikki". These tracks may never be released to the public, now that her direction has changed. I have no real idea, I'm just guessing. But if there are any tracks that they are not going to use, it would be nice to find them for free on her website, or for a price on iTunes. Just a suggestion to Nikki and her management team...
Anyway, if Nikki comes to your area, try to see her. I don't think you'll be disappointed. She is a terrific young talent, with a long career ahead of her. She deserves every bit of fame and fortune she receives, and I'm sure will be considered the equal of Gordon Lightfoot or Joni Mitchell someday. I hope I'll be around to see a lot of it.
Michael
It's interesting that my daughter will occasionally hear an older song on the radio like, let's say, "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry and say something like, wow, that's an old song, I haven't heard it in ages. And to me, that's still a new song. I guess that's because I still mostly listen to the Beatles and Chuck Berry and that sort of thing. And my daughter is not terribly interested in my sort of music. I guess I was not different when I was a child.
My Dad loved country. As a matter of fact, he took me to my first real concert, Johnny Cash. This was around the time of "Orange Blossom Special", before his TV show. I don't remember too much about the concert, but I remember seeing Mr Cash again, thirty-ish years later, with my wife. My Dad also loved Willie Nelson and Buck Owens, a couple of my favourite artists these days. My Dad had some pretty eclectic taste in music as well, enjoying Dixieland Jazz, James Last, Boney M (yeah, I still have trouble figuring out that one), and lots of others.
My Mom loved Gordon Lightfoot. My Mom and I met him last year at a CD signing when he put out his Live CD. He's another of my favourite singers today. Mom's tastes were a little more folksy, listening to John Denver, Bobby Goldsboro and things like that.
So what have I been exposing my own 15-year-old daughter to? Well, I listen to the radio constantly. She, along with her Mother are more TV watchers. They'll just turn on the TV and find something to watch. I don't usually turn on the TV unless there is something that I know is on, and I'm interested in watching it. I tend to listen to the radio, mostly the oldies stations which, in this area, are CKDO and Q107.
And I try to take her to concerts, as many as possible considering the high ticket prices these days. She's been to see Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp, John Fogerty, Glen Campbell, and Paul McCartney. Some real legends there that I hope she remembers fondly in the future. The Rascals are coming this summer, and I'm sure we'll be there!
Am I trying to change her music preferences? Is there anything wrong with her listening to today's hits on Virgin Radio?
Of course not. She SHOULD be listening to today's hits, the same as I did when I was a kid. She's excited by new releases by her favourite artists, same as I was. But I think it's important to expose her to the whole world, and history of music that's out there.
Stop and think about how great recorded music is. We are still able to listen to artists long dead, and appreciate what they gave to the world. Glenn Miller, gone almost 70 years, still leaps off the turntable, or C D player, or however else you choose to listen to his greatest hits. Elvis died when I was 22, John Lennon when I was 25, yet their music lives on, and sounds better today than when they were alive.
When I was in my late teens I rediscovered the music of the 50's. Radio certainly wasn't playing much Buddy Holly or Bill Haley in the early 70's and I really didn't know the music that was really popular just 15 years earlier. But thank you to K-Tel for putting out some oldies albums celebrating the music of the previous generation.
Sure, K-Tel records were pretty bad. They crammed 25 songs onto a single album, losing most of the fidelity and all the bass. Pretty much like listening to the music on a little transistor radio. And, even though most of these songs are two-and-a-half minutes long, K-Tel often cut out a verse, or faded them out early to save even more space. But it got me reintroduced to the songs, and I sought out better albums of my favourites.
My daughter has heard the songs of my favourite artists all her life. She doesn't always know who is who, but she knows the songs, and that's enough for now. In the future she may seek these songs out, or she may not. It certainly is easier these days than it was in my day.
I've also taken her to some younger artists that she'll be able to see long after I'm gone. I took her to see Emilie-Claire Barlow and, three times, to Nikki Yanofsky. In a couple of weeks we'll be seeing her again. Since Nikki is only a few years older than my daughter maybe she'll be taking HER future children to see Nikki as well.
I know my daughter has a few interesting musical pieces on her iPod. Quite a few Beatles songs, and some individual songs by Kenny Loggins, Jefferson Airplane, and Bonnie Tyler, among others.
I'd just like to think that, when I'm really old, and after I'm gone, she'll truly appreciate music. If she still just listens to the day's hits, well, that's fine too. But I hope she can rock out to "Bohemian Rhapsody" every once in a while too.
Michael
