Finally a bunch of my older releases will be available on streaming services, etc. Songs From Sivananda Kutir, The Light of Christmas, All of the Seasons and Musical Mystery Machines are all either online now or soon will be. I also created a Junior Jug Band Collection with tracks from all three Junior Jug Band albums. Check them out, share them with friends, include them on playlists. Have fun.
Meanwhile stayed tuned for my brand new album, The Folk Song Garden which will be premiering right here on my web site in the new year. Let’s hope 2022 will provide more chances for us to share music.
When I performed at Owen Sound Summerfolk towards the end of August I promised on stage to post a recording of my song, Bigger Than That. This is from an unreleased cache of recordings I made with the amazing Sufi musician, Davod Azad. He is featured on oud on this track. Sharon Riley, along with Amoy and Ciceal Levy add stellar vocals and it also includes Bucky Berger on drums and Ben Whiteley on bass. Sharon and Bucky were integral parts of the ensemble with me at Owen Sound, along with Pat Patrick, Coco Love Alcorn and Gord Mowat.
Davod Azad on oud and Ken on his National resophonic guitar.Bigger Than That
A lovely moment backstage with Cara Luft (The Small Glories) and Coco Love Alcorn at Summerfolk Festival 2016
I’m looking forward to getting back on the Summerfolk stages for 2 concerts this summer. I hope you’ll join Sharon Riley, Pat Patrick, Gordon Mowat, Bucky Berger and me for the Sunday Gospel Matinee along with the delightfully talented Coco Love Alcorn at the Kelso Ampitheatre Stage on August 22 from 1pm to 2pm. Then I’m heading over to the Sutacriti Stage for my concert from 3pm to 4pm. Please remember to bring a mask. For tickets and more info, call 519-371-2995 or go to https://summerfolk.org
Singing the Light – a gospel singing yogi concert with Ken Whiteley
Join us for a uplifting and inspiring concert with award winning musician, performer, songwriter, record producer, and Sivananda Yoga teacher Ken Whiteley. Experience the great joy and release of gospel singing as Ken shares his extensive experience and great love of traditional gospel music. This free live concert will be offered by Zoom weblink. Click the picture above or here to register and then the Yoga Ranch will email you back the zoom link.
The world keeps circling the sun and I’m going to keep singing. As well as the nightly singalong / shout out for frontline workers (and others) on our street, I’ve been working on creating a new album. If you want a little peak into it, here’s a clip from a live stream performance I gave as part of the North American Folk Alliance virtual conference. It’s my performance of Shenandoah.
Shenandoah on the mandocello
You can check out my “Ode To the Road” post from early fall for more on the singalong/shoutouts and also my video performance of “You Better Mind” from my most recent album, “Calm In The Eye of the Storm” (available on this site).
I have been doing an Easter time concert at the Sivananda Yoga Ashram Camp in Val Morin, Quebec almost every year since 2002 and Saturday, April 3 I will do one you can join HERE from anywhere over Zoom. There will be a short meditation at 7:30, a bit of chanting and then the concert will start. This will be the second Easter concert that will be virtual and it feels odd to think the earth has gone all the way around the sun and we’re still in the pandemic wilderness. While I’ll miss hearing your voices, hopefully next year we’ll be sharing the space together. In the meantime, sing away from wherever you are.
The Easter resurrection story is one of faith in the midst of incredible challenges, forgiveness, renewal, and ultimately joy and connection. I’ve got a new Easter song called “The Stone Was Rolled Away” I’ll premiere in the concert. My continuing spiritual practice sustains and deepens the resonance I have felt since childhood in this most holy of Christian holidays. I hope you can join us.
I was surprised and delighted to be awarded the Maple Blues Lifetime Achievement Blues With A Feeling Award this February. I thought I’d embrace this auspicious occasion as a time to post a new video of my original version of the African American spiritual song You Better Mind. The song appears on my newest Borealis release, Calm In The Eye Of The Storm. For the album I recorded it with sacred steel sensation Nikki D. Brown and the Sisters of Thunder. The video however is very much a product of this year of the pandemic. On it I sing and play all the parts including bass, lap steel, percussion, etc. Mako Funasaka masterfully crafted the video from my own shots of me busily recording all the parts.
On February 19 I will be part of the Virtual Winterfolk Blues and Roots festival. It’s a great line up and you can watch it by registering here. I do a set with Ben Whiteley accompanying me on mandolin, guitar and harmony vocals.
Then on Monday, Feb. 22 I’ll be doing a live stream concert for the virtual North American Folk Alliance conference at 8:30 EST. Of course you can register for the conference (with a sliding pay scale) and see a lot of great workshops and other concerts, but if you want to watch my show you can do it here.
Whether you believe that we’ll all have to “give an account in Judgement”, call it the law of karma or accept that our actions can have consequences, I hope we all remember to put a little love and kindness out there and spread some light.
As I write this Chanukah is just beginning and we enter into this season of celebrating the light in the darkness. There are some upcoming online events that I hope may bring you some light.
On Sunday, Dec. 20 I will be giving an online holiday concert for the Sivananda Yoga Centres in Toronto and Montreal. It will be a fundraiser for Sun Youth which works with individuals and families in need from the Greater Montreal area by providing a range of emergency services to ensure basic needs and to preserve people’s integrity, by contributing actively to crime prevention and by promoting the physical, social and intellectual development of people through education, sports and recreation.https://sunyouthorg.com/
The program will be 6:00 – 7:15 pm: Yoga Class, 7:45 pm: Meditation and my concert will start shortly after 8 pm. for about an hour. I’ll be singing songs from Light of Christmas cd as well as other holiday favourites.
Registration: Please donate online, any amount, directly to Sun Youth and send the confirmation e-mail you receive from them to toronto@sivananda.org. We will send you the Zoom link prior to the event on December 20 upon confirmation of your donation. (Sun Youth will provide you with a tax receipt).
On Saturday, Dec. 19 I’ll be participating in the Sultans of String – Christmas Caravan – Livestream ZOOM concert with fantastic special guests! 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM ESTLimited tickets available: http://christmascaravan2020.eventbrite.ca
Celebrate a musical trip around the world with special guests Rebecca Campbell – vocals, Tamar Ilana – flamenco & bellydance, Donné Roberts – vocals & guitar, Kristine St-Pierre – vocals & guitar – en français, Eddie Paton – guitar and the fabulous Sultans, Chris, Kevin, Drew, and Chendy!
Finally Roncesvalles United Church is taking their Christmas Eve service online and I’ll be part of that too.
We’re still singing on our street, too. Meanwhile, keep singing in your soul.
Jackie was born November 12, 1919 in Hamilton, Ontario and in his long, musical career he touched a lot of people. The Home County Music and Arts Festival is hosting a celebration on their YouTube channel that I helped coordinate, featuring Colin Linden, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Jesse Whiteley & Caitlin Hanford and Ken & Ben Whiteley all singing songs inspired by our old friend and swing master, Jackie Washington.
Also in honour of Jackie I’m featuring NO CHARGE POSTAL DELIVERY of all CD’s ordered from my web store this month. Check out the new Borealis release THE WORLD OF JACKIE WASHINGTON as well as my latest CALM IN THE EYE OF THE STORM.
On March 18 my wife Ellen got a notice from the Registered Nurses Assoc. of Ontario suggesting we go out at 7:30 and sing or make some noise for frontline workers. Since March 19 we’ve been singing and doing shout outs for frontline workers and others that people on the street feel should be honoured. The singing is very multigenerational, with the song leading passing around among whoever wants to lead on a given night. It has become transformative for all of us to feel this profound sense of community.
In August, to honour the 150th continuous night of doing this we had an impromptu “gala” where we all dressed up. Ceilidh Wood and I wrote this song the day before the 150th and I’m making it available here as a free download. Most of the parts were recorded outside, including about 30 people (physically distanced) singing along on the chorus right on the street. If you listen carefully you might hear a bird chirp, a car motor or the sound of wonderful, neighbourhood babies. Our 200th night is coming up on Oct. 4.
That’s Ceilidh in the red dress along with Roxton Rd. neighbours.
