23 January 2012
by Bill Parsons
0 comments
The Maples Inn I first met Blair at the Maples Inn in Montreal somewhere in the mid to late 1970s. The “Mapes” was a local watering hole on the north shore of Lac St. Louis. It was the place to … Continue reading
12 December 2011
by Bill Parsons
1 Comment
Creativity Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man In my early twenties I read Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. When I finished the “artist’s coming of age story” I had a strong impulse … Continue reading
7 December 2011
by Bill Parsons
3 Comments
Active Life “If you’re not having fun, you’re doing something wrong.” – Groucho Marx I am creating four large projects: a lessons website, a dvd, a cd, and a novel. All of them are progressing well but it makes for … Continue reading
31 August 2011
by Bill Parsons
0 comments
Kora The kora is a kind of African harp that I became aware of through a Canadian composer/performer named Daniel Janke. He wrote a piece for kora and gamelan degung, called Main Street. We first met when Evergreen Club was … Continue reading
12 June 2011
by Bill Parsons
0 comments
At the Music Gallery in Toronto, 13 & 14 June 2011, a new shadow puppet play created by Rick Sacks for Evergreen Club is being performed live. A playful work designed for the young at heart The Adventures of the … Continue reading
13 January 2011
by Bill Parsons
0 comments
In yesterday’s post Rain, as snow fell the introduction uses “Korean Unison”. I associate the term with the American composer John Cage, who wrote Evergreen Club a piece called Haikai which uses Korean unison. I am not sure where the … Continue reading
12 May 2010
by Bill Parsons
2 Comments
Dina/Tina Jandela is a composition by Mang Koko, a master of the kacapi – a 20 string zither from Indonesia. I made a solo kacapi arrangement for an Evergreen Club recording called Sunda Songs, which was released by Naxos (2003). … Continue reading
7 April 2010
by Bill Parsons
1 Comment
I did an arrangement of Tina Jandela by kacapi master Mang Koko from Sunda, in west Java. I play the kacapi (20 string zither) and Blair Mackay does the percussion. Blair and I play together in Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan. … Continue reading