André Gagnon, Update

A Special treat!
Over the Yuletide season, 'Espace musique,' the Radio-Canada music station, presented a special program of Christmas music by André Gagnon, on their radio/TV series: "Studio 12."

For more than half a century, he has been quite busy composing, arranging and performing his distinctive music -- with the emphasis on how it sounds rather than on written notation.
And ... his products REALLY sell!

Nearly 20 years after he released his Christmas album, 'Noël' -- which sold more than 200,000 copies

The Seasons Change

Winter begins on December 22, at 1:30 a.m. -- Well, d'uh!
It is the shortest day, but the earth / sun reveal a few wrinkles:

-- The earliest sunset is TODAY, at 4:33 p.m.*
-- The latest sunrise is in 2 weeks' time, January 3, at 7:51 a.m.
Similarly, the swing days for Summer follow this pattern:
Summer arrives on June 20, 2012, at 8:09 p.m.
-- Earliest sunrise: June 15, 5:25 a.m.
-- Latest sunset: June 23, 9:04 p.m.
Spring equinox: March 20, 9:09 p.m.; Autumnal: September 22, 11:49 a.m.
Right now, you may (finally!) be asking yourself: How does he know all that?

Vive 'Movember'!

For the last three weeks, I have been sporting a moustache. There is nothing odd about that, because I had one for more than 28 years during my teaching career. (I probably started it so that I would look older that my high school students!)

I have a more important purpose this time, as I am joining the ''Movember' movement with my brothers from around the world. This organization is set up to promote awareness of men's health, and raise money for research, primarily into prostate cancer.
To learn more about this campaign, check out their website.
They state:
We want everyone to know that most cancers are highly curable if caught in the early stages - including prostate and testicular cancer.

Remembrance Day: 11 / 11 / 11

"Lest We Forget"

"The Ben Saga"

Our extended family -- and many other kind folks -- have been actively taking part in 'The Ben Saga' over the past ten days.
It all began when our grandson, Ben, age 21, music student in Columbus, Ohio, didn't feel well, was coughing a lot, and went to seek medical help. He was diagnosed with pneumonia, prescribed some antibiotics, and sent home. The next day, his cough worsened, and he lost all his energy, so he returned to hospital for tests.
The medical experts discovered right away he had lost the use of one lung, and the other was working at only 30% level! 

Three Obituaries

It has been a rough week; three people in my 'orbit' have passed away.
Judy was my cousin and classmate in elementary school. She was a beautiful singer. (I still remember singing some difficult parts of the Latin 'Mass of the Angels' with her during morning Mass. The Priest must have approved, as he never critiqued our duets!)
She loved serving as the 'life of the party,' and enjoyed the spotlight.
We'd all look forward to school concert season: the waiting, the hard work at rehearsals and performances, after which she would regale us with an expert performance of HER version of the show. Of course, she played ALL THE PARTS:

Radio … and Me – 20

Baseball on Radio, Two Nations
The 2011 Baseball regular season is starting its final series.
On Summer / Fall evenings, I am lucky enough to capture broadcasts of most Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees games on radio (after the Blue Jays game is over, of course!).
I spent a year in Boston (during the long 'drought' years between their winning a World Series), and travelled through many cities, towns and hamlets across New England. I've listened to Red Sox baseball almost everywhere: on my car radio, in homes and in restaurants, over outdoor loudspeakers at shopping areas, and even at Fenway Park itself.
You’ll find that members of 'Red Sox Nation' are always up to date on their beloved team’s record and stats, and able – nay, eager – to discuss them in great detail,

Radio … and Me – 19

On the morning after Labour Day weekend, Montrealers woke up to learn of the abrupt demise of their venerable radio station, CKAC - 730, the oldest French station in North America. Instead of the wall-to-wall 'CKAC Sports' program, listeners were being treated to Circulation 730, a 24-hour program of … (wait for it) Traffic Reports.
Quel dommage, the manner by which it came about.
Quelle surprise? Well, not really.

Jack Layton, R.I.P.

Over the past week, Canada has witnessed an outpouring of love and admiration for Jack Layton, Member of Parliament, who died of cancer on August 22. Layton was the dynamic leader of the New Democratic Party, who had claimed 103 seats in the House of Commons, making him "Leader of the Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition."
He was the proverbial 'life of the party,' both politically and in reality: an out-going man dubbed the 'Energizer bunny,'

Radio ... and Me – 18

Song parodies have always been a staple of the world’s cultures. In medieval Anglo-Saxon culture, we know that parodies were sung by minstrels who traveled from place to place. Shakespeare even uses parodies in some of his comedies.
In our time, we can cite the works of “Weird Al” Yankovic, who has just released an excellent video send-up of Lady Gaga. He is famous, of course, for the video, “Eat It”,

Back to School?

The department stores around here have already put up their displays and set out materials for their “Back to School” campaigns.
Wait a minute . . . it’s only the third week of July!!!
Enough, already!

Radio … and Me - 17

This month marks a turning-point in my relationship with radio; 30 years ago, I bought my first stereo headset portable model.
I began my 'love affair' with radio as a toddler … listening with my Mom and Dad to music, news and serials (The Cisco Kid, Our Miss Brooks, Boston Blackie) on a big, hot, tube-driven model, which was large enough to be a piece of living room furniture. We lived 90 km from the nearest stations, which where exclusively on AM, so there was a lot of static.
But, after dark, you could listen to most of the big 50,000-watt Clear Channel stations all along the Eastern Seaboard -- in Boston, New York, even down to Miami -- and what an adventure THAT could be for a young fan!

Baseball Clinic – The Cut-off Man

Baseball can be played, watched and enjoyed on many levels, from the major leagues, Little League and by the amateur who cheers for a favourite team and can quote hundreds of statistics (and will do so, if you don't stop him!).
Among the rules (and everyone knows that baseball has plenty of rules!), -- is one you may hear at a practice session or game: "Remember to hit the Cut-Off Man."
But, wait -- if you’re knowledge of baseball is on the elementary level, you may not be aware of what a ‘Cut-off Man’ is.

Radio … and Me -16

Perhaps the most significant ‘Doo-Wop’ song on the radio in the late '50s was based on a technical feature, and it eventually came to launch a series of radio musical hits and even TV cartoons.
If I told you (Dear Reader of a certain age) that the song was written and performed in 1958, by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., and released on Liberty Records, you’d probably not remember it.
However, if I add that his stage name was 'David Seville,' and the song was
‘Witch Doctor’, then you’ll have a better idea of the craze that resulted.

Baseball ... on Radio

It’s baseball season -- especially for us fans of ‘Le canadien,’ who bowed out in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs! Baseball is already completing its second month.
I was a fan of the Montreal Expos since their birth in 1969, until their sad departure and re-branding as the Washington Nationals a few seasons ago. The Expos had excellent announcers on TV and radio, led by the legendary Dave Van Horne.

Rain, Rain ... Enough Already!

I keep a daily weather log. It’s a habit I picked up from my Dad, who was a mariner for most of his working life. It’s vitally important for a mariner to know the weather forecast, learning how to observe the current conditions and noting the public forecasts.
I note that, every day during the last 3 1/2 weeks, the weather forecasts / logs here, and across Atlantic Canada, have included: cloudy, rain, showers, drizzle and fog.

Radio … and Me -15

Here are more “Doo-Wop” songs, presented on music radio, then and now. These contain a curious twist.
(Remember, dear reader, these are actual, copyrighted, lyrics.) (No kidding. You're allowed, AND EVEN ENCOURAGED, to sing along, if the spirit moves you.)
-- In the mid-1950s, the million-seller, 'Shh Boom (Life Could be a Dream),' launched the career of a quartet called the Crew Cuts, who hailed from Toronto.
It started like this,
Hey nonny ding dong, alang alang alang
Boom ba-doh, ba-doo ba-doodle-ay
Oh, life could be a dream (sh-boom) ...

Radio ... and Me - 14

One of the earlier styles of rock ‘n’ roll music on the radio was known as ‘Doo-Wop.’
I see you have your hand up (old teacher phrase! ) , so I’ll define the term as, insert nonsense words here.
It was usually heard in groups’ songs, with the major words doing the background support for the lead singer, most often by the ‘Bass Man.’ Due homage was later paid in 1963, in the song, ‘Mr. Bass Man,’ by Johnny Cymbal.
‘Doo-Wop’ was not new. Oh, no.
The style comes from a great tradition of silly songs, and we can have fun with a few offering, from the pre-1940s:

We’ve Switched to the Mac!

Our family has just crossed the Great Divide and moved from a PC computer to a new iMac , following a long period of wishing, hoping and saving our pennies.
Both my wife and I, retired teachers, had used -- and taught our respective students with -- the early Macintosh, back in the late 1980s, and had been impressed with the ease of use and all-in-one experience.
The iMac is so easy to set up: I plugged in the power cord and the keyboard’s USB, and hit the Power switch.

Absolutely Awesome! You Rock, Halifax!

Those were just some of the reviews by the young athletes attending the Closing Ceremonies of the 2011 Halifax Jeux du Canada Games.
And, what a two-week celebration of the spirt of sport. A total of 2,700 athletes from ‘every part of this land of ours’ -- according to ‘Look Out, World!’ the first official Canada Games fight-song -- flocked to Halifax and the ski hills of Nova Scotia to perform in winter sports.
An estimated 50-thousand people attended free concerts

Look Out, World!

Here we are, at mid-point in the two-week celebration of winter sports , the 2011 Halifax Canada Winter Games.
The first week has been a big success ... plenty of great performances by young athletes from all over Canada, with good weather and well-attended events.
For up-to-date results and summaries, you can check out the 2011 Canada Winter Games website.

A big hit at the Games has been the H-R-M Speed Skating Oval on the Halifax Commons,

Radio ... and Me - 13

Last week, radio stations marked the anniversary of, ‘The Day the Music Died,’ an event which was immortalized by Don McLean, in his song, American Pie.
Here is how the tragedy’s story had unfolded:
On February 4, 1959, radio stations across the musical spectrum reported the following bulletin,

(Last night,) a small-plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, killed three American rock and roll musicians: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, as well as the pilot, Roger Peterson.

Radio ... and Me - 12

Folk music has always been an integral part of every culture and every society in history. From early days, “traveling troubadours” related the peoples’ stories in song, accompanied by a lute, a harp, a drum or a guitar.
Sometimes, the songs told of heroes, or of love and courtship, with many a “hey, nonny, nonny;”

Radio ... and Me -11

Local small-market radio stations could not ignore the rising tide of rock ‘n’ roll music, so they began taking their first, tentative steps to present the new sounds. And, with that, came a new crop of radio announcers, now called ‘disc jockeys.’
On the local stations which I listened to, country music still ruled in the mornings, with orchestra, Broadway or ‘standards’ played through the

Radio ... and Me - 10

By the mid ‘50s, new radio formats had to be adopted and tweaked, all due to the spread of rock ‘n’ roll.
The first major change, especially in big market stations, was the invention of the hour-long ‘Block Program,’ which featured a 5-minute News / Weather / Sport report, usually on the top of the hour, followed by the music, with an ad-libbing, fast-talking 'disc jockey'

‘King Elvis’ -- R.I.P.

Today, Elvis Presley would be marking his 76th birthday.
He came from the small town of Tupelo, Mississippi, and there are many accounts of his strong devotion to his mother. In fact, his legendary first recording at ‘Sun’ Records in Memphis was a gift for her.
As a young singer, he worked hard to achieve his meteoric rise to fame, first in the South and later internationally. It was said that here was a ‘white singer who could sing black songs.’