November 14 2008
Definite Bestseller
Ron Davis/Sasha Boychouk jazz collaboration 'destined to happen'
By ERROL NAZARETH
It would be easy to judge The Bestseller by its title and charge its creators with arrogance -- or at least wishful thinking. But to do so would be to miss both the point and the beauty of the splendid new recording by pianist Ron Davis and clarinetist Sasha Boychouk.
It's a rare coupling, clarinet and piano, but one that works to great effect on this disc that embraces styles as diverse as klezmer and gospel. Davis' and Boychouk's playing is absolutely killer, the chemistry they share is undeniable, and the record is proof that this collaboration was destined to happen.
In fact, Davis says a duet recording was in the stars after the two played together the first time.
"There was so much pleasure ... it was a given that we should record," he says. "It wasn't a falling in love. It was instantaneous and whole from the get-go. It's like those couples who say, 'As soon as I met so-and-so I knew we would be married.'"
The fact that The Bestseller was recorded over "two relaxed, wonderful days" is testament to their musical connection, one that Davis attributes to Boychouk's openness.
"He is not bound by right and wrong -- as if such a thing existed in music -- and he is not constricted by theory," Davis says, "He does not play by the book or from the book. He makes music. He plays from the heart, and he has the virtuoso chops to go wherever his heart takes him."
Davis says that when they finally found time to record, he would "call a tune, Sasha would let me know if he felt like playing it then, and away we went!
"Sometimes we would talk a bit about tempo or about arrangement, but for the most part the playing was spontaneous. We didn't need to talk and process much."
Davis, who is as adventurous and unconventional a player as Boychouk, defines their style as "playing without borders."
"I don't play theoretically correct bebop scales," he says proudly, his statement aimed squarely at the jazz police. "No style-appropriate riffs. Not what I'm supposed to play. I play what I think, what I feel is the most musical sound at the moment."
Sweet coincidence, then, that the piano Davis played on The Bestseller was the Steinway concert grand piano that is said to have been Glenn Gould's favourite at CBC.
"Glenn Gould is a huge influence on me," says Davis, who is on the executive leadership group of the Glenn Gould Foundation.
He says that the piano/clarinet coupling is quite rare, adding that it's a shame considering how beautiful the blend is.
"I think Oscar Peterson and Buddy DeFranco recorded a duo album, but I can't think of any other off-hand," he says. "There was a time when clarinet and piano were the reigning instruments in jazz. The heyday was the 1930s: Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw on clarinet, Duke Ellington, Teddy Wilson and Art Tatum on piano. Yet, no one seems to have recorded any -- or at least many -- clarinet/piano duets."
Another unique element of this project is the story that is woven into the CD. It consists of nine epigraphs by Canadian writer and librettist Val Brandt. When read together, the sentence fragments attached to each musical interlude make up the plotline of The Bestseller.
"I wrote a tune for Sasha called Sashagraha," Davis says. "We then set aside about 10 minutes and played spontaneous improvisations based on the tune. These became the nine interludes on the album. There was no rehearsal and no planning. Just playing."
NOTE:
Ron Davis and Sasha Boychouk celebrate the release of The Bestseller next Thursday at Hugh's Room. Tickets are $25.
- Read Errol Nazareth's review online
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November 10 2008
Hugh's Room and Ron Davis have announced a special Student price of $15 for Ron's Nov. 20 CD release concert at the world-renowned venue.
Any student who wants to come hear Ron with Sasha Boychouk, and his trio as they release his 6th CD "The Bestseller" need only pay $15, instead of the $22/$25 regular charge.
Take a break from the books and come hear some jazz!
- Click here for details about the November 20 show at Hugh's Room
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October 24 2008
Ron Davis has always embraced technology and innovation. Having been on the Internet since 1986 (way back!), Ron has seen it become a powerful force for spreading music. At the same time, digital recording has made preserving a performance simple.
In keeping with these developments, and just to share the music, Ron has adopted this policy: Audience members are encouraged to record and distribute any of his performances freely, in any video or audio formats.
What's the fine print? Here: any audience member who does record and distribute the music, agrees to do so under a Creative Commons License (Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike.) For details visit www.creativecommons.org.
So, click those Record buttons, focus those lenses, and capture away. But remember- always, always make sure your lens cap is off.
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October 24 2008
What, you ask, is The Bestseller? A romance in music between a piano and a clarinet. A duo recording by Ron Davis and Sasha Boychouk. It's Ron's 6th CD!
Ron will be releasing The Bestseller (Minerva Road / Davinor Records 233377) in concert at the renowned Hugh's Room, on Thursday, November 20, 2008.
Real bestsellers are always love stories. The Bestseller is no different: it's a musical story. The story of the romance between a Canadian piano (played by composer Ron Davis,) that meets a Ukrainian clarinet (played by Sasha Boychouk.) In 12 songs and 9 unique Interludes, Ron and Sasha display the sizzling chemistry of their music-making partnership.
Ron is One of Canada's A-list pianists (CFRB Radio.) Sasha Boychouk came to Canada from his native Ukraine a few years ago. Within days of moving to Toronto, he and Ron were playing together. It was magic. An instant bond. Love at first sound. Like a novel, The Bestseller is the culmination of their musical relationship.
Ron's earlier recordings- 2007's Subarashii Live (Davinor 89144 - #1 - ChartAttack National Jazz radio Chart), and 2005's Shimmering Rhythm (Davinor 3455 -Best of 2005 - Jazz.FM, Coda Magazine, Zeitgeist, l'Express) -feature Sasha prominently. On The Bestseller, the duo produces an original spectrum of sounds and ideas, performing mostly Ron's original compositions.
Already unique, what really sets The Bestseller apart are the Interludes. There are nine of them. One is at the beginning, another at the end, while the others are interspersed. The Interludes are bursts of improvised musical creation. They're all based on a single theme: Sashagraha, a song Ron wrote especially for Sasha.
Attached to each Interlude is an epigraph, a short narrative sentence, written by Canadian playwright and opera librettist Val Brandt. 'Just when you've heard everything,' reads the first one, and 'A clarinet strolls in speaking volumes in Ukrainian,' the second. Together, the nine epigraphs narrate the story of The Bestseller.
Everyone loves a love story. We're sure everyone will love the lovely music Ron and Sasha make on THE BESTSELLER.
Please join Ron and Sasha, along with Jordan O'Connor (bass) and Sly Juhas (drums) at Hugh's Room on Thursday November 20. It will be a storybook evening!
Ron Davis Releases
THE BESTSELLER
Thursday, November 20th
Hugh's Room - Toronto
Tickets: $22 Advance, $25 at the Door
Available HERE (click for online ticket purchase)
and at
Hugh's Room
416 531-6604 www.hughsroom.com
and at
Paul Hahn Pianos
1058 Yonge Street, Toronto , 416-922-3122
Doors / Dinner from 6:00 p.m. Music at 8:30
Please make your seat and dinner reservations early!
- CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS FOR NOV. 20 AT HUGH'S ROOM!
- THE BESTSELLER CD RELEASE POSTER- PASS IT ON! (PDF)
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September 01 2008
How was your summer? Didn't it just fly by? Yesterday was July... no wait, today is August... no, no, tomorrow's Labour Day... Yikes, it's mid-September!
Here at RonDavisMusic.com summer was busier than summer should be. We took some time off from music-making. But we're in the music business. So we did lots of the business.
Thanks to all this work, we have some exciting busyness for the coming Fall and beyond. Here's a preview of what we'll be bringing you:
Rhythmaron- The Music of Ron Davis a beautifully designed, deluxe edition of Ron's compositions;
A new CD with Ron and the brilliant clarinetist Sasha Boychouk;
An evening at the internationally-renowned Hugh's Room music club in Toronto;
A dynamic redesigned website and blog featuring Ron's inimitable writing style;
The first of Ron's performances with symphony orchestra: Symphonic Ron;
new video from A-list filmmaker Karen Shopsowitz, a new column in Canadian Musician, and some surprises!
So please stay tuned to RonDavisNews. Share it with one and all. Keep in touch. And be part of the music, the business, the busyness... enjoy!
- Click here for the full-size cover of Rhythmaron- The Music of Ron Davis (jpg)
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A brilliant adventure. On his latest recording, My Mother's Father's Song, Ron Davis embraces both his family's rich cultural heritage, and boldly re-engages with the jazz standard.
- click here for details
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