Feedback columnist looks at local music scene.
Tunes on the road from Shelly Campbell and Brent Aucoin
I was at Breton Education Centre as Tom Leadbeater returned to a stage that he hadn’t trod for some 40 years.
The June 4 show opened with the BEC Jazz Band under the direction of Richard Burke. They tackled everything from the theme for “I Love Lucy” to Duke Ellington and The Beatles.
I was impressed, both with the calibre of the bands and the quality of the soloists. There will be some fine musicians coming along if they have a mind to pursue the profession.
The occasion was the release of Leadbeater’s latest CD, “One Good Reason.”
All of the songs on the recording are originals, just some of the hundreds he’s written over the years. Produced in Toronto, it contains an eclectic mix of sounds that range from big band to folk to rock.
For his New Waterford show, Leadbeater gathered together an 11-piece band that featured local musicians, including his brother Ronnie on drums and his son Aaron doing backup vocals.
There are some gems on this recording that range from the sentimental “Dad” to the swinging silliness of “The Crazy Song.”
My favourites include the title cut, the rockin’ sounds of “This One’s For The Boys” and the Dixieland feel of “Freedom Road,” but the top of my list is “Sail Against The Winds,” a song that could easily become an East Coast standard.
There is much to enjoy on this recording, great lyrics and great arrangements, all wrapped up with Leadbeater’s great voice.
Go looking for this CD. I think you’ll enjoy it as well.
I was on the road most of the past weekend and traffic was heavy as the tourists have arrived early.
I passed through Cheticamp on Saturday and had a few minutes to stop at The Doryman where Shelly Campbell and Allan Dewar were providing great music before a large crowd.
On Sunday I was in Judique where Brent Aucoin was holding court at the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre. He had Allan Dewar on piano, Ciffie Carter on guitar and had Donna Marie DeWolf up to play a set as well.
I don’t get to hear Aucoin play nearly enough, but when I do, it’s always worth it. This was no exception as the tunes rolled out of him one after another.
He finished the day with a group that contained more strathspeys strung together than I’ve heard in a long time. When he hit the reels the dancers took to the floor as Aucoin went on and on.
I’m told he played for 38 minutes straight before he put the fiddle in the case. It was awesome.
In between stops in Inverness County, I was back in Sydney for Carmel Mikol’s CD release at Doktor Luke’s in downtown Sydney. She shared the stage with Nick MacLean, a Pictou County guitar whiz, who really enhanced Mikol’s wonderful vocals. She did material from her new CD “Daughter of
a Working Man,” along with a number of new, unreleased songs. The stories as always were good and the songs were excellent.