Colleen Allen: Jazz musician, Multi-instrumentalist
Conversations with Musicians, with Leah Roseman
02/04/23
•88m
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Multi-instrumentalist Colleen Allen is a versatile and expressive performer based in Toronto, Canada. In this conversation, we talked about her perspectives on evaluating priorities, rising to new challenges, collaboration, teaching improvisation, and the physical challenges of playing so many different instruments. Colleen’s candid warmth and love of music really shine through in this wide-ranging conversation.
Please help me keep this podcast going: https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman
Video and Transcript: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/colleen-allen
photo: Jean-François Gratton
clip of Manteca playing "Mind Monday" used with permission, writer/composer Doug Wilde and Matt Zimbel album available: https://mantecamusic.bandcamp.com/album/monday-night-at-the-mensa-disco
Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (01:34) women in jazz, role models and mentors (11:38) Gloucester high school (13:26) the challenges of learning music (17:18) teaching improvisation (22:07) Women’s Blues Revue, Toronto Blues Society (25:38) learning different instruments, ergonomics and keeping fit (31:19) alto sax “If I Were a Bell” by Miles Davis (34:02) playing in big bands, playing different instruments in Manteca (35:40) clip of band Manteca playing “Mind Monday” writer/composer Doug Wilde and Matt Zimbel (37:19) Accordion, working with actors, different ways of memorizing music (44:07) stage fright, dealing with nerves, challenge state, breathwork (47:52) writing arrangements, Toronto Sax Quartet, Molly Johnson (53:19) life on tour (54:43) Jazz scene in Toronto (56:09) Cirque du Soleil Pomp Duck and Circumstance (01:01:02) solo albums Flashlight and Colleen Allen, Marc Jordan, process of recording (01:06:49) evolution of vibrato in jazz (01:08:33) pandemic, livestreams, Syncspace, Adrian Cho (01:12:40) stopping teaching, assessing priorities (01:15:33) jazz flute demo, Moe Koffman, Manteca Offspring project, Jake Koffman (01:18:50) Oliver Schroer (01:21:44) Soulpepper theatre, learning leadership (01:23:49) student days, how things are evolving in a positive way, the life of a musician
Previous Episode
Polina Shepherd: Cultural activist, Singer, Composer, Choir leader
January 20, 2023
•81m
I was honoured to speak with the inspiring singer, composer, choir leader, pianist and cultural activist Polina Shepherd. In this episode you’ll hear Polina’s stories from growing up in Tartarstan, in the former Soviet Union, finding a bridge to her Jewish identity through Klezmer music, collaborating with her mentors, founding Yiddish and Russian choirs in the U.K., and many other creative projects. During the episode she sings songs from different traditions, including one of her compositions, and is such a warm and engaging speaker I trust a wide audience will find inspiration and food for thought in her perspectives on education, mentorship, creativity, health, identity, connection and collaboration.
The link for both the podcast and video is linked with the full transcript: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/polina-shepherd Her website https://www.polinashepherd.co.uk/
If you are specifically interested in Klezmer music, you may be interested in previous episodes with Alicia Svigals, Josh “Socalled” Dolgin, and Marilyn Lerner.
Please encourage me to keep this series going. https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman
photo credit: Shendl Copitman
Timestamps:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:01:27) connecting through music, COVID, Sing With Me workshops
(00:05:14) Polina’s childhood, family music-making
(00:07:16) intro to Russian Romance by Lermontov and Shashina
(00:10:14) Polina’s musical training and voice
(00:12:16) Tomsk, Kazan, growing up in Tartarstan, Jewish community, perestroika
(00:16:27) Yiddish song, Polina sings “A Frisher Vind” Dovid Hofshsteyn poetry
(00:21:31) secular Yiddish culture, song cycle with poems of Troim Katz Handler
(00:24:11) falling in love with Merlin Shepherd, experience of immigration to the UK
(00:28:17) first trip to US, Lorin Sklamberg, Adrienne Cooper, Zalmen Mlotek
(00:31:07) 150 Voices with Lorin Sklamberg, part in “The Crown”
(00:35:09) The Caravan Orchestra and Choir, teaching improvisation, working with youth
(00:40:39) Tartarstan cultural influences
(00:42:40) Polina’s advice for musicians, collaboration
(00:48:13) memorisation, playing by ear
(00:49:15) advice for health for singers and everyone else
(00:52:48) accompanying silent films
(00:57:43) collaboration with dance, community outreach
(00:59:22) Polina’s way of manifesting projects, starting her choirs, Jackie Fuller
(01:04:12) working with community choirs
(01:06:55) learning from Adrienne Cooper, Zalmen Mlotek, Lorin Sklamberg, Frank London, Merlin Shepherd, Psoy Korolenko
(01:13:37) Niggun Koyach
(01:16:14) Polina’s reflections and advice
Next Episode
Ali Omar El-Farouk: Oud and Guitar Player and Teacher
February 7, 2023
•118m
Ali Omar El-Farouk is an Egyptian and Canadian oud guitar player, composer and teacher. Ali plays his oud and three other instruments during this fascinating conversation in which we talked about learning from a place of joy, connecting across cultures through music, languages, architecture, Istanbul, Spain, Umm Kulthum, Nubian music, jazz, and lots more. The link for the video version and transcript: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/ali-omar-el-farouk
Support this series through my Ko-fi page! https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman
photo: Joshua Hansen
Timestamps:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:01:50) Ali’s background in architectural engineering, coming to Montreal to study jazz
(00:02:57) early music lessons piano and guitar
(00:07:55) about the oud, with improvisation
(00:16:50) Ali’s time in Spain studying flamenco and introduction to “Nostalgia Esperanzadora”
(00:29:31) Ali’s composition “Nostalgia Esperanzadora” for oud and flamenco guitar
(00:38:21) vibrato and different expressive techniques on the oud, about the risha and different types of plectrums
(00:46:28) Arab architecture, Alhambra, traveling in Southern Spain
(00:52:20) learning Spanish, Turkish and communicating through music
(00:55:29) bringing musicians to Egypt, Mike de Masi, Thomas Durant, Freddy Rizk, Hamza El Din, Nubian music
(01:02:47) Umm Kulthum
(01:09:13) Ali’s musicial influences, learning Arabic music, Anouar Brahem, Simon Shaheen
(01:14:55) 2011 pro-democracy protests in Cairo
(01:21:07) different Arabic dialects, Arabic community in Montreal
(01:24:25) Turkey, trip to Istanbul
(01:29:45) album Ela Mataa, Joseph Khoury
(01:36:12) demonstration of frame drum and history of the frame drum
(01:41:08) Montreal jazz scene
(01:44:48) teaching
(01:47:21) Joseph Tawadros, Cengiz Sarikus
(01:49:26) intro to Naima by John Coltrane on electric guitar
(01:53:38) Ali’s advice about practicing and learning music
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