This Week on Canada Live: Mangan, Collett, Barber, Two Hours Traffic, Bruce Peninsula & More

Monday, September 26, 2011
concert 1: Dan Mangan
recorded in CBC Vancouver's Studio 40
Dan Mangan has a new album to share with the world: Oh Fortune. In a world teeming with music, Dan's new record stands out from the crowd. The Vancouver musician has new songs to share which he says are deeper and darker than any he's written before. Just ten days before the album's release (on September 27), Dan brought 11 musicians along with him to CBC Vancouver's Studio 40. They recreated the album in its entirety, live in concert - track by track. It was magic.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011
concert 1: Patrica Cano
recorded at La Nouvelle Scene in Ottawa
Singer Patricia Cano is a native of Sudbury, Ontario, who started her career as a dancer and community theatre actor. She has done, and continues to do a lot of work in the theatre realm, including studies at the National Theatre School in Montreal. But along the way, she discovered a love for singing and songwriting and, with the help of Toronto-based Brazilian guitarist, Carlos Bernardo, Cano recorded her debut album in 2009. On This Is The New World, she sings in no less than four languages and fuses jazz, folk and blues. Her strong talents as a singer and stage performer have attracted the cream of Toronto's Latin musicians to her backup band. For this lovely, intimate concert - recorded at La Nouvelle Scene in Ottawa - guitarist and singer Luis Mario Ochoa, bassist Roberto Occhipinti and percussionist/singer Luis Orbegoso provide the accompaniment. Don't miss this excellent performance.
concert 2: Tara Davidson Quartet
recorded at Petro Canada Hall on the Campus of Memorial University in St. John's
One of Canada's great young jazz composers and band leaders opened her cross country tour in St. John's in support of latest CD View. Tara Davidson is a star in the new generation of Canadian jazz players and her band features some of the finest young players in the country including Jamie Reynolds on piano, Dan Fortin on bass and Fabio Ragnelli on drums. Davidson's compositions are sophisticated explorations of melody and harmony full of texture, colour and space. The band is a tightly knit ensemble whose passion and grace create a beautiful environment in which to explore Davidson's newest work.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011
concert 1: Laura Merrimen
recorded at CBC Radio Studio H in Halifax, January 20, 2011
Laura Merrimen is an old soul who wears her Americana drenched heart on her sleeve. Keeping true to her roots, she infuses a blend of rock and roll know-how with an old-timey country sound and pairs it with catchy melodies and smoky, sometimes haunting, bluesy vocals. Some have compared Merrimen to a female Bob Dylan, others to Lucinda Williams and Neko Case, but the sound is uniquely her own. She is a prolific writer who delivers soulful, thought provoking lyrics that are steeped in honesty and raw emotion. Her debut album, Love Letters for Lonely Hunters, earned her the 2010 Music Nova Scotia award for Country / Bluegrass Artist of the Year.
concert 2: Jason Collett
recorded at The Haven Social Club in Edmonton
The lyrics of a Jason Collett song, without music, would read like literature or poetry. Stories, analogies, metaphors, clichés redefined and re-purposed, these are the tools of a great writer, regardless of the genre. If Collett were not a songwriter he would be a watch-maker. His detail and precision are that intrinsic to the work he does. The Haven Social Club in Edmonton is a listening room. Its patrons arrive intent on experiencing a performance and creating a relationship with a performer. If you have never seen or heard of Jason Collett, a solo performance is akin to going on a first date. You will discover little pieces of the man, and leave wanting to know the whole person.

Thursday, September 29, 2011
concert 1: Jill Barber
recorded at CBC Vancouver Studio 40
In this CD preview concert for her most recent album, Mischievous Moon, Jill Barber not only captures the whimsical moods of moonlight, but also explores what's hidden in the shadows it casts. A confident Canadian chanteuse, Jill Barber shatters the myth "they don't write songs like they used to" with her new undeniably cool, and entertaining original tunes. This night, along with her "men in black" band, she wowed the sold out and enthusiastic audience in CBC Vancouver's Studio 40.

Friday, September 30, 2011
concert 1: Two Hours Traffic
recorded at the Republik nightclub in Calgary
Two Hours Traffic is a Charlottetown band that came to national attention with their 2007 Polaris Prize nomination for Little Jabs. That album also won them an ECMA for Best Pop Recording. Last season, Two Hours Traffic toured extensively with their latest release, Territory. This show at the Republik in Calgary was one of the first shows on the western leg of the tour that took them all the way to Australia.
concert 2: Bruce Peninsula
recorded at the Radio 2 NXNE Showcase at The Rivoli in Toronto
North By Northeast (NXNE) is one of Canada's premier live music festivals and Radio 2 thought it only right to celebrate that festival with a showcase of some of our favourite bands. Tonight we have Bruce Peninsula's set, and for singer Neil Haverty this wasn't just any show. Earlier in the year, just after finishing the latest Bruce Peninsula album, Open Flames, Haverty was diagnosed with leukemia. He fought the disease, and this was his first time back on stage after winning that battle.

CBC Radio 1 broadcast, Fridays at 2:05 PM
Friday, September 30, 2011 on CBC Radio 1
concert 1: Jill Barber
recorded at CBC Vancouver Studio 40
In this CD preview concert for her most recent album, Mischievous Moon, Jill Barber not only captures the whimsical moods of moonlight, but also explores what's hidden in the shadows it casts. A confident Canadian chanteuse, Jill Barber shatters the myth "they don't write songs like they used to" with her new undeniably cool, and entertaining original tunes. This night, along with her "men in black" band, she wowed the sold out and enthusiastic audience in CBC Vancouver's Studio 40.

Canada Live podcast, released on Fridays
Friday, September 30, 2011 on the Canada Live podcast
Dan Mangan
recorded in CBC Vancouver's Studio 40
Dan Mangan has a new album to share with the world: Oh Fortune. In a world teeming with music, Dan's new record stands out from the crowd. The Vancouver musician has new songs to share which he says are deeper and darker than any he's written before. Just ten days before the album's release (on September 27), Dan brought 11 musicians along with him to CBC Vancouver's Studio 40. They recreated the album in its entirety, live in concert - track by track. It was magic.