BY KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Arts section of The Charlatan.
Apr. 3, 2003

Peter Brown’s Marie-Claude is an album of irresistibly good music, which can either rest on the musical palate like a sinful slice of dark chocolate cake or a comforting spoonful of warm honey. From the deliciously smooth “Cape Verdean Blues” to the mischievous honky-tonk of his vocal tracks, to his remarkably simple yet lyrical arrangement
of “Amazing Grace,” Brown charms with his elegant piano playing and eclectic style.

This guy plays a mean piano, and he’s backed by an excellent jazz/blues band that keeps pace perfectly with Brown’s clever musical improvisations.

It’s impossible to pigeonhole the album into one particular genre, as it flirts with jazz, blues, Latin and even country music. While Brown’s voice seems shaky on some tracks, it has a warm, pleasant quality which particular suits the bluesy feel on tracks like “These Blues You Gave Me.”

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Arts section of The Charlatan.
Mar. 6, 2003

The Bytown Art Group provides a way for low-income and homeless people to create art. But will funding cuts bring the project to an end?

A “deliciously diverse” fine arts group that helps homeless and low income people create art has had its future thrown into jeopardy because of recent funding cuts.

Danielle Raymond says the Bytown Art Group primarily consists of people who are “challenged to purchase art materials,” but it also works with new Canadians, seniors, and art lovers in general. The group provides a space for its members to work and supplies to create their art. Continue reading →

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Arts section of The Charlatan.
Jan. 16, 2003

As if it wasn’t enough being overworked and treated with contempt by male colleagues: in Read My Lips (Sur mes Lèvres, a French film by Jacques Audiard) Carla Bhem (Emmanuelle Devos) also struggles with the fact that she is hard of hearing and is forced to use a hearing aid in each ear. It can’t help that her attractive friend Annie (Olivia Bonamy) describes passionate extramarital encounters over lunch when Carla can hardly find a date.

When her boss asks her to hire a secretarial assistant, Carla jumps at the chance, taking care to request a 25-year-old male with nice hands. The employment agency sends handsome Paul Angeli (Vincent Cassel), out on parole and with no experience in secretarial work.

However, shy Carla gets quite a bit more than she bargained for when Paul gets her involved in a rather elaborate scheme to rob a gang of thugs (one of whom he owes money to).

The first half of the movie is loaded with symbolism, setting the stage for an odd love story which suddenly explodes into a frenzy of action. Continue reading →

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Arts section of The Charlatan.
Oct. 31, 2002

There is a frenzied passion about Vincent Sekwati Mantsoe in all of his dance solos, regardless of the mood and tone of the piece. On the opening night of his Ottawa engagement, the NAC Studio was sold out, with everyone there to see the 29-year-old dancer-choreographer from Johannesburg. Continue reading →

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Arts section of The Charlatan.
Oct. 17, 2002

Jazz is an ensemble effort, more so than many other genres of music. In Travelling Mercies, however, the ensemble fails to blend together in a convincing manner. The drums especially are rather jarring, and ruin the laid-back effect of many of the tracks, while the various sound effects are simply annoying.

Potter’s overly improvisational style sounds discordant in many places, and none of the tracks stand out as classics for future generations. The saving grace of this CD is that the guitar and bass work exquisitely well with the sax, softening the overall tone and setting the mood.

Of note is the funky “Migrations,” which abruptly switches from a livelier beat into a slow, almost ethereal sound at the end. Potter’s wonderfully poignant instrumental cover of Willie Nelson’s “Just the Way I Am” leaves out the distracting drums and opts for a romantic piano-and-sax combo.

Travelling Mercies seems somewhat lost in a mishmash of sounds and effects; it might have done better if Potter had found a direction and stuck to it (and lost the drums on the way).