Remembering brent Carver

Brent Carver personified my ideal of the performing artist - vulnerable, honest, fearless, unpredictable and entirely in the moment, and generous beyond words. We had the great privilege of sharing the stage with Brent many times between 2015 and 2018 and every performance was an amazing adventure - a wild ride trying to keep up with him. In his memory and honour we would like to share these highlights of our first Toronto performances in May, 2015. It was the ninth of ten projects in our twenty-two year history we called “Songbooks”. The idea each time was to take twelve well known popular songs and to attempt to reinvent them - to find that fine line between remaining faithful to the original in terms of melody and form, while pushing the boundaries as much as possible in every other conceivable way. Because the complexity of these arrangements often took the singers outside of their comfort zones, I always invited the singers to choose the songs and would then try to match the songs with the right arranger in terms of sensibility and style. This was a real challenge for Brent and he met it with humility and grace.

Joining Brent and me on stage for these performances were Phil Dwyer on saxophones, Amanda Godburn on violin, Rachel Mercer on cello, Joe Phillips on bass and Rob Piltch on guitars. I hope you enjoy these performances half as much as we did.
   
Sincerely,
Andrew Burashko
Artistic Director

There Is A Time (Charles Aznavour & Jeff Davis)
This song, originally recorded in French in 1964, appeared on Aznavour’s 1965 album titled “His Love Songs in English”. The English translation is by Gene Lees, a Canadian writer, journalist and lyricist who wrote English lyrics for many Bossa Nova tunes including Antônio Carlos Jobim’s “Corcovado” (“Quiet Night of Quiet Stars”) and Milton Nascimento’s “Bridges”, among many others. This arrangement was created for us by Dan Parr, a Toronto-based composer and arranger.

The original French and English versions can be heard here.

What Kind Of Fool Am I? (Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley)
Originally written for the 1961 musical "Stop The World - I Want To Get Off", this song went on to be covered by over one hundred artists. This arrangement was created for us by Toronto-based film composer, pianist and producer Jonathan Goldsmith. The middle section of this arrangement was inspired by the opera “Pagliacci” written by Ruggero Leoncavallo.

The original version can be heard here.

La Mer (Charles Trenet)
First recorded in 1945 by French singer Roland Gerbeau, the English version was written the same year by American songwriter Jack Lawrence as “Beyond The Sea”. It was recorded and released by Charles Trenet the following year in 1946. This arrangement was created for us by St. John’s based classical composer, Andrew Staniland and inspired by Claude Debussy - the French composer whose composition “La Mer” is a staple in the classical orchestral repertoire.

The original version can be heard here.

In The Winter (Janis Ian)
This song was first erased in 1975 on Janis Ian’s number one album “Between The Lines”. This haunting arrangement was created for us by Toronto-based saxophonist and film & television composer, Robert Carli.

The original version can be heard here.

Honey Pie (John Lennon & Paul McCartney)
Written in the English music hall style, this song made its appearance on the Beatles' 1968 self-titled album also known as the "White Album". This arrangement was created for us by Dan Parr.

The original version can be heard here.

Minstrel Boy (Thomas Moore) / Ocean’s Away (Elton John & Bernie Taupin)
Brent thought it would be a great idea to put these two songs together - the first, of young men marching off to war and the second, of old men reminiscing about their experience of war. “Minstrel Boy” is an Irish song from the 18th century. It was set to the melody of an old Irish air called “The Moreen” and was written in memory of men who died in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. Since then, it’s been sung by generations of young men going off to war and at military funerals. “Oceans Away” first appeared on Elton John’s 2013 album titled “The Diving Board”. This medley was arranged for us by Kevin Fox, a Toronto-based multi-instrumentalist, singer- songwriter and arranger.

The original version of “Oceans Away” can be heard here.

Just A Gigolo (Leonello Casucci)
Originally titled "Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo”, this song was composed in 1928 in Vienna by Leonello Casucci, and translated into English by the American lyricist, Irving Caesar the following year. This arrangement was created for us by Drew Jurecka, a Toronto-based multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and producer.

The original version can be heard here.

Take This Waltz (Leonard Cohen)
The lyrics of this song are a loose translation of Federico García Lorca’s poem titled “The Little Viennese Waltz”. It first appeared on the 1986 Lorca tribute album called “Poets In New York” - a reference to a collection of Lorca’s poems published posthumously in 1940. Subsequently, it came out on Leonard Cohen’s 1988 album “I’m Your Man”. This arrangement was written for us by Bryden Baird, a Toronto-based trumpet player and band leader. 

The original version can be heard here.

The Man Who Wrote Danny Boy (Joe Jackson)
Based on the Irish classic “Danny Boy”, this song came out on Joe Jackson’s 1994 album “Night Music”. This dramatic arrangement was written for us by Aaron Davis, a Toronto-based pianist, composer and arranger.

The original version can be heard here.

The Life Of The Party (Kander & Ebb)
This song was written for the 1968 musical The Happy Time by Kander and Ebb - the same team that wrote Kiss of the Spider Woman, for which Brent won a Tony for best leading actor in 1993. This was the last song on the program - the last encore. This arrangement was written for us by Shelly Berger, a Toronto-based bassist, composer, arranger and producer.

The original version can be heard here.