Piano

Versatile Groban keeps the ACC audience guessing

Entertainment / Music With a big voice, and a big venue, Josh Groban did his best to make those intimate connections with fans. Nick Krewen Special to The Star, Published on Mon Jul 18 2011 Josh Groban is all about breaking down barriers. Returning Monday night with a considerably different show than his extremely intimate “Before We Begin” two-accompanist affair, which stopped off at the Queen Elizabeth Centre earlier this year, Groban…


Brian Wilson: Talking about ‘Plenty O’ Nuttin’

Entertainment / Music Pop visionary chats, just a bit, about Gershwin before Toronto show.     Pop legend Brian Wilson got a chance to complete two unfinished George Gershwin songs for his recent album. Nick Krewen Special to the Star Published on Fri Jun 17 2011 Has pop music ever had a more tortured soul than visionary Brian Wilson? From the physical and psychological abuse inflicted by an intimidating father, to his…


Royal Wood: A Juno coming-out party

Royal Wood: A Juno coming-out party | Toronto Star Beguiling Toronto tenor faces stiff competition for Songwriter of the Year      Royal Wood credits a year-long residency at the Cameron House for developing his sense of audience. Nick Krewen Special to the Star Published on Tue Mar 22 2011 Unlike the title of his latest album, The Waiting, Royal Wood is finally on the cusp of arrival. The next handful…


Ryuichi Sakamoto works with giants and with glaciers

Composer found music even in the frigid waters of the Arctic Sea.  Nick Krewen Special to the Star, Mon Oct 25 2010 Over 80 albums and 32 years, revered Japanese cultural icon Ryuichi Sakamoto — who made a rare Toronto concert appearance Sunday at the Queen Elizabeth Centre — has dabbled in a lot of genres. Since he graduated from his electronic music studies at Tokyo’s University of Art, Sakamoto,…


Ageless Paul McCartney charms crowd with inspirational performance

Entertainment / Music He may have recently turned 68, but Paul McCartney performed like a man one-quarter of his age before an adoring Toronto crowd. Paul McCartney performs during the first of two nights in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre on Aug. 8, 2010. Nick Krewen Special to the Star Published on Mon Aug 09 2010     Baby, we’re amazed! He may have recently turned 68, but Paul McCartney performed…