Arranger

Herbie Hancock gives it all a try

Herbie Hancock gives it all a try | Toronto Star Longtime Gershwin fan’s Massey Hall show just latest outlet for broad-minded creator.   Herbie Hancock at home with keyboards both acoustic and electronic … thanks to Miles Davis. Nick Krewen Special to the Star Published on Thu Oct 20 2011 Legendary jazz innovator Herbie Hancock might be considered something of a prodigy, but that doesn’t mean he’s taking his upcoming…


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,…


Suzie Katayama – Cellist and Arranger to the Stars

Suzie Katayama…Cellist and Arranger to the Stars Nick Krewen GRAMMY.com October/November  2003 As with most five-year-olds enamored with Saturday morning television, Suzie Katayama was dazzled by the animated images dancing in front of her eyes, fuelling her imagination and making her laugh. But unlike most youngsters, she was equally taken with the variety of sonics bombarding her ears, ranging from the wild sound effects punctuating the action to the music…


Rock ‘N Wrestling

A VERSION OF THIS APPEARED IN THE KW RECORD NOVEMBER 23, 1999     By Nick Krewen   Jim Johnston may not be a household name, but he’s ready to rumble. Last week, he bodyslammed Mariah Carey‘s Rainbow to the mat and placed Foo Fighters‘ There’s Nothing Left To Lose in a Tongan Death Grip. He drop-kicked Counting Crows‘ This Desert Life out of the ring and bulldogged Choclair‘s Ice Cold…


Capturing The Sound of Silence

  Far from the madding crowds, sound hunters search the wilderness for an elusive ingredient for their recordings — absolute silence   Nick Krewen The Ottawa Citizen Sunday, July 25, 1999 It’s another long, sweltering day in the tropical rainforest, and Kevin O’ Leary is on safari. With an assistant who doubles as photographer at his side, and more than 30 kgs of gear each strapped to their backs, they…