‘Two Eagles’ takes flight January 8 @ Frankie’s Jazz Club

Yes, it’ll be the first public performance of Two Eagles ~1000 hours later…or is it ten thousand hours later…Bill has meticulously finished the band arrangement of ‘Two Eagles.’ Can’t wait to hear it played by Bill’s stellar band The Bill Runge Quintet. Miles Black on piano, Bernie Arai on drums, André Lachance on bass and Nick Apivor on the magical vibes. It was a full circle type of experience with this tune. It began on a cold clear February day when I spied two magnificent eagles in the large evergreen just off my building. They were there for hours…just hanging out. I went to the piano and found a figure I liked, and a couple of potential places to go and Two Eagles was born (I kept running back and forth from the piano to the window to the window to see if they were still there.) Last week, Bill was completing the full band arrangement and looked out his window to see two glorious eagles soaring around his building. “We’re not changing the name!” said Bill.

Listen to an excerpt of “Two Eagles”!

Can’t help but get a little excited about stepping out onto the new terrain of a new year. The forever hope of things being better. Things will be better, it always feels that way, even this year. So here we are sending some good vibes your way )))))

Your buddies,

Holly and Bill

Bill Runge’s hot new Quintet steps out!

I wanna tell the world how wonderful it is to have such a creative and accomplished partner! These musical flowerings are nourishing for all of us. Like my swirly leafed begonia plant…it’s been in bloom for weeks now! But plant music is tremendously quiet <PPPPP>

Bill’s new Quintet is exciting! dynamic! filled with verve! His writing is peerless and he’s chosen his musical companions well.  Come and find out tonight!

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Featuring a bucket list of favourite tunes from Weather Report, Steps Ahead, Don Grolnick plus some of Bill’s best original pieces from his recordings. Bernie Arai – drums, Nick Apivor – vibes/perc, Miles Hill – bass & Kristian Alexandrov – piano. Reservations recommended.

Aaaand at Frankie’s too this Saturday:

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Are you the type of person that scrolls all the way to the bottom? Well here’s your reward! A sneak preview of this hot new band!

Kozmik Dancing September 16!

Yes Friends,

A thrilling dance experience can be yours this weekend! I’ve written a bunch of new music for the Kozmik Keyboard to accompany YOU, while Jacob Larmour speaks inspirationally, and you, of course, dance.

Rain or shine 2-6 pm @ Davie and Bute st. You know, the rainbow walk! Jacob Larmour and I will be on from 3:30 – 4:30 for a fascinating guided experience of the human story.  Not to be missed!

Horns at the Atrium – July 22 – 5pm

Standing in the echoing expanse that is the atrium in the heart of downtown… 

      notes float…

                      quivering quavers…       and semi-quavers…         and demi-semi-quavers until a trill fills the sonorous soundscape….         and then a saxophone…

     deep drone from the trombones… Ellen and Andrews’ auditory ovation to the next wash of sound to gently caress your malleus, incus and stirrup to pure ecstasy! 

Will you please join us tomorrow?

2-4 open rehearsal, 5-6 show
SFU Woodwards Atrium (London Drugs)

   ….here is a harmonious historical recollection of last year’s happening…

 

 

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Come to Spacious Music at the Atrium September 24!

Oh yessss…if you couldn’t make it to the June 25 Concert ~ now’s your chance…incredible new music from John Korsrud, Hugh Fraser, Bill Runge and moi! It’s a free concert in a public space…fabulous musicians…super music in the great spaciousness…

 

See you there!

 

Here’s a sneak peek at my co-write with Bill Runge, “Lagoon”, which will have its second performance on September 24.

Progress Report and Invitation 😀

Dear Friends,

Seraphina (my flute) and I have been noticeably quieter this last year and a half as I continue to recover from my little accident. (I fell off my mother’s bed while clipping her toenails and went backwards into a chest of drawers! strange but true!) Although I’m not back to performing yet, I have been enjoying writing at the piano, very much. Bill asked me to collaborate with him on a piece for the jazz festival. It’s called “Lagoon,” and I’d love to share this new piece with you. I’ll be there in the back row probably, with my ear plugs and shades…but feeling very happy! Eventually we’ll get back to the Naturals recording we were working on. Can’t say exactly when. I certainly am learning a lot about the brain though, neuroplasticity and all that. Brains are cool 🙂

Hope to see you on next Sunday, June 25 at the Atrium at the Woodwards Building! Performance is at 5pm!

Be Well,
Holly

The Rapture of Cherry Blossoms on the Wind

It seems to me the cherry blossoms are even more beautiful as they fall. Long lines of pink along the streets. Hallways of rosy colours and small petals that tickle the road as they pass before you. This Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival is a wonderful thing. Thanks to Linda Poole for creating it.

cherry tree
even the blind woman
picks blossoms

-Rosa Clement, Manaus, Brazil

Before I leave you with a fantastic photo of Yayoi and I, and a video clip, I’d like to let you all know I’ll be returning to the garden once again May 28-29 with the amazing bassist Dino DiNicolo.

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Yayoi and I performing haiku.

This is a video of our performance at VanDusen Garden.

Blog ON Bill C51 and there will be NO frog kissing allowed

Had to cancel our much anticipated, much promoted Blue Frog Concert. miserable. What are do you to do, when both Facebook and Shaw lock you out because of inviting “too many” friends? As it turns out: they were both wrong. Not enough people were invited and my hands were tied to do more. Stephen Harpers Gestapo Bill C51 has gone much too far. This is my living and I won’t have my tools taken away. HBposter5

Bill Runge is a God

Yes, he is. The reason “Serengeti” is so epic is because of his amazing talents as a writer and arranger, not to mention multi-instrumentalist! So this is very much a shared honor with the one and only Bill Runge.http://www.billrunge.com/

This is top shelf jazz, the kind that lives between 64th notes, and Burke’s virtuosity with the flute is rivaled only by her skill as a songwriter.”

The Akademia Music Awards – Los Angeles, CA

http://www.theakademia.com/april2015_bestsong_instrumentalacousticjazz.htm

Also all thanks to our wonderful engineer Ken Burke of Burkeville Productions.

Here’s Ken’s video with “Serengeti.” It’s a (literal) trip!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVFEevdFbWU

Thanks everybody! gotta go practice now…

aboard my brother’s boat “Island Roamer“of www.bluewateradventures.ca It was Mom’s 90th

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