An Evening with Nikki

How is it that some of the best times I've had usually are associated with some sort of caffeine-induced insomnia? I have to learn to lay off the coffee in the afternoon; even if it was only a half-pot.

This was the case again last night as my roommate and I decided to take in a concert at the newly opened Koerner Hall at the Royal Conservatory of Music; sandwiched the Royal Ontario Museum and Varsity Stadium on the University of Toronto grounds. The concert was part of the TD Toronto Jazz Festival that runs for the next week at various venues around the city. The genre is admittedly different from my usual musical tastes as I tend to lean a bit towards current Top 40 music with a sprinkling of classic rock thrown in. However, I've never been one to deny an offer to expand my musical horizons -- within reason, of course. There are certain artists I try to avoid like the plague; specifically a certain Canadian male teenage singer who has all the tell-tale signs that he's a complete pussy even though the worldwide cult of his fan girls seem to be growing every day. But I digress.

Anyway, the jazz concert featured a very talented young woman who hails from Montreal named Nikki Yanofsky. If that name sounds familiar to all of my Canadian followers, it should. You could not turn on the TV or the radio last February and not hear her Canadian Olympic anthem, "I Believe"; which got so much airtime during those 28 days, it was bordering on the most epic earworm-inducing song by a Canadian artist of all-time, "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion. However, I do confess liking the Dion ditty during its heyday, but for personal reasons that do not need further explaining at this juncture. Ms. Yanofsky also was part of the ensemble, Young Artists for Haiti, who did the charity cover of K'naan's "Waving Flag" for Haitian earthquake relief. Both songs showcased her incredible vocal talent and range; a powerful voice for someone who is only 16-years old.

The concert hall was quite intimate; seating fewer than 1200 people with an acoustic wooden paneling -- a pretty unique appearance for a modern indoor performance venue. And the concert itself was remarkable. Nikki was the lone performer, accompanied by her backup band. Most of the songs performed were off her current album, "Nikki", that offers a blend of current work and covers of jazz songs and classic standards. She even threw in a couple variances of more modern contemporary music with a cover of Don Henley's "The Heart of the Matter" and something that I want to say sounded like Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill", but I could be wrong. The real mellow moment of the concert was when Yanofsky warbled a cover of the Judy Garland classic from The Wizard of Oz, "Somewhere over the Rainbow"; definitely my second favourite song of the night. The absolute favourite, in my opinion, was the aforementioned signature song, "I Believe" which she sang during the first of two encore songs. But then again, with the memory of Canada's performance in Vancouver, you can pretty much tell my "homerism" there.

After the show, Nikki was gracious enough to meet with the fans in attendance and sign autographs. She showed that she was very sweet and endearing to those who turned out as she signed and posed for photos with those who wanted to. My roommate ended up getting his copy of her "Nikki" album autographed -- he also bought her previous live CD release, "Ella...For Thee I Swing" and a tour T-shirt -- and a photo taken with her. Myself, on the other hand, who is never one for personal photo ops to begin with, got my ticket stub autographed by her.

My overall summary of the show is that Nikki Yanofsky is a remarkable and personable talent who has a great gift of jazz intuitiveness -- her ability to lay down some extraordinary scat in the true Ella Fitzgerald way -- and is a rising star on the Canadian music scene. While jazz is admittedly not as mainstream as most other music genres nowadays, I can see her heightening the awareness of her music segment much like how Michael Bublé brought attention to big band/crooning standards. If you get the opportunity to see Nikki Yanofsky in concert, try to get yourself a ticket to her show. You won't be disappointed.

Until next time, the views may be from the outside, but inside my head, I can still hear her talented voice.

Flash Fiction Friday: Crystal Wishes

Toni gave a disheartened sigh. “Another day to try and survive,” she thought. But today was not like any other day. Today was Toni’s birthday, and while she was still just a teenager, she has already developed the mentality that her birthday was just another day on the calendar.

Toni’s life was like that of any teenager’s: mundane and blah, with a reasonable touch of angst. The angst was attributed to the usual trials and tribulations of school life; the pressure of an increasing work load with the end of the semester looming, coupled with the usual clique environment that some schools possessed. Toni didn’t really fit into most of the cliques, and because of that, she felt singled out by some of them. The other girls would mock her as a deemed “outsider”, but Toni usually paid them no mind; even if they tried getting under her skin.

Today would be slightly different as Toni would be meeting with some of her local online friends at a hangout spot after school. However, she had specifically told them not to do anything special for her because it was her birthday. Toni was so adamant to treat today like a normal day, she begged her friends not to even sing “Happy Birthday” to her for fear of embarrassment and warned of future consequences should anyone do so. However, one particular friend would not heed Toni’s request.

Mike was one of Toni’s friends and looked to her as a little sister. He wanted to do something nice for her, but realized the possible repercussions in doing so. Mike wracked his brain for ideas that were thoughtful, yet understated. Then it came to him; he would bequeath one simple item from a collection he had stockpiled for years. It would be simplistic with very little cost outlay, save for the card and the gift bag he would put the item in for presentation. “And so it shall be,” Mike thought, as he selected the item and set it aside for later parceling.

The evening came and Toni was relieved to have gotten away from her school. The cliques attempted to rouse a reaction out of her again, and while she didn’t show it, Toni was smarting on the inside. She let out an exasperated, yet frustrated, sigh as if she was upset that they mocked her on today of all days. Meeting with her friends at the hangout was the medicine she needed to get her mind off of her troubles. Toni arrived and saw one of her friends had already shown up. Soon after, others of her group arrived and filled the surrounding tables.

Mike came in and noticed Toni sitting by the wall. Seeing her brought a smile to his face. Once he sat down and got settled, Mike reached into his knapsack and pulled out a black and white gift bag which he presented to Toni. “I know you didn’t want anything extravagant,” he told her, “but I wanted you to have this; happy birthday.”

Toni read the included card then started stripping away the crumpled newspaper Mike had utilized in place of gift tissue paper. He didn’t want to spend more than he absolutely had to. Toni reached into the bag and pulled out Mike’s gift to her: a plush white bear with a birthday hat stitched to its head. Toni was genuinely touched and gave Mike a hug in thanks.

The evening went on with others in the group wishing Toni a happy birthday; threatening some of them for singing the novelty jingle in the process. However, she was pleased that today really wasn’t like most other days. Being able to spend it with friends and the thoughtfulness of Mike’s gesture made this a birthday Toni would remember.

At the sound of the gun

(Reposted from my Fundraising website for North York General Hospital's Underwear Affair)

Well folks, I've decided to take the plunge and set up a blog on here. Admittedly, I'm not one for regular maintenance, but with there being less than 3 months til "Walk Day", I'm gonna give it the ol' college try; even if I haven't set foot in a post-secondary institution in over a decade.

Regardless, for my first post, I would like to give a shout out to my fellow Dueser and WriMo, Niente for putting the first drops in my fundraising bucket. Thank you ever so kindly, my friend, and hopefully the Bruins will fair better next season.

Training wise, I'm still on the mend from my last marathon training session. A lesson to all aspiring participants: make sure you have a good sturdy pair of shoes and a supply of H2O at the ready. I did not possess either on Saturday night when I walked 13.5 km along Highland Creek and I paid for it dearly. Thankfully, the blister on my left foot is healing quite nicely and I should be able to resume my regimine soon.

Until then, please keep the donations coming in. Every cent you donate helps fight the good fight and gives me more incentive to drop my pants in the name of charity.