THANKS for stopping by, I do my best to acknowledge when someone leaves a comment,you do not have to be a member here & everyone is welcome. Ps: This site is monitored but not actively posting on a regular basis. Mostly these are stories & some photos saved from a defunct site known as Verdun Connections which was on MSN Groups initially then on a social network called Multiply.
4 comments:
I love that image of Leonard overlooking Montreal. I have a good friend, Andre, who goes all the way back to those Verdun days. Andre and his wife now live in Vancouver. They are working musicians. They have a duo act called Silk Road duo. When they play in Toronto, they stay with us. Years ago they were playing in Montreal and would come to play Toronto gigs and stay with us. They have keys to our house and they let themselves in after they drove from the Montreal gigs this one time. I went to the door to greet them. Andre held his hand out for me to shake his hand. Andre and I go way back and we hug , we don’t shake hands. I looked at Andre....kind of puzzled and he added..... “shake the hand that shook the “poet’s” hand”. I looked puzzled.....”The poet?” I said. He smiled. Then the penny dropped........”Leonard I asked”. Andre nodded yes. Andre and his wife, Qiu Xia had been killing time on the Main before their concert and as they stood outside a grocery store, Leonard emerged. Andre said...”you’re Leonard Cohen”. Leonard answered in “that voice”.....”Yes I am” and smiled. They talked briefly about Leonard’s induction into the Canadian Musicians Hall of Fame and then they went their separate ways.
Wow. I love that story ,very cool indeed .I hope to see their names appearing somewhere here on the westcoast.because if at all possible Teresa and I will love to see them perform. Thanks for sharing that story Bob
Here’s their website, Les....
silkroadmusc.ca
There is a wealth of material on the site. They sometimes pick up a percussionist or other sidemen. But basically, Andre & Qiu Xia (Too Sha ) are the core. Andre is an accomplished guitar and Oud player. Qiu Xia is a classically trained Pipa player from China. They are wonderful friends. They don’t get out to Toronto and Montreal as often as they used to. They used to every year. Always had (and still do) a room at our home with Joanne (Jojo) and me. They’ve slowed down but are still active in Vancouver. Their website has a wealth of material that should prove interesting. Andre and I go back to the ‘60s in Montreal. Two crazy buddies and guitar players. A couple of decades later Qiu Xia arrived in Vancouver from China, where she was a member of a travelling group of musicians who were touring North America. She stayed behind when the Chinese musicians went back home. She and Andre met through their involvement in the World Music in Vancouver. Played together with ASZA in Vancouver as well as with guitarist Celso Machado in Vancouver and many others.
I hadn’t seen Andre in years after he started living and playing music in Vancouver. Then they started getting gigs in Toronto and Montreal. Jojo and I insisted they stay with us when they were playing in Toronto. That’s the story in a nutshell. Sometimes they’d be with us for a couple of weeks. It was always fun.
Bob
Very nice Bob , I already had researched their website..thanks for the heads up
Cheers ! Les
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