She was the chanteuse nonpareil during the heyday of the Saint-Germain-des-Près quarter in Paris in the 1940s and '50s. Jean-Paul Sartre promoted and praised her in equal measure. She sang and hung out at Le Tabou, the legendary nightclub, and performed in concert halls around the world. But no more. Juliette Greco, at 88, is on an international farewell tour. It brought her to Hogtown for a single performance at the Panasonic Theatre on Yonge St. June 18 - there don't appear to be any more Canadian dates slated, even for Montreal - and I missed it. Damn and blast! True the cheapest ticket was $39, and it's equally true that the voice of a singer nearly 90 can't possibly be as fine an instrument as it was 60 years ago, but still. At a time when the word "icon" is slapped on every pop tart and unmusical thug who happens along, missing a singer who really deserves the label is as disappointing as it gets. I don't know who's to blame. In fact, I only found out about the performance by reading a brief interview with the singer in L'Express, one of Hogtown's French newspapers. Mirvish Productions promoted the concert, an outfit usually very good in the publicity department, but I don't recall seeing pre-show ads or publicity in the English media. All I can hope is that the lottery gods smile on me sometime before December. That month Juliette Greco is giving three concerts in Paris and I want to be there.
Of course, the French legend isn't the only musical act touring hereabouts. The enduring, endearing and quite remarkable Steeleye Span is playing at Hugh's Room July 8. I saw an ad for the folk-rockers in NOW this week, with the band billed as Maddy Prior and Steeleye Span. So we know Maddy herself, still in excellent voice, will be on stage, but fans of electrified English traditional music will have wait and see who will be on stage with her, for as Maddy has said, musicians get on and off the Steeleye bus all the time. Back about 1975 I saw Steeleye at Convocation Hall at U of T for about $5 or $10. Maddy was in the lineup, of course, and likely bassist Rick Kemp, fiddler Peter Knight and perhaps guitarist Bob Johnson, but I can't recall any other names from a concert I remember as clear as day. Mind you, so many outstanding folk musicians have played with Steeleye, it makes your head spin: co-founder Tim Hart, Dave Swarbrick, Ashley Hutchings, Martin Carthy, John Kirkpatrick and lots of others. And speaking of head spinning, Hugh's Room wants a too hefty 50 bucks for the Steeleye concert so I won't be going. Disappointment times two.
Of course, the French legend isn't the only musical act touring hereabouts. The enduring, endearing and quite remarkable Steeleye Span is playing at Hugh's Room July 8. I saw an ad for the folk-rockers in NOW this week, with the band billed as Maddy Prior and Steeleye Span. So we know Maddy herself, still in excellent voice, will be on stage, but fans of electrified English traditional music will have wait and see who will be on stage with her, for as Maddy has said, musicians get on and off the Steeleye bus all the time. Back about 1975 I saw Steeleye at Convocation Hall at U of T for about $5 or $10. Maddy was in the lineup, of course, and likely bassist Rick Kemp, fiddler Peter Knight and perhaps guitarist Bob Johnson, but I can't recall any other names from a concert I remember as clear as day. Mind you, so many outstanding folk musicians have played with Steeleye, it makes your head spin: co-founder Tim Hart, Dave Swarbrick, Ashley Hutchings, Martin Carthy, John Kirkpatrick and lots of others. And speaking of head spinning, Hugh's Room wants a too hefty 50 bucks for the Steeleye concert so I won't be going. Disappointment times two.
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