Plink

On Saturday, I headed down to the Harbourfront for their Classical Music Festival. The theme for this year was Strings and Voices. The congestion in that whole area seemed to have gotten worse even after more than a year of major construction. Every roadway and intersection were torn up and blocked off. So I arrrived just as the Jessica Stuart Few Trio started their set.

The band had just finished a cross-country tour and had driven straight from B.C. for this last show in their schedule. It was a special set this afternoon: no electric guitar just kotos (3 of them) and Jessica's mother, ethnomusicologist Wendy Stuart, was joining her for a few songs. Without her electric guitar, the songs (Kid Dream, Winter Warm) revealed their jazzier nature. Some still had that catchy pop sound such as Dontcha and I Want To Ride My Bicycle. It was a perfect day for Jessica because not only did the organizing committee paid to fly her mother in from Vancouver for this rare musical showcase, but it was also her birthday. To that end, mother and daughter played harmonizing kotos on an old song (Climbing The Mountain), a new one (Same Girl), and a special new piece (One Day). This last tune was inspired by trips taken by Jessica with her mother around the world and the advice she has received. The main one being to live to the fullest instead of putting off for "one day", because "one day might come too soon".