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Conversation with Ron Korb |
"With the audience clapping and cheering along to our songs, it wasn't difficult to work off of the warm energy of the crowd. - Ron Korb
"I find as
a session player when there is more pressure often I play better."
"...I don't
find it difficult to switch from instrument to instrument anymore,
but to work up the basic technique on a new instrument is always
a challenge."
"I have a core
band which I can add players quite easily for different concerts
and venues."
"I think performing
in Asia has given me more depth and more
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| Ron Korb | |||||||||
| With more than 100 flutes in his collection, Toronto-based composer/flutist Ron Korb certainly had more than a few sonic options available on hand for the recording of his new DVD/CD, Ron Korb - Live. Filmed live in the pavilion at the peak of Mont Arthabaska (overlooking Victoriaville, Quebec), Ron Korb - Live, features, in addition to Ron's own first-rate performances on a multitude of flutes: Ray Hickey Jr. (guitar, koto, pipa); Bill Evans (piano B3 organ and accordion); Steve Bright (acoustic bass, stick and shamisen); and Larry Crowe (drums). Guest artists include violinist Alain-François and footstomping by Dominic Grenier. Ron has nine internationally released solo records and has an extensive list of album, film and TV credits as a sideman. A few of the soundtracks Ron has played on include: Being Julia, Return To Kandahar, The Ice Storm, Earth Final Conflict, and Atom Egoyan's Exotica. Ron is also a film composer, having written music for Just A Little Red Dot, a film by Mitra Sen. Just A Little Red Dot won awards for best educational and multicultural film at the New York Festival and also a Grand Prize at the Bombay Film Festival. And if that wasn't enough, Ron has had incredible success as a songwriter for major Asian artists like Alan Tam, Stephanie Lai and Yvonne Lau, with one of his songs for Alan Tam reaching double platinum status! If you'd like to learn more about Ron and his music, please visit his website at RonKorb.com. Jamie: Recording a live album is tough enough, but your new record, Ron Korb - Live sets the bar even higher by recording the entire album on a single night. And to up the ante even more, you filmed/created a DVD of the concert! How do you feel the demands of recording/filming in a single night affected your (and the band's) performance? Ron: Months before the concert I asked my producer about how we could fix mistakes or technical problems that may occur. He basically told us that it is very difficult with 5.1 and that is why most bands record a few nights and then choose the best performances and edit around any mistakes. In my case, I didn't have the budget to film more than one night so I just told the band not to make any mistakes. I know it sounds ridiculous to say that but actually that is what ended up happening. I think that because there wasn't the option the band had no choice but rise to the occasion. In fact, I find as a session player when there is more pressure often I play better. Jamie: Sometimes constraints aren't a bad thing. As you say, you often play better under pressure, but I think there was another "advantage" with the time/financial limits put on your new DVD/CD. I've seen you in concert and I think you captured the feel of your band in a live setting. Did you have any specific discussions with director/producer Pierre Lamoureux about getting such a warm, performance oriented feel for the DVD? Ron: We spent a long time trying to find the right venue to shoot the concert in order to get a warm town hall feeling. I saw Alain Caron play at Mont Arthabaska a year before and I thought the Victoriaville, Quebec audience would be great for my show. However, it was always my hope to have the band surrounded by the audience and Mont Arthabaska isn't configured that way naturally. Pierre figured out that if we built a stage we could have the audience set up the way I wanted. With the audience clapping and cheering along to our songs, it wasn't difficult to work off of the warm energy of the crowd. Jamie: Just to talk a little bit more about your DVD... You have an "Instrument Information" chapter on the DVD where you (and your band) demonstrate a huge number of woodwind instruments, as well as string and percussion instruments. I think this has a terrific educational value -- I know I learned about a lot of different flutes, some of which I had never even heard of! Not being a woodwind player, I can only guess that there are some commonalties between the instruments in terms of performance, but do you find it difficult to keep up your technique on so many instruments? And on a related note, how many instruments do you bring with you on the road? Ron: When I am on the road I carry about ten different world flutes in one gig bag and then another four or six various whistles and bamboo or clay instruments with my silver flute. I like to bring my bass flute as well but because of restricted baggage on aircraft these days I sometimes leave it at home if I am travelling abroad. As far as performance I don't find it difficult to switch from instrument to instrument anymore, but to work up the basic technique on a new instrument is always a challenge. Jamie: I bet it's a challenge... I'd have a hard enough time remembering the names of 15 to 20 instruments, never mind knowing how to play them! When you're writing and/or recording do you have a specific instrument in mind? And secondly, I know there are certain restrictions on the road, but do you use the same instruments in a live setting that you used on a recording? Ron: It depends on the composition. Often I do write with a particular instrument in mind but other times I just write the melody and then try to adapt it to the different instruments. For the most part I use the same flutes on stage as I do in the studio. The challenge is usually to cover all the accompaniment parts with the band. Jamie: That's always demanding for artists who use a large textural palette -- how do you transfer your records to the stage. Some artists take the view that recorded music and live music are completely different animals -- that there's no point in attempting to duplicate the record in a live setting. The flipside to that are the artists whose live performances are note perfect representations of their albums. Of course, the flies in the ointment are the financial and logistical realities of running a band. An eight-person band is not only more expensive than a four piece, it's also more cumbersome to rehearse, tour, etc. Like many other artists, I've approached live music by using a combination of live musicians (usually a three or four piece band) and tracks. Working this way I've been able to be faithful to my records, retain a small band feel and not go broke! I'd love to introduce a more multimedia approach in the future -- video, photos etc. synced to the tracks. A heck of a lot of work, but I think it would be so much fun to do! I've seen you perform with a four piece and you sounded great! And I believe you've also done a few recent gigs with a five piece. Do you have a core band that you add additional players to for different performances? Does the core instrumentation of the band change from tour to tour (i.e. using keys in the place of guitar, hand percussion in place of drums)? Ron: Yes, I have a core band which I can add players quite easily for different concerts and venues. It is always exciting to work with new players especially when touring in other places. In fact, the guest musicians from Quebec that are featured on the DVD are a good example. That was the first time we added the foot taping to "Harvest Jig" and "Long Shadows". In my early tours in Japan I toured with a great variety of artists. The music works well in many different configurations big and small. We did a big concert in Mito with a percussionist and a drummer, a pianist, and a keyboard player filling out string parts, guitar, bass and myself on flute. Other times I toured with just a guitarist which was also fine. When it is just a duo it becomes a different thing. It is more intimate and it is easier to play around with delicate dynamics and phrasing. In China, a few years ago I toured with erhu virtuoso George Gao where we played with a symphony orchestra as well as guests Chinese musicians playing traditional instruments. Jamie: That must have been great! You've toured quite a bit in the Orient, as the tour archive on your website shows. How has that experience changed your music? And, conversely, what do you feel your effect was on the musicians and audiences that you came into contact with there? Ron: I think performing in Asia has given me more depth and more understanding of the instruments of that region. As a woodwind player I learnt about different kinds of vibrato, ornamentation and articulation. It also gave me inspiration to create new music and a better idea of what the musical tastes and trends are in the various countries. I think the musicians we came in contact with experienced a different perspective in the way we play their traditional instruments. I think they also could appreciate the western concept of rhythm (playing in time) tuning and also improvisation. I think for the audiences they came away with a good sense of how Western and Eastern musicians can make music together and play off each other's strengths. Jamie: Somewhat along the same line, from a business perspective, have your experiences in Asia shown you any differences between the Western and Eastern music market? Ron: There is a huge difference in the Western and Eastern music markets not only in musical taste but in business style. Each country in Asia is different as well but in general I would say in Asia there is more emphasis on melody and presentation whereas in the West, attitude and stretching the boundaries is more respected. The Asian businessmen are very respectful of artists and gracious hosts when you tour in their countries. Jamie: So what's up next for you? Any new recordings or tours in the works? Ron: I am working on a few new projects and I also have some tours scheduled. The main one is a ten-date tour of Mainland China in the fall. For those concerts I will be working with some new musicians on piano, violin and bass. I also am negotiating some tours in Central America, South East Asia and Japan. Jamie: That sounds great -- you're definitely going to be busy! Thanks for taking the time to do this artist-to-artist conversation and please stay in touch! |
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