Welcome to Shift, where Tom Allen takes you on a daily musical journey from the stalwarts of Classical music to the cutting edge of Contemporary tunes. Join us here on CBC music for a round-up of the stories of the day, some videos of music (or maybe just videos interesting to music fans) and a place to speak your voice.
Tuesday September 4th
Welcome back after Labour Day. This is what many consider the real New Years Day. It's when school, work, and life restart again for another year. And since you are returning to work you didn't finish over the summer, we play some of the best unfinished works from the greatest masters of classical music.
For example, this piece from Johann Sebastian Bach that was literally unfinished (though the story somewhat romanticized), and has been left with quite the abrupt ending:
Also in music news this week, Ringo Starr's first band (that's right, he played in Rory Storm and the Hurricanes) finally can be heard. Previously, it was thought they'd lost every recording, and their part in history would be lost as well. It turns out that Rory Storm's sister had them in her cellar this entire time. Look for unheard recording from Ringo Starr, coming out soon.
And while we're on the topic of the Beatles, here's an interesting fact for your day. Did you know that the Beatles had a Canadian connection? The British pop stars enlisted the help of one of the premier jazz bassists of the post-war period. That man was Jack Fallon, born in London Ontario in 1915. The weird part was they asked him to play his childhood instrument (the fiddle) rather than the bass, which he was internationally reknowned for.
For those health conscious listeners out there, here's a great piece of information to know about organic food: apparently it's pointless. Reuters is reporting that, after new studies, no benefits have been found in eating organic foods. If you've been eating organic, feel proud at being able to dedicate yourself to something. If not, feel good you didn't waste your effort. (Naturally, this is one study. It is to be taken with a grain of salt, but it sure is interesting to think about. For those that disagree, or wish to see the counterpoint, here is an article debating the original study).
You can contact us at SHIFT with your ideas, questions, or anything else by sending us a message on our Facebook page. Through email, you can reach show producers Alison Howard ( alison.howard@cbc.ca ) or Alex Redekop ( alex.redekop@cbc.ca ).