Late Night Parlour....a tale of two islands Late Night Parlour celebrates a couple of great American inventions, Airstreams and jazz…jazz that has been spiced up by our tropical neighbours to the south. My music is informed by my countless winter journeys to the Caribbean and Latin America. Last winter my husband, son and I spent three glorious weeks in the village of Castera on the Island of Tobago: swimming, snorkelling, jamming with the local soca musicians and hanging out. Tobago is one of the most beautiful islands in the world—and living on Prince Edward Island, I know beautiful! One afternoon, local bass player Junior Simon took us on a tour of the west coast of Tobago. Driving up the side of a mountain near Englishman’s Bay, we spotted a wonderful hand-painted sign that said ‘Welcome to the Late Nite Parlour.’ I loved it and immediately thought it could be the title of my new recording. Checking inside we met Buffalo, the owner of this tiny rum shack, with the fabulous view of Parlatuvier Bay. The Late Nite Parlour sells the basics: beer, rum, rice, beans, green hot sauce and a bit of hardware. Just my kinda place—and not unlike some funky little shop you might find in the Maritimes. The Late Nite is a favourite hangout for local musicians. I gingerly asked Buffalo if I might use the name. He said sure, just as long as I came up to the Parlour some night and played a gig. No problem. I went back to my beach chair, wrote the title track of this recording and had a marvellous night singing at The Late Nite…just me and the Rastas, Buffalo, his kids and some great local players—an evening I will never forget! I hope this recording will conjure up visions of steamy tropical nights with light-hearted jazz, laughter, good friends and romance. Try our rum punch to put you in the mood…Check back here every month for great Late Night Parlour recipes compliments of The Food Goddess and my friend Chef Rachel Leslie. Enjoy! Past Happenings • Fall 2010 • Winter 2010 • Summer 2009 • Fall 2008 • Spring 2008 • Fall 2007 • Summer 2007 • Winter 2006 Spring 2011 Spring is in the air! Whew! What a winter. You know you have a lot of snow when you trip over the clothesline. No, not kidding. It made for lots of beautiful days out skiing—when I was home. I’ve been on the road a lot, starting with a Home Routes tour of The Yukon in the fall. This was the best journey I’ve made in years: two weeks of full on sun, spectacular landscapes, wildlife, re-connecting with treasured friends and a dozen fun shows. Thanks to everyone who hosted me on this tour, thank you for the incredible smoked salmon and especially thank you Jan Sliptetz and Harry Kern for driving me all over the territory. There’s no friend like an old friend! Check out Harry's photos at www.harrykern.com. I had the good fortune to do a lot of collaborating in the past few months. Irish Mythin, Christina Martin and I played at The Carleton in Halifax. Anne Lindsay (Blue Rodeo) and I performed together at The Trazac in Toronto and at a concert in St. Catherine’s. Ken Whiteley invited me to share the stage at Hugh’s Room. The lovely Gwen Swick invited me to her charming town of Elora for a concert and a voice workshop. I’ve also begun working with fiddle sensation Jaron Freeman-Fox. Jaron apprenticed with Oliver Schroer, my long time producer and friend who died three years ago. Jaron is an amazing talent and a fearless improviser. We played together at Cameron House in Toronto. Visit Soundcloud to hear what we've been up to. Playing with Jaron, I feel I am moving my music to a new level that embraces my many musical passions; jazz, celtic, improvisation and mantra. On that note, I am just finishing my three year program studying the Yoga of Sound with South Indian Russill Paul. Here at home I continue to perform with bassist Hannah Rollwage, saxophone player Todd MacLean and multi-instrumentalist Jon Rehder. If you’re on the Prince Edward Island this summer be sure to come and see us. In early May I am heading back out on tour with shows in New Brunswick, Maine, Vermont, Boston and Quebec. Check my schedule for details. Summer highlights include The Summer folk Festival in Owen Sound Ontario, Harmony Bazaar Festival in Lockport Nova Scotia and guest appearances at the MacKenzie Theatre with the Charlottetown Festival. I am hoping to spend as much time as I can this summer at Rock Barra Artist Retreat, our beautiful beachside camp on the north shore of P.E.I. I’ll be presenting my annual voice workshop in early August and hosting a songwriters series there on Sunday evenings. Hope to see you along the way. Thanks to everyone who supports me in my journey with the human voice. Keep a peaceful heart. These are interesting times on our little planet. What better way to foster understanding than to sing each other’s music? Cheers, Teresa