Another look at the CBC Transcription Service and a set of discs issued late 1964 by famed pianist Marek Jablonski in recital at the 1964 Jeunesses Musicales du Canada.

Featuring the music of Mozart, Chopin, Albeniz and others, this 90 minute concert is another one of those series of discs slated for destruction after 1965.

Luckily, it didn't happen to this one.

Enjoy.

The Oscar Peterson Trio this weekend, recorded live at the Summer Festival Canada in Peterson's hometown Montreal by CBC Radio in 1968.

Classic Peterson with some original compositions added to the mix. A great concert which I'm not sure has seen the light of reissue, either by The CBC or via the Jazz collector's circuit.

In any event, something groovy the round out your Sunday.

Another week and the world was part of it. From the Dutch elections where a surprising upset by the right-wing VVD Party forced the resignation of the center-left Prime Minister. It also signaled a shift in Immigration policies, with the VVD adamantly proclaiming an anti-Muslim stance. The week also brought about the demise of Helen Thomas, the long standing cornerstone of the White House Press Corps. In France the trial began for former rogue trader Jerome Kerviel which could be a harbinger for similar trials to come in other countries (hint-hint: U.S.). In the UK, a moment of silence and memorials on Wednesday for the mass killing of 12 in Cumbria. A 24 hour strike in Spain in protest to new austerity measures adapted by the Zapatero government. A $2 million dollar wading pool constructed in Ottawa for the upcoming G-20 summit and finally, the World Cup started on Friday in South Africa with a narrow win for South Africa in the first game against Mexico. And there it was.

(Saga of the Fake Lake)

When the final tally came in for construction of an indoor pool to be used as part of a Visitors Center in Ottawa during the upcoming G-21 Summit, it brought about howls of protest from members of Parliament in Canada on Monday. The expenditure, said to run $2Million (Canadian Dollars) for the "Fake Lake" was only part of a somewhat lavish construction scheme viewed as wasteful by the opposition in the wake of austerity measures pledged by the Canadian Government in view of the current financial situation. Prime Minister Harper offered withering justification and in the end, no one was happy as this episode of CBC's The World At Six explains.

(Jerome Kerviel - aka: Deer In Headlights)

From RFI International's Focus On France program also from Tuesday, the beginning of the trial for rogue trader Jerome Kerviel whose exploits lost billions of Euros. The trial, which is said to be a lengthy affair, will try and fix blame on what was a broken system. It would seem a state of nervous hysteria may break out any minute as the result. Particularly when fingers start pointing.

(Helen has left the building . . .)

With the news of the abrupt departure/firing/retirement of veteran White House Correspondent Helen Thomas over her somewhat indelicate remarks regarding the state of the Middle East, it's interesting to get an Australian take on the firing/departure/retirement via ABC Radio National's Late Night Live. Australian/American correspondent Bruce Shapiro offers his take on the events as well as some insights to the current state of Big Oil in the world today, as the Gulf Of Mexico disaster is only part of a bigger picture.

(The all-too-familiar aftermath of the senseless act)

The otherwise quiet English town of Cumbria was still reeling from the events of the last week, when a gunman took the lives of innocent passersby before taking his own life. More questions than answers as is always the case. The end result was a nation in mourning, families torn apart, loved ones struck numb with grief and no words to explain. This report comes from the BBC World Service Newspod from June 9th.

(Rumored to be a trend)

The Dutch elections were thought to be close, according to the polls. The Center-left government had been taking hits in recent months from the growing anti-Immigrant sentiment taking place in The Netherlands. But on election night the news was bad for the Christian Democrats of Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende who was forced to resign as the result of a stinging defeat for the Chrisitan Democrats party and a huge victory for the VVD Party of Mark Rutte which has been viewed throughout the rest of Europe as a sign of things to come. This report comes from the English Service of Radio Nederland Worldwide via their Newsline program of June 10.

(The World Cup - Desmond Tutu's reaction: "Yippeeee!!")

By the end of the week everything else in the world was put on hold as the 2010 World Cup Games got underway in South Africa. In what is probably the world's most popular game, teams from all over the world landed in South Africa to compete for Soccer/Football/Futbol's most coveted prize. From BBC 5Live Extra and their daily podcast comes the opening day of the games. And as a bonus, the last 90 seconds of the opening game between South Africa and Mexico via Talk Radio 720 in Johannesburg (down here).

(Austerity measures not hitting a positive note in Madrid)

And finally, for our Spanish friends (or those of you brushing up on your Spanish), news from RNE's program 14 Horas from June 8th, the day a general strike was called in Spain in protest to austerity measures proposed by the Zapatero government. The measures, which asked for the laying off a large percentage of the Public work force has not been met with any favorable response. Spain is only one of the latest countries to experience the financial downturn in recent months, coming hot on the heels of the situation in Greece just a few weeks ago. By all indications, the crisis has no intention of quitting any time soon.

And that was the week that was. Get ready for the next one.

I'm trying something new this week, a roundup of News as presented by media outside the U.S. - I've been complaining a lot lately about how our current state of Mainstream Media gives virtually no useful information on what's happening in the rest of the world, let alone our own country. So I thought I would give this a try. If it works, I'll make this a regular Friday feature.

First off - jumping up to the north of us, a program from the CBC called The Current and an interview with fellow Canadian David Frum on April 1st, regarding his "Waterloo" editorial and the resulting fallout.

(David Frum - Well . .I had no idea he was Canadian, did you?)

Q:"Were you pushed, or did you jump?"

Frum: "I was jumped. . . I mean pushed."

Next up - via BBC's Africa Service, Africa Today covering the recent developments in Niger after their coup and demonstrations in Somalia.

(First the coup and then the crackdowns)

From the Al Jazeera Listening Post, a report on the rift in U.S.-Israeli relations this week with the recent construction going on in Gaza and the various reactions from our State Department and the Israeli cabinet.

(File under: Awkward Photo ops)

ABC Radio National in Australia and their Correspondents Report, featuring a segment on Thai protests and the threatened arrest of an American journalist covering Human Rights violations in Indonesia.

(The continuing protests in Thailand - almost a daily occurrence)

This week, being The Pope wasn't all it was cracked up to be as BBC Radio 4's morning program Today reported on Monday the ongoing calls for his resignation. Also, first reports on the Moscow Subway bombing and China's purchase of Volvo.

(Pope Benedict and the old "what did he know and when did he know it")

Again from the BBC, reports and eyewitness accounts of the Moscow Metro bombing and the upcoming British elections.

(Moscow Metro - ugly and getting uglier by the minute)

And finally, for our Russian friends (or those of you who are brushing up on your language skills), a special report from Moscow Radio on Monday morning of the Moscow Subway bombing as it was unfolding. It's all in Russian but the seriousness and the devastation crosses all language barriers.

So that's a taste of what the rest of the world was listening to this week. Actually, you can too. It's all on your computer, either via Podcasts from iTunes or casual browsing to whatever streaming audio sources you can look up via Google. It's all there and you can check it out. Getting information about what's happening in the world around you is essential. If you can't find it where you live you have to find it where you can. There's too much going on not to know about it.

The last Oscar Peterson Trio concert I put up wasn't that long ago and it came via the CBC Transcription service from a concert given in Montreal and broadcast by the CBC. This one has never seen the light of day. It's from a concert given on August 3rd 1968 at The Hollywood Bowl and Peterson is the opening act for Vikki Carr and headliner Duke Ellington, and I'll be offering those portions of the concert later on.

But this one is really nice and if you're a fan of Oscar Peterson, it's a must-have since it's never been available in any form before today. The legendary Peterson is in fine form and the sound is wonderful.

I figured as long as you're probably recovering from yesterday's festivities, you might want something that's not going to be too tough to take. And Oscar Peterson goes well with just about everything. Even hangovers.

Enjoy.

Since I've suspended a lot of my Pop Culture posts for this weekend, in light of the circumstances and ongoing story in Tucson, I thought I would play one of the lectures delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King over CBC Radio in Canada in 1967. Part of the Massey Lecture series, this one is the third of five lectures Dr. King made on the subjects of Civil Rights, non-violence and the atmosphere of alienation that permeated the 1960's.

Dr. Martin Luther King: “Nothing in our glittering technology can raise man to new heights, because material growth has been made an end in itself. And in the absence of moral purpose, man himself becomes smaller as the works of man become bigger. Another distortion in the technological revolution is that, instead of strengthening democracy at home it has helped to eviscerate it. Gargantuan industry and government, woven into an intricate computerized mechanism leaves a person outside. The sense of participation is lost, the feeling that ordinary individuals influence important decisions vanishes and man becomes separated and diminished when an individual is no longer a true participant, when he no longer feels a sense of responsibility to his society, the content of democracy is emptied. When culture is degraded and vulgarity enthroned, when the social system does not build security but induces peril, inexorably the individual is impelled to pull away from a soulless society. This process produces alienation.”

In light of all that's gone in the past 24 hours, one would imagine those circumstances and that atmosphere still pervade. And so does the voice of Conscience.

As it did then, as it does now.

(Alexander Brott - familiar name in Canada but not here)

(Thanks for your help. It keeps posts like this alive)
It's gratifying to know the U.S. wasn't the only country caught up in the Nationalistic Music fervor of the 1930's and 40's, or what I call " . . And The Soil Was Good" music. Seemingly every composer remotely affiliated with Eastman-Rochester or the WPA was cranking out some ode to Paul Bunyan or Winter in New England or a horse-drawn carriage. It seems to have been the same in Canada as well.

Alexander Brott is a well known name in Canadian music circles. As a composer, but also conductor, Brott was Music Director of the CBC Montreal Symphony for a number of years and it's with this orchestra he performed (and recorded) his Sea to Sea, a Canadian Symphonic Suite, It's written in 5 movements: Martimes, Quebec, Ontario, Prairies and British Columbia. It received it's premier on November 26, 1947 and this recording was issued on a 78 rpm set in cooperation with the CBC and RCA Victor in Canada shortly after.

It was recorded again in 1985, again under Brott, but this was the first one and, as far as I know, never reissued.

Vast undiscovered territory, those old creeky 78's.

(Dr. Martin Luther King - words for bewildering times)

In 1967 The CBC aired a series of five lectures delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King as part of its ongoing Massey Lectures series. The last of those lectures was "A Christmas Sermon on Peace".

Needless to say, the message is as relevant now as it was then.

Dr. Martin Luther King: “Peace on earth this Christmas season finds us a rather bewildered human race.”

Yes, we are. Still.

This was a repost from 2009. It seems, in 2011 the message is more meaningful than ever.

(Time for a conscience check)

With the current situation of racist rants, lunatic fringe incitements and the never-ending realm of fear, I thought it might be a good idea to offer a few words from Dr. Martin Luther King, from one of his Massey Lectures recorded for The Canadian Broadcasting Company in 1967. This one is entitled "The Impasse Of Race Relations".

Dr. Martin Luther King: “I would submit two sentences written a century ago by Victor Hugo. ‘If the soul is left in darkness, sins will be committed. The guilty one is not he who commits the sin, but he who causes the darkness'.”

I can think of several people causing the darkness right at this moment. And they are being paid handsomely for it.