http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/new ... 9822367fba
David Parker, Calgary Herald
Published: Friday, October 10, 2008
We have been plenty patient for many years in waiting to see anything concrete happening in the redevelopment of East Village. Although the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation says it is on schedule with work on underground utilities, realigning Riverfront Avenue and designing the 4th Street underpass, it's still a problem for many to have faith that the area behind city hall will one day be transformed into a downtown treasure.
We need to be fed with positive news, so I was delighted to tour the Cantos Music Foundation last week not only to enjoy the collection of musical instruments but also to discuss its plans for acquiring the King Eddy building in East Village.
Executive director Andrew Mosker and his board intend to recreate the former renowned blues bar into a world-class music showcase.
The facade and sign stay and it will continue to be a live music venue with restaurant and bar but will feature musical talent of all styles, including blues but also classical, jazz, ethnic and rock. Plans are also in the works for a 250-seat flexible space for special events, economically accessible for community groups. Within its 70,000 square feet there will be a gift shop of unique music memorabilia and instruments as well as recordings made at its in-house recording studio.
Central attraction, of course, will be the incredible collection that is displayed today at the Cantos museum at 134 11th Ave. S.E.
The collection of unique keyboard and electronic instruments, recording equipment and Alberta music memorabilia is indeed world-class. They range from a 1560 keyboard to the circa-1924 Kimball theatre organ, Elton John's historic songwriting piano, and the first successful electronic musical instrument created by Leon Theremin, which is played by waving one's hands around two antennas.
Today there are approximately 700 items, the largest number of working instruments in the world including the first 10 pianos made in North America and one of the keyboard-controlled analogue synthesizers used to score the soundtrack to Francis Ford Coppola's epic film Apocalypse Now -- a hoot!
The foundation was created in January 2003, from the integration of TriumphEnt Foundation, which was centred around the international organ festival and Cantos Music Museum, founded in 1997.
The museum officially opened to the public by appointment only in 1998 and for drop-in guided tours since 2004. Many children have participated in its MusicMatters program and Cantos à la Carte Silent Movie Mondays have been popular annual events. But there has been little other promotion to date, although more than 200 community events are held in the building.
The foundation has in its collection the Rolling Stones Mobile Recording Studio, which will become a functioning recording studio and interactive exhibit in the new location.
Mosker expects the new facility -- a national music centre in the making -- will attract between 80,000 and 120,000 annual visitors, bringing a whole new life to East Village.
It begins with a free outdoor awareness concert outside the King Eddy on Oct. 16 -- watch for more details.