Culinary Goods

Detail of Chromatic Improvisation, painting by Linda Jane Schmid

Plenty is a proud supporter of JazzFest International.

JazzFest International features over 90 performances and workshops in downtown Victoria. It includes all genres of jazz, blues and worldbeat music, and has grown into a ten-day festival that attracts over 350 musicians and is attended by over 40,000 people from Greater Victoria, Vancouver Island and around the world.

One of our front windows currently features a JazzFest theme with cookbooks and cooking implements from around the world. As well, we have some remarkably imaginative constructions of musical instruments by Linda Jane Schmid. Linda Jane works at Plenty when not occupied painting and creating. Her whimsical instruments will continue to grace our window through JazzFest, as well as one of the windows next door at Studio Ryu. Coincidentally, the instruments inspired a painting (Chromatic Improvisation, also by Linda Jane, detail of it at the start of this posting) that hangs in The Great Escape (photo below), a Cumberland, BC restaurant, which supplies Plenty with a wonderful Indian snack called Karrakadis (also mentioned in the Fathers Day posting and in the A Few of Our Favourite Things posting).

The Great Escape, Cumberland, BC

Linda Jane describes Chromatic Improvisation:

This painting was created in 2003 to accompany an exhibition of my “musical instrument” constructions in the window of Not Just Another Music Shop on South Granville St. in Vancouver.
Both the constructions, (which now number well over a hundred) and the painting were inspired by a book, “Musical Instruments of the World”, an illustrated encyclopedia which never ceases to amaze me with it’s depictions of musical instruments from around the world and through history.  Becoming aware of the evolution and huge variety of forms of stringed instruments in particular has given me incentive to create forms of my own.
Working with found materials, mostly wood from the beach, means that I’m always responding to the unique shapes and textures developed over time through interaction with the forces of nature.  It’s a form of improvisation.
Another important element shared by both the painting and the constructions is strong, vibrant, luminous colour.  I’m expressing something about the connection between the tones and vibrations of both music and colour.

At Plenty we carry a selection of cds from inspiring artists around the world:

Stuart Munro, Late Night on Planet Earth

We currently feature the CD of local guitarist Stuart Munro. Late Night on Planet Earth is about romance in but a few of it’s many forms. Every recording has a story or two and it features an eclectic selection of songs by Mark Knopfler, Jim Gawne, Stuart himself, Django Reinhardt, Lennon & McCartney, Hoagy Carmichael, Edith Piaf, Johnny Farina, and Mississippi Fred McDowell. It is a wonderful, relaxing album.

We also feature cds from the record label Cumbancha. Cumbancha was founded by Jacob Edgar, an Ethnomusicologist and music producer who was the head of music research and product development at Putumayo World Music (we also feature some of their compilations). It has been Edgar’s enviable job to travel the world in search of exceptional artists and songs. Over the years, Edgar kept coming across artists he felt deserved wider recognition and he formed Cumbancha to bring them to a wider stage. Visit Plenty to hear the following Cumbancha artists (and to purchase their CDs):

The Idan Raichel Project, Within My Walls
Six years ago, when Israeli keyboardist and composer Idan Raichel was an unknown musician working in a home studio in his parent’s basement in a small city near Tel Aviv, he never imagined that his experiments fusing Israeli pop music with Middle Eastern, African, Indian and other global sounds would ever result in the biggest-selling records in Israeli history and propel him to a role as a major figure in the international global music scene. Within My Walls features a diverse roster of guests and promises to bring even greater fame.

Rupa & the April Fishes
With musical influences that include French chanson, Gypsy swing, tango, Latin alternative, Indian music and beyond, Rupa & the April Fishes create music that is lively, romantic and instantaneously appealing. Based in San Francisco, the band’s accessible and multicultural sound has earned them a reputation as one of the most exciting groups in the Bay Area alternative scene.

Novalima, Coba Coba
Novalima’s pioneering blend of soulful Afro-Peruvian rhythms and melodies with the cutting-edge grooves of dub reggae, chilled-out electronica and funky Latin beats creates a mash-up of old-school traditions and modern trends.

Ska Cubano, Ay Caramba
Mix classic rhythms from two of the world’s most musically influential islands, Jamaica and Cuba, mash them together like mint and sugar, add ample of amounts of intoxicating melodies and a dash of jest; the result is a magical musical cocktail that has been setting dance floors ablaze from London to Tokyo.

Dobet Gnahore, Na Afriki
Widely considered one of contemporary African music’s most exciting new talents, Dobet Gnahoré has astounded audiences with her thrilling stage presence, appealing melodies and powerful singing. Gnahoré’s striking new CD moves from delicate ballads to upbeat African grooves, and serves as a resounding introduction to this voice of the future.

Habib Koite & Bamada, Afriki
Malian guitarist Habib Koité and his band Bamada return this fall with a stunning new album, Afriki. Habib Koité is one of Africa’s most beloved and popular musicians. Afriki, features an appealing set of songs that reflect Habib’s unique and innovative approach to the diverse styles of Malian music.