15 September 2008 - Bernie Finkelstein has given the nod to the following tribute being planned, interestingly entitled 'The Cockburn Project' being organized by Jason Fowler.
On Saturday, October 11th, 2008, guitarist/songwriter Jason Fowler
will host a tribute concert to Bruce Cockburn at Toronto's Hugh's Room
(2261 Dundas St. West Tel #416.531.6604 for reservations). The concert
will feature some of Toronto's finest singers and musicians including
Lori Cullen, David Matheson, Mia Sheard, Michael Johnston, Andy Maize
& Josh Finlayson (Skydiggers), Melanie Doane and Sahra Featherstone.
Fowler has been a big fan of Cockburn since he first heard "Foxglove"
at age 12. Fowler spent countless hours during his high school years
deciphering Cockburn's deceptively difficult guitar playing. "It's
surprising how few people seem to realize what a phenomenal guitar
player Bruce is. And over the years I've realized that a significant
part of what drew me to his music was the lack of overt showmanship in
his presentation. You have to listen with your ears, not your eyes.
Bruce's music moves me very deeply and it felt like it was time to
share that appreciation with others. And I knew that a lot of my peers
feel the same way about his artistry."
The concert will feature Jason performing a number of Bruce's
intricate instrumental guitar pieces such as Foxglove, Cader Idris,
Deer Dancing Round A Broken Mirror, Water Into Wine as well as singing a few of his favorites such as Pacing The Cage and My Lady And My Lord. Some other songs which will be sung by other guests that night
are Coldest Night Of the Year, Rumours Of Glory, Lord Of The Starfields, All The Diamonds, Wondering Where The Lions Are, One Day I
Walk and Messenger Wind.
"Bruce has had a deep impact on a lot of musicians and I spoke to
quite a few artists who, due to scheduling conflicts, couldn't
participate this year. So it's my hope we can do this again next year!"
Jason Fowler is a Toronto singer/songwriter, session guitarist and producer with 4 CD's to his name.
He is currently working on a new CD for release this fall.
He has played on over 100 albums and has toured internationally with
renowned Irish tenor John McDermott since 2001. He is a member of The
Anne Lindsay Band and has played with April Verch, Amy Sky, Marc
Jordan, Susan Aglukark, The Cottars, Quartette, Susan Crowe, Nana
Mouskouri, Murray McLauchlan, Brent Titcomb, Ian Tamblyn, Jory Nash
and many other artists in Canada's roots music community. He was the
2003 recipient of the Porcupine Award for Outstanding Musical Accompanist.
He has produced albums for David Bradstreet, John McDermott, D'Arcy
Wickham and Blake Papsin and has composed/produced a number of CDs for
Avalon Music.
A two-time winner at the Walnut Valley National Guitar Championships
in both the Fingerpicking and Flatpicking categories, Jason is
acknowledged as one of Canada's most gifted guitarists. He holds a
degree in Classical Guitar Performance from McGill University and in
2004 was the inaugural winner of the OCFF (Ontario Council of Folk
Festivals) Instrumental Composition of the Year Award.
~Jason Fowler
~Suzanne Myers