If you have wondered what it takes to pull off a BIG DREAM,
Jowi Taylor with Voyageur
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wonder no further, because tonight my guest Jowi Taylor will share his experiences for pulling off the DREAM of a Life time!.
Jowi Taylor is used to success. He is a multiple award winning writer and broadcaster whose talents have won him industry recognition for his long-running CBC Radio program 'Global-Village', a Peabody Award for his winning radio series 'The Wire': The Impact of Electricity on Music and its celebrated companion series: 'The Nerve: Music and the Human Experience', incredible achievements no doubt. But could Jowi do something so different, so meaningful, so grand, it would inspire a Nation? You BETCHA!!!
Jowi Taylor is the brilliant mastermind behind the conception of his independent 'Six String Nation'a multi-media project that created a National Treasure and endeared Jowi to millions across this great land of Canada.
For those of you who aren't familiar with Canada, it is the second largest country in the world but it has only one half of one percent of the world's population. From east to west you will have to travel, 4700 hundred Miles and span 6 time zones. Officially it has two languages English and French, but because of our rich Multi cultural heritage policy, you will find every nationality and language in the World represented and spoken here.
So you see, NO SMALL FEAT for Jowi to create something meaningful that every Canadian , from Vancouver Islands, thru the Rocky Mountains, Prairies, Great Lakes, Quebec and the Maritimes could be proud of, something that would give them all a sense of one identity, something that says" "This is Canada" and I am PROUD OF IT!
11 years, 64 pieces, 6 strings, 1 Canada and 1 Guitar, Jowi with the assistance of Luthier George Rizanyi and many others who gave their support, SIX STRING NATION was complete.
Jowi had managed to gather 64 pieces of Canadian artifacts and heritage, representing many different cultures, communities and characters from all across the land, where they were all shipped to
george rizsanyi building the guitar
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Nova Scotia, so luthier George Rizsanyi and inlay artist Sara Nasr could create and craft this masterpiece.
Piece by piece each artifact was incorporated into the creation and building of this iconic six string acoustic guitar.
Ultimately named Voyaguer , this travelling museum of Canadian history, has been played by hundreds of musicians and held, by thousands of Canadians.
What does it FEEL LIKE to be Canadian and PLAY Voyageur?
Hear more about this great journey and hear from some of the musicians who have played this amazing guitar!
3 Comment(s)
By Stephen Fearing on Apr 28, 2010 | Reply
Frankie,
great show, thanks for inviting me on, it's always a treat to share the stage with Jowi and with Voyageur. It's not often that one gets to hold a living piece of your country's history… the guitar is absolutely alive with history, stories and spirit.
=SF=
By admin on Apr 28, 2010 | Reply
Stephen you are an amazing artist, songwriter and National Treasure. Having your song "The Longest Road' debut Voyageur was the PERFECT choice!!! well done Jowi!!
Folks you can hear the song on this show..www.blogtalkradio.com/missionunstoppable OR please visit Stephen Fearing's website for more info on him and his amazing music.
www.stephenfearing.com
By Emma on Feb 4, 2011 | Reply
We would love any help you can give to spread the word about this event.
An Evening with Jowi Taylor
Thursday, February 10th
Tickets are $20 each
Doors open at 7:00pm. The event begins at 7:30pm.
The event will take place at Walmer Church – http://www.walmer.ca/
Click here to purchase tickets.
If you have any questions, email Emma Roche at eroche@rsgc.on.ca.
Please pass this along to anyone you think might be interested.
To learn more about Jowi Taylor, click here. Click here to listen to Jowi's TED Talk in Ottawa.
A musical quilt, this unique guitar becomes a passionate metaphor for Canada. The Six String Nation guitar, Voyageur, is made from sixty seven pieces of Canadian history: Pierre Trudeau's canoe paddle is a tone bar, the Grey Nuns convent in Winnipeg-once a classroom to Louis Riel-makes up the back and sides, Paul Henderson's hockey stick from the 1972 Canada Russia Summit Series is a detail on the pickguard, the sacred Golden Spruce of Haida Gwaii forms the top face and gold from Maurice Richard's 1955-56 Stanley Cup ring adorns the ninth fret. Thanks to a crazed determination to share this guitar and his impassioned vision of Canada with as many Canadians as possible, Taylor has taken the guitar to festivals, conferences, schools and community events, from sea to sea to sea. Along the way, countless citizens have added their own definitions of what it means to be Canadian, either through music or the very act of engaging with this object that is at once artifact and living instrument. Six String Nation allows them to, literally, hold history in their hands-and add a little harmony of their own. Illustrated with documentary photos and gorgeous portraits of the people that Voyageur has encountered, Six String Nation chronicles the journey of one special guitar, from conception through construction to the road it still travels across our land.