Dino Soldo not in the tour band

[UrPal]

Now a "Bring back Julia and Perla!" campaign I could more readily understand..... not that I don't think the Webb sisters are both fabulous and fabulously English

I've occasionally wondered why they were passed over (Did they decline? Too much history? The perceived cultural prejudice against the more mature female beauty? etc), but that wondering would have taken place a long time ago....

I suppose that one novel thing the Webb sisters bring to the party is that they play instruments on stage (I bring them to mind carrying a harp and guitar)...and I suppose by that fact alone they demonstrate a more modern and egalitarian approach to the role of women.

[Vicomte]

I think it's more simple than that and I would hazard a guess that neither of them fancied a long tour (even if asked of course) plus Sharon was the obvious choice for one and I believe it was she that suggested the Webb Sisters to Leonard Cohen. Julia, Perla & Sharon.....wasn't ever going to happen, was it

[sue7]

No they are not songwriter, although I kind of disagree about the Webb Sisters, even though several of us have seen other earlier backing singers who some of us might prefer (me included) they don't take up much time with their own "solos"and to miss Sharon singing "Alexandra Leaving" would be just plain awful, it is a masterpiece. Yes LC quoting/singing "If it be they will" as he used to, is excellent of course and it would be nice if he took that song back on occasion, preferably when I am lucky enough to be present

I agree, Vicomte, about If It Be Your Will. I think that the combination of the Webb sisters (and Sharon) and Leonard on Come Healing is a wonderful thing: it's kind of the best of all worlds: the purity of the women's voices combined with the incredible soulfulness, sincerity and intensity of Leonard's voice.
That is the quality which is missing for me in the arrangement of If It Be Your Will which has Leonard only reciting the words at the beginning and only the Webb sisters singing it. For me there is always something missing, and when I hear it I also somehow add in, in my mind's ear, the studio recording of Leonard singing it. This doesn't reflect at all my judgment of the beauty of their voices.
Sue

[gaby&paul]

gaby&paul - you have intrigued me with your comment about Long Quiet Weekend. I guess I haven't listened to it "carefully" enough. How did it give you insight into the possibility of Dino touring/not touring with Leonard again?

By reading between the lines, but maybe we´re oversensitive ...

[Kim Whittle]

I miss Paul Ostermayer.

[Vicomte]

....and Bob Furgo

[holydove]

Now a "Bring back Julia and Perla!" campaign I could more readily understand.....

I've occasionally wondered why they were passed over (Did they decline? Too much history? The perceived cultural prejudice against the more mature female beauty? etc), but that wondering would have taken place a long time ago....

Sylvie Simmons mentions, in her biography, that Jennifer Warnes was asked to join the 2008-2010 tour - so I don't think there was any catering to a perceived cultural prejudice against more mature female beauty there; for whatever reason, Jennifer declined (no explanation as to why, maybe too big of an undertaking, who knows. ..). Had she accepted, it could have been Sharon & Jennifer again, which would have been quite interesting. . . There was no mention of Julie or Perla being asked or not being asked. So the mystery endures. . .

[RainDog1980]

It would seem that Roscoe's interview answers the question about Dino. They were looking for a violinist to begin with, and Dino filled the gap until the appropriate one could be found.

I'm really surprised at some of the reactions to Dino not being included this tour. It is Cohen we're here to see, after all... John Bilezikjian wasn't asked to join and instead took Javier Mas. It's really not uncommon.

[jarkko]

Some members of the 1988/1993 band had health issues and could not join the band in 2008.

[Vicomte]

It would seem that Roscoe's interview answers the question about Dino. They were looking for a violinist to begin with, and Dino filled the gap until the appropriate one could be found.

I'm really surprised at some of the reactions to Dino not being included this tour. It is Cohen we're here to see, after all... John Bilezikjian wasn't asked to join and instead took Javier Mas. It's really not uncommon.

Also I thought that originally they had a violinist sorted out for the tour but in the end the person apparently couldn't do an extended tour?

[friscogrl]

It seemed that Dino was originally included in the rehearsals for the 2012 tour along with Alex and then let go.
I don't think it is was as simple as Dino just filling in the gap until they had a violinist.

Marsha

[B4real]

It seemed that Dino was originally included in the rehearsals for the 2012 tour along with Alex and then let go.
I don't think it is was as simple as Dino just filling in the gap until they had a violinist.
Marsha

I've finally got around to reading Francis Mus' interview with Roscoe Beck in Ghent on August 16th 2012. Roscoe explains it this way:

FM: Could one say that the sound of Dino Soldo fits difficultly in that mood of the ’79-band (that still serves as
an example)?
RB: Well, Dino was in a way a substitute for the violinist we couldn’t find in 2008. We were trying to
recapture that sound and we heard several different violinists that we tried in the group. They were all fine
musicians but no one quite captured that spirit that we had heard before with Raffi. I think that comes back
to what you were saying about the music that Leonard’s mother loved. The music that she loved is the music
that he loves and and the music that I love through him, through my working with him in 1979 and in 1980
with Raffi. I came to love that sound also and know that sound very intimately and experience that sound
even more than that. It’s more the experiential thing. We were searching for that again when we put the
band together in 2008 and we never found it. Dino brought something else, especially with his harmonica
playing, and the saxophone and the ewi (the electronic wind instrument) he played. As I look on it back now,
I realize that Dino filled the void that was there because we couldn’t find the violinist until now. Now we
have it again with Alex. One just knows when one hears the right thing. When he finally heard Alex playing
live Leonard sent me an e-mail: “I’ve hired Alex. We have found what we were looking for”.

Sylvie Simmons mentions, in her biography, that Jennifer Warnes was asked to join the 2008-2010 tour - so I don't think there was any catering to a perceived cultural prejudice against more mature female beauty there; for whatever reason, Jennifer declined (no explanation as to why, maybe too big of an undertaking, who knows. ..).

Here's Roscoe's explanation from the same interview:

FM: Why isn’t she in the band now (Jennifer Warnes sung some parts on the album Old Ideas)? Is there an
opportunity that she would come back?
RB: I would love it! She was offered the opportunity in 2008 and she just wasn’t sure that she was up to that
much travel.

[songwriter]

For some reason I am amused at the thought of Leonard sending an email. It doesnt seem his style somehow. He seems more the type to hand write a letter on expenisve paper! (not because of his age I must add!)

[B4real]

Well songwriter, Here’s maybe another surprise for you

Leonard was forward thinking with technology way back in the nineties. He used the internet when he was living at Mount Baldy to make the first initial contact with Jarkko in 1997. Leonard offered to give The Leonard Cohen Files some of his previously unpublished drawings, poems and computer graphics via the internet from the monastery’s computer. Dial-up I think, not like today! Just imagine how slow it would have been to send an image!
Thank G-d Leonard made that first approach as he did .... because as we now know .... the rest is history

Read more here: http://leonardcohenfiles.com/canfin.html

This is also interesting: http://leonardcohenfiles.com/ja-essay.html

[Christiane]

Hi Songwriter,
in the French film "Mount Baldy. Spring 96" by Armelle Brusq you can watch LC working on his
old Mac in his cabin on Mt Baldy.
In one of the older biographies ( I think it was Ira Nadel's) LC told that Apple had given Macs
to Canadian writers and had sent instructors to show the writers how to use the computers.