Tapas party
This is part three in a series of posts all January long telling stories from behind the scenes of my new album TAPEO, which you can now listen to here.
CD number 3.
There's a part of me that still can't believe it, even when I line all three of them up beside each other. I actually sort of find myself wondering how it happened that I've already recorded three albums at only 25 years old. It sort of feels like I'm too young for that kind of achievement.
Tapeo came out yesterday, and this past week has felt tantalizingly like a return to "normal" life between all the CD promotion and working on another project which involved writing program notes, rehearsals, and a day trip recording. Today I leave for Ottawa with Phil, my Tapeo partner in crime, for a virtual CD launch concert on Sunday (which you should totally listen to for if you can!).
When I first started Offstage I already had yesterday's CD launch in mind. I had been thinking of starting up a blog for years, but the combination of not having much to do in the fall with the pandemic restrictions and an upcoming CD release seemed like a great time to finally try it out. Back then, time felt abundant. I think I spent nearly a month tweaking my first post before putting it up. The regularity of writing every week brought me a feeling of accomplishment, and without a doubt helped me get through what otherwise would've been a bleak period of time.
Now, after of week where free time was a bit less abundant, I find myself writing this post the very morning it's supposed to go up. Apologies if it's not quite as polished as some of the others.
In my last two posts I wrote a lot about the making of Tapeo, but I'm not sure I ever really fully explained the title and where it comes from. For that, we need to go back to my very first night in Barcelona, wandering through the narrow and crowded streets of the El Born district. That night was going to be my first ever tapas experience, so I had done a bunch of research and settled on a small restaurant with good reviews. Unfortunately, it was already completely booked up when I got there, and so I found myself back in the streets without much of a plan. I feel like it was sort of just plain luck that I instead found myself at Tapeo, seated at the bar with a glass of wine and some snacks in front of me, soon to enjoy one of the best meals of my life. I had completely fallen in love with tapas. The rest, as they say, is history.
Last night I made myself some tapas and opened a bottle of Rioja wine (pictured) to celebrate the CD launch. It wasn't quite like being back at Tapeo, but the bold flavours of Spanish food along with the smoothness of the wine did bring back warm and happy memories, even if my cooking isn't quite on the same level as the chefs at Tapeo.
I really do highly encourage you to listen to Tapeo (the CD) while preparing and eating some Spanish food. It's hard to put to words, but I think there's something about the whole experience that just feels right.
When Phil and I were preparing for the recording, we were fortunate to get a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts to do some Zoom livestreams performances. For the occasion, I made up a list of some of my favourite Spanish tapas recipes, and wrote a little bit about different kinds of Spanish wine. I feel it's only appropriate to share it here.
One of my favourite Spanish chefs, Omar Allibhoy, recently started his own Youtube channel. I haven't made my way through many of the videos yet, but from what I've seen so far it's a wonderfully unpretentious and laid back introduction to authentic Spanish cuisine. I also have to recommend my go to Spanish cookbook, The Foods & Wines of Spain by Penelope Casas.
Anyways, that's about all I have time to write this morning, time to get this post up and sent out to all of you! There will be one more Tapeo-themed post next week to round out the month. Then, who knows what kinds of new things I'll get up to Offstage.
You can listen to TAPEO on your favorite streaming service by clicking here. If you'd like to purchase a physical copy, they’re available right here on my website.
In the spirit of the times, Phil and I will be doing a virtual album launch on Jan 24 presented by Pontiac Enchanté, a great chamber music series run by our friend Carson Becke just outside of Ottawa. We'd love to have you there with us! More info here : https://www.pontiacenchante.ca/tapeo-january24-2021
See you next week for more stories from TAPEO!