Lögberg-Heimskringla - 25.03.2005, Blaðsíða 13

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 25. mars 2005 • 13
Cold Front
has arrived
David Gislason
Arborg, MB
Cold Front has arrived and,
in a flurry of concerts, intro-
duced a fresh new collection
of music, with a self-titled CD
recorded at the University of
Manitoba School of Music.
Cold Front has been de-
veloping for a while, and has
an Icelandic upbringing. In
the year 2000, the popular jazz
trio Guitar Islancio, made up
of guitarists Bjöm Thoroddsen
and Gunnar Þórðarson, with
bassist Jón Rafnsson, arrived
in Canada to help mark the new
millennium. They
caught the atten-
tion of Richard
Gillis, a leading
light in Winnipeg
jazz circles, and
associate profes-
sor at the U of M
School of Music.
They shared
a passion for the same musi-
cal form, and it wasn’t long
before Richard found himself
in Iceland soaking up a broad
repertoire of folk music. This
came easily for Richard, for it
is in his blood and in his genes.
The result was a magnificent
CD, Connections. The trio had
become a foursome, with the
addition of Richard’s trumpet.
“A trumpet with guitar?” you
say. Indeed a fine combination.
Richard is an accomplished and
sensitive musician, and it was a
smooth, rich blend that was a
delight to the ear.
Meanwhile, Bjöm contin-
ued to make a name for himself
in the musical world, and is now
a leading name in classical jazz
in Iceland, where he was named
Jazz Performer of the Year in
2003. He is a graduate of the
Guitar Institute of Technology
in Hollywood, CA, and has per-
formed with various Intema-
tional artists.
As though to
fulfill a musical
dream, he was in-
troduced to Steve
Kirby, director of
Jazz Studies at
the University of
Manitoba. Steve,
originally from
St. Louis, made a name for
himself in New York on several
fronts. No stranger to places
such as the Lincoln Centre, he
has performed with internation-
ally renowned artists such as
opera star Kathleen Battle and
jazz man Wynton Marsalis.
Out of all this Cold Front
was bom, and the Icelandic
connection has become a world-
class jazz trio that would be
at home on any musical stage,
anywhere in the world. Here in
Manitoba, we have been privi-
leged to see and hear them live
and in person on several oc-
casions, from Winnipeg’s Art
Gallery and Eva Claire Music
Hall, to Gimli’s Aspire Theatre
and Johnson Hall, as well as in
the Community Hall in Lundar.
To see these men perform
is a delight to the eyes, as well
as the ears. Their love of music
is clear to see, and their musical
bond with each other is clear.
They become one magnificent
musical instmment. Whether
jazz is a particular love of yours
or not, if you love, and have
an ear for music, you will love
Cold Front. Their music has a
way of enveloping you, and
capturing your entire awarenes.
You come away refreshed and
renewed.
Watching true artists at
work makes their art seem easy.
The men of Cold Front have
that easy grace about them as
they move into their music, and
only occasionally do you find
yourself wondering, “How on
earth do they do that?”
Now you can take Cold
Front home with you, and
bring on a flurry of jazz, blues
and folk music at any time.
On their album you will find
original compositions, some a
collaboration of all three men,
some by Bjöm alone, as well as
such musical greats as Duke El-
lington and Sigmund Romberg.
You will also find a haunting
variation on the well known
Icelandic folk tune, “Sleep, my
Baby.”
Cold Front is now available
at McNally Robinson Booksell-
ers and at the U of M School of
Music.

COttJ FRÖNT
• ■ i
.
Ml. J
by Helga Hilmisdóttir
Department of icelandic, unlverslty of Manítoba
http://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/arts/icelandlc
NO. 2
Icelandic for beginners
velkomin! - welcome!
Að vera - “to be”
The verb vero is the most comrnon verb
in Icelandic and is very irregular. This is its
conjugation in the present tense:
Singu/ar
lst person éS er
2tid person pií er-t
3rd person hann/htín/það er
Plural
lst person við er-um
2nd person pið er-uð
3rd person peir/pær/pau er-u
Examples:
Þau eru frá Kanada. They are from
Canada.
Eg er frá Islandi. I’m from Iceland.
Þetta er Sigríður. This is Sigriður.
Bjami: Sæll, Gísli. Hvert ert þú að fara?
Gísli: Eg er að fara í rútuferð.
Bjarni: Gott... Eg er leiðsögumaður í dag!
Gísli: Þetta er Þóra. Hún ætlar líka að fara
í rútuferð.
Bjarni: Sæl, Þóra!
Þóra: Sæll.
Þóra: Og þetta eru Susan og Peter.
Þau em líka að fara.
Bjarni: Sæl. Hvaðan eruð þið?
Susan: Við erum frá Kanada.
Bjarni: Velkomin! Jæja, eruð þið tilbúin?
Bjami: Hello, Gísli. Where are you going?
Gísli: I am going on a bus tour.
Bjarni: Good ... I am your guide today!
Gísli: This is Þóra. She is also going on a
bus tour.
Bjarni: Hi, Þóra!
Þóra: Plello.
Þóra: And this is Susan and Peter. They
are also going.
Bjarni: Helio. Where are you from?
Susan: We are from Canada.
Bjarni: Welcome! Well, are you ready?
Exercise:
Use the verb ‘vera’ in
the right form.
1) Þetta „ _____ég.
2) þú tilbúinn?
3) Hún __________leiðsögumaður.
4) Hvaðan_____________þið? Við
frá íslandi.
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The content of this article is based on icelandic on-line (www.icelandic.hi.is). lœlandic on-line is a free web-based course in modern lcelandic, developed
by the University of lceland. The materlal is used with permission from the director of the project, Dr. Birna Arnbjömsdóttir, associate professor. The on-line
course is used as teachlng material for first year students in lcelandic at the University of Manitoba.
Visit us on the web at http://www.lh-inc.ca