Tom Thomson CD

Tom Thomson

Winnie Traynor

Tom's business card

Tom Thomson and Arthur Lismer

..."moose on the run"...

o

..."my campfire is smoke is rising to the stars it seems tonight"...

..."old Doc MacCallum's place"...

Don Charbonneau

Tom's Shack

Studio Building Severn Street Toronto

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Wildwood/Through Tom’s Eyes


Review
by Phil Mantello
Producer of Algoma Singer Songwriters

Don Charbonneau is a singer/songwriter and a recording artist who resides in Wawa, Ontario. His experience as a wilderness guide and his reverence for nature contributes to the creation of this exciting concept album. Wildwood/Through Tom’s Eyes presents a compelling narrative of the life of one of Canada’s most prominent wilderness landscape artists namely, Tom Thomson a friend and major influence of The Group of Seven. This collection of songs features Herschel Payne on violin. Payne brings a wealth of experience to this project. His credits include a full symphony and solo career with as many as two hundred performances a year as a concert violinist with the Quebec Symphony Orchestra and as a solo violinist with C.B.C. Radio Canada. Charbonneau met Payne, Artist-in-Residence at Pukaskwa National Park Canada in the summer of 2004. Herschel accompanied him on violin during a concert performance of Don’s first CD titled “Songs From The Coastline.” At that time Payne, a well known wilderness landscape artist introduced Charbonneau to the work of Tom Thomson. 

The richly textured musical arrangements are combined with a fictional account of Tom Thomson’s life in Algonquin Park. The settings described in the songs, however, include actual characters, places and events which significantly influenced the life and work of the artist. The song The Last Stand portrays Thomson, in his canoe, painting a group of Pine trees which are slated to be cut down:

I’ve been waiting all day for the light to fall
On those pine trees standing there so green and so tall
I hope I get it right this time before it’s too late…
The green and blue and the light on those trees…

The composition titled Creation gives the listener a view of Thomson’s inner and outer worlds by presenting images of the night when the artist first saw the Northern Lights. The Ballad of Tom Thomson presents an evocative fictional account of the mysterious circumstances surrounding Thomson’s fateful canoe trip.

Charbonneau’s band “The Lost Guides” brings a combination of musicians with diverse musical styles together. The ensemble includes Charbonneau with his folk roots influence, his son Noel with back up vocals and playing bass and Herschel Payne on violin. The ensemble also includes Don’s daughter, Dawn Charbonneau, who makes an impressive contribution with background vocals, Mike Lavigne on drums and Dan Michaud on electric guitar.