Q: The Podcast From Cbc Radio

In 1956, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong released “Ella and Louis” — the first of three classic albums the two jazz greats would record together. Now, a Canadian production is paying tribute to these records and these artists with a new stage show called “Ella and Louis,” which is running at this season’s Shaw Festival. The award-winning Toronto singer and actor Alana Bridgewater co-created the show and also plays Fitzgerald. She joins guest host Gill Deacon to talk about the legacy of these albums and what it’s like to step into the shoes of a music legend.

Raphael Bob-Waksberg has a way of conjuring up big feelings, sometimes even when you’re least expecting it. His acclaimed animated series “BoJack Horseman” (about an anthropomorphic horse who happens to be a washed up sitcom actor trying to make his comeback in Hollywood) was an emotional gut punch. Now, Raphael is back with a new Netflix series, “Long Story Short,” which is about the joys and losses of the Schwoopers — a Jewish family made up of three very different siblings. The story follows the family through their joys, wins and losses, jumping back and forth in time to reveal how their past shapes their present. Raphael joins guest host Gill Deacon to talk about the new show, why laughing through pain doesn’t cheapen it, and how he went from doing theatre to making adult animation.

Shirley Moorhouse was 65 when she decided to pursue a Master of Fine Arts. Though she’s been creating art for more than three decades, now, at age 69, she’s finally having her moment. This year, the Labrador-based Inuk artist is on the longlist for the prestigious Sobey Art Award, a major solo exhibit of her work is currently on display in St. John’s, and one of her wall hangings will be shown at the National Gallery of Canada come October. Shirley speaks with guest host Gill Deacon about how her grandmother set her on course to become an observer and a creator when she was just a newborn, the technique behind her wall hangings, and how it feels to be in the prime of her creative life.

Ikky is a Canadian musician and producer who’s bringing Punjabi music to the world — and putting the spotlight on Canada in the process. The international hitmaker has racked up billions of streams and worked with artists both at home and in India. Now, he’s back with a new single, “Tell Me,” which is a bilingual collaboration between OneRepublic and Karan Aujla. Earlier this year, Ikky sat down with Tom Power to tell us how that track came to be, how his work fuses traditional Indian music with influences from his upbringing in Toronto, and why he feels more Canadians need to open their minds to Punjabi music.

Billianne is a Canadian singer-songwriter who got her start after she posted a viral TikTok cover of Tina Turner’s iconic hit “The Best.” Since then, she’s released an EP, performed on “The Today Show” and “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” and was called a “young Adele” by Rolling Stone. Billianne sits down with guest host Gill Deacon to talk about her blossoming career, her relationship to her family and her new album, “Modes of Transportation.”

The acclaimed musician and composer Jon Batiste is putting his mark on Americana music with his new record, “Big Money.” It looks at capitalism, the power of community and love. It even has a Randy Newman duet, which happened all thanks to a cold call. Jon joins guest host Garvia Bailey to talk about connecting to his creativity, working with Stephen Colbert on “The Late Show” and why he says making music is more than entertainment — it’s a “spiritual practice.”

For years, TV writer Patrick Tarr has been writing scripts for shows like “Murdoch Mysteries,” “Cardinal” and “Saving Hope” — but his dream was always to write a book. Now, that dream has become a reality. Patrick’s debut novel, “The Guest Children,” is a chilling supernatural tale inspired by real-life history: the evacuation of 6,000 British children to Canada during the Second World War. He joins guest host Gill Deacon to talk about reframing these events as a ghost story.

John Fogerty is the vocalist, lead guitarist and principal songwriter behind the legendary rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. With chart-topping hits like "Proud Mary" and "Fortunate Son,” he’s helped shape the sound of American music. But for decades, John didn’t own the rights to his own songs. That changed recently when he decided to re-record new versions of his biggest hits. In this career-spanning conversation with guest host Garvia Bailey, John talks about reclaiming his artistic legacy, and how falling in love with his wife changed everything for him.

What do you do when the world around you is anything but calm? For the Juno-winning Indigenous blues artist Crystal Shawanda, the answer was to go inward. Back in May, she joined Tom Power to talk about her powerful and deeply personal new track “This Peace,” which channels her family’s strength, her culture and her own journey of self-discovery to find calm in the midst of life’s storms.

Andrew Barr is a comedian and recovering addict who’s preparing to record his debut comedy special, “The 13th Hour,” in a packed Toronto comedy club this weekend. But just before that, he plans to push his body to the limit by running on a treadmill for 12 hours straight. The show is a metaphor for how addiction slowly breaks down a person’s body and isolates them from their loved ones. His hope is to raise money for the rehab centre that helped him turn it all around. Andrew joins guest host Gill Deacon to tell us more about the project, and how it’s his way of giving voice to those who struggle with drug and alcohol addiction.

In a chaotic world filled with uncertainty and suffering, what’s the point of giddy, toe-tapping musical theatre? Winnipeg's Kimberley Rampersad directs the musical comedy “Anything Goes” at the Shaw Festival this season, and she makes a powerful case for the role of joyful art in hard times. Kimberley joins guest host Gill Deacon to talk about her journey to directing, the importance of theatre’s joyful resistance to the darkness, and how theatre allows us to have conversations with the gloves coming off.

What happens when a comedian makes a movie about climate change with survivors of the most powerful typhoon ever recorded? Seán Devlin answers that question with his surreal new film “Asog” — a Canadian-Filipino production made with zero trained actors and a guerilla crew of five people. The Vancouver-based comedian and filmmaker sits down with Tom Power to talk about his personal connection to the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan, and why he was so determined to make a movie with them. 

The award-winning Canadian rapper Haviah Mighty is known for writing songs that tackle heavy subjects like racism, power dynamics and equality. But now, Haviah is entering a new era — one that’s focused on positivity and good vibes. She joins guest host Gill Deacon to talk about her new chapter and her latest single, “Lucky.”

For more than 35 years, Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer has used her voice to make award-winning, critically acclaimed music — but that’s not all. She’s also been a vocal advocate for important environmental and humanitarian causes, both in this country and abroad. At the Juno Awards in Vancouver earlier this year, Sarah was honoured with the Humanitarian Award, and now she’s a recipient of a key to the city for her hometown of Burlington, Ont. Back in May, she joined Tom Power for a career-spanning conversation about her early days making music with The Saddletramps and Weeping Tile, going solo, and why she’s so passionate about protecting the land she grew up on.

In the 1980s, Rick Astley became a global superstar with hits like “Never Gonna Give You Up” and “Together Forever.” But then, at age 27, he quit the business. That could have been the end of the story, but then the Rickroll meme of the mid-2000s brought him back to the world’s attention. In his memoir, “Never,” Rick opens up about his strange and incredible life. He joins Tom Power to share some of those stories.

The Montreal band Ribbon Skirt released their debut album, “Bite Down” earlier this year. Now, it’s on the Polaris Prize short list. Lead singer Tashiina Buswa joins Tom Power to tell us how the record was inspired by grief and reconnecting with her Indigeneity, how her first exposure to music was in the church, and the difference between knowing you’re free and actually feeling free. Plus, she tells the story behind her song, “Off Rez.”

K-Pop is one of the biggest musical genres around the world right now, but KPop Demon Hunters director Maggie Kang has been into it long before it was cool. Now, her movie isn’t just one of the biggest films of the summer – its music also charted near the top of the Billboard Global 200. Maggie Kang speaks with Q guest host Gill Deacon about making female characters who aren’t afraid to be goofy, what she learned from working at DreamWorks, and how the song “Golden” from the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack was really hard to write.

Kingston, Ontario has long been a hotbed for up-and-coming bands. Now indie-rock outfit Tiny Horse is making their mark. Ciara Roberts and Rae Corcoran, two of the four bandmates, join guest host Garvia Bailey in the Q studio to talk about how they unexpectedly found themselves writing songs together, how they see the recording studio as an instrument, and the inspiration behind their new single “Islands.” 

After working as a youth counsellor, Canadian rapper TOBi has continued to uplift people through his motivational lyrics. Now, TOBi is releasing his new album Elements No. 2, which has been five years in the making. Q guest host Garvia Bailey talks to TOBi about how he learned to be vulnerable in his songwriting, why he writes for Black boys just like him, and how his work with social services influenced his worldview.

Singer-songwriter Ada Lea needed a break from music: she was physically exhausted from tour, and she was mentally stuck in a circle of overcriticizing her own songs. But after taking some time off, she’s found a multitude of paths to rekindle her creativity. Ada Lea tells guest host Gill Deacon about her new single “Bob Dylan’s 115th Haircut”, her songwriting community, and why she feels like the goal of the music industry is at odds with the goal of the artist.