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In this issue:
1.Belly Dancing this week
2. Gospel music this week
3. Other upcoming events
4. Misc. notes: World Music Award, CD deals and movie notes

First, welcome to new subscribers.

February was a month filled with great African music shows; March is starting out packed with bellydancing and gospel.
 

1. BELLY DANCING: Three events in the next week and a half.
a) Bellydance Superstars - Mar. 8, Jane Mallett Theatre

This touring American group has been gathering a lot of press in the last few years, and has been taking on some of the trappings of a rock group. They toured with the Lollapalooza package show in 2003, and are the creation of Miles Copeland who has been involved with many major rock acts. Copeland now modestly describes the Superstars as "the most important entertainment show in the world".

True or not, they have been taking full advantage of the growing interest in bellydance, and their performances -- like this one -- are being held in theatres rather than clubs. They're featured on the cover of the March Global Rhythm magazine (although the font in that magazine is now so small, I couldn't finish the article!)

A Small World concert. For details go to http://smallworldmusic.com/concerts.html The group's website is http://www.bellydancesuperstars.com.

b) Arabesque & guests gala show : Mar. 4-5

The Arabesque Dance Company, founded and led by Yasmina Ramzy, has become Canada's leading bellydance troupe. This Saturday and Sunday, they are hosting a series of daytime workshops (now sold out) and gala evening performances (tickets still available) with Aido Nour from Cairo (Yasmina Ramzy's teacher), and including a number of guest performers -- plus Arabesque.

Estonian House (958 Broadview Ave). $25 adv/$30 door. Performance at 8pm. For details -- includiing links to many of the perfomers, see http://www.arabesquedance.ca/events.html or call 416.920.5593.

c) Purim Cabaret & "Jewish Mardi Gras" Masquerade: Mar. 12

Something quite different coming up at the Lula Lounge. Quotes below are taken from the Lula website (http://tinyurl.com/gzcjf):
"Toronto Jazz/World musician David Buchbinder (just nominated for his fourth JUNO) and bellydance queen and actor Roula Said (recently featured in the film Sabah) have joined up with Lula Lounge and a host of amazing performers to present their very wild, very downtown Middle Eastern flavoured Purim Cabaret."

The show will build on the legends of Purim, celebrating "the saving of a people through the power of a woman, her uncle, and a lot of backroom intrigues and disguises... It is a topsy-turvy holiday where pretty much everything gets turned upside down. A kind of Jewish Mardis Gras that is perfect for various interpretations and re-imaginings"

The show features music by many guests, spoken word, theatrics and puppetry. "David & Roula’s Purim Cabaret will also feature dance contests, participatory processionals, crossdressing bellydancers and much more"

Tickets are discounted for those arriving in costume. For more on the performers, see http://davidbuchbinder.ca/ and http://www.roulasaid.ca/

2. GOSPEL
Three great gospel shows coming up in a week, plus a local gospel music story. See today's Globe & Mail for an article on the upcoming concerts: http://tinyurl.com/m5xqr

a) Blind Boys or Alabama: Mar. 3 ... are performing tonight at Massey Hall

b) Campbell Brothers: Mar. 5

A reminder that this amazing Sacred Steel group is playing at Hugh's Room this Sunday for a Gospel Brunch. I'll be interested to see how their raucous, high-energy, three-guitar (lap and pedal steels, and electric guitar) fit into the generally more laid-back setting of Hugh's Room.

If you're looking for something different, inspiring and high-energy come on out.

2pm. http://www.campbellbrothers.com/ and  www.hughsroom.com

 

c) Harlem Gospel Choir: Mar. 6, Hummingbird Centre

The group is gaining recognition around the world, having performed for (among others), the Pope, Nelson Mandela, and Paul McCartney. For more about the group, see http://www.harlemgospelchoir.com. Tickets at Ticketmaster

 

d) Local gospel

Thursday's Toronto Star carried an article about the Rhema Christian Ministries, a non-denominational church attracting huge attendance -- especially among the young -- built around high-energy gospel. A CD recording of a 2004 performance will be released next week.

See http://www.rhemaonline.ca/index.asp, and click on http://tinyurl.com/r3xd5 for the Star article.

 

3. OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS INCLUDE:

a) Dr Draw: Mar. 5-6, at Hugh's Room. I've never heard the musician, but the description of this Toronto "electric violin virtuouso" sounds interesting. http://www.hughsroom.com

b) Ndidi Onukwulu: Mar. 9 CD Release for No, I Never. Ma at Hugh's Room. http://www.ndidi.ca

c) Cubanismo!: Mar. 6 at the Opera House and...
d) Randy Weston's African Rhythms: Mar. 10. Both part of Toronto Downtown Jazz's 20th anniversary. http://www.torontojazz.com

d) Leon Russell, Mar. 9 at the Opera House

e) Afri-Youth Nite: Mar. 16 sponsored by Music Africa at the Lula Lounge

f) Steve Starchev memorial: Mar. 11. A special show in memory of the host of CIUT's "Sound of the World" host, who passed away Feb. 19 will be broadcast 3-5pm. CIUT 89.5, www.ciut.fm. See www.to-music.ca.

Details on these and many more shows are listed at http://www.to-music.ca/events.htm

4. OTHER NOTES
A) BBC World Music Awards (aka "The Planets")

The 2006 winners have been announced. The Album of the Year winner is (not surprisingly) Amadou & Mariam's Dimanche a Bamako. See  http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/worldmusic/a4wm2006/index.shtml

 

b) CD deals

Sam the Record Man is holding its annual sale of "gems that fall through the cracks". 28 CD's, picked by staff at the store of recordings that may not be very well known, but are ones that "you must have as a music lover". Included are the current CD's by Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate, In the Heart of the Moon (Grammy Award winner), Amadou & Mariam's Dimanche a Bamako (BBC World Music Awards Album of the Year) -- both on sale for just #12.77, and Ahsa Bosle & Kronos Quartet, You've Stolen My Heart (BBC World Music Award nominee) for $13.09. For those prices, why not pick up extra copies for your friends.

Sale ends March 8. See the 4-page ad in this week's NOW magazine.

 

c) Movie notes

In a recent newsletter, I'd mentioned the ucoming release of Tsotsi, the South African movie that won the Audience Choice award at the Toronto Film Festival, and was an Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Film.

The movie opens today in Toronto. While the Globe & Mail gave it a fine review, I tend to agree with the mediocre reviews it drew from NOW (http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2006-03-02/movie_reviews3.php) and Eye Weekly. It does have some good qualities, including the soundtrack, largely made up of of South African kwaito music, but I found it far inferior to the excellent Quebec film C.R.A.Z.Y which failed to get an Oscar nomination.

I also recently mentioned the film Be Here to Love Me about Townes Van Zandt, which had a one-night showing last week at the Bloor Cinema. This film I can recommend very highly. It will be released on DVD, March 14. See http://townesthemovie.com/

 

John Leeson
www.to-music.ca

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