T.O. Music Pix Newsletter #102: Feb. 24/10 Click here for information on
subscribing and an index of past newsletters
Weekend
events: close-out of Black History month, 2 Haiti fundraisers:
"African
Canadians for Haiti": Lula Lounge, Feb. 25
A
reminder -- and more details -- of this Thursday’s benefit at
the Lula Lounge: a truly jam-packed line-up with more than 4
hours of music from some of Toronto’s top African acts. The
African Guitar Summit closes the night, but some of its members
will also perform with their own groups (Afrafronto and Adam
Solomon & Tikisa).
The lineup, beginning at
8:30pm: 8:30: Introduction: Michael Stohr, President of Music Africa 8:40: William Nkemagni, a poem for Haiti 8:50: Masaisai – Zimbabwean mbira-based rhythms 9:30: Afrafronto - Palm Wine music from Ghana 10:00: Congolese music with Ado, JP Buse, Arthur, Show Do Man
and Patu Bokelo 10:40: Fojeba: (Jean Baptiste Foaleng from Cameroon) 11:20: Adam Solomon & Tikisa 11:40: Jacques Yams (Cameroon) 12:20: African Guitar Summit
For some more information
and background to the night, see
this article and interview with Adam Solomon.Admission $10 (additional
donations are welcome). Proceeds to the Canadian Red Cross for
Haiti
And much more on the
weekend:
Two events at the Gladstone Friday: Fojeba in a free show in the
Melody Bar at 7pm, and the AIDS Awareness Dance Party at 10 in the Ballroom,
celebrating the Harambee! CD in support of
the
Stephen Lewis Foundation,
Give A Day to World AIDS and
Dignitas. Organized by
the Tia Anita Project. Valu David,
Tich Marezda and Njacko Backo and Kalimba Kalimba perform.
Sunday night at the Evangadi Nightclub (1220 Danforth, east of
Greenwood), is a tribute to the late Tarig Abubakar, founder of the band The
Afronubians, and one of the giants of the Toronto (and Canadian) African music
scene.
A "Caribbean Carnival Haiti
Fundraiser" at the Lula Lounge Sunday night. Details
here
Next week features Justin
Townes Earle at the Horseshoe (Mon.), Harry Manx at the
Glenn Gould (Wed. & Thu.) Tinariwen (Thu), and Huun Huur Tu,
Madagascar Slim and Jesse Cook, all playing on Friday (but
not together!).
Update:Sonic Boom (the
huge CD/record store at Bloor & Bathurst) will feature both
Tinariwen and Huun Huur Tu in free appearances the day before
their concerts:
Tinariwen: Wed. March 3, time
TBA
Huun Huur Tu: Thu. March 4, 6:30pm
Performances are in the
basement. Free, all-ages... a great opportunity to check out two
great and unique groups in an informal setting. See Sonic Boom
website (linked above) for info, location, and updates.
And there's a whole raft of great music coming
in March and April. Check the
event listingsfor details, and more information on the
shows listed above.
Coping
with February: It's good for the soul to think ahead to some great
music, live & on CD....
Eliades
Ochoa is coming to the Royal Theatre (on College
St) Apr. 23 & 24
The guitarist of Cuarteto Patria and
the Buena Vista
Social Club, and one of Cuba's very best musicians makes his first trip to Toronto in too-many years. Details to be announced soon.
Meanwhile, watch a video of him
here or listen to some his
better-known music on his MySpace page (linked above).
Ali Farka Touré & Toumani
Diabaté As noted in an earlier
newsletter, their new CD, Ali and Toumani has now been released
featuring the two Malian greats, and is the (final) follow-up to
their Grammy winning In the Heart of the Moon. It’s been collecting
great reviews (for example,
Li Robbins' review in Tuesday's Globe & Mail).
Bassekou Kouyaté Another superb CD that has –
finally – been released in Canada is I
Speak Fula by Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba. My
Dec 13
newsletter talked about him, the CD and speculated on the chances of finally
seeing them perform locally.
The only
Canadian show that has been announced yet is their March 1
appearance with Béla Fleck at the Ottawa Jazz Festival, however, it's
beginning to appear
that they will be doing a show here in Toronto in June (also with Béla Fleck). Both Béla’s and Bassekou’s websites list them playing
here June 12 as part of the Luminato Festival.
Bassekou was
part of Bela’s “Africa project”, which included the CD, Throw
Down Your Heart, winner of the 2010 Grammy for Traditional World
Music album. Co-incidentally, as noted in that December newsletter,
many years ago, he was supposed to be part of a Cuban-African
musical project with Eliades Ochoa and Super Rail Band guitarist
Djelimady Tounkara. The African musicians' visas didn't work
out, and "Plan B" became the Buena Vista Social Club.
A Bonus??
Tony Allen, the drummer behind Fela Kuti's Afrobeat sound also
lists a Luminato date on June 12. Could be one heck of a day for
African music fans...
Mavis
Staples & Allen Toussaint No details yet, but it looks like the double bill of the
year might be shaping up at the Toronto Jazz Festival on June
30. Watch each of them on You Tube: a soulful Mavis (is there
any other Mavis?) doing
"Hard Times
Come Again No More" for the Stephen Foster tribute album,
Beautiful Dreamer. (That's Buddy Miller on guitar), and
Allen Toussaint plays a medley of some of his songs
here
You can listen to him hosting an episode of "Piano Jazz" on NPR
along with Elvis Costello
here.
Note:
a reminder that neither of the above shows have been
announced, but in the middle of winter, there's nothing wrong
with being hopeful, and looking forward to warm weather and hot music...
Parting (video) shots:
D'Gary
Another artist on Béla Fleck's "Africa
Project" was the great guitarist from Madagascar, D'Gary. Catch
some of his licks in the video at right.
Weekend
events: close-out of Black History month, 2 Haiti fundraisers:
Coping
with February: It's good for the soul to think ahead to some great
music, live & on CD....