T.O. Music Pix Newsletter #115: August 6, 2010 Click here for information on
subscribing and an index of past newsletters
Weekend alert: For details on these and many more shows), see the Events page.
In this newsletter:
1. Friday: "Island Grooves & California
Country"
2. Two African music festivals this weekend
3. Harbourfront: "What is Classical?" highlights
4. Upcoming
5. Khaila Arby: First North American Tour - Harbourfront show?
Friday night: Island Grooves & California Country
Two of Toronto's top bands playing
island-inspired music are on tonight; you can easily catch both:
Kobo Town
- some excellent,Trinidadian-based music play a free show at the
Gladstone (Melody Bar) at 7pm. (Gladstone World & Batuki Music).
Last Saturday, the Guinean-born
singer hosted a great CD launch with guests Sekouba Bambino and
Alpha Yaya Diallo. This weekend she is hosting two nights:
Friday: Mamaya Concert
with an excellent lineup including Amadou Sodia (singer and
bolon player), Doussou Koulibaly (a rare female kamale ngoni
player). Also featuring Tapa Diarra and Mohammed Diaby. At the
Matonge nightclub, Parliament & Shuter ($25)
Sunday: Free Mamaya
Festival, 1-9pm at Metro Hall. Check the Mamaya page for more
info
Senegalese griot, drummer and
dancer Tamsir Seck holds his third annual "Xawaré" a
Senegalese traditional event organized by the royal
elite of Senegalese Kingdoms centuries ago, as a way to entertain
their guests and invitees. There are two nights to this event
this year:
Friday: Sabar drumming
and dance workshops at 25
Cecil St. (Steelworkers Hall, near Spadina & College):
Saturday: Gala International Afro
Canadian night at 237 Sackville. Performers (besides Tamsir)
include Thiokh Diagne, Papa Ndiaye, Elage Mbaye, El hadj Diouf,
and more. Tickets $20adv, $25 door. For info, call Marc 647
686-3549 or Orkaia 647 834-2191. (Show is advertised as 9pm, but
likely won't start until at least 10...)
Those who have seen Tamsir
perform on his own or with other bands know the energy and
passion he brings to the stage.
This annual
theme weekend is becoming one of Harbourfront's most
interesting. Check the link above for full details of music and
other events. A few musical performances to watch for:
Friday : Three
performances on the main (Sirius) stage: Vidushi Sumitra Guha
(Indian classical singer) at 8, "Tabla Guy" (Gurpreet Chana) &
Mason Bach (violin) at 9, followed by Harry Manx, Canadian
blues guitarist who also studied with VM Bhatt for five years
learning Bhatt's Mohan Veena, a 20-string guitar/sitar hybrid.
All the performers will be part of the 9:30 closing concert.
Saturday:
Orchestra
Piazza Vittorio, a large orchestra, based in Italy,
composed of immigrants to Italy from 11 countries, who speak 8
languages. They come highly recommended by Ken Stowar of CIUT's
Global Rhythms. You can catch them three times and four
ways:
Open rehearsal, 3:30pm
Film: The Orchestra of
Piazza Vittorio: documentary about the birth of this
orchestra (Studio Theatre).
Concert: An adaption of
Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute. 8pm. . NOTE: The concert
will be broadcast live on CIUT-FM,
89.5
There is much
more on at Harbourfront during the weekend.
Upcoming - a brief list
Monday night: Blues from the
Delta & from Kenya:
David "Honeyboy" Edwards,
one of the last of the original Delta bluesmen, is now 95,
but will be playing at Hugh's Room
Adam Solomon, plays a solo, "African Blues" show at Highway
61 (1620 Bayview, south of Eglinton)
Ramblin' Jack Elliott: Wed &
Thur at Hugh's Room
Harbourfront's "Hot & Spicy
Food Festival", Aug 13-15
A capella greats the
Persuasions perform, and are featured in a documentary
"Square Dancing to an
African beat" with Stan Dueck and Madagascar Slim. 6:30.
Who needs to say more? But more info is
here
Delhi 2 Dublin: Saturday
night.
African Dance Festival, Aug.
15: Nathan Phillips Square
Eliades Ochoa: Aug. 20 at the
Lula
An extremely rare chance to
catch the great Cuban guitarist in a club setting
Khaira
Arby: First time in North America
One very notable act that seems
to be scheduled at Harbourfront (but not yet announced) is
Malian singer Khaira Arby, who is making her first North
American tour, supporting her new CD, Timbuktu Tarab. She
is a cousin of the late Ali Farka Touré, and her music reflects
both her Songhai and Berber roots. You can read much more about
her
here. Press info lists her as playing Harbourfront Monday,
Sep. 6.
