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Some event notes
See the newly updated event listings (www.events.to-music.ca), for details of these and many other shows. A few items of note: The Lula Lounge has a number of interesting shows coming up: “world jazz” on Friday nights (early show before the salsa takes over) including& Haitian roots (Feb. 24) & Mexican jazz (Mar 2) in the […]
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Etta James & Johnny Otis
It’s been more than a week since the deaths of those two giant figures of American R&B: Johnny Otis, and his greatest discovery, Etta James. My initial comments on Otis’ death are in a post below, and they’ve both received significant media coverage, especially James, although Lynn Crosbie in the Globe & Mail this week […]
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RIP, Johnny Otis
A giant of American popular music died on January 17 at the age of 90. Johnny Otis discovered, produced, recorded Big Mama Thornton, Etta James, Esther Phillips and so many others; He helped create the R&B sound in the 1950’s and kept many of its early stars touring and performing through the 60’s and 70’s. […]
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CKLN gone; Radio Regent now online
A parallel story to the post below about CIUT’s 25th anniversary, and a lesson about the vulnerabilities of local, non-commercial radio… As most readers know, what was Toronto’s first and longest-running community radio station, CKLN (88.1) sadly went off the air last year and lost its broadcast license. It continued broadcasting online from a studio […]
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CIUT FM: 25th Anniversary Open House and party: Jan. 15
Given the precarious state of community and other non-commercial radio, this Sunday marks a remarkable event: 25 years since CIUT began broadcasting on the FM dial. So the station is inviting all listeners & supporters to a 25 anniversary celebration: Sunday, Jan 15, 1-6pm Music Room, Hart House, University of Toronto (Map) CIUT hosts, staff, […]
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Assorted Notes: Duke Ellington, Khaira Arby, Cesaria Evora, and more
From here and there… Duke Ellington: Jan 2 – live concert only $1.00! I found some parts of the Dec. 31, 1942 Toronto Star stuffed into a crack in my basement wall recently. While the war dominated headlines, the ad for Duke Ellington’s January 2 performance at the Royal York — advance tickets $1 — […]
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Etta James: Last chance to catch radio documentary
One of the greatest R&B singers ever is now dying. Last week, the BBC rebroadcast an excellent 2006 radio documentary about her life & career. I highly recommend it. There are 3 30 minute episodes; Part 1 will be taken off line about 8pm EST Monday (Dec 26), and Parts 2 & 3 on Tuesday […]
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Bombino: Nov 29 concert archived online & interview
Update: Full audio of this concert is archived here The excellent new Tuareg guitarist, Omar Moctar, known as Bombino, played a blistering set this past July at the Lula Lounge, to a highly enthusiastic, but much-too-small audience. He’s touring again, but unfortunately will miss Toronto this time around. Catch him live online though, in a […]
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Benefit concert for John Collins with Afrafranto: Dec. 11: Updated Dec 10
One of the greatest archivists and collectors of West African music, Professor John Collins of Ghana last month experienced a severe flood and mudslide, which damaaged and destroyed much of the material he has been assembling since the 1970’s. His home is in the same premises, and his family narrowly escapted drowning. The Bokoor African […]
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Odds, ends & catchups
As noted previously, I haven’t been able to post updates or newsletters recently. The events page (www.events.to-music.ca) now has extensive updates through the new year. Below are a few scatttered items that have been accumulating recently, in no particular order: “Music for Peace” Steve Paikin, on TVO’s “The Agenda” interviews David Buchbinder (Flying Klezmer Bulgar […]