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Newport Folk & WOMAD festival: audio, video, photos online
Two major music festivals were held last weekend: The Newport Folk Festival and in England, WOMAD. Some info, audio, video and photos from those events: NEWPORT Most concerts are archived online on the NPR website. Last night, I enjoyed Ramblin’ Jack Elliott’s performance (with Pete Seeger guesting). One of a kind, and a true treasure. […]
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“Life could be a dream, sweetheart” : Toronto & the birth of rock & roll
The Torontoist on Jul. 30, carried an interesting article on one Toronto group’s role in the birth of rock & roll. In 1954, a vocal quartet, The Crew Cuts, were, as their name suggests, a classic example of the then-prevailing trend to have white musicians cover popular songs recorded by black musicians. This phenomenon of […]
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Musical notes from here & there
A few random musical notes Khaira Arby: The singer from Mali made her first North American tour last fall. Here in Toronto, she sang at the Ashkenaz Festival over Labour Day weekend as a guest with the New York group Sway Machine (and also earlier that day live on air at CIUT FM). I was […]
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High Def concert videos posted: videos.to-music.ca
I’ve created a new site to post some recent (and not so recent) HD concert videos I’ve taken. See www.videos.to-music.ca Posted so far: Bombino @ Lula Lounge, Jul. 12 Thomas Mapfumo @ Lula Lounge, Jul. 11 Kabakuwo @ Lula Lounge, Jun. 30 Yemen Blues @ Luminato, Jun. 12 Freddie Gwala, Platform One & Tich Maredza, […]
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Documentary on Zimbabwean music in North America nears completion
A couple of years ago, I was contacted by Doug & Laurel Epps in Colorado who asked permission to use a couple of my photos of Thomas Mapfumo in concert. They were making a documentary on the beginnings of Zimbabwean music in North America and its spread. Now after four years of work, it’s almost […]
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Ballake Sissoko & Vincent Segal: “Chamber Music” in performance
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Notes: Mapfumo, Bombino, Ragovoy, Congotronics &…
Shows at the Lula last week As noted in another post, Thomas Mapfumo closed out Afrofest, but because some of his band members didn’t get visas for Canada, filled in with some local musicians (including guitarist Larry Lewis & Tich Maredza on bass). Mapfumo wasn’t happy with the struggles to get the tightness he wanted, […]
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Afrofest replay: audio & video
A strange bout of flu made me miss my first Afrofest in years, but whether you were there or not, you can catch some of its performances. CIUT FM, as always, broadcast most of the two day festival, and has archived all the performances it broadcast. Listen here I talked to many people who were […]
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Yemen Blues, and other event and musical notes
Event notes: (See www.events.to-music.ca for full details of these and other upcoming shows & events) Luminato Festival is now in full swing, with events all over the map (figuratively and literally), including free concerts nightly at Metro Square (now David Pecault Square) at King & John, including Art of Time Ensemble, Delhi 2 Dublin with Malkit […]
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Happy 100th Birthday to Big Joe Turner
Slightly belated congratulations to the greatest of the blues shouters, who was born in Kansas City on May 18, 1911. I’m sure Joe won’t mind me being a day late, as he’s been playing a steady gig in R&B heaven since 1985. He started singing on the streets & in church, and later became known […]