OK so it’s not just Ayanna Witter-Johnson and Robert Mitchell over the 4 days (there’s actually 100 performances by many different acts) but they were the highlight of the opening day at this high spec venue near Kings Cross.
Fatou is set to be the next sensation from Mali, a country embarrassingly rich in musical talent. She has a sound like no other and an easy charm that wins over audiences immediately. On the eve of the release of her debut album, due out on World Circuit, Fly wanted to find out what makes her tick Continue reading Fatoumata Diawara – Malian pathbreaker
We’ve been inundated with old and new disco of late but you can’t pass up on this 3 CD set that’s been “compiled with love” as its a fiting tribute to Loleatta Holloway and must have: The Definitive Salsoul Mixes!
Round up: despite a wobbly moment with the weather on Friday morning, the festival was flawless in every other way. Some great bands, clearly enjoying playing to audiences free to dance and enjoy the non-auditorium experience, strutted the various stages. My favourites were probably Alpha Blondy (I didn’t even know I liked his music that much before), Baaba Maal of course and Faiz Ali Faiz among the bigger names. The dynamo Nomfusi was a refreshing blast of energy and the reflexive Samuel Yirga caught my attention among the newer names.
It was great to see the festival so well organised. Almost no litter at all thanks to enterprising children getting money back on empty plastic glasses, the beautiful arboretum to wander through, great indian food and some damn fine coffee made it a real pleasure to be there. Continue reading WOMAD 2011
There’s big competition in the trendy and hip brass band section and I’m not talking Grimethorpe! Here’s the latest and the best, the debut album by the Hackney Colliery Band.
If you listened to the latest Gilles Peterson Radio 1 show you’ll know he said “They keep telling me there’s going to be an Acid Jazz revival” after playing a track from Burn!; listen to the whole album and you’ll believe it!
There’s nothing like it when it comes to UK Soul legend Omar and if you listened to the latest Gilles Peterson show you’ll know that Omar’s latest album is monster when droppin’ names like Estelle, Angie Stone and Stevie Wonder!
Amy Winehouse has been found dead at her home in northLondon. Aged just 27, the soul singer who was raised on jazz in her Jewish home, will be missed for her amazing voice by music lovers and by the tabloids for her public struggle with booze and drugs.
The Roots make a welcome return to London for their first headline show in 2 years. On the cusp of celebrating 25 years of shape shifting Hip Hop creativity that has delivered to a devoted global community nine eclectic albums driven by bold musical concepts, unique collaborations, and profound lyrical themes that one critic defined as “cold eyed Hip Hop existentialism”, Philadelphia’s favourite politically motivated hip hop/funk/jazz collective will be taking the stage at London’s most iconic entertainment venue, the HMV Hammersmith Apollo. Continue reading The Roots in London on 19 August, 2011
”Yeah, that’s nicely different from Crewdson, ‘Electric Wing’ [on] an album to watch out for called Gravity” Gilles Peterson, Radio 1. With Gilles Peterson’s seal of approval (not only that, Mrs Hectic thought it was the best track that he played on his show last week), it is all looking good for the debut release from Crewdson. Continue reading Crewdson – Gravity
The label that calls itself Year Zero certainly had a bit of a year zero concept when they thought up the musical compilation of a six set history of New York’s musical melting pot; so let’s investigate how high they got on with the first edition covering 1945-59.
Notes:Abigail Washburn and The Village (USA), Afrocubism (Mali/Cuba), Alejandro Toledo and The Magic Tombolinos (UK), Alpha Blondy (Cote D’Ivoire), Aurelio (Honduras), Axel Krygier (Argentina), Baaba Maal (Senegal), Bajah and the Dry-Eye Crew (Sierra Leone), Ballake Sissoko & Vincent Segal (France/Mali), Bellowhead (UK), Bomba Estéreo (Colombia), Booker T Jones (USA), Brassroots (UK), The Boxettes (UK), CW Stoneking (Australia), Danyel Waro (Reunion Island), Dhol Foundation (UK), Dhols of Jaipur (India), Donso (Mali/France), Dub Colossus (Ethiopia/UK), Easy Star All-Stars (USA), Ebo Taylor (Ghana), Gogol Bordello (USA), The Gotipuas, young dancers and acrobats from Orissa (India), Hassan Erraji’s MoRoccan Rollers (Morocco/UK), I Am Kloot (UK), Jamie Smith’s Mabon (Wales), Khaira Arby (Mali), Lau (UK), Le Trio Joubran (Palestine), Mahala Rai Banda (Romania), Majorstuen (Norway), Mungo’s Hi-fi (UK), Nathalie Natiembe (Reunion Island), The Nextmen & MC Wrec (UK), Nidi D’Arac (Italy), Nomfusi & The Lucky Charms (South Africa), Pacific Curls (New Zealand), Penguin Café (UK), Rodrigo y Gabriela (Mexico), Samuel Yirga (Ethiopia), Shunsuke Kimura & Etsuro Ono (Japan), Submotion Orchestra (UK), Susheela Raman (UK), Taraf de Haidouks (Romania), 9Bach (Wales)
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Amy Winehouse has been found dead at her home in north London. Aged just 27, the soul singer who was raised on jazz in her Jewish home, will be missed for her amazing voice by music lovers and by the tabloids for her public struggle with booze and drugs.
