:: Saturday, March 05, 2005 ::

African Blues/African Guitar Summit in Toronto

Toronto(March 5)—African Blues, the semi-regular showcase of talent featuring Slim et Donne with Ndidi Onukwulu and Adam Solomon is firing up at the Silver Dollar Room, Saturday, March 5, 10pm. Admission $10.


The show features three of the six members of the Juno nominated African Guitar Summit recording (CBC Records) brought together by producer Todd Fraracci. Madagascar Slim has enjoyed two Juno wins, in his own name and with Tri-Continental. He has teamed up with Malagassy guitarist, singer and songwriter, Donne Robert in this current project, watch for a new CD to be released this spring.


Adam Solomon has toured Canada with the Afronubians and Tikisa playing his pan African blend and released African Renaissance Blues, his solo blues work, to much acclaim. Ndidi Onukwulu has been laying waste to audiences performing her original blues, accompanied by Slim et Donne. Tom Sertsis (bass) and Rakesh Tewari (drums / percussion) fill out the Slim et Donne quartet.

---

On the Web:
Silver Dollar Room

:: Les Coles Saturday, March 05, 2005 [+] ::

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8th Annual Tokyo WOMENFEST 2005

Just a reminder, the 8th Annual Tokyo WOMENFEST 2005 is only a wekk away



Click on image above to send a Tokyo WOMENFEST 2005 she-card


This in from sister Helen Northeast:

WOMENFEST 2005
Mark your calendars for the 8th Annual Tokyo WOMENFEST 2005 on Sunday
March 13 in Ebisu at What the Dickens!

WOMENFEST 2005 showcases local female talent in music, dance and comedy as a way of celebrating International Women's Day.

Doors open 3:00 PM, shows start at 3:30 PM and continue until around
11:30 PM. Everyone is welcome -- men, women and kids.

Tickets are available for ¥1,500 at the door and re-entry is OK.
Kids free!
Smoking section on the upper level and outside.
Lower level non-smoking.
Vegetarian and regular pub food is available.

Performers include:
  •AKAONIDAIKO—Taiko Drums
  •ANNA MACKIE & MIEKO YAGI—Jazz vocals/keyboards
  •CAFE CREME TOKYO—French chansons
  •LENNE HARDT—Cabaret
  •MATAMA TAKAHASHI—Violin
  •MICHELINE—Fusion Dance
  •MOMOSEN—Improvisational Dance
  •TOKYO COMEDY STORE'S SPONTANEOUS CONFUSION—Improv
  •ZILLI—Belly Dance
  •THE INSISTUZ—R & B/pop/rock
    featuring
    PAULA TERRY—vocals
    HELEN NORTHEAST—bass & vocals
    CLAUDIA—vocals
    SHION LEE—keyboards & vocals
    JAMES BALDWIN—harmonica
    BILL BENFIELD—guitar/mandolin
    STEVEN COLEMAN—guitar
    ANDY MATSUKAMI—drums & vocals
with SPRING DAY as emcee


To have your talent considered for WomenFest or for more information about the show, please contact: Helen Northeast. Tel: 0422-41-6258 (Tel/Fax) Mobile: 090-8744-9598 Email: helen@gol.com<

All proceeds of WomenFest 2005 go to pay the talent and sound crew at the show as a means to support female artists. This is a non-profit event organized entirely by Helen Northeast and a small volunteer staff.

Info:

Tickets  ¥1,500
What:    8th Annual Tokyo WOMENFEST 2005
When: Sunday, March 13, 3 p.m.
How much: ¥1,500
Where:    What the Dickens!
          4F Roob 6 Bldg.
          Ebisu-Nishi 1-13-3
          Shibuya-ku
          Tel: 03-3780-2099
Map: http://www.eigomedia.com/dickens/

Getting there:
Ebisu West Exit (front of the station, Hibiya Subway Line entrance)
Cross the street and turn up the street between Wendy's and KFC.
Look for the Roob Building on your left.)





Click here to send a WOMENFEST 2005 e-card

:: Les Coles Saturday, March 05, 2005 [+] ::

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Steve Earle at Canadian Music Week

Singer-guitarist bashes Kim Campbell and George Bush during chat

TORONTO (March 4)—Rabble-rousing musician Steve Earle, who won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album for The Revolution Starts...Now, made a bizarre appearance at Canadian Music Week on Friday, chatting about conspiracy theories and bashing U.S. President George W. Bush while also resurrecting his scuffle with former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell.

Currently on a sold-out cross-Canada tour, Earle said this visit is his first where he hasn't needed a "dog licence" to cross the border. "This is my first trip to Canada ever that didn't require a stack of paper this big," Earle, stretching his arms wide, said at a Q&A session designed to help new performers.

Earle, from Texas, was referring to a rehabilitation permit, required for entry by customs officers for those with criminal convictions.

But the 50-year-old singer-songwriter, who spent four months in jail on drug possession charges, says while it takes the average person five years to get such a permit, it has taken him a decade--and he blames Campbell.

"I pissed her off in the late 80s over the Satan's Choice case. There are a lot of Kim Campbell remnants in the Justice Ministry. It took me a long time to get a rehabilitation permit," said Earle.

His feelings for the one-time justice minister stem back to the late 1980s and early '90s when he threw his support behind two members of the motorcycle gang. He felt they'd been wrongly convicted of murder.

His passion for the case inspired him to write the song Justice In Ontario and even appear at a 1991 demonstration on Parliament Hill in support of setting the jailed men free.



The Revolution Starts.... Now


Earle is currently touring in support of The Revolution Starts.... Now.

The disc features songs like "F the CC" (an ode to the Federal Communications Commission) and "Condi, Condi," a tribute to what he calls "the extraterrestrial hotness" of Condoleezza Rice, the current U.S. Secretary of State.

Earle also spoke at length about Bush and right-wing American fundamentalist groups that want the U.S. to "dominate the world for the next 100 years."

"It's not a left-wing conspiracy theory. It's something that really exists," he said.

Unfortunately, he said, most Americans aren't paying attention.

"I think we're reaching a time in my country that people, as long as they're doing OK, don't want to look too deep."

He also warned that he sees "scary" things happening in Canada.

"You're too close to us. Rich powerful people in Canada are not going to be able to sit by and watch rich powerful people in the United States pay no taxes and have absolutely no restrictions from whatever they want to do from the government," he said.

"Canada's probably in more danger than any other country of catching this virus that emanates from my country."

He applauded the continued Canadian content (commonly known as Can-con) regulations which force radio stations to play up to 35 per cent made-in-Canada music.

"If I lived in a country that bordered a country like the United States, I think any type of protection of your own resources...is advisable," he said, adding that in his opinion the North American Free Trade Agreement only works in the U.S.'s favour.

"It means that you have an open door for trade in the United States until the United States wants to close it. One sick cow and it's closed," he said, making reference to the Canada's mad cow scare.

He went on to say he wouldn't be surprised if an American owned most of Canada's fresh water rights.

"It's possible," he said. "No one in this room can tell me for a fact that isn't true. I'm always suspicious."

After his show in Toronto, he moves on to perform in Ottawa, Montreal, Moncton, N.B., and Halifax.

---

On the Web:
Steve Earle

:: Les Coles Friday, March 04, 2005 [+] ::

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Busy Year for Bob Dylan

Tours, Scorsese movie and outtakes album slated for 2005

March 4—Bob Dylan may need more than one cup of coffee for the road in 2005: The sixty-three-year-old legend's schedule includes a spring tour with country veteran Merle Haggard, a possible repeat of last summer's outing with Willie Nelson, the paperback release of his best-selling memoir, Chronicles: Volume One, and a Martin Scorsese-helmed documentary.

First up is the two-month-long tour with Haggard, beginning Monday in Seattle. The country singer-songwriter's 1969 hit "Okie From Muskogee" ("We don't burn no draft cards down on Main Street") assailed the counterculture that claimed Dylan as a leader. But the sixty-seven-year-old Haggard says he's "as big a Bob Dylan fan as anybody. I haven't been a show opener for years, and I wouldn't open for just anybody. But I'm honored to do it for Bob. There's a lot of similarities between us: We both play guitar, we both live in America and we're both probably better songwriters than we are singers."

Haggard says he hasn't yet bought a copy of Chronicles, but more than 500,000 others have. "It's an enormous success -- one of the best-selling memoirs of the year," says David Rosenthal, executive vice president of the book's publisher, Simon & Schuster, "Everything about this book has exceeded our expectations." Chronicles was nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award, with a winner to be announced on March 18th. (Another date to watch: Pulitzer Prize nominees are unveiled on April 4th.) A paperback version is due in October. Simon & Schuster also plans to publish Chronicles: Volume Two, but don't expect Dylan to deliver a manuscript anytime soon. "It'd be wonderful to have it in the next few years," says Rosenthal. "But we'll get it when we get it."

The excavation of Dylan's past will continue in Scorsese's two-part documentary, No Direction Home, due to air on PBS in September, followed by a DVD release. The three-and-a-half-hour film will draw from ten hours of taped Dylan interviews, conducted by his manager, Jeff Rosen. Using previously unseen footage from Dylan's archives, the movie will reportedly focus on the start of his career, from 1961 to 1966. "It's nonfiction -- maybe," Scorsese said in January. "With Bob Dylan, you never know."

A two-CD collection of outtakes and live recordings used in the film is tentatively set for an August 16th release, as the seventh volume in Dylan's Bootleg Series. The documentary will also spawn the Bob Dylan Scrapbook, which will include Dylan artifacts such as lyric sheets and contracts.

Meanwhile, Dylan is in the early stages of planning a second tour with Nelson. As for a new studio album, Dylan told Rolling Stone in October that he has "a bunch" of new songs written and that he hoped to record them "sometime in the beginning of the year."

Spurce: Rolling Stone

Bob Dylan tour dates:
3/7: Seattle, Paramount Theater
3/8: Seattle, Paramount Theater
3/9: Seattle, Paramount Theater
3/11: Portland, Chiles Center
3/12: Portland, Chiles Center
3/14: Oakland, Paramount Theater
3/15: Oakland, Paramount Theater
3/16: Oakland, Paramount Theater
3/18: Reno, NV, Reno Hilton
3/19: Las Vegas, Aladdin Theater
3/21: Los Angeles, Pantages Theater
3/22: Los Angeles, Pantages Theater
3/23: Los Angeles, Pantages Theater
3/25: Los Angeles, Pantages Theater
3/26: Los Angeles, Pantages Theater
3/28: Denver, Fillmore Auditorium
3/29: Denver, Fillmore Auditorium
4/1: Chicago, Auditorium Theater
4/2: Chicago, Auditorium Theater
4/3: Chicago, Auditorium Theater
4/5: Chicago, Auditorium Theater
4/6: Chicago, Auditorium Theater
4/8: Milwaukee, WI, Eagles Ballroom
4/9: Milwaukee, WI, Eagles Ballroom
4/11: Mt. Pleasant, MI, Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort
4/12: Detroit, Masonic Temple Theater
4/13: Buffalo, NY, Shea's Performing Arts Center
4/15: Boston, Orpheum Theater
4/16: Boston, Orpheum Theater
4/17: Boston, Orpheum Theater
4/19: Newark, NJ, New Jersey Performing Arts Center
4/20: Verona, NY, Turning Stone Casino and Resort
4/22: Mashantucket, CT, Foxwoods Resort Casino
4/24: Atlantic City, NJ, Borgata Resort Spa and Casino
4/25: New York, Beacon Theater
4/26: New York, Beacon Theater
4/28: New York, Beacon Theater
4/29: New York, Beacon Theater
4/30: New York, Beacon Theater

:: Les Coles Friday, March 04, 2005 [+] ::

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Jimbo Mathus--New Blues For Old

NASHVILLE (March 3)—Guitarist/vocalist Jimbo Mathus eschews blues repertory or revivalism. Though a devoted fan of Charley Patton and Jimmie Rodgers, Mathus' music has the raw power of vintage delta sounds but a completely contemporary and fresh lyrical direction and sensibility. In addition, Mathus--who will perform solo Saturday at Grimey's and with opening act Olga & Mark "Porkchop" Holder at Radio Café later that night--has not only built a reputation as a formidable and stirring soloist, he's also becoming a key figure as a producer and engineer, thanks to his new Delta Recording Service studio in downtown Clarksdale, Miss.

"There's been so much activity happening in here the last few months it's hard to keep track of everybody," Mathus said. "That's because the area is alive and full of talent, thanks to the folks at Fat Possum records, who got it started. They showed that you don't have to just keep on doing the same old thing, that you could take a fresh approach to the blues and say things that resonated among young people. Now we have everything from punk rockers to honky-tonkers and old blues guys wanting to record here."

Among the many projects cut at the Delta Recording Service is the splendid Jimbo Mathus Knockdown South, the debut release for Mathus' label.

"I've done a few things differently with this one," Mathus said in typically understated fashion.

If Son House or Tommy Johnson were just beginning, they would probably be making music similar to some of the tracks on Jimbo Mathus Knockdown South. The tune "Let Me Be Your Rocker" takes its main refrain from the astonishing yet almost totally unknown (outside the world of hardcore delta blues fans) Ishmon Bracy and is one of Mathus' favorite songs.

"I didn't want to just cover the song, but some of those lines were just incredible, and they had an amazing impact on me. So I decided to just take a part and then work some other things around it."

The same holds true for "Boogie Music," Mathus' tribute to venerable Memphis producer and musician Jim Dickinson that subverts the standard juke joint beat by stretching and extending it. Mathus also explores many other styles from the loping swamp pop feel of "Be That Way" to the lean, stripped down feel of "Crazy ‘Bout You." The instrumentation also reflects this convergence of acoustic and electric, traditional and experimental with some songs featuring mandolin and pedal steel, others accenting trap drums against slashing guitar or whirling electric piano lines being balanced by samples, loops and hip-hop references.

Mathus began playing guitar as a 6-year-old, and at one time co-led with his wife Katharine Whalen the Squirrel Nut Zippers, a unit that fused ragtime, early jazz and blues. But his preference has always been for the Mississippi sound, and that's been his specialty the past eight years.

During that time he's also appeared on two acclaimed Buddy Guy releases, toured with him and found time to work with the North Mississippi All Stars and Jessie Mae Hemphill among others.

"We're really celebrating the great music of Mississippi now," Mathus said. "That sound is still vibrant and still fascinating."

---

What: Jimbo Mathus Knockdown South trio
When: 5:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Grimey's New and Preloved Records, 1604 Eighth Ave. S. and Radio Café, 1313 Woodland St.
Cost: Free at Grimey's; $5 at Radio Café
Info: 228-6045

Source: Nashville City Paper

---

On the Web:
Jimbo Mathus
Grimey's New and Preloved Records

:: Les Coles Friday, March 04, 2005 [+] ::

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The Canadian Music Week Industry Awards took place Thursday in Toronto, honouring the people and companies that help the music get into your hands. Former talk-show host Mike Bullard hosted the night and helped induct two new names into the Hall Of Fame—Brian Robertson, president of the Canadian Recording Industry Association, and Gary Slaight, president and CEO of the Standard Broadcasting Corporation Limited. Other highlights from the ceremony were MapleMusic winning Canadian Independent Label Of The Year, Universal winning Major Label Of The Year and rapper K-Os was named the Canadian Talent Development Story Of The Year.

More awards will be handed out during the remainder of CMW. On Saturday, Carla Collins hosts the Canadian Radio Music Awards with performances from Matt Dusk and K-OS. There will be a tribute to Gordon Lightfoot at the ceremony as he is inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall Of Fame.

---

On the Web:
Canadian Music Week 2005

:: Les Coles Friday, March 04, 2005 [+] ::

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Joe Carter, of the Carter Family, dies at 78

Joe Carter, a member of country music's most influential family, died Wednesday (March 2) after battling pancreatic cancer. He was 78.

The Carter Family, led by Joe's parents A.P. and Sara, is credited with revolutionising country music in the 1920s and 30s, by presenting shows of country and bluegrass music every weekend.

They influenced artists including Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Woody Guthrie.

Carter was a cornerstone of the preservation of old-time mountain music and with his sister Janette, helped build the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, Va. to preserve the family's traditional music.

The niece who announced Carter's death, Rita Forrester, is a Fold executive.

Carter was 5 months old when he traveled with his parents from Maces Springs to Bristol in 1927 for a recording session that has been called "the big bang of country music."

It launched the careers of A.P., Sara and her cousin, Maybelle Carter, as the Carter Family trio. Maybelle Carter's daughter was June Carter Cash, the wife of Johnny Cash.

Joe Carter, who performed at the Carter Family Fold, was the last direct connection to anyone who was at that original session, his friend Tim White said Thursday.

Musical innovators
Joe later joined his parents, siblings and other family members on stage and the clan was credited with switching the emphasis from hillbilly instrumentals to vocals.

They also fused gospel with a huge repertoire of Appalachian folk songs and created a new technique of guitar-playing.

"Although the family was aware of the imminence of Joe's death, his passing has deeply affected Janette and the rest of the tightly-knit family," a statement said.

The family also included Sara's cousin Maybelle and her daughter June, who was married to Johnny Cash.

Will the Circle be Unbroken
A.P Carter

I was standing by my window 
On a cold and cloudy day
When I saw that hearse come rolling
For to carry my mother away

Will the circle be unbroken
By and by, Lord, by and by 
There’s a better home awaiting
In the sky, Lord, in the sky

Well I followed close behind her
Tried to hold up and be brave
But I could not hide my sorrow
When they laid her in the grave

Will the circle be unbroken
By and by, Lord, by and by 
There’s a better home awaiting
In the sky, Lord, in the sky

One by one the seats were emptied
One by one, they went away
Now that family, they are parted
Will they meet again someday

Will the circle be unbroken
By and by, Lord, by and by 
There’s a better home awaiting
In the sky, Lord, in the sky

:: Les Coles Friday, March 04, 2005 [+] ::

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29th Annual Beale Street Music Festival

(March 3)—The 29th Annual Beale Street Music Festival will feature several returning acts, such as The Black Crowes, as well as some new faces, including The Killers.

The music festival takes place at Tom Lee Park April 29—May 1.

Lineup
Friday:
Egypt Central, Yo Gotti, Seether, Nickel Creek, Trey Anatasio, Ingram Hill, Gavin Degraw, Mavis Staples, The Wallflowers, American Hi-Fi, Bowling for Soup, Switchfoot, Ozomatli, Jack Johnson, Carey Bell, Popa Chubby, WC Clark, Tommy Castro.

Saturday:
Particle, Todd Snider, Little Feat, Al Kapone, KC & The Sunshine Band, Nelly, Breaking Point, Ricky Warwick, Tesla, Crossfade, Three Day's Grace, The Killers, Will Graves, Jerry Lee Lewis, Spin Doctors, North Mississippi Allstars, Jonny Lang, Los Lonely Boys, Robert Beflour, Pinetop Perkins, Nigel Mooney, Hurbert Sumlin, Alvin Youngblood Hart's Music Theory, John Mooney, Guitar Shorty.

Sunday:
Billy Lee Riley, Lisa Marie Presley, War, Billy Idol, The Black Crowes, Bloodthirsty Lovers, Ben Kweller, Ike Turner & The Kings of Rhythm, Elvis Costello, Sarah McLachlan, Reliant K, Chevelle, Mediski Martin & Wood, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, The Roots, Kenny Brown, EG Knight, Robert Jr. Lockwood, James Cotton Blues Band, Johnny Winter.






2004 Beale Street Music Festival Poster



George Hunt created the artwork for the 2004 Beale Street Music Festival poster. The story -- and I'm telling this loosely -- is all about Memphis music. The woman at the top represents pop music. Blues music is the hot redheaded player on the left and jazz is the cool musician on the right (obscured by artist Hunt because I'm a terrible photographer). In the middle is the baby, Rock and Roll. Hunt conjured a story about the Blues being gone for 11 months and 29 days to Parchman, coming back to Pop music and finding Jazz hanging around and a baby that wasn't his. He stomps off but mama soon cries out: "Come Back Sweet PaPa."

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On the Web:
Beale Street Music Festival

:: Les Coles Friday, March 04, 2005 [+] ::

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27th Annual Playboy Jazz Festival

Hollywood (March 3)—The line-up for the 27th Annual Playboy Jazz Festival was announced at a Press Conference at the Playboy Mansion, March 2.

The 27th Annual Playboy Jazz Festival will spotlight the future when it presents an eclectic line-up of renowned legends and young, up and coming stars that showcase the many variations of jazz from contemporary to straight-ahead, bop to big band, blues to R&B, swing to salsa, world music and hip-hop.

Line-Up:
Saturday, June 11:
Boney James, Ramsey Lewis Trio, Joshua Redman Elastic Band, KEB’ MO’, Norman Brown’s Summer Storm starring Peabody Bryson, Brenda Russell, and Everett Harp, The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra Legacy: A Celebration featuring Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Jon Faddis, Israel “Cachao” Lopez Y Su Orquesta, Joey DeFrancesco/Kenny Burrell Quartet-In a tribute to Jimmy Smith, Stix Hooper & ViewPoint, Jazz Tap Ensemble and Caravan Project, and L.A. Multi-School Jazz Band directed by Reggie Andrews.

Sunday, June 12:
George Benson, The Saxophone Summit featuring Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano, and Dave Liebman, Dr. John, Gilberto Santa Rosa, The Heath Brothers featuring Jimmy Heath, Percy Heath, Albert “Tootie” Heath, and Jeb Patton, Chico Hamilton and Euphoria, Roy Ayers, daKAH HIP HOP Orchestra, Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, Ledisi, North Hollywood High School Jazz Band directed by Jonathan Kenion.

Tickets go on sale May 7th, 2005 through Ticketmaster or at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office on May 7th, 2005. Playboy Jazz Festival Hotline (310)449-4070.





2004 Playboy Jazz Festival Poster


On the Web:
2005 Playboy Jazz Festival

:: Les Coles Friday, March 04, 2005 [+] ::

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Java Jazz Fest in Jakarta

JAKARTA (March 5)—Friday night figures to be a real treat for music buffs in the capital, as the Java Jazz Festival kicks off with performances from some of the top soul, blues and jazz performers in the world.

The festival starts at 4 p.m. with a performance by Jakarta-based dance company Eksotika Karmawibangha Indonesia, and will be backed by percussionist Adjie Rao and veteran musician Steve Reid. Most aficionados will, however, no doubt be eagerly awaiting "The Godfather of Soul", none other than the incomparable James Brown.

Brown, a charter member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is known for his electrifying performances and that is what is hoped for by Jakartans when his show kicks off at 11 p.m. on the main stage -- erected inside the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) plenary hall.

Also set to perform on the main stage will be fusion pianist George Duke and smooth jazz saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa along with his all-star band, who will take turns doing cameos on stage. Duke is scheduled for 6:30 p.m and Kashiwa at 8:45 p.m.

Duke will also be accompanied on stage by Indonesia's award-winning singer, Ruth Sahanaya, while Kashiwa will feature the local rhythm & blues (R&B) crooner Glenn Fredly.

Duke, a Grammy-winning bandleader, producer, composer and keyboardist, has worked with some of the all-time greats in the music business -- the likes of Anita Baker, Frank Zappa and Al Jarreau.

Next to the main stage, inside JCC's Cendrawasih room, keyboardist/singer Amp Fiddler is expected to take the stage at 10 p.m.

Fiddler is known for his versatility and talent that spans jazz, R & B, soul, funk and hip hop.

Also performing on stage will be the local band Groove, playing acid jazz in the same vein as Incognito and Brand New Heavies. The band will kick off at 6 p.m.

For those who cannot do without their fix of female jazz crooners, an evening performance by Tania Maria and Laura Fygi should not be missed. Maria will take the stage inside Assembly Hall 1 at 7 p.m, while Fygi will perform at 8 p.m.

After leaving Dutch girl group Centerfold, Fygi embarked on a solo career in 1992, pursuing a more jazz-inspired path, and regularly covers jazz standards from 1940s and 1950s.

Brazilian-born Tania Maria has been known internationally for her vibrant voice which, belts out the most lyrical and appealing elements of jazz, pop, blues and Brazilian-inspired songs. Live performances remain her true essence.

Sharing the stage with the two jazz divas will be one of Indonesia's best jazz ensembles, Krakatau.

Led by keyboardist Dwiki Darmawan, the band is renowned for elegantly marrying modern jazz with traditional Indonesian music with impressive results.

Krakatau has also been invited to perform at the venerable North Sea Jazz festival in July this year.

Another Indonesian band, who has followed in the path of Krakatau, Simak Dialog, will make their debut at the festival, at 9 p.m. on a stage set up inside Assembly Hall 3.

The band, led by keyboardist Riza Arshad has won praise on the local jazz scene for successfully blending European-style jazz with local traditional music, especially the vocal arrangement.

So, music fans, cancel all other engagements, turn your cellular devices off, send the kids to grandma's house and prepare for some seriously brilliant jazz, blues and soul.

Source: Jakarta Post

---

On the Web:
For further information regarding the festival or for the full schedule of events visit Jakarta Jazz Festival

:: Les Coles Thursday, March 03, 2005 [+] ::

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Diana Ross Gets Keys to Paris

For those of you wondering why Diane Ross wasn't at the Tokyo International Forum yesterday, the answer is she was receiving the keys to Parisfrom the city's mayor, Bertrand Delanoe, who paid homage to her "immense talent" during a ceremony late Tuesday in the capital’s City Hall.

"I love Paris, which symbolizes art, glamour and fashion," 60-year-old Ross said as she was handed the city's top honor.

Delanoe said: "The values you espouse, dear Diana, are the values of Paris."

:: Les Coles Thursday, March 03, 2005 [+] ::

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Earl Scruggs to be Honored in Nashville

Country and bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs is to be presented with an honorary doctorate from scholars at the Berklee College of Music on March 15.

More than 150 Berklee students are expected to attend the ceremony at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee, which will feature performances by Bela Fleck, Ricky Skaggs and Marty Stuart among others.

.

:: Les Coles Thursday, March 03, 2005 [+] ::

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...And All That Jazz Memorabilia! Take 2

Indianapolis (March 4)—One of the largest collections of jazz memorabilia (mostly photographs) is up for sale, according to Tuesday's New York Times (See previous post).

But Pittsboro's Duncan Schiedt isn't going in the direction of his old friend Frank Driggs, the New Yorker whose wish is to unload nearly 100,000 items the Times made public.

"I'd like to hold on to all of it," Schiedt, 83, told The Star from his home. "It's a great pleasure to be called and a great kick to lend things out. There's still something every week."

Driggs told the Times he could use the money and wants his collection to go to an organization that knows its value and will put it on display.

Schiedt, on the other hand, worries that institutions tend to hide too much of such collections away, even though they know how to take care of them. He estimates his collection includes 5,000 to 6,000 historical photographs, plus 10,000 of his own. Among the other memorabilia is a cigar box with autographs of the classic Paul Whiteman Orchestra, including Bix Beiderbecke.

"I'm not scratching for money," he said. "I'm in retirement and happy with it. I do things that I like and I can go to festivals."

Eventually, "I'd rather let some individual take it -- someone who'd be fully aware what's in it, who could give answers to questions like 'Do you have a photograph of people in the early '30s dancing?' "

Source: Jay Harvey, The Indianapolis Star

---

On the Web:
Duncan Schiedt

:: Les Coles Thursday, March 03, 2005 [+] ::

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...And All That Jazz Memorabilia!

Hot on the heels of the incredible collection of jazz-related hardware, paperwork and other memorabilia that went under the hammer at Guernsey's auction house in New York on Feb. 20.

NEW YORK (March 1)—In a basement apartment on Charlton Street in the West Village, there are eight tall file cabinets stuffed with hundreds of dog-eared manila folders.

The cabinets do not look imposing or important, but they contain possibly the finest collection of jazz photos in the world.

Even people with a passing interest in jazz photographs may recall seeing the "Courtesy of the Frank Driggs Collection" tag on pictures in newspapers, magazines, books and documentaries.

Mr. Driggs has almost 100,000 pieces of jazz memorabilia, mostly photographs. Several hundred of them are published each year, and he was the biggest contributor of photos to Ken Burns's highly regarded television documentary chronicling the history of jazz.

Mr. Driggs has rarely displayed his collection publicly. He has never advertised, or even listed himself or his business in a phone directory. But after a half-century of diligent collecting, Mr. Driggs, 75, says he would like to devote more time to writing about jazz and practicing his trumpet. He is seeking to sell his collection and says he has approached several prominent jazz institutions, including Jazz at Lincoln Center. So far, a sale is not in the offing.

The collection has been appraised at $1.5 million by Dan Morgenstern, director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers in Newark. Not only could Mr. Driggs use the money, but he wants the collection to go to an organization that will value it and put the photographs on public display, he said.

The only problem is that Mr. Driggs does not seem ready to actually part with his photographs, each painstakingly procured and preserved. Most of them lack identification information, since Mr. Driggs, a lifelong fan and student of jazz, can identify most of the musicians in his collection by sight.

For years, the collection was a hobby, not a business. He used to estimate his inventory by the thickness of the folders of each band, musician or genre. But recently, a college student spent a few weeks counting the photographs and categorizing them. The student tallied 78,188 images in all—including 1,545 of Duke Ellington, 1,083 of Louis Armstrong, 692 of Benny Goodman, and 585 of Count Basie.

Most of the photos have never been published. Many may never be. Often, clients want the same few popular photographs of the most popular artists. There are few requests for Mr. Driggs's 57 photographs of Frankie Newton or the 199 of Red Nichols. Both are somewhat obscure trumpeters.

"I don't care; I like them," Mr. Driggs explained. "Most photo agencies have 5 or 10 pictures of Louis. "I have a thousand. Why? Because I want them."

The bulk of Mr. Driggs's archive - he calls it an American music collection—consists of early ragtime and rural blues artists and New Orleans groups up to big bands of the 1930's and 1940's.

To satisfy clients' requests , he has added other genres, like rock, country and pop. For example, he now has 46 photos of the tenor saxophonist Chu Berry, but also 58 photographs of Chuck Berry.

He showed off an original 1924 photograph of Louis Armstrong with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, autographed by Armstrong to Fate Marable, a riverboat bandleader who had hired Armstrong several years earlier. It was given to Mr. Driggs by the wife of Harry Dial, a drummer for Fats Waller.

Mr. Driggs keeps an additional eight cabinets of sheet music, negatives, playbills and other memorabilia in a large storage space nearby on Vandam Street.

But his main photo archive is kept in the basement of an 1827 town house once owned by Aaron Burr and now owned by Joan Peyser, a writer mostly on classical music and artists, with whom Mr. Driggs lives.

Before he moved back to Manhattan in April, he kept his collection in the basement of his house in Flatbush, which he sold last year to move in with Ms. Peyser. For years, visitors had taken the No. 2 train to the end of the line and called from a pay phone to have Mr. Driggs pick them up in his Ford Taurus.

"It was always word of mouth," Ms. Peyser said. "You had to work to find him. It was kind of a cult thing."

In one drawer, the Lee Morse folder is followed by Jelly Roll Morton and Gerry Mulligan. Anita O'Day is next to Jazz in Oklahoma. Stan Kenton is followed by B. B. King. Eartha Kitt is followed by Andy Kirk and his Clouds of Joy. The Nightclubs folder includes membership cards to the Stork Club, the Hunt Club, the Royal Box and Nick's.

Mr. Driggs has an electric typewriter in his office, but no computer. He uses Ms. Peyser's fax machine upstairs. The phone is old, and when it rang, it was an old-fashioned bell ring. Mr. Driggs answered it and said: "O.K., send me a fax. That's the easiest way."

"They want a picture of Snakehips Tucker, the great Harlem snake dancer," he said, pulling a folder labeled "Dancers (Afro American)" and flipping through the photos. "That's Chuck and Chuckles, and that's Peg Leg Bates. Man, he was some dancer. Come on, I got to have Snakehips Tucker in here somewhere. Where's Snakehips? Here it is." He pulled out a photo of a smiling man standing with his lithe body postured like the letter S.

Mr. Morgenstern, the jazz studies institute director, called the collection astonishing and of "tremendous depth."

"It's a unique assemblage of jazz materials you won't find anywhere else," he said. "Frank had the foresight and advantage to acquire these materials from the musicians and their estates, and now that they're all gone, he has this unique, one-of-a-kind treasure trove. There isn't another like it."

Most of Mr. Driggs's photographs are in the public domain, since many are publicity stills and others are family or personal photographs or professional pictures whose photographers are long forgotten. For pictures whose photographer is known, Mr. Driggs splits the publication fees with them, he said.

Mr. Driggs, whose father was a jazz musician, listened to jazz as a young boy in Vermont. When he was 6 his parents divorced, and he moved with his mother to Westchester County, where he listened to late-night radio broadcasts of jazz from nightclubs and hotel ballrooms.

After graduating from Princeton in 1952 with a degree in political science, he moved to Manhattan, working days as a page at NBC and spending nights listening to jazz at places like Basin Street, Jimmy Ryan's, Birdland, Cafe Bohemia and the Savoy Ballroom.

He began gathering and saving posters, fliers, ticket stubs, recordings and photos and other memorabilia. He checked out photograph sales and would ask musicians he interviewed for jazz magazines for access to their personal collections.

There was the stash that the tenor saxophonist Al Sears gave him. There were the negatives he bought from Leo Arsene, an entertainment photographer who had a shop on Seventh Avenue.

"I was interested in the history of jazz and I began buying photographs to fill in the gaps in my knowledge and gaps in the current accounts of the day," Mr. Driggs said.

One thing he never did was carry his own camera.

"I don't know why; don't ask," he said ruefully.

In the late 1950's, the legendary producer John Hammond hired Mr. Driggs to help him at Columbia Records. Soon Mr. Driggs was producing records, organizing recording sessions and putting out important re-issues of recordings by Fletcher Henderson, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Gene Krupa and the blues man Robert Johnson.

He left Columbia in the mid-1970's.

"I've been living off this stuff ever since," he said, patting his file cabinets lovingly

Source: COREY KILGANNON, New York Times

Related Blues Blog story:
Jazz: The Auction (Feb. 18)

:: Les Coles Thursday, March 03, 2005 [+] ::

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Martin Denny of 'Quiet Village' fame dies, 94

(March 3)—Pianist-bandleader Martin Denny, whose tropical brand of instrumental exotica met with wild popularity in the late '50s, died Wednesday in Hawai'i Kai, Hawaii. He was 94.

The classically trained musician formed a band in Waikiki that blended natural sounds, jazz rhythms and exotic percussion. In 1959, Denny's "Quiet Village" (which featured future Baja Marimba band leader Julius Wechter on vibraphone) became a top five pop hit, propelling the album Exotica to No. 1 on Billboard's album chart for five weeks.

Two other top five albums followed, but Denny's sound went into eclipse in the early '60s. He found a new audience during the early '90s, when the resurgence of "lounge music" rekindled interest in the music of Denny, Arthur Lyman, Esquivel and other '50s instrumentalists.

He continued to perform until shortly before his death.



Source: Hollywood Reporter

:: Les Coles Thursday, March 03, 2005 [+] ::

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Lenny Kravitz'Electric Church' European tour

Lenny Kravitz will play a one-off, intimate show in LONDON this summer.

The 'Are You Gonna Go My Way?' star, who released a new album Baptism last year, will play the Carling Hammersmith Apollo on July 21.

The date will be the final show on his 'Electric Church' European tour, which begins on June 3 in Verona and takes in 15 shows.

"When I was planning my tour, I decided that I wanted to get back to my roots, strip down the production and do something different. I haven't played theaters in years, and don't know when I'll be able to do it again, so this tour is going to be a great way to get out there and really connect with my fans," Kravitz said.

Tickets go on sale March 4 at 9 a.m. For availability, go to NME Tickets or call 0870 1 663 663.

:: Les Coles Thursday, March 03, 2005 [+] ::

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'Blues With A Vengeance' soars onto iTunes Charts in debut week

"The blues is a pimp because every time you have 'em, you go do something or get something to get rid of 'em." — John Lee Hooker as told to John Lee Hooker, Jr.




John Lee Hooker, Jr.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) March 2—Son of blues legend, singer John Lee Hooker, Jr., still reeling from his Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album and his W.C. Handy nomination in the Best New Artist Debut category, had another jolt of exciting news last week when the digital debut of his Blues with a Vengeance CD rocketed onto the iTunes charts.

In addition to being the only Blues CD in the Top 100 at the time, Blues with a Vengeance climbed to #57 on the Mainstream Album chart, making it one of the highest ranking blues records in iTunes history within that mainstream field. Also, noteworthy is that ten of the CD's total twelve tracks simultaneously ranked within the Top 100 on the Blues chart, with four tracks in the Top 20, and two in the Top 10 as the singles "Boom Boom" and "One Bourbon, One Scotch, and One Beer," respectively, climbed to Number One and Number Two.

Of course, the late great John Lee Hooker, Sr's music has been a constant on the Blues Charts, and so having his own music charting alongside his father's was a very special moment for John Lee Hooker, Jr.

John Lee Hooker, Jr. continues to tour with his band in support of Blues with a Vengeance and is about to embark on a European and Australian tour this month.




Blues With A Vengeance.
Track Listing
 1. Suspicious *
 2. Check Yourself *
 3. Blues Ain't Nothin' But A Pimp *
 4. Dimples *
 5. She Wasn't Nothin' But A Devil *
 6. Boom Boom *
 7. Keep It Real *
 8. I'm Leavin' *
 9. Goin' Down To Baghdad *
10. Stormy Monday *
11. Groove Thang *
12. One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer *

* Listen to MP3 sample

---

On the Web:
On The Hook Blues

Related Blues Blog story:
John Lee Hooker, Jr. Boards the Blues Train ( 6/30/2004)

:: Les Coles Thursday, March 03, 2005 [+] ::

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Playboy lineup

(March 2)—Boney James, Ramsey Lewis, Joshua Redman, Keb' Mo', George Benson, the Saxophone Summit (featuring Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano and Dave Liebman), Dr. John, Chico Hamilton and Roy Ayers have been announced as headliners at the 27th annual Playboy Jazz Festival.

The event will take place June 11-12 at the Hollywood Bowl.

Details when I get them.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

:: Les Coles Wednesday, March 02, 2005 [+] ::

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James Brown to perform for tsunami aid in Indonesia

JAKARTA (AFP) March 2— TheGodfather of Soul James Brown is to top a star-studded line-up of jazz greats performing this weekend in Indonesia's first major jazz festival in seven years, benefiting tsunami relief, organizers said.

A portion of ticket sales for the festival that starts Friday will be donated to victims of the December tsunami, chief organizer Paul Dankmeyer said.

Brown and jazz legend George Duke were among 80 bands and some 300 musicians from the United States, Japan, Brazil as well as Indonesia who are slated to perform at this weekend's Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival, Dankmeyer said.

Organizers will donate 15,000 rupiah (1.60 dollars) of each ticket sold to the tsunami relief effort, and are hoping to sell 30,000 tickets during the three-day event.

"Now is the right time to bring international and Indonesian jazz stars together ... there is a lot of curiosity as to what happened to jazz in Indonesia," he told AFP.

Artists including acid jazz outfit Incognito, Eric Benet, Tania Maria, Laura Fygi, the Earth Wind and Fire Experience and former Cassiopeia member Tatsuro Sakurai are on the bill, said Dankmeyer.

A separate tsunami charity concert featuring the same musicians is also being planned, Dankmeyer said.

Indonesia—which has faced a myriad of problems ranging from terrorism to natural disasters since the start of the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s—last held a major jazz concert in 1997.

The December tsunami disaster left more than 234,000 people dead or missing in Indonesia.

:: Les Coles Wednesday, March 02, 2005 [+] ::

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Diana Ross tour of Japan cancelled

TOKYO March 3—Just a reminder that, as far as I know, the Diana Ross concert scheduled for tonight (March 3) at Tokyo International Forum Hall A has been cancelled as has the rest of the Japan tour.

According to Diana-Web, an unofficial Diana Ross Web site:

PLEASE NOTE: These concerts are cancelled (they were never confirmed in the first place). 

This all according to Dick's Diana website:

February 28, 2005 - Osaka Festival Theater 
March 1, 2005 - Osaka Festival Theater 
March 3, 2005 - Tokyo International Forum 
March 4, 2005 - Tokyo International Forum 
March 8, 2005 - Kobe International Hall 
March 10, 2005 - Aichi Art Theater 
March 12, 2005 - Hokkaido Hall 

This website is in Japanese: 
http://www.aianet.ne.jp/~ges/databaseticket/itiosi/dianaross.htm

The Official Dian Ross Web site says nothing, it being one of those minimalist triumphs of form over function

:: Les Coles Wednesday, March 02, 2005 [+] ::

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Man charged with stealing Ray Charles' master recordings

LOS ANGELES (AP) March 2—Bail was reduced for a longtime sound engineer of the late Ray Charles following his arrest two weeks ago on allegations of stealing the singer's master recordings, authorities said.

Terry Howard, 48, of Burbank is charged with two counts of grand theft by embezzlement from Ray Charles Enterprises and one count of receiving stolen property.

At a hearing Tuesday, Superior Court Commissioner Dennis Mulcahy said Howard had no prior record and reduced bail from $1 million to $100,000.

Howard, arrested at his home Feb. 17, was scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on March 28.

An executive with Ray Charles Enterprises called police after visiting Howard at his home last month and seeing boxes of the singer's recordings, including master recordings, according to KCBS-TV, citing police.

"We did a search warrant on his home and we recovered several hundred items that had been identified as belonging to Ray Charles Enterprises," Detective Donald Hrycyk told the news station.

Defense attorney Steven Cron said he was convinced of Howard's innocence.

"Ray Charles counted on him for many, many years ... He's basically been working for Ray Charles for 20 years," the attorney said. "People just love this guy and respect him."

In a prepared statement, Charles publicist Jerry Digney said: "Whatever the outcome, Ray Charles Enterprises puts a high value on its assets, especially its master tapes and will do its utmost to insure their safety and proper handling along with protecting other irreplaceable valuables belonging to the late entertainer and to his estate."

Howard was one of the sound engineers on Charles' last album, the 2004 Genius Loves Company, which won eight Grammys and album of the year.

The famed singer and musician died June 10 at his Beverly Hills home of acute liver disease. He was 73.

Last year's biopic about Charles, "Ray," earned actor Jamie Foxx an Oscar for best actor.

:: Les Coles Wednesday, March 02, 2005 [+] ::

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Dylan, Dave, Dead Crowd Bonnaroo Live Set

Live tracks from Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews and the Dead lead the track list for Bonnaroo 2004, an audio chronicle of the third edition of the Manchester, Tenn.-based music festival. The double-disc set is due April 5 via Sanctuary.

Among the highlights are Dylan's set-opening "Down Along the Cove," the Dead's "Self Defense," Steve Winwood's version of Traffic's "Dear Mr. Fantasy," the Black Keys' run through "The Breaks" and My Morning Jacket's "One Big Holiday."

Live tracks from Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews and the Dead lead the track list for Bonnaroo 2004, an audio chronicle of the third edition of the Manchester, Tenn.-based music festival. The double-disc set is due April 5 via Sanctuary.

Among the highlights are Dylan's set-opening "Down Along the Cove," the Dead's "Self Defense," Steve Winwood's version of Traffic's "Dear Mr. Fantasy," the Black Keys' run through "The Breaks" and My Morning Jacket's "One Big Holiday."

Other artists featured on the set include Gov't Mule, Kings Of Leon, Ween, Primus, Trey Anastasio, Los Lonely Boys and String Cheese Incident.

The 2005 edition of Bonnaroo will be held June 10-12 and feature performances by Widespread Panic, Dave Matthews Band, Anastasio, the Black Crowes and the Allman Brothers Band.

Here is the track list for Bonnaroo 2004:

Disc one:
"Down Along the Cove," Bob Dylan
"Trouble," Dave Matthews & Friends
"Self Defense," the Dead
"Dear Mr. Fantasy," Steve Winwood
"Blind Man in the Dark," Gov't Mule
"Caleb Meyer," Gillian Welch
"Crazy Dream," Los Lonely Boys
"One Big Holiday," My Morning Jacket
"The Breaks," the Black Keys
"Trani," Kings Of Leon
"Nemo," Umphrey's McGee
"The Big Eater," the Bad Plus

Disc two:
"Curfew's Call," Trey Anastasio
"Dialog Box," David Byrne
"Volcano," Damien Rice
"Frizzle Fry," Primus
"Zoloft," Ween
"Evolve," Ani DiFranco
"Desert Dawn," String Cheese Incident
"Bright It On," Gomez
"Best Bit," Beth Orton
"Nothin' But Flowers," Guster
"Not Coming Down," moe.
"Ska Me Crazy," Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra

---

On the Web:
Bonnaroo 2005

:: Les Coles Wednesday, March 02, 2005 [+] ::

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Got Them British Roadhouse Bouncer Blues

I use to be a bouncer myself, so when I saw this story on the wire...Funny enough, I'm planning a move back into private security. Life goes full circle

Canterbury, Kent, ENGLAND (March 2)—Nightclub owners and security firms in Kent have claimed new legislation designed to license door staff is causing chaos. Under new rules all doormen and women have to pass two exams and submit three forms of ID to get their licence.

Security firms in Canterbury said the Security Industry Authority(SIA) is too slow sending out the ID cards.

The SIA said it had warned clubs the application process was lengthy but many doormen had ignored the advice.

From Feb. 28 it became law for all bouncers to wear the picture ID badges they receive when they get their licence.

Tony Smith whose company provides security staff and training, said: "We are short of staff at the moment and it is a nightmare."

"This weekend is looking debatable because only a handful have their badges.

"We're waiting and waiting... some are taking up to six months and it's just not on," he said.

The SIA has issued temporary letters to allow doormen to work while they wait for their badges to be processed.

Source: BBC

Note: To be licensed as what the SIA terms a "door supervisor," you will need to attend a two-part training course and take and pass two exams. The course may be delivered over four days or during weekends and/or evening sessions. Total training time is 30 hours, which includes two hours of exams.

Training is delivered in two parts as follows:

Part 1 - Role and responsibilities of a door supervisor (14 hours)
Part 2 - Communication skills and conflict management (14 hours)

:: Les Coles Wednesday, March 02, 2005 [+] ::

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Duo demonstrates blues' birth, history

Musicians Stephen 'Ace' DuBois, left, and Ken 'Mudcat' Johnston play the blues Sunday to illustrate the music genre's history. The duo performed during a program at the Baker Branch Library on the influences on the Delta blues.
(Advocate staff photos by PATRICK M. REED)

BAKER, La. (Feb. 27)—While making his rounds, police Officer Chuck Hutchinson followed the sounds of a harmonica and resonating guitar to the small, back-room performance of a Delta blues duo.

"I always liked the blues," he said. "I was sneaking in."

Instead of entering a steamy, smoked-filled night club, Hutchinson walked into one of the bright, cool classrooms of the Baker Library, where "Ace" and "Mudcat" performed an hour-long set for a Sunday afternoon library program on the influence of African, Middle Eastern and European music on the Delta blues.

Kenneth "Mudcat" Johnston, a retired state employee of the Department of Transportation and Development, and Stephen "Ace" DuBois, a semiretired heavy construction worker, spent the hour demonstrating through music tidbits of blues history.

Blues grew out of the mixture of African traditions and the hard life of the black sharecroppers working in the northern Mississippi River Delta.

The influence of African music -- which, in turn, borrowed elements from ancient Middle Eastern music -- is evident in the unusual rhythms and dissonance that gives Delta blues its unique sounds, Johnston said.

The banjo, for instance, is a descendent of the Persian tar, Johnston said. The string instrument, essentially a guitar, was adapted by Africans who traded with the Persians in modern-day Iran.

The earliest recordings of the ethnic music of India, Africa and the Middle East -- during the 1920s -- offer hints of the flavor of Delta blues, Johnston said.

"It's not quite bluesy sounding in rhythm, but it has the same notes," he explained.

The first recorded blues music tended to be one-chord songs, which DuBois said sounded deceptively simple until he tried to play it.

"The greatest blues of all is one chord because that's the deepest you can get," Johnston said.

The duo then played the "Boll Weevil Blues," originally a field holler, or verses recited by black field workers to make work go faster, Johnston said.

They also spoke about the first great Delta blues artists such as Memphis Minnie and Muddy Waters, who came from the same Delta area in Mississippi.

A tough, talented woman operating in a man's world, Memphis Minnie was one of the first musicians to pick up an electric guitar, Johnston said.

The duo then played "When the Levee Breaks" a song recorded by Led Zeppelin that they credit Memphis Minnie for writing. The song, written in 1929, tells the story of the 1927 Mississippi River flood.

The duo also discussed Charley Patton, a versatile guitarist who died in 1934.

"He'd just beat on the guitar," Johnston said. "You can hear it even on the old scratchy 78s (RPM records)."

Johnston and DuBois also demonstrated the method by playing "Walking Blues."

Johnston alternated between slapping the palm of his hand against his guitar during his down strokes and intricate fingering.

DuBois, stomping his feet to keep time, alternated singing and playing his harmonica.

Ace and Mudcat, who also entertain at private parties and charity events, perform regularly at the Red Stick Market in downtown Baton Rouge on Saturdays.

Source: DEBRA LEMOINE, Advocate

---

"When the Levee Breaks"
Memphis Minnie
Columbia 14439

Later covered by Led Zeppelin


"When The Levee Breaks" (Led Zeppelin version)

If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break,
If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break,
When the levee breaks I'll have no place to stay.
Mean old levee taught me to weep and moan,
Lord, mean old levee taught me to weep and moan,
Got what it takes to make a mountain man leave his home,
Oh, well, oh, well, oh, well.
Don't it make you feel bad
When you're tryin' to find your way home,
You don't know which way to go' 
If you're goin' down south
They go no work to do,
If you don't know about chicago.
Cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good,
Now, cryin' won't help you, prayin' won't do you no good,
When the levee breaks, mama, you got to move.
All last night sat on the levee and moaned,
All last night sat on the levee and moaned,
Thinkin' 'bout me baby and my happy home.
Going, go'n' to chicago,
Go'n' to chicago,
Sorry but I can't take you.
Going down, going down now, going down.

:: Les Coles Wednesday, March 02, 2005 [+] ::

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Uppity Blueswoman plays Blues at the Depot

Livingston, Mont. (March 3)—Blues woman Ann Rabson appears at the Livingston Depot Center's Blues at the Depot concert Friday, March 4, 8 p.m., with special guest Guy Davis. Contact the Depot for ticket information.

Rabson's musical roots run deep. With her trademark boogie-woogie sound and her clean sense of timing -- her combination of sass & class -- Rabson has become one of the blues' finest artists. Her talent has earned her eight prestigious W.C. Handy Award nominations. As Downbeat magazine says, "Rabson plays bluesy, honky-tonk piano with staggering authority."

Her original songs reach from the deepest caverns of the pained heart to the highest peaks of an exhilarating love affair. Her exceptional talent for choosing her covers and reworking them into "the Rabson sound" has garnered respect from music reviewers around the world. Her easy, comfortable stage presence combined with her passionate and powerful performance breathes poignant life into her soulful lyrics. Rabson's been described as "elegant, powerful, warm and razor-sharp." She has received praise for her ability to blend the basic human elements of humor, pain, and joy in her performances. Living Blues calls Ann "a superior entertainer."

She maintains a busy schedule of solo performances and also participates in many national and international Blues in the Schools programs helping educate today's youth about blues music. In addition, Rabson keeps an active touring and recording calendar with Saffire -- the Uppity Blues Women, the popular trio she co-founded in the mid '80s.

On her new CD, In a Family Way, the world-class barrelhouse piano player, respected Piedmont-style finger-picking guitarist and uniquely passionate and witty songwriter, is joined by her talented family: sister, renowned violinist Mimi Rabson; brother-in-law Dave Harris on trombone and organ; nephew Kenji Rabson, a rising star on the New York City jazz circuuit on the upright bass; multi-talented daughter Liz Rabson-Schnore on rhythm guitar; and brother Steve Rabson, accomplished jazz pianist.

Source: Bozeman Daily Chronicle

---

On the Web:
Ann Rabson

:: Les Coles Wednesday, March 02, 2005 [+] ::

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A mosaic of music in Singapore

SINGAPORE (March 2)—Normally staid Singapore is trying to jazz things up. With 10 days of eclectic performances by internationally known jazz musicians and world music award winners, the Mosaic Music Festival will gather masters and upstarts alike for jam sessions celebrating a wide spectrum of music.

In recent years, Singapore has worked hard to carve a name for itself on the Asian arts scene. The most significant of its efforts was the 2002 opening of the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, which has quickly become one of the most important venues in Asia by attracting such performers as k.d. Lang, Yo-Yo Ma and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

With so many music festivals in Asia, the Esplanade is hoping its collaboration with the Montreux Jazz Festival and the Putumayo World Music label will help it give the Mosaic festival a unique identity when it runs from March 11 to 20.

"We felt it was important to create something distinctive, planting the seeds for this festival to grow hopefully into something iconic for this part of the world," said Benson Puah, the Esplanade chief executive. He called the cooperation a "meeting of minds rather than a financial or contractual relationship."

"The motivation is really not just to develop audiences, but also to create an artistic platform where artists would want to come to this festival," Puah said, "because it's not only fun, but also it offers them a tremendous window to intermingle with other artists in this region and maybe explore a new dynamic expression."

While the Montreux Jazz Festival has worked with other cities over the past 20 years (Atlanta, Detroit and Tokyo, to name a few), its participation in the Mosaic festival "is a testament to the Esplanade's growing reputation among the international arts community," said Stéphanie-Aloysia Moretti, the Montreux festival's special events coordinator and program coordinator for jazz concerts and educational matters.

The Mosaic festival will feature Barbara Hendricks in its Montreux Jazz Special Concert. Better known to the opera world, Hendricks made her "official" jazz debut at Montreux in 1994, but she says she started singing jazz while studying mathematics during her university years. "This was even before I started singing classical," she said in an e-mail message. "Jazz is a way of living."

Hendricks called her first participation in the Montreux festival "a magical evening." Since then, she has performed regularly in jazz festivals, singing the works of her favorites: Gershwin, Porter and Ellington. At Mosaic, she will collaborate again with the Grammy award-winning Magnus Lindgren Quartet "Jazz Project" from Sweden. "I performed in Singapore before, but with what I've heard about the Esplanade Concert Hall, this time should be fantastic," she wrote.

Mosaic is Singapore's most ambitious foray into jazz and world music, although in summer the city serves as the host of WOMAD, a World of Music, Arts and Dance festival. "We had wanted to put a jazz festival together even before we opened the venue in 2002, but a good festival is not just about bringing in artists and selling tickets; it's also about substance," said J.P. Nathan, the Esplanade's director of program development.

Jazz will be the festival's core, with participants including James Moody and Shirley Horn, but Mosaic will also feature the Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour, who won a Grammy this year, and the American conga master Poncho Sanchez, another Grammy winner.

The rock band Tortoise will bring its mix of avant-garde jazz with classical minimalism, British electronica and ambient and space music. The band pairs tried-and-true punk and rock influences with a variety of left-field musical genres.

"Many of the artists will be presented with somebody else because they wanted it that way," Nathan said. "It's like a party with friends, and the R.S.V.P.s are still coming in."

Moody, who turns 80 in March, is an early jazz innovator who played with Dizzy Gillespie. At Mosaic, he will perform with local jazz musicians including Jeremy Monteiro.

"Musically, James Moody is still on top of his game, so it is always very enriching to make music with him," Monteiro said. "He pushes me to the edge of my ability, and I find that exhilarating.

"We've played together five or six times now in Singapore as well as in Hong Kong and Macau, so I am no longer overwhelmed with the 'awe' aspect of playing with him while I am on stage," he added. "Still, after I head to my hotel room, it always hits me: I've just played with one of the pillars of bebop jazz and a living legend."

In other performances, local and regional artists will team up for a night of blues, and Trio Toykeat from Finland will share a bill with Australia's top jazz-world band, Monsieur Camembert, a five-piece group that has performed at Montreux and has been invited to perform there again in July.

The Putumayo World Music label, established in 1993, is helping stage a two-day outdoor dance party. On one day Sanchez and his 11-piece band will play; and the next day will feature two prominent female artists: Kaïssa, who blends rhythm and blues, jazz and hip-hop with African and Brazilian fusion, and Sushella Raman, who weaves Western influences into Indian music with traditional instruments such as the tabla.

The founder of Putumayo, Dan Storper, said, "I've always been drawn to beautiful female voices, and we feel that women's voices with world music instrumentation often result in some of the most compelling songs."

Putumayo is also contributing an exhibition of its CD covers painted by the British artist Nicola Heindl, while Montreux will screen archival concert footage and black and white photographs of jazz greats like Gillespie and B.B. King.

Mosaic will spread over the Esplanade's numerous venues, from its concert hall and small studios to its rooftop and outdoor stages, where free events will take place every evening. These performances will be complemented by activities such as workshops, autograph sessions and visual arts programs.

"We believe this festival is a step toward developing new audiences for jazz and other music genres and, more importantly, will contribute significantly to Singapore's cultural calendar," Nathan said.

While Singapore has done much to create and develop the infrastructure for a vibrant arts scene, it is still struggling to develop local audiences and artists. Puah hopes that the Mosaic festival, by interweaving Singaporean artists with foreign talent, will help develop both local talent and audiences.

The Esplanade has lowered ticket prices to attract a wider audience. "I can't whet your appetite if you don't sample the food," Puah said. "In the arts, if you just throw money at it, it won't alight because there is no magic. What we're trying to do here is to ignite the flame."

Puah said he plans for the festival to be an annual event, giving it room to grow through time.

Source: Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop, International Herald Tribune

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On the Web:
Singapore Mosaic Festival

:: Les Coles Wednesday, March 02, 2005 [+] ::

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Solomon Burke Makes Do

Soul legend covers Dylan, Stones on new album

(March 2)—"I knocked this album up a couple of notches," Solomon Burke says of his latest effort, Make Do with What You Got, which hits stores March 1st. The record, the follow-up to the soul legend's high-profile 2002 return Don't Give Up on Me, finds the singer, velvety baritone intact, belting songs by the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and Hank Williams.

His cover of Williams' high-minded "Wealth Won't Save Your Soul" feels commanding through Burke's husky croon. "I got a chance to express the feeling of Hank Williams like nobody else could in his own country spirit," he says. "And I got a chance to say, 'Gosh, Hank, we miss you.'"

While Don't Give Up felt like an intimate secret, earnest and brooding, Make Do is celebratory and rocking, with organs and electric guitar prominent in the mix. The up-tempo sound is due both to production work by veteran Don Was (the Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt) and Burke's survivor mentality.

"When you think of someone like myself -- with five decades in this business, sixty-five years old with twenty-one children and seventy-four grandchildren and thirteen great grandchildren -- I've already said [to fans], 'Don't give up on me,'" says the longtime preacher and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer. "And you have to have the faith and strength yourself to say, 'I'm not giving up on me. I'm going to continue.'"

The title track, written specifically for Burke by Dr. John, is about just that. "At this point in my life, we just have to take what we have and turn it around and make it better," Burke muses. "It's always important to me to keep that touch of spirituality in what I'm doing and in everything we're recording."

Burke also covers "I Got the Blues" by the Rolling Stones. They famously covered Burke's "Everybody Needs Somebody," and now he's returning the favor.

"Who would think the Rolling Stones would say, 'Solomon, here's a good song for you,'" says Burke, "'sing this one'?"

Solomon Burke tour dates:
3/3: Baltimore, Ram's Head Live
3/4: New York, B.B. King's
3/5: Uncasville, CT, Mohegan Sun's Wolfden
3/18: San Francisco, Palace of Fine Arts Theater
3/24: Byron Bay, Australia, Byron Bay Festival
3/26: Byron Bay, Australia, Byron Bay Festival
4/30: Phoenix, McDowell Mountain Music Festival

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On the Web:
Solomon Burke

:: Les Coles Wednesday, March 02, 2005 [+] ::

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Guitar legends greeted by Queen

LONDON (March 2)—Rock guitarists Eric Clapton, Brian May and Jimmy Page were among musicians greeted by the Queen at a reception to honour British musical talent.

When the Queen asked "what do you do?", Queen guitarist May said that he had performed on the roof of Buckingham Palace at the Golden Jubilee concert.

"Oh! That was you, was it?" the monarch replied, before asking Clapton how long he had been playing the guitar.

Singer Geri Halliwell broke with protocol by arriving 40 minutes late.

Fantastic
The Queen is always expected to be the last person to arrive at a royal occasion, while Halliwell said it was "fantastic" to be invited to the reception as one of 500 guests.

"It's great to meet her—and it doesn't matter at all that she did not know who were are or what we do. I wouldn't expect her to," said Clapton, who has been a guitarist for 45 years.

Other star guests at the Buckingham Palace event were Phil Collins, Dame Vera Lynn, Jamie Cullum, Bryn Terfel, Terry Wogan, Humphrey Lyttleton and Sir Cameron Mackintosh.

Jazz singer Katie Melua earlier performed before the Queen at the day-long royal tribute to Britain's music industry.

The 20-year-old shrugged off a cold to sing her hit song "The Closest Thing to Crazy," accompanied on piano by record producer and former Womble Mike Batt.

:: Les Coles Wednesday, March 02, 2005 [+] ::

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Shemekia Copeland's blues howl is a diamond in the comode

San Diego (March 2)—Shemekia Copeland is an idiot. Or at least she says so.

"A lot of my family members can't believe that I do anything normal," says the 25-year-old blues vocalist. "They see me work and they're like, 'I can't believe this is the same person who was being an idiot in the house.' I'm just goofy."

Appearances can be deceiving, because on stage the Harlem native is as cool and confident as the man who helped mold her into one of the premiere blues vocalists in the world—her late father, iconic blues guitarist Johnny Copeland.

Johnny wanted his daughter to be a great blues artist, but he "didn't want anyone to change me," his daughter says. So when her mother enrolled her in a performing-arts junior high school because "she thought regular junior high school sucked," her father was supportive but guided her to keep the "raw, natural talent."

"I was real raw," recalls Copeland, who has now won a Grammy, four W.C. Handy Blues Awards and five Living Blues awards. "I still remember my teacher—her name was Mrs. Byrne—she was such a pain in the butt, boy. I was dead set on being an alto because that's what I sang, and don't try to make me do anything else because I’m an alto. That woman had me singing high soprano—because alto would've just been way too easy for me. So I had a range that went from high soprano to low tenor. It was really cool."

Copeland remembers a lot of names—like blues legends Albert Collins and Johnny "Guitar" Watson, her father's friends who hung around the house. Like "Mr. John Beady," the owner of the Cotton Club who gave Copeland her first regular Sunday gig when she was only 8 years old.

Now, she's a headliner at blues festivals, an icon in the making for a genre that's been relegated to specialty radio shows and satellite radio, which Copeland really likes, "because they're playing the music." By her tone, you can tell she's not talking specifically about her music, but rather good music in general.

She pauses and sighs. "Oh, it's depressing," she says about the state of blues. "I love music, but I hate the music industry."

Shemekia Copeland plays at Humphreys Backstage Lounge, 7 p.m. on March 9. $25. 619-224-3577.

Source: Troy Johnson, San Diego City Beat

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On the Web:
Shemekia Copeland's Web site

:: Les Coles Tuesday, March 01, 2005 [+] ::

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The Ashtabula Blues project

BLUES PROJECT will be in concert at the Ashtabula Arts Center in March
ASHTABULA, Ohio (Feb. 25)—Blues Project will be doing a benefit performance at the Ashtabula Arts Center, 2928 W. 13th St., March 4 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $9 for adults and $8 for seniors and students.

Blues Project is an all-volunteer band consisting of local professional and semi-professional musicians who donate their time and talent to charitable organizations in Ashtabula County.

Formed in 1985 as the result of a driveway conversation among Tim Dorman, Pete Gobel and Jim Fuller, the concept of starting a blues band with a large horn section was born. Dorman organized the band the first year and together with Bob Lang wrote the original horn charts.

He then got a gig for the band at the Harbor Days celebration and the wheels were in motion. Six weeks later the band took to the stage and a tradition was born.

Over the years, more than 40 area musicians have contributed their time and talents to the group. The band also takes one or more high school students from the Lakeside High School band each year and places them in Blues Project, giving the students the experience of working with older musicians in a professional setting.

Blues Project performs songs in the swing/shuffle/blues style from the 1920s to the 1990s and beyond.

The band has raised thousands of dollars for organizations in Ashtabula County such as HomeSafe, Big Brothers, Big Sisters and Hospice of Ashtabula County.

All of the proceeds from their March 4 performance will benefit the arts center. For reservations or more information, call 964-3396.

Source: Star Beacon

:: Les Coles Tuesday, March 01, 2005 [+] ::

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Mississippi Delta Blues & Heritage Festival back on

The Delta, Miss. (Feb. 28)—The 28th annual Mississippi Delta Blues & Heritage Festival is back on for this year.

In a luncheon news conference planned for today, officials with Mississippi Action for Community Education Inc. (MACE) were to announce what is hoped to be a streamlined and restructured festival organization, which will produce the "granddaddy" of Delta blues festivals in Mississippi.

The 2005 festival is set for Saturday, Sept. 17 at the Delta Blues Festival Park on Mississippi 1 South at Route 454 south of Greenville.

Officials report that dates have been reserved with nationally known blues artists Bobby "Blue" Bland, Shirley Brown, Bobby Rush, Denise LaSalle, Anson Funderburgh with Sam Myers & The Rockets.

These artists and other regional and local artists are scheduled to appear on the Main Stage and the Juke House Stage.

"MACE will collaborate with other area businesses and organizations to produce events and activities during the week of the festival," said Howard Boutté, president & CEO of MACE. "This has historically been known as Mississippi Delta Blues Week."

Boutté replaces former MACE president C.J. Jones who stepped down from his position following the cancellation of last year's festival.

Jones had been at odds with the way the festival was being handled by Performa Entertainment and concerned about the lack of corporate sponsors for the event.

Organizers said the 2005 festival promises to continue the tradition of presenting the best blues music that can be heard anywhere.

This featured Delta event, along with the Southern atmosphere, welcomes blues enthusiasts from around the world to the Mississippi Delta - the cradle that gave birth to this brand of popular music.

Also featured at the festival will be a wide variety of food and craft vendors highlighting the aroma, taste and the heritage that is Mississippi.

Former state Rep. Robert Clark of Holmes County, chairman of the MACE board of directors, said during the cancellation news conference last September that MACE would, in fact, come back this year with a new and better festival arrangement.

"MACE has always been committed to providing a high quality event," said Clark. "The cancellation of this year's festival is the result of declining support from sponsors and a low-level of success from other efforts to raise funds for the festival.

"The trend in sponsorship participation of the event has continued to dwindle over the years and without adequate sponsorship funding there is no way we could continue to promote an event of this magnitude and nature," said Clark.

The Delta Blues and Heritage Festival remains the premier event in this county that preserves and showcases the blues and heritage of the Mississippi Delta. MACE will use this time and its current resources to re-evaluate how the festival is produced, financed and marketed," he said.

"We tried to finance it as much out of our pocket as we could and we just couldn't do it anymore," Jones said in a 2004 interview. "We had really looked forward to some commitments that were made to us for sponsorship this year, and when we weren't able to receive those actual dollars, we knew we couldn't handle it financially this year."

Jones, who had been with MACE for three years said "the performance at the festival over the last seven years has not been good. It hasn't made any money. We need the support of the community, and that hasn't really been there."

The budget for the 2004 festival was pegged at $179,000 which "is the lowest budget for this festival that we have ever had. In 2002, it was $297,000 and for the 2003 festival it was $218,000. Most of that expense is in entertainment expenses."

Jones went on to say that the efforts of officials with the Performa Entertainment group was not what it should have been and expenses continued to rise while funding declined.

"I'm very disappointed with what they did and how little we got for our money," Jones said. "But we'll do better next year and come back with a festival we can be proud of."

Jones said, at that time, that MACE would be "regrouping" with the board "putting together a commission" that would be "assessing the overall festival, whether it should continue, what resources are available for the festival, where we are with our image of the festival and the benefits of this festival."

MACE was also looking to commission a study to conduct research about the festival, which would provide meaningful direction for a 2005 festival.

Following the cancellation of the 2004 festival, WBAD radio station and the city of Greenville, along with a collection of businesses and individuals, held an abbreviated festival at both the Washington County Convention Center and Schelben Park on Lake Ferguson in downtown Greenville.

By David Lush / Delta Democrat Times

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Related Blues Blog story:
2004 Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festival cancelled 9/2/2004

On the Web:
MACE (Mississippi Action for Community Education, Inc.

:: Les Coles Tuesday, March 01, 2005 [+] ::

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Piedmont Blues Preservation Society Calendar

This in from Blues Brother John Amberg over at the Piedmont Blues Preservation Society:

Hey blues friends,

Don't forget this Wednesday, March 2 (tomorrow) is the PBPS announcement party at Europa Cafe, downtown Greensboro at 220 Davie St. next to the Cultural Arts Center.

We're going to announce the line-up of the 19th Annual Carolina Blues Festival. The Matt Hill Blues Band will play starting at 5pm. Europa will have their wines half-price. And the PBPS will be selling the Early Bird Tickets for the Festival for just $10.

No limit on how many you can buy. Tickets just 10 bucks. We hope to see you there. Tickets for the Festival will go on sale at our three ticket outlets starting Thursday, March 3. They will be available at the Carolina Theatre Box Office; charge by phone, (336) 333-2605, or on line at www.carolinatheatre.com. Or stop by BB's Compact Discs, in the Quaker Village Shopping Center, W. Friendly, Greensboro.

And finally at J&B Music Connection, 928 Summit Ave. Greensboro at the corner of Summit and Bessemer. The Early Bird Ticket special will run until March 31, so you can get the $10 at the above ticket outlets through the end of this month! Get 'em while they're low-priced! The Festival is Sat. May 7, 2p-9p at Center City Park, downtown Greensboro.

See you tomorrow.

Peace, love and blues to ya

John Amberg

:: Les Coles Tuesday, March 01, 2005 [+] ::

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'The Evolution of the Blues'--Singing it like it was

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (Feb. 27)—With a variety of instruments at his side, Joe Becton jubilantly strummed, drummed and sang his way Saturday through a lesson chronicling the formation of the blues.

Becton, a speaker with the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, presented "The Evolution of the Blues" to nearly 75 people assembled in the Norristown-Montgomery County Public Library. A historian and music enthusiast, Becton fused his lessons about the music's progression with its natural link in American events through the past 200 years.

He explained how the centuries of black oppression created an entire genre of music singing the hopes of freedom.

"When times are hardest, and things seem most hopeless, that is when you break out a song," he said. "Out of these horrible circumstances come wonderful art forms."
Aside from being a fan of the music, Program Chair Sue Christensen said she hoped the presentation would illustrate how influential African-Americans were in the formation of music like blues, jazz and gospel, especially in light of Black History Month.

"The American people should know the origin of this music, that it has African roots," Christensen said.

Blues, Becton explained, was a "collision" of the African and European cultures when they arrived in America. He told the audience how the music transformed over the years, from spirituals to minstrel songs and eventually into the modern forms of jazz and blues. Modern hip-hop, with its heavy rhythmic foundation and improvisation, also draws heavily from the blues, he added.

And with every lesson and every span of history, Becton performed a song symbolizing the time.

He belted out "Wade in the Water" while discussing the religious influence that first spurred the genre.

His fingers danced across the frets of his guitar as he showed how rock blended with blues in light of B.B. King's "Why I Sing the Blues."

Becton also made sure to involve his audience, who readily clapped and sang along during each of Becton's lively renditions.

"This was wonderful," Alfreda Overton, of Norristown, said, adding she enjoyed how the evolution of the genre was paralleled with the significant movements in American history.

With a bachelor's degree in history, Becton is active with the Association for the Study of African-American History. He also is the co-founder of the Third Regiment U.S. Colored Troops Civil War Reenactors

Source: The Times Herald

:: Les Coles Tuesday, March 01, 2005 [+] ::

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Kuala Lumpur's Blue Avenue

Kuala Lumpur (Feb. 28)—Malaysian ans of classic rock, blues and jazz tunes can enjoy their favourite brand of music and do charity at the same time at an event to be held at the Titus Blues Avenue pub and restaurant in Jalan Balai Polis, Kuala Lumpur.

Titled Soul Cause—a Musical Benefit for Good Reason, the charity jamming session, which is set for Friday will see performances from bands such as Julian Mokhtar and Band, Viji and Fasy, Purple Haze and Paint It Black.

The event is a joint effort between HATI.org.my and Titus Blues Avenue to raise funds for two homes and the Rungus community in Sabah, who lost their homes in a recent fire.

HATI.org.my founding member Colin Ong said the event would also include an auction of sponsored items such as new Tag Heuer watches and used guitars.

"All proceeds from the auction will go to the homes and the Rungus community, plus 10 percent of the night's collection at the restaurant and pub will be donated to them," he said at a press conference recently.

The two homes that will benefit are the Federal Territory Senior Citizens and Children's Association in Kepong and PJ Caring Home for the Mentally Disabled in PJ Old Town.

So if your in KL, visit Titus Blue Avenue on Friday and do your bit for charity.

The Federal Territory Senior Citizens and Children's Associa-tion founder Nagaraju Vinodt said the organisation provided education, shelter, food and clothing to neglected children and senior citizens or those from poor families.

He said the home's needs included financial support, food, clothing and books for the children's education.

PJ Caring Home caretaker M. Sivakumar said the home cared for the mentally ill, providing them with training and education to help them gain an independent life.

"Our home is run on an open concept where the public can come and interact with our occupants.

"Mental illness is a sickness, not a disease and these patients should not be shunned or ridiculed," he said.

Malina Soning, who is coordinating efforts to help the Rungus community, said the proceeds would go to rebuilding the longhouses destroyed in a fire on Christmas Eve that resulted in 34 families losing their possessions and homes.

She said the Sabah Govern-ment told the community that they would rebuild homes for some 25 families but the community planned to raise another RM100,000 to build an extra longhouse for the additional families.

HATI.org.my is a website set up to publicise fund-raising events for charity organisations or projects and the underprivileged com-munities, and is dubbed the "Yellow Pages" for charity causes.

For further information, call Ong at 012-388 6535 or Philip Titus at 012-371 3894 or logon to www.hati.org.myor www.titusblues.com

:: Les Coles Tuesday, March 01, 2005 [+] ::

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'Deep Inside the Blues' at Lexington National Heritage Museum

Lexington's National Heritage Museum is journeying "Deep Inside the Blues" this spring, with an ambitious concert series of various strains of American roots music and an exhibit of blues photographs of the Mississippi delta and hill country region by Margo Cooper.

The monthly Saturday shows kick off this weekwith one of the last of the great Mississippi bluesmen, piano great Pinetop Perkins, 91, backed by the Bob Margolin Band. On April 2, the Holmes Brothers and Sister Marie Knight present "Shout Sister Shout," a tribute to gospel great Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

On May 7, San Francisco's Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks blend jazz, swing, country and blues. An all-star Banjo Extravaganza on May 12 brings in Eric Weissberg, Tony Trischka, Bill Keith and Janet Davis. And antique-music expert Leon Redbone plays the museum auditorium on June 4. Tickets range from $20 to $27. Call 781-861-6559 or go to www.monh.org

Source: Boston Herald

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NEWS Flash
Checking out the Lexington National Heritage Museum Web site, I saw the following:

Heritage Music Series: The Blues!
Saturday, March 5 -- 8 pm Cancelled due to illness!
Join Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins, widely recognized as the world's best blues piano player. His work with Muddy Waters is legendary. $25/advance; $27/door.

Strongly suggest you phone ahead before traveling.

:: Les Coles Tuesday, March 01, 2005 [+] ::

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Releases for today: March 1, 2005

Solomon Burke "Make Do With What You Got" (producer: Don Was; guests: Ray Parker Jr., Reggie Young) Shout! Factory
Amos Lee "Amos Lee" Blue Note
Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings "Just for a Thrill" (released in U.K. last year; guests: Georgie Fame, Albert Lee, Mark Knopfler) Fuel 2000
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers "Like Someone in Love" (1960 album; remastered, with bonus tracks) Blue Note
Patsy Cline "Gold" (2 CDs) MCA Nashville/UME
Elvis Costello & The Imposters "The Delivery Man" (2004 album; enhanced 2-CD deluxe edition) Lost Highway
Reverend C.L. Franklin (father of Aretha Franklin) "Satan Goes to a Prayer Meeting" (remastered) Fuel 2000
Herbie Hancock "Speak Like a Child" (1968 album; remastered, with bonus tracks) Blue Note
Earl Hines "The Early Years: 1923-1942" Jazz Legends
Rick James "Gold" (2 CDs) Motown/UME
Manfred Mann's Earth Band "The Best of Manfred Mann's Earth Band Re-Mastered Volume II (1972-2000)" Friday Music
Aaron Neville "Gospel Roots" (2 CDs) EMI Gospel
Parliament "Gold" (2 CDs) Island/UME
Rolling Stones, The "The Rolling Stones Singles 1968-1971 [box set]" (with bonus DVD) ABKCO
Wayne Shorter "Night Dreamer" (1964 album; remastered, with bonus tracks) Blue Note
Horace Silver "The Jazz Messengers" (1954 album; remastered) Blue

:: Les Coles Tuesday, March 01, 2005 [+] ::

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Issac Hayes tells kid to make music, not rap

Soul legend Issac Hayes is urging young African-Americans to turn their backs on rap and concentrate on making music.

The singer/songwriter admits he was a fan of hip-hop when the genre first started breaking through because it was angry and fresh, but now he believes too many rappers are lured by the idea of fame and fortune instead of a desire to have their tunes heard.

He says, "Rap started out with a lot of anger, then they threw a lot of money at these guys, and they missed the point. It's about giving and sharing.

"I'd like to see kids play live music more. They've been throwing mad money at them, which is fine, but they need real art, some real music education. That will ensure that the art will continue."

Hayes, a mainstay of Memphis, Tennessee's STAX studio system, where talent was nurtured in the 1960s, insists kids don't have to look back far for inspiration and individuality.

He adds, "Back then, you knew who KOOL & THE GANG was, the OHIO PLAYERS and EARTH, WIND & FIRE. You could tell the SPINNERS from the DELFONICS. Now everything sounds alike."

---

Related Blues Blog stories
Songwriters Hall welcomes Fogerty, Cropper, Hayes, Porter, Withers　2/23/2005）

Soul Comes Home: A Celebration of Stax Records and the Memphis Sound (2/22/2005)

:: Les Coles Tuesday, March 01, 2005 [+] ::

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Led Zep Bass Player Guests on Foo Fighters Album

March 1—In a post at the Foo Fighters website Chris Shifflett announced the news. "None other than John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin fame came by to play some mellotron, piano and mandolin on a few different tracks" he says. "That guy is like royalty but he was so down to earth and cool it was incredible. Of course, we managed to sneak in a few Zeppelin trivia questions and he even riffed 'Kashmir' on the mellotron for a minute".

In another post he told fans Norah Jones is also on the album. "We had yet another special guest in the studio yesterday. None other than Norah Jones! The song is on the mellow disc and it's got a really cool Elvis Costello vibe to it. Her voice is beautiful and fits the song really nice. I think Beebe fell in love with her too. He loves her so much that he shreds jazzy Malmsteen licks all over the solo.

Foo Fighters are yet to title their 5th studio album.

:: Les Coles Tuesday, March 01, 2005 [+] ::

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Bad girl of Mexican Pop Gloria Trevi back in town

MONTERREY, Mexico (Feb. 28)—Pop star Gloria Trevi, who was recently released from prison, arrived in her hometown of Monterrey on Monday to promote a tour that will put her back on a Mexican stage after a nine-year absence.

Trevi, who is billing herself as a woman of the people, shook hands and kissed reporters as she arrived at a press conference dressed in an olive green silky slip-like dress, black translucent robe and cowboy boots. "I'm going to put on the hottest show that has ever hit the stage because there is going to be not only quality, but also passion and gratitude toward the people," Trevi said.

Trevi will kick off her Trevolution tour, which will take her to dozens of cities in Mexico and the United States, at the Arena Monterrey on Friday. The U.S. leg of Trevi's tour will open April 1 in Reno, Nev.

Trevi was cleared on rape and kidnapping charges in September, along with two of her backup singers, after spending five years in Brazilian and Mexican prisons. Prosecutors had alleged they had lured young girls into their entourage and then sexually abused them.

Seen as a sort of Latin American version of Madonna, Trevi's music about sexual liberation and teenage frustration became widely popular in the early 1990s.

Trevi's antics on stage often drew controversy and it was common to see her young fans imitating her wild hair and torn tights. Her return to show business has created anticipation as to whether she will return to the days when she tore her clothes and dragged men on stage to undress them.

"Don't expect to see a Gloria Trevi brought from Paris if I come from prison," Trevi said. "I'm not ashamed of the woman I was and of the woman I am."

In December, Trevi released a new album titled How the Universe Was Born to a lukewarm reception in Mexico, where none of her new songs have made Top 10 lists.

In the United States, however, Trevi sold more than 100,000 copies of her album in the first weeks after its release.

Trevi was arrested along with her manager Sergio Andrade and backup singer Maria Raquenel Portillo four years ago in Brazil, where they fled to avoid prosecution.

The scandal began when officials discovered that a girl in the troupe gave birth to, then abandoned a baby in Spain. The father turned out to be Andrade, who had a record of well-publicized romances with girls barely into their teens.

While jailed in Brazil, Trevi became pregnant and gave birth to a boy. Paternity exams proved Andrade was the father.

All three were eventually extradited to Mexico, where a second backup singer was already being held.

:: Les Coles Monday, February 28, 2005 [+] ::

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Little Joe Washington to play Japan in June; New CD due out on P-Vine

TOKYO (March 1)—Heard it on the grapevine—or should that be P-Vine?—that Little Joe Washington will be back over in Japan in June, according to sources close to the bar—actually, the main woman in P-Vine's PR machine.

There is also a new Little Joe CD in the offing: The Blues Reality, which will be coming out on the P-Vine label April 15 (PCD-25028), price at ¥2,625

Little Joe has been real popular here since playing the (now sadly lamented) Park Tower Blues Festival in 2002 with The Texas Eastside Kings, and again last year when he was over with his Lone Star podnars fripping the stage up at Fuji Rock Festival before a Shibuya 0-nest bash.

With his hard-drinking and otherwise hard-living persona, it's amazing that Little Joe Washington—the wildest of them all—is the last of the Third Ward guitar slingers alive. And not just alive, but apparently thriving. His energy on stage often puts many people four decades younger to shame.

Also due out from P-Vine on the 18th of this month is a DVD ( PVDV-21) of the aforementioned Shibuya O-Nest, priced at ¥4,200:





Stingin' The Guitar from Houston Joint to Shibuya O-Nest
1. Sassy
2. I Feel Alright
3. Unfinished Business
4. Take My Hand
5. Still My Baby
6. Did You See That?
7. How Long
8. Someone Loves Me
9. Take My Hand
10. The Things That I Used To Do
11. All Night Long
12. Hard Way
13. Call It
14. Bossa Nova & Grits (encore)

BONUS TRACKS
1. Lil' Joe's Stomp
2. Stomp one More Time

Check out the sample video tracks at the P-Vine site here

:: Les Coles Monday, February 28, 2005 [+] ::

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Dirty Dozen Japan Tour 2005 closes tonight

TOKYO (March 1)—The Dirty Dozen Brass Band with special guest the Benevento/Russo Duo end their tour of Japan tonight, playing their second night at Club Quattro Shibuya.

DO NOT MISS IT! DO NOT Let Your Feet Fail You! Put your dnacing shoes on them, and instruct them to deliver you to the venue tonight, and be ready to bop 'til you drop!

The show last night was incredible! Really! I mean it's only March 1st and I've already used up my month's supply of exclamation marks! (Sh⋅t—just went into the red)...

I was talking to Dirty Dozen tenor sax player Kevin Harris before the gig about such matters as key ingredients for gumbo and '69 Dodge Chargers with big hemi-block engines. In between that, we talked about music and Japan and stuff. Harris said he loves playing Japan and this tour has been no exception.

I was also talking to Dirty Dozen manager Marck Allan before the show who said he really liked the preview I did for The Daily Yomiuri. As the DY—in it's continuing attempt not to be the paper of record for Japan—doesn't archive articles, I've "stolen" my own article and you can read it here. Also see the Tokyo-Blues Dirty Dozen Japan Tour Preview, which has mo better grafixs.

Bottom line on the second line: Be there! (Sh⋅t— again)


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Tour dates>
February 24th - Takutaku - Kyoto
February 25th - Club Quattro - Osaka
February 26th - Club Quattro - Nagoya
February 28th - Club Quattro - Tokyo
March 1st - Club Quattro - Tokyo
Tickets ¥6,000. Tel: Smash 03-3444-6751

:: Les Coles Monday, February 28, 2005 [+] ::

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March In Japan

March 1 The Dirty Dozen Brass Band conclude their tour of Japan @ Club Quattro

March 3 Diana Ross is playing one night only @ Tokyo International Forum Hall A

March 7 The Crusaders hit the Blue Note Tokyo for a 5-night engagement

March 4 Daryl Hall & John Oates open their tour of Japan at Kanagawa Hall in Yokohama (see The Tokyo Blues Gig Guide for tour dates and details),

March 8 8th Annual Tokyo WOMENFEST 2005 @ What the Dickens!, Ebisu, Tokyo, ¥1,500 SEE PREVIEW

Later on in the year, Japan will see performances by; Buddy Guy, John Hammond, North Mississippi Allstars, Corey Harris and Little Joe Washington

For more info on who's playing what where this month and in the coming months, see The Tokyo Blues Gig Guide

:: Les Coles Monday, February 28, 2005 [+] ::

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