Festival Womad à Taormina (Sicile)

Publié le 25/06/2005

(traduit et adapté de l'Italien)

le Festival WOMAD de Peter Gabriel à Taormina : Van Der Graff Generator, Stewart Copeland, Al Di Meola et Andrea Parodi

de Paolo Ansali

Pour la huitième année consécutive le World Of Music, Arts & Dance (Womad), festival de musique du monde conçu par Peter Gabriel, se produit en Sicile dans le splendide cadre de Taormina.

Cet année pour la troisième fois, le Festival aura lieu à Taormina avec des concerts au Théatre Ancien du 14 au 16 Juillet.

A l'affiche le saxophiniste Maceo Parker, le chanteur Ougandais Geoffrey Oryema, le "puparo palermitano" Mimmo Cuticchio avec une production nouvelle sur Cervantes, avec le groupe Ut Alinéa gia' apprécié à Taormina.

Mais la vraie nouveauté sera "la Nuit de la Taranta", un évènement qui reunira Stewart Copeland, Vittorio Cosma, Raiz, Ninfa Giannuzzi, Enza Pagliata, Emanuele Licci, Ensemble Bash, Antonio Castrignano, Mauro Durante, Antonio Marra, Alexandro Monteduro, Silvio Cantoro, Marco de la Gatta, Roberto Bemma, Francesco Del Prete, Massimo Martellotta, Marco Bellotti, Giancarlo Parisi et tant d'autres dans un crescento de musique et de chants soignés et dirigés par Stewart Copeland, ex batteur de Police.

Nous aurons même droit à Al Di Meola, fasciné par les sonorités de la Sardaigne et la participation du projet "Armentos" dirigé par l'ex Tazenda Andrea Parodi. On assistera ensuite au retour sur scène de Van Der Graaf Generator et encore les siciliens Asteriskos et pour finir le sénégalais Youssou 'Ndour.

Le Womad en Sicile est réalisé avec le soutien de l'Assessorat Régional aux Biens Culturels, de la Fondation Taormina Art, de l'Entreprise de Séjour et de Tourisme de Taormina et de l'Assessorat Régional au Tourisme (pour plus d'information consulter le situé de taormina- Art).

"Drum-Believable" The Dhol Foundation

June 2005 will see the long awaited album by The Dhol Foundation titled 'Drum-believable' released. Founder, Johnny Kalsi has been playing the dhol for over 23 years and this album showcases his talent

[ClickPress, Fri Jun 24 2005]

June 13th 2005 sees The Dhol Foundation’s long waited new album titled ‘Drum – Believable’, released on their brand new label “TDF Records” with assistance from their publishers Real World Works Ltd.

This new collection of Dhol-tastic sounds brings together various writers such as Ustad Sultan Khan, Mairead Nesbitt, Mantu, Eric Jaeger and UK Bhangra artist Bee2, all hand picked by TDF founder himself, Johnny Kalsi.

The Dhol Foundation has spent the last three years touring and recording dozens of tunes around the globe from as far apart as Ireland to Toronto. After many requests by fans from all the world, thirteen tracks have been hand picked by Kalsi, with the sounds of not only the traditional Dhol played by members of the TDF, but also other world instruments such as the cello, harmonium, Spanish guitar, bongos, tabla and many more.

Drum-Believable explores the world of Punjabi beats, which not only means the sound of the Dhol but also a mixture of percussionists and vocalists such as Pandit Yash, Nadeem & Suhail Salamat and Sonya Pannesar. Tracks such as ‘Breathe’ feature a combination of the Dhol and Spanish guitar while world famous fiddler, Mairead Nesbitt and Irish flutist, Emer Mayock challenge the tabla and Dhol to a battle of Celtic rhythms against Asian beats in the tracks ‘After the Rain’ and ‘Simply H’.

Johnny Kalsi has been playing the dhol for over 23 years and has been a member of the group ‘Alaap’ plus had tracks of his featured on films such as Gangs of New York and The Hulk. In addition, he has toured with ADF, Fundamental, Natacha Atlas, Trans Global Underground and The Afro Celt Sound System.

World music supreme, Peter Gabriel, has called Kalsi the “Ambassador of Love” and has recorded with him in the past on several occasions, some of which have also featured the legendary late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

The Chameleon

Steve Hackett has gone from worldwide acclaim as guitarist for prog-rock pioneers Genesis to a superb solo career steeped in emotive rock, fiery blues and elegant classical music. His latest project is "Metamorpheus," featuring his nylon guitar work with the Underworld Orchestra. (Photo courtesy of Chipster PR)

...A young Hackett dumped his plans of being a renowned harmonica player when Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel answered his ad in the British publication Melody Maker. Hackett replaced founding member Anthony Phillips as guitarist in 1971 and helped lead the band from cult status to worldwide heroes over the course of four albums...

NiN: fangs out

CD Review
Jim Walker

Nine Inch Nails
With Teeth
Interscope

When I first listened to Nine Inch Nails’ new album, With Teeth, I thought about Peter Gabriel. He and Trent Reznor have a few things in common. Both are technically savvy musicians who’ve had a tendency to overproduce their work — a forgivable flaw that has, at times, undermined their edginess. Both are deep in the dark side of human nature. Sure, Gabriel’s work often feels cheerier on the surface (it’s not hard to feel cheerier than Reznor).

But, if you remember, “Digging in the Dirt” — from 1992’s Us — is one of the best songs ever made about sex and violence and human desperation. Another commonality between Reznor and Gabriel: both are brooding types who take a long time between records. Reznor had a five-year gap between his last two and Gabriel took 10 years between Us and 2002’s Up.

With Teeth starts with “All the Love in the World,” a song that sounds so much like Gabriel it’s eerie. Everything from Reznor’s fragile vocals to the electronic drums and fuzz bass to the piano evokes Gabriel.

Oddly enough, the first song on Up, “Darkness,” sounds like a Nine Inch Nails song — complete with screaming power cords and pounding drums. As Gabriel did with the underappreciated Up, Reznor has backed off on the layers of sound on the new album, giving it a raw power best found in another dark-but-danceable influence that, like Gabriel, made its name in the 1980s: Joy Division. The best examples on With Teeth include: “The Hand that Feeds,” “Only” and “Sunspots” — all great mixtures of power and pop.

Of course, Reznor isn’t going soft with this record. Just about every other tune rocks hard enough to make Marilyn Manson proud. But the wonderful way the album ends (with a raw, low-fi ditty reminiscent of Sparklehorse’s work), paired with its Gabriel-like start, shows that Reznor is moving toward a light that gives contrast to his darkness, a softness that makes his punches hurt even more.

June Moon Illusion

22-Jun-2005

If June's Full Moon is anything like last night's lunar glow, we should have a bright night about to bleed into the sun-drenched day here at Real World. Unfortunately we haven't been able to get Peter and a camera in the same place, but he has sent us a lunar offering.

NASA tells us that tonight, "the Man in the Moon is in his usual place. But something's wrong. This full moon is strangely inflated. It's huge! ...This week's full moon hangs lower in the sky than any full moon since June 1987, so the Moon Illusion is going to be extra strong." I'm personaly not suprised by this offical confirmation that there's a man in the moon, but see what you think for yourself and glance skyward this evening. Why not enhance the strange, inflated, huge, "moon illusion" with our sky related audio offering.

You can now download two versions of 'Sky Blue' from the Full Moon Club downloads page. Alongside the lovely Martyn Bennett remix of the track that eventually featured 'The Blind Boys of Alabama' and appeared on 'UP', we now have an early unreleased demo of 'Sky Blue' from the recording sessions for 'US' in the mid 1980s.

Download 'Sky Blue' from The Full Moon Club

More on Martyn Bennett

The 'Moon Illusion" at science.nasa.gov

Zucchero Teams with Sheryl Crow, Sting, Eric Clapton, Macy Gray, and more for July 12 CD Release

...
Sting invited Zucchero to a house party where the star-studded guest list included Peter Gabriel, Tom Hanks, and Dustin Hoffman. Upon meeting the vocalist, Hoffman, it is reported in the article, fell to his knees, commenced singing one of Zucchero’s songs in Italian, and finished by exclaiming, “Zucchero, you are God!” before confessing he owned all of his recordings!

Ignored by Live 8, African acts plan own U.K. show

Tue Jun 21, 2005 5:49 PM BST

By Lars Brandle & Nigel Williamson

LONDON (Billboard) - British artist Peter Gabriel and Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour are the driving forces behind a Live 8 spin-off concert focusing on African musicians, amid criticism that the main event ignores acts from the continent.

Under the banner Africa Calling, the concert will be held July 2 at the Eden Project in Cornwall, south west England, the same day as Bob Geldof's Live 8 shows, which will be held simultaneously in London, Philadelphia, Paris, Berlin and Rome.

Benin vocalist/songwriter Angelique Kidjo, Somali vocalist Maryam Mursal and Senegalese hip hop group Daara J are among the confirmed performers at Africa Calling. Other artists scheduled to appear include Mali legend Salif Keita, Thomas Mapfumo and Blacks Unlimited from Zimbabwe, Shikisha from South Africa and Tinariwen from Mali.

N'Dour will also perform after appearances earlier in the day at the Paris and London Live 8 concerts. Footage from Africa Calling will be shown as part of BBC TV's Live 8 broadcast but it is unclear how central to the coverage it will be.

Live 8 is intended to raise awareness of poverty in Africa ahead of the July 6-8 G8 summit of world leaders in Gleneagles, Scotland. Plans for an Australian concert link fell through last week. Until now, N'Dour was the only African artist scheduled to perform at Live 8, leading to criticism from the likes of Blur/Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn and British broadcaster Andy Kershaw.

Island Records founder Chris Blackwell was among the industry figures who highlighted the absence of African artists at the Live 8 shows.Africa Calling will aim to assuage any such concerns.

"We just felt that Eden could provide a moment where those values of neighborliness and community could be made real with an intimacy larger venues would find difficult to capture," comments Tim Smit, CEO of Eden Project.

Announcing the concert, Gabriel said, "I talked at some length with Bob (Geldof) about this. I understand his criteria of trying to keep the largest audience around the world switched on and looking at issues about Africa through the artists selling the most records.

"I would have done it a different way -- I think it's important to be seen to be allowing the voices of Africa to be heard directly," added Gabriel. "A lot of artists don't feel this is a perfect situation, but respect the aims and goals. It's a difficult enough job trying to do what they want to do."

Gabriel has championed African music through his Virgin-distributed Real World label and his world music festival WOMAD. Yet the addition of the Eden project concert has not stopped the criticism of the lack of African artists at the main concerts.

Andy Morgan, manager of Tinariwen, who will play at Africa Calling, said that the African event should not be a "marginalized sop" but had to be central to the television coverage on the day. "Bob Geldof is missing a diamond opportunity to show the world that Africa has more to offer than poverty, starvation, corruption, war and wildlife," says Morgan.

"The whole thing has been handled appallingly and shows a deep disregard and disrespect for African musicians," added Ian Ashbridge, MD of Wrasse Records which has supplied several of the African acts. "There's still time to resolve this in the way it should be resolved in that they could add more African artists to the main bill."

Reuters/Billboard

Kenyan musician Ayub Oganda Invited for London G8 Concert

Kenyan Musician Invited for London G8 Concert

The Nation (Nairobi)

June 20, 2005 Posted to the web June 20, 2005

Paul Redfern London

Kenyan musician Ayub Oganda is one of a dozen black African artistes invited to London for a music concert ahead of the summit of the world's eight most industrialised nations (G8) in Scotland next month.

After criticism that the main "Live 8" event featuring musicians such as Robbie Williams and Sir Elton John was overwhelmingly white and Western, the organisers appear to have organised another concert. Top billing at this event will go to Youssou N'Dour of Senegal, but also taking part are Thomas Mapfumo and the Blacks Unlimited, Angelique Kidjo, Maryam Mursal and Salif Keita.

Given that the main event is aimed at raising awareness about problems facing Africans in the West, critics had said the main line-up was "hideously white", and blamed organiser Bob Geldof for his response that he would book only acts that would sell records.

The Africa Calling concert will take place at the Eden Project on July 2, former rock star Peter Gabriel said last week. But he acknowledged that critics had failed to get top African acts onto the London stage despite pressure.

"I do think it would be better to have a larger African presence in Hyde Park (the venue of the concert)," he said. "Bob (Geldof) made the point that in places like China, if there's an act that comes on TV that they don't know, whether from Africa or Germany, they switch it off. I don't think that's correct."

The Africa Calling concert will be held on the same day as the "Live 8" shows in London, Paris, Berlin and Rome, and the main aim will still be to raise awareness about world poverty. Tim Smit, the Eden Project chief executive, told the BBC that the aim of the Africa Calling event was to create "an authentic voice for Africa that was moving and personal."

He shrugged off suggestions that it was a token gesture, and his views were echoed by Kidjo. "This is an opportunity for the media to realise that when it comes to Africa, we need to be a part of it. You couldn't help us without us."

World cries in unison: "Free Aung San Suu Kyi NOW!"

Religious leaders, politicians, Nobel laureates and rockers joined the millions calling for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's release from house arrest and a restoration of democracy in Myanmar (Burma), as 'The Lady' turns 60 today.

The protests got underway in New Zealand, the first country to greet the dawn of Daw Suu Kyi's birthday, where thousands of locals joined the Burmese exiles demanding the military junta to grant their beloved leader the gift of freedom.

Twenty seven music stars including U2, R.E.M., Eric Clapton, Avril Lavigne, Peter Gabriel, Coldplay, and Pearl Jam have released "For the Lady," a brand-new double CD set dedicated to freeing the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

The album also features a song in Burmese written by a jailed student democracy activist, and all proceeds will go towards the United States Free Burma Campaign.

"We call on individuals, and governments, to support publicly Aung San Suu Kyi, on her birthday, June 19th," Archbishop Desmon Tutu, a hero of South Africa's struggle against apartheid, said. "I support activities that call for her immediate and unconditional release;
I applaud all human rights campaigners who are working on her behalf, and that of her
countrymen and women. As long as she remains under arrest, none of us is truly free."

"I send my best wishes to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for her 60th birthday, June 19." US President George W. Bush said. "Her strength, courage, and personal sacrifice in standing up for the oppressed people of Burma have inspired those who stand for freedom. Only a return to democracy and reintegration with the international community can bring the freedom and prosperity that the people of Burma deserve. The United States looks forward to the time when Burma is democratic and free."

The United States is one of the few western nations that has taken concrete steps to apply pressure on the tyrannical regime to restore democracy in the Southeast Asian nations.

India, China and most of Burma's Southeast Asian neighbors have accepted the military junta as the legitimate government.

"We need the world to stand tall for Aung San Suu Kyi on June 19th," a joint statement by Burmese rights campaigners in Asia, Europe and the US said. "Just as the world rallied to free Nelson Mandela, we must free Aung San Suu Kyi."

The activists also called on the United Nations Security Council to end its "deafening silence."

"While the Security Council dithers, Burmese people are dying," they said. "Kofi Annan should immediately call for Burma to be placed on the Security Council agenda."

Send your birthday wishes to Aung San Suu Kyi