Biko is at the Apartheid Museum

An exhibition at the Apartheid Museum traces the life and death of Black Consciousness leader Steve Biko, to show what is behind the icon.

It was revealed at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) that Black Consciousness proponent Steve Biko died because he wanted to sit on a chair. As a result, he was brutally beaten by the security police and died from his injuries.

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of his death, the Apartheid Museum has put together an excellent exhibition on Biko. Through about 50 panels filled with text and graphics, the viewer can read the words of Biko, taken from his book I Write What I Like.

But there are also many other things to read about the man, and how he died a lonely death at the hands of the brutal security police. There is unique footage of Biko from a 1977 BBC interview; and then minister of police Jimmy Kruger's infamous comment after Biko's death:

"I am not glad and I am not sorry about Mr Biko. His death leaves me cold. I can say nothing to you. Any person who dies … I shall also be sorry if I die …" he said, laughing at his own joke.

There is also footage of Kruger. Initially, the security police said that the cause of death was a hunger strike. Several months later, when it was acknowledged that Biko had died of brain damage, Kruger said dispassionately: "A man can damage his brain many ways. I have also felt like banging my head against a brick wall many times, but realising now, with the Biko autopsy, that may be fatal, I haven't done it."

Born in King William's Town

Bantu Steve Biko was born in King William's Town in 1948, a tall, handsome man with a charismatic personality. He was a founder member of the South African Students' Organisation, from which the Black Consciousness Movement developed, with the slogan "Black is beautiful".

Biko said in his book: "When you say 'Black is beautiful' you are saying, 'Man, you are okay as you are; begin to look upon yourself as a human being.'"
A number of umbrella organisations were formed, one of which was the Black People's Convention, which played a role in the Soweto riots of 1976.

In 1973, he was banned and confined to Eastern Cape. After the riots he was arrested repeatedly; by his final arrest on 18 August 1977 he had been in and out of jail frequently, including spending 101 days in solitary confinement.

He was held naked and manacled at the Walmer police station in Port Elizabeth, says human rights advocate George Bizos in No One to Blame. On the morning of 6 September he was taken to the security police offices in the Sanlam Building and interrogated until 6pm, when he was again handcuffed and shackled.

Long journey to Pretoria

He was examined and transferred to the prison hospital; he was given a lumbar puncture, which revealed blood in his spinal fluid. It was decided to transfer him to Pretoria, a 1 200km journey that took 11 hours, with Biko lying naked in the back of the Land Rover. He died on 12 September 1977 in the Pretoria prison hospital later that night. He was just 31 years old.

His death caused a worldwide outcry which temporarily stopped the deaths in detention, but they resumed a year to two later. In all, 115 people died in prison between 1963 and 1990.

Biko's wife, Ntsiki, says of his death in detention: "I think Steve expected to die in the hands of the security police. I think all of us expected it. But Steve was prepared to sacrifice his life for the black cause. He felt his work was so important that even if he died it would be worth it."

And Biko himself said of dying: "You are either alive and proud or you are dead, and when you are dead, you don't care anyway. And your method of death can be a politicising thing." The chair

The story about the chair was recounted when those responsible for his death testified at the TRC, in a bid to obtain amnesty for their actions. They made a half-hearted effort at an apology, but were denied amnesty because they had not told the truth.

Bizos has a different interpretation of why the security police had to get rid of Biko: "The state considered Biko dangerous, not because he had ever taken part in violent activities, but because of his formidable intellect."

The exhibition traces Biko's birth and education, his spells inside jail, his relationships, and his death in detention. There is a section, right at the top end of the exhibition, which, says curator Emilia Potenza, attempts to record details of others who died in detention. A video broadcasts images of them and their families, and any other details that researchers have managed to accumulate.

Says Potenza: "It is an extraordinary story which moves beyond the icon on a T-shirt to what's behind that icon."
Besides the repeated recordings of Biko and Kruger, the constant refrain of Peter Gabriel's song, simply entitled Biko, first released in 1980, echoes hauntingly around the museum.

The exhibition was put together at the request of the national Department of Education, with assistance from the Steve Biko Foundation. It makes use of many original photographs, documents and audio-visual clips, and draws on interviews with a range of his contemporaries.

It will travel around the country and go overseas, says Christopher Till, the museum's director. "The Biko story is one that needs to be told." His philosophy has won over the minds of many. "Many of the BC [Black Consciousness] ideas have triumphed."

The exhibition will run until the end of June 2008. The Apartheid Museum is on the corner of Northway and Gold Reef roads, Ormonde. It is open from Tuesdays to Sundays, from 10am to 5pm.

Written by Lucille Davie Monday, 21 January 2008

"Nous voulons remettre l'artiste au coeur du débat"

Dominique Leguern, Dir. du Midem : "Nous voulons remettre l'artiste au coeur du débat"

Le Palais des festivals de Cannes accueille du 27 au 31 janvier prochains la 42e édition du Marché International du Disque et des Editions Musicales (Midem). Cet événement, qui réunit chaque année ...

(...)

R : Peter Gabriel est présenté au Midem comme l'homme de l'année. Pourquoi avez-vous choisi de consacrer cet artiste ?

D.L : Peter Gabriel rassemble un nombre de facettes incroyables pour un seul homme. En tant qu'artiste, au sein d'un groupe avec Genesis ou en solo, il a contribué à la richesse et la diversité de la musique mondiale. Mais Peter Gabriel n'est pas seulement le chanteur et compositeur que l'on connaît, c'est aussi un pionnier, un entrepreneur. Cofondateur de la plate-forme de distribution musicale OD2, il a aussi lancé en 2007 un nouveau site de distribution musicale baptisé We7. Très impliqué dans le modèle économique digital, il s'est aussi mobilisé à maintes reprises dans des oeuvres associatives, notamment à but caritatif.

42e édition du Midem
Du 27 au 31 janvier 2008
A Cannes
Site officiel du Midem : www.midem.com

Youssou N'Dour en concert le 28 mars à l'AB Bruxelles

Le chanteur et musicien sénégalais Youssou N'Dour se produira en concert le 28 mars à l'Ancienne Belgique à Bruxelles. Pour le public occidental, Youssou N'Dour est surtout connu pour sa collaboration avec Peter Gabriel, Neneh Cherry, Wyclef Jean et Axelle Red. Il a aussi joué et enregistré avec Sting, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Dido, Tracy Chapman et bien d'autres encore.

Il a débuté très jeune sa carrière, à l'âge de 12 ans. Après quelques années de concerts avec le "Star Band", le groupe le plus populaire de Dakar au début des années 70, il forme son propre groupe, "Étoile de Dakar", rebaptisé plus tard "Super Étoile de Dakar". Trois ans après son disque "Egypt", qui lui a valu un Grammy Award, Youssou N'Dour revient avec "Rokku Mi Rokka".

Il s'est, pour cet album, à nouveau associé aux musiciens de la "Super Étoile de Dakar" et a en outre pu compter sur les contributions exceptionnelles d'une partie de la vieille garde de l'Orchestra Baobab. L'album comprend également un nouveau duo avec Neneh Cherry, avec qui il avait enregistré, il y a 13 ans, le succès mondial "7 Seconds". (belga)

Riding the rollercoaster on a magic mountain

It's the time of year that the great and good from politics and business get together in the Swiss Alps to put the world to rights. If it's January, it must be Davos. Once again, this year, as every year, there is only one place to be next week for the movers and shakers of the global elite. (...)

Having initially wowed even the corporate moguls who cough up millions in backing for most of the forum's activities, the high-wattage Hollywood personalities' appeal began to dim. Davos regulars, and the organisers themselves, seemed to feel that the superstars were eclipsing the agenda and, perhaps, hogging their own annual place in the global limelight.

This year Klaus Schwab, the forum's formidable founder, executive chairman and global éminence grise seems to have banished the Hollywood hangers-on from the select Davos circle, returning the event to its bedrock of top leaders from business and government. The glitziest cultural figures gracing the icy pavements of Davos next week appear to be Emma Thompson, the actress, Yo-Yo Ma, the cellist, and Peter Gabriel, the musician. Thus in more sombre times for the world economy, this year the forum itself seems to be sobering up, just a little...

Peter Gabriel shares his passion for technology

LONDON (Billboard) - Peter Gabriel has long been admired as a pacesetter of musical exploration, a passionate campaigner for human rights and a pathfinder in technological development. That widespread admiration will much be in evidence January 28 in Cannes, France, when Gabriel is named Personality of the Year at music industry trade conference MIDEM (Marche international de l'edition musicale).

The honor from "the world's music market" befits a true man of the world in both music and communication. It's also the latest in a distinguished collection of trophies. In May 2007, Gabriel received a lifetime achievement title at Britain's Ivor Novello Awards, and a few months earlier the Nobel Peace Laureates bestowed the Man of Peace honor on him.

But far from resting on his laurels, Gabriel continues to pursue new challenges. The years he spent as frontman during Genesis' most innovative era barely hinted at the inquisitive spirit of this four-time Grammy Award winner. In the past year, Gabriel has worked extensively to develop more of the globe-embracing ideas that have always been his stock in trade. He spoke with Billboard about some of them and what 2008 holds in store.

Q: How do you feel about being MIDEM's Personality of the Year?

Gabriel: "I must be getting to that awards time of life; it's God's way of telling you you're getting on. MIDEM, I think I've only been once before, when we were doing OD2 (the digital provider he co-founded in 2002). We were trying to get this union together (MUDDA) of digitally downloading artists, but the artists didn't leap to it at the time. Nowadays, people get it a lot more easily."

Q: When you recently co-founded digital music platform We7, did that feel like a successor to OD2?

Gabriel: "Well, it was just another punt in the music business, but it is another thing I think is potentially important for artists. With their traditional stream of revenue -- record sales -- being largely taken away, we've got to be a little more inventive. There are lots of different models emerging, and it was exciting to see the Radiohead one. (Radiohead released its latest album online initially, letting fans set their own price.)

"With people used to hearing ads on commercial radio, we were trying with We7 to see -- if we did a lot less than that but still included ads -- (whether) there was a way people could get songs, and eventually films, for free.

"The theory is that the more targeted the ads -- and you obviously have to choose to volunteer information about yourself -- the less painful it is. If I'm looking for a hybrid car, that's the moment when I'm probably interested to hear the ads from different hybrid manufacturers, so you don't get the old 'dog food to cat owners' (advertising).

"It's not the only way of doing things, but for a generation that's grown up with 'music for free,' it's a way of continuing that but still getting some stream of income to the people that created the content."

Q: To some extent, did you pre-empt Radiohead when you said you were considering releasing your next album without a conventional record company?

Gabriel: "Yes, but I hadn't conceived of the 'pay-what-you-want' thing, which I think was very brave. Clearly they're at the peak of their career, so they can rely on a certain number of fans. Deluxe packaging is something I've been talking about for a while -- I do think that's going to work, where people get something for nothing, a regular package for a reduced cost, then a deluxe or handmade item above that."

Q: Since 2005, you've also been working on TheFilter.com. What's that about?

Gabriel: "It's a recommendation engine of sorts, but my dream there, which I'm still pushing hard for, is a mixer that you can stick anyone in, whether it's (a recommendation from) a favorite artist, a magazine, your friend, someone who looks like they've got interesting taste, and you (could) just press a 'do it' button and get a combination of people's tastes. At the moment, it makes recommendations for you based on what you like."

Q: You admire new technology not for its own sake but for what it can do to connect the world, don't you?

Gabriel: "Yes, I'm passionate about it; actually, I've been spending more time on that than music stuff in this last year. We've got this thing called TheElders.org up and running, and the Hub at (human rights organization) Witness, which is intended to be a sort of YouTube for human rights. The Elders is extraordinary: respected people, like (Nelson) Mandela and Kofi Annan, that are beyond career-building but still have leverage and respect and wisdom, which is still an underused natural resource. I'm also trying to push a thing called Face the World, which is a serious attempt to get every living face online. With Google Earth, I can pretty much zero in on any living tree, but I can't zoom in on any living face. It's only part of the process, but being able to hear people and listen to what's going on is the first step in any healing process."

Q: Will the mobile phone play a role in connecting people from different cultures?

Gabriel: "There was a 'Geek Week' on Channel 4 (on U.K. TV) where they tried to find a Masai tribesman without a mobile, and couldn't. Then they interviewed this fantastic Kenyan girl and asked her, 'What's going to change things in Africa?,' and she picked up her mobile phone. The interviewer said, 'I don't really believe in a single technological fix,' and she said, 'Oh, you don't believe in the wheel? Or fire?'

"In the Mandela Foundation, they gave mobiles to coffee growers in Zimbabwe, who were getting continuously ripped off. The very next day, they were getting the latest prices from Chicago, and suddenly could do a deal related to the current price."

Q: Did you get to see any of the shows on the Genesis reunion tour?

Gabriel: "I didn't. I was trying to get to the Rome (show), but if they do another (tour leg), I'll try to get there. We had discussions about (my taking part), but the time commitment they wanted was growing, and I knew with trying to get the Elders going, I wasn't going to be able to do both. I'm not in principle against the idea of doing something."

Q: How's the new album coming?

Gabriel: "Very slow at the moment. I've been heavily distracted, but I'm determined now to get back into it, and some new songs are coming through that I'm very happy with."

By Paul Sexton Reuters/Billboard

Gospel truth

South Africa's Grammy award winning choir are on their way. Would you like to see them?

There is nothing quite like the sound of a large group of voices united in the harmony of South Africa, and since their sell-out debut at the Edinburgh Festival in 2003, Soweto Gospel Choir have won critical acclaim and performed to full houses around the world.

The stars cannot get enough of them either, and not only were they guests of honour at the lovely Desmond Tutu's birthday party, but they have sung alongside Bono, Peter Gabriel and Jimmy Cliff and been heralded as the most exciting group to emerge in world music in recent years. This was confirmed when they picked up their 2006 Grammy Award for Best Traditional World Music Album (for their second album ‘Blessed’). As well being support act to the Red Hot Chili Peppers last summer.

Te SGC have also recently finished recording with Robert Plant in New Orleans for the Fats Domino tribute album.

Their sound is powerful and melodic, just right for the sterling acoustics of the Philharmonic Hall where they gather to wow Liverpool crowds on Sunday Feb 3 as part of a major UK tour promoting their Grammy nominated album African Spirit.

La Chine et Peter Gabriel à l'honneur pour la 42e édition du MIDEM

Le Palais des festivals de Cannes accueillera du 27 au 31 janvier prochains la 42e édition du Marché International du Disque et des Editions Musicales (MIDEM). Cet événement, qui réunit chaque année des artistes, des producteurs ou encore des représentants de maisons de disques, offre un espace de réflexion pour le marché de la musique dans le monde.

Pour sa nouvelle édition, le Midem a choisi cette année d'accueillir un pays asiatique : la Chine. Les artistes du pays du Soleil Levant seront présentés à cette occasion aux professionnels du monde de la musique.

Homme de l'année choisi par le Midem, Peter Gabriel, artiste complet avant-gardiste impliqué dans le nouveau modèle digital et dans les associations caritatives, sera à l'honneur de ce rendez-vous du marché international de la musique. Au total, le Midem recevra 495 artistes et proposera 98 concerts pop/rock, world, électro, classique ou jazz. De nombreux groupes et artistes ont ainsi été découverts au fil des éditions du Midem. L'événement cannois avait reçu en 2007, Amy Winehouse et Patrick Watson, ou encore Katie Melua et Ayo en 2005..

L'ombre de l'économie américaine planera sur Davos

Les «subprimes», la récession, mais aussi l'eau, Condoleezza Rice et François Fillon feront parties des tags de la prochaine réunion annuelle du World Economic Forum (WEF)....

...Alors que les stars – Bono, Peter Gabriel, Yo-Yo Ma, Emma Thomson ou Paulo Coelho – se comptent sur les doigts des deux mains cette année, le grand public, lui, est exclu de la réunion. A une double exception. Il pourra participer (mais les hôtels sont pleins!) à l'Open Forum autour des effets de la mondialisation, mis sur pied avec les Eglises protestantes. On y verra notamment l'ancien président iranien Katami ou l'ex-candidat à la présidentielle américaine Howard Dean.

Le WEF a aussi invité cette année les internautes à recourir à Youtube pour interroger les décideurs présents à Davos. Les meilleures vidéos viendront enrichir certaines sessions publiques. Plus largement en 2008, le WEF prend toute la mesure du Web, avec une nouvelle plateforme multimédia – «Davos Conversation».«Un face-à-face comme le permet la réunion annuelle ne sera jamais remplacé par le contact virtuel, explique Klaus Schwab. Mais la technologie permet d'étendre et d'élargir encore nos possibilités.»

Saatchi & Saatchi Award for World Changing Ideas

Press Release Embargoed Until Tuesday 8th January 2008

NEW YORK, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The names of the judges for the 5th biennial Saatchi & Saatchi Award for World Changing Ideas were announced today. Bob Isherwood, Saatchi & Saatchi's Worldwide Creative Director and convenor of the Award said, "We're honoured to have such brilliant people judging our Award. They are all world changers in their own way. We're extremely grateful to them for their time and commitment".

The Six Judges are:

Edward de Bono
The originator of the term 'lateral thinking', and judge for all of the Saatchi & Saatchi Award competitions. Believes that creativity can be learned. In 2006, received the Sloane Award, the International Association of Management Consultants' highest honour.

Peter Gabriel
Musical pioneer, campaigner for human rights, founder of the Real World group of companies. Recipient of Man of Peace Award from Nobel Peace Laureates.

HRH Prince Hassan
HRH Prince El Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan has been described as the voice of reason in the Middle East. He is a pluralist, believing in consensus and respect for 'the other'.

Malcolm McLaren
A constant innovator in fashion, film and music. Founder of the Sex Pistols, co-producer of 'Fast Food Nation', creator of breakthrough 'Duck Rock', 'Fans', 'Waltz Darling' and 'Paris' albums.

Carolyn Porco
American Planetary Scientist and leader of the imaging science team of the Cassini mission in orbit around Saturn. Skilled science communicator, active participant in guiding US planetary exploration program. Asteroid (7231) Porco named for her.

Philippe Starck
Most famous and prolific designer alive. His work has made an impression on so much of our lives, from door handles to organic food, watches to mega yachts. Hotels, restaurants, retail space and even space travel have all been blessed with his inimitable creativity too.

The task of the judging panel is to place the ten finalists (to be announced in January 2008) in their order of merit. The winner will be announced at a high profile ceremony in New York on Thursday 21st February 2008, where the ten finalists will exhibit their ideas. At the same ceremony, Edward de Bono will present his Medal for Thinking to the finalist whose idea best meets Edward's criteria of 'simple, practical and effective'.

Saatchi & Saatchi established the Award to spotlight, celebrate and promote ideas that have the potential to change the world of the individual, of groups of people with particular needs, or the whole world.

The winner of the previous Award in 2005 was Concrete Canvas, the near-instant building in a bag.

The US$100,000 prize is made up of US$50,000 cash and the equivalent of US$50,000 in Saatchi & Saatchi marketing consultancy. To find out more visit www.saatchi.com/innovation/

Peter Gabriel Hands Real Word to Ryko

In some of the first big label news of 2008, Ryko will take over U.S. distribution for Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records. As part of the agreement, Ryko will handle both digital and physical distribution of Real World’s catalog and will re-issue many of the label’s back catalog titles with new packaging and, in some cases, with exclusive bonus material. Gabriel launched the world music-centric Real World Records in 1989.

In a statement, Ryko Distribution President Jim Cuomo said, “Joining forces with Real World is a perfect complement to the artist-driven focus we have at Ryko and will enable us to reinforce Real World’s stature as the standard-bearer in World Music. We have shared and applauded Peter’s vision over many years and are both thrilled and excited to be able to contribute to Real World’s ongoing success.”

Gabriel adds, “The music on Real World is very precious to us, so we wanted to find a great home in America. We are delighted to have all our artists welcomed and look forward to building something special together.”

“Like so many, I have a profound admiration for Peter as a musician and artist, as well as a deep respect for the innovative and influential label he started nearly two decades ago,” says John Esposito, President and CEO of WEA Corp., who oversees Warner Music Group’s U.S distribution companies, including Ryko. “Real World’s impressive catalog is a true cultural gem and we will look forward to applying the resources of Ryko and WMG to assure it is treated with the care and dedication it deserves.”

The deal will include Real World’s entire catalog and future recordings. The label’s first project under the new agreement teams Gabriel and Karl Wallinger (The Waterboys, World Party) for a project that is said to be 16 years in the making. The Big Blue Ball project began back in 1992 when Gabriel opened his doors for the week to 75 international artists from over 20 countries. The first single from the Big Blue Ball project, “Whole Thing,” features Gabriel on lead vocal and keyboards, Tim Finn (Crowded House) and Andy White (ALT) on backing vocals, Karl Wallinger and Paul Allen Nord on guitar and Francis Bebey on flute. In a decidedly modern move, the single is now exclusively available via iTunes.

www.realworldrecords.com
www.rykodistribution.com

Beating down barriers

Not-for-profit organization does world of good through music

When he was in his early teens, Alan Davis used to drive his family and neighbours crazy playing the drums. He had aspirations of being a rock star and would often play for hours on end in his family's Parkdale home. "Playing music is one of the greatest pleasures in my life," said Davis, who graduated from Ryerson University when it was still a Polytechnical Institute back in the '80s. "I'm still in an active band. We have a gig next month."

Davis has been in many incarnations of bands since his teenage years. His latest is called Beatmap. They've been together for about three years. Davis describes their music as "a worldly, funky, rock thing. It could be a real kick-ass band if I was younger and had the kind of energy needed to sustain the group properly," he said. "But it's hard to find the time to do things that aren't of an immediate concern."
What's of immediate concern to Davis right now is his Small World Music Society. That's where he spends most of his energy and time these days, and has for the past 20 years.

Small World Music is a Toronto-based, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the presentation of world music, community outreach and developing the careers of Canada's diverse music community. Small World Music promotes between 40 and 50 concerts a year, including the annual Small World Music Festival that takes place in the fall. They bring in an eclectic mix of musicians from around the world and often pair them with Canada's best world music artists.

In the past four months, Small World Music has staged concerts featuring singer-songwriter Mansa Sissoko from Mali, virtuoso oud player and composer Marcel Khalife from the Middle East, Zimbabwean superstar Oliver Mtukudzi and the Kalman Balogh Gypsy Cimbalom Band from Budapest.

"I think world music is universal and speaks to any culture and language," Davis said. "What resonates most with me is the spiritual quality of the music and that 30 years from now you can listen to it and it still sounds good."

Davis grew up a fan of 70s and 80s rock bands like Led Zeppelin and Genesis, music he says that still "blows him away." And it was the former lead singer of Genesis, Peter Gabriel, who turned Davis onto world music.

"I was in my 20s when Gabriel started his Real World label and the music he was putting out just opened my ears to a wonderful sound," Davis remembers. "Due to Toronto's multicultural nature, I was able to experience some of the music I was hearing from Gabriel. I would go into the various ethnic communities and see people playing in restaurants and cafes. I decided to take some of those people and put them on stage."

Davis acknowledges it was a financial struggle in the beginning, and he never figured he would still be doing world music concerts 20 years later. But Toronto is even more diverse than when he started and is now one of the most multicultural cities in the world. Within that multicultural diversity lays one of Davis' small frustrations with some the concerts he puts on.
"We would do an Iranian concert and 90% of the audience is Iranian, the same if we do an Indian or Portuguese show," Davis said. "It's slowly changing. And I think that's great because it's important that we experience each others cultures. From a societal point of view, it helps break down mental ghettoes. Plus, a lot of these musicians deserve to be heard by a wider audience."

So instead of being the rock star he dreamed of as a youth, Davis now dreams of making stars out of the diverse musicians that call Toronto home. On Jan. 20, Small World Music presents the Shoghaken Ensemble from Armenia at the Markham Theatre for the Performing Arts, 171 Town Centre Blvd.

By NICHOLAS DAVIS, TORONTO SUN

Jazz meets Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

I am not sure how ATP readers will react to this, but let me say that I have been totally mesmerized by this music and have had it on auto-repeat play for the last three days.

But, first let me thank Zeeshan Suhail, on whose blog I found this wonderful fusion/jazz band called Brook’s Qawwali Party (BQP).

BQP produces a captivating sound based on Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s classic works and turn it into a unique and peculiar fusion of sufi qawalli rhythyms and jazz. But I will let them explain what they and their music is about. According to the BQP webpage:

What would happen if New York jazz musicians were to play and improvise around the melodies of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan? From this idea, Brook’s Qawwali Party was born. consists of fourteen musicians: five horns, three percussionists, guitar, acoustic bass, harmonium and three designated clappers. The exuberant sound of BQPBQP has been enthusiastically welcomed in New York City and across the globe.

According to Sepia Mutiny “Brook’s Qawwali Party is … made up of non-desi Brooklynites who get together in Park Slope… [they are] probably one of the only Sufi bands with Jewish members in existence.”

Of the half dozen audio clips that are available at their website, my favorite is ‘Beh Haadh Ramza Dhasdha’ (He Manifests Himself in Many Forms) which you can listen to by clicking below or on the image on the left, or by going to their web page.

I am a big fan of the original by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (in the album Shahbaaz) — I believe it is a tribute to Mansoor Hallaj shouting Ana al Haqq, even as he is executed on the gallows.

The BQP version has a very different quality to it and in the beginning I could not pin it down. But as I hear it again and again it seems to me that because they are using horns, their version has a shaadi waala band sound to it (I say this as a compliment because I am a huge fan of shaadi waala brass bands).

This particular clip starts rather abruptly, but from around 25 seconds onwards (espeically to around 1 minutes 15 sections) there is this wonderful interplay of sounds and of instruments that should gladden the hearts of qawalli fans as well as jazz fans.

Anyhow, do listen and make up your own mind.

Of the other clips on their site, I also like Tou Kareemi very much. It again has that interplay of horns that reminds me of a good military band playing at a shaadi. Both of these are rather ‘fast’ numbers. If you are looking for mellower sounds you should try their rendition of Man Kuntou Moula. Their versions of Mast Mast and Allah Hou, Allah Hou are not bad but these seemed much more like instrumental versions of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s originals and, especially in the later, the chant of ‘Allah Hou’ gets a little too Americanized in accent for my taste.

But, over all, I thought this was great stuff.

Adil Najam

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Michael Brook: Mustt Mustt & Night Song

Singer Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan collaborated with Canadian guitarist Michael Brook on these two outstanding albums in the early to mid 1990s, aiming to reach a cosmopolitan audience by blending his traditional, religious singing style with western production values. During these years, Khan's work made successful connections in broader, secular settings throughout the world, and he was featured on Bollywood and even Hollywood soundtracks (the latter including Natural Born Killers and Dead Man Walking).

By the end of the decade, Khan was widely recognised as the greatest qawwali (sufi devotional songs) singer of his era, partly due to his adventurous approach of blending various singing styles, ranging from commercial movie songs to revered Indian classical material. By this time, he was also a popular choice for innovative, club culture production artists, turntablists and vocal sample hunters, including Massive Attack, Talvin Singh, Bally Sagoo and Peter Gabriel.

Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Michael Brook
Mustt Mustt
Real World
1990

Recorded with six years between them, Mustt Mustt (Real World, 1990) and Night Song (Real World, 1996) give an insight into a unique crossover project—Khan distancing himself somewhat from the traditional qawwali setup to explore Indian classical alaap and sargam forms, and Brooks excising eastern instruments for a more guitar, bass and drum laden ambient approach.

Khan popularized the khayal (vocal improvisation on a short verse) style of singing in qawwali more than any of his predecessors. Though khayal is a genre in Indian classical repertoire singing, its extensive use in Nusrat's qawwalis helped him garner praise from world music enthusiasts beyond Pakistan. Because Khan often challenged the strict regime of scale and structure followed under Indian classical music, his name doesn't frequently appear in the purist's list of Indian classical greats; yet he is still the most popular traditional singer among the masses.

With Mustt Mustt and Night Song, Khan comes out clear with his uninhibited aspiration to delve into classical style and distance, if not altogether to shun his traditional style of singing. On Mustt Mustt, he uses significant qawwali verses in just the first two songs (”Mustt Mustt (Lost In His Work)” and “Nothing Without You (Tery Bina);” the rest of the album is his adventurous foray into improvised singing in the khayal genre. What's most interesting is his extensive use of taranas (gibberish syllables) evident in songs like “Taa Deem” (Mustt Mustt) and “Avenue” (Mustt Mustt).

There are other subtle, and innovative, elements on these albums worth mentioning, including Khan's technique of note-blending, as highlighted on “Intoxicated” and “Sweet Pain”(Night Song) and “Tracery”(Mustt Mustt); melodic alaaps like “Lament” and “Night Song” (Night Song) and “Sea Of Vapours”(Mustt Mustt); and vocal vibratos in “Crest”(Night Song), “The Game”(Mustt Mustt) and “Fault Lines”(Mustt Mustt).

Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Michael Brook
Night Song
Real World
1996

Night Song, recorded six years after Mustt Mustt, which reached number 4 on the Billboard world music chart, is a much more mature album. Khan gives more space to guitarist Brook, who complements it with succinct bass and drums parts. Night Song has an underlying theme of longing and lament; it also has concrete verses, in contrast to the non-figurative, abstract singing featured on Mustt Mustt, and “build-up” tempos which reach a climax on each song. It's interesting to note Khan singing on occasions at a slightly faster tempo than the bass and drums, creating a wonderful, mystical ambience that's instantly adorable.

Yet Khan's singing is seemingly effortless here, and seems to defy the genre itself—high-tempo, high-octave, khayal singing requires a fair amount of dynamism and Khan does this wonderfully on each song. Night Song could have been a career highlight if Khan hadn't sung it outside the traditional style he's best known for, and thus having it labeled a fusion album.

These are two very important albums—insistent yet melancholic, sacrilegious for purists, innovative for radicals—with Khan at his adventurous best.

Tracks and Personnel

Mustt Mustt

Tracks: Mustt Mustt (Lost In His Work); Nothing Without You (Tery Bina); Tracery; The Game; Taa Deem; Sea Of Vapours; Fault Lines; Tana Dery Na; Shadow; Avenue; Mustt Mustt [Massive Attack Remix].

Personnel: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: vocals; Michael Brook: production.

Night Song

Tracks: My Heart, My Life; Intoxicated; Lament; My Comfort Remains; Longing; Sweet Pain; Night Song; Crest.

Personnel: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: vocals; Michael Brook: production.

By Bhasker Gupta (All About Jazz)

Big names are back - BBB

PETER GABRIEL: One of English rock’s grandees, Peter has been preparing his world music album Big Blue Ball for 15 years. Guests include Sinead O’Connor and Natacha Atlas.

By SIMON COSYNS The Sun

Djivan Gasparyan, The Soul of Armenia

(Network/Harmonia Mundi, two CDs) The Soul of Armenia

Djivan Gasparyan is both the best-known musician in Armenia and the greatest exponent of the duduk, the haunting and atmospheric apricot-wood oboe that was the preserve of local shepherds until he brought it to international concert halls. His music has been used in films from Gladiator to Dead Man Walking. Now, as Gasparyan prepares to celebrate his 80th birthday, comes a well-packaged two-CD retrospective covering his career since 1989, when Brian Eno and Peter Gabriel helped promote him in the west.

What is most remarkable about this set is the sheer variety - Gasparyan plays with a flamenco guitarist, string orchestras, and a large Armenian ensemble. There's even an intriguing, drifting track in which he accompanies both the piano work of Michael Brook, and the extraordinary improvised singing of Pakistan's greatest Sufi Qawwali star, the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. But the finest tracks, some recorded only last year, feature him with minimal accompaniment and demonstrating the duduk's gently mournful charm.

Robin Denselow/ Friday January 4, 2008/ The Guardian

Harry Potter goes to Mogadishu

That Daniel Radcliffe's in such a hurry to grow up. First, there was his full-frontal showing in a London revival of Peter Shaffer's Equus, and... well, until he commits a live sex act or eats one of those six-pound steaks in one sitting, I think he's effectively shattered his boy wizard image for the time being.

And while he's still got a couple more o' those Harry Potter movies to make, it looks like he's going to keep after that whole adult acting career thing with the lead role in Journey, a biopic about the life of British photographer Dan Eldon, who was stoned to death in Mogadishu in 1993 (whilst attempting to take pictures of the aftermath of an errant attempt by the UN to assassinate General Farah Aideed). Eldon, who was only twenty-two when he was murdered, has been immortalized through his journals, which were published a decade ago as The Journey is the Destination. According to The Guardian, Baz Luhrmann and Peter Gabriel circled the project for a time before it fell to Bronwen Hughes.

Hughes is an interesting hire. After an unrewarding Hollywood dalliance (which spawned Harriet the Spy and Forces of Nature), she made the gritty, very solid Stander. If there's a decent film to be made from Jan Sardi's adaptation, I think Hughes could deliver something fairly memorable. And, judging from her collaboration with Thomas Jane, I think she could coax a fairly indelible performance out of Radcliffe. Failing that, perhaps she can get him to whip it out again.

Journey is in the very nascent stages of development, so this is all subject to change.


01.03.08 By Jeremy Smith Contributing sources: The Guardian

Wizard to play the magician of Somalia

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe lands role as a war photographer whose work has been widely acclaimed since his tragic death From Hogwarts school to the hell of Somalia's civil war, Daniel Radcliffe is to make his biggest career leap yet. The Harry Potter actor has seen off competition from Hollywood's A-list to star in the true story of a young British photographer who met a tragic end.

The film, Journey, will see Radcliffe play Dan Eldon, a 22-year-old who was among four journalists stoned to death by a mob in Mogadishu in July 1993. Eldon left behind 17 journals, thousands of pictures and a legacy that has won admirers including Madonna and Julia Roberts.

His mother, Kathy, says that she has rejected numerous bids for film rights to the story, and met but turned down leading actors including Orlando Bloom, Heath Ledger, Ryan Phillippe and Joaquin Phoenix, all of whom were eager to play the part. But then she sat down with 18-year-old Radcliffe and his parents at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles.

'The timing is right and the person is right and I couldn't ask for more,' said Kathy, a journalist, producer and activist. 'He has portrayed a magician for years and my Dan was a different kind of magician. There are parallels in the two Dans' lives. Daniel Radcliffe is a poet, he keeps journals and he's half Jewish. He has a puckishness, sense of humour and energy inside him which remind me of Dan.'

For Radcliffe the role marks a career watershed. He appeared in a TV adaptation of David Copperfield before winning the prize part of Harry Potter in the series of blockbusters based on JK Rowling's novels. But in the past year he has sought to escape Hogwarts' shadow by taking to the West End stage in Equus, appearing nude in one scene, and acting in the film December Boys and the TV drama My Boy Jack

Journey is likely to be a tough test because of the extent to which Eldon and his work still fascinate and inspire. The compilation of his richly textured journals, The Journey is the Destination, has sold nearly 200,000 copies since its publication 10 years ago, and his work now has a permanent home at a new gallery in New York. His mother said that in preserving his legacy she and her daughter, Amy, have enjoyed the support of Trudie Styler, the wife of musician Sting, Alanis Morissette, the singer-songwriter, and Rosie O'Donnell, the comedian and talk show host.

Director Baz Luhrmann and musician Peter Gabriel both expressed an interest in the film, she added. 'Julia Roberts has bought two of Dan's works and been wonderful. Madonna said, "I want to be a Dan fan".'

Eldon was born in Hampstead, north London, to Kathy, who is American, and a British father, from whom she is now divorced. When Dan was seven the family moved to Kenya and he fell in love with Africa. After spells in America and travels worldwide, he followed a family friend to northern Kenya where she photographed refugees of the civil war in neighbouring Somalia. Horrified, Eldon also took photographs which were published in Kenya's leading newspaper.

In 1992, he went to Somalia on assignment for Reuters. He witnessed American and UN troops launch 'Operation Restore Hope', first with a sense of relief, then growing frustration, and his pictures helped draw international attention to the developing crisis. On 12 July 1993, he was due to leave Mogadishu - his bags were packed and his replacement had arrived.

But then UN forces bombed a house where they believed the warlord General Farah Aideed was present. Instead, 74 innocent men, women and children were killed and more than 100 injured. Survivors raced to the journalists' hotel and asked them to take pictures. Travelling in convoy, under the protection of Somalis, Eldon and a group of colleagues went to the bombed compound.

As they began to take photographs, the crowd erupted in anger at what had happened and attacked the journalists. Eldon and his colleagues - Hansi Krauss, Anthony Macharia of Reuters and Hos Maina of the Associated Press - were surrounded, stoned and beaten to death.

'I was in LA, working on a film, and I awakened to this telephone call which changed my life,' Kathy recalled. 'We flew to London and then to Kenya for the service, still feeling numb at that stage. I thought he was gone for ever but I've always felt the tremendous energy of his spirit. I couldn't heal myself until I transformed the horror of Dan's death into some positive things.'

Journey will be directed by Bronwen Hughes, whose films include Harriet the Spy and Forces of Nature, and scripted by Jan Sardi, who gained an Oscar nomination for his screenplay for Shine. Kathy is yet to announce a producer but hopes to start filming next year in Kenya, as Somalia remains too dangerous. Profits will go to the Creative Visions Foundation.

'The film is a teen coming of age story - entertaining, funny, dark at times - but ultimately triumphant,' Kathy said. 'People will leave the cinema feeling inspired, thinking: "Oh my God, let me start living right now!" It won't be pious. We're not trying to idolise him or make him or a hero.'

She said she and Amy burst into tears the first time they contemplated Dan being portrayed on screen. 'A lot of older actors wanted to play this character but we resisted because Dan was a boy emerging into manhood. If you're an established leading actor then you're too old for this role,' Kathy said.

'Daniel Radcliffe is the first time we've found a young enough actor with a global following. We love the way he's a global soul. He's travelled the world and feels comfortable in the world and hasn't been corrupted by Hollywood.'

David Smith in New York/Sunday December 30, 2007/The Observer

Les Alpes suisses, rendez-vous glamour

Verbier

L'autre station valaisanne «People» du moment, c'est Verbier, devenu le terrain de jeu favorti des Anglais, en particulier. Le milliardaire Richard Branson, fondateur du groupe Virgin, qui y skie depuis de nombreuses années, y a d'ailleurs désormais un hôtel. Il devrait y accueillir ces jours le chanteur Peter Gabriel.

Autre chanteur britannique, James Blunt a déposé ses papiers dans la station du Val de Bagnes. Celle-ci a accueilli l'an dernier les acteurs Hugh Grant, Juliette Binoche, Christian Clavier et José Garcia. Le fils de Caroline de Monaco, Pierre Casiraghi, a été photographié récemment... alors qu'il se battait dans les rues de Verbier!

Les people anglais ont choisi Verbier

Colonisée chaque hiver par des milliers de riches touristes anglais, la station bagnarde de Verbier est également le repaire favori des stars du showbiz et de la finance. «Les personnalités viennent à Verbier pour le domaine skiable, mais surtout pour la discrétion dont elles jouissent. Ici, ce sont des gens comme les autres, explique-t-on à l'office du tourisme. C'est ce qui fait la particularité de la station. On peut tomber sur une personnalité comme ça, au détour d'une rue ou sur les pistes.»

Alors aujourd'hui, qui peut-on espérer croiser? Malheureusement, pas Hugh Grant, qui était présent la semaine dernière. Mais Sir Richard Branson. Le milliardaire britannique serait installé dans son nouvel hôtel, The Lodge, où logerait également son pote Peter Gabriel. Et puis James Blunt. Le chanteur est un habitué des lieux. «Il venait déjà quand il était militaire, rappelle une habitante de la station. L'armée anglaise envoyait ses éléments les plus méritants en vacances à Verbier. A l'époque, il se produisait déjà dans certains bars.»

Spare us the liner notes

Saul Williams released a low-quality album as a free download in 2007

You don't need to hold an album to love it

When Radiohead made their new album, In Rainbows, available for download in October at any price fans cared to set, you'd think from the ink spilled by drooling journalists that they'd managed to revolutionize music's distribution system in one fell swoop. Lo and behold, Thom Yorke & co. will be selling the album in CD form on New Year's Day -- and it's not just for diehards from the musical stone age who want physical artefacts. As it turns out, Radiohead played something of a fast one on their fans at the outset by offering them MP3 files to download at the bitrate of 160 kbps (which is noticeably below CD quality) without alerting them to this first. If you want the music in reasonable quality, you'll have to pay (in many cases, again).

Less dubious is the model set out by Saul Williams, who is making his excellent new Trent Reznor-produced album, The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust, available online either free (with lossy files) or for $5 (with maximum-bitrate MP3s or lossless, CD-quality files). No catch, no hidden fees!

Both In Rainbows and Niggy Tardust prove that, even as physical formats become less important to the way music is released, there's something to be said for the idea of the album itself as a collection of related tracks.

When he was launching his On-Demand Distribution system for music files in 2000, I asked Peter Gabriel if the advent of downloading spelled a death sentence for the album; he told me it wouldn't, as people still want narrative structure in their art. Such, indeed, seems to be the case, whether figuratively (with a set of tracks that "takes you on a journey" or a DJ mix) or literally (witness the spate of recent concept albums with storylines, from Jay-Z's American Gangster to Reznor's Year Zero). Downloading should, with any luck, spell the death of the cynically conceived "album" consisting of one or two singles and a whack of filler.

Now all we need is a better distribution system with high-quality, no-DRM MP3s and content from various labels and musicians at reasonable prices. The Songwriters' Association of Canada's proposal to impose a monthly fee on Internet users for legal file-sharing, while problematic for those who are uninterested, might lead to just that. Industry Minister Jim Prentice would do well to consider it -- anything is better than the U.S.'s restrictive, law-suit-heavy model. And after all, taking legal action against their customers is the best way for the major labels to speed their own extinction.