BBC shows best teen beats

Fans of TV talent shows would have been familiar with the format - an act performs, the judges debate the merits of that performance, the presenter asks them how they feel - and ultimately, one of them is awarded the winner.

But the final of The Next Big Thing - the BBC's global search for the best young musical talent - was different in a couple of ways. Firstly, all the acts were aged under 18. Secondly, they were all really rather good.

In this case, selecting the eventual winner would be legendary producer William Orbit, Rough Trade founder Jeff Travis, African star Angelique Kidjo and Dirty Pretty Things drummer Gary Powell, with former Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel also giving his input.

And so to the acts. Brazilian six-piece combo Sweet Cherry Fury began the night with their jaunty, raucous take on boredom in exams, Cold Blonde Body. Having flown 20 hours from Sao Paulo - and lost their luggage en route - they were determined not to let a minor technical hitch that had delayed the start of the gig put them off.

Lyrical flow

Impressively, performing live at the BBC's famous Maida Vale studios in front of industry icons seemed to inspire them rather than make them nervous - something, on the most part, in common with all the performers on the night. They threw themselves into their songs with both intensity and passion. As Vardy, the lead singer of British three-piece rock group Skagz put it, "we're having the time our lives."

There was an intense performance from Malawian rap act NiC, a duo who volleyed words back and forth like Sampras and Ivanisevic in their prime, deciding not to bother with those fancy passing shots and just belting the ball at each other. Their angry - if interestingly anti-materialistic - rap stems from their frustration at attempting to break into the music industry in Africa. Judge Gary Powell was particularly impressed by what he described as their "lyrical flow", saying they could be understood better "than acts in the charts earning millions".

NiC would eventually finish second, a place shared with British duo Stefan and Mya - whose much more light-hearted song, My Dunks, is about a fashion victim and his girlfriend, who feels she is always second-best to her man's trainers.Their bickering couple style drew high praise from the judges. "I'd say you're like Lily Allen, but you're much better than that," said Powell.

But everyone brought something different to the final, despite - or perhaps because of - their widely diverse backgrounds, sounds, and themes. Refugee Malikinke delivered a multi-language plea to African men to think before they sleep around; US multi-member group MLK performed an eight-word, two-minute celebration of Martin Luther King; while the Skagz thrashed out their up-tempo rock song about singer Vardy "getting attacked in the mining village of Whitwell".

Winner

As soon as she stepped behind the microphone, however, the star quality of the act who go on to win shone through. Armenian performer Silva not only sang, she also really performed, coupling her smooth vocal with some well-honed dance moves. The 17-year-old's tango-based song I Like - written by her sister and produced by her brother - would not have sounded out of place on any hit-centred radio station. But, with a little polish, the same could have been said for most of the other acts too. None were noticeably weak - a benefit, perhaps, of having a panel of music industry experts give their input into choosing the final seven.

The four judges admitted they had expected the standard to be "much lower", and were visibly impressed. As they deliberated and the groups awaited the result, the genuine camaraderie that had grown between the acts - they had stayed together in the same hotel since arriving in London earlier in the week, and cheered each others' performances - was clear to see. They all stood huddled together, nervously chatting to each other, offering congratulatory handshakes and hugs whenever one of them was mentioned by name by the judges.

When the result was announced, the cheers and applause were such that any one of them could have been cheering their own win as much as Silva's. Silva herself was utterly overwhelmed by the experience, and accepted the trophy with tears in her eyes. Asked if she was happy to have won, she could manage only one word: "Yes."

British musicians fight for copyright extension

Paul McCartney and U2 were among thousands of musicians who signed a full-page newspaper ad that appeared Thursday, calling on the British government to extend copyright protection for their work. Peter Gabriel, Cliff Richard and Billy Bragg were also among the 4,000 performers whose names appeared in the Financial Times pages calling for an extension, a position that also has the support of most record companies.

"We call upon the U.K. government to support the extension of copyright in sound recordings," the ad read. The appeal was in response to Wednesday's release of the Review of Intellectual Property, which was commissioned by Britain's Treasury. The review was led by Andrew Gowers, the former editor of the Times.

Gowers's report rejected calls by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) to extend Britain's copyright on sound recordings to 95 years, from the current 50 years. Those terms would compare to the Sonny Bono Act, enacted in 1998 to lengthen copyright protection in the U.S.

Gowers argued in the report that there must be a balance between protection of the artist and of the consumer, and he rejected the notion that artists would move elsewhere to evade the shorter copyright protections. It's not known whether the government will act on the recommendation. If so, recordings by artists such as Richard, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones would be in the public domain within the next few years.

The Open Rights Group, which included Matt Black, a DJ from Coldcut, supported Gowers's recommendation. "The only people to benefit from term extension would be the giant traditional media groups," Black said. "Here we can recognize that music is a key part of our culture, [and, indeed, a key export], that recycling is a natural part of musical creativity," he added.The review also called for a crackdown on music piracy and counterfeiting operations, including dramatically increasing the maximum prison sentences for those found guilty of online copyright infringement to 10 years from two.

Fairlight Signed By 44 Pop Stars On Ebay

Get it for Christmas and support WITNESS charity if you have a spare $100,000 05-Dec-06

For music fans around the globe the ultimate holiday gift this year is available online at EBay: a vintage Fairlight CMI keyboard signed by 44 legendary artists who used it to define the sound of the Eighties. The Fairlight will be auctioned online up until live auction at the WITNESS Benefit Dinner and Concert in New York City on December 11, 2006. With a starting bid of $100,000 already registered, this is a gift that will likely appreciate considerably over time and, because it’s being auctioned for charity, will keep on giving beyond the holiday season.

Here's the details directly from the press release that we have received..

Fairlight has donated a vintage CMI (Computer Music Instrument) keyboard and arranged to have all 43 keys plus the chassis autographed by the artists that made the instrument the most important development in music in the Eighties. The signatory artists, who used the CMI to radically change the music of the day, include Lindsey Buckingham, Nick Rhodes, Stuart Copeland, Elvis Costello, Mike Oldfield, Hans Zimmer, Roland Orzabal, Barry Gibb, Steve Winwood, Kate Bush, Laurie Anderson, JJ Jeczalik, Joni Mitchell, Annie Lennox, Boris Blank, Midge Ure, Alan Parsons, Geoff Downes, Brian Wilson, David Gilmour, Mark Knopfler, Sir George Martin, John Paul Jones, Trevor Horn, Jim Kerr, Brian Eno, Jean Michel Jarre, Howard Jones, Herbie Hancock, Thomas Dolby, Keith Emerson, Mark Mothersbaugh, Bono, Jan Hammer, Todd Rundgren, Stevie Wonder, Iva Davies, David Hirschfelder, Chick Corea, Daryl Hall, Mike Rutherford, Billy Gibbons, Peter Gabriel and David Bowie.

Iconic hits such as “Sledgehammer” by Peter Gabriel; “Thriller” by Michael Jackson; “Rocket” by Herbie Hancock and “The Unforgettable Fire” by U2 are classic examples of the Fairlight CMI as it was used within the 80’s genre. Among the first commercially-available albums to incorporate it were Kate Bush's “Never for Ever” (1980), Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” (1980), Jean-Michel Jarre's Magnetic Fields (1981), and the Buggles' last album, “Adventures in Modern Recording.” Peter Gabriel's "Shock the Monkey" and its parent album Security (1982) also feature the instrument.

The Fairlight CMI was the world’s first digital sampler and featured other radical advances for the time, including a light pen interface and menu-driven GUI. One of the CMI’s most significant software features was the so-called "Page R,” which was the world’s first real time graphical music sequence editor, widely copied on other software synths ever since. The instrument was featured extensively in the futuristic videos of those who used it dominating the 80’s music scene and, being the first device to cross the computer/instrument divide, was the subject of passionate debate within the artist community — Phil Collins, a CMI detractor, went so far as to advertise “No Fairlight Used” in the liner notes of his 1985 album “No Jacket Required!” A Fairlight CMI can be seen in the Devo film “We Are Devo” and in Jan Hammer's music video for the Miami Vice theme song. It also makes an appearance being operated by Nick Rhodes in Duran Duran's video for "The Reflex".

The CMI hit the height of its popular frenzy among the artist community when it was featured in a now-legendary performance by Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Thomas Dolby and Howard Jones at the 1985 Grammy Awards. Ironically, the Grammy Album Of The Year in 1985 was “No Jacket Required.”

Though still selling to the music community elite, the cost of manufacturing forced Fairlight to discontinue the CMI in the late Eighties, as it migrated its business to building digital audio workstations and mixing consoles for the Hollywood film production business, the television broadcast market and the higher-end of music recording where the “Fairlight Sound” is still highly prized.

On December 11, WITNESS’ annual benefit will be hosted by the organization’s founder and chairman, Peter Gabriel, and actor Gael Garcia Bernal. The event will include performances by Paul Simon, Angélique Kidjo and Kate Pierson & Fred Schneider of the B-52's.

Commenting on the auction, Fairlight Chief Executive John Lancken said today, “Bringing together the artists and the instrument that turned music on its head back in the Eighties is a fascinating exercise in the history of music, but to do it with WITNESS to support peace and human rights around the world is especially gratifying. We believe that this project, the culmination of two years of hard work, is only the beginning of a long and productive relationship between Fairlight and WITNESS as we bring to bear our digital media expertise and our user base of studios and broadcasters around the globe to help advance the great cause that WITNESS fights every day.”

Echoing this sentiment, Gillian Caldwell, Director of WITNESS, said today “The Eighties is remembered for among other things the unique music of the time, much of which was created on the Fairlight CMI. Today, WITNESS seeks to ensure the current decade is not remembered as a time that the world turned a blind eye to human rights abuses across the globe. To open up the eyes of the world to these abuses, WITNESS relies on sound and video technologies, which is why it is especially exciting to see a professional audio company like Fairlight support our cause.”

The December 11 auction marks the end of a two-year program embarked on by Fairlight, WITNESS and New York City public relations agency Griffin Public Relations & Marketing to reach out to the artists who had used the keyboard. Working with artists, agents and managers, the group pitched participation, sought an agreement to autograph and then issued the keys individually to artists around the world. The autographed keys were each returned to Fairlight in Sydney and the keyboard was recently reassembled and shipped to New York, where it will go on display at a VIP reception before the auction.

Peter Gabriel and Gael Garcia Bernal to Host WITNESS’ Benefit Dec. 11, 2006

Event to highlight WITNESS’ ongoing work to end human rights abuses in Burma

(CSRwire) NEW YORK, NY - November 17, 2006 - Musician Peter Gabriel and film sensation Gael García Bernal will co-host the “Focus for Change” benefit for WITNESS, the international human rights group, on December 11, 2006 in New York City. The event, to be held at the Hammerstein Ballroom, will include performances by Paul Simon, Angélique Kidjo and Kate Pierson & Fred Schneider of the B-52’s.

WITNESS (www.witness.org), the New York-based organization that deploys video and technology to promote human rights causes worldwide, was co-founded in 1992 by Peter Gabriel. WITNESS has partnered with groups in more than 60 countries, bringing often unseen images, untold stories and seldom heard voices to the attention of key decision makers, the media, and the general public -- prompting grassroots activism, political engagement, and lasting change.

The December 11th event highlights WITNESS’ work in Burma, where over the past decade more than one million ethnic minority civilians in eastern Burma have fled from attacks of the SPDC - Burma's military regime - in a brutal campaign of repression, assimilation and counter-insurgency. Some have become refugees in Thailand and other neighboring countries, while others have been displaced inside the country. Burma dictator Than Shwe’s use of military force has resulted in extra-judicial killings, torture, rape, and forced labor on a massive scale. Over 3,000 villages have been destroyed or forcibly abandoned due to the military’s attacks. In the last six months alone, more than 20,000 people have been displaced from their homes and 5,000 fled to refugee camps in Thailand.

At the event, supporters will hear a keynote address urging effective international action by the UN Security Council by Mr. Kwe Say, a representative from WITNESS partner, Burma Issues, who fled an attack on his village and lived on the run as a child. Burma Issues, a Thailand-based organization staffed primarily by people who have fled from Burma, uses video to document the systematic repression of civilians by Burma's military government for international audiences and to educate and mobilize grassroots communities within Burma.

WITNESS’ benefit will also bring some of music’s best loved legends together to safeguard human rights and raise awareness of rights abuses all over the globe through the auction of a one-of-a-kind vintage Fairlight CMI keyboard signed by 43 of music’s biggest artists including Stevie Wonder, Bono, Herbie Hancock and Annie Lenox. The Fairlight CMI (Computer Music Instrument) was invented in 1978 and was the world’s first digital sampling keyboard. The keyboard, which was discontinued in the late 1980s, is now a highly prized collectors’ item. An online auction on EBay will begin on December 1, 2006 enabling music enthusiasts and collectors to bid on the keyboard in the ten days leading up to the auction. Then, on the evening of December 11th, an accompanying live auction will take place at the WITNESS benefit and the winning bid will be authenticated and announced.

Corporate sponsors of Focus for Change include Fairlight; DivX, Inc.; TED Conference; Griffin Public Relations & Marketing; Newscorp; Lindblad Expeditions; Deckers Outdoors Corporation; Hobie Surf Shop; EOS Airlines; Hennessy; Belvedere Vodka; Hudson Yards Catering; American Apparel; Chocolat Michel Cluizel; and Auction Cause.

Corporations or individuals interested in event sponsorship, can visit (www.witness.org/events) or contact Sara Federlein, WITNESS, 718.783.2000 ext. 304 or Sara@witness.org.

About WITNESS

WITNESS uses the power of video to open the eyes of the world to human rights abuses. By partnering with local organizations around the globe, WITNESS empowers human rights defenders to use video as a tool to shine a light on those most affected by human rights violations, and to transform personal stories of abuse into powerful tools of justice.

BBC Search For Next Big Thing In Music

30 November 2006 ; The BBC's international search for the world's best young band or solo artist is heading towards the grand finale with young musicians from Armenia, Brazil, Ghana, Malawi, UK and USA winning their way into the final. The global panel of judges of BBC World Service's The Next Big Thing contest has shortlisted as the finalists:

Armenia: Silva - I Like
Silva is 17-years-old. The track was composed by Silva's sister Mane and produced by Edgar, her brother.

Brazil: Sweet Cherry Fury - Cold Blonde Body
Sweet Cherry Fury are a six piece girl band from Brazil who share a passion for rock and roll.

Ghana: Mishkini - 3 Eyez
Mishkini is a young Liberian refugee living in Ghana. The song is performed in Ewe (a Ghanaian language), English and French. It talks about consequences of unfaithfulness among lovers.

Malawi: NiC - Take A Look Into My Eyes
Nick Giannakis wrote this track to describe the trials and tribulations he goes through trying to excel in the music industry in Malawi. The song touches on issues like drugs, loyalty and peer pressure.

UK: The Skagz - Whitwell
Whitwell is about Skagz's singer getting attacked by yobs in a village near where they live. Dave from Skagz says: "Like all Skagz songs, it's about real life experiences, it's honest and it's real."

UK: Stefan Abingdon - My Dunks
My Dunks is an observation of the fashions and trends of teenagers today. Stefan says: "It's my protest against fashion victims, which blatantly includes myself!"

USA: MLK and the Dreamers - Great Man
Made up of six musicians from three different local schools, MLK and the Dreamers were drawn together by their love of music. The band members like to describe their sound as "original, playful, and energetic".

The seven finalists are expected to fly into the UK next week to perform at the BBC's famous Maida Vale studios. The Next Big Thing is showcasing musicians who are 18 or under, compose original tracks and are unsigned. The shortlist was judged by a global panel of music industry names including critics, artists, record label pioneers and industry heavyweights. The BBC initially planned to shortlist six finalists, but the global panel came up with seven names.

The Next Big Thing producer Simon Pitts explains: "We had such a high standard of entries it was simply impossible to get it down to six." One of the panellists, British writer and broadcaster, Miranda Sawyer, described Silva and her song I Like as "unnervingly sophisticated".

UK-based Gareth Simpson, who recently developed OXJAM - Oxfam's most ambitious music event ever – said he liked the range of influences evident on Silva's performance: "There's an eastern feel fused with a contemporary R&B."

Ilka Schlockermann, German-born and now UK-based musician, producer and publicist, described Mishkini's 3 Eyez as "an interesting, mellow track" while Sergio Dias, the lead singer and founder of internationally-acclaimed Brazilian band Os Mutantes, liked the rhythm division of Mishkini's melody which he described as "simple but hearty". Sergio Dias also liked the "well produced, good contrasts" of Stefan Abingdon's My Dunks.

Another The Next Big Thing judge, Bernie Cho, Manager of MTV Korea's Creative and Content Department, was full of praise for NiC's Take A Look Into My Eyes. Bernie said: "With tight lyrics, disciplined delivery, and mood-swinging instrumentals, NiC's hypnotic hip-hop track has all the basic ingredients for a good-to-go, radio-friendly song. But by throwing in some off-colour, off-speed counterjabs like electric guitar chords and exotic, operatic choruses, NiC surges from OK to excellent on my scorecard. A nice, mature effort…"

Swedish producer, music engineer, DJ, musician and label manager Christopher Berg had special praise for The Skagz's song, Whitwell. Christopher said: "I like the quirky verse-groove… and this band understands the importance of a dynamic arrangement… I could see this band getting signed and releasing something successful, with the right producer involved."

Broadcast journalist and academic from China, Mao Xi, explained that she chose MLK and the Dreamers' song, Great Man, because "it proves a band can still make music using traditional instruments and without the latest technical equipment. It is a good song where everyone involved is having fun and the listener is drawn into the happiness."

The tracks can be heard at www.bbcworldservice.com/thenextbigthing

The Next Big Thing final will take place on Saturday 9 December 2006 in a special programme. Producer William Orbit (of Madonna, Robbie Williams and Sugababes fame) will be joined by world music legends Cathy Dennis, Angelique Kidjo, Rough Trade founder Geoff Travis (Antony & The Johnsons, The Strokes, The Smiths) and special guest Peter Gabriel in a live show to select the winner from six finalists. The competition is part of a week of programmes from BBC World Service, Generation Next, which explores the real issues in the world according to under-18s.

The Peter Gabriel Song

The Television Personalities Pay Tribute To Eminem On New Album

Out early next year...

The Television Personalities are due to return with a new album early next year.

The 13 track album ‘Are We Nearly There Yet?’ is released through Overground Records on February 20.

The CD collates material recorded before the release of their last album ‘My Dark Places.’

It was recorded in the summer of 2005 in New York after the band The Baskervilles donated £1,000 to get The TV Personalities in the studio.

Dan Treacy from the band said of it: “I’m as proud and disappointed of this CD as anything I’ve ever done.”

Tracks include a homage to Eminem and Peter Gabriel. The full track-listing is as follows:

1. Are We Nearly There Yet?
2. The Peter Gabriel Song
3. The Eminem Song
4. I Get Scared When I Don’t Know Where You Are
5. I See Dead People.
6. If I Could Write Poetry
7. If I Should Fall Behind
8. Coltrane’s Ghost
9. Mr Brightside
10. All The Midnight Cowboys
11. All The King’s Horses
12. You Are Loved
13. It’s All About The Girl

good news

A un journaliste qui souhaitait savoir si ceci n'avait pas donné lieu à des discussions avec Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins a affirmé: "Bien sûr, mais Peter fait preuve de presque trop de prudence à cet égard. Nous considérons cette tournée simplement comme une bonne occasion de rejouer ensemble. Depuis son départ du groupe en 1975, Peter Gabriel mène sa carrière en solo. Nous avons certes eu des discussions, par exemple pour savoir si nous allions rejouer "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" en concert dans sa durée totale, mais ces discussions n'ont pas abouti."

Peter Gabriel récipiendaire d'un prix de paix

FONDATION GORBATCHEV

Peter Gabriel, qui a fondé le groupe rock Genesis, a reçu à Rome le prix «Man for Peace». Ce prix pour la paix est décerné par la Fondation Gorbatchev. Gabriel, âgé de 56 ans, est honoré pour son travail de promotion des droits de la personne et en faveur de la paix mondiale. Le prix lui a été remis lors d'une rencontre d'anciens lauréats de prix Nobel de la Paix, qui est organisée chaque année à Rome par la Fondation Gorbatchev. Dans le passé, ce prix a notamment été décerné à l'organisateur de l'événement "Live 8", Bob Geldof, Yusuf Islam, le chanteur autrefois connu sous le nom de Cat Stevens, et le réalisateur et acteur italien Roberto Benigni.

Peter Gabriel, homme de la paix 2006

Les lauréats des prix Nobel de la paix, réunis à Rome pour un 7e sommet, ont fait de Peter Gabriel l'« homme de la paix 2006 ». Le musicien britannique voit ainsi saluées « ses activités en faveur de la paix et de l'humanité », a souligné Mikhaïl Gorbatchev, Prix Nobel 1990, ajoutant que le chanteur « utilise la musique, langage universel, pour faciliter la compréhension entre les cultures ». C'est des mains du Prix Nobel de la paix de 1983, le leader syndical et politicien polonais Lech Walesa, que M. Gabriel a reçu son prix, à Rome.

Un engagement soutenu

Peter Gabriel, 56 ans, a été parmi les premiers artistes à dénoncer l'apartheid en Afrique du Sud. Il est engagé depuis plusieurs années dans la défense des droits de l'homme. Pendant plus d'un an, il a d'ailleurs fait une tournée mondiale au profit de l'ONG Amnestie internationale, qui travaille en ce sens. Dans son discours de remerciement, M. Gabriel a affirmé que la musique était omniprésente dans le monde et permettait de toucher les êtres humains. Il a aussi insisté sur l'importance de la technologie, qui rapproche les hommes et transforme « la guerre en paix »

Peter Gabriel honoré pour son engagement pour la paix

Peter Gabriel a été honoré à titre d'«Homme de paix», vendredi, par une fondation dirigée par l'ex-leader soviétique Mikhaïl Gorbatchev, rapporte l'Associated Press.

On a ainsi voulu souligner le travail de promotion de la paix et des droits humains accompli par le musicien. Il a reçu son prix à Rome lors d'une cérémonie qui marque le début d'une rencontre qui rassemble les lauréats du prix Nobel de la Paix. Celle-ci se déroule chaque année. Elle est organisée par la Fondation Gorbatchev et l'hôtel de ville de Rome.

Parmi les autres récipiendaires de ce prix de la Paix de la Fondation Gorbatchev: le musicien et organisateur de Live 8, Bob Geldof; Yusuf Islam (anciennement connu sous le nom de Cat Stevens) ainsi que l'acteur et réalisateur italien Roberto Benigni.

Photo: Gabriel, tenant son prix, pose en compagnie de l'ancien leader polonais Lech Walesa, récipiendaire du prix Nobel de la paix en 1983.

Peter Gabriel est «l'homme de la paix 2006»

Le musicien britannique Peter Gabriel a été désigné «homme de la paix 2006» vendredi à Rome lors d'un sommet des lauréats du prix Nobel de la paix réuni jusqu'à dimanche.

Cette septième édition du sommet a pour thème «l'atome pour la paix ou pour la guerre?».

C'est le prix Nobel de la paix 1983, le Polonais Lech Walesa, qui a remis le prix au musicien, remplaçant l'ex-président soviétique Mikhaïl Gorbatchev, absent pour cause de maladie. «Peter Gabriel est reconnu dans le monde entier pour ses activités en faveur de la paix et de l'humanité. Il utilise la musique, langage universel, pour faciliter la compréhension entre les cultures», a souligné M. Gorbatchev, prix Nobel 1990, dans un message distribué pendant la cérémonie à la mairie de Rome.

Une «voix pour la liberté»

Rappelant que Peter Gabriel avait été l'un des premiers artistes à dénoncer l'apartheid, le maire de Rome, Walter Veltroni, a salué une «voix qui se bat pour la liberté». Peter Gabriel a souligné dans son discours de remerciement que «la musique était omniprésente dans le monde, comme l'eau» et que ce «langage permettait de toucher les être humains».

Barbe blanche et chemise sans col, le chanteur a insisté sur l'importance de la technologie (téléphone mobile, ordinateur portable...) qui permet de relier les hommes et de transformer «l'information en connaissance, la connaissance en sagesse et la guerre en paix». Peter Gabriel, 56 ans, ancien du groupe Genesis, est depuis plusieurs années engagé dans le combat pour les droits de l'homme, effectuant notamment pendant plus d'un an une tournée mondiale au profit d'Amnesty International.

Johnny Clegg, le "zoulou blanc", part en reconquête avec un nouvel album

Le chanteur sud-africain Johnny Clegg, figure de la lutte anti-apartheid dans les années 80, part à la reconquête de son public avec "One Life" (Marabi/Harmonia Mundi), son premier album international depuis près de dix ans, où, en adepte du métissage, il ouvre son rock zoulou à de nouveaux courants.

Le »zoulou blanc» se produira dimanche à Paris (Grand Rex) avant d'autres concerts en France. "C'est un classique +Johnny Clegg mélange+", déclare Clegg à l'AFP, dans un français maladroit. Dès les années 70, ce jeune blanc rebelle remua les consciences en épousant la cause zoulou, fréquentant les townships et s'affichant dans des formations multiraciales.

On retrouve sur "One Life" les caractéristiques de sa musique, combinaison à haute teneur énergétique de rythmes binaires du rock et de polyphonies vocales zoulou, qui a fait sa réputation dans les tubes "Scatterlings from Africa" (1982) ou "Asimbonanga" (1987). Mais Clegg, 53 ans, toujours en prise avec les bouleversements de la société sud-africaine, y intègre de nouvelles données. "Il y a du hip hop, du raï, du reggae, de la dance music, du kwaito", explique le musicien, qui joue de la guitare acoustique, des claviers, du concertina.

Mixé dans les studios Real World de Peter Gabriel en Angleterre, »One Life» emprunte également au reggae et à l'afro-cubain, mais le côté rock et pop y prend petit à petit le pas sur la partie "roots» et »world». Sur cet album, Clegg s'exprime en quatre langues. »Je chante en anglais, en zoulou» (que cet ancien étudiant en anthropologie maîtrise à la perfection), »mais aussi en afrikaans (NDLR: langue des afrikaaners, communauté blanche d'Afrique du Sud d'origine néerlandaise qui systématisa l'apartheid en 1948) dans un but de réconciliation, et en scamto, nouveau langage codé des jeunes des townships», raconte l'ancien leader des groupes Savuka et Juluka.

Via ce nouveau disque, publié simultanément en Europe, aux Etats-Unis, au Canada et dans une partie de l'Afrique, Clegg souhaite s'extirper du statut de figure historique de la lutte anti-apartheid, dont il est prisonnier. Il veut regagner une crédibilité dans son pays, où Freshly Ground, un nouveau groupe de pop multi-racial, est aujourd'hui plus connu que lui.
"Je travaille très dur pour me refaire", avoue ce combattant, qui a englouti une partie de ses économies dans une entreprise de production musicale qui a fait faillite.

Après le concert (complet) au Grand Rex dimanche, avec en première partie The Gospel Choir of Soweto, Johnny Clegg jouera à Nevers le 23, Luxembourg le 24, Mantes-la-Jolie le 25 et Saint-Quentin le 28. Une tournée en Europe et aux Etats-Unis est prévue au printemps. Sans doute gratifiera-t-il encore son public de ses fameuses danses guerrières zoulou, rituel qui a toujours fait partie d'un show mené tambour battant.

Peter Gabriel Designated 2006 Man Of Peace By Nobel

British musician Peter Gabriel will receive a peace award from the hands of Mikhail Gorbachev and other Nobel Laureates during a ceremony in Rome on Friday.

Gabriel was designated 2006 Man of Peace for "his great contribution and commitment to peace and human rights", organizers said in a statement.

Among his numerous initiatives, organisers singled out his efforts to fight apartheid. In 1980, Gabriel published "Biko", a heartfelt plea not to forget the south-African leader Steve Biko, murdered in September 1977 in a prison in Port Elizabeth.

Former South African president Frederik Willem de Klerk will be among the Nobel Peace Laureates attending the ceremony.

The annual Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, promoted by Gorbachev and the City of Rome, has reached its seventh edition.

This year's edition focuses on the dangers of atomic energy.

Pioneering the Avant-Garde - Lisa Paul Streitfeld

Music, the purest of all the artistic mediums, was at the forefront of avant-garde experimentation throughout the 20th century. The collaborations between Beat poets and jazz musicians in the 50s gave rise to the 60s counterculture movement that was propelled by avant-garde experiments with music arising from chance encounters in everyday life and the popularity of rock, with its ideals of the sacred marriage through projection. The following decade, punk broke down gender boundaries along with popular forms made sterile through disco. The New Age movement of the 80s delivered musicians who consciously used sound to move the kundalini through the charkas of the body. In the 90s, grunge was a valve for the emotional fallout from the toxic marriage arising from the chaotic breakdown of gender roles.

My personal search for the hieros gamos in millennial art forms began with my absorption in Peter Gabriel's CD, US, prior to a visit to his Real World Studio in 1994. Last spring, I became acquainted with the genius of Darryl Tookes. Like Gabriel, Tookes is a pioneering Aquarian artist integrating heaven and earth through a personal narrative aligned with a 21st century icon...

Katché: Jazz album of the Year

Neighbourhood, Manu Katché's ECM leader debut, has won the German Critics Prize – Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik – as Jazz Album of the Year 2006. From the jurys findings: The French drummer Manu Katché, who has played on hundreds of records with the likes of Peter Gabriel, Joni Mitchell, Pink Floyd, Sting and Dire Straits has not been in a hurry to follow up Its About Time, the first CD issued under his name. 15 years have passed between that disc and Neighbourhood. "Neighbourhood", Manu Katché's ECM leader debut, has won the German Critics Prize – Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik – as Jazz Album of the Year 2006.

His recording on ECM assembles a cast as unexpected as it is convincing: the Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko, and members of Stanko's quartet Marcin Wasilewski, piano, and Slawomir Kurkiewicz, bass, meet Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek, playing in peak form. The chemistry of the team is a perfect blend, both amongst the rhythm section and between the horn players. At once delicate and relaxed, Katché's compositional sketches unfold gracefully. His lucid drumming never forces itself into the foreground of this fascinating and well-made French-Polish-Norwegian production that emphasizes the musical qualities of European neighborliness."

The award will be presented to Manu Katché on Saturday, 18. November 2006, at the Berlin Musikinstrumenten-Museum.

Katché can also be heard on several ECM recordings with Jan Garbarek, including the acclaimed "In Praise of Dreams", released in 2004. He is currently on tour with the Jan Garbarek Group.

"What is INDIE?"

The finalists for the 6th Annual Independent Music Awards were recently announced, and the independently produced documentary film "What is INDIE?" made a huge splash in the "Best Song Used in Film/TV" category by getting 2 songs into the top 5 as finalists for the award.

The nominated songs are "We Can Take Care of Each" by Philadelphia artist Gina Kaz and "Citysong" by Montreal artist Andrea Revel. The 3 other nominees in the category are songs used in productions by major studios Fox Searchlight, ABC Family and the WB.

"This is yet another example of the ever-changing landscape in the entertainment industry, where do-it-yourself artists and productions can now compete directly with major studios and record labels." Dave Cool, Director, "What is INDIE?"

Judges for this year's awards include Peter Gabriel, Ozzy Osbourne, Cyndi Lauper and Suzanne Vega. More information about the 6th Annual Independent Music Awards can be found online: http://www.musiciansatlas.com/pages/IMAFinalist/

Port Elizabeth

The road of riches

...Such are the joys of the Garden Route that it is easy to spend a week just mooching along this coastline. We have flown into Port Elizabeth, the first major centre at the eastern end of the Garden Route, with some trepidation. In the annals of apartheid this lovely town, with its long, flat beaches and relaxed atmosphere, is remembered as the place where Steve Biko was bashed while in custody in 1977. He died after being taken to Pretoria. If you know Peter Gabriel's song Biko, it is impossible to arrive in Port Elizabeth without the words of the opening verse echoing in your mind: 'September '77 / Port Elizabeth, weather fine / It was business as usual / In police room 619."

Out of Africa

Musicians descend on B.B King's Manhattan club

Thanks to artists like Peter Gabriel, who introduced Youssou N'Dour to non-African audiences, and Paul Simon, whose 1986 album "Graceland" brought Ladysmith Black Mambazo to prominence, the music of Africa is not unknown away from its home continent.

Those who want to explore African music more deeply have the opportunity Tuesday at B.B. King's Blues Club and Grill as Putumayo, the multicultural retailer, presents "Acoustic Africa," a tour comprised of three of the musicians featured on the eponymous album -- Vusi Mahlasela, Habib Koité and Dobet Gnahoré.

Mahlasela first came to prominence when fellow South African Dave Matthews featured his singing on "Everyday." Mahlasela's music is melodic and showcases the unique guitar style he developed teaching himself on a homemade instrument. Mahlasela has finished a new record, "Guiding Star," with Matthews, Derek Trucks and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. "I think this album brought together all the right forces," Mahlasela says. "These were people who helped me, who were my guiding stars. I'm calling the album that."

Mahlasela says he is enjoying touring with Koité of Mali and Gnahoré of Ivory Coast -- both former French colonies -- even though they don't all speak the same language. "It's been great performing with and listening to the other artists. They've brought this musical energy and we're sharing it with audiences," Mahlasela says. "The music we play has different languages and different styles. But you hear the melodies, and you can hear that all of the influences of the music in Europe and in the States draw back to Africa."

Although Mali is landlocked -- the music of Africa has been influenced by traffic through its ports -- Koité says there was no shortage of inspiration for him and his band, Bamada. "We touch seven or eight countries," he says. "In Mali, we have some of the music of the many countries we touch." Koité had come to the attention of Americans thanks to his duet with Bonnie Raitt on her 2002 album, "Silver Lining." Raitt and Jackson Browne, another Koité fan, have visited him in Mali.

"Bonnie is like a sister to me. She has come to my home, which in Mali is a great thing," Koité says. "Jackson first came to my gigs in Los Angeles. It was a dream for us to see him. Everybody was saying, 'Jackson Browne. This is not possible.' " What has been possible on this tour is for the three performers to blend their music and cultures. "Vusi, Dobet and I can make one very good mix," Koité says. "If I give Dobet one of my songs I have written, I have to tell her what it means. We have to learn each other's Africa."

Genesis to Re-issue Back Catalogue

Hot on the heels of announcing their ‘Turn it on Again’ tour, newly re-formed Genesis are going to release their entire back catalogue.

March 2006 will see the release of A Trick of the Tail, Wind & Wuthering, ...And Then There Were Three, Duke and Abacab and in July 2007, Genesis, Invisible Touch, We Can't Dance and Calling All Stations will hit the shops.

Planned for late 2007 or early 2008 are the recordings featuring Peter Gabriel including Trepass, Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, Selling England By The Pound and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.

All the releases will packaged with a CD and DVD with full track lists and any extra goodies to be confirmed.

MP rocks on for mobiles scheme

MP Oliver Heald with Peter Gabriel

MP Oliver Heald teamed up with one of his boyhood heroes, rock legend Peter Gabriel, to support a mobile phone recycling campaign.

Both Mr Heald, the MP for North East Herts, and the former Genesis star have been appealing for people to donate their unwanted mobiles to help African countries.

Every hour, 1,712 mobile phones are upgraded in the UK after about 18 months of use - despite having a lifespan of approximately 10 years.

Mr Heald said: "If each mobile phone-user in the UK were to throw away their handsets we'd be land filling about £650,000 worth of silver each year.

"Sending our unwanted mobile phones to developing counties can not only help protect our environment from hazardous waste and toxic chemicals, but can help people in developing countries to do business, keep in touch, and more importantly in emergency cases where the nearest hospital is 90 miles away, people can call for help, making the difference between life and death."

Mr Heald, pictured above with Peter Gabriel, said wider access to communications in Africa was an important element in tackling poverty.

"Having a phone means having a voice and that is the best way to help people out of poverty. It is important that we in the UK help them to help themselves."

"I had all the Genesis albums in my youth. Peter Gabriel is one of the great stars of rock music.

"If in doubt, listen"

Artist has his finger on 'signs for peace'

Exhibit opens this weekend

Fingerprints are both unique and universal: Everybody has a set, and everybody has their own set.

Touching on that, a Danish artist has produced a collection of works using the prints of famous folks -- some he obtained from public records -- to create what he calls "signs for peace.''

Opening this weekend at Chicago's Peace Museum, a modest space inside the Gold Dome Building in Garfield Park, Claus Miller's exhibit includes stylized art made from the enlarged imprints of such peacemakers as Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, John Lennon and Albert Einstein...

'If in doubt, listen'

Singer Peter Gabriel sent Miller a fingerprint with the line, "If in doubt, listen.''

"I looked for the key-word 'listen' in every Gabriel song and when I found it, I reproduced the digital sound wave, enlarged it, put colors on it, turning it, at last, into a wonderful thunderbolt connected to [his] fingerprint,'' Miller said...

Réunion de Genesis: Hackett est amer

Steve Hackett, le guitariste original de Genesis, s'exprime enfin sur la réunion du groupe. Une réunion qu'il ne cautionne pas.

Turn It On Again
Trois ex-membres du groupe qui fut jadis à l'avant-garde du rock prog ont en effet récemment annoncé qu'ils allaient reformer Genesis pour ce que l'on pourrait appeler une TMABL: une tournée mondiale à but lucratif, baptisée 'Turn It On Again' Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford et Tony Banks ont bien évidemment contacté leurs deux anciens collègues Peter Gabriel et Steve Hackett, les deux têtes pensantes du Genesis original, pour leur demander de les rejoindre. Pour Peter Gabriel, la réponse était claire: s'il a quitté Genesis en 1975, ce n'est pas pour y revenir. Sa carrière solo est plus importante. Steve Hackett avait lui aussi discrètement décliné l'offre

Ce sera un Genesis "à leur façon"
Restait à connaître les motivations de Mr Hackett. Il ne les a pas vraiment données, mais a laissé comprendre toute son amertume sur l'évolution du groupe dans un communiqué: « On s'est très vite approché de moi pour discuter de la possibilité d'un groupe à cinq qui aurait inclus Peter Gabriel et votre serviteur mais puisque Peter s'est écarté du projet, les autres trois ont cru trouver du sens dans une éloge à la marque « à leur propre manière »... »

A lire entre les lignes: la machine à fric, très peu pour Steve Hackett...

Détails sur la tournée
Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford et Tony Banks ont donné mardi les détails sur la tournée Turn It On Again. Genesis ne passera pas par la Belgique. Il faudra se rendre à Paris au Parc des Princes le 30 juin 2007 ou le 1er juillet à Amsterdam au Holland Arena pour les voir au plus près de chez nous. Le détail de la tournée se trouve sur le site officiel de Genesis ici.

Peter's November 06 update

Peter's November Full Moon Club update is now available: he gives us news of awards for peace and musical achievement, plans for an alternative world leadership, a visit to Portcullis House to support the 'Phones 4 Africa' appeal (I can't seem to find a website for this, only the details on sticking your old phone in and evelope and sending it free of charge to 'Freepost Foneback Vodafone Africa' - UK only), song-writing developments and WOMAD's move to Charlton Park.
Watch Peter's November update.
Information on WOMAD Charlton Park
Elmi Asha Hagi Amin - information on Worls Peple's Blog

Taïga Maya WOMAD Canarias 2006

Taïga Maya

Este proyecto musical está encabezado por Melanie, hija de Peter Gabriel, y el músico belga Thierry van Roy

Músicos de Reino Unido, Bélgica, México, Croacia, Ecuador y Venezuela conforman Taïga Maya, un proyecto tras el que se encuentran Thierry van Roy y Melanie Gabriel, hija del fundador de WOMAD, Peter Gabriel. Con un álbum en el mercado de título homónimo, el grupo Taïga Maya ha escogido WOMAD Canarias 2006 para su estreno en vivo en Europa. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria será el primer escenario en el que se escuche esta propuesta sonora, de carácter conceptual, nacida del imaginario encuentro entre los pueblos yakuta –de Siberia- y maya –del sur de México-.

Se trata de música de ficción, de una música posible que podría haber existido si la historia fuera como la imaginan Thierry y Melanie: estamos en el futuro, en el año 2044. En diciembre de 2012, un asterisco colisiona con la Tierra y provoca un cambio en el eje de rotación del planeta, de tal modo que el Polo Norte se sitúa en California y el Sur en Dubai. De nuevo es posible cruzar el Estrecho de Bering a pie. Buscando un territorio más propicio, los pueblos yakuta y maya fundan una ciudad llamada Bering Pueblo y recrean nuevos rituales de vida, así como una música común. Esa música es la que proyecta en sus conciertos Taïga Maya.

En su álbum, de título homónimo, las voces yakutas fueron grabadas a capella, mientras que la percusión maya se registró sin referencias externas. Aunque no está probado que existiera nunca la interacción entre yakutas y mayas y todo es puramente virtual, los sonidos que acercan Melanie y Thierry parecen verdaderos, surgidos de una experiencia histórica real.

Nacida en Londres en agosto de 1976, Melanie Gabriel ha acompañado a su padre en las giras realizadas durante los años 2002, 2003 y 2004 por Estados Unidos, Canadá y Europa. Fue precisamente en 2004 cuando ella se involucró en el proyecto ideado por Thierry van Roy. Ambos viajaron juntos a México y se adentraron en la cultura maya. Más tarde, ella escribió las letras y puso la voz para la música que Thierry había compuesto. Nacía así Taïga Maya.

Por su parte, Van Roy, que procede de Bélgica (Bruselas, 1957), es un músico versátil, un alquimista que viaja a lo largo del mundo explorando el pasado y el futuro y descubriendo y redescubriendo las melodías tradicionales a partir de los cuales crea una nueva música que nace de la mezcla de las diferentes culturas. Preocupado por la posible desaparición de los sonidos populares como consecuencia de la globalización, trabaja en su preservación.

Taïga Maya constituirá, sin duda, un descubrimiento y una sorpresa para los espectadores que se den cita en la XIIª edición de WOMAD Canarias 2006, que se celebra del 10 al 12 de noviembre en el parque de Santa Catalina de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Moby's heroes rule

Dance star Moby was terrified of meeting PETER GABRIEL at the Q Music Awards yesterday (30OCT06), in case the former Genesis frontman failed to live up to his expectations.

The Porcelain hitmaker presented Gabriel with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the star-studded ceremony in London's Grosvenor Hotel. Before the awards, Moby admitted, "I've only met him a couple of times in passing. "In general, I think it's good not to spend too much time with your heroes because you run the chance your heroes may be disappointing. "I'm sure he isn't. But it's happened to be a few times where there's a musician I just love and then you meet them and they sort of let you down."

Peter Gabriel on bald men

Peter Gabriel wins the Lifetime Achievement Award and notes his appreciation for fellow award winner Smokey Robinson. "Always accept gifts from bald men" he notes taking the award from the suitably hairless Moby.

Q Awards: The Q Lifetime Achievement Award

Chosen by Q magazine

Presented by Moby

Winner: Peter Gabriel

This year's Lifetime Achievement Award goes to the former frontman of prog-rock giants Genesis and pioneering solo artist Peter Gabriel. As the singer with Genesis from his late teens, Gabriel was an eccentric performer, submerging his personality in a wide array of characters and costume. On his departure in 1976, Gabriel embarked on an innovative solo career, issuing three albums all with no title between 1977 and 1980. Although he scored a hit with the first album's Solsbury Hill, it was the third which gave him the artistic and commercial success he needed. Instigating a unique drum sound - no cymbals! - the album featured the moving tribute to the murdered anti-apartheid campaigner Steve Biko and the chart hit Games Without Frontiers. But it was 1986's So that gave Gabriel his biggest success. The intricate and ground-breaking video for Sledgehammer made the album a worldwide hit, but since then Gabriel has concentrated on other projects - the successful WOMAD festival, the state-of-the-art Real World studios and a number of multimedia projects. Q pays tribute to Peter Gabriel today...

Q awards 2006

Lors de la soirée de remise des prix organisée à Londres par le plus grand magazine britannique de musique pop/rock, les mancuniens d'Oasis ont été couronnés en tant que meilleur groupe. Noël Gallagher, frère du bouillant chanteur Liam, et auteur de toutes les chansons du groupe, a décroché la palme de meilleur auteur/compositeur.

...Peter Gabriel a été couronné pour l'ensemble de sa carrière....

Manu Katché et Jan Garbarek, seigneurs du jazz

LE TOURCOING JAZZ FESTIVAL

Manu Katché et Jan Garbarek, seigneurs du jazz

Qu'est-ce qu'une ouverture heureuse ? Manu Katché (batterie), Jan Garbarek (saxophone), Franck Avitabile (piano) pour les vingt ans du Tourcoing Jazz Festival. Un programme énorme. Une histoire soutenue par la ville. Un théâtre à l'italienne au son parfait. Des musiciens heureux.

Voici une douzaine d'années, le directeur artistique du festival, Patrick Dréhan, propose une carte blanche, en jazz, à Manu Katché. Où ? A Dunkerque. Katché a quitté sa ville de Saint-Maur-des-Fossés pour New York, où, depuis vingt ans, il écume la scène pop-rock : Peter Gabriel, Sting, Axel Bauer. C'est un choix de batteur exact, subtil, formidablement présent et heureux sur scène. Dunkerque le ramène donc au jazz.

Or Jan Garbarek, star norvégienne depuis le free jusqu'à Keith Jarrett, trente-cinq ans de carrière au sommet, inaltérable idole de la jeunesse, a entendu Katché sur trois titres de Sting. Dunkerque les rapproche. Petrucciani est au piano. Depuis, Garbarek reste Garbarek, un son (saxophone ténor) de rasoir nordique, une puissance inégalée, une place essentielle dans l'esthétique du label munichois ECM, un air de jeune homme, un public d'ados.

Manu Katché, cependant, a pris sa place dans le monde du jazz sur le même label (Neibourhood). De la banlieue, il dit simplement : il suffit de bien jouer de la batterie. Tous deux, ils ont des allures de seigneurs, quand ils bavardent avant de jouer. Katché s'est adjoint un jeune pianiste, Franck Avitabile, qui, dans le genre études de haut niveau (la prestigieuse ENS mathématiques de Lyon) va le plus loin dans le piano.

Avitabile, pour le toucher, la main gauche, l'esprit classique et le délié swing, est inégalable. Son trio (Jérôme Regard, contrebasse ; Dré Pallemaerts, batterie), formidable de précision et de douceur. Avitabile, Manu Katché, Garbarek, plus Alex Tassel (bugle) sur la scène de Tourcoing, l'ensemble vit, bouge, remue, sur un fond de perfection remise en jeu.

L'album à succès d'Avitabile (Short Stories, Dreyfus) résume l'esprit de la réunion : plus d'incantations diluviennes, juste des pièces courtes, incisives, enlevées. En face, un public de 20 ans de moyenne d'âge. Le jazz, un truc de vieux ? Sans doute : un truc de vieux joué par des jeunes pour les jeunes. Ce qui n'est d'ailleurs pas la question, mais qui prend nom d'enthousiasme.

"Planètes", Tourcoing Jazz Festival. Divers lieux. Du 12 au 18 novembre. Thomas Dutronc (le 12), Sophie Alour, Aldo Emmanuel (14) ; Renaud Gracia-Fons, Anouar Brahem (15) ; Dee Dee Bridgewater, Daniel Mille, Sébastien Texier (16) ; les Belmondo et Yusef Lateef, Charles Lloyd (17) ; Bona, Sixun, Magma (17) ; J.-J. Milteau (18). Tél. : 03-20-68-54-10. Entrée libre ou de 8 € à 25 € ; formule "pass" 75 €.

Youssou N'Dour to Visit IntraHealth International

World Music Star Youssou N'Dour to Visit North Carolina-based IntraHealth International

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Oct. 24 (AScribe Newswire) -- On Monday, Oct. 30, Grammy Award winning singer Youssou N'Dour will visit North Carolina-based IntraHealth International to launch the Youssou N'Dour Fund at IntraHealth, a new partnership to promote better health in Africa. To generate fundraising and program-related activities for the Fund, the creation of which was announced at the United Nations this spring, N'Dour will give concerts and sponsor other events.

The Fund is the brainchild of N'Dour and IntraHealth CEO Pape A. Gaye, both natives of Dakar, Senegal. Initiatives developed through the fund will combine N'Dour's passions for working with African youth and promoting malaria prevention with IntraHealth's long track record of successfully implementing health projects in Africa.

About Youssou N'Dour (www.youssou.com) Named "African Artist of the Century" in 2000 by Folk Roots magazine, Youssou N'Dour has been a major influence in the growing international popularity of African music. He burst onto the international scene in the 1980s on a concert tour with Peter Gabriel. A UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 1991, N'Dour organized "Africa Live: The Roll Back Malaria Concert," in March 2005 in Dakar to increase public awareness of malaria prevention; a movie of the concert was released this year. N'Dour makes his acting debut in the film Amazing Grace, which premiered at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival.

About IntraHealth (www.intrahealth.org) An independent not-for-profit organization headquartered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, IntraHealth International has served the public health needs of developing countries since 1979, when it was founded as the Intrah program of the University of North Carolina's School of Medicine. IntraHealth works with health care leaders, health care providers and communities to increase access to good health care for the people most in need. Currently working in 23 countries, IntraHealth has offices in Armenia, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Mali, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania.

Voda pushes phone recycling

Peter Gabriel, left and John Robertson.

Vodafone has joined in a campaign to send unwanted mobile phones to developing countries. Phones 4 Africa hopes to increase the number of handsets that are reused by encouraging thousands of people in Britain to recycle their mobiles. Vodafone has teamed up with Fonebak, a specialist company in recycling and distributing used phones in the developing world, to launch the campaign, while prime minister Tony Blair and singer Peter Gabriel have shown their support.

Blair said: 'Phones 4 Africa is a great idea. It means people in Britain can help thousands of people in Africa use ordinary mobile phones to break out of poverty.' Gabriel joined Vodafone Enterprise Business Unit director Kyle Whitehill and MP John Robertson last week in Westminster to launch the campaign.

***

Musician Peter Gabriel, who launched the 'Phones 4 Africa' campaign in Parliament this week, said:

"Phones 4 Africa is a brilliant idea. Mobiles have been adopted faster in the developing world than in the developed world. They have the capability for improving lives.

""In 2 years mobile phones will have the same capacity as laptops have at the moment and they will transform education in remote locations. I work with the Mandela Foundation which worked with coffee growers in Zimbabwe who were being ripped off by middle men. As soon as they had mobile phones they were able to get commodity prices directly from the Chicago Exchange. This transformed their local economy.

"We have developed a hub on the internet to which anyone can upload images using their mobile phone or video. We believe this has the potential to transform human rights campaigning because when individuals have footage it is easier to get transmission of it. Also it's harder for those who are doing it to deny it. This is the Human Rights Video Hub, part of www.witness.org which I set up."

The Blue Nile's Paul Buchanan 2006 UK & Irish Tour

Paul Buchanan, vocalist and songwriter from Glasgows trio The Blue Nile has announced a November UK tour with his brand new band with Robert Bell of The Blue Nile - November 19 London, November 21 Dublin, November 25-26 Edinburgh, November 27 Perth. The concert showcases the ambient folk and electronic pop from Blue Niles magical back catalogue, along with some classic cover songs and exciting new solo material. Blue Nile produced a mere 33 songs in just over two decades. The bands incredible fanbase includes the likes of Annie Lennox, Peter Gabriel, Rickie Lee Jones and Rod Stewart. Often referred to as '4am songs', the lush, atmospheric pop, combined with Buchanan's velvety vocals and minimalist arrangements makes for a combination that is both emotionally sublime and heartfelt.

Buchanan creates songs about the day to day life of pretty much everyone who has ever been in love or who has ever looked out at the rain on a cold winter day or who has ever struggled to work on a bus which gets stuck in traffic, and they sprinkle each song with something special that lifts it out of the ordinary. As singer Paul Buchanan says, "It's always been a documentary of the imagination."

Possessor of one of the finest and most soulful voices produced from these shores over the last 30 years, Paul Buchanan is nothing short of legendary. As lead singer, songwriter and co-founder of The Blue Nile, Paul is one of music's greatest treasures at the same time as being one of its best kept secrets. Over twenty five years, The Blue Nile's output has comprised just four albums - 'A Walk Across The Rooftops' in 1984; 'Hats' in 1989; 'Peace At Last' in 1996, and 2004's 'High' - all critically acclaimed, all rapturously received by an ever growing legion of Nile aficionados, and all still selling as more and more music lovers fall in love with Paul's voice and The Blue Nile's unique music.

Paul, along with friends P J Moore and Robert Bell, started The Blue Nile. At the time they were merely interested in making music that they loved but after the small-scale success of an early single 'I Love This Life', the band were offered the chance to record an album for hi-fi manufacturer, Linn. The result was 'A Walk Across The Rooftops' which was described at the time as "the best debut of the last five years" by U2 producer Steve Lillywhite. Although there was pressure for a follow-up, Paul and the band discarded mountains of material before delivering 'Hats' in 1989 - the album became a huge success charting at No.12. Paul briefly hit the tabloid newspapers during a relationship with Hollywood actress Rosanna Arquette.

After a series of record company misfortunes, a third album 'Peace At Last' emerged in 1996 and became another Top 20 hit album with the usual ecstatic reviews from a the media. After a short tour, Paul and the band returned, it seemed, to the shadows for the best part of a decade until rumours of a new album started to filter out of Glasgow in late 2003. 'High', the first album for new label Sanctuary, became the band's biggest hit album so far - a Top 10 success.

Photo by Simon Murphy

Spiritualized

Joseph Arthur puts his faith in the healing power of art. Plus, the dude can sing.

At the Bowery Ballroom last month, Joseph Arthur had a costume change before his encore and came out wearing a white suit, no shirt, and a big cross dangling around his neck. With tangled hair and a three-day beard, he looked like some mental-ward Evangelist, and then he started singing like one, too. Joined onstage by Michael Stipe, Arthur belted out his signature anthem “In the Sun,” with its rousing hook, “May God’s love be with you, always, always.” The crowd, a typical downtown assortment of 30-year-olds in hoodies and jeans, knew every word and lustily sang along, as if trying to atone for all those Sunday-school classes they blew off.

“I hate religion,” Arthur had told me a few days earlier, when we met at his loft in Dumbo. "But I do believe there’s some intelligence guiding this whole thing. You can call it Jesus or whatever you want.”

Onstage and on record, Arthur exudes a coolness that makes you think he could be world famous. And at one point in his career, he was marked for stardom. The mini-legend of Joseph Arthur goes like this: When he was a 25-year-old nobody working at a guitar shop in Atlanta (“They told me I was the worst employee in the history of the store,” he says), a demo tape of his made its way, via friends of friends, into the hands of Peter Gabriel, who invited him to record at his studio in England. This is, in certain music circles, the equivalent of being summoned to Rome to pray with the pope. Arthur went with proper humility. “There were all these major people there, like Joe Strummer. I thought they’d maybe let me play a little bass. But then Peter asked me to write some lyrics, and the next thing I know, I’m in there singing with him.”...

Réunion de Genesis, Gabriel passe son tour

L’ancien chanteur de Genesis, Peter Gabriel, a dit qu’il ne se joindrait pas à ses ex-équipiers pour une tournée qui les réunira prochainement. Gabriel, 56 ans, est l’un des membres fondateurs de la célèbre formation musicale britannique et il a chanté avec eux jusqu’en 1975, lorsqu’il a quitté le groupe pour poursuivre une carrière en solo.«Nous en avons parlé et j’ai décidé de ne pas y prendre part», a dit Gabriel au réseau BBC News.

Son remplaçant au micro, le batteur Phil Collins, a confirmé son engagement à la tournée qui réunira les quatre musiciens, annoncée plus tôt cette semaine. «Je suis très heureux pour eux», a laissé savoir Gabriel. «Ce n’est pas que je ne ferais jamais une telle chose, seulement que j’ai du nouveau matériel à travailler en ce moment.» Un porte-parole pour Genesis a précisé que des détails spécifiques sur la tournée et des «plans à long terme», incluant la publication possible de nouveau matériel, seraient annoncés dans les prochaines semaines.

Succès culte

Genesis a vendu plus de 130 millions d’albums durant les années 70 et 80, connaissant du succès avec des albums classiques comme Foxtrot, Nursery Crime, Selling England By The Pound et The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Ils ont livré au départ une musique de style progressive, pour prendre éventuellement un virage pop lorsque Collins à pris en mains le job de chanteur. Le groupe a produit une longue liste de succès qui ont fait le top 40, dont Mama, That's All et In Too Deep.

Collins a quitté le groupe en 1996, et fut remplacé par l’ex-chanteur de Stiltskin, Ray Wilson. Il a enregistré un disque en 1997, Calling All Stations, avec les membres restants Mike Rutherford et Tony Banks, avant que le groupe ne soit éventuellement dissout.