"Spicy Music"
Keep The Music Moving
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The Beat Magazine
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Vive Les Caraibes!
By Brian Dring
The Beat Magazine August 2008 Issue- Volume 27, #3 2008
All too often talented Haitian roots artists find their 
music undermined by inferior production or a promoter lacking the vision or contacts to get them the exposure necessary to compete on the global market. Fortunately this is not the case with the young artist known as BélO as he has proven on his recent release Reference (Soley Sounds). Coincidentally born in the same town as Wyclef Jean, this artist's early performances with a group named Sokute won several awards and attracted the attention of both producer Jean Marc Appolon and musicians Fabrice Rouzier and Kéké Belizaire of Haiti Troubadours who aided in the production of his first album "Lakou Trankil" in 2005.
In 2006 he captured the coveted French award RFI Découvertes which had not been captured by a Haitian artist since Beethova Obas in 1988. Taking it to a new level with this sophomore album featuring guest players from the international scene like Richard Bona and some international festival experience under his belt, BélO has already stepped up to the international stage with 2007 tours in Africa, France, Quebec, Tampa, and more recently in North America. In the middle of everything else is a powerful and commanding voice deeply rooted in traditional Haitian music while still transcending it in a way I haven't heard since Edy François on the first Boukman Eksperyans album, "Vodou Adjae." That voice is ably supported by the superb arrangements and instrumental work of Andy Barrow, who beside adding bass and guitars, shares keyboard tracks with Rouzier.
Several cuts from the first album are given sophisticated reworkings and a pair of talented sax players Ed Calle and Jowee Omicil add some beautiful jazz flavor without in any way obscuring the essentially organic griot feel. Most importantly, the songs have groove, refusing simply to bask in their own cleverness or beauty. BélO has evolved into a socially engaged songwriter as well, tackling such subjects as AIDS, deprived children, and violence against women. Particularly poignant is "Istwa Dwol," the often repeated story of the boat people who after a all these years continue to risk all for a better life in exile. The lyrics lament the mass exodus not only of boat people but folks from all walks of life and professions, including musicians. www.myspace.com/belo123]
Contact:
http://www.getthebeat.com
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World Music Event Series
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 Belo's acoustic New York performances:
Sunday November 2, 2008 @Rasputin nightclub opening act for Phantoms 2670 Coney Island Ave Brooklyn, NY
Sunday November 9, 2008 @Moomia
presented by Changing Gears Entertainment 157 Lafayette St, New York, NY
Contact:
Cynthia Karahakarahac@worldmusicpromotions.com |
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Markus Schwartz |
Tanbou Nan Lakou Brooklyn /
Haitian Drums in The Brooklyn Yard
Release Date: November 1, 2008
Mozayik percussionist Markus Schwartz has been a key player in the naissance of the Haitian Jazz movement in New York City and beyond, and with Tanbou Nan Lakou Brooklyn,
Markus assembles some of the the brightest lights of the Haitian Jazz
& Mizik Rasin (roots music) genres along with several giants from
the NYC jazz world, and the result is an intoxicating blend of Vodou
drums, Jazz and World music stylings. Fans of Haitian music will
recognize the likes of singers Erol Josue, James Germain and Eddy
Francois, as well as Dadi Beaubrun, Jean Caze, Buyu Ambroise among many
other notables. The recording is also graced by the presence of
top-shelf NYC jazz players such as drummer Jeff Ballard, bassist Ugonna
Okegwo and saxophonist Jacques Schwarz-Bart.
"This album is like Papa Legba holding a party at the crossroads where the great Haitian Master drummer Ti-Roro meets John Coltrane and they mix it up for a while. Best of
all, we get to listen in... a fabulous fusion of Black musical styles
blended and melded into a fresh and welcome innovation." -Elizabeth McAlister, author, Rara! Vodou Power and Performance in Haiti and its Diaspora, and producer, Angels in the Mirror-Vodou Music of Haiti & Rhythms of Rapture: The Sacred Musics of Haitian Vodou.
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Boston-Area CD Release Party
Sunday, November 2, 2008
4:00 PM
@
38 Cameron Gallery
38 Cameron Avenue, Suite 100
Cambridge, MA 02140
On Sunday November 2 at 4pm, come enjoy a live
solo performance by Markus Schwartz,
showcasing his singular approach
to traditional Haitian rhythms and songs. Haitian dance
performance by
Nadia Dieudonne of the folkloric dance troupe "Feets of Rhythm".
Art
exhibit by Haitian artist Colette Bresilla.
General admission $20 at the door with a complimentary CD. (Advanced tickets also available).
View the Evite for more information: http://xrl.us/os44z
Contact:
Nasyon Soley Productions
774-274-7028
nasyonsoley@gmail.com
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Save the Dates:
Miami - Friday, November 21, 2008
TapTap Restaurant
NYC - Sunday, December, 7, 2008
SOBs (Sounds of Brazil)
Sample music from Markus' latest CD www.myspace.com/markusschwartz
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Taj Weekes Reggae Jam |
 
Reggae Artists Team Up for Children's Charity Benefit Concert
Spectra Records presents "Taj Weekes Reggae Jam" - a benefit concert
for the children's charity, They Often Cry Outreach (T.O.C.O.) in
Richmond Virginia on Thursday, November 20th at 7pm at Richmond's Landmark Theater. Joining Taj Weekes & Adowa are Kevin Kinsella of John Brown's Body, Joseph Israel and Jah Roots.
New York, NY - October 10, 2008 - St. Lucian roots reggae artist
Taj Weekes and his band Adowa headline a benefit concert for Weekes'
children's charity, They Often Cry Outreach (T.O.C.O.), on Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 7pm at Richmond, Virginia's Landmark Theater. Joining them for the "Taj Weekes Reggae Jam" are socially conscious reggae artists Kevin Kinsella of John Brown's Body, Joseph Isr
ael and Jah Roots.
This benefit concert marks the start of Taj Weekes & Adowa's Fall
2008 Tour. The group recently wrapped up their six-week Summer 2008
Tour, which included several prominent world music festivals such as the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival in California, the Taos Solarfest in New Mexico and the South Bend Reggae/World Music Festival in Indiana, in addition to show dates along the West Coast and across the greater U.S.
"Taj Weekes Reggae Jam" also celebrates the release of Weekes' sophomore album entitled DEIDEM, meaning "All of Us." Proclaimed by Billboard Magazine as one of "six albums that herald the roots reggae resurgence," DEIDEM is described by veteran music journalist and XM Satellite Radio Program Director, Dermot Hussey, as "raising the level of songwriting within the idiom of reggae music."
With potent and penetrating lyrics, DEIDEM delivers a passionate commentary on the relevant issues of our time including global warming, the effects of Hurricane Katrina,
the crisis in Darfur and the current war. Though the topics are
insightful and serious, the grooves, melodies and rhythms are the
familiar backbeats that reggae fans know and love. World Music Central
writes, "An impassioned communicator who uses no-nonsense reggae music
as his means, Weekes is precisely what the world needs more of in these
troubled times."
Weekes' commitment to humanitarian issues is demonstrated by his work as Goodwill Ambassador
to the Caribbean in cooperation with the International Consortium of
Caribbean Professionals (ICCP) and as founder of T.O.C.O. TOCO is
dedicated to improving the lives of underprivileged, at-risk and
orphaned children around the world. A portion of the proceeds from the "Taj Weekes Reggae Jam"
will be donated to T.O.C.O. to bring awareness to the issues that
affect the Caribbean such as HIV/AIDS, global warming and poverty.
Spectra Records will raffle off a brand new car
at the event and e
ach ticket holder will automatically be entered into the drawing. The
winner will be announced during the show. Copies of Taj Weekes' album,
DEIDEM, will also be given away to a number of lucky concertgoers.
The Virginia Commonwealth University's
Commonwealth Times and their radio station, WVCW, have signed on as a
media sponsor for the benefit concert and the event is expected to sell
out based on the combined draw of all four conscious roots reggae acts.
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.com or at 804.262.8100.
Spectra Records, producer of "Taj Weekes Reggae Jam," is a progressive record label at the forefront of today's music industry, representing recording artists across all genres of music.
From Grammy nominated and Country Music Hall of Fame artists to world
music and classic rock, Spectra stands out as a record company
dedicated to providing stellar music products at a fair price to the
consumer and fair recording and licensing agreements to the artists.
Contact:
Shirley J. Menard - SJM Media Group
Phone: 917.488.5982
Email: management@tajandadowa.com
Taj Weekes & Adowa website: http://www.tajandadowa.com/
T.O.C.O. website: http://theyoftencryoutreach.org
Spectra Records website: http://spectrarecords.com
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