​De Zweedse gitarist Bo Starander, die later de artiestennaam Bob Lander, zou aannemen, is zondag overleden. Hij is 78 jaar oud geworden. Starander was lid van de instrumentale gitaargroep The Spotnicks. The Spotnicks ontstond eind jaren vijftig en was in de eerste helft van de jaren zestig zeer populair. De bandleden droegen ruimtepakken tijdens de optredens. The Spotnicks waren afkomstig uit Göteborg. Gitarist Bo Starander en bassist Björn Thelin richtten daar in 1956 het duo The Rebels op. Na enkele naamswijzigingen en met gitarist Bo Winberg en drummer Ove Johansson toegevoegd aan de bezetting, kregen ze in 1961 een platencontract aangeboden na verschillende optredens in lokale clubs. Hun manager, Roland Ferneborg, bedacht de groepsnaam The Spotnicks, ontleend aan de Russische satelliet Spoetnik. Begin jaren zestig was de instrumentale muziek heel populair. The Shadows, The Ventures, Duane Eddy en Link Wray legden zich toe op instrumentale rock-'n-rollnummers die steunden op de gitaar. The Spotnicks gingen mee in deze golf en kregen al snel internationaal succes. The Spotnicks wilden gitaarspelen zonder vast te zitten aan snoeren en versterkers. Dus lieten ze elektronica inbouwen in de helmen die bij de ruimtepakken hoorden die ze op het podium droegen. Deze techniek was niet altijd even praktisch, maar schonk de groep wel ruime bekendheid, vooral in West-Europa en Japan, waar de groep meerdere hits had. Tot hun bekendste nummers behoren ‘Orange Blossom Special’, ‘Rocket Man’, ‘Hava Nagila’, ‘Just Listen To My Heart’, ‘Amapola’ en ‘Drina’. ‘Drina’, ook wel bekend onder de titel ‘Marchen Til Drina’ (Jorgen Ingmann) of ‘March To Drina’ (The Shadows) werd geschreven door Stanislav Binicki tijdens de Eerste Wereldoorlog. Met ‘Drina’ werd in eerste instantie de rivier bedoeld tussen Bosnië Herzegovina en Servië, maar Bo Starander droeg het nummer destijds op aan een jongedame die hij kende met de naam Drina. Bo Starander ruste in vrede!
 
Met dank aan Leo Weijers.

Noted studio and live engineer Danny Leake died Wednesday, April 27, bringing to an end a career that saw him work with some of the biggest names in music over a 50-plus year career. While known for studio work that led to six Grammy nominations for engineering and mastering, Leake was equally adept in a live setting, working as Stevie Wonder’s FOH engineer for 28 years. Over the course of his career, he worked with the likes of Janet Jackson, Diana Ross, Kanye West, The Police, Willie Nelson, Johnny Gill, Brian McKnight, Hank Williams, Jr., Natalie Cole, Candlebox, Lupe Fiasco, Natalie Cole and dozens more, bringing a keen ear and thoughtful perfectionism to his work. Felled by a heart attack while en route to a dialysis appointment, Leake was 69.

​Op de verjaardag van Pete Seeger brengen Katleen Scheir, Guy Davis en Fabrizio Poggi een nieuwe versie uit van We shall overcome. Een toepasselijk lied van hoop in deze Corona-tijden.

De Belgische zangeres Katleen Scheir (uit Essen), de Amerikaanse rootsmuzikant Guy Davis (uit de Bronx, New York) en hun Italiaanse collega Fabrizio Poggi (uit Voghera in het door Corona zwaar getroffen Lombardije) werkten eerder al samen. Met hun gezamenlijke boekingskantoor Salmon bookings wilden ze in Corona-quarantaine-tijden een lied van hoop opnemen, een boodschap aan hun fans en opgedragen aan de helden van de medische sector. Welke song is dan beter geschikt dan We shall overcome? 

Het nummer komt uit met begeleidende video en zal binnenkort ook te downloaden zijn. De opbrengst daarvan gaat integraal naar Artsen zonder Grenzen.

Pete Seeger (3 mei 1919 - 27 januari 2014) zou vandaag 101 jaar geworden zijn. Door hem werd We shall overcome een iconisch lied. 

Over de artiesten
Guy Davis was goed bevriend met Pete Seeger. Davis, zoon van de bekende acteurs en civil rights movement-bezielers Ossie Davis en Ruby Dee, is een van de bekendste namen in de akoestische bluesmuziek. In 2018 werd hij genomineerd voor een Grammy. 

Ook Fabrizio Poggi viel die eer dat jaar te beurt. Poggi geniet groot respect in de blueswereld; hij werkte samen met onder meer The Blind Boys of Alabama, Charlie Musselwhite, The Original Blues Brothers Band, maar ook met Garth Hudson (The Band) en Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin). 

Katleen Scheir kan je kennen als zangeres bij het Belgische folktrio The Golden Glows en van haar eigen band. 

Fabrizio Poggi speelt dit najaar zes concerten in België, begeleid door een Belgische band, waarvan ook Katleen Scheir deel uitmaakt. Meer info op www.salmonbookings.be. 
​

Van de Zuid-Afrikaanse zanger/songschrijver Bongeziwe Mabandla verschijnt op 3 juli 2020 zijn langverwachte derde cd/lp “IiMini”, wat ‘dagen’ betekent in zijn Xhosa taal.
Als derde single verschijnt nu “Salanabani” ->
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvRGJ3f7lf8
​

​Via het debuut-album “Umlilo” (2012) en zijn tweede cd “Mangaliso” (2017) groeide singer-songwriter Bongeziwe Mabandla uit tot het nieuwe gezicht van de Afro-folk. Hij brengt een originele, moderne en veelal vrolijke klank, met invloeden van Afrikaanse artiesten als Jabu Khanyile, Bongo Maffin en Busi Mhlongo.
Naast vele uitverkochte zalen deed hij ook grote Zuid-Afrikaanse festivals aan als het Cape Town Music Fest en Oppikoppi. Internationaal is hij aan de weg aan het timmeren met zijn aanwezigheid op showcase-festivals als het Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg, het Japanse Sukiyaki Meets The World Festival, het Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona, het MaMa Festival in Parijs, het Womex Festival in het Finse Tampere en het Oslo World Festival. Eind vorig jaar liet Bongeziwe Mabandla zich hier al zien en horen via vier Nederlandse shows (Kunsthal-Rotterdam, Paard-Den Haag, TivoliVredenburg-Utrecht & Bimhuis-Amsterdam) tijdens de AfroVibes Festivals.


Op het nieuwe album “IiMini” werkte Bongeziwe samen met producer/muzikant/songschrijver Tiago Correia-Paulo, wat een breder muzikaal spectrum met zich meebracht. Het toonde ook zijn (Westerse) invloeden van artiesten als Tracy Chapman, The Fugees, Bon Iver en Michael Kiwanuka. Ingetogen traditionele folk (met teksten in zijn Xhosa taal) blijft de basis, maar het is nu meer vermengd met ‘sweet soul, smooth jazz & urban beats’!
​

Muzikant Dave Greenfield is gisteren op 71-jarige leeftijd overleden aan de gevolgen van een coronabesmetting. Greenfield werd vooral bekend als toetsenist van de Britse punkrockband The Stranglers. De muzikant had hartproblemen waarvoor hij in het ziekenhuis moest worden opgenomen. Daar raakte hij besmet met het virus.
​
Dave Greenfield speelde 45 jaar bij The Stranglers. Hij componeerde onder meer het nummer '"Golden brown" uit 1982. Zijn bandgenoten wilden het nummer in eerste instantie niet uitbrengen, maar het werd uiteindelijk de grootste hit van de groep.

​The Stranglers hadden onlangs hun afscheidstournee aangekondigd, maar de concerten waren voor onbepaalde tijd opgeschort vanwege de coronapandemie. Zijn bandgenoten prijzen de muzikant in een korte verklaring als "een lief, vriendelijk en excentriek personage die altijd tijd had om te kletsen".
​

Written & produced by Igor Gerzina
After a break, Croatian saxophonist Igor Geržina is returning with a great new sensual track called ''Take The High Road''. Make your social distancing more enjoyable and listen to the new single!

Available now on all digital platforms
#stayhome #listentomusic #staysafe

LINKS:
​Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/album/48paIxEU3nazQzP65Lckti?si=gQl7dYzdR_-zVcr8qk0GGA
Deezer:https://www.deezer.com/en/album/142535192
Apple Music:https://music.apple.com/za/album/take-the-high-road-single/1508952070
YouTube Music:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_C1_toBFUY
Google Play :https://play.google.com/store/music/album?id=Bv5wbmoqqx3avnabodifwplczji&tid=song-T3otiqgyzbgy6gt2igahdwmgmca&hl=en
IGOR ONLINE :FB:https://www.facebook.com/igorgerzinasaxINSTA:https://www.instagram.com/igorgerzinamusic/

David L. Harris Takes a Journey Through Love and Life on His Sophomore CD, More Than Love … to be a man, Available Today, May 1 
 
NEW ORLEANS, LA, May 1, 2020 –“Through love for thyself and of life, one learns that all emotions are truly a privilege and worthy of acknowledgment; but one must accept that there is always a greater message that is much more important than one’s singular perception of what love means,” says vocalist, trombonist, composer and arranger, David L. Harris as he presents his new CD, More Than Love … to be a man, available today, May 1.
 
Over the last few years, David L. took a step back, examined himself, looked at love, challenged his actions and came out on the other side renewed, refreshed and ready to live a fuller life. 
 
“I realized there’s more to give,” said David L. “My life was engulfed in emotions. There was a void that I was unable to fill. Then, I weighed the emptiness, admitted loneliness, recognized the self-denial and understood that the void could only be filled with more of my own presence. So, I scrutinized my feelings about love and what makes me a man and those four words kept creeping through my thoughts – there’s more to give.”
 
As many creative people do, David L. began to express his emotions through his music. On More Than Love … to be a man, he gives listeners an 11-track compilation that includes seven of his own original compositions as well as familiar tunes by Frank Sinatra/Jimmy Van Heusen/Sammy Cahn, Fats Waller, Gerhard Winkler/Fred Rauch and Bill Halley/E.J. Anton. Each song tells a story about a moment or a chapter in his life. While they may be cathartic for David L., they offer a solid portion of swing, blues, bop and jazz to listeners.
 
In David L.’s voice, you hear sadness, joy, pain, passion, love and hope. His trombone weeps, wails and whispers his emotions while vibing with his top-notch band and pouring out his heart. The CD opens with More to Learn … There’s More to Give, a heartbreaking tale that starts with a telephone call featuring the sweet voice of a woman who seems happy to hear from him, but quickly evolves to goodbye.  Better as One is a spirited, upbeat song that goes from longing for his love the moment she leaves to blissfulness when she calls. Dear Lonely Hearts, a Nat King Cole favorite composed by Halley and Anton, highlights David L.’s loneliness and his desire to feel love.
 
The album moves on to Answer Me, My Love(by Winkler/Rauch), which shows the singer at the peak of denial and wondering if he deserves love. What Makes You a Man? takes David L. to a pivotal point of acceptance and empowerment while Was Lost, Then Found (Peace in the Midst of Noise)is a nod toward the comfort he finds in silence, meditation and having conversations with himself.
 
Waller’s Honeysuckle Rose, a favorite of David L.’s, celebrates the beauty of another and recognizes that one’s love is not only just for your admiration.  
 
Love for You (Fatherless Child)reflects on his acceptance that although his father wasn’t in his life, the love he shares for him is consistent. David L. has arrived at full acceptance and finally began to harness his peace in Day Has Come. Talk to Me (That’s What I’ll Be for You and Me)is a touching declaration of love, trust and commitment to do what is needed to make a relationship work and your mate happy. More Than Love … to be a man wraps up with David L. Harris’ take on All the Way, the beautiful love song by Sinatra/Van Heusen/Cahn. 
 
More Than Love … to be a man is a delicate journey of love and life, and the singer is living proof that once you accept and learn to love yourself, you embrace the fact that there is always more to give. 
 
“I’ve learned to be proud of my intent and accepting of the emotion I hold.  I now realize that if I want to experience what it is to truly live, I must approach everything wholeheartedly. Change is inevitable and eventually becomes normal, fluent and more of an appreciation. I hope these lessons of life and love will also bless others,” said Harris.
 
Joining Harris on this sophomore release (Blues I Felt was released on (Label) in 2017) are pianists David Torkanowsky and Shea Pierre; Grayson Brockamp, upright bass; Jamison Ross, drums; Kevin Louisand Andrew Baham, trumpet; Khari Allen Lee, alto and soprano saxophones; Richard Pascaland Scott Johnson, tenor saxophone; and actress Tanyell Waivers, voice over. More Than Love … to be a man was produced by David L. Harris and Jamison Ross. 
 
BIOGRAPHY 
 
David L. Harris is one of New Orleans’ rising stars. Born in Baton Rouge, LA, he is a talented vocalist, trombonist, composer and arranger. Harris embodies the edge of modern jazz and the sultriness of blues, taking his audiences on an emotionally engaging journey of love and liberation, wrapped in a sound that embraces the groove, grit and swing of the past.
 
David L. has toured around the world making stops across the United States and in China, Europe, Taiwan, Russia, South America, Australia, Canada, South Africa and in over 20 cities in Japan. He has been featured on the stages of the renowned Newport Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. David L. has performed and been a featured soloist at legendary concert halls, including the Apollo Theater in Harlem, NY, Lincoln Center in New York, NY and The L'Olympia Music Hall in Paris, France. He has toured, recorded and collaborated with Herlin Riley, Wynton Marsalis, Shannon Powell, Aaron Neville, Aloe Blacc, Dr. Michael White, Dee Dee Bridgewater and The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, among others. 
 
David L. Harris is a proud Performing/Endorsing Artist for Antoine Courtois/The Buffet Group. 
 
More Than Love … to be a man is available at:
 
Bandcamp: https://davidlharris.bandcamp.com/releases
 
iTunes/Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/more-than-love-to-be-a-man/1495588748
 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1EhT8Yafu5RPRFOtS5FNzE?si=78NFC5a1TSSNvR2Yq6Bprw

​May 1st sees the release of “Man Alive”, the second single from Deep Purple’s highly anticipated studio album “Whoosh!”.
 
With “Man Alive”, Deep Purple delivers a perfect example for the versatility of their new album. The band explores their progressive-rock side while, once again, Ian Gillan shows his passion for storytelling.

​After exploring the boundaries of time and space with the video for “Throw My Bones”, the first single of “Whoosh!”, Deep Purple step into the next chapter on their way to the release of the new album and again keep their fingers on the pulse time. The new video is both, a declaration of love to Mother Earth as well as a concerned look into the future. 

Deep Purple’s brand-new studio album “Whoosh!” follows their worldwide chart-topping albums “inFinite” (2017) and “NOW What?!” (2013). For the third time, Deep Purple joins forces with producer Bob Ezrin, and together they created the most versatile album in their collaboration, “stretching out in all directions” without any limitation, letting their creativity go.

"Deep Purple is putting the Deep back into Purple” was the half-joking motto in the studio after the first songs made it clear that Ezrin and Purple were on a path to creating an album pushing the boundaries of time, while voicing their resentment about the current situation of the world and addressing all generations.
 
“Whoosh is an onomatopoeic word that, when viewed through one end of a radio-telescope, describes the transient nature of humanity on Earth; and, through the other end from a closer perspective, illustrates the career of Deep Purple.” - ig
 
“Whoosh!” will be available as Limited CD+DVD Mediabook (incl. the 1h feature “Roger Glover and Bob Ezrin in conversation” and, for the first time, the full live performance at Hellfest 2017 as video), 2LP+DVD Edition, Limited Box Set and Digital on August 7th, 2020 on earMUSIC.
 
You can pre-order the album here: https://deeppurple.lnk.to/WhooshPR
Please keep checking at www.deep-purple.com  for all the latest news and updates.
 
www.deep-purple.com
www.facebook.com/officialdeeppurple
www.twitter.com/_DeepPurple
www.instagram.com/deeppurple_official/

​photo credit Erick Anderson (eafoto)

new solo album
out 26.06.20
includes
WHERE’S THE PASSION
lyric video
youtu.be/yf1o4l69ORY
video available from 17:00 GMT 01.05.20

teaser video
youtu.be/tbqEVSVCOdc 
​
album includes special guests
JORDAN RUDESS (Dream Theater) / PAUL GILBERT (Mr Big)
TONY LEVIN (King Crimson) / CARL VERHEYEN (Supertramp)
JONAS REINGOLD (The Flower Kings) / JEM GODFREY (Frost*)
RICK NIELSEN (Cheap Trick) and more
 
‘Invisible’ is the second solo album by California born but Indiana based drummer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Nick D’Virgilio (NDV) and comes almost two decades after his debut solo offering. NDV describes his new record as “a collection of songs that make up the story of a man who is unhappy with where his life has ended up. He finally decides to take the scary step of leaving everything behind so he can go and find the meaning of his life.” He continues: “Throughout my career I have been in many different places. Over time the word ‘invisible’ kept coming to mind and it got me thinking of people that truly have the hardest jobs in the world, or no job at all. The outliers. The ones we all take for granted. The ones we will never know but if they were not there then our lives would not be the nearly the same. Over time I amassed lyric and song ideas with the idea of writing a concept record on the subject.”

Keen to establish that “this is not your typical drummer record,” NDV states that "‘Invisible’ is a rock album with various musical flavours thrown in because the songs were formed with the story in mind. A classical prelude that uses various themes from the whole piece sets the stage. From there comes a mellow ballad outlining the story and then it is on to the adventures of the central character. The main thing making this record did for me was to reaffirm my strong belief that we are all here for something. We all have a purpose.”

With the recording process split between the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London (including full string and brass sections) and the world class Sweetwater Studios in Fort Wayne, Indiana, ‘Invisible’ boasts star turns from luminaries such as guitarists Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big, Racer X), Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick) and Carl Verheyen (Supertramp), bassists Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel) and Jonas Reingold (The Flower Kings, Steve Hackett), plus keyboard players Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) and Jem Godfrey (Frost*).

NDV’s debut solo album, ’Karma’ (2001), had appeared midway through his tenure with US progressive rock titans Spock’s Beard, with whom he started out as drummer upon their inception in the early 1990’s before taking on additional lead singer and live frontman duties in 2002 for four studio albums prior to his departure in 2011. At the time, this was partly in order to continue touring as drummer, singer and assistant bandleader with Cirque du Soleil, with whom he played over 1400 shows over a five year period until 2014. He has also been the drummer with the award winning UK band Big Big Train since 2007 and performed with world renowned acts such as Genesis (appearing on the ‘Calling All Stations’ album) and Tears For Fears (with whom he toured for over a decade).
Upon ending his stint with Cirque du Soleil, NDV relocated to Fort Wayne to become the face of the drum division of world leading music technology and instrument retailer Sweetwater Sound, explaining that “it has exploded and I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of interesting people while building new lifelong relationships. I’ve also had the chance to play on so much great drum gear – it is Disneyland in that regard! Many of my old bands and music compatriots have been there to record or do workshops, which is icing on the cake.”

The release of ‘Invisible’ now begins yet another fascinating chapter in NDV’s multi-faceted career, which he concludes “has taken many twists and turns. I have been able to live out some major musical fantasies, seeing some of the highest highs as well as some of the lowest lows. It has been a wild ride that is not over yet!”

De Nigeriaanse drummer Tony Allen, die samen met zijn landgenoot Fela Kuti aan de wieg lag van de afrobeat, is donderdag in Parijs overleden op 79-jarige leeftijd. Dat bevestigt zijn manager Eric Trosset.

​Volgens Trosset heeft het overlijden niets te maken met het coronavirus, “maar kennen we de precieze doodsoorzaak niet”. “Hij was nog in goede vorm, het is plots gebeurd. Ik praatte nog met hem om 13 uur, twee uur later werd hij onwel en werd hij naar het Pompidou-ziekenhuis gebracht, waar hij overleed”, zei Trosset.
Tony Allen was in de jaren zestig en zeventig drummer en muzikaal directeur in Fela Kuti’s groep Africa ‘70. Tony Allen en Fela Kuti lagen aan de wieg van de afrobeat, een muziekgenre dat Afrikaanse muziekstijlen als highlife en Yorubaanse polyritmiek mixt met jazz en funk. Het is een van de belangrijke stromingen in de Afrikaanse muziek in de twintigste eeuw.
Over die krachtige, hypnotiserende muziek zong Fela Kuti zijn revolutionaire en pan-Afrikaanse teksten. Hij groeide zo uit tot een symbool van de strijd voor vrijheid in Afrika. Tony Allen nam met Fela Kuti en Africa ‘70 een veertigtal albums op. Maar na 26 jaar scheidden hun wegen en gingen ze elk hun eigen weg.
De Nigeriaanse drummer bleef de jongste jaren aansluiting vinden met hedendaagse muzikanten. Zo schaarde hij zich met Damon Albarn (Blur) en Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) in 2012 achter het project Rocket Juice & the Moon.