ADateZ Inc.

You're at: Front Page

Culture

World Music

World & Folks Music News

Veteran Soul Nathaniel Mayer Suffers Stroke

Nathaniel Mayer

Detroit soul singer Nathaniel Mayer, who embarked on an unlikely comeback four years ago, is slowly recovering from a stroke that has hampered his speech and movement, his representatives said on Monday.

Mayer, 64, who was stricken on April 13, could make "a considerable recovery," according to a post on Mayer's MySpace page.

Stephen Marley Announces Mind Control Tour

Stephen Marley

Stephen Marley hits the road again this spring and summer, kicking off a tour May 4th that will take him across most of the country before he heads to Germany in July. Touring in support of his Grammy-winning album Mind Control, Stephen has spent much of the past year performing solo material after having built his career by producing award-winning albums for his family members and other artists.

Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 Set to Release Debut Album

Seun Kuti

Set for release on June 24, 2008, Seun Kuti & Egypt 80’s self-titled debut album tackles the corruption, ignorance, malady, sadness and pollution that ravage contemporary Africa. The orchestra is featured in our upcoming July issue.

Bireli Lagrene to Make a Rare US Appearance

Bireli Lagrene

Critically acclaimed French guitarist Bireli Lagrene will return to New York City next month to perform at Rose Theater at Lincoln Center as part of the Django Reinhardt & Charlie Christian: Celebration of the Jazz Guitar, May 2 and May 3. This will be Lagrene's first US appearance in three years since his successful Move tour in 2005, which included a week-long sell-out engagement at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York as well as concert performances in seven major cities including Austin, Los Angeles and San Diego.

Toubab Krewe Confirms US Spring Tour

Toubab Krewe

Toubab Krewe kicks off the second leg of its U.S. Spring Tour this weekend with shows in Seattle, WA and Portland, OR. The tour continues from coast to coast, with new dates added throughout the country. Toubab Krewe's May 10th show in New York City has changed venues from the Highline Ballroom to the Blender Theater at Gramercy. This show will feature collaborations with legendary spoken word artist Umar Bin Hassan, known for his groundbreaking work with The Last Poets, Common, Tribe Called Quest, and many others.

Gilberto Gil Announce North American Tour

Gilberto Gil

Beginning June 18 and lasting throughout July, Grammy Award-winning artist Gilberto Gil will tour North America in what is to be know n as the Gilberto Gil-Broadband Tour. The event will feature a full band line-up for 11 concerts in major markets.

Dave Brubeck Wins Medal for Spreading Jazz

Dave Brubeck

Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck accepted a State Department award on Tuesday for promoting America with concerts in countries from Iraq to Poland, and he won praise from the top U.S. diplomat, who listened to his music as a girl.

"As a little girl I grew up on the sounds of Dave Brubeck because my dad was your biggest fan," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said at ceremony where Brubeck received the department's Ben Franklin Award for public diplomacy.

Placido Domingo Goes Old Spanish Pop with New Album

Placido Domingo

Placido Domingo recorded his new album of popular Spanish songs because they reminded the singer of his homeland when he lived in Mexico as a child and young man.

"When I arrived in Mexico I saw the films of Imperio Argentina, Concha Piquer, Juanita Reina," Domingo, 67, told reporters in Madrid.

"They brought back memories. Back then, in the 1950s and 60s, everyone knew those songs."

Pavarotti Lipsynched Last Performance

Luciano Pavarotti

Luciano Pavarotti, in severe pain months before his cancer diagnosis, lip-synched his last performance, according to the maestro who conducted the aria at the opening ceremony of the Turin Olympics. The late tenor's manager said Monday the bitter cold made a live performance impossible at the 2006 Winter Games. The conductor, Leone Magiera, reveals in a book that the rousing rendition of "Nessun Dorma" ("Let No One Sleep") was prerecorded because "it would have been too dangerous for him to give a live performance in that physical condition."

Colombian Rocker Juanes Helps Land-Mine Victims

Juanes

When Colombian rocker Juanes wrote the track "Fijate Bien" in 1999, he spoke about the dangers of land mines as a metaphor for life.

But the reality of his own country, the place with the highest incidence of land-mine accidents on the planet, according to the World Mine Monitor, led him to take an even closer look.

In 2005, Juanes created his Mi Sangre foundation, with the purpose of rehabilitating and educating land mine victims and their families and reintegrating them socially and economically.