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Hugh
Masekela has covered the globe and
played with just
about
every top star you can think of - Masekela wrote
a
number
of international hits and sold several millionen cds.
The
single 'Grazing in the Grass' topped the Rolling Stones' Jumping Jack
Flash in the US charts (and brought him a Grammy). His hit "Bring
Him Back Home" became the anthem
for
Nelson Mandela's world tour
following his release from prison. His recent albums have all gone
platinum. "The man with the horn" is a living legend, a genius
musician and great performer who is even getting better in his "old
days".Critics/reviews
of the tour in 2008 were great - Hugh performed (minimum) 2 hour
concerts with a great
band and received standing ovations wherever they played. Hugh
Masekela will celebrate his 70th
birthday 2009 ! release of a new album in combination with a live DVD
by World Connection.
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Tour
periods 2010: 18-May 04 June + 16 - 24 June + 18 July - 15 August + 7
-21 November. Exclusive
territory: Europe.
Travelling Party: 11
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Highligths 2006-2008:
Support act for Robbie Williams in Durban, Pretoria and Cape Town and
support for the Oscar movie “Tsotsi“ at the Cannes film festival. The
South African Football Association choose Freshlyground as cultural
ambassador for the 2010 FIFA world cup. Doo Be Doo enters the charts in
Italy. Freshlyground receive the "European MTV Award" for "Best African
Act 2006". European Tours - highlights include performance with B.B.
King in Paris, and festivals like the Africa Festival Wuerzburg.
Nomvula reaches 5 times platinum sales and Doo Be Doo becomes the most
played single in South Africa.
Their third album "Ma
Chéri", is released and goes platinum. Freshlyground voted &
awarded "Best Band" by South African audiences (Metro FM Award).
Freshlyground nominated in seven categories for South African Music
Awards - winning four categories & winning Album of the Year and
Best Band 2008.
More and updated information ... Freshlyground website
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Tour
periods 2010: May, June, July and on request.
Exclusive territory: Europe.
Travelling party: 12
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A radio
broadcast in 1970 brought about their first record contract. Since then
the group has recorded over forty albums, selling over seven million
records at home and abroad, establishing themselves as the number one
selling group from Africa.
Ladysmith
Black Mambazo have been nominated for a Grammy 12 times and won it
three times: most recently in 2009 for their new album „Ilembe“ (“Best
Traditional World Music CD”).
Their
work with Paul Simon on the "Graceland" album attracted a world of fans
that never knew that the sounds of Zulu harmony could be so
captivating. The album sold over 14 million times. One of the hits of
the album was the Mambazo song “Homeless”.
The
group has recorded with numerous artists from around the world besides
Paul Simon (e.g. Stevie Wonder). Their film work includes a featured
appearance in Michael Jackson's video "Moonwalker" and Spike Lee's "Do
It A Cappella". Black Mambazo has provided soundtrack material for
Disney's "The Lion King Part II", Eddie Murphy's "Coming To
America", Marlon Brando's "A Dry White Season", James Earl Jones' "Cry
The Beloved Country" and Sean Connery's "League Of Extraordinary
Gentlemen".
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Tour
periods 2009: November / December - 2010: May (and on request)
Exclusive
territory: GAS & France. Travelling Party: 12-13
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Sourth
Africa´s legendary Mahotella Queens: Hilda Tloubatla, Nobesuthu
Mbadu and Mildred Mangxola are indeed queens - The Mahotella Queens - 3
doyennes, who since the mid-sixties, have been singing, dancing and
selling-out shows worldwide.
What is still making them so special ...
Maybe 40-plus years of performing together, that makes it seem that
these sisters have been doing it forever! As Hilda says:
“I guess we are true musicians
– born musicians – we’re talented! We’ve got the spirit of true
musicians, hence we know how to go about a song… how to do a song, like
with “Town Hall” [a song we know how to sing]… & people ask, how do
you do it, how do you start, cos we don’t see anyone doing a sign to
say now we’re going to do this…? Its in us… we’ve been together for a
long time, hence we know exactly what to do..” |
Tour
periods 2010: summer . Exclusive
territory: Europe. Travelling Party: 9
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Zimbabwe's Chiwoniso performs entrancing
and uplifting songs with ancient soul and modern spirit. Backed by the
mesmerizing interlocking melodies of the mbira and the deep grooves of
an all-star lineup featuring some of Zimbabwe and South Africa's top
musicians, Chiwoniso's voice resounds with defiant strength and
profound tenderness.
With a sound that recalls the
fire of Angelique Kidjo, the inspiration of Oliver Mtukudzi,
the rebellion of Thomas
Mapfumo and the soul of India.Aire, Chiwoniso is one of the most exciting
talents in African music today.
Chiwoniso's Rebel Woman will be released worldwide in September
2008 by Cumbancha Records.
“A real woman with a touch of
the magical.”
“Brilliantly produced.” “With all eyes on Zimbabwe’s leader Robert
Mugabe as he battles his way through a post-election mess, this might
be just the right release at the right time.” (Folk Roots, Sept,
08) |
Tour periods 2009: 18 Juni - 10 August +
November acoustic tour. Tour periods 2010:
summer
Exclusive
territory: Europe. Travelling party: 9 (acoustic
tour 4)
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Lira is known for eclectic sounds
comprising elements of Afro-pop, R&B and jazz. She became a mega selling singer in South
Africa with her second album "Feel Good" ("Best Jazz Album 2007, Metro FM
Awards). The title song "Feel Good" was the most downloaded song in
South Africa in 2008. With her third album "Soul In Mind".Lira
succeeded to cause a sensation at this year´s South African Music
Awards: she was nominated for 6 SAMA awards ... she finally won in the
following categories, making her the most decorated winner of this
year´s SAMA awards:
Best adult contemporary album: English,
Best remix of the year,
Best Female Artist
Album of the Year-
Soul In Mind
Best male artist artist this year is
Abdulla Ibrahim ...
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Tour periods 2009: end of October until 10
November. Tour periods 2010:
spring and summer
Exclusive
territory:Europe. Travelling party: 9
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The
premiere of this outstanding production took place this year in
Brighton: The Dome Concert Hall was sold out and the audience
celebrated - but truly celebrated! the African Tribute show to James
Brown:
"Each and every peformer on stage
seemed devoted to giving the audience the party of a lifetime and the
crowd showed their apprecitation raucously. When the super group
attempted to leave the stage for the first time, it felt like there
might be a riot if they didn´t play an encore.... "
All other concerts that followed were also great and ticket sales
excellent.
"The African Tribute to
James Brown" by original JB musicians
Pee Wee Ellis (musical director) and their African guest on tour
worldwide now. The show can be booked with various African and other
guests guest
stars like:
Tony Allen, Manu Dibango. Angelique Kidjo, Nils Landgren, Marceo
Parker depending on availability and budget. Guest star 2009:
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Sourth
Africa´s legendary Mahotella Queens: Hilda Tloubatla, Nobesuthu
Mbadu and Mildred Mangxola are indeed queens - The Mahotella Queens - 3
doyennes, who since the mid-sixties, have been singing, dancing and
selling-out shows worldwide.
What is still making them so special ...
Maybe 40-plus years of performing together, that makes it seem that
these sisters have been doing it forever! As Hilda says:
“I guess we are true musicians
– born musicians – we’re talented! We’ve got the spirit of true
musicians, hence we know how to go about a song… how to do a song, like
with “Town Hall” [a song we know how to sing]… & people ask, how do
you do it, how do you start, cos we don’t see anyone doing a sign to
say now we’re going to do this…? Its in us… we’ve been together for a
long time, hence we know exactly what to do..”
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Tour
periods 2009: mid July + late October - beginning of November.
2010: March and summer
Exclusive
territory: Europe *. Travelling party: 15
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"If Mozart was still alive he would have
been proud to see two cultures meeting together to celebrate his music
and bringing it to an audience that never imagined that one day they
will be sitting, nodding their heads and tapping their feet to his
compositions..."
MoZuluArt caused a sensation last year when they opened the
"Festwochen" in Vienna performing together with the Vienna Symphony
Orchestra in front of several hundred thousand people and live on TV.
MoZuluArt will go on tour with a string quartet with musicians from the
Vienna Symphony Orchestra - their album has just been realesed in
Europe by Universal Music
All concerts in 2007 and 2008 ended with standing ovations ...
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Tour periods
2009 and
2010: main booking period summer – but MoZuluArt will tour all year
long !
Exclusive
territory: the world. Travelling party: 10
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The Dizzy
Gillespie (tm) All-Star Big Band, a veritable who's who among jazz
musicians, was formed in the summer of 1998 to perform Dizzy
Gillespie's classic big band repertoire and continue the legacy left by
the late master... They will come to Europe in 2009 with a new album,
while in 2009 and 2010 differnt line ups and programmes willbe
availbale as follows:
>The Dizzy
Gillespie (tm) All Stars (6tet) - Spring 2009 - travelling party:
6-7
> The Dizzy Gillespie (tm)
All Star Big Band - Summer 2009 - travelling party: +/- 20
(new album to be released first
half of 2009)
> Dizzy Gillespie (tm) "The
Symphony Sessions" - Summer 2009 = 6tet plus local orchestra in
an incredible programme performing some fabulous music that includes
Dizzy´s hits like Manteca, Night in Tunesia, Tin Tin deo etc.
with full string section ...
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"...what carried the show is this
sharp-eared outfit's easy communication, it's seemingly offhanded
mastery of some of jazz's trickiest and most stimulating music".
( Gene Santoro - New York Daily News)
"It was a showcase of
virtuosity and personality, as the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars
blew and scatted their way through 'the man' and his music... When this
outfit trades solos in cruise-control, it's a total slice of heaven."
(Jay Meehan - The Park Record)
"They started off with 'Salt Peanuts' and never looked back. It was
tight and loose and in your face." Valerie Cruice - New York
Times
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The band includes many Gillespie
alumni including Musical Director, Slide Hampton, and one of Dizzy's
closest associates and collaborators, James Moody. Other alumni include
Frank Wess, Jimmy Heath, Paquito D`Rivera, Roy Hargrove, Antonio Hart,
Claudio Roditi, Douglas Purviance and the band's Executive Director,
John Lee, Dizzy's longtime bassist.
Many of the arrangements
performed by the band are "vintage" and were written for Dizzy's big
bands of the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s-but they could hardly be
described as old or dated. In fact, they continue to stimulate and
challenge jazz musicians today just as they continue to dazzle and
delight audiences around the world. Some were written by Dizzy himself,
others commissioned from among such distinguished arrangers as Quincy
Jones, Gil Fuller, Tadd Dameron, Lalo Schifrin, Melba Liston, and Benny
Golson. Newer arrangements have been contributed by Jimmy
Heath, Dennis Mackrel and two-time, Grammy Award-winning
arranger, Slide Hampton.
The Dizzy Gillespie All-Star
Big Band features four winners of the National Endowment of the Arts
(NEA) Jazz Masters Award: James Moody, Jimmy Heath, Slide Hampton and
Paquito D'Rivera. The NEA award is the highest honor accorded to jazz
musicians in the United States.
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Tour periods All Stars & Symphony
Sessions 2009: spring/summer. Exclusive territory: Europe*.
Travelling party: 6-7
Tour periods
Big Band 2009: summer/winter. Exclusive territory: Europe*. Travelling
party: +/- 20
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Hot Water are a fresh and exciting
band uniting five different and diverse cultures that gives them an
invaluable role to play in the New South Africa. Based in Cape Town and
captained by South African singer-songwriter and guitarist Donovan
Copley, the band is a densely African fusion of powerful, uplifting
sounds and vocals.
Hot Water was voted best
Band in south Africa by Mens Health Magazine September 2008.
They represents the
great diversity that embodies the South African nation. It is no
surprise that five tracks fromt their album Home, have been chosen to
appear on the international EDEL release "A Day in Cape Town" |
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Tour periods
: coming soon...
Exclusive territory: Europe
Travelling party: 6-7
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The rfi prize winning
voice from Cameroon had a sensational success with her debut album
"Sepia" which climbed several charts and brought her a nomination
for a BBC Radio Award. Coco Mbassi recorded her second album "Sisea"
with special guests like Manu Dibango and Richard Bona. She toured extensively
and recieved enthusiastic reviews for her live concerts. Though Coco Mbassi
started her solo career just a few years ago she is now playing first
league in various European countries.
After a little break and
changing her residence from Paris to London
she is now coming back with a "best of" choice from her first cds and
with some brand new material. |
Tour
periods 2009: summer plus September - December. Exclusive territory:
Europe.
Travelling party 9
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SWR Big Band is
simply one of the best big bands in the world: three recent
Grammy nomninations - 2002, 2003 and 2004 - underline their
international reputation. For 2010 they are nominated for a Grammy
again - catergory "best large jazz ensemble album".
In it´s more
than fifty years musical history SWR Big Band worked with musical
guests like Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Chat Baker, Slide Hampton and
many others. Most recent guests have been Paula Morelenbaum, Patti
Austin. Toshiko Akiyosh and Sammy Nestico.
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Tour periods Themba Mkhize and SWR Big
Band plus star guests: May plus summer plus 25 October - 15 November
2010. May 2011
Exclusive territory "Shosholoza": the world
Travelling party: 28
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As director and producer he worked with
Hugh Masekela, Bayete, Miriam Makeba, Ouma Sangare, Sibongile Khumalo,
Busi Mhlongo. His first album deservedly won two SA
Music Awards for Best South African Traditional Jazz Album and Best
Producer and the Daimler Chrysler Award for South African Jazz. His
second album was nominated 4 times in the 2002 SAMA awards (and won
three of them). Themba´s most recent offering (Hands On) won two
of the major awards in South Africa namely Metro FM Award (Jazz
category) and MTN SAMA Award (Best Male Artist).
Themba Mkhize was on tour in November 2008 and presented his new
album "Scenes from the South" (SKIP Records) at some prestiguos jazz
festivals. He will return in September 2009 to record with SWR Big
Band.
2010 "Shosholoza" - a musical journey to South Africa with Themnba
Mkhize and the SWR BIG BAND
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Tour periods Themba Mkhize and SWR Big
Band plus star guests: May plus summer plus 25 October - 15 November
2010.
Exclusive territory: Europe. Travelling
party: more than 20 :-)
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Miriam Makeba died on the 9th of
November 2008 after her concert in Castel Volturno.
We will never forget her.
Miriam´s family asked BPR and us to work on a tribute programme
with the original band and some family members.
We are working on it and
will handle this with great care and respect.
We will inform
the public
once and if we succeeded to put this together. |
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Tour periods
2010: spring and summer. Exclusive territory*:
Europe. Travelling party: tba
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Patrick
Bebey Quartet – Cameroon - best African jazz & new album
Tour periods 2009: February + summer +
September & and on request. Exclusive territory: Europe. Travelling
party: 4-5
Declan de
Barra – Ireland - new album "A Fire To Scare The Sun”
(great,great stuff ... )
Tour periods 2009: all year … 2010: all
year … Territory: Europe. Travelling party: 1-6
Sam
Tshabalala - South Africa - Township music & jazz
Tour periods 2009: summer & and on
request. 2010: summer & on request. Exclusive territory: Europe.
Travelling party: 4-9
Andy
Narell & Sakésho – USA/ Caribbean - the steel drum
master
Tour periods 2009: May + summer +
September & and on request. 2010: on request.
Territory: Europe (except France).
Travelling party: 4
Gcina
Mhlophe – South Africa – one of the best storytellers of the
world
Tour periods 2009: February +
September/October & and on request. Exclusive Territory: the
world.
Travelling party: 1 ( plus sometimes additional musicians)
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Territories marked with a star: Griot shares
exclusive rights in Europe with BPR
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