PROFILE: The Budos Band
The News Review:
- PROFILE: The Budos Band
- GUITAR FESTIVAL DRAWS JAZZ BLUEGRASS AND OTHER AX
- Uganda: Just Asking – Angela Kalule
- This is a farewell fit for the Best
- Province to fund ‘Oscar’ chair at York
PROFILE: The Budos Band
Staten Island Advance – Jan 12, 2008
At the risk of repetition we’d like to again point out that The Budos Band is Staten Island’s greatest ambassador of funk and soul. The Sands Street-rehearsing instrumental band — a self-described mix of Afrobeat Ethiopian jazz and American soul and funk music — had a huge year in 2007. For those of you who have been hiding in a soundproof box somewhere buried under 50 feet of landfill the nine-member group (eight of whom are native Staten Islanders) has been featured in New York Magazine The Village Voice Playboy and most consistently (and credibly ahem) AWE. Legit blogs like Brooklyn Vegan and online publications like Pitchfork and RollingStone. com have also big-upped the band and its seductive music has even snuck its way into several shows on MTV VH1 (reality star Scott Baio is reportedly a huge fan; don’t hold it against them) and commercials for the NFL — making its retro-soul label Daptone Records mighty proud on all fronts. Not to be forgotten is The Budos Band’s live schedule.
GUITAR FESTIVAL DRAWS JAZZ BLUEGRASS AND OTHER AX
New York Post – Jan 12, 2008
But if you go to a show or two at the New York Guitar Festival you just might start to have an idea. The monthlong fest kicks off… "With a few exceptions – including Kaukonen and G. Smith (of “SNL" band fame) – chances are the artist lineup will have you scratching your head wondering “Who are these people?" Unless that is you're a hard-core fan of bluegrass jazz or classical guitar. “They aren't necessarily the standard famous people you would think of" says Smith. “But they're people who have done a lot of work with a lot of really big people. They're people whom you've heard a lot like Larry Campbell who worked with Bob Dylan – but didn't necessarily know you were hearing them. " Even if they're not famous – yet – Spelman hopes you'll give the shows a shot.
Uganda: Just Asking – Angela Kalule
AllAfrica.com – Jan 12, 2008
It was one of those good times in my career. Any major challenges?Somehow I wasn’t comfortable wearing make-up of the 70s; you know smearing Vaseline and face is all flashed with all these colours of make-up. You are mostly popular at corporate functions why the restriction?This audience is particularly not jumpy all they need is someone to entertain them; they want something just for them and like them that’s why I perform on functions by corporate companies and do Jazz music. How do you balance your career with motherhood?It’s easy. I leave work at about 1pm and go hangout with the boys at home. If I have a performance in the evening I leave at bout 5.
This is a farewell fit for the Best
Toronto Star – Jan 12, 2008
The multi-talented Quebec musician and performer Gregory Charles who performs at the concert today considers Peterson a sort of spiritual father and grew up in the same working-class Pointe-Saint-Charles area of Montreal from which Oscar emerged in the 1940s as a teenage boogie-woogie sensation. "I felt connected to him through my parents’ love for jazz" Charles says. "My father came from Trinidad and met my mother at a bar where people danced to jazz music. I think they owned every album Oscar ever made. " To Charles Oscar Peterson was as important a pioneer as baseball star Jackie Robinson in gaining respect for talented people with black skin. "After he left Montreal and became known around the world he was a great ambassador for Canada" Charles says. "He deserves to be thanked for that.
Province to fund ‘Oscar’ chair at York
Toronto Star – Jan 12, 2008
"That’s why we’re so delighted that Jazz Festivals Canada will be running the induction process’ he added. "They bring jazz to life in festivals all across this country. " Peterson’s work at university honoured with $5M in scholarships and jazz performance endowment Jan 12 2008 04:30 AM Rob Ferguson Queen’s Park Bureau Jazz legend Oscar Peterson will always be remembered for his hands-on time with music students at York University but more so now that $5 million in scholarship and other support is on the way from the Ontario government. The province is providing an endowment of $1 million to create five annual $10000 scholarships for students from underprivileged backgrounds at York plus $4 million to endow an Oscar Peterson Chair in Jazz Performance Premier Dalton McGuinty announced yesterday. "This is unusual I think for any university" said a thrilled Philip Silver dean of fine arts at York which offers jazz courses leading to a master’s degree. The scholarship is appropriate because Peterson "came from a less-than-privileged background where his family had to work really hard to get him his lessons" added Silver. "Oscar Peterson enriched our lives with his gift of music so we’re honouring him by helping gifted music students pursue their own dreams" said McGuinty who will attend today’s memorial concert at Roy Thomson Hall.