JMI News


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January 15, 2008

Alison Brown Tours The West

The phenomenal Alison Brown is poised for her tour of Western Canada in March/April, and there is still a possibility of adding more shows. Here are the confirmed dates:
March
28 Vancouver BC Capilano College Theatre
29 Edmonton AB Festival Place
30 rand Prairie AB Venue TBC
31 Peace River AB Athabaska Hall
April
03 Red Deer AB Memorial Centre Theatre
04 Calgary AB Dalhousie Arts Centre (Calgary Folk Club)
05 Calgary AB Braeside Com. Centre (Chinook Folk)

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October 5, 2007

JMI Signs UK's Bellowhead

We have seen the future of genre-defying contemporary music, and its name is Bellowhead. JMI is very pleased to announce today that we have signed this incredible group to exclusive representation for Canada. They are an 11-piece band who are not easily described. Suffice to say that if Cirque de Soleil was a musical group, it would definitely be Bellowhead.

Here is an MP3 collage of Jordan and Rigs of The Times from their current recording, Burlesque.
Bellowhead won Best Live Act and Best Group at the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2007, and are currently the hottest commodity on the European festival circuit.

To see what all the fuss is about, you can watch Bellowhead on You Tube at the following links:

Rigs of the Times

Jordan

You can also check them out at bellowhead.co.uk.

They will perform at the Edmonton Folk Festival in August of 2008, and we will be touring them again in July of 2009. We already have offers for 2009, and anticipate that those dates will go quickly.

Bellowhead is distributed in Canada by our friends at Festival Distribution in Vancouver.

For more information on the band, please contact us directly.

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October 1, 2007

Guy Davis to Tour the West
in November

Perennial favourite Guy Davis will be touring western Canada in November. All of the dates up to an including November 24th will be performed with the High Flying Rockets, a full five piece band. This will mark the first time Guy has toured out west with a full band. The remainder of the tour will be performed in a trio format.

NOVEMBER, 2007
15 Red Deer AB Elk's Lodge
16 Edmonton AB Festival Place
17 Turner Valley AB Flare and Derrick Community Hall
18 Calgary AB Southwood United Church
20 Grande Prairie AB Cardinal Performing Arts Centre
22 Strathmore AB Strathmore Golf Course Club
23 Banff AB Margaret Greenham Theatre
24 Calgary AB Strathcona Community Centre
25 Golden BC Golden Civic Centre
27 Pencticton BC The Dream Cafe
28 Pencticton BC The Dream Cafe
30 Salt Spring BC Artspring
DECEMBER
01 Courtenay BC Venue TBA
02 Vancouver BC Capillano College Theatre

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September 12th, 2007

Sylvia Tyson Among New JMI Signings

JMI is very pleased to announce three new signings to JMI. We are also excited about the new JMI Theatre, which features live video on most of our roster, with new additions coming in all the time. Please visit the theatre now for your own private screening.

Sylvia Tyson (see her page on the Quartette web site) first made her mark in the '60s with the folk/country duo Ian & Sylvia, who recorded 13 albums, and were at the forefront of the '60s North American folk movement. Following Ian & Sylvia's breakup in 1977, Sylvia released seven solo albums. She received Canada's highest civilian award, the Order of Canada, in 1995. She was also inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1992, and the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2003. JMI will be handling Sylvia's bookings exclusively, commencing January 1st, 2008, and we are taking offers for 2008/09 now.

Mighty Sam McClain is a Grammy nominee who sings blues, soul and gospel like few others, with a full horn section, and a mighty, mighty big sound. Mighty Sam has performed all over the world, and will be featured on an upcoming CD called Give Us Your Poor, in which he performs a duet with Jon Bon Jovi and also shares a song with Natalie Merchant. Other artists featured on this CD will include Bruce Springsteen, Pete Seeger and Bonnie Rait. To see live video of Sam, please go to www.mightysam.com/media.html.

John Wort Hannam (also see www.johnworthannam.com) has quietly been building a following in Western Canada, and is quickly becoming one of the country's most sought after new singer-songwriters. In May of 2007 John became one of the newest New Folk Winners at the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas. John joins an impressive list of other finalist and winners that includes John Gorka, Lyle Lovett, Nanci Griffith, Steve Earle, and Robert Earle Keen. He is also a 2005 CBC Galaxie Rising Star Winner as well as the winner of the 2004 Calgary Folk Fest Songwriting Competition and the NCRA 2005 Dig Your Roots Songwriting Competition. John joins a roster at JMI that includes some very fine songwriters, including as Archie Fisher, James Keelaghan and Kate & Anna McGarrigle.

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August 13th, 2007

APRIL VERCH TOURING IN NOVEMBER

April Verch will embark on a very exciting tour in November, with the incredible Tony McManus on guitar, and the incomparable Doug Cox on dobro in something we call April Verch & Strung. For string lovers, this will be a chance to see three of the world’s best instrumentalists on the same stage. So far the tour is shaping up like this
November
02 Regina SK Casino Regina
03 Spruce Grove AB Horizon Stage
04 Athabasca AB Heartwood Folk Club
06 Golden BC Civic Centre
08 Kelowna BC Creekside Theatre
09 Chilliwack BC Chilliwack Arts Centre
10 Vancouver BC St. James Hall
15 Toronto ON Hugh's Room
16 Port Dover ON Lighthouse Theatre

More dates may be added, so stay tuned.

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June 13, 2007

JMI Signs Three New Artists

JMI is very pleased to announce three new exclusive signings. We have received hundreds of packages over the winter, and have chosen these very special acts to add to our roster for the coming season.

Quartette

First of all, we would like to welcome country-folk supergroup Quartette to JMI, featuring Sylvia Tyson, Cindy Church, Gwen Swick and Caitlin Hanford.

Since their first appearance at Toronto's Harbourfront in the summer of 1993, Quartette has become one of the most electrifying collaborations on the Canadian music scene. The four women combine formidable individual talents into an astonishing whole. The soaring harmonies and unique arrangements create a musical mosaic with flavours of folk, country, swing and bluegrass all solidly rooted in traditional music.

Listen to Quartette's striking version of O Canada (mp3).

Quartette continues to record and perform nationally and internationally, and is currently putting the finishing touches on their new CD, Down At The Fair, produced by Colin Linden and due out in the Fall of 2007.

Graham Isaacson

From Portland, Maine, JMI has signed 23 year old singer-songwriter Graham Isaacson. Plan on hearing lots about this brilliant new artist, who is already being compared to Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen. His Debut CD, Memories In Shadows, was produced by Melodrome's Robby Baier at SubStation Recording in Housatonic, Massachusetts. Recorded in an old train station, Memories In Shadows manages to be both sweeping and beautifully raw in its delivery, with Graham's voice and lyrical guitar lines often taking center stage. In fact, it's exactly those qualities that contributed to Graham landing Second place honours in the 2006 International Songwriting Competition (ISC), no easy feat considering the who's who panel of judges: Tom Waits, Norah Jones, Joss Stone, and LeAnn Rimes. It's also worth mentioning that the ISC received close to 50,000 entriesfrom 82 countries throughout the world, of which Graham's was one.

Stay tuned for more news on Graham, including a record deal - meanwhile, check out this collage of five incredible songs from Memories in Shadows.

Rattle the Boards

At JMI, we always have our ear to the ground for a hot new Irish band. When Benny McCarthy of Ireland's Danu sent us an MP3 from his latest project, called Rattle The Boards, we offered them a contract on the spot. Rattle The boards has the raw sound of a spontaneous Irish pub singalong, combined with the musical eloquence we have come to expect from Danu.

Featuring Benny McCarthy on accordion and melodeon, John Nugent on guitar, Pat Ryan on fiddle, mandolin & banjo and John T. Egan on Vocals, Rattle The Boards is the real deal. To hear an mp3 from their upcoming CD, please click here.

We will be announcing tour dates for all of these artists in the very near future.

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June 12, 2007

Juan Martín to Tour
Coast to Coast

Flamenco superstar Juan Martin has made a lot of friends in Canada. In October of 2007, he will embark on a national tour that will see him not only perform from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans, but he will also be visiting both the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Dates are still being added to this tour, but as of June 12th, here is where you can see Juan this fall.
Oct 04 Summerside, PEI Jubilee Theatre
Oct 05 Fredericton, NB The Playhouse
Oct 06 Moncton, NB Capitol Theatre
Oct 07 Pictou, NS Decoste Centre
Oct 09 Saint John, NB The Imperial Theatre
Oct 10 Halifax, NS The Rebecca Cohn Aud.
Oct 12 Vancouver, BC Capilano College Theatre
Oct 13 Maple Ridge, BC Maple Ridge Arts Centre
Oct 14 Madeira Park, BC Pender Harbour Music Society
Oct 16 Kelowna, BC Creekside Theatre
Oct 17 Golden, BC Golden Civic Centre
Oct 18 Red Deer, AB Red Deer Centre
Oct 19 Calgary, AB University Theatre
Oct 20 Edmonton, AB Festival Place
Oct 23 Whitehorse, YK Yukon Arts Centre
Oct 26, 27 Yellowknife, NT Northern Arts & Cult. Centre
Oct 29 Kenora, ON Knox United Church
Oct 30 Winnipeg, MB West End Cult. Centre
Nov 02 Port Hope, ON The Capitol Theatre

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June 12, 2007

Rankin Sisters off
to Durham Games

The Durham Highland Games Festival in Uxbridge, Ontario has a rep for bringing in some of the best Celtic music in the world - this summer will be no exception, as the Rankin Sisters are confirmed to perform there July 21st and 22nd, 2007. For more information, please visit the Durham Highland Games Festival web site.

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June 12, 2007

Rosie Mackenzie
This Summer

Watch for Rosie MacKenzie to release a CD within the coming months. Meanwhile, you can catch her both on her own, and also with The MacKenzie Project featuring Pauline Scanlon and Donogh Hennessy at the following festivals this summer.
Jun 29 - July 01 Canso, NS Stan Rogers Folk Festival
Jul 12 - 15 Yellowknife, NT* Folk on The Rocks
Aug 10 - 12 Gaspe, QC** Musique du bout du Monde

*Rosie will be performing with legendary Howie MacDonald and Dave MacIsaac in Yellowknife
**Gaspe, Quebec will be a MacKenzie Project gig, with Pauline Scanlon and Donogh Hennessy.

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June 5, 2007

Black Umfolosi Set for
Massive Cross Country Tour
in 2008

Zimbabwe’s Black Umfolosi will embark on a six week coast to coast tour of Canada next February, 2008. The tour is nearly complete, but we are still adding dates in the Maritimes as of June 5th. Any new dates will be added to the schedule below.
Feb 05 Ottawa, ON National Arts Centre
Feb 06 Brooks, AB Griffin Park Theatre
Feb 07 Swift Current, SK Swift Current Comprehensive High
Feb 08 Calgary, AB Calgary Folk Club
Feb 09 Whitehorse, YK Yukon Arts Centre
Feb 10 Edmonton, AB Festival Place
Feb 11 Saskatoon, SK Broadway Theatre
Feb 12 Prince Albert, SK E.A. Rawlinson Centre
Feb 13,14 Fort MacLeod, AB The Empress Theatre
Feb 15 Turner Valley, AB Flare and Derrick Community Hall
Feb 16 Banff, AB Margaret Greenham Theatre
Feb 17 Cranbrook, BC Key City Theatre
Feb 19 Trail, BC Charles Bailey Theatre
Feb 20 Kelowna, BC Creekside Theatre
Feb 21 Salt Spring Island, BC Artspring
Feb 23 Nanaimo, BC Port Theatre
Feb 24 Vancouver, BC Capilano College Theatre
Feb 25 Regina, SK Regina Folk Festival
Feb 26 Kitchener, ON Centre in the Square
Feb 27 Guelph, ON River Run Centre
Feb 28 St. Catherine's, ON Centre for the Arts
Feb 29 Oakville, ON Oakville Centre for the Perf. Arts
Mar 01 Huntsville, ON Algonquin Theatre
Mar 02 Parry Sound, ON Charles W. Stockey Centre
Mar 03 Sydney, NS Membertou Centre
Mar 04 Sydney, NS Venue TBA
Mar 07 Orono, Maine Maine Centre for the Arts
Mar 08 Moncton, NB The Capitol Theatre
Mar 09 Church Point, NS Théâtre Marc Lescarbot
Mar 12 Annapolis Royal, NS Kings Theatre
Mar 13 Pictou, NS DeCoste Centre
Mar 14 Charlottetown, PEI Confederation Centre

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May 25, 2007

CHIRGILCHIN TOURING COAST TO COAST

Tuvan superstars Chirgilchin will embark on a month long coast to coast tour this summer, and should not be missed. Here is where you can catch them.

June 28 Moncton, NB Capitol Theatre
June 29 - July 01 Canso, NS Stan Rogers Folk Festival
July 2 Margaretsville, NS Evergreen Theatre
July 3 Sackville, NB Mount Allison U. Chapel
July 5-6 London, ON Sunfest
July 7-8 Winnipeg, MB Winnipeg Folk Festival
July 10-11 Edmonton, AB Festival Place
July 12 Salt Spring, BC Artspring
July 15 Tofino, BC TBC
July 19-22 Dawson City, YK Dawson City Music Festival
July 26-29 Calgary, AB Calgary Folk Festival

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May 25, 2007

BEOLACH SUMMER TOUR

Cape Breton’s Beolach also have a very busy summer. Here is where you can see this incredible traditional group in July and August.

July 5 Huntsville, ON Huntsville Festival (with Richard Wood)
July 6-8 Winnipeg, MB Winnipeg Folk Festival
July 9-13 Nanaimo, BC Pacific Institute of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts
July 14-15 Harrison, BC Harrison Festival of the Arts
July 18 Edmonton, AB Festival Place
July 19-22 Dawson, YK Dawson City Music Festival
July 24-26 Grand Prairie, AB B.J.'s
July 27-28 Calgary, AB Calgary Folk Festival
July 29 Guelph, ON Hillside Festival
Aug 2 Mabou, NS Strathspey Place with Raylene Rankin
Aug 10-12 Montreal, QC Festival La Grande Rencontre

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May 25, 2007

BLACK UMFOLOSI NEWS

Black Umfolosi will embark on a massve 6 week tour of Canada in February of 2008 - we will be posting those dates very soon. Meanwhile, they will be in western Canada for a few festivals this summer.

Aug 4-6 Canmore, AB Canmore Folk Festival
Aug 9-11 Edmonton, AB Edmonton Folk Festival
Aug 12 Regina, SK Regina Folk Festival

May 25, 2007

DANU RETURNING FOR CHRISTMAS TOUR IN 2008

 

We are very excited to announce a special project for a cross Canada tour in December of 2008.

For years, Ireland's Danu was a very busy act at JMI, selling out many theatres from Nova Scotia to B.C., and having played to huge audiences at virtually every major folk festival in the country.

Three years ago, Danu decided to give up the life of constant touring and went into semi-retirement, after a hugely successful farewell tour across the country. The guys have decided that they would like to come back for a brief Christmas tour in December of 2008. Benny McCarthy advises us that the band will do a whole new photo shoot, press release and poster specifically for the tour, and that they are planning on making a Christmas record to promote the tour as well.

The show will feature a completely new set, all based on Irish Christmas music, song and story, and they will be bringing along a traditional dancer as well, for good measure. Where Danu was such a strong draw with their regular show, and have been away from Canada so long, we expect that this special Christmas show should sell out in many markets across the county.

We only have two weeks and a lot of ground to cover, so please let us know if you are interested in this show. The dates for "An Irish Christmas with Danu" are

DECEMBER 4th through 20th, inclusive, 2008

Within 24 hours of announcing this tour about half of the dates were spoken for, so don’t hesitate if you’d like to have the guys come into your venue with this terrific show.

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May 25, 2007

MORE TO COME

 

We are currently working on a number of tours that we hope to post soon, including Ray Bonneville, Guy Davis, April Verch, Oysterband, Perla Batalla and others - stay tuned.

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April 5, 2007

A Taste of Strawbs - The Floyd of Folk Rock

The latest Strawbs album, ‘A Taste of Strawbs’, is a 5CD boxed set that traces the band’s journey from London folk clubs, through folk-rock chart toppers, the evolution into stadium prog-rock, the return to intimate acoustic shows, and back again to rock. The music press has rediscovered the band, and reviews have been glowing:

“If you were at NEARfest ( Bethlehem , PA ) this past year you probably witnessed the outpouring of affection for the Strawbs.” (Exposé – March 2005)

“Folk rock’s Floyd – elusive, brilliant highlights.” Derek Hammond/Record Collector – January 2007

It is probably unique that the Strawbs line-up in 2007 is exactly the same as it was in 1974 when their best selling album ‘Hero and Heroine’ was released. The line-up comprises founder David Cousins , guitarist Dave Lambert, John Hawken on keyboards, bass player Chas Cronk, and drummer Rod Coombes.

Strawbs is an astonishingly versatile band. The highlight of 2007 will undoubtedly be Strawbs’ appearance at Fairport’s Cropredy Convention in August. But there’s more to come later in the year - the band is travelling to Canada to headline STANfest, a folk festival held in Nova Scotia in July, while in September they return again to Canada to headline Festival des Musiques Progressives in Montreal.

Strawbs first hit the charts in the early 1970s with classic albums, ‘Grave New World’ and ‘Bursting at the Seams’. From the mid-1970s Strawbs concentrated their attention on the United States and Canada where their albums, including later classics ‘Hero and Heroine’ and ‘Ghosts’, spent fifty-nine weeks on the Billboard charts.

Rick Wakeman played with Strawbs for two years before moving on to achieve world-wide success with Yes, and as a solo artist. The much-loved Sandy Denny made an album with Strawbs before she joined Fairport Convention.

You can catch the Electric Strawbs' original line-up at the following Canadian venues this summer.

June 30 - July 01 Stan Rogers Folk Festival Canso, NS
July 02 TBC
July 03 Hugh's Room Toronto, ON
July 04 Hugh's Room Toronto, ON
July 05 Centre in the Square Kitchener, ON
July 06 TBC

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March 19, 2007

Shooglenifty, Guy Davis to Tour

We have a couple of great tours coming up this month. Shooglenifty is doing a very rare tour, in that they have always come to Canada around the summer festivals. This year however, they are doing markets from Winnipeg to Vancouver in March, touring their latest CD, Troots. Here is where you can catch them:

March
21 West End Cultural Centre Winnipeg MB
22 The Ironwood Calgary AB
23 The Empress Theatre Fort MacLeod AB
24 Festival Place Edmonton AB
25 Margaret Greenham Theatre Banff AB
27 Dream Café Penticton BC
28 Dream Café Penticton BC
29 Dream Café Penticton BC
30 Salmon Arm Com. Centre Salmon Arm BC
31 St. James Hall Vancouver BC
April
01 Harrison Memorial Hall Harrison BC


Photo by Mike Barker
Guy Davis will be returning to the Maritimes this month as well, including some new markets. Here is where you can catch him in March:

Guy Davis regrets that he has had to reschedule his dates
in Sydney and Pictou. See schedule below for the new dates.
March
21 Membertou Trade Centre Sydney
(changed to the Mar 27)
NS
22 Decoste Centre Pictou
(changed to April 3)
NS
23/24 Bearly's Halifax NS
25 Clare Social Club Meteghan River NS
27 Membertou Trade Centre Sydney NS
28 Riverview Arts Centre Riverview (near Moncton) NB
29 Harbourfront Jubilee Theatre Summerside PEI
30 The Playhouse Fredericton NB
31 The Marigold Centre Truro NS
April
01 The Osprey Centre Shelburne NS
03 Decoste Centre Pictou NS

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January 29, 2007
Archie Fisher is awarded MBE

The BBC has reported that JMI artist Archie Fisher has received an MBE (Member of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire), one of England's most prestigous honours.

Archie Fisher, from Galashiels, has been described as one of the most influential artists of his time.

As well as a series of folk albums he has presented BBC Radio Scotland's awarding-winning Travelling Folk programme for 25 years.

Mr Fisher said he was delighted to get the same honour as previously given to other famous Scots musicians.

"I looked at some other fellows who had an MBE, Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham and I thought I'd love to be a part of that outfit," he said.

"So I'm on equal terms when it comes to honours.

"I've been doing this for a long time so it has been more of an endurance than choosing a highlight."

Hall of Fame

Born in Partick in Glasgow in 1939, he recorded his first album in 1968 with the fiddle and mandolin of John McKinnon and whistle player John Doonan.

During the mid 1970s he formed a long-term partnership with Dundee musician Allan Barty.

His live act included All Around My Hat, which later became a hit for Steeleye Span.

During the 1980s he turned his attention to freelance radio production and originated several series of documentary programmes with his local Borders station BBC Radio Tweed.

He has also been inducted to the Scots Traditional Music Hall of Fame.

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November 13, 2006

Oysterband to Tour Canada in 2008

We are very pleased to announce another great tour today. England's legendary Oysterband will make a rare concert tour across Canada in April of 2008. This incredible folk-rock group has performed on the mainstages of most of Canada's major festivals many times over, but it is quite rare for them to tour outside the festival season. And while they have been around for 25 years plus, Oysterband continues to make great records and new fans.

If you would like to see what Oysterband looks like live, in front of a big, sold out audience, please refer to the JMI 2007 CD-Rom, or go to our online clip:
Oysterband video clip (Windows Media)
Oysterband video clip (Mpeg)

To hear a brilliant song done acapella by the band, click here.

The dates for our April 2008 tour will be as follows;
April 9-13, Central Canada
April 14-26, Western Canada

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September 18, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JMI SIGNS PERLA BATALLA

JMI is very pleased to announce a new signing and a new tour. Grammy nominated Perla Batalla of California is no stranger to Leonard Cohen's music. She first came to international attention after recording and touring extensively with Cohen as a backup singer, and it was he who encouraged her to embark on a solo career. She has since gone on to tour the world, recording five solo CDs, and also working with other artists along the way, including another Canadian, k.d. lang.
Now Perla is bringing Bird On A Wire, her beautiful tribute to Leonard Cohen, to Canadian stages and festivals. The timing could not be better. Bird On A Wire will be released in Canada, and Perla is also featured on a soon to be released motion picture soundtrack, Hal Willner's "Came So Far for Beauty: An Evening of Leonard Cohen Songs," which was recorded last year at the the famous Sydney Opera House in Australia. Other artists who participated in this project include U2, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Rufus Wainwright and Nick Cave. Despite the incredible line-up, it was Perla's rendition of Bird On A Wire that brought the Opera House to its feet. For more information on this motion picture, go to vervemusicgroup.com.

To hear an MP3 collage of Leonard Cohen songs from Perla's Bird On A Wire on this web site, please click here.

"Sublime..."
Billboard Magazine

"Perla Batalla is the kind of artist
Peter Gabriel would fall in love with."

The Los Angles Times

If you are interested in presenting Perla's tribute to this great Canadian icon in your 2007/08 season, please contact us for additional information. Time frames for theatre tours will be as follows:

Maritimes - October 11/21, 2007
Central Canada - Feb/March, 2008, exact dates TBC
Western Canada - Feb/March, 2008, exact dates TBC

www.perla.com

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September 7, 2006

JMI SIGNS ZIMBABWE’S
BLACK UMFOLOSI

 

At JMI we search the world over, looking for the very finest talent on the planet. We are very pleased to announce the signing of Zimbawe’s Black Umfolosi. This group, much loved around the world, offer their sweet sounds of acapella with their marvellous harmonies and gospel singing as well as their captivating dancing including the gumboot dancing of South Africa. Black Umfolosi deliver their performance with fun and joyful enthusiasm. This bare-torsoed, hard-hatted group, never fail to captivate their audience and encourage them on to the stage to join in the performance. Equally at home on the concert stage and leading workshops for all age groups.

"There is no doubt that anyone interested in the shimmering vocal harmonies and compulsive rhythms which characterize Southern African vocal harmony groups, will be mesmerized by Black Umfolosi" Sydney Morning Herald, Australia

"This show has a feel good factor with a capital F..." The Yorkshire Post, June 99 "...extraordinary exuberant dancers...stunning, colourful and one hundred and one percent engaging..." The Scotsman, August 99 .

To hear this wonderful band, please click here.

Additional information, including video, is available at www.adastra-music.co.uk/blackumfo.html.

Black Umfolosi will have a brand new web site up and running any day now. Watch for festival and theatre tours to be announced soon.

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August 24, 2006  

JMI SIGNS PAULINE SCANLON

JMI is very pleased to announce the signing of Ireland’s Pauline Scanlon, and incredible young singer who is currently signed to Compass Records in Nashville. Watch for Pauline to be part of a special Celtic project we are working on.

NASHVILLE - August 15, 2006 - Pauline Scanlon brings her unmistakable breathy and intimate vocal style to her latest Compass release, Hush, available in stores today. Produced by former Lunasa guitarist, Donogh Hennesy, and recorded at the Compass Sound Stage in Nashville, Hush is an album immersed in Irish tradition, but exquisitely melds folk and bluegrass to create an effortless blend. With Hush, Scanlon, once vocalist for the Sharon Shannon band, the Woodchoppers, exemplifies her worldly knowledge of different musical styles and showcases her ability and willingness to cross traditional boundaries.

Scanlon is backed up on Hush by a remarkable core band whose backgrounds range from country to bluegrass to jazz and includes the legendary Stuart Duncan on fiddle, Danny Thompson on bass, jazz pianist John R. Burr, and session wizard Kenny Malone on drums. Stand out tracks include Scanlon's interpretation of the traditional Rain and Snow, and the opening track, Wearin’ the Britches, which confidently introduces this volatile fusion of traditions and musicians. The Demon Lover is a particularly powerful performance, with Scanlon’s crystalline tones answered by the rugged vocals and banjo of special guest Darrell Scott.

Full of achingly delicate vocals and saturated with enchanting melodies well suited to her lilting whisper, Scanlon's voice is the real star of this album. Bridging the gap neatly between Celtic and bluegrass, Hush reveals a new level of depth and passion to Scanlon's singing, making this her greatest achievement to date.

To listen to mp3s by Pauline, please visit her web site at paulinescanlon.com.

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July 23, 2006  

APRIL VERCH & STRUNG
TO TOUR ONTARIO AND WESTERN CANADA

Fiddle Champ will be joined by
Tony McManus and Doug Cox

Rounder Recording Artist April Verch is well known to Canadian presenters. Not only is she one of the finest step dancers in the country, but she is also the only woman to ever win both the Canadian Open and Grand Masters fiddling championships.

Tony McManus is widely considered to be one of the finest Celtic guitarists in the world;
"The finest guitarist Scotland has ever produced"
- BBC RADIO SCOTLAND

and Doug Cox has a rep as the best dobro player on this continent.
"one of the worlds most expressive Dobro players..."
- THE BOSTON GLOBE

Doug and Tony, along with a bass player (to be announced), are going to join April in a package we call April Verch & Strung, which will celebrate the fusion of acoustic styles from these three masters. Each of these artists is a headliner in their own right. Together as a package, Strung will bring to the stage an electricity seldom seen.

The dates for this tour are:

November 1-11, 2007 Western Canada
November 14-24, 2007 Central Canada

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JUNE 16, 2006

NEW TOURS FOR GUY DAVIS
AND RAY BONNEVILLE
FALL 2007


Photo: Jana Denzler

We have a couple of new tours to announce for two great artists, Guy Davis and Ray Bonneville.   Guy’s recent tour of Western Canada as duo and trio (March 2006) was a huge success, with sold out shows and immediate demand for repeat performances, so Guy will be back in the west in November of 2007.   He will tour as a trio from November 15th through December 2nd, inclusive, and we already have routing starting to fall into place.   Guy remains very strong in the west.

In Ontario, we will be presenting a double bill, with Guy Davis and Ray Bonneville going out as a package, for one very short tour, October 4/14th, (2007) inclusive.   This is a great double bill, featuring two of the strongest roots singer-songwriters we have ever had the pleasure to work with, and each artist has his own following in Central Canada. We will be announcing a western tour for Ray soon as well.

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May 1 , 2006

You can view larger version of the following image here.

VIDEO CLIPS:
Juan Martín live from the DVD "The Four Martins" (the other three Martins being Martin Taylor , Martin Carthy and Martin Simpson).

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JMI HEADLINES:

Alison Brown Tours The West (January 15, 2008)

JMI Signs UK's Bellowhead (October 5, 2007)

• Guy Davis to Tour the West in November (October 1, 2007)

Sylvia Tyson Among New JMI Signings (September 27, 2007)

April Verch Touring in September (August 20, 2007)

JMI Signs Three New Artists (June 15, 2007)

• Juan Martín to Tour Coast to Coast (June 12, 2007)

Rankin Sisters off to Durham Games (June 12, 2007)

Rosie MacKenzie This Summer (June 12, 2007)

• Black Umfolosi Set for Massive Cross Country Tour in 2008 (June 5, 2007)

• Chirgilchin Touring Coast to Coast (June 5, 2007)

See News page for more JMI news.