Jerusalem Festival 2010: Fifteen luminous years of vibrant melodies

More info: www.yabous.org

In memoriam: Sten Sandahl

Sten in loving memory 

In the early hours of June 30th 2010 Mr Sten Sandahl, after a heroic struggle with cancer, finally had to admit defeat and quietly passed on. How does one sum up a long life, what parting words best befits a sad farewell?

Sten spent most of his life in the service of music. For eight years he was a lecturer at the Department for Musicology at the University of Stockholm and then practised what he taught for twenty five years as producer at Concerts Sweden. He was also, from his early teens to his last months, an enthusiastic musician playing in a number of different constellations of Swedish jazz groups.

Throughout his years at Concerts Sweden his commitment to promoting traditional and world music will be remembered as the most dedicated effort to connect Sweden with the rest of the music world. He relentlessly worked at showcasing Swedish musicians in international arenas. He almost singlehandedly introduced, and eventually built, working networks of festival and concert promoters for world music in Sweden.

Sten was convinced that music is instrumental for man's ability to grow, develop and function as a social being and that we need to acknowledge, while embracing our global community, the values we can find in local traditions passed on from generation to generation. He thus had a particular concern that the emerging global society can result in an impoverishment of the traditional music in all cultures. He worried that old musicians die and disappear with generations of knowledge about their musical traditions without getting a chance to pass their music on to the young. And he noted that while we spend millions to save endangered species of animals, at the same time we allow amazing manifestations of culture to disappear for lack of documentation or reproduction. But Sten wasn't a man to harbour such thoughts without acting upon them. He spent a lot of time and energy on recording projects Vietnam, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Cap Verde, Ecuador, Honduras, Guatemala, Montenegro, and Macedonia, all released on the Caprice label under the humble title “Music from…”, all resulting in national and international tours for the featured artists.

But academic and professional achievements are only part of what makes a man. Sten did, (as most of us try) his best at being a loving husband and caring father. By his family – and his vast international family of friends – he will be sadly missed.

He was the proverbial man of letters and generous in sharing his thoughts, experiences and personal networks with the rest of us. He was often at the heart of social gatherings, an natural entertainer with many thoughtful observations and, on occasion, a teller of terribly, terribly bad jokes. Now his deeds are done and he has, most regrettably, moved on, leaving behind a void in the lives of many. With whom can we now have the strangely mixed discussions about music, football, bullfighting and what the drunken old Scotsman actually said to the sheep?

He was a good man and a good friend. One I feel most privileged to call my own.

Hans Hjorth

Where were you @ Amsterdam Roots Festival 2010

 

Amsterdam Roots Festival 2010 visited by 60,000 people. 

A long weekend with four successful nights in venues and a full open air free festival day in the Oosterpark.

The  long festival weekend started on Thursday  June 17 with a sold out show in Theatre Carré by Portuguese singer Dulce Pontes with  fado and more. The Sugar Factory hosted four young bands from Africa having their European premiere. On Friday June 20 the award winning  Staff Benda Bilili  gave a spectacular show in Paradiso. The band, some in wheelchairs, with heartwarming Rumba Congolaise conquered the Dutch public  supported by the youthful  Fatoumata Diawara, who (despite her broken foot) came, sang and conquered all.

The 13-piece band Kassav ' from the French Antilles celebrated on Saturday June 19 their 30-years anniversary during a warm, Caribbean Night in the Melkweg where a crowd of more then 1000 people enjoyed their zouk dance music.  On the second stage Asere presented a new sound by mixing Cuban son and flamenco. Earlier our 'own'  Izaline Calister warmed the audience with her charming latin-jazz from Curacao.

The Alliantie Roots Open Air free festival day on Sunday June 20 attracted about  55,000 visitors to the Amsterdam Oosterpark, where music and audience mixed  to a unique blend. It was party time with La Pegatina from Barcelona and the Colombians of Choc Quib Town, the festival hit of 2010 with their unbridled power hip hop. Highlights were Hanggai with their particular voice acrobatics from China/Mongolia, the tasteful berberrock of Amazigh and the elegant rhythms of Cape Verdean singer Lura.

Music Mayday presented their  project SKOP GAT: young South African talent meets Dutch newcomers. The Alliantie Roots on the Road showcases in two Amsterdam districts had its finale on the Ortel Mobile Urban Groove stage, where the young Afrobeat band Jungle by Night won the prestigious Alliantie Award.

www.amsterdamroots.nl

EU Culture Programme: new category!

SUPPORT FOR EUROPEAN CULTURAL FESTIVALS (strand 1.3.6)

The purpose of this strand is to support European cultural festivals with a view to:

1. encouraging exchanges of experience through the mobility of European professionals in the cultural field

2. promoting the circulation of cultural works by giving access to non-national European cultural works to the largest possible audience

3. promoting intercultural dialogue

Organisations can choose to apply for either of the following types of grant:

(a) support for one edition of the festival

(every year until 2012)

(b) support for three editions of the festival - partnership (for three years, 2011-2013)

More info on criteria and applications: : http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/culture/programme/documents/programme_guide_culture_05_2010_en.pdf

A Call to DJs and radiomakers

The Mogadishu Music Festival

Hello DJs and radiomakers,

Since the 13th of April, broadcasting, listening and making music is forbidden in the Somali capital Mogadishu. All the local radio stations had to comply to the wishes of the Islamist militants who are controlling large parts of the country to not risk their lives. Instead of music, radio stations are playing traffic noise, sounds of the nature and gunshots to excite their listeners. The Mogadishu Music Festival is founded to speak out against this barbaric act of banning music. Mogadishu Music Festival is a fictive festival with the purpose to make people aware of these inhuman practices in Somalia. We believe there's such a thing as 'The Right to Listen Music' and that this right is being infringed in Somalia. And not only this right, but also the Freedom of Speech/Expression.

Our concrete manifestation is an international radio broadcast on the 5th of July. Radio stations participating are given songs to play, songs bands dedicated to the festival. Bands that already are 'playing' on the festival are Joanna Newsom, John Grant, De Staat and The Frames. Radio stations will play these and other songs and tell their listeners about the project. Each program is free to give a spin on the project and do it their own way.

We are speaking to Amnesty International for sponsoring and they are willing to help us. An idea is that virtual tickets will be sold and the money raised will go to Amnesty. Much bands and artists are willing to participate and have sent in songs. Radio stations participating are Radio Patapoe and Don Letts on BBC 6. 'Stichting Nedsom', a Dutch foundation who is building schools in Somalia and helping the Somali to get good quality drink water, is interested to help and many other parties like the initiative.

Want to be part of this project? Send an e-mail to info@mogadishumusicfestival.com! More information can be found on our website, http://mogadishumusicfestival.com