African diva Angelique Kidjo wins Songlines Best Artist award

Benin singer Angelique Kidjo performs during the annual Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo December 11, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Leonhard Foeger

By Angus MacSwan

LONDON | Thu Apr 25, 2013 8:27pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - African diva Angelique Kidjo was named Best Artist in Songlines magazine's annual world music awards on Friday, lauded for her high-energy shows and her championing of social causes.

French veterans Lo'jo, who mix French folk with African and Arabic sounds, picked up the Best Group award and the young Zimbabwean band Mokoomba was chosen as top Newcomer.

The Best Cross Cultural-Collaboration went to Dub Colossus for the blend of Ethiopian roots, reggae and dub beats on their latest album "Dub Me Tender Vol. 1+2".

Kidjo, originally from Benin, is one of Africa's biggest singing stars. Over the years she has worked with Prince, sang at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and sold out New York's Carnegie Hall.

The Best Artist award was given for her live "Spirit Rising" album but was also recognition of her career achievements, Songlines editor-in-chief Simon Broughton told Reuters.

"She's been around a long time but she's always inspiring," he said. "What clinched it was a concert she gave in London in March for Women's Day. It was breathtaking. I've never seen her so exuberant. She bonds people and really makes it special."

Kidjo, 52, has adopted the mantle of the late South African singer Miriam Makeba as a political voice and campaigns for women's rights and education in Africa.

"The award is also for what she stands for," Broughton said.

Lo'jo, from southwest France, has also been around a long time and the band's latest album, "Cinema el Mundo", showed them to be as strong as ever.

"They are much better known in the Francophone world than elsewhere. They've not been tempted to become more mainstream," Broughton said.

"They are a quality act, an unusual, interesting group, especially in their connections with West and North Africa."

YOUNG BANDS AND FANS

The Newcomer winner, Mokoomba, is a young group from Zimbabwe but the horn-driven music is pan-African, bringing in the sounds of Congo, South Africa and other countries. Its "Rising Tide" album sealed the award.

Dub Colossus' award was recognition of its work over the past 10 years in popularizing Ethiopian music and blending it with modern beats.

"It's risen from being unknown to something hip and really getting an audience. There's a lot of people fusing Ethiopian and Western sounds so they represent a wide movement and are bringing in a lot of young people," Broughton said.

World music has had mixed fortunes in the past year.

The live scene was still healthy, with a host of performers filling venues in London and elsewhere, Songlines publisher Paul Geoghegan said.

But the recording scene was very difficult for artists, record labels and distributors due to the closure of record stores and declining CD sales. The collapse of British chain HMV, whose shops stocked a wide variety of world music, was a big blow, he said.

(Editing by Louise Ireland)

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Lambert, Bryan lead Academy of Country Music award winners

By Piya Sinha-Roy

Mon Apr 8, 2013 12:16am EDT

n">(Reuters) - Singers Miranda Lambert and Luke Bryan led the winners at the Academy of Country Music awards on Sunday, while leading nominees Taylor Swift and Hunter Hayes came away empty-handed in a night honoring top achievers in country music.

Swift, 23, lost out on all five categories she was nominated in including Female Vocalist of the Year and the fan-voted Entertainer of the Year, a surprise for the country music favorite who won the award for the last two years.

Newcomer Hayes, 21, who was nominated in six categories, also went home empty-handed.

The night's top award Entertainer of the Year went to the show's co-host Bryan, 36, a surprise to the charismatic host who said he had only just started headlining shows.

"What I always wanted to be is just a country singer who got to ride on a tour bus and perform every night. ... This is the defining moment of my life, it means the world to me and I'll never take it for granted," Bryan said tearfully.

Lambert, 29, picked up four awards in three categories, including Female Vocalist of the Year, beating Swift, Carrie Underwood, Kacey Musgraves and Martina McBride.

Lambert also won Song of the Year for "Over You," written with husband Blake Shelton, who was co-hosting the ceremony, and thanked her peers for recognizing her song-writing talents.

"As a songwriter having your songs and your lyrics recognized by your peers is pretty much as good as it gets. ... Thank you for accepting me as a songwriter and not just as a singer, that means the world to me," Lambert said.

Shelton, who married Lambert in 2011, thanked his wife for making him a better song-writer.

"I used to think I was a decent songwriter until I started hanging out with her (Lambert) and she taught me so much," Shelton said in his acceptance speech, pulling his wife in for a big hug.

Jason Aldean bested Bryan, Shelton and one of the night's top nominees Eric Church for the Male Vocalist of the Year award, while Church picked up Album of the Year for his 2011 chart-topping record "Chief."

The Academy of Country Music is an organization of music industry professionals who aim to promote and preserve the tradition of country music, and they vote for the top country music achievers for their annual awards ceremony.

LIVELY PERFORMANCES

The three-hour show televised on CBS featured performances from old and new names in country music including Church, Dierks Bentley, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Lambert, who performed "Mama's Broken Heart."

"The Voice" judge Shelton joined co-host Luke Bryan to kick off with a rendition on Shelton's "Boys 'Round Here," on which they were also joined by Sheryl Crow.

Oklahoma native and former "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood, who was nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year, performed her single "Two Black Cadillacs" while fellow "American Idol" winner Kelly Clarkson sang "Don't Rush."

Following ACM awards tradition of pairing veteran and new artists together, Tim McGraw and Keith Urban sang with Swift on "Highway Don't Care," while Brad Paisley and John Mayer teamed up to perform "Beat This Summer," ending with a crowd-rousing guitar riff.

Hayes performed with Motown legend Stevie Wonder on Hayes' new single "I Want Crazy" and Wonder's song "Sir Duke." Wonder closed out the show with his classic track "Signed. Sealed. Delivered."

Singer Reba McEntire introduced a tribute to late television host and producer Dick Clark, with country music artists George Strait and Garth Brooks singing Brooks' "The Dance" and Strait's "Cowboy Rides Away."

Newcomer duo Florida Georgia Line, formed by Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard, picked up the fan-voted award for New Artist of the Year and performed their hit single "Cruise" on the show.

Husband-wife duo Thompson Square won Vocal Duo of the Year, while Alabama group Little Big Town won Vocal Group of the Year.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy in Los Angeles; Editing by Todd Eastham)

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Paul McCartney decorated with France's highest award

French President Francois Hollande (L) speaks with Paul McCartney during a decoration ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris, September 8, 2012. Hollande decorated the former Beatle with a Legion of Honour award, France's highest public distinction which has been awarded to the likes of actor Clint Eastwood and singer Liza Minnelli.

Credit: Reuters/Philippe Wojazer

PARIS | Sat Sep 8, 2012 12:49pm EDT

PARIS (Reuters) - Former Beatle Paul McCartney received France's highest public distinction for his contribution to music on Saturday when President Francois Hollande made him an officer of the Legion of Honour in a short ceremony at the presidential palace.

Shortly after the private ceremony during which Hollande joked with McCartney he had preferred the Rolling Stones to the Beatles, the British rock star gave a thumbs up and tweeted his thanks to France.

Created by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, the Legion of Honour has three grades - chevalier, officer and commander. It carries social status but no money, and recipients have to buy their own medal from a licensed jeweler, with prices ranging from 169 to 700 euros ($210 to $880) for the highest rank.

McCartney, 70, one of the most influential songwriters in the history of popular music, follows in the footsteps of U.S. actors Clint Eastwood and Robert De Niro, and singers Liza Minnelli and Lenny Kravtiz, who have also been decorated with the Legion of Honour.

The musician has already been awarded a knighthood by Britain's Queen Elizabeth. He recently performed in front of the queen and tens of thousands of spectators at the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

He first rose to international fame with The Beatles, co-authoring songs such as "Yesterday", "A Hard Day's Night", "Hey Jude", "Let it be" alongside bandmate John Lennon.

He then went on to forge a solo career and formed the band Wings with his first wife Linda. He and Ringo Starr are the only surviving members of the Beatles following the deaths of Lennon and George Harrison.

(Reporting By John Irish; Editing by Sophie Hares)

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Czech quartet scoops top classical award

By Michael Roddy

LONDON | Thu Oct 6, 2011 1:15pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - The Pavel Haas Quartet won "recording of the year" at an awards ceremony held by Britain's Gramophone magazine on Thursday for a CD of Dvorak quartets the group said was inspired by the spirit of the Czech composer.

British mezzo soprano Dame Janet Baker got a lifetime achievement award.

"This is the biggest award you can get in classical music," an overjoyed Peter Jarusek, the quartet's cellist, said. "It is a big surprise."

He added that the quartet's performances of Dvorak's Quartets No. 12 ("American") and No. 13 in the Dvorak Hall of Prague's Rudolfinium concert venue had given the recordings for the Czech Supraphon label a special quality.

"It was really inspiring," he told Reuters. "You could imagine that Dvorak was there. When we recorded these pieces, he was there as well."

Dame Janet, 78 and retired from the opera stage since 1989, said she was thrilled to receive the recognition for a career in opera that made her one of the best known singers on the opera stage, and is preserved in still popular recordings of works like Elgar's "Dream of Gerontius" oratorio or her performances of Britten, Berlioz and Mahler.

People are still listening to her recordings, she said, "makes you feel as though you are still part of the profession...the memory of you is still in people's minds."

"It is a strange thing, but because they can still hear recordings of you, they think you are still doing it -- so they can make a connection," she said.

She added that she would only recommend a career in music to people who are so sure of themselves that "they don't need encouragement" and she said, of her northern England Yorkshire roots, that "I think they've kept me sane."

The awards ceremony, akin to a classical-music-only version of the recording industry's Grammy awards, drew hundreds of musicians, composers and people involved or interested in the music world to a midtown London hotel for a three-hour lunch that included brief excerpts of many of the award-winning recordings and DVDs.

The magazine's Artist of the Year award went to Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who sent in a video clip from Los Angeles to express his appreciation, but one of those who turned up, and played, was 28-year-old Montenegrin guitarist Milos Karadaglic, whose recording of classical guitar standards has been top of the specialist classical chart for months.

"It's amazing," Karadaglic said. "When I fell in love with the guitar I wanted to share this passion with lots of people. And I thought to do that first in Montenegro and then I came to London and then when I came to London I saw this big world and I said I want to belong to this big world, with my guitar.

"So the fact that this is my first CD and my guitar has managed to reach so many people makes my dream come true."

Gramophone editor James Jolly, who served as host of the ceremony along with British soprano Susan Bullock, said that 200 new CD releases a month gave the lie to the suggestion that the classical music world is dying out.

"The ever-expanding range of music on offer...means there are always new boundaries to explore and we can safely say that we have never had it so good," Jolly said.

Other winning recordings were as follows:

Editor's Choice: Rossini "Stabat Mater" with Anna Netrebko and Joyce DiDonato, with the Santa Cecilia Chorus and Orchestra, Antonio Pappano conducting (EMI)

Baroque Instrumental: CPE Bach Harpsichord Concertos, Andreas Staier, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Mullejans (Harmonia Mundi)

Baroque Vocal: Handel "Apollo e Dafne," La Risonanza (Glossa)

Choral: Elgar "The Kingdom," Halle Orchestra, Sir Mark Elder (Halle)

Concerto: Debussy, Ravel, Massenet, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Tortellier (Chandos)

Contemporary: Harrison Birtwistle "Night's Black Bird," Halle Orchestra, Ryan Wigglesworth (NMC)

DVD Documentary: "Carlos Kleiber: Traces to Nowhere," Eric Schultz (Arthaus)

DVD Performance: Verdi "Don Carlo," Villazon, Poplovskaya, Keenlyside, Pappano (EMI)

Early Music: Striggio Mass in 40 Parts, I Fagiolini, Robert Hollingworthy (Decca)

Historic: Mahler/Cooke: Symphony No. 10, Philharmonia, LSO, Berthold Goldschmidt (Testament)

Instrumental: Brahms Handel Variations, Murray Perahia (Sony Classical)

Opera: Rossini "Ermione" Geoffrey Mitchell Choir, London Philharmonic Orchestra, David Parry (Opera Rara)

Orchestral: Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10, RLPO, Vassily Petrenko (Naxos)

Recital: Verismo Arias, Jonas Kaufmann, Santa Cecilia, Pappano (Decca)

Solo Vocal: Britten Songs "Songs and Proverbs of William Blake," Gerald Finley, Julius Drake (Hyperion)

Other awards were given to Wigmore Hall for its live recording label, Sir John Eliot Gardiner for his recording of Bach cantatas and The Cobweb Orchestra as an outreach ensemble dedicated to getting people to dust off their instruments and start playing again.

(Writing by Michael Roddy, editing by Paul Casciato)

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Czech quartet scoops top classical award (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) – The Pavel Haas Quartet won "recording of the year" at an awards ceremony held by Britain's Gramophone magazine on Thursday for a CD of Dvorak quartets the group said was inspired by the spirit of the Czech composer.

British mezzo soprano Dame Janet Baker got a lifetime achievement award.

"This is the biggest award you can get in classical music," an overjoyed Peter Jarusek, the quartet's cellist, said. "It is a big surprise."

He added that the quartet's performances of Dvorak's Quartets No. 12 ("American") and No. 13 in the Dvorak Hall of Prague's Rudolfinium concert venue had given the recordings for the Czech Supraphon label a special quality.

"It was really inspiring," he told Reuters. "You could imagine that Dvorak was there. When we recorded these pieces, he was there as well."

Dame Janet, 78 and retired from the opera stage since 1989, said she was thrilled to receive the recognition for a career in opera that made her one of the best known singers on the opera stage, and is preserved in still popular recordings of works like Elgar's "Dream of Gerontius" oratorio or her performances of Britten, Berlioz and Mahler.

People are still listening to her recordings, she said, "makes you feel as though you are still part of the profession...the memory of you is still in people's minds."

"It is a strange thing, but because they can still hear recordings of you, they think you are still doing it -- so they can make a connection," she said.

She added that she would only recommend a career in music to people who are so sure of themselves that "they don't need encouragement" and she said, of her northern England Yorkshire roots, that "I think they've kept me sane."

The awards ceremony, akin to a classical-music-only version of the recording industry's Grammy awards, drew hundreds of musicians, composers and people involved or interested in the music world to a midtown London hotel for a three-hour lunch that included brief excerpts of many of the award-winning recordings and DVDs.

The magazine's Artist of the Year award went to Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who sent in a video clip from Los Angeles to express his appreciation, but one of those who turned up, and played, was 28-year-old Montenegrin guitarist Milos Karadaglic, whose recording of classical guitar standards has been top of the specialist classical chart for months.

"It's amazing," Karadaglic said. "When I fell in love with the guitar I wanted to share this passion with lots of people. And I thought to do that first in Montenegro and then I came to London and then when I came to London I saw this big world and I said I want to belong to this big world, with my guitar.

"So the fact that this is my first CD and my guitar has managed to reach so many people makes my dream come true."

Gramophone editor James Jolly, who served as host of the ceremony along with British soprano Susan Bullock, said that 200 new CD releases a month gave the lie to the suggestion that the classical music world is dying out.

"The ever-expanding range of music on offer...means there are always new boundaries to explore and we can safely say that we have never had it so good," Jolly said.

Other winning recordings were as follows:

Editor's Choice: Rossini "Stabat Mater" with Anna Netrebko and Joyce DiDonato, with the Santa Cecilia Chorus and Orchestra, Antonio Pappano conducting (EMI)

Baroque Instrumental: CPE Bach Harpsichord Concertos, Andreas Staier, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Mullejans (Harmonia Mundi)

Baroque Vocal: Handel "Apollo e Dafne," La Risonanza (Glossa)

Choral: Elgar "The Kingdom," Halle Orchestra, Sir Mark Elder (Halle)

Concerto: Debussy, Ravel, Massenet, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Tortellier (Chandos)

Contemporary: Harrison Birtwistle "Night's Black Bird," Halle Orchestra, Ryan Wigglesworth (NMC)

DVD Documentary: "Carlos Kleiber: Traces to Nowhere," Eric Schultz (Arthaus)

DVD Performance: Verdi "Don Carlo," Villazon, Poplovskaya, Keenlyside, Pappano (EMI)

Early Music: Striggio Mass in 40 Parts, I Fagiolini, Robert Hollingworthy (Decca)

Historic: Mahler/Cooke: Symphony No. 10, Philharmonia, LSO, Berthold Goldschmidt (Testament)

Instrumental: Brahms Handel Variations, Murray Perahia (Sony Classical)

Opera: Rossini "Ermione" Geoffrey Mitchell Choir, London Philharmonic Orchestra, David Parry (Opera Rara)

Orchestral: Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10, RLPO, Vassily Petrenko (Naxos)

Recital: Verismo Arias, Jonas Kaufmann, Santa Cecilia, Pappano (Decca)

Solo Vocal: Britten Songs "Songs and Proverbs of William Blake," Gerald Finley, Julius Drake (Hyperion)

Other awards were given to Wigmore Hall for its live recording label, Sir John Eliot Gardiner for his recording of Bach cantatas and The Cobweb Orchestra as an outreach ensemble dedicated to getting people to dust off their instruments and start playing again.

(Writing by Michael Roddy, editing by Paul Casciato)

View the original article here