AMJ release Sign Of The Space

May 9th, 2013

Following on from the success of their Depth Drop and Sign Of The Dub 7" release and as a taster to the full blown album due in the Summer,  AMJ have now released Sign Of The Space. A fabulous ambient 4 track EP remixed by Jonathan Lane.

Jonathan Lane joined the BBC in 1979, plying his craft as an engineer for ten years with Radios 1, 2, 3 and 4 and network TV, working with many major artists and producers as well as presenters from John Peel and Paul Gambaccini to Kenny Everett and Terry Wogan.

In 1989 he left the BBC and set up his freelance studio and location recording business in Bristol. Working on countless classical and jazz sessions with figures including Andy Sheppard, Pewee Ellis, Sir David Willcocks, John Lill, Mark Padmore and ensembles such as the Solomon Trio, the Sun Life Band and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, he has developed a very fine understanding of acoustic instruments. In 1998 he began engineering sessions for producer John Hollis who brought a steady stream of international artists into the studio from Totó la Momposina and Cimarron to Billy Cobham and Asere, then finally the AMJ Collective.

AMJ is Andy Clark, Mark Spence and John Hollis. Brought together by reggae and motivated by a shared dub sensibility, they have been working with a collective of musicians from harpist Catrin Finch to kora player Seckou Keita (both of whom feature on these sessions) building a unique sound which they take into very different sonic and musical spheres.

Jonathan was given the challenge of ‘space mixes’, the concept being akin to dub but using subtle acoustic arrangement rather than relying solely on effects.  He responded by drawing on a lifetime of musical experience, from which he weaves a rich and innovative sound world. Enjoy the journey.

 

Toto La Momposina Announces European Dates

May 8th, 2013

Toto La Momposina has announced the following dates as her European tour this summner.

25 May Barcelona sala Barts http://www.barts.cat/es/e-94/TOTO-LA-MOMPOSINA
28 May Rabat-Marruecos Festival Mawazine http://www.festivalmawazine.ma/fr/artistes-2013/toto-la-momposina.html
1 June Cologne Festival Summerstage http://www.summerstage.de/
2 June Amsterdam NSJclub http://www.northseajazzclub.com/event/toto-la-momposina/
5 June Bern Mühle Hunziken http://www.muehlehunziken.ch/programm/programmdetail/eventid/258/?no_cache=1#.UYkZp7X8HoY
8 June Goteborg Festival Clandestino http://clandestinofestival.org/2013/en/toto-la-momposina-2/
14 June Milan Festival Latinoamericando http://www.latinoamericando.it/
16 June Toulouse Festival Rio Loco http://www.rio-loco.org/dimanche_16_juin_musique.html

Catrin & Seckou: New Videos

April 29th, 2013

We are proud to announce the release of two new live performance videos from Catrin Finch and Seckou Keita:

 

 

Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita: New Show and Album.

March 29th, 2013
Photo by Josh Pulman

This is something special!
Seckou and Catrin on stage in Wales recently in a week of pre-production for their first album.
Touring follows in the autumn.
An Astar Artes-Theatr Mwldan Co-production with support from Arts Council Wales.
Looking forward!

 

Photo by Josh Pulman

Seckou’s track Hino nominated for an IMA

March 19th, 2013

IMA-Logo-292x300Astar are very proud to congratulate Seckou Keita on being nominated in the World Traditional Song Category for "Hino" in The 12th Annual Independent Music Awards..
The Judge-determined IMA Winners will be announced in May.
In addition to industry-determined Winners, fans from around the world have until Friday, July 19, 2013 to cast their votes at The IMA Vox Pop Jukebox to determine the fan-selected IMA Winners. So please visit http://www.independentmusicawards.com/imanominee/12th/Song/World-Traditional and register your vote!

Seckou and Catrin: New Work

March 18th, 2013

IMG_9611Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita are preparing an album and performing two shows this week in Wales at The Royal Welsh College on Weds 20th and Theatre Mwldan, Cardigan, on Thurs 21st.

http://www.rwcmd.ac.uk/
http://www.mwldan.co.uk/

4* Mojo review for Miro

March 5th, 2013

TMS3D43.pdf.

Cimarron announce US tour

March 3rd, 2013

CimarronCimarron embark on a US tour in March.

14 March 2013    LATINO ARTS AUDITORIUM    MILWAUKEE, WI    http://www.latinoartsinc.org

16 March 2013    KAUFMAN AUDITORIUM    MARQUETTE, MI    http://kaufmanauditorium.org

17 March 2013    MILLIKEN AUDITORIUM    TRAVERSE CITY, MI    http://www.dennosmuseum.org

22 March 2013    PERFORMING ARTS CENTER    OMAK, WA    http://omakpac.org

23 March 2013    METHOW ARTS    TWISP, WA    http://www.methowvalleyarts.org

27 March 2013    JOURNAL THEATRE    ALBUQUERQUE, NM    http://www.nationalhispaniccenter.org

30 March 2013    MUSIC CENTER    LOS ANGELES, CA    http://www.musiccenter.org

02 April 2013    EASTMAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC    ROCHESTER, NY    http://www.rochester.edu

04 April 2013    GORELL RECITAL HALL    INDIANA, PA    http://www.iup.edu

05 April 2013    ARTISHPHERE    ARLINGTON, VA    http://artisphere.com/

06 April 2013    JOHNNY D'S    SOMERVILLE, MA    http://www.johnnyds.com

Seckou Debuts at No 1

February 4th, 2013

We are very pleased and proud to announce that Seckou's album Miro has gone straight to No1 in the world music charts. For more information go to http://www.wmce.de/index.html

Seckou appears on Jazz FM CD and BA

December 12th, 2012

Seckou's track Hino will be appearing on the latest Jazz FM limited edition compilation available from Jan. The CD entitled "A world of Discovery" will also be carried on all BA planes in flight entertainment systems,on both short and long haul.
This album, which is the third in the series, consists of a unique selection of largely undiscovered tracks from many of the less known corners of the musical globe
Have a listen as you fly…