2003

French natives Les Nubians are embarking on a North American tour that will see them taking their sophisticated brand of R&B across the continent for nearly six weeks.. A cappella quintet Zap Mama is scheduled to support on select dates. Les Nubians – comprising sisters Helene and Celia Faussart – are heading out in support of their latest offering, One Step Forward. The disc was recorded in Jamaica, Cameroon, London and Paris with a wide array of musicians, including legendary African saxophonist Manu Dibango and underground hip-hop star Talib Kweli.
The new album finds the two singers, who were raised in France and Chad (that’s in Africa, for the geographically challenged), branching out into English lyrics after having sharpened their linguistic skills on the road.The group’s first release, Princesses Nubiennes, was a worldwide hit, selling more units in America than any other foreign-language album of the

Two female suicide bombers killed 14 people Saturday outside a rock concert in Moscow, Russian authorities said.
Russian Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov blamed Chechen separatists for the attack.
“Two explosions occurred. There were two women suicide bombers,” Gryzlov said.
Authorities said two women came up to the perimeter of the stadium at the Tushino airfield in northwest Moscow where they were stopped from entering.
The first blast occurred when one woman stopped by guards at the festival entrance detonated an explosives belt. The second blast was at a nearby market 15 minutes later.
Source CNN.com.

Velvet voiced R & B crooner Barry White, whose lush baritone and throbbing musical compositions oozed sex appeal on songs like “Can

A Tribe Called Quest have begun laying down tracks for a reunion album, which would be the pioneering hip-hop outfit’s first since 1998’s “The Love Movement.” Sources report that group members Q-Tip, Phife Dawg and Ali Shaheed Muhammad have put the project on hold until various logistical issues can be straightened out.
Among them is the group’s contract with longtime label Jive, which has yet to be fulfilled. A label spokesperson did not return a call seeking comment. Last month, Jive released an 18-track retrospective titled “Hits, Rarities & Remixes.”
Source Billboard.com.

Having tired of the big publicity machine that is the major record label world, Ben Folds has mentioned that the recent downturn in the record industry is allowing him to release three five-song EPs this year via Epic, beginning with “Speed Graphic” on July 22.
“I’m going to do things that are really more about the music for me and less about the hype,” says Folds. “Because I’m on a major label, there is no escaping the way that we have to do business when I release an album — everybody wants the ‘Album of the Year’ Rolling Stone bullsh*t where you get two-stars in the review and your face is all over the front. The way to bypass that for me is just to not go through the normal channels. And if I put out an EP, nobody can take it seriously.”
While he predicts an Epic album release in early 2004, the piano man is turning his attention to producing actor William Shatner’s upcoming album, sessions for which are slated to begin later this year and due in stores next year. Folds worked with Shatner on his 1998 solo album “Volume 1.”
Source Billboard.com.

The government and private technology experts warned Wednesday that hackers plan to attack thousands of Web sites Sunday in a loosely coordinated “contest” that could disrupt Internet traffic. Organizers established a Web site, defacers-challenge.com, listing in broken English the rules for hackers who might participate. The Web site appeared to operate out of California and cautioned to “deface its crime”

Herbie Mann, the versatile jazz flutist who combined a variety of musical styles and deeply influenced genres such as world music and fusion, has died. He was 73. Mann always performed different styles, then combined them. He did bebop and cool jazz, and toured Africa, Brazil and Japan listening for new music.Among his numerous works, included Family of Mann, formed in 1973, played world music before it was called that. Mann’s best-selling Memphis Underground was a founding recording of fusion.
When Mann left Atlantic Records in 1979 he started producing his own records, and later he launched his own label, Kokopelli. In all, he made more than 100 albums as leader. The album titles alone reflect Mann’s versatility: At the Village Gate (1962); African Suite (1959); Brasil, Bossa Nova & Blues (1962); Latin Mann 1965; Memphis Two Step (1971); and Eastern European Roots (2000). Mann

Vancouver was awarded the 2010 Winter Olympics on Wednesday, taking the games back to Canada for the first time since 1988. The International Olympic Committee selected the British Columbia city in a surprisingly tight contest with Pyeongchang, South Korea, which came within three votes of winning in the first round in what would have been a stunning upset. The third bid city, Salzburg, Austria, was eliminated in the first round of the secret ballot.
Source Yahoo.com,

Twenty three years after they broke up, Led Zeppelin are still beyond relevant. The Recording Industry Association of America reports their latest, “How The West Was Won,” has sold a (m) million copies. That gives Led Zeppelin their 16th gold and platinum albums.

Jack White of the White Stripes is teaming up with “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” Loretta Lynn, reports the Detroit Free Press. Lynn has already performed live with the band and now Jack will be producing tracks on Loretta’s upcoming album. The odd collaboration began after Loretta’s daughter, Patsy, told her mom the group had dedicated their album, White Blood Cells, to her and a curious Lynn invited them to her home.
Source etonline.com .