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With
4 Juno Awards and 10 Juno Award nominations between them, Bill Bourne, Lester
Quitzau and Madagascar Slim are truly major players in the Canadian music
scene. The artists are all close friends and the artistic respect for one
another is evident when listening to the music which they have composed. Each
musician has established himself as a respected artist in such musical genres
as Folk, Celtic and World, but they all share an extreme passion for, and
knowledge of, the blues. Sweet vocal harmonies and imaginative guitar playing
are the hallmark of their music. With a mutual love of emotional collaboration
and a great curiosity for where their music comes from, this trio of artists
has created a recording that is a product of faith, dreams, broken hearts,
grit and most importantly, friendship.
A
biography of Bill would have to start about four generations ago with his
great grandfather and Iceland's Poet Laureate. Crafting words in his family
helped to add the magic ingredient to the mix. In the eighties Bill did a
three year stint with Scotland`s well known Tannahill Weavers. Out of that
grew his relationship with Alan Macleod that lead to the release of the ground
breaking album "Dance & Celebrate" followed by "Moonlight Dancers". Bill`s
endless drive to write and perform soon saw his return to familiar, and for
him, fertile ground of music autonomy. His next collaboration was with violinist/fiddler
Shannon Johnson which produced two critically acclaimed albums,"Dear Madonna"
and the 1997 Juno nominated album "Victory Train." The ground continued to
be fertile and that year saw the release of the solo album "Farmer, Philanthropist
& Musician" followed by a collaboration with guitarist Andreas Schuld and
blues man Hans Stamer to release the country blues project "No Special Rider."
Listen to "Scarecrow Murders" (5.08Mb)
Canadian
roots music artist Lester Quitzau, is a mellow guy who throws down a heavy
groove. In a field where intangibles like feel and integrity count for so
much, Quitzau has forged an exemplary career. What began with a solid blues
apprenticeship in the funky working-class bars of Edmonton has grown into
an eclectic and constantly evolving musical journey for the guitarist, singer,
composer and producer. Whether he's coaxing languid, hypnotic sounds from
his slide guitar in an intimate solo concert, or improvising freely with musical
partners like Bill Bourne and Madagascar Slim, or his latest band, Lester
Quitzau's Very Electric Trio, a hard-won honesty underscores every note.
Listen to "Time Takes Time" (5.13Mb)
Randriamananjara
Radofa Besata Jean Longin was born in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar.
At the age of nine, his brother got a guitar. By imitating his brother and
playing his guitar when he was not home, Mr. Randriamananjara picked up the
Madagascar dance style called salegy. An introduction to Jimi Hendrix on the
radio changed his life and Madagascar Slim, as he prefers to be known professionally,
was born. An immersion in blues as well as the popular music of his own country
created a bicultural artist. When he arrived in Canada in 1979, Slim studied
accounting, but he was more interested in music. In 1980, he was a founding
member of the French-Canadian folk music ensemble La Ridaine - yet another
cultural expression. For the most part, however, Slim plays blues and, increasingly,
the music of Madagascar. A trip home through a study grant a few years ago
allowed him to study the valiha, the bamboo zither of the Malgache. By combining
his love of the blues and his roots in Madagascar, Slim has fashioned his
very own approach to world music - infectious, passionate and full of complex
rhythms that surprise and delight.