Williams Collective brings "Zodiac" to life (Reuters)

February 20, 2006

Reuters - A contemporary of Duke Ellington, pianist Mary Lou Williams was not only jazz's premier female instrumentalist but also a brilliant, yet underappreciated composer. Now, one of her rarely played masterworks, "Zodiac Suite," dedicated to fellow musicians born under each of the 12 astrological signs, receives an invigorating update by the Mary Lou Williams Collective.

Franti chronicles Middle East travels in 3 releases (Reuters)

February 20, 2006

Reuters - Two of the most pivotal and event-filled years in the life of lauded singer/songwriter Michael Franti will culminate in June with the simultaneous release of a new studio disc with Spearhead and a documentary DVD and book chronicling his recent trip to Iraq. All three will carry the name "I Know I'm Not Alone."

Camilo pays homage to Gershwin on "Blue" (Reuters)

February 20, 2006

Reuters - When pianist Michel Camilo first came to New York in 1979 from his native Dominican Republic, he stood in awe of the skyscrapers and was mesmerized by the city's bustling magnificence. The theme music for the experience? George Gershwin's majestic extended work "Rhapsody in Blue," which represented to Camilo not only the romance of New York but also its creative opportunities for an immigrant.

Islamic singer aims to fill pop "spirituality" gap (Reuters)

February 20, 2006

Singer Sami Yusuf poses in Cairo February 15, 2006. Yusuf, who has shot to fame in the Middle East with songs about Islam and the Prophet Mohammad, says his music is quenching a thirst for spirituality in pop. Yusuf combines English, Arabic and Turkish lyrics with Middle Eastern and Western instruments in his songs. REUTERS/Tara Todras-WhitehillReuters - A singer who has shot to fame in the Middle East with songs about Islam and the Prophet Mohammad says his music is quenching a thirst for spirituality in pop.


Q&A: David Gilmour (Reuters)

February 20, 2006

Reuters - David Gilmour has remained quiet since Pink Floyd's reunion last July for the Live 8 concert at London's Hyde Park. Quiet but hardly inactive.

Stones' Mick Jagger visits Brazilian son at school (Reuters)

February 20, 2006

Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones performs during the Rolling Stones' 'A Bigger Bang' free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro February 18, 2006. REUTERS/Sergio MoraesReuters - The leader of the Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger, visited his Brazilian son at school on Monday in Sao Paulo, eyewitnesses said, two days after his band performed a free concert for more than a million fans on Copacabana beach.


Stones' Mick Jagger visits Brazilian son at school (Reuters)

February 20, 2006

Reuters - The leader of the Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger, visited his Brazilian son at school on Monday in Sao Paulo, eyewitnesses said, two days after his band performed a free concert for more than a million fans on Copacabana beach.

Bono to Donate Guitar for Hunger Campaign (AP)

February 20, 2006

U2 lead singer Bono speaks at a party presenting fall fashions from his EDUN clothing  line, during  Fashion Week in this Sunday, Feb. 5, 2006 file photo, in New York.  Bono will donate one of his guitars to benefit Brazil's Zero Hunger campaign, the government's official news agency said Monday.  The guitar will be auctioned off after U2's Feb. 20-21 concerts in Sao Paulo's Morumbi soccer stadium, according to Agencia Brasil.  (AP Photo/Stuart Ramson, File)AP - Bono will donate one of his guitars to benefit Brazil's Zero Hunger campaign, the government's official news agency said Monday.


Vince Gill to Host Television Special (AP)

February 20, 2006

Country music great Vince Gill performs during the Grand Ole Opry at Carnegie Hall in New York  in this Monday, Nov. 14, 2005 file photo. Gill will host a two-hour show March 12 on the Great American Country cable network featuring performances by Gill, Brad Paisley, Alison Krauss, Trisha Yearwood, Alan Jackson, Martina McBride, Trace Adkins and others. It captures a Grand Ole Opry show presented at New York's Carnegie Hall in November _ the first time the radio program had visited the hall in 44 years.    (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)AP - Country singer Vince Gill will host a television special next month with an unlikely combination of subject and venue: "The Grand Ole Opry at Carnegie Hall."


Former Rocker Gary Glitter to Go on Trial (AP)

February 20, 2006

British rocker Gary Glitter, right, is led by an unidentified man at the Phuoc To prison in Vung Tau, Vietnam in this Nov. 20, 2005, file photo. Glitter will stand trial in early March on charges he committed obscene acts with two underaged Vietnamese girls, the head of the Vietnamese provincial people's court said Monday, Feb. 20, 2006. (AP Photo/Tuoi Tre, File)AP - Former British rocker Gary Glitter will stand trial in early March on charges he committed obscene acts with two underaged Vietnamese girls, the head of the Vietnamese provincial people's court said Monday.