Thank you to everyone who entered the South Africa Trip Sweepstakes! Thanks as well to Intrepid Travel and South Africa Airways, our travel sponsors.

Congratulations to Rhonda Nichols-Hendrix of Oregon, winner of the online trip sweepstakes, and to Shari Mycek of New Jersey and Gerald Stepnuk of Manitoba, winners of the US and Canada in-store trip sweepstakes. Look out for more exciting giveaways from Putumayo in the future!

Earth Day has changed rapidly from its humble beginnings when environmental issues were at the margins of public debate, whereas now Environmental concerns have become a mainstream issue of paramount importance.  Last year we blogged about the principal founder, former US Senator Gaylord Nelson and his thoughts on the purpose and origins of Earth Day, and this year we’re going to include a mention and link to the origins of Earth Day, as well as some notable events going on around the world in celebration of Earth Day and some more information on how to get involved.

Earth Day’s Origins:

Read what the principal founder, former US Senator Gaylord Nelson wrote about regarding the purpose and origins of Earth Day below:

“What was the purpose of Earth Day? How did it start? These are the questions I am most frequently asked… I was satisfied that if we could tap into the environmental concerns of the general public and infuse the student anti-war energy into the environmental cause, we could generate a demonstration that would force this issue onto the political agenda. It was a big gamble, but worth a try… Earth Day worked because of the spontaneous response at the grassroots level. We had neither the time nor resources to organize 20 million demonstrators and the thousands of schools and local communities that participated. That was the remarkable thing about Earth Day. It organized itself.”

Read more about the history of Earth day from it’s principal founder, Gaylord Nelson.

Notable events going on around the world in celebration of Earth Day:

The Earth Day CLIMATE RALLY - National Mall - Sunday, April 25, 2010, 11:00am - 7:00pm - Washington, DC

On Sunday, April 25, Earth Day Network will organize a massive climate rally on The National Mall to demand Congress pass strong legislation. The Climate Rally will include notable speakers Reverend Jesse Jackson, film director, James Cameron, AFL-CIO President, Richard Trumka, Olympic gold medalist, Billy Demong, producer, Trudie Styler, author, Margaret Atwood, NFL player and television personality, Dhani Jones, environmental photographer Sebastian Copeland and many more.

The Climate Rally will also feature live music from Sting, John Legend, The Roots, Jimmy Cliff, Passion Pit, Bob Weir, Willie Colón, Joss Stone, Robert Randolph, Patrick Stump, Mavis Staples, Booker T, Honor Society and Tao Rodriguez-Seeger.

~ Earthday.org http://www.earthday.org/climaterally

Bulgaria Joins World Earth Day Celebrations

“The green generation motto stands for humanity’s efforts to deal with the problems of climate change. It is an issue that affects us all. We all must take responsibility for our actions and contribute to resolving the problem of climate change,” said on Thursday Bulgaria’s Deputy Environment Minister Evdokiya Maneva as cited by BNR.

Various initiatives have been organized in cities throughout the country to mark the World Earth Day. About 500 children and students will partake in the celebrations in the northern Bulgarian city of Vratsa and a round table discussion on the   Ecological condition of the region.” ~ Novinte.com

To find more Earth Day related information and to get directly involved click here.

Since its inception, Putumayo World Music has been dedicated to supporting independently owned businesses of all kinds. Record Store Day is an occasion that we find very special, and we hope that you are also able to join in the celebration of the unique culture of record stores that have always fueled our love and curiosity for music.  We’ve included a few quotes below from artist’s who support Record Store Day, and realize the importance that independently owned record stores have in our culture.

“Independent record stores are much more than the name suggests. They are an international community and platform where music has an outlet and an opportunity to grow over the long term, in a way that sincerely connects with community and culture. They are also a magnificent mob of highly opinionated musical bandits which I am proud to call my pals!” ~ Ben Harper

“They were a library and a breeding ground for me when I was growing up - that’s where I got all my influences and how I learned to play. I was reminded of that yesterday at Criminal Records when I stopped in to do a signing there.” ~ Booker T

“I was introduced to lots of great music through my local record store. It was a place where people knew music and they knew me, and could make great suggestions and discoveries. Whether it is in the physical world or on-line, the value of a great and knowledgeable record store has not gone away” ~ Peter Gabriel

“The record store. Where true fandom begins. It’s the soul of discovery, and the place where you can always return for that mighty buzz. The posters. The imports. The magazines. The discerning clerks, paid in vinyl, professors of the groove. Long live that first step inside, when the music envelopes you and you can’t help it. You walk up to the counter and ask the question that begins the journey — “what is that you’re playing?” Long live the record store, and the guys and girls who turn the key, and unlock those dreams, every day.” ~ Cameron Crowe

“Folks who work here are professors. Don’t replace all the knowers with guessors, keep’em open, they’re the ears of the town.” ~ Tom Waits

Oran Etkin just dropped by the office with a great live clip from the February 28th Jazz PG tour stop at the Please Touch Museum. Read more below to hear what Oran had to say and check out the great live concert clip!

“We had a lot of fun out in Phillly at the please touch museum! What a great place and great audiences. I came with my band with Jeremy “Bean” Clemons on drums, Mamiko Watanabe on piano and “Tuba” Joe Exley on… you guessed it… but my friend Clara Net was too sleepy and came to the concert in her bed. We had to wake her up, and she called for her mama. Big Mama Tuba came out and played with us and helped us take Clara Net all around the world to Duke’s Place in Harlem, Cuba, Mali, France and New Orleans! We’ll be taking the show to New York next on March 13th at the Scholastic Store. Looking forward to seeing the New York crowd then. I put up some lyrics and recordings of some of the tunes in the show on my website, www.oranetkin.com, too if you want to check it out.”

March 13 - New York, NY
Oran Etkin
Scholastic Auditorium
11 am  & 1 pm
557 Broadway
www.scholastic.com/sohostore
Free - Reservations required
212-389-3800

Just Announced!
Benefit Concert for Haiti
Featuring Angelique Kidjo, Yannick Noah, Emeline Michel,
BélO, Mino Cinelu, and Surprise Special Guests
Monday, March 15, 2010 at 8pm

“Co-presented with The Cultural Services of the French Embassy
Presented as part of the international month of La Francophonie with the generous support
of Credit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank

Venue
Florence Gould Hall
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022

Prices
$50 & $150

Buy Tickets
Online: Ticketmaster.com
Call: 212 307 4100

Internationally acclaimed, Grammy award-winning musician Angelique Kidjo, French superstar Yannick Noah, esteemed Haitian vocalist Emeline Michel, up-and-coming Haitian singer-songwriter BélO, French multi-instrumentalist and singer Mino Cinelu, and surprise special guests will share the stage of Florence Gould Hall at this unique benefit concert for Haiti.

The performers have generously agreed to donate their time and talent to raise funds for two distinct, focused organizations, in an effort to make a real and sustained difference: Ciné Institute and the French Heritage Language Program.

Ciné Institute seeks to educate and empower Haitian youth with the creative, technical, and business skills necessary to grow local media industries that can provide jobs and spur economic growth in Haiti. It is located in the town of Jacmel, which was completely devastated by the January earthquake. The French Heritage Language Program is run by the non-profit French American Cultural Exchange foundation (FACE), and plays a vital role in educating young Haitian refugees in Miami and New York.

All proceeds benefit Ciné Institute and the French Heritage Language Program.

For more information visit the French Institute Alliance Française

August 12th Pasadena, CA @ The Levitt Pavilion & August 13th Los Angeles, CA @ Pershing Square

Norman Jones (from Rhythm Child) writes about the final two dates on the Picnic Playground Tour, where over 1200 people in Pasadena enjoyed a family picnic outing while listening to the sounds of Rhythm Child.  Read more below to hear what Norman had to say!

All I can say is that Pasadena knows how to throw a family picnic!  During sound check at Levitt Pavilion in Old Town Pasadena there were a couple of families that showed up to lay their blanket on the grass in front of the stage, but by showtime the entire amphitheater was packed with hundreds of families enjoying their picnic dinner and waiting for the night’s entertainment.  This regular Wednesday night series is a popular destination in the area for parents and word got out that our show was going to be something special.  Duane and I walked out to the cheers of over a thousand people and the front of the stage was lined with screaming kids.

For this show I had my friends Jeremy on drums and Derek on bass guitar so the sound was pumping right from the start.  The audience really let loose when I brought 3-year-old Andre and 9-year-old Bailey [Norman's children] out to perform with us old men.  I thought the Jonas Brothers had just taken the stage instead of the Jones Brothers!

We went through our usual set of medleys that covered everything from “Oh Susanna” to John Denver.  Bailey took the lead on one of our originals, “Everybody Is the One” and Andre captivated young and old with his constant stage antics.  By the time we launched into “Bowl of Cherries” the Putumayo Picnic was in full swing and the crowd was on their feet singing and dancing.

The next day at Pershing Square, in the middle of downtown Los Angeles, we were greeted by a large group of kids who were attending day camp in the park.  They were very excited to have the music there and jammed along with Duane & me during the set.  The kids were a lot of fun and it was a treat signing posters and postcards for them to take home.

That’s it from the road …”

]]> http://www.putumayo.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=390 http://www.putumayo.com/blog/?p=105 http://www.putumayo.com/blog/?p=105#comments Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:52:37 +0000 admin http://www.putumayo.com/blog/?p=105 Putumayo World Music’s main office is located right in the heart of New York City, and one of the best things about summer in New York is all of the wonderful free concerts that are available. We have put together a list of free concerts by exceptional artists featured on Putumayo compilations! Don’t miss your chance to get out with your family, friends and neighbors to take advantage of these great performances.

Spanish Harlem Orchestra (Baila!)
Thursday, June 25, 12 noon @ BAM R&B Festival at Metrotech
Led by world famous pianist and arranger Oscar Hernández, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra has established itself as the musical curators of “El Barrio,” aka Spanish Harlem.

Ingrid Lucia (New Orleans Christmas)
Saturday, July 11th, 4 PM @ Roosevelt Live! on Roosevelt Island in New York
Performing with Brother Joscephus and the Love Revival Orchestra with Ingrid Lucia and the Flying Neutrinos. “One of the most ecstatic quintets to emerge from New Orleans in recent memory, spot lighting blues, standards, and intriguing originals. The Neutrinos are solid crowd pleasers, thanks to Todd [Londagin], the only trombonist-blues singer-tap dancer in captivity, and Ingrid Lucia, who wiggles like a French Quarter Betty Boop.” – Village Voice

Alpha Blondy & The Solar System (World Reggae)
Sunday, July 19, 3 PM @ Central Park SummerStage
Alpha Blondy is one of the world’s most respected Ivorian reggae performers. Singing predominantly in his native language of Dioula as well as French, English, Arabic, and Hebrew, Alpha Blondy creates lyrics that convey strong political attitudes and a fine sense of humor. Backed by the rhythmic beats and drippy sounds of his band The Solar System, Alpha Blondy has created music categorized as being truly his own.

Buckwheat Zydeco (New Orleans Playground, World Playground, Zydeco)
Friday, July 24th @ 7:30 PM @ Celebrate Brooklyn!
The swamp boogie accordion master Buckwheat Zydeco and his band “spit out the kind of crackling music that’s been missing since the heyday of Stax Records,” says The Wall Street Journal, which adds that, “on stage [Zydeco’s] attack is relentless.” Zydeco shares the bill with the Holmes Brothers, whose harmony-filled blend of American roots music jumps from church to the juke joint and “recalls the era when soul seceded from gospel music” (Mother Jones).

Kailash Kher (India)
Saturday, July 25 @ 7:30 PM @ Celebrate Brooklyn!
The South Asian superstar, Bollywood icon, and judge of Indian Idol Kailash Kher moves “among styles without hesitation, adding elements of folk, reggae and rock to Indian pop,” according to The Wall Street Journal, which adds that he “has a voice as appealing as it is thrilling.” Kher is joined on this bill by Electro Morocco, which is comprised of five NYC-based Israelis and combines buzzing guitars with synths and beats to concoct a dance floor-friendly mix of retro rock, Middle Eastern folk and warped electro.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo (African Dreamland, Animal Playground)
Thursday, July 30, 12 noon @ BAM R&B Festival at Metrotech
After more than 40 years, 40 albums, and 6 million records sold, Grammy Award-winning Ladysmith Black Mambazo remains one of the preeminent à capella groups in the world.

Arlo Guthrie (Sing Along with Putumayo)
Thursday, July 30th, 7 PM @ Castle Clinton National Monument, Battery Park
Four Nights of Peace, Love & Music: A Castle Clinton Tribute to Woodstock
Arlo Guthrie will showcase his own humorous persona and musical mixture of folk, rock, country and blues. From Woodstock to the Castle, his storytelling and anecdotes continue to be woven seamlessly into masterful musical performances. Tickets will be distributed 2 per person outside Castle Clinton on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 5:00PM on the day of the show.

Burning Spear (Reggae Around the World)
Thursday, July 30, 7:30 PM @ Celebrate Brooklyn!
Performing with Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens “Four decades and still dropping knowledge: no other artist, with the possible exception of Toots Hibbert, can lay claim to being reggae’s true elder statesman.”

Toumani Diabaté (African Dreamland)
Monday, August 3, 7:30 PM @ Central Park SummerStage
Performing with Béla Fleck
A full set of music by Béla Fleck and Toumani Diabaté, followed by a screening of the documentary tracing Fleck’s journey through Africa in search of the origins of the banjo. Suggested Donation $5. Malian musician Toumani Diabaté is an internationally acclaimed Kora (a harp unique to West Africa with twenty-one strings) player. Toumani, perhaps more than any other Kora player, is responsible for bringing this instrument to audiences around the world. A performer of exceptional virtuosity and creativity, Toumani is an artist who shows that the kora can rival the world’s greatest instruments. Throughout Toumani’s career each of the albums he has released are distinctly unique and highlight his diversity and innate ability to join the old and the new in timeless, beautiful music resulting in some of the very best that Africa has to offer.

Taj Mahal (Blues Around the World, Caribbean Playground, Sing Along with Putumayo, American Blues, World Playground)
Wednesday, August 12th, 5:30 PM @ Celebrate Brooklyn! Performing with Bonnie Raitt
NOT A FREE SHOW- BUT ONE NOT TO MISS!
This summer, Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal—two leading lights of modern blues—are joining forces for their first-ever tour together. This show will feature Bonnie and Taj on stage alone and together. Bonnie, backed by her always-dazzling group, and Taj, with the six-piece, Grammy-winning Phantom Blues Band, will play full sets separately, before closing the night with a collaborative, blow-out performance.

Ricardo Lemvo (¡Salsa!, Baila!, Afro-Latin Party, World Playground, Africa, Music from the Coffee Lands)

Sunday, August 16, 7:30 PM @ Lincoln Center Out of Doors at Damrosch Park
Performing with Ba M’buta: Ancestral Connections from the Kongo to the Americas: Africa Aye, Ibboru, and Makina Loca Ricardo Lemvo has established himself as a pioneer with his innovative music. Lemvo’s blend of Afro Cuban rhythms with pan-African styles (soukous, Angolan semba and kizomba) has been described by the Los Angeles Times as “seamless and infectious.”

KIDS

Elizabeth Mitchell (Sing along with Putumayo)
Tuesday, June 16th, 10:30 AM @ Madison Square Kids
Elizabeth Mitchell, a Smithsonian Folkways recording artist, has released 4 albums of music for children. Her most recent release “You Are My Little Bird” was featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered” with Melissa Block and voted best children’s album of 2006 by Amazon.com

Bakithi Kumalo (African Playground)
Thursday, July 30,  10:30 AM @ Riverside Park Children’s Performance Series
Robbi K and Friends – songs, stories and more! Robbi K and her husband, South African bassist Bakithi Kumalo (particularly known for his work with Paul Simon), present an interactive show of music and storytelling that combines world grooves, childhood favorites, and original compositions. Kids can participate in call-and-response, clapping, clicking, group singing, and general all-ages fun – in multiple languages!

Jay Mankita (Picnic Playground)
Saturday, August 8, 4 PM @ Brooklyn’s Caroll Gardens (as part of the Putumayo Kids Picnic Playground Tour)
Sunday, August 9, 1 PM @ Peter J Sharp’s Childrens Glade in Central Park (as part of the Putumayo Kids Picnic Playground Tour)
Jay Mankita is a guitarist, singer and songwriter from Massachusetts. Jay drives a van that runs on recycled vegetable oil and has recorded 6 CDs, including one entirely about food. He has performed many fun and educational shows about food for children.