blues music festival, Canada

Calgary Midwinter Bluesfest
Feb 22-27

Festival Features Full Week of Blues Events

Calgary Blues Music Association gears up for its 3rd annual Midwinter Bluesfest, slated to run Feb. 22-27 with a host of events.

Starring Sonny Landreth, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Carson Downey Band, Keith Hallett Band, Tim Williams, and Hills & Lemelin, the week long festival features dance parties, acoustic and electric concerts, and workshops such as the Singing the Blues Vocal Camp.

The annual CBMA Blues Hall of Fame Awards ceremony takes place on Wednesday, Feb. 24 at the Shamrock Hotel. Blues lovers are invited to participate in an online vote to select winning artists in each category. click here to cast your votes

for more info visit www.calgarybluesfest.com

jazz, blues music news

52 Annual Grammy Awards
Winners Announced
Jan 31, 2010

WINNERS IN JAZZ & BLUES CATEGORIES

The 52nd Annual Grammy Award winners were announced last night in Los Angeles at the star-studded gala event.

Listed below are the winners in the jazz and blues categories, for complete listings visit the link below.

WINNERS IN JAZZ CATEGORIES

Best Contemporary Jazz Album

Joe Zawinul & The Zawinul Syndicate
[Heads Up International]

Best Jazz Vocal Album

Dedicated To You: Kurt Elling Sings The Music Of Coltrane And Hartman
Kurt Elling
[Concord Jazz]

Best Improvised Jazz Solo – Instrumental

Dancin’ 4 Chicken
Terence Blanchard, soloist
Track from: Watts (Jeff “Tain” Watts)
[Dark Key Music]

Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual Or Group

Five Peace Band – Live
Chick Corea & John McLaughlin Five Peace Band
[Concord Records]

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

Book One
New Orleans Jazz Orchestra
[World Village]

Best Latin Jazz Album – Vocal or Instrumental

Juntos Para Siempre
Bebo Valdés And Chucho Valdés
[Sony Music/Calle 54]

WINNERS IN BLUES CATEGORIES

Best Contemporary Blues Album

Already Free
The Derek Trucks Band
[Victor Records]

Best Traditional Blues Album – Vocal or Instrumental

A Stranger Here
Ramblin’ Jack Elliott
[ANTI]

Best Zydeco Or Cajun Music Album – Vocal or Instrumental

Lay Your Burden Down
Buckwheat Zydeco
[Alligator]

for complete list of winners visit the GRAMMY AWARDS website

blues music news, Canada

Maple Blues Awards
2009-2010

Ottawa’s Monkey Junk Capture Five Awards

The Toronto Blues Society’s Maple Blues Award winners were announced last night at the annual gala.

Topping the awards were Ottawa band Monkey Junk, who captured five awards including Entertainer of the Year, Electric Act of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year (Steve Mariner), Guitarist of the Year (Tony D) and Harmonica Player of the Year (Steve Mariner).

B.C. Blues-roots great Chris Whitely took home three awards for Horn Player of the Year, the Blues With a Feeling Award and shared the SOCAN Songwriter of the Year with Diana Braithwaite.
Toronto based Blackburn took New Artist of the Year, while the late Jeff Healey won Recording of the Year for his Songs From the Road.

For the third consecutive year Harry Manx won Acoustic Act of the Year, while Suzie Vinnick took Female Vocalist of the Year and Taj Mahal won Best International Artist for the second consecutive year.

for more info visit www.torontobluessociety.com