By Darlene Barss
Playlist Friday this week is to honour Black History Month with the focus being on black musicians of Canada and the music they make. Our playlist has a couple of musicians from the past but is mostly filled with current black musicians of today. Drake, Kaytranada and The Weeknd are on there along with Salome Bey’s daughter SATE (formerly Saidah Baba Talibah) and Cold Specks and many more. There is plenty of soul in this playlist…and hip-hop and world music and pop and rock…Take a listen!
About Black History Month
The commemoration of Black History Month dates back to 1926, when Harvard-educated African American historian Carter G. Woodson proposed setting aside a time devoted to honour the accomplishments of African Americans and to heighten awareness of Black history in the United States. This led to the establishment of Negro History Week in 1926. Celebrations of Black history began in Canada also shortly thereafter. During the early 1970s, the week became known as Black History Week. It was expanded into Black History Month in 1976.
In December 1995, the House of Commons officially recognized February as Black History Month in Canada following a motion introduced by the first Black Canadian woman elected to Parliament, the Honourable Jean Augustine. The motion was carried unanimously by the House of Commons.
In February 2008, Senator Donald Oliver, the first Black man appointed to the Senate, introduced the Motion to Recognize Contributions of Black Canadians and February as Black History Month. It received unanimous approval and was adopted on March 4, 2008. The adoption of this motion completed Canada’s parliamentary position on Black History Month.
Visit the Government of Canada website to find out more about Black History Month in Canada.
Black Musicians in Canada
The earliest documented instance of a black musician in Canada is a notice in the Quebec Gazette of 30 Nov 1775 for a runaway slave named Lowcanes who spoke French but little English, ‘et jouant très bien du violon’ (‘plays the violin very well’). A water-colour from 1807, G. Heriot’s Menuet des Canadiens, shows a black musician playing a tambourine for a group of dancers, and an occupational survey of 159 blacks in Toronto in 1840 (cited by Daniel G. Hill in The Freedom-Seekers: Blacks in Early Canada, Agincourt, Ont, 1981), revealed two musicians among their number. Hill also noted the presence in Collingwood, Ont, of an unnamed fiddler, fl 1850-70, who played for excursion parties on the boats Ploughboy and Francis Smith.
Visit the Canadian Encyclopedia website for more history on Black Musicians in Canada.
For more current Black Musicians in Canada, check out the playlist and enjoy!
Do you know an artist you would like me to add to the playlist?
Hello, The new releases page has been updated
Good morning!
Good morning. 🙂
Louise Burns new album on Spotify.
https://open.spotify.com/album/79YpkFIzBduS89YwZOu1Wa
Good morning! Really enjoying the playlist and the article today, great job!
As for artists to add, they aren’t together any more, but I always enjoyed Dream Warriors.
Thanks Janet! I will look them up.
Rose Cousins has a new album out today as well!
https://open.spotify.com/album/6YGTjLrXxxl2jrMY434auv
Good morning all.
Good morning Benoit.
Hi Benoit
Going to check out the Rose Cousins after the Black History Month playlist. Probably will skip over the Louise Burns though.
Darbar, a little chapter 2 on the Rose Cousins and Kid Koala performances at the National Arts Centre on Feb. 17: they’re not playing together. Figures. I did think it was a weird match.
Further though, R.C. was sold out. So, rather than to hold out hope for “a last-minute cancellation”, I got one for the Kid. Should be fun. Is in another room that they made up on a lower floor, I’m told. (Also, the start is at 9:30 p.m., whereas NAC is sort of always at 8.)
Yes Rose Cousins and Kid Koala did seem a weird match. Kid Koala should be great. I would love to be at that.
@Benoit, You should reach to RC via facebook to see if they can get you a ticket
That’s a pretty great list Darbar. I’ve been listening to Jazz Cartier, but didn’t know he was Canadian.
Glad you are checking it out TRH. It is always educational for me putting them together.
Good morning everyone!
Morning Justin!
Great playist Darb! I’m at Mardi Gras at the moment.
Happy Friday!
Word up Funhog!
Thanks Justin. It is a predominately upbeat playlist today.
Hiya Funhug!
Polaris introduced me to Pierre Kwenders and I really like him.
WHEAT POOL REUNION!!!
#holyfuckingshit
So who do we send to cover that and who do I claim my travel expenses from?
I am enjoying Rose Cousins more than I did Lousie Burns.
Somebody had posted about that Wheat Pool reunion on FB. Pretty cool!
I really enjoyed the Rose Cousins!
Me too Janet!
Looks like if you had tickets to see Blue Rodeo and the Sadies at Massey Hall in Toronto last night, you got an extra special guest for Lost Together.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/gord-downie-blue-rodeo-1.3965103
I saw that on FB this morning. Made me all teary. So much love.
Another release to check out for today. Le Trouble.
http://open.spotify.com/album/1NWohYf7EYdS4OEh6AZBWQ
This is the list of releases FYI Music News has posted for today
Louise Burns – Young Mopes (Light Organ)
Rose Cousins – Natural Conclusion (Outside Music)
Matt Minglewood – Fly Like Desperados (Norton)
Le Trouble – Making Matters Worse (Indica)
Homeshake – Fresh Air (Sinderlyn)
Courage My Love – Synesthesia (Warner)
Her Harbour – Go Gently Into The Night (E-Tron)
Kobo Town – Where the Galleon Sank (Independent)
Big Wreck – Grace Street (ole/Warner)*
Sampha – Process (Young Turks)
Reba McEntire – Sing It Now, Songs of Love & Hope (Big Machine)
LeAnn Rimes – Remnants (RCA)
Dune Rats – The Kids Will Know It’s Bullshit (Dine Alone)
Jim Lauderdale – London Southern (Proper Records)
Judas Priest – Turbo 30 (Sony)
Wyclef Jean – J’Ouvert (Bad Boy)
The Bats – The Deep Set (Flying Nun)
Gurf Morlix – The Soul & The Heal (Rootball Records)
Derringer – Complete Blue Sky Albums ’76-’78 (Cherry Red)
Mumford & Sons – Live From South Africa: Dust And Thunder DVD (Eagle Rock)
I’m thinking of starting up the google calendar thing again
Canadian
*Big Wreck is listed on Wikipedia as a “Canadian American” band but formed in Boston
That might be useful. Thanks for this list.
I should edit out the non Canadians, I’ll probably end up with the 3 already mentioned.
The link in that post takes you to the expected releases for the next 3 months or so
There are few things on that list I”m excited about! I thought the Begonia EP was coming out in March, but link says it’s next week!
@Janet – She posted a photo on FB yesterday that her CDs were in!
That’s exciting! My new challenge will be to figure out how to get one from down here!
I have updated the list in the comment above to highlight the Canadian Artists
@Janet, I would suggest trying amazon but I often
annoycontact the artist directly to see if they would be willing to mail me a copy (and by mail I mean sell, not give)I’ll probably try contacting her directly, I’d much prefer my money to go directly to her than through Amazon. Overall, I’ve had good luck with getting music through Amazon though.
Finally got it to work
@Janet, I prefer to buy direct from artists if I can in the hope that they get more of the money that way
I just discovered I can preorder directly from her! Hooray!
Awesome Janet!
awesome
CBC Music has a pretty good list of Canadian releases so far.
http://www.cbcmusic.ca/posts/17889/upcoming-canadian-album-releases-in-2017
I will merge the 2 over the weekend along with any others I can find
I’m going to leave you with this and bid you good night
http://radiooooo.com/
Oh cool! I will check it out.
Night Garf!
good night!
Have a great weekend!