Corby's Orbit

Saturday, February 22, 2025

Playlist For Corby's Orbit Black Music Month Show of 21 February 2025

Commissioner of Selection - Paul Corby

* Canadian Artists in Asterisk'd RED

Mixcloud Podcast available right HERE

Click on images to enlarge

( Brought To You By Helium Museums, Oxygen Moccasins & Hydrogen Psalms)

5:00 Heights Of Life

* Kaytranada feat. Dawn Richard ~ Hold On ~ Timeless ~ JUNO Nominee

* Pierre Kwenders feat. Lady Donli ~ Everyday ~ NEW RELEASE

* Fernie ~ Hopeless Dreams ~ Hopeless Dreams ~ @ Adelaide Hall Monday 24 February ~ NEW RELEASE

* Nicky MacKenzie ~ Morals

* Julian Taylor ~ Love Letters ~ Pathways ~ JUNO Nominee

* Chatta Edwards ~ Unload It

* Kush I Krown ~ Knees And Pray ~ NEW RELEASE

FKA Twigs ~ Striptease ~ NEW RELEASE

The Stylistics feat. Shania Twain ~ Yes I Will ~ NEW RELEASE

*Aqyila ~ Focus ~ Pink Sweat$ ~ NEW RELEASE / JUNO Nominee

5:40 Weather The Storm

* King Cruff & Runkus ~ FALLBACK ~ JUNO Nominee

Lee Scratch Perry feat. Evei Pukupoo & Bob Riddim ~ Destiny ~ Destiny ~ JUNO Nominee

* Skystar feat. Rhymes Well ~ Learnt ~ Sky's The Limit ~ JUNO Nominee

* Tonya P. ~ Rise ~ JUNO Nominee

* Flava K. ~ Dark In Here ~ NEW RELEASE

* Cold Specks ~ Lingering Ghosts ~ NEW RELEASE

* Kellylee Evans ~ I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm ~ Winter Song ~ JUNO Nominee

* Aphrose ~ Ya Ya ~ JUNO Nominee

* Partynextdoor & Drake ~ Somebody Loves Me ~ NEW RELEASE

6:10 Africa Dabra

* Andy Milne & Unison ~ Papounet ~ Time Will Tell ~ JUNO Nominee

* Larnell Lewis feat. Wade O. Brown ~ All The Stars ~ Slice Of Life ~ JUNO Nominee

* Omega Mighty ~ Oulala ~ NEW RELEASE

* Kaia Kater ~ The Witch ~ Strange Medicine ~ JUNO Nominee

* Inn Echo ~ All Nighter Polkas ~ Hemispheres ~ JUNO Nominee

* Djely Tapa ~ Dankoroba ~ Dankoroba ~ JUNO Nominee

* Vox Sambou & Manno Beats ~ Boisrond Tonnerre ~ NEW RELEASE

Illustration: Raphael Drouart Pagan Gods 1922

6:40 Nominee Grits

Illustration by Israeli artist Ori Toor

* Luna Elle ~ Halfway Broken ~ JUNO Nominee

* B Row ~ One Last Chance ~ NEW RELEASE

Jastin Martin ~ Again ~ NEW RELEASE

* Benita ~ Selfish ~ The Worst ~ JUNO Nominee

* Dijah SB ~ Uh Huh ~
The Flower That Knew ~ JUNO Nominee

* Interplanetary Criminal ~ feat. Sadboi ~ No Time ~ JUNO Nominee

Illustration by Gillian Rose

Thursday, February 20, 2025

Winterfolk XXlll Brings Music To The Snow Event

This past weekend Toronto's Tranzac Club rotated 100+ artists across three stages for two days and three nights while a dedicated clientele absorbed a bright and broad array of talent in performances, workshops, and themed-concert formats sustained by volunteer power.

I was only able to attend on Sunday, and then only because TTC employees showed up for work in an epic blizzard to run shuttle buses along T.O.'s line one.

The Howard Gladstone Band

Winterfolk deployed an army of guitar slingers and wordsmiths to entertain a small but steadily growing audience throughout the day. Howard Gladstone's collegial crew opened the Main Hall stage with explorations of material from his recent Crazy Talk album. Blues veterans Ken Whiteley and Michael Jerome Browne colluded on some champion acoustic blues and touched upon their memories of Rev. Gary Davis and Mississippi John Hurt.

Michael Jerome Browne and Ken Whiteley

A cadre of Hugh's Room Live alumni, introduced by impresario Michael Booth, charmed the room with a set of songs featuring Dala, Donné Roberts, Lynn Harrison, and Noah Zacharin, who led a sing-along on his classic tune Red Red Bird to close the segment.

Hugh's Room Live Ensemble with Dala, Michael Booth, Lynn Harrison, Donné Roberts, Noah Zacharin and Yukiko Tsutsui.

The Storey Tellers with Robert Priest, right.

Collette Savard and the Savants

In the Southern Cross Room, meanwhile, Wayne Neon rounded up a delightful and surprising repertoire based on his original tunes and disarming flute skills.

Wayne Neon

Blasting us with soulful electric guitar and a dream team rhythm section of bass manager Terry Wilkins and the exquisitely tasteful drummer Al Cross, Ottawa's Jesse Greene swayed the crowd into a blue haze on the big stage.

Jesse Greene and Al Cross (above) and melanie peterson (below) - photos by Charles P. Whaley

The fuse continued to burn on into the night with performances by Suzie Vinnick, Lynn Miles, and Melanie Peterson, along with a torrent of talented accompanists, including Tony Quarrington, Bob Cohen, Kevin Breit, Rebecca Campbell and Laura Fernandez.

Suzie Vinnick, Lynn Miles with Rebecca Campbell and Michael jerome Browne - Photos by Jesse Greene

Not just the songs, not just the solos, but the intrinsic sense of community and common culture gave the day a silvered patina that inspired grateful sentiments and memories that would maintain that glow as we headed onward and homeward through the ever-conspiring snow.