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Funky Cutz...Check Ça Phat Cutz of the month
Western Canadian Music Alliance 2014 Awards nominees and winners!
BreakOut West was at the beginning of October 2014. Manitoba was well represented as nominees and there were a number of Check Ça favourites in the mix, including:
- Jeff Presslaff for The Complete Rebirth of the Cool for Jazz Recording of the Year
- Moses Mayes for Moses Mayes feat. Maiko Watson for Urban Recording of the Year
- Marco Castillo for Zabelé for World Music Recording of the Year
- The Mariachi Ghost for The Mariachi Ghost for World Music Recording of the Year
We are particularly excited about The Mariachi Ghost's win in their category. Way to go guys!
Also want to make special mention to nominees Shad and Sweatshop Union in the Rap/Hip Hop Recording of the Year category, and The Park Theatre and West End Cultural Centre in the Live Venue of the Year category. Winnipeg rocked the 2014 BreakOut West festival - we sure know how to par-tay!
Congratulations to all the nominees and awardees!
Join the Party!
Lots happening around Winnipeg and throughout Manitoba with Nuit Blanche. There are just too many fabulous acts to mention, so have a look at the web for what's happening where.
http://www.nuitblanchewinnipeg.ca/events-list/
Word on the street is that The Infinity Project at 318 Ross Ave will feature performances from jazz-hip hop outfit Super Duty Tough Work and also from funk-ites Fauxpasfunk. Check it out.
This week we are pre-empted for Culture Days. Check Ca will be back on the airwaves next week.
Next week is a mixed bag: smooth latin, funky jazz, toe-tappin' funk... We had way too much fun putting the show together and hope you will enjoy listening to it! The show will feature some tracks from Caribbean and jazz music wizard Etienne Charles. Mr. Charles was in town recently for a jazz Masterclass and for some weekend concerts. Rhythm is the name of the game for Mr. Charles brand of jazz. Enjoy tunes from local jazz drummer and professor at the University of Manitoba Quincy Davis in the first hour, and Winnipeg's own New Orleans flavoured brass ensemble Dirty Catfish Brass Band in the second hour.
And do drop us a line at checkca@ymail.com!
Summertime...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RAMm_VmOjA
Hello-yello Check Ça-ites! It's been a long while since we've posted an update, so here goes. Lots happened over the summer: Spy from Cairo at MEME; Super Duty Tough Work bringing hip hop with a live jazz flavour; local Caribbean music along side featured performer Freddie McGregor at Soca-Reggae Fest; a slew of performers on Canada Day; The Mariachi Ghost with a special international guest at The Times Change(d) Cabaret; Jupiter Storm bringing funk and beats with style at Fox & Fiddle and elsewhere; and Curtis Nowosad with the UofM Jazz Faculty giving samples from his upcoming album (check out the grooves on Dialectics). Definitely not a quiet summer!
Special mention is deserved for the performers in the Bannatyne Street Carnaval (August 22-23). Check Ça familiar faces Marco Castillo and the Brazillian Beats, Trio Bembe, Amber Epp, and Papa Mambo all offered a bright spot on a rainy weekend. Hope everyone took in the cozy indoor performances.
Dirty Catfish Brass Band, who were on the show on June 6th, spiked to the top of CKUW's playlist charts recently. Way to go guys! Check out the delicious danceable tunes on their debut album, Brass Riot!
Lots of great shows and interviews coming up this Fall, so keep it locked to Check Ça! if you have a tip on an upcoming show or artists you think we should know about drop us a line at checkca@ymail.com
keep it funky!
hey, hey Folks
Tonight will be a show with mostly Canadian and Manitoban musicians. With tunes from Five Alarm Funk, Curtis Nowosad, Amber Epp, Marco Castillo, Dirty Catfish Brass Band, The Mariachi Ghost and many others, it should be a fun show! If you have any Check Ca-friendly local faves, drop us a line or call us in studio during the show and we'll spin it on the airwaves!
keep it funky
J-drop out
QUANTIC, SHAD, & ST. VINCENT... Oh My!
Winnipeg International Jazz Festival June 12-22, 2014
The 25th Winnipeg Jazz Festival is well on the way and Check Ça is on the trail... Too many artists to list here, so please do check out the Jazz Fest site:
jazzwinnipeg.com/festival/schedule/
Check out some of the local heroes & Check Ça favourites with upcoming shows:
- The Mariachi Ghost (opening for Quantic)
- Greg Lowe
- Tim Hoover (a.k.a. DJ Co-Op)
- Steve Kirby
- Karl Kohut, Jocelyn Gould & Joanna Majoko (from Soul Station)
- Jeff Presslaff and The Complete Rebirth of Cool
- Andrew Littleford (member of Dirty Catfish Brass Band)
You might also be interested in checking out the James Carter Organ Trio for those looking for something a little funkier.
Shout-outs to Check Ça favourites who have already performer: Neil Watson, Dirty Catfish Brass Band, Amber Epp, Marco Casitllo, Papa Mambo, Curtis Nowosad.
... and do round out your night before, in between, and after shows at hip joints like the new MAWS Eatery & Bar on Princess (in the old Republic building), or any of the many esablishments in the Exchange.
sweet tunes, good times....
Interesting and entertaining music played by skilled and talented musicians: that's how we'd describe May 25th at The Park Theatre with Steve Kirby's Oceanic Jazz Orchestra performance of The Longitude Project. The closer to Jazz Winnipeg's Nu Sounds Series was worth the wait bringing together an unusual instrumentation in a unique programme. The audience was treated jazz performed b strings, flutes, oboe, bassoon, vibraphone along side the more standard jazz ensemble. And Mr. Kirby on bass, of course! Throughout, each member of the orchestra contributed stirring solos. Hats off to Derrick Gardner playing the role of a throat singer on trumpet.
Check out Steve Kirby as well as other members of the orchestra (Neil Watson, Shannon Kristjanson, Larry Roy, Will Bonness) are all appearing in shows in the 2014 Winnipeg International Jazz Festival June 12-22.
... and it keeps comin'!
The Mariachi Ghost at Folk'n Word at West End Cultural Centre on May 30
"Winnipeg bands (one of which is Mariachi Ghost) join forces with six of the city’s most
celebrated slam poets to present Folk ‘N’ Word, a spoken and sung
performance showcase Friday May 30th at the West End Cultural Centre.
Pop-folk singer/songwriter Matt Moskal hosts the night of collaborative
adventure. "
http://www.wecc.ca/site09/performers/Folk_N_Word.html
Souled Out May 31 at Frame Arts Warehouse (318 Ross)
"A high-caliber live art event with a mint selection of
some of Winnipeg's best RnB, hip hop, funk, reggae, and soul music
connoisseurs. Arrive dressed to i L L . "
https://www.facebook.com/events/271730139672442/?ref=br_tf
Soul Station (just a trio this time) will be appearing at Finn McCue's (The Forks in Winnipeg) on May 31st.
And stay tuned to Check Ca next Friday (June 6) to hear a special elusive guest dj on the 1's & 2's!
What to do, what to do...
Hey folks! Hope you have been enjoying the fun programmes on Check Ca this month: on a 'jazz tip' latin mix-up, hip hop grooves... We've having tonnes of fun spinning for you! And we always love to hear from listeners if you want to chat music or give us a tip about an artist/group or tell us about a funky show coming up, so feel free to e-mail checkca@ymail.com or phone us on air @ 204-774-6877 during the show Friday nights.
Speaking of tips, Check Ca favourites The Mariachi Ghost will be at Shannon's Irish Pub (175 Carlton St, Winnipeg) on May 23, if you're in the mood for modern Mexican-flavoured music. RasTamils are also on the town that night May 23 at Times Change(d) (234 Main St, Winnipeg) for those craving Reggae with a message. Pride Daze: the official Queer Hip Hop Party is going down at Union Sound Hall )110 Market St, Winnipeg) on May with DJ Co-Op, Angelfire, ScissorSisters, featuring Cakes da Killa.
For those who prefer jazz in the unconventional, check out The Longitude Project in the Nu Jazz Sounds Series on Sunday May 25 at The Park Theatre (698 Osborne St, Winnipeg) presented by the Winnipeg Jazz Festival. The show will be performed by Steve Kirby's Oceanic Jazz Orchestra and will highlight several original compositions by Mr. Kirby, featuring musical styles tracing from South to North America from Peru and Brazil, to Mexico, to Nunuvut in Canada. We even had the opportunity to speak with the composer/conductor and this performance promises to be interesting and entertaining. Check it out!
Check Ca show is working on a feature of local brass band jazz players The Dirty Catfish Brass Band, in preparation for their CD release party @ the West End Cultural Centre on June 28th. Keep tuned to the show for more details!
See you on the dance floor! 
you know what to do!
Looks like May will be a busy month for live entertainment. Hope y'all will venture into the wild and check out some of the fabulous and CheckCa-friendly shows.
In case you are not already aware, there is band out there playing funk, soul, neosoul, R&B, jazz, and other goodies on the Winnipeg scene called Soul Station. Hmm, that music list sounds very much like Check Ca! The core members of the band are jazz up-and-comers Joanna Majoko, Jocelyn Gould and Karl Kohut, though Soul Station has also had amonst its rank Curtis Nowosad, Kevin Waters, Julian Bradford, and other talented folk. In case you want a taste of what these cats can do, check out Joanna Majoko's jazz gig at The Current Lounge (at the Inn at the Forks hotel) on May 9 (Friday) from 9-midnight.
... and you definitely want to check out Check Ca friends from Balanced Records, a local record label that features some of Winnipeg's (and Canada's) hottest electronic deejays. May 10 (Saturday) is the Balanced Records 13th Anniversary Party at the Fox & Fiddle in the Exchange area. Promised on the bill are deejays Kasm and Redworm (who also host Quadrafunk right after Check Ca on Friday nights!), the happily-awaited return of Solidaze, and recent Montreal transplant The Seed Organization. Balanced will also be around for MEME later this summer too!
Check out the 1st edition of 'Hip Hop Karaoke' hosted by Union Sound Hall (110 Market Street, Winnipeg) on Thursday, May 15, 2014. Check Union Sound Hall's Facebook page for more details on the event and the register for hip hop domination (well, at least in karaoke ).
Saturday, May 17, 2014 will see the latest edition of '1001 Nights' at the Pyramid Cabaret hosted by MEME. Check out DJs CHRIS KOMUS, NATHAN ZAHN, THEO TZU and KASM. Should be a fun and interesting night.
More to come...
