The Star Online: Entertainment: Music
The Star Online: Entertainment: Music |
| Prince to headline Montreux Jazz Fest with pricey concerts Posted: 14 Feb 2013 10:44 PM PST GENEVA (Reuters) - Prince returns to the Montreux Jazz Festival in July to give three concerts at the 47th edition, the first after the death of founder Claude Nobs, organisers said on Thursday. The American singer and musician is booked to give three shows on July 13, 14 and 15, the Swiss festival said in a statement. "Groovy, funky and the undisputed master of improvisation, Prince's performances are all unique and unpredictable," it said of the 54-year-old viewed as a pioneer of online music distribution and maverick in the business. Prince first appeared on the famed Montreux stage in 2007, then showed up at 3 am to jam with his band at a late-night jazz cafe along Lake Geneva. He gave two back-to-back shows on the same night in 2009, drawing fans from across Europe for a rare appearance on the continent. Tickets go on sale on Friday morning, at a whopping 175 Swiss francs(standing) and 395 francs for a seat. "We consider him one of the headline acts," festival spokeswoman Emilie Loertscher told Reuters. The rest of the line-up will be announced on April 18. Nobs, who founded the Montreux Jazz Festival nearly 50 years ago, died in January at age 76 after several weeks in a coma following a skiing accident. The Swiss impresario immortalised by rock group Deep Purple as 'Funky Claude' in the song Smoke On The Water, lured the biggest stars of the music world including Miles Davis, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin to the annual event. |
| Epic Records regrets rapper's lyrics about slain civil rights figure Posted: 14 Feb 2013 08:10 PM PST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Epic Records has apologized to the family of Emmett Till, whose 1955 murder spurred the U.S. civil rights movement, over a graphic reference by rapper Lil Wayne and promised to delete the lyrics upon its release, the company said on Thursday. Epic Chairman L.A. Reid told the family it was regretful that a remix of the song Karate Chop by rapper Future, in which Lil Wayne likens the beating of African-American Till to sex, had been leaked on the Internet. "He (Reid) apologized to me and our family and stated the song is being pulled," said a post on the Facebook page of the Mamie Till Mobley Memorial Foundation on Wednesday. Mobley, who died in 2003, was Till's mother. The song reportedly first appeared online over the weekend. "Mr. Reid stated the song was leaked out and he had not heard the lyric," the statement added. "He is a man of integrity that values our family's legacy and wouldn't allow such a heinous usage of Emmett Till's name or dishonor his memory." The foundation, which was founded by Till's cousin Airickca Gordon-Taylor, said that it had yet to hear from Lil Wayne. Reid, an African American, is one of the music industry's highest-profile executives and was a judge on the Fox singing competition The X Factor for two seasons. Till, from Chicago, was beaten and murdered in 1955 at the age of 14 for allegedly whistling at a white woman in the village of Money, Mississippi, where he was visiting family. An all-white jury acquitted two white men of Till's murder, sparking national outrage. The trial is credited with mobilizing the civil rights movement and drawing attention to racial injustice and violence in the American South. Epic Records called the song an "unauthorized remix" and promised to delete the reference from the official version. "Out of respect for the legacy of Emmett Till and his family and the support of the Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, we are going through great efforts to take down the unauthorized version," the record company said in a statement. Epic Records is owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a division of Sony Corp |
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