ADAM SOLOMON: This multitalented musician is a 2005 Juno Award Winner, and 2007 Juno Award Nominee, he established his career playing lead guitar and singing with some of Kenya's most popular bands and musicians. After he arrived in Canada, he helped to form the AfroNubians band with the late great Tarig Abubakar. He later formed his own band, Tikisa, releasing an award-winning CD, “Safari”, which earned them two TAMA (Toronto African Music Awards) wins. Since then, he has also released a solo CD, “Rocket Express II: African Renaissance Blues . In the spring of 2006, Adam Solomon & Tikisa released their latest CD, “Mti wa Maisha (Tree of Life)”, a joyful celebration of the rich and varied rhythms of East and Central Africa. In March 2007 he released the CD "Roots Rhythms". The Roots Rhythms Album is in Homage to the Roots Music and the Coastal Rhythms of Mwambao (Mombasa Coast). Roots Rhythms is ***** ( True Acoustics!!). This Album will make you ask your self, "What's next?" It will make you want more, and more, and more***** Ngoma!! in "Swahili", or The Drum!! you will feel it in your heart, the Roots Rhythms beat***** Thanks to Canada Council for the Arts for the support. See live videos: www.myspace.com/adamsolomontikisa www.adamsolomon.ca COMING SOON TO CDBABY.COM **** ALBUM TITTLE: MILA “CULTURE” 2005 Juno Award Winner with African Guitar Summit on CBC records, and Double Winner at Toronto Music Africa Awards 1997 in Canada ****. Adam N. Solomon AKA “The Professor” has been known to the listeners and fans around the world as an Afropop musician since the 70's, performing Afro Rhumba and Soukous music.In the year 2003 he recorded his fast solo Album “African Renaissance Blues Rocket Express II” which fetured acoustic blues. Adam is gone deeper in researching his traditional African roots music, playing African blues on acoustic guitar,traditional African drumming, and singing. Like the likes of Alifarka Toure from Mali, this East Africa Maestro of guitar brings out his inner vision and talent that was unheard in the world of music. Adam grew up in a musical family in Kenya east Africa in the coast Province, he is original from the Nine tribes known as the “Mijikenda”. “The Mijikenda tribes of the Kenyan coast were unheard from for many years, even during the colonial years of rule, primarily due to the fact that government activities were occurring mainly in the central province, in Nairobi, and the Mijikenda were literally on the edges. Kenya gained independence in 1963. The first President was Jomo Kenyatta, who came from the Gikuyu tribe, which is a Bantu group like the Mijikenda. The people of the central province are Gikuyu, Embu, the Maasai, the Nandi (a different group of tribes), and the Meru, which ruled the plains of the Rift Valley. It's assumed that the tribes of the Rift Valley threw off their drums when they were fighting during an immigration period coming down from Ethiopia, and during the time when they were establishing their territories in the Rift Valley. From the same group of Bantus, the Mijikenda, who also emigrated from Ethiopia, kept their big traditional drums, and the traditions have continued until today”. “The Bantus of the coast, the Nine Tribes, include Giriama, Duruma, Makonde, Kambe, Ribe, Rabai, Chonyi, Digo, and Jibana, who originally settled in the lower coastal province of Kenya. I am half-caste Duruma and Giriama. The musical style known as Sengenya beat comes from both the Duruma and Digo people, and Lungo music is originally from the Giriama and Duruma people”. “Like the peoples of West Africa, we have developed our own rhythms and some of our drums are similar, but not all. We have the Twari drum, which is a two-sided medium-sized drum and has a mid-rhythmic tone. The same Twari drum can be used for soloing or keep the rhythm. The Twari drums come in different tones, medium bass, light bass, and heavy bass. There is the Chitupho drum, which has a higher tone, closer to the West African Djembe drum, and it can be used for different purposes in the rhythm. The Ng'ombe Drum, known as the mother of the drums, is huge and very bass, shaped like a table with three or four legs. This drum can bring a wall down if not well-supported. The Ng'ombe drum is pure wood and cowskin (Ng'ombe = cowskin), played with heavy sticks with a round end, while wearing small ankle and wrist bells and shakers, particularly the Kayamba tikisa (shaker) made of grass straw, and other small percussion instruments”. In 2004, Adam collaborated with a group of pan-African musicians on the CBC-produced African Guitar Summit , which led to the 2005 Juno Award for Best World Music Album of the Year. Later that year, African Guitar Summit performed at the Live 8 Concert at Park Place in Barrie. Adam is a composer and facile multi-instrumentalist, and has become a valuable contributor to cultural education through music and storytelling in schools, libraries and workshops. Retaining his roots in traditional music, Adam's compositions embrace a wide variety of African rhythms, from soukous, highlife and reggae to samba, bossanova and rhumba. The effortless manner with which he controls the guitar so that it sings with him exemplifies the talent of this East African native. Adam Solomon is a current member of the Toronto Musician’s Association, OCFF, CARAS and SOCAN. Please see our website, www.adamsolomon.ca, for full band bios, booking info, upcoming performances, musicology, and photos. For up coming performances and more info: www.adamsolomon.ca