Adam Solomon performed with AGS at Live 8 on july 2nd, in Barrie,Ontario, Canada. make poverty history.
This multitalented musician is a 2005 Juno award winner and a double winner at TAMA (Toronto African Music Awards) for Best Release and Best New Performers in 1997.
Adam was born in Mombasa, Kenya, and began performing at an early age, playing kivoti (flute) and kayaamba (shaker) at village celebrations and festivals. He established his career playing lead guitar and singing on recordings and videos with Kenya's most popular bands and musicians, including Joseph Kamaru, Daudi Kabaka, Zetta success band, Kabasselleh Ochieng', Bana Citoyen, Super Kalles, Bana Batotot, Super Mazembe, Less Wanyika, Popo Lipo of Lessa Lessan, Professor Mb.Naaman with the Nine stars band, Kanda Bongo Man, Fadhili Williams, Juma Toto, and the Mombasa Roots band.
Adam was a co-founder of Canada's great pan-African band, the Afronubians, with whom he toured western Canada in 1993. He collaborated with them for two CD releases, "Tour to Africa" 1994 and "The Great Africans" 1995. Adam collaborated on Shaw Do Man's release "Trouble Trouble" 1994, also on "Tae Kwarro" CD in the year 2000 by Achilla Orru. He has released two of his own CDs, "Safari" (Afro-pop) in Nov 1996 and "Rocket Express II" (African Renaissance Blues) in Nov 2003. Adam's touring credits include workshops and performances with Congolese superstar Papa Wemba and Ismael Lo from Senegal. Adam formed his own band, Tikisa, in 1995, and in 2004 established Adam's Blues Band. He also performs solo.
In conjunction with the CBC, Adam has collaborated with a group of pan-African musicians (including Madagascar Slim and Donne, Pa Jo, Alpha Yaya Diallo and The Mighty Popo), culminating with the release of the "African Guitar Summit" CD in 2004, which won the Juno Awards. Adam has also done several live recordings with the CBC, and has toured extensively across Canada, performing at music festivals as varied as Afrofest and the Toronto Street Festival, Whistler Festival, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, and the Blues Summit for the Toronto Blues Society. He's done work for the Toronto International Film Festival, and participated in documentaries including "The Immigrants" (produced by Jack Orlando) and "Jambo Kenya" (produced by Lalita Krishna & Insync Video).
To honour Black History month celebrations, Adam has become a valuable contributor to cultural education through music and storytelling, presenting interactive programs at universities, schools, and libraries.
Retaining his roots in traditional music, Adam's compositions embrace a wide variety of African rhythms, from traditional soukous, highlife, and reggae to samba, bossanova and rhumba. On his latest African Renaissance Blues CD release, Adam returns the blues to the African continent where it originated with African slaves. The effortless manner with which he controls the guitar so that it sings with him exemplifies the talent of this East African native. Adam's style of guitar playing is renaissance because it carefully fuses the Mississippi Delta blues style of BB King and Muddy Waters while highlighting the African blues style.
Adam sings in six languages, including Swahili, English, and Arabic. "The Professor", as he is known in musical circles, is highly respected as a lead guitarist and vocalist. In addition, he is experienced as a bass and rhythm guitar player, and is facile on the keyboard and percussion instruments. He also performs with his four piece blues band.
By Nancy Barrett & Opiyo Oloya
For more info please visit: www.cdbaby.com/adamsolomon2
or Adam Solomon's website on the left side of this page.
E-mail: prof_tikisa@hotmail.com or originaltikisa@yahoo.ca

Adam Solomon performances:

DENNOS MUSEUM Traverse City, Michigan USA
BLUE PRINT FESTIVAL AIR CANADA CENTRE, Toronto ,ON
"MILLENNIUM" FIRST NIGHT HARBOURFRONT CENTRE, Toronto
MARIPOSA FESTIVAL, Toronto
BANA YA AFRICA FESTIVAL, Toronto
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO, Toronto
CABBAGETOWN COMMUNITY FESTIVAL, Toronto
KENSINGTON FESTIVAL, Toronto
FESTIVAL OF FRIENDS, Hamilton, ON
BLOOR STREET FESTIVAL, Toronto, ON
YONGE STREET FESTIVAL, Toronto, ON
QUINTE ARTS FESTIVAL, Belleville, ON
DISCOVERY CHANNEL CHRISTMAS PARTY, Ontario Science Centre, Toronto, ON
A SCATTERING OF SEEDS - SOUND TRACK VISION TV, Toronto, ON
MONTREAL INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL, Montreal, Qb
TASTE OF THE DANFORTH FESTIVAL, Toronto, ON
CBC ROOTS IN THE RAFTERS Live Recording, Dhuram, ON
TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Toronto ON
NATHAN PHILIPS SQUARE, Toronto, ON
WHISTLER FESTIVAL, BC
SUNSHINE COAST FESTIVAL ON THE STREET, BC
EDMONTON JAZZ FEST, AB
AFRO FEST, Toronto, ON
ATLANTIC JAZZ FEST, Halifax, NS
WINNIPEG FOLK FESTIVAL, MB
BRANDON FOLK FESTIVAL, MB
VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL, BC
REGINA FOLK FESTIVAL, SK
TVO ONTARIO, Toronto, ON
SPECIAL OLYMPICS, Toronto, ON
AFRO-CARIBEAT, Toronto, ON
AFRO FEST BY THE LAKE CNE, Toronto, ON
HILLSIDE FOLK FESTIVAL, Guelph, ON
THE SILVER DOLLAR ROOM, Toronto, ON
HEALEY'S CLUB, Toronto, ON
THE RIVOLI CLUB, Toronto, ON
LULA LOUNGE BAR & REST, Toronto, ON
VANCOUVER ISLAND MUSIC FEST, Comox valley B.C
AFRO-FEST, Kitchener Waterloo, ON
African Guitar Summit Recordings Collaboration by CBC studios Toronto,ON
Live performance Glen Gould Studios CBC Toronto, ON
2005 Junofest performance in Winnipeg, MB
2005 live broadcasting at CBC Radio, Winnipeg, MB
2005 performance at High and Lonesome Club, Winnipeg, MB
Salmon Arm Roots & Blues Festival, BC
Mont Tremblant International Blues Festival, QC
(BIA at Greek Town) Sounds of The Danforth, Toronto, ON
TD Downtown JAzz Festival, Toronto Downtown jazz, ON
The Silver Dollar Room, Toronto, ON