Al Black & Friends Serve Up a Feast March 31st at the Market Hall

Those with a hearty appetite for rich musical fare are in for a treat. Nine distinguished local musicians will be serving a musical gumbo of Delta Blues, Roots Rock and New Orleans Rhythm at the Market Hall on the eve of Saturday, March 31.

This feast is being prepared by Al Black, known for his outstanding work as a member of Jackson Delta and more recently, Rocket 88.

In the twenty-odd years that Al Black has been playing professionally, he's filled his plate high with a number of talented musical friends. The March 31st concert is a gourmet assortment of this area's finest: Gary Peeples, Cris Cuddy, Denis Delorme, Chris Fournier, Julian Scott, Rob Steele, and Andy Pryde. They will be joined on stage by Maggi Ksander and Sian Wilson, two women who have been working with Black, singing backup vocals on recent recording projects.

Most of the musical material that Al Black and Friends will be dishing out on the 31st is new to the players, and to audiences. Much of the fare is original material that Chris Cuddy has cooked up for this banquet of players.

In talking to Black, you get the sense that it is truly an honour and a pleasure for him to make music with such distinguished peers, people who play for the music and who do it well.
These days, Al Black gets to exercise both his love for music, and his appreciation for food again and again. Without the demands of a touring schedule, Black focuses his attentions more on the home front, rehearsing, arranging or playing almost daily. Black's cooking at Maggie's Garden, a new restaurant on Hunter Street, keeps him very busy, and well fed.

Keeping musicians fed is something that's on Black's mind these days. We spoke about the meager earnings afforded musicians and songwriters who devote themselves fully to their craft. To earn Black's respect as a friend, musically, you have to be someone who's just as enthusiastic about the low paying gigs as the moneymakers.

In his travels, Black has been to communities the size of Peterborough that have arranged for a musician's stipend, and annual award of a few thousand dollars to enable a musician to focus their attentions fully on their work. Something to work towards in this community.

There really are very few places in the world that compare to Peterborough in terms of the richness of musical culture. 'So few' says Black, 'I could count them on one hand'. Peterborough is known world-wide as a place that spawns high calibre musicians. Black has spend time in the American South, and in Scotland, and says 'everywhere you go, people know at least one musician from Peterborough'.
In his distinguished musical career Al Black's played hundreds of venues, and says, 'without exaggeration, Market Hall is one of the best live music venues anywhere'

Tickets for Al Black & Friends are $10 in advance at Moondance, $12 at the door.

Go on, feed yourself in style.