Prince festival

ICA to hold Prince festival

The man behind Purple Rain and Kiss will be celebrated at Princefest, a festival at The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London from 14-15 December.

The two-day festival is made up of film screenings, talks, Q&As and music performances in homage to American musician Prince.

Author Matt Thorne will discuss his new biography of Prince on 14 December, followed by a double screening of Purple Rain - the first film Prince starred in, and Graffiti Bridge, the unofficial sequel which he wrote, directed and appeared in.

Prince karaoke will be held in the ICA’s bar, before the evening concludes with a late night screening of Sign o’ the Times, the film covering Prince’s tour of the same name in the 1980s.

The festival's second day will open with a discussion between professor Sarah Niblock and Stan Hawkins about Prince’s impact on the fashion world. Screenings of musical film Under the Cherry Moon and documentary The Prince of Paisley Park will be shown, and 19 guitarists will perform Purple Rain in the evening, as a celebration of Prince as a virtuoso musician.

Prince-themed entertainment will follow and Princefest is set to close with a screening of Barberella, a 1968 film which influenced Prince’s work.

Rhythm Sessions

Rhythm Sessions

2012 album from the Jazz guitarist. In a career that spans five decades and more than 40 albums, guitarist Lee Ritenour has developed a keen understanding of the symbiotic balance between the frontman and the supporting players, between the wisdom of experience and the enthusiasm of youth. On Rhythm Sessions, he surrounds himself with a cadre of high-profile veterans and promising newcomers all of whom reaffirm the vital role played by the rhythm section in any worthwhile musical endeavor. Included on the Rhythm Sessions roster are luminaries like Chick Corea, George Duke, Stanley Clarke, Dave Grusin, Marcus Miller and many others. Also appearing throughout the record are the winners of Ritenour s 2012 Rhythm Section Competition including keyboardist Hans de Wild (Holland), pianist Demetrius Nabors (Michigan), bassist Michael Feinberg (New York) and drummer Selim Munir (Turkey). The album also features Ritenour s 19-year-old son Wesley, an aspiring drummer in his own right on one of the tracks.