Music Biz Headlines, Dec. 20, 2017

By Kerry Doole

Daniel Caesar ‘is gonna be bigger than The Weeknd’

Toronto’s new R&B star sells out five nights at the Danforth Music Hall, singing to a swooning audience that knows every word  –  Ben Rayner, Toronto Star

Abba's Björn Ulvaeus: I had no idea 1970s Britain was so gloomy

The band member speaks at a preview of London exhibition that lovingly recreates scenes from era of band’s sensational success –  Mark Brown, The Guardian

Meaghan Smith wants to write your song 

The Halifax artist turned her career down a different path in 2017 with her Our Song project –   Piper MacDougall, The Coast

Fourth Tenor, Remigio Pereira, on the comeback trail

If you’re still wondering why singer Remigio Pereira veered from the script during a high-profile performance by his former group, The Tenors, his response is contained in the first new song of his post-Tenors solo career  –  Lynn Saxberg, Toronto Sun

Music Reviews: G-Eazy, Lenka Lichtenberg and Justin Gray and Synthesis

The albums range from US hip-hop to the songbook of a Czech musician and Indo-Western fusion from a Toronto ensemble –  Stuart Derdeyn, Vancouver Sun

California Sounds: 30 essential Los Angeles records of 2017

Is there too much recorded music in the world? Yes! Is most of it forgettable? Certainly. Here are 30 albums by Los Angeles-area artists issued this year that deserve your investment –  Randall Roberts, LA Times

A critical analysis of Bob Dylan's 2017 Xmas lights

For almost a decade, I have had an unhealthy obsession with the Christmas lights on Bob Dylan's Malibu home. Here's what I learned from this year's display –  Merrill Markoe, Vice

Halifax floats idea of 'entertainment district,' separate noise rules

City staff are working on a report to council due in the spring –  Shaina Luck, CBC News

Netflix for Jazz? Quincy Jones’s Qwest TV takes concerts and films digital

For much of jazz’s history, devotees discovered music over the radio airwaves and in library stacks, rooting out old LPs or videos to borrow and sample –  Giovanni Eussonello, NY Times

The best albums of 2017, No 5: Perfume Genius – No Shape

Mike Hadreas’ genre-switching fourth album was breathtakingly original, his lyrics of personal pain spiking a shimmeringly sublime score –  Kitty Empire, The Guardian

Music lovers pick three great Canadian unsung seasonal songs

Three musical authorities turn up the volume on three top Canadian tunes for the holidays  –  Peter Goddard, Toronto Star

Jazz legend Sonny Rollins on retiring his sax, his legacy, and the secret to life

If you’ve got a heart, Sonny Rollins’s music can touch it  –  David Marchese, Vulture

Vancouver concert promoter bans Nazi symbols at shows

Action is taken after a concertgoer gives a Nazi salute –  Vancouver Sun

Rolling Loud's SoCal debut underscore's hip-hop's cultural dominance

The two-day fest in San Bernardino featured a deeply stacked lineup of chart-toppers, underground rap talent and buzzy acts percolating on the internet  –  Gerrick Kennedy, LA Times

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to address first 'jazz congress'

Abdul-Jabbar will discuss what role jazz can play in the cultural, political and social framework of today's society   – CP

The best New Year’s Eve 2018 parties and events in Toronto

The prime musical choices include The Sadies, Wintersleep, and Dwayne Gretzky – Chris Rattan, NOW