March 20th 2003
(31st anniversary of police massacre in Gazteiz. Campanades a morts)
Communication 038
Hi Folks:
I was wrong. I announced that Komunikazioa Tour 2004 would be my last tour but after 3 years, I go back on the road during 4 months with unstopped series of live concerts. Well, it is what we commonly call a tour.
And it is precisely this year when at last, I have learned my lessons of Sean Connery (currently member of the Scottish National Party, member number 007) and used his famous sentence: “Never say never again”.
My tour name will not be “No more tour” but I can already tell you that I have decided to have a tattoo done with this sentence in “Memento” style.

And in these confused times “Inland Empire” of master Lynch where Basque police beats us on the ground while we are asserting our right to demonstrate, we need to have more sense of cinematographic humour as I will hold up and wave Chaplin’s red flag like in his movie “Modern Times”, in order to assert once again my Marxist condition (Groucho orientated).

Below, you will find the text written by Amaia about the tour and confirmed dates of concerts that will take place in April and May.

Any change, new confirmation or cancellation will be update on the website.

Ah! Before starting the tour, DJ Laia will make one more action on March 28th in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Big hugs and take care
Fermin Muguruza

FERMIN MUGURUZA&AFRO-BASQUE FIRE BRIGADE
TALKA TOUR 2007
He is back on stage. The awesome stage performer who has used activity and creation as a way of life, as starting point to evolve, comes back after three years without live concerts.

Three long years have passed since his last concert during Bilbao Fiestas where 30.000 people assisted, giving an end to two years of unstopped tours: at the beginning with Manu Chao and his Radio Bemba during the world famous “Jai Alai Katumbi Express” tour in 2003 and then with Kontrabanda during “Komunikazioa Tour” in 2004.
He announced then that it was his last tour, as he wanted to explore new performance formats and that is how he started performing, semi-clandestinely, under names as DJ Laia, Kontrakantxa FM, FM Trio akustikoa or Basque FIRE Department.

Nevertheless, after “Euskal Herria Jamaika Clash” album release in 2006, which was internationally acclaimed and recorded in Tuff Gong and Big Yard studios in Kingston, Jamaica, Muguruza gathered different musicians from Basque Country and Jamaica so as to present his album on November 11th 2006 in BEC in Barakaldo in front of 12.000 people who celebrated his involvement and coherence. After this festival, he feels the need to intervene in actual reality, giving all the power of his band while performing in a tour, which will start in April and finish in August 2007.

Fermin Muguruza comes back with this Talka Tour 2007 and a new band called AFRO-BASQUE FIRE BRIGADE, with his usual activists-collaborators (drums by Mikel Abrego, chorus by Sorkun, DJ DZ, Trikitixa by Xabi Solano, guitar by Oskar Benas and wind instrument section with trombone by Jon Elizalde, saxophone by Fino and trumpet by Lonbi) and other musicians who will join the band as Victor Navarrete at bass and Leo Rodriguez at percussions from Cuba, Franklin “Bubbler” Waul, musician of the famous Black Uhuru band, at keyboards and Stephanie Wallace, backing vocal of Anthony B at chorus from Jamaica. Thirteen musicians on stage, live, showing their Talka -shock, meeting, fight- Tour, playing, modifying and claiming Muguruza’s large repertory (Muguruza celebrates his 25 years in music) from the essential Kortatu, the Negu Gorriak reference to his numerous albums in different directions nowadays.

The public figure, the generator of opinion, the musician with a great variety of music styles and in constant turmoil, able to extract from himself all his possibilities and to channel them the cleverest way, comes back with his communicating and inimitable stage presence with an unique band.

We do not know how long we will have to wait after this 2007 tour. This is the reason why we will have an urgent appointment with the TALKA TOUR 2007 in any of its stops when we hear Fermin Muguruza&Afro-Basque Fire Brigade’ call.

Amaia Apaolaza
(Communication Dept. Talka Tour 007)