NEW! 
Concerts/Festivals 2009
Videos from Part of Christmas Praise Evening Presentation
- http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1829090/Bibeltext_joh-3-16.mov
- http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1829090/Bibeltext_matt-5-13.mov
- http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1829090/Risto-Kalle%20greeting.mov
Date:
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Time:
9:00pm - 11:55pm
Location:
Kyrkbackens församlingshem i Karleby
Kom med och inled julen med att lovsjunga Gud.
At the Kyrkbackens Congregation Center in Karleby.
Come with the heart filled with Christmas and praising
På programet finns lovsång, förbön, undervisning, god mat, glögg samt gott sällskap. Ta med era vänner!
On the program there will be praise songs, prayers, teaching, good food, christmas finnish "glögg" warm and spicy drink along with good fellowship. Bring your friends!
The Oulu University Evangelistic Outreach Concert!
Pastor Ari Savuoja from the Oulu City Evangelical Lutheran Churches He organised the University concert on the 25th September. Super nice guy...
My band for that evening. The 20 year long and faithful longtime friend keyboardist extroadinaire Jouko Kantola. Musical Director. Jouko is kneeling... Left to right is some guy...don't know where he came from... Then next to him is the soulful blues guitarist, Tuomas Laajoki. Next is groove bassist, Miika Halmetoja. And finally "Mr Texas Shuffle King" Olli Estola!
SyysFestum i Uleåborg= (Fall Season Festival in the city of Oulu/Uleåborg) Finland
Thursday, the 24th September University Opening Festival from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. Below it says to come and hear good music and the spoken Word at the first Fall Season Festival at the Youth Center. In the concert you will hear Mikko Salmi, Tommi Kalenius headlining, straight from his concert tour in Korea, Christian-Charles "Risto-Kalle" de Plicque and Band: (Jouko Kantola, Musical Director). Don't miss it! Free Entry to all. Sponsored by: The Oulu/Uleåborg Evangelical Lutheran Churches
P.s. A little misprint of the name: Christian-Charles de Plicque This happens often in Finland where the second part of my name is used as the full first name.. Someone joked that: "Yes, we know that you are a Christian There is no need to attach it to your name Charles!" As though I attached the name "Christian" to use it as a title like: King Charles, or Emperor Charles...! That is why "Risto-Kalle" works better in Finland than my actual name!
24th September! The Christian-Charles de Plicque Allstars Band! University Concert! Live! In Uleåborg / Oulu! FINLAND.
Jouko Kantola keys/ Musical Director
Tuomas Laajoki, Guitar
Miika Halmetoja, Bass
Olli Estola Drums
kl. 21-kl.22 Raatti Youth House (Raatintie 7, 90100 Uleåborg/Oulu).
The Korean Experience! ... JINDO International Christian Music Festival 2009.
On Tour in Finland this month! "The Black Diamond Duo!" (English & Finnish translations) ....
FINALLY!!! On Tour in Finland!! 24-27- August!
Check web site for cities and dates! ...Breaking News!!The Black Diamond Duo!
At last! They are putting the final touches in the studio of their first ever cd!
It has taken 20 years for theses guys to get around to recording this and you will not be disappointed...Keep watching the web site for a release date! Produced by the Finnish legendary producer/musician, Janne Haavisto!
Happy Traditional Blues and Real Soul Music
Finland!
The True Story of... The Black Diamond!...
How it Was Found!
Torino Italia
In Eastern Finland, there’s a big province called: “Savo”, which among Finns is known as: “The Finnish Texas”. There is no oil though, no cowboys and no longhorn cattle. And, it’s not even near the Mexican border. But every time when a person born there opens their mouth, you can hear a strange “twang”, a funny accent... An accent which totally, (and some say brutally), breaks all the rules of the very complicated Finnish grammar. And that’s why they call it: The Finnish Texas!
When the whiter half of the Black Diamond Duo, Jakka Rissanen, born in Kuopio, (Savo), now resident in Lapinlahti, took his guitars and moved to Helsinki, in search for more work, the first thing he had to do, was to correct his twang. This was so that he could be understood, and credible in the main music center of Finland. Folks from Texas often have the same problem when they move to New York for example.
Kouvola Finland
Anyway, he managed quite well and found some work playing all styles of music, from progressive rock, to traditional Finnish “humppa-music”, from streets and small dance-halls, to theaters, studios and everything in between.
Eventually he found his way to the not-so-big blues circuit of Helsinki. There he had the chance to play the music that had been closest to his heart since his early teens. This was an opportunity to execute the musical language he had been learning from the 45’s and lps (“dinosaurs” as the new generation call them today), of guitarists of Texas.
The most important day, (slight exaggeration like most Finnish Texans), in the career of Jakka Rissanen, was the day when he met Monsieur Christian-Charles Milton de Plicque, a mulatto blues and Black Gospel singer from...you guessed it, TEXAS!
Asissi Italia
Born in Dallas, with heavy french roots...de Plicque, or: “Risto-Kalle” or "Crille", as he is known in Finland, being somewhat older than Jari, happened to know personally, some of the blues artists he admired the most. Guitarists like the late great Freddie King, Stevie Ray Vaughan (the late brother of Jimmie), Johnny Winter, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Johnny Winter...you get the picture. "Risto-Kalle" or "Crille", knew those guys and had played with them back in the ‘60’s. Especially having worked with Stevie Ray, in their first known group in the Southwest of Texas and Oklahoma called: “Blackbird”.
Ristirock (Cross Rock) Festival in Tampere Finland
Since those days in Texas, Monsieur de Plicque has had a remarkable career as an artist, performing Black Gospel and traditional happy blues all around the world. From Texas he moved to his family's’ homeland France, where he lived for over two decades, touring Central Europe, South Africa, Russia and Scandinavian countries with gifted musicians. In 1988 he officially left France, to settle in Finland. He is now a permanent resident and resides in the seaside... cosmopolitan city of Karleby (Kokkola). He obtained a degree in Swedish (Finland's’ second national language), and in Finnish too. In his city, he is journalist for the city's’ swedish-speaking newspaper, Österbottens tidning, for almost a decade now and is director of a Christian Arts association (Angel House International).
Ikaalinen Finland.
In 2003, "Risto-Kalle" released his 3rd european cd, and first one done in Finland: “Nothin’ But The Truth!”, and had no regrets about using talented Finnish musicians and background vocalists on it ... because they sound “quite black”, as he keeps saying... The nucleus of that studio group became the powerfully dynamic “Boss’s Band!”. That group of 14, swept through Finland like a fire out of control. It dissolved in 1990. But that cd as we approach 2010, is still selling like hotcakes and getting much airplay, not only in Finland, but around the world.
Asissi Italia
Rissanen of course, who has played in or recorded in all of Christian-Charles' bands, remains the “main man” guitarist of “Risto-Kalle”. In so much that The Black Diamond Duo was formed. This is very simple: a black man’s strong and soulful voice, accompanied by an old National steel-bodied guitar, slide, Dobro guitar, and sometimes a few other acoustic and electric guitars for colorful ambiance!
The Black Diamond Duo was formed when these two guys were sitting together in Jarkka’s apartment. Rissanen picked up his Dobro and began to accompany "Risto-Kalle" on an old Negro Spiritual he was humming.
Oulu Gospel 1988 (Oulu Finland)
They soon made a demo, at the request of friends who dug what they were doing. It was played to their musician and producer colleagues. Those folk immediately started to encourage them to do more of the same kind of stuff: that old Mississippi/Texas Gospel/Blues style, down-to-the-bone thang...
Things went on and The Black Diamond Duo had more and more performances at clubs, festivals, radio, tv, churches... You’ll hear all the old masters: Sonhouse, Robert Johnson, Bukka White, while mixed with a beautiful taste of steaming Black Gospel (Mahalia, Sister Rosetta Thorpe, The Fabulous Caravans, ....) and steady heaping spoonfuls of rhythm & blues to knock your socks off!
Like all Black Diamonds, this Black Diamond Duo is ever being polished to perfection...and is shining brilliantly even more so in the years to come, as it ages.
Roma Italia
In addition to de Plicque, who, according to Jarkka in any case, definitely got one of the most powerful voices on the planet, Rissanen is one of the very few musicians in Finland, who carries on the old Delta Blues/Gospel tradition with bottleneck style in the footprints of the great.
As the year, nears 2010, finally these two Savo-Texans have gotten back together, after more than a 18 years of being involved in other musical ventures. But don’t you worry! They still pack a wallop!
And so the story goes on.
The next chapter of The Black Diamond Duo story is due out any day now...
Story's English and Finnish text by:
Duo contact: Jarkka Rissanen
(040) 523-9823
Lapinlahti Blues Association r.y. Finland
For International Festival & Concert Reservations:
Angel House International
email: shalom.ahimma@pp.inet.fi
fax: +358.6.831 5358
Telephone: +358.6.831 5356
website: www.deplicque.net
©2010. Christian-Charles de Plicque and Angel House International Missions Ministries r.f. All Rights Reserved
Lapinlahden kaupungin akustisen ja sähköisen kitaran virtuoosi Jarkka Rissanen ja Kokkolasta tuleva "Risto-Kalle"/"Crille" tai Christian-Charles de Plicque ovat jälleen yhdessä yli 20 vuoden erillisten esiintymisten ja musiikillisten seikkailujen jälkeen. Nyt he ovat elvyttäneet tämän ikiaikaisen sielukkaan akustisen musiikin ja palanneet vihdoinkin takaisin "juurille".
"Risto-Kalle" on esiintynyt monia kertoja Kaamos Jazzissa, Imatra jazzissa, April Jazzissa, jne... eri muusikoiden kanssa alkaen 1980-luvun alkupuolelta mm.
Kuinka "The Black Diamond Duo!" muodostui? Se on hyvin yksinkertaista: mustan miehen vahva ja sielukas ääni, jota säestää vain valkoisen suomalaisen veljen (jolla on hyvin sielukas sydän) soittama vanha teräskuorinen National Steel kitara täydennettynä muutamilla muilla akustisilla ja sähköisillä kitaroilla...värin lisäämiseksi!
The Black Diamond alkoi kun nämä kaksi kaverusta istuivat Jarin asunnolla 80-luvun alkupuolella... Jarkka otti National Steelsa ja alkoi säestää Christian-Charlesia joka hyräili vanhaa Negro Spiritualia sillä hetkellä...
Kun aikaa kului ihmiset alkoivat pyytää heitä esittämään lisää samanlaista materiaalia, mutta konserttimuodossa; tiedättehän tuota vanhaa Missisippi/Texas Gospel/Blues tyyliä, peruskamaa...
Saatte kuulla kaikkia vanhoja blues/Gospel mestareita: Sonhouse, Robert Johnson, Bukka White, mixattuna kauniilla maistiaisella hehkuvaa Mustaa Gospelia: (Mahalia, Sister Rosetta Thorpe, The Fabulous Caravans, ....) ja lisänä lusikallinen rhythm & bluesia joka saa sukat pyörimään jaloissanne!
Kuten kaikkia Mustia Timantteja, tätäkin hiotaan jatkuvasti kohti täydellisyyttä...mutta se aikoo säteillä vieläkin kirkkaammin tulevina vuosina sen vanhetessa. Rissanen on yksi harvoja muusikoita Suomessa joka jatkaa vanhaa Delta Blues/Gospel traditiota bottleneck-tyylin soitolla suurten esikuvien jalanjäljissä.
Angel House International r.y.
Kokkola
Concerts/Festivals 2008
Hi everybody!
2008
Concert with the great Finnish Swedish-speaking Gospel Choir:
Ichtys!
Special Guest soloist: Christian-Charles de Plicque
The Choir is under the direction of:Tomas Koskinen. Musical Director: Stefan Jansson
At the Vasa City's Main Hall Time: 7 p.m.
Special Guests: Jennifer Åbacka, Dance; Per Ostein, Piano
Tickets for Adults: 15€, 10€ Students, u nder the age of 12 admission is free.
Ichtys Choir collaborates and works in conjunction with the Annual Vasa City Choir Festival
-Stefan
October 26, 2008 in Perho!
I have a few more concerts here, in the beautiful church at Perho (Finland) and another place nearby at the October...
SPAIN! Morrocco! The Rock of Gibraltar!
30th October-10th November
We arrive then to Malaga! And first stop: Fuengirola, Alhambra etc...
We are continuing the 80 Year European/ Scandanavian Anniversary Tour with these two great men's choirs from my city (Karleby/Kokkola):
The Kokkolan Lauluveikot and The Ottopojat.
If you remember, we began their Anniversary concert right here in Karleby/Kokkola several months ago. It is an honor to be their Guest Soloist as they continue on...
Those travelling with us, including the choir members, over 80! Should be quite an adventure...
All concerts will be broadcasted "Live!" throughout Spain and via the internet if you want to hear. It will be of course in Finnish but listen!
Back to Finland!
November 15, 2008
In the Cultural House in the city of Vasa
As guest soloist, with my former pianist and his great Swedish-speaking choir Icthys. This guy was my first musical director I had here before Mikael and I started working together about 8 years ago. His name is Stefan Jansson and very gifted. We have not played together since he "turned me over" to Mikael Svarvar. Stefan's work required more of his time in those days...
It will be great to get to minister with them, as he too is especially loved in swedish-speaking Finland and in Sweden. Honored to be able to work with him again after all these years.
My Bands' Hammond Organist, who plays with The Dynamite Band!, Pastor Rasmus Forsman, will join us! You see, Stefan is married to the organists' sister! Keeping it all in the family!
Holiday time! On up to Lapland!
19th-25th November
Booked again at the Annual International Jazz Festival in Lapland, called "Kaamos" Jazz. Which means the darkess time of the year in Lapland. No sun! Love it.
Been there 6-7 times over the decades and always a joy to go back. The organiser knows how to do it right for his artists and the public. It is very very different from the usual Finnish jazz and blues festivals in that he has unusual musical groups.They are not so famous in the world, not really big named stars in that sense, but they are never the less gifted and not "high maintenance" like some big american stars for example who take all the money they can..
The organiser, Kauko is his name, travels the world all year, looking for great artists to come to Lapland. You would love it at this particular festival. So intimate.
The artists play right in your face almost every night. They are so close to the tables. There is a big stage too for the big events, but most of us are playing also in very small places, which is super nice and reminds me of the old days, back in the '60's (wow AM I REALLY OLD!), but in those days, you were close to the groups and felt more like we were all one. Today it is much different sadly...
Lapland in winter in particular, is a place "to die for" for lack of a better terminology! Tons of snow, winter street fires burning around the clock, reindeers walking up and down the streets, sleighs with those cute sleigh dogs and folk skiing and all that... I will not refuse such a blessing! It is rare!
All these mentioned things are nice, but it goes without saying that even without them, my main reason for going, not just to this festival, but anywhere, is that the Gospel be announced.
Christmas?
Poland
21-29th December
2009?
On to Korea and more info about next year coming soon!
Christian-Charles
Keep listening to Fat City! Two times a week on Radio Dei!
13th January 2007
Backstage Christian Nightclub in Karleby (Finland)
more concerts in 2007 soon to be announced...
