Owner: SoundRoots Global Culture URL:www.soundroots.org Join Date: Tue, 02 Oct 2007 17:16:53 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: World music and culture blog, featuring CD and show reviews, mp3 postings, monthly Top 10 charts, and more. Live Locally, Groove Globally. Site statistics:Click here
A Great Day on Eldridge Street 2007-10-03 11:01:00 Klezmer musician, composer, author Yale Strom just let me know about a fascinating event taking place next week in New York. He's calling it "A Great
Day on EldridgeStreet
," modeled after the famous photograph "A Great Day
in Harlem."Strom's idea is to assemble 75 top klezmer musicians from around the world for a 10-day celebration, including workshops, concerts, and a group photo on Oct. 12.Here's the schedule:Thursday, October 11: Educational workshop with select group of musicians and second grade students at local Chinatown public school P.S. 1Friday, October 12: Procession 11:30am from the Eldridge St. Synagogue (12 Eldridge St.) to Seward Park featuring the musicians as they march down the streets of the Lower East Side. Photographer Leo Sorel will take a portrait of the group at 10am Saturday, October 13th: Evening concert at Elebash recital hall at the CUNY graduate center. (Located 365 5th Ave. and 34th St.) 8pm. The concert is presented by the Martin E. Segal Theatre in
Happy Satyagraha to You! 2007-10-02 19:54:00 I remember drifting in and out of sleep during the Phillip Glass opera Satyagraha. My eyes would creak open only to see the same people in the same places with the same music droning on around them. How long had I been out: seconds? minutes? an hour? Time seemed meaningless. My eyes fell shut again.Glass's treatment* notwithstanding, Satyagraha is not a dull concept. It's the nonviolent peace force that Mohandas K. Gandhi honed to an art form, ultimately using it to help liberate India from British colonialism.Gandhi's gone now, and it seems that violence currently has the upper hand over Satyagraha. But the thing about peace...you have to be in it for the long term. War is a temporary means that addresses only the symptoms of deep-rooted problems. Peace can fix the causes.Maybe the opera's sense of time dilation was good training for those of us who feel the similarly about today's political leaders. They don't seem to change, or learn, no matter how much time passes, no matter Read more:Happy
Monday's mp3: Loving Earth, Killing Trees 2007-10-15 16:05:00 I'm a tree killer.I feel bad about this. Every time I uproot a sapling, I look over my shoulder, expecting the scolding finger of Wangari Maathai to advance ominously toward me, urging me to mend my ways. While she and her friends are trying to fight global warming by planting a billion trees this year, I'm subtracting from the planet's total, one by one.In most ways, I'm very environmentally conscious. I recycle, heat my home with renewable energy, bike and walk and bus as much as I drive, and use compact fluorescent bulbs. I try to eat and shop locally, avoiding processed and far-transported foods.But tree-killing I can't avoid.It's not really my fault. I just happen to live in a part of the world where the main challenge isn't getting things to grow, it's keeping them from growing. Trees
, grasses, vines all conspire to take over any unmaintained space.So you'll regularly find me patrolling my yard, pulling hazelnut trees out of the lavender and black walnut trees from the t Read more:Monday
, Loving
, Earth
, Killing
Monday's mp3: Madame Afrique 2007-10-22 12:33:00 From our friends at South African label Fresh Music comes a great debut album from an energetic Afro-roots-pop-jazz band, Madame
Afrique.You could be excused if the opening track "Swamp Thing" doesn't put you in an African landscape -- it's a rich, upbeat jazz funk piece with a driving beat and minimal chanting vocals. But then comes the title track, and from the opening township-style guitar licks there's no mistaking the music's location.Madame Afrique is, by the way, an all-woman band, including some former members of Amampondo and Women Unite. They keep a marvelous and engaging balance between the traditional instruments and styles and more modern influences.Much as I love the big-name African performers such as Youssou N'Dour, Angelique Kidjo, and Baaba Maal, I'm delighted to find out about bands like Madame Afrique (and FreshlyGround) who are finally redefining Afro-pop for the new millennium.This track isn't as electric or driving as much of the rest of the album, but I Read more:Monday
Wordless: Spin The Globe playlist 19 October 2007 2007-10-20 17:10:00 It's no secret to alert SoundRoots readers that your tourguide on this romp through the music and culture of the world also hosts a radio show called Spin The Globe
on radio station KAOS-fm. I've been keeping the two projects somewhat at arm's length in the past, though for no particular reason.So in the interest of bringing you even more information, music, and resources relating to global tunes, here's the first direct link-up between the two.Spin The Globe playlist for 19 October
2007hour 1: wordless world music Dhol Foundation - Colours of Punjab - Big Drum Small World Te Vaka - Mata O Tane - Olatia Regis Gizavo, Louis Mhlanga, David Mirandon - International Rumba - Stories Forro in the Dark - Cajuina - Bonfires of Sao Joao Mercan Dede - Huo - Breath The Afro-Semitic Experience - Forgive Us (S’lakh Lawnu) - Ple
Remembering Lucky Dube 2007-10-19 10:35:00 From Gallo Records:The staff of Gallo Record Company are devastated by the news of the tragic passing of reggae legend Lucky Dube. Lucky was slain in an attempted hijacking in Rosettenville in Johannesburg last night, at approximately 8pm, whilst dropping off his children at a family members house.Although Lucky attempted to escape the scene, he had been fatally wounded from the hijackerís attempt to steal his motor vehicle, and he died almost instantly.Senseless and random, the death of Lucky Dube leaves a great void in the music industry, as 25 years of music suddenly ends in tragedy.South African born but globally revered, Lucky Dube was one of the countryís most toured and beloved artists ever. His music touched millions around the world, primarily through his 22 recorded albums - in Zulu, English and even Afrikaans - many of which have been record breakers with phenomenal sales from around the globe.As a frontline artist in the reggae genre, Lucky's creativity and inventiveness Read more:Remembering
Won't You Take Me Down To Kobo Town? (CD Review) 2007-10-25 19:41:00 Kobo Town: Independenceself-releasedbuy CD/hear samplesKobo Town is the result, to some extent, of a revelation by founder and bandleader Drew Gonsalves (left). Growing up in Dieto Martin, Trinidad, he hungered for foreign status symbols like running shoes, and was ashamed when his father brought home a new pair of shoes with the label "Made in Trinidad and Tobago."In the liner notes to Independence, Gonsalves writes about the widespread dismissal of the homegrown in favor of the foreign, and how this music has turned him back to his roots. "Written out of a love for old-time calypso, roots reggae and dub poetry, this record is also driven by a desire to join the effort of those West Indian artists, activists and musicians who have recognized that the wounds in our society run deep into our past, and that recovering a sense of cultural national and spiritual self-worth is a crucial first step in the path toward healing and renewal."Right. So it's got roots and good motivation. But, I
Monday's mp3: Obo Addy 2007-10-29 11:57:00 In world music circles, Ghana often gets overshadowed by the powerhouses of West African music, particularly Senegal and Mali. Make this mistake and you'll miss out on some unique artists and music, among them Palm wine guitarist Koo Nimo; gyill (xylophone) master Bernard Woma; the African Show Boyz, Nyanyo Addo, E. T. Mensah, Afro Moses, and today's focus artist, Obo Addy.Addy became a professional musician when still in his teens, and he's still going strong today at age 71. He lives in Portland, Oregon, and teaches at Lewis and Clark College. He leads the traditional group Okropong, and the Afro-jazz group Kukrudu, which plays Addy's own compositions.In last week's Spin The Globe interview, Addy explained that one key difference between the Ghanian rhythms and those elsewhere in West Africa is that Ghanians tend to fill up all the spaces...you rarely hear a pause in the rhythm. Today's song bears this out, with dense drumming, bells, gyill (the marimba-like sound), and some ma Read more:Monday
Music of Ghana w/ Obo Addy: Spin The Globe playlist 26 October 2007 2007-10-27 19:56:00 Playlist for Spin The Globe
on KAOS 89.3 FM, Olympia WA, USAWe were joined in the studio this week by master drummer/musician/teacher Obo Addy of Ghana. Now residing in Portland, OR, Addy in 1996 became the first African to receive theNational Heritage Fellowship Award by the National Endowment for the Arts. This is the highest honor a traditional artist can receive in the USA. Now 71 years young, he continues to teach, perform with his groups Okropong and Kukrudu, and run the nonprofit HOMOWO African Arts and Cultures. Hear the interview with Addy in the second half of this week's show.Artist - Song - Album hour 1 MC Rai - Is’ha (Wake Up) - Raivolution Kari Bremnes - Litt Happiness (Some Happiness) - Live Madame Afrique - Indaba - She’s Hot! Rupa & the april fishes - Plus que moi - Extraordinary rendition Chicago Afrobeat Project - Media Man - (A) Move to Silen Read more:Music
, October
Muslim Meanderings [book review] 2007-11-04 10:29:00 I remember clearly the feeling I had after I’d stepped off of the container ship and walked into downtown Auckland. I stood on a corner weighed down by both my heavy backpack and the unexpected question “What do I do now?”The simple answer is that I spent the next nine months exploring New Zealand, Australia, and Southeast Asia. The deeper questions, to some degree, haunt every traveler (and perhaps a few tourists): “Why am I here?” “What pushed me to leave home?” And then, there’s “Where will I sleep tonight?”In her travels through Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey, Maliha Masood faced additional questions. A Pakistan-born American Muslim
woman, she ponders in her travel journal Zaatar Days, Henna Nights additional questions about the meaning of identity, religion, home, and friendship.Masood frequently ruminates on her ambiguous standing. As an American (and as a woman defying local norms by traveling without a plan, and without male supervision) she’s an odd out Read more:review
, book review
Czech vs. Iran - STG playlist 2 NOV 07 2007-11-02 23:34:00 Spin the Globe Playlist for 2 November 2007heard on KAOS-fm or streaming liveToday's show ping-ponged between music from the Czech
Republic and Iran in the first hour, and wandered more globally in the second hour, including previews of upcoming performances by Albino, Vagabond Opera, Sonia & Dissapear Fear, and Correo Aereo. For details of those tours, see the Spin The Globe/SoundRoots Calendar. Oh, and happy Halloween and Dia De Los Muertos, with best wishes from Zombie Fish (pictured).hour 1 Monika Jalili - Boyer Ahmadi - NoorSaaz Triny - Adadzives – Dnes (Today) - Aven (Come On) Arian Band - Afsoongar (Glamorous) - Rough Guide to Iran Ahmed ma hlad - Dobro - Magadan Rahmatollah Badiyi - Introduction II - Sounds of the Violin & Kamancheh Vera Bila & Kale - Helena - Kale Kalore Ekova - Sister - Heaven’s Dust Tomas Kocko & Orche
Roma + Techno = Rromatek! 2007-11-02 00:10:00 Shukar Collective: Rromatek (CD Review)(Eastblok Records)I've made no secret of my love for Shukar Collective's first album, Urban Gypsy. A graceful balance of traditional Romanian "bear-tamer" vocals with subtle programmed beats, it brought new life (and a new audience) to an old art form.The collective's second album is a lateral move. They certainly won't be accused of recycling ideas, but neither is it clear that they're building on the first album. Rromatek tosses out the old balance, and leaps into a more techno sound, letting the beats and programming dominate much of the album.Incessant thudding may be great for the club, but less appealing to the world music fan. Several tracks with less electronica work well for me, including "Oh, Girl," "Ragga Mami," "Napolament," and the "hidden track" at the end of the album, a re-imagined "Taraf." The rest...well, maybe you should hold off buying the album and instead catch it at your neighborhood global disco.buy CD/hear samplestags Read more:Techno
Halloween Snacks... 2007-10-31 21:28:00 I was thinking about the most appropriate Halloween
music today. Some version of La Llorona, perhaps? Maybe an African song about ancestors, or perhaps something creepy from Transylvania?Then I heard The World, and it all fell into place. On today's Global Hit, Lars Nedland talked about "folk-metal":You get a lot of bands around the globe using the heavy metal framework and the basic folk music of their own area. That's how you get Vedic Metal in Singapore and India, you get Celtic Metal in Ireland. You get bands all over the globe searching their own cultural history, their own musical history.Of course, this is hardly breaking news. Boiled in Lead has been doing the Celtic-rock thing for years, and a few years back I discovered the burgeoning German goth-bagpipe-rock scene through the music of Corvus Corax and Potentia Animi.So for Spookday this year, here's a tune that will go well with glowing pumpkins, ghosts hanging from trees, and the like. "Nachtfrass," if my rudimental Germ
The Mystery of Hungarian Beatboxing 2007-11-08 00:22:00 So I recently ran across an album that blew me away. It's called Ertem a Kujonsagot. I don't know how to say that. I don't know what it means. And I know almost nothing about the group behind the music.The band is Zuboly, and they hail from Hungary. (My Hungarian-ancestored friend Juli says their name is pronounced Zu-bowl, or something like that.)Zuboly does something that appears to be a blend of traditional and experimental along with...wait for it... beatboxing! I can't explain why it works, but it does. Remember when you whistled using a piece of grass? Well, one of the Zuboly members seems to have become accomplished at that, playing actual melodies. Also harmonica, drums, bass, sax, bagpipes. And a fellow named Busa Istvan is apparently responsible for the beatboxing.Here are a couple brief song samples from the album: Boldog Karácsonyt M.J., D.J a Gekkoman And yes, I have a complete song for you as well. Is it a cover, or just sampling? Whatever, this is surely one of th Read more:Mystery
Antonio Adolfo, soft and funky (CD Review) 2007-11-05 12:31:00 Antonio Adolfo, Brazil & Brazuka: Destiny(Far Out Recordings)After listening to Destiny, I felt compelled to pull out Sergio Mendes’ 2006 release Timeless. Adolfo and Mendes were contemporaries, after all, and their recent releases both hail back in some ways to that 1960s heyday of their Brazilian pop stylings. But while Mendes brought in contemporary artists – most prominently the Black Eyed Peas – to build a bridge between old and new, Adolfo takes a dramatically different approach.Destiny eschews contemporary references, pairing the soft vocal harmonies of sisters Carol Saboya and Luisa Saboia with the gently funky guitar of Jose Carlos and Adolfo’s own keyboards, along with a rich, smooth backing of percussion, horns, and strings.Amid the current flood of re-releases and retrospectives (not that I have anything against the better ones, mind you), it’s a fresh approach to have a musician record fresh takes of the music that was popular nearly a half-century ago. I’m Read more:Antonio
Mondays mp3: Ska Mitzva 2007-11-12 23:01:00 It started out as a wildly stormy day: cold, windy, rainy. But then I was asked to fill in this afternoon. Another chance to share global tunes? Of course, I said yes. So below is a bonus playlist. Sorry, no audio archive for this bonus show, but I'll share one piece of it, an under-appreciated and very fun Jewish ska tune.King Django is the musical alter-identity of Jeff Baker, who's been part of a number of NYC ska bands and record labels. And the song? Let's turn to the King himself, in an israelbeat interview:[W]hen Stubborn All Stars were signed to Profile Records, the guy that signed us had asked me if I wanted to make a Stubborn All Stars Christmas record. And I just told him, naa, I can't make a Christmas record because I'm Jewish. About a week later I was in the office doing some stuff and he came over to me and he said 'I've got it!' And I was like what do you mean? He said, 'Ska-Mitzvah!' I was looking at him like, what are you talking about? And he said, you know, Read more:Mondays
World Music Top 10 - November 2007 2007-11-11 12:17:00 SoundRoots / Spin The GlobeTop 10 WorldMusic
Albums - November
20071. Shantel: Disco Partizani!Germany's Balkan beatmeister shines on this infectious party album. 2. various artists: Rough Guide to Latin FunkThis fantastic compilation drops from #1, but stays high on the charts this month. 3. Albino: RhinoBay Area Afrobeat ensemble now on tour, keeping Fela's musical legacy (and the art of musical politics) alive. 4. Shukar Collective: RromatekRromatek tosses out the roots-city balance of their first album and leaps into a more techno sound, letting the beats and programming dominate much of the album, with mixed results. 5. Habib Koite & Bamada: AfrikiMali's guitar-toting griot's powerful new album. 6. Manu Dibango: Lion of AfricaDon't think of Dibango as a relic of the synth-laden Afropop past; his new CD will win him new fans. 7. Mau Mau: DeaRaucous Italian group mixes rock and roots in a unique, high-energy blend. 8. Gipsy.cz: Ro
Afrobeat Meets Indonesia - STG playlist 9 NOV 07 2007-11-10 00:12:00 Spin the Globe Playlist for 2 November 2007heard on KAOS-fm or streaming liveMore strange bedfellows this week, as we ping-ponged between Afrobeat jams and music from Indonesia
. Plus new releases and concert previews in hour 2. Got lots of calls for the ticket giveaways to Gamelan Cudamani and Afrobeat group Albino (see calendar for details on those and other upcoming shows). hour 1 - Artist - Song - Album SambaSunda - Lost Two Tigers - BerekisEuforquestra - Obatala - Explorations in AfrobeatDetty Kurnia - Dar Der Dor - Rough Guide to IndonesiaAlbino - Jing Bongwa - RhinoDebu - Ya Laitani - International samplerTony Allen - Crazy Afrobeat - Home CookingOrkes Kroncong Mutiara - Langgam Di Bawah Sinar Bulan Purnama - Music of Indonesia 20: Indonesian GuitarsThe Afromotive - On the Cuff - Scare TacticsMarsada - Silambiak Ni Pinasa / the Soft Inside of the Jackfruit - Pulo SamosirChicago Afrobeat Project - - (a) Move to Silent UnrestSTSI Surakart - Ketawang Mijil Dhempel - Gamelan of Cen
Monday's mp3: Giving Thanks Interfaithfully 2007-11-19 13:09:00 Yesterday I attended an interfaith Thanks
giving celebration featuring music, chant, and prayers from many faith traditions. It was inspiring, and is still in my mind this morning as I enter a new week that's capped by the great holiday of gratitude this Thursday.In that spirit, today's posting has interfaith aspects. For one, the Sufis are undoubtedly an open-minded bunch. And this track, taken from a compilation of Sufi music put out by Shanachie in 1999, features Sufi music from a Hindu musician. Don't ask me to explain the theological delicacies of that; just breath deeply and enjoy.Don't worry about saving these songs!And if one of our instruments breaks,it doesn't matterWe have fallen into the placewhere everything is music.-RumiKirshan Lal Bheel, the liner notes tell us, is a Bheel musician from the desert of Cholestan, adjacent to Rajasthan. "He sings Hindu Bhajans in praise of Krishna with equal conviction as the verses of the Muslim saints. Here, he picks up the mystical Read more:Monday
, Giving
South of the Border: STG playlist 16 NOV 2007 2007-11-16 20:46:00 Spin the Globe Playlist for 16 November 2007heard on KAOS-fm or streaming liveMusic from Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Cuba, and beyond in the first hour of this week's show, followed by more global wandering in hour 2.hour 1Color Tango de Roberto Alvarez - Yunta de Oro - Tango a Pugliese vol. 3 Maria Rita - Cria - Samba Meu DJ Bitman - Black Bossa - Latin Bitman Percentie Brothers - Goombay Drum - Putumayo Presents Calypso Federico Aubele - Pena - Tango Around the World Gloria Estefan - Lo Nuestro - 90 Millas Correo Aereo - Al Son de la Tambora - Lo Que Me Dijo El Viento Orishas - A Lo Cubano - A Lo Cubano Upground - Recumbia - Feel the Vibe Lataye - Sa w Fe Pou Yo - Tou Manbre Guinga - Di Menor - Dialetto Carioca SambaDa - Baiana - Salve a Bahia Gabriel Moura - Tem Fila - Brazilian Playground Lo Read more:South
, Border
Sacred World Music: Spin The Globe playlist 23 NOV 2007 2007-11-23 18:46:00 The Evergreen campus was silent the morning of Black Friday -- not a soul in sight amid the frost-encrusted lawns and trees clinging to their last few leaves. But the chimerical allure of consumerist nirvana doesn't stop the radio. Indeed, I'd much rather be broadcasting good music than fighting crowds at the mall.So the show went on with a mix of sacred world music in the first hour and wider variety in the second hour. I've raved before about the Kobo Town CD Independence; again on this day their lyrics ring true but sometimes forgotten facts about each of us: they whisper in your ears, play your fears,summon smiles, conjure tears,but you're still the image of the Most Highno matter how you look in their eyesso don't let them seduce youdon't let them reduce youdon't let them define younever let them refine youyou are more than you consumemuch more than you presumemore than others might assumebeautiful soul--Kobo Town, "Beautiful Soul"(If you missed the show you can listen or d Read more:Music
, World
, Globe
Global Sounds, Global Visions 2007-11-20 11:42:00 You know I don't like blogs that are bloated with embedded youtubisms, and you won't find that at SoundRoots. But there are some good and worthy videos out there, and here's a roundup of some you can view online.Tinariwen are still on tour, with performances still to come in Sherbrooke QC, Montreal QC, Quebec City QC, Boston MA, Burlington VT, New York NY, and Santa Fe NM. For a taste of their sound and look, check out this Tinariwen video.[mp3] Tinariwen: Mano Dayakfrom Aman Iman: Water Is Life (Outside Music) Buy at iTunes Music StoreAnd yet more global videos:Music for One Apartment and Six Drummers (really amazing!)Hermeto Pascoal & other semi-naked Brazilian men making music in a river (another favorite)Forro in the Dark: ForrowestGabriela Mendes: TradiciaoLadysmith Black Mambazo with Sarah McLachlan on Jay LenoPalabuniyan Kulintang Ensemble: Talking GongsHuun Huur Tu live in Munich, Germanyand you can find a heap of Mauritanian videos of various quality -- including music Read more:Global
, Sounds
, Visions
Island Surf Holiday 2007-11-29 11:17:00 SoundRoots loves its readers! All of you! But today we're thinking particularly of those of you on the islands of the world. Yes, in addition to all of us mainlanders, the tubes of the Internet cross the vast oceans to reach places like Japan, New Zealand, Indonesia, Hawaii, the Caribbean, Iceland, Mauritius, even a few places we're not sure we've heard of.And while there's probably minimal surfing going on in Iceland this season (or has global warming progressed that far?!?!), islands make us think of surfing. Combine that with the holiday season, and what else could you get but a traditional carol done up in surf-guitar fashion? My friends, I give you...[mp3] Monty, Dale, & the 2 x 2's: The Lil' Endless Summer Boyfrom the album Blame It On Christmas (1995, Schoolkids Records)This album apparently is out of print, but it's worth finding. Also includes gems like "That Swingin' Manger" and "Shlepp the Halls with Loaves of Hallah" (which we shared earlier).tags: worldmusic, h Read more:Island
, Holiday
Dancing Dreydls 2007-11-27 21:22:00 Hanukkah doesn't start until sundown Dec. 4, but after yesterday's Nutcracker posting, I just couldn't get this out of my head. So you get it a little early.Based on the same Tchaikovsky piece as the big-band-jazz song posted yesterday, this takes the original in a very different and delightful direction. Arranger Michael McLaughlin squeezes all manner of klezmer stuff into this, from pinched clarinet to swinging brass and that characteristic Middle-Eastern beat. I don't really have an explanation for the banjo...is that somehow more common in klezmer than I've been led to believe?Anyway, enjoy this piece. Listen to it next to yesterday's Ellington. Compare and contrast. I'll expect a brief, pithy essay by the end of the day tomorrow (or at least your thoughtful comments).[mp3] Shirim: Dance of the Dreydlsfrom Klezmer Nutcracker - also available at CDbabyLike the Ellington disc, Shirim adds some other tunes after the seven Nutcracker adaptations, in this case similar klezmerific Read more:Dancing
Mondays mp3: Sacred Ellington 2007-11-26 18:54:00 I'm off in a minute to the benefit concert for the World Sacred Music Festival, so this is a very brief posting. In case you can't get to the show, here's a little taste. The Jazz Senators will be playing Duke Ellington
's version of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite (it's first live performance in Olympia!), as well as klezmer and holiday tunes.I'm not a huge fan of the original Nutcracker, perhaps because of oversaturation. But I like Ellington's version almost as much as I like Shirim's Klezmer Nutcracker (about which, more on a future date).[mp3] Duke Ellington: Toot Toot Tootie Toot (Dance of The Reed-Pipes)from Three Suitestags: sacred music, duke ellington, klezmer, jazz senators, nutcracker, Tchaikovsky
Read more:Mondays
Sloths in Italy? 2007-12-06 22:44:00 CD REVIEWSursumcorda: L'Albero Dei Bradipi (Passion)buy CD/hear samplesFor reasons that aren't clear, the booklet to this Italian-language disc includes lyrics only in English. This odd surprise gives a welcome insight into the music of this group whose credits might make you think they're a classical music ensemble, with instruments including cello, salterio (an Italian zither), recorders, oboe, slide flute, English horn, and classical guitar. While the music is intricate, precise, and beautifully played, the arrangements (and the inclusion of other instruments including kalimba, berimbau, hand drums, and mouth harp) put this more firmly in the world music pasture.The band's name is Latin for "Lift up your hearts," and I suppose they do at that. Not in a bouncy, pop-music sort of way, but with a sort of melancholy that befits the gray area they occupy between classical and folk styles. It took me a couple listens to really appreciate this album, but I was won over by the crazy tee Read more:Italy
Monday's mp3: Six-String Christmas 2007-12-03 21:57:00 CD REVIEWLuis Villegas: Guitarras de Navidad (Tenure)buy CD/hear samplesEvery year, the holiday albums flow in. And it's a rare one that catches my ear, rising above the ranks of rehashed carols. Luis Villegas accomplishes this with an album of traditional carols mixed with a couple less familiar tunes. "Peces en el Rio" has a flamenco-rock vibe without becoming too slick. "Jingle Bells" gets downright danceable with its Afro-Cuban rhythms and a tight horn section. The traditional Mexican tune "La Rama" sounds like a village celebration ('cause that's where it's from!). Fine, creative arrangments with variety in the instumentation and vocals make Guitarras the freshest holiday offering I've heard this year. Enjoy this track, buy the album.[mp3] Luis Villegas: Jingle Bellsfrom Guitarras de Navidadtags: worldmusic, latin, luis villegas, christmas, holiday
Read more:Monday
, String
, Christmas
SONiA & disappear fear - LIVE: STG playlist 30 NOV 2007 2007-12-01 11:52:00 They had to reschedule because of a sudden call from Idan Raichel to do some recording for an upcoming project, but SONiA & disappear
fear finally made it to the KAOS studios yesterday for some great music live on Spin The Globe. It was their final day on the west coast -- touring in support of their new album Tango -- before heading inland on a swing eastward through Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and beyond (see tour schedule).hour 1 (Artist - Song - Album )Sonia & Dissapear Fear - Tango / Lil Annaka - Tango Kobo Town - Higher than Mercy - Independence Garcia - Nil ‘na La - Woven Ways Rajery - Gasikara - Sofera Terrakota - Mahgrebi - Oba TrainSONiA & Disappear Fear - Shorashim / Roots - Live in the KAOS studio SONiA & Disappear Fear - Cayendo / Fallin’ - Live in the KAOS studio SONiA & Disappear Fear - Mica Moca / Who Is Greater - Live in the KAOS studio
Sufi Music 2007-12-15 21:58:00 Spin the Globe Playlist for 14 December 2007This week's show featuring Sufi music generated lots of listener response as we ranged from the traditional to very modern Sufi sounds. Lots of calls also as we gave away a copyof The Rough Guide to the Music
of Morocco.Artist - Song - Album hour 1 - Sufi Music Nawal - Kweli II - Aman Essawas de Fes - Unidentified - Fez: Giving soul to globalization Mercan Dede - Mercanistan - 800 Nass el Ghiwane - Mahmouna - Rough Guide to Morocco Youssou N'Dour - Allah - Egypt Boubacar Diagne - Women's Choir - Tabala Wolof Omar Faruk Tekbilek - Sufi - One Truth Shafqat Ali Khan - Yaad / Memory - Sublime Sufi Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Ya Hayyo Ya Qayyum` - Rough Guide to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan hour 2 Electric Kulintang - The Ancients - Dialects Nayim Alal - Bleida
World Music Top 10 - December 2007 2007-12-11 10:46:00 SoundRoots / Spin The GlobeTop 10 WorldMusic
Albums - December
20071. Rajery: Sofera 2. Shantel: Disco Partizani! 3. Sola Akingbola: Routes to Roots 4. various artists: Rough Guide to Latin Funk5. Albino: Rhino6. Yousou N'Dour: Rokku Mi Rokka7. Shukar Collective: Rromatek8. Habib Koite & Bamada: Afriki9. Yale Strom & Hot Pstromi: Borsht with Bread, Brothers10. Gipsy.cz: Romano Hip HopI've been working recently on compiling the best albums of 2007, and it's tough going. Lots of great contenders, and paring them down to the few best is difficult. If you'd like to help, or simply to post your own Top 10 albums of the year, pop your list or nominations into the comments. Hmmm. And I should come up with a prize drawing for everyone who contributes. Stay tuned for details on that....tags: world music, top 10, charts, spintheglobe, rajery
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