Orchestra Baobab are perhaps my favorite band from Africa ever. That’s saying something, as they rank higher to me than the ever-brilliant Fela Kuti or Tony Allen. This particular album blends traditional West African pop and local traditions with an Afro-Cuban vibe, jazz, and even a hint of psychedelic music.
World Music
Russian World Music Chart 2024 (Redacted)
We have an update from the Russian World Music Chart. Read below: Russian World Music Chart 2024 Making Russian folk music visible for the world In October 2021, Russia’s first world music chart, the Russian World Music Chart (RWMC), was launched. The purpose of RWMC is to attract the attention Continue Reading
Various Artists – Glitterbeat Records: Taa! Our Language May Be Dying, But Our Voices Remain
From Glitterbeat Records’ Bandcamp site: “Volume #11 of our acclaimed Hidden Musics series. The Taa language in Botswana possesses 112 sounds, the most of any language in the world. In contrast, English has approximately 44 sounds, Italian 32. But there are only around 2,500 Taa speakers remaining and the language Continue Reading
Russian World Music Chart 2024
The good folks at the Russian World Music Chart have announced their top-20 of 2024, and each made for stunning listening. Due to a few health issues and the loss of my partner in this endeavor, Steven Shore, I wasn’t able to participate as fully as I would have liked Continue Reading
The Baltic Sisters – Värav / Vārti / Vartai
Our dear friends at CPL-Music have a release I am rather excited about. It should be available on the 31st of January, 2025, so our wait time is not so long. You can pre-order the disc here. From the label’s press release: “The Baltic Sisters are a cross-border folk ensemble Continue Reading
Jisr – Live In Kolkata
From the band’s website: “JISR (جسر) is a Munich-based collective led by the charismatic linguist, singer, percussionist and gembri player Mohcine Ramdan. He has gathered some of Bavaria’s best musicians to share his vision of an emotional pan-oriental sound deeply rooted in the tradition of his musical family. Their live Continue Reading
Al-Qasar – Uncovered
What an astounding follow-up! We had the pleasure of reviewing Al-Qasar’s work in 2022, but this sophomore release (at least as far as we know) is a compilation of covers including Depeche Mode’s seminal classic Personal Jesus. From the band’s Bandcamp site: “With this second full length, Al-Qasar consolidate their Continue Reading
The Resian Folk Group – Resia Valley: String-Band Music from Eastern Alpine Italian Villages ca. 1978
The Resian Folk Group were from the Resia Valley in the Italian Alps. What sets them apart from their countrymen are their folk traditions and language, which seem to have a strong Slovene influence. Canary Records does their usual outstanding job remastering this collection. It sounds absolutely gorgeous considering the Continue Reading
Various Artists – Magnificent Sounds Records: ¡Con Piano, Sublime! : Early Recordings from the Caribbean 1907-1921
This is the second Magnificent Sounds Records release we’ve had the pleasure of featuring. This one covers music from Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago and Puerto Rico, among other locales. Wonderfully remastered, and worthy of your time.
Yoruba Singers – Fighting for Survival
It’s not often that we get to present to you a band from Guyana! From the Yoruba Singers’ Bandcamp site: “Having remained continuously active since 1971, the Yoruba Singers are the longest-running musical group in Guyana. Emerging from a music scene mostly dominated by slick, commercial entertainment, the Yoruba Singers Continue Reading