The estimable Far Out Recordings scores another hit with Bruno Berle’s latest album, one which perfectly blends a more updated bossa nova sound with a more R&B-style groove underpinning the release. Elegant.
World Music
Goran Kajfeš Tropiques – Tell Us
Elegant and rather swanky music is on order today, courtesy of trumpeter Goran Kajfeš.
Slavyk – 11 Songs of Love & Suffering
Our dear friends (well done, Christian) at CPL-Music have a wonderful new release from the Polish-Serbian band Slavyk. From their press release: “Slavyk is the sonic offspring of an ever-evolving international music theatre project. The Polish-Serbian quartet brings together Silesian and Serbian musical traditions alongside English lyrics, blending jazz, pop, Continue Reading
Keçaçioğlu Muhammad, Gurban Primov & Sasha Ohanezashvili – An Azeri Mugham Trio ca. 1912
From the damn-near-perfect record label Canary Records’ Bandcamp site: “Keçaçioğlu Muhammad was the stage name of Muhammad Mashadi Khalil oglu who was born June 18, 1864 in the city of Shusha in the mountainous region of the Russian Empire known to the overwhelming Armenian majority of its residents for centuries Continue Reading
Various Artists – Music in Exile presents “Jutna”
From the label’s website: “Jutna” is the result of their time spent together, and an answer to that question. In the Wolof language of Senegal, the phrase ‘Jutna’ means “it is time”. Asked to expand on this, guitarist/vocalist Magou Samb stated — “Jutna means, it is time. Time to Continue Reading
RIHA – V
The seminal blog A Closer Listen introduces us to a treasure of a Georgian composer, Rati Oniani (RIHA). It’s a magically weird amalgam of metal, Svan folk, and baroque music. The absolute diamonds one can find in this city never cease to amaze me. You can read the article here: https://acloserlisten.substack.com/p/v
Various Artists – Canary Records: Romane Gil’a: 1958-71 Field Recordings of Roma Songs from Slovakia, Eastern Czechia & Northern Hungary
The ever-great Canary Records released this compilation in November 2024, and I finally had a chance to listen to it. From the label’s Bandcamp site: “Originally released in 1973 in Czechoslovakia as “Romane Gil’a: Anthology of Gypsy Songs” with a cover that looked like an Emerson, Lake, and Palmer album Continue Reading
Various Artists – Mississippi Records: Aman Aman – Greek Anatolian Laments
From the Mississippi Records Bandcamp site: ““Aman Aman” cry the singers on these recordings, their voices preserved on 78rpm discs cut between 1911-1935. The phrase roughly translates to “mercy,” a call of despair, but also one of joy and admiration. On many of these sides, that full range of emotion Continue Reading
Caamaño & Ameixeiras – Quitar o Aire
This album by Caamaño & Ameixeiras is a pleasant surprise from the pater patriae, so to speak. It’s traditional music from the region of Galicia in Spain, heavily inspired by Celtic mythology. Though the instrumentation is basic for this sort of music (accordion, violin), there’s an intangible spark to the Continue Reading
Moyses Dos Santos – Maria
Far Out Recordings should be lauded forever for bringing so many great modern (and a few elder) Brazilian musicians to the attention of Western listeners. On that note, we welcome a debut from a new talent who will serve as a vanguard to Brazil’s diverse music scene in Moyses Dos Continue Reading