World Music Central presents the Best World Music Albums of 2016. First, we begin with our top 20:
1. Gerardo Núñez & Ulf Wakenius – Logos – ACT Music
2. Roberto Fonseca – ABUC – Impulse!
3. Bickram Ghosh – Maya, Bickram Ghosh’s Dedication to Ravi Shankar – East Meets West Music
4. Karsh Kale – Up – Six Degrees Records
5. Anoushka Shankar – Land of Gold – Deutsche Grammophon
6. Josemi Carmona & Javier Colina – De Cerca – Universal Music Spain
7. La Banda Morisca – Algarabya – Fol Música
8. Dawda Jobarteh – Transitional Times – Sterns Africa
9. Omar Sosa and Paolo Fresu – Eros – Tuk Music/Ota Records, 2016
10. Aziza Brahim – Abbar el Hamada – Glitterbeat Records
11. Jose Antonio Rodriguez – Adios Muchacho – Jose Antonio Rodriguez
12. Maarja Nuut – Une Meeles– Maarja Nuut
13. Las Hermanas Caronni – Navega Mundos – Les Grands Fleuves
14. Noura Mint Seymali – Arbina – Glitterbeat Records
15. Solas – All These Years – THL Records
16. Mor Karbasi – Ojos de Novia – Mintaka Music
17. Ana Alcaide – Leyenda – ARC Music
18. Harold López-Nussa – El Viaje – Mack Avenue Records
19. Lakou Mizik – Wa Di Yo – Cumbancha
20. Richard Bona & Mandekan Cubano – Heritage – Qwest Records
Next, the best 10 from the editor of the Spanish-language Músicas del Mundo online magazine, Rafael Mieses:
1. Gino Sitson – Body and Voice – Buda Musique
2. Yo-Yo Ma & Silk Road Ensemble – Sing Me Home – Sony Masterworks
3. Marquis Hill – The way we play – Concord Jazz
4. Voxtra – Encounter of Vocal Heritage– Muziek publique
5. Roberto Fonseca – ABUC – Impulse!
6. Michel Camilo & Tomatito – Spain Forever – Verve
7. Elza Soares – The Woman at the End of the World / A Mulher do Fim do Mundo – Mais Um Discos
8. Richard Bona & Mandekan Cubano – Heritage – Qwest Records
9. Jack Dejohnette, Ravi Coltrane, Matthew Garrison – In movement – ECM
10. Harold López-Nussa – El Viaje – Mack Avenue Record
Lastly, we include s the Transglobal World Music Chart (TWMC), co-founded by World Music Central’s Angel Romero
TWMC Best Albums of 2016
1. Refugees for Refugees – Amerli – Muziekpublique
2. Bixiga 70 – III – Glitterbeat Records
3. Aziza Brahim – Abbar el Hamada – Glitterbeat Records
4. Noura Mint Seymali – Arbina – Glitterbeat Records
5. Constantinople & Ablaye Cissoko – Jardins Migrateurs – Ma Case
6. Rokia Traoré – Né So – Nonesuch Records
7. Elza Soares – The Woman at the End of the World / A Mulher do Fim do Mundo – Mais Um Discos
8. Yo-Yo Ma & Silk Road Ensemble – Sing Me Home – Sony Masterworks
9. Kayhan Kalhor, Aynur, Cemîl Qoçgirî & Salman Gambarov – Hawniyaz – Harmonia Mundi
10. Bonga – Recados de Fora – Lusafrica
11. Harold López-Nussa – El Viaje – Mack Avenue Records
12. Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Segal – Musique de Nuit – Nø Førmat! / Six Degrees Records
13. Kristi Stassinopoulou & Stathis Kalyviotis – Nyn – Riverboat Records
14. Ana Alcaide – Leyenda – ARC Music
15. Sam Lee & Friends – The Fade in Time – The Nest Collective
16. Richard Bona & Mandekan Cubano – Heritage – Qwest Records
17. Lakou Mizik – Wa Di Yo – Cumbancha
18. Bombino – Azel – Partisan Records
19. The Gloaming – 2 – Real World Records
20. Las Hermanas Caronni – Navega Mundos – Les Grands Fleuves
To see the TWMC Top 50, go to www.transglobalwmc.com/category/charts/
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central
