I’ve sung the praises of World Music Network’s Rough Guide series in the past and will continue to do so as long as they keep…
Roughness and Riverboat
Author: Tom Orr
Tom Orr is a California-based writer whose talent and mental stability are of an equally questionable nature. His hobbies include ignoring trends, striking dramatic poses in front of his ever-tolerant wife and watching helplessly as his kids surpass him in all desirable traits.
What’s That Thing You’re Playing?
One joy of being a world music head is discovering the many and varied instruments that are used to make music around the globe. Yes,…
Bossa and Beyond
It’s a vast country where a lot of music is made, so the laws of probability dictate that a healthy portion of CDs coming into…
Iberian Jamaican
Ska, rocksteady and reggae are known the world over and most certainly going strong in Spain. That country’s premiere label when it comes to such…
Refrigerated Reggae
Alific – Echoes From the Soul (Rootfire Records, 2013) Gaudi – In Between Times (Six Degrees Records, 2013) Combining reggae and its spacey subgenre dub…
Fabulous Fusions
The musical application of the word “fusion” handily predates the phrase “world music” and was as much a stepping stone toward the latter term as…
Ay, Calypso
Lord Mouse and the Kalypso Katz – Go Calypsonian (Piranha Musik, 2013) Kobo Town – Jumbie In The Jukebox (Stonetree / Cumbancha, 2013) Like reggae,…
Grinding a Few African Axes
Some musical instruments are unique to Africa, some Western instruments are derived from Africa and some instruments have seemingly nothing to do with Africa until…
Prime Puente Packaged Perfect
Tito Puente Tito Puente – Quatro: The Definitive Collection (Sony Music Latin, 2013) It’s become shopworn to describe any worthy experience as an honor and…
Tradition and What to do With It
Iarla O Lionaird – Foxlight (Real World CDRW184, 2013) Spiro – Kaleidophonica (Real World CDRW188, 2013) The Creole Choir of Cuba – Santiman (Real World…