Ska Cubano Mambo Ska (Casino Sounds CAS20102, 2010) Ska Cubano’s self-titled debut CD, Ska Cubano, was a clever and musically substantial mix of Jamaican ska,…
Latin Goes Ska and Vice Versa
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.
Steady As It Goes
Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae (Lightyear Entertainment LIT-DV-56418, 2010) While feature films like The Harder They Come and Rockers had story lines that included a…
In the Spirit and in the Red
Nour Eddine Morocco: Traditional Songs and Music (ARC Music EUCD 2289, 2010) It’s been a while since I’ve heard a new recording of good old…
Atlas Not Shrugging
Natacha Atlas Mounqaliba (In a State of Reversal) (Six Degrees Records 657036 1170 2 0, 2010) Natacha Atlas, formerly of groundbreaking fusion band Transglobal Underground…
Seconds on the Chicha
The Roots of Chicha 2, Psychedelic Cumbias From Peru (Barbes Records BR0028, 2010) It was worth the wait, and now what a joy to have…
Divas and Dance Delights
The Rough Guide to Salsa Dance (World Music Network RGNET1239CD, 2010) The Rough Guide to Salsa Divas (World Music Network RGNET1228CD, 2010) World Music Network’s…
Banned Stand
The Rough Guide to the Music of Afghanistan (World Music Network RGNET1237CD, 2010) Despite the five years in Afghanistan (1996 to 2001) when music was…
Connected
Cas Haley Connection (Easy Star Records ES-1022, 2010) I’m not a fan of America’s Got Talent and so I missed Cas Haley’s appearance on the…
High Quality Lo Jamm
Cheikh Lo Jamm (World Circuit DO84, 2010) Senegal’s Cheikh Lo, he of the long dreadlocks, multicolored quilt-like attire and Sufi spirituality, stands out even among…
Balkan Brass by the Bay
Brass Menazeri Vranjski San (Porto Franco Records PFR018, 2010) You never quite know how it’s going to turn out when a style of music closely…