Bossa Nova Around the World (Putumayo PUT 306-2, 2011) It’s not uncommon nowadays to hear the sounds of Brazilian bossa nova (and its more African…
Bossa Beyond
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.
Passing the Garifuna Torch
Aurelio Martinez Laru Beya (Sub Pop/Next Ambiance NXA 002, 2011) It’s been 7 years since Aurelio Martinez’s splendid Garifuna Soul album, and a lot has…
More Lightness Comes to Light
Tabu Ley Rochereau The Voice of Lightness Vol. 2: Congo Classics 1977-1993 (Sterns Africa STCD 3056-57, 2010) Only once did I get to see Tabu…
Nice But Slim Pickings
The pickPocket ensemble Memory (the pickPocket Ensemble, 2010) Their hands commit no acts of larceny in other people’s trousers. Rather, the pickPocket ensemble (punctuation theirs),…
Sufi Song of the South
Nagore Sessions (EarthSync ES0029, 2008) Nagore is near to where southern India comes to a tip, and the Sufi culture there thrives despite being far…
It’s a Little Earth After All
Rahim AlHaj Little Earth (UR Music UR005, 2010) Master oud (Arabic lute) player and composer Rahim AlHaj was imprisoned in and eventually kicked out of…
Latin Goes Ska and Vice Versa
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,…
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…