Sung in French but with a distinct Lusophone feel throughout the melody and groove, “Viens sentir le vent” by France’s Laure Trazzi is a lilting…
Enchanting “Viens sentir le vent” by Laure Trazzi
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.
Afro Celt Sound System, A Lasting Legacy
Afro Celt Sound System – OVA (Six Degrees Records, 2024) By the time he formed Afro Celt Sound System in 1995, multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, and…
Sapocaya’s Multicultural Array of Afro-Rooted Jazz
With their instrumental track “Baraúna,” a French band called Sapocaya expertly captures the point where Africa, Brazil, and jazz converge.
Superb Song by Cameroonian Artist Princess Vinia
I don’t know if she’s actual royalty, but Cameroon’s Princess Vinia has a dandy of a track called “Barbasin” that starts with a beat tapped…
Superb Jamaican-American Roots Reggae Collaboration
Clinton Fearon, formerly of the Gladiators and a longtime resident of Seattle, gives an added roots reggae boost to ‘Come with Us’ by the U.S.’s…
Mariah Parker’s Highly Satisfying Mix of Jazz and Samba
There’s been many a meeting between jazz and the rhythms of Latin America, and “Espiritu Samba” by American pianist Mariah Parker is a prime example…
Great Music, Format Notwithstanding
Admitting with utmost candor that I liked it best when compact discs were the norm, I just as freely admit that the march of time…
Classic, Timeless Reggae from First Born
An early reggae feel combined with the kind of harmonies that defined the era vocally, “And Not Another” by British/Guyanese collaboration First Born sounds like…
Pulsating Funky Reggae from Babylon North
Swedish reggae band Babylon North expand the parameters of their genre with “Everything I Can (Flames).” The reggae pulse is suggested rather than fully present,…
Cheerful Caribbean Mizik from Abondance
A Montreal-based band called Abondance brings just enough contemporary flavor to “Mizik,” a song with French Caribbean foundation and a feel that’s lighthearted but certainly…