Author: Angel Romero

Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.

Parchman Prison Prayer — Another Mississippi Sunday Morning. A photo of a black man with white hair singing.

Album reviews

Voices Behind Bars: The Soul of Another Mississippi Sunday Morning

Parchman Prison Prayer — Another Mississippi Sunday Morning (Glitterbeat Records, 2025) Another Mississippi Sunday Morning is the sequel to the acclaimed 2023 album Some Mississippi…

Album reviews

Arcs & Rivers: A Fusion of Jazz and Greek Tradition

Angel Romero January 18, 2025 No Comments bouzouki Georgios Prokopiou Greek music Joel Lyssarides world fusion world music

Joel Lyssarides and Georgios Prokopiou – Arcs & Rivers (ACT Music, 2024) Pianist Joel Lyssarides and bouzouki virtuoso Georgios Prokopiou bridge cultures and genres in…

Sauljaljui - Vaivaik cover artwork. A photo of the artist leaning forward with a red background.

Album reviews

Sauljaljui’s Vaivaik: A Bold Fusion Rooted in Taiwanese Indigenous Traditions

Angel Romero January 18, 2025 No Comments Sauljaljui Taiwanese music world fusion world music

Sauljaljui – Vaivaik (Wind Music, 2024) Sauljaljui’s new album, Vaivaik (embarking in the Paiwan language) is a groundbreaking exploration of world fusion music. The album…

Chinese yueqin (月琴), 19th century. The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889. courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Articles

Yueqin: The Ancient Chinese Moon Lute

Angel Romero January 16, 2025 No Comments Chen Ming-chang Chinese music Feng Mantian Feng Shaoxian Fynn Cai Jen Shyu Sauljaljui Siyue Shangxian Taiwanese music

The yueqin, or moon lute, is a traditional Chinese string instrument distinguished by its round, hollow soundboard, short fretted neck, and typically four strings. Known…

This album cover features an elegant, circular watercolor painting of a serene mountain landscape, framed by blossoming cherry branches. The background is a rich blue with subtle textural details, and the text "Prelude to the Divine Realm: Pipa and Guqin" is displayed at the top in a classic serif font. The artists' names, Gao Hong and Zhao Xiaoxia, are written at the bottom. Chinese characters on the right.

Album reviews

Gao Hong and Zhao Xiaoxia Explore the Depth and Beauty of Chinese String Music

Angel Romero January 15, 2025 No Comments Chinese music Gao Hong guqin pipa world music Zhao Xiaoxia

Gao Hong and Zhao Xiaoxia – Prelude to the Divine Realm 神遊引 (Naxos World, 2025) Prelude to the Divine Realm is an exceptional collaboration between…

This album cover for The Magic Forest: More Pastoral Psychedelia & Funky Folk 1968-1975 features a vibrant and whimsical illustration of a forest entrance surrounded by dense, colorful foliage, mushrooms, flowers, and butterflies. The typography of the title has a retro, psychedelic style that complements the era and theme. Subtle glowing eyes peering from the darkness of the forest add a mysterious and magical touch.

Album reviews

The Magic Forest Unearths Psychedelic Folk Treasures from 1968-1975

Angel Romero January 12, 2025 2 Comments Affinity Agincourt Aidan Nolan Alan Hull Amber Ancient Grease Barrington Davis Bill Nelson Bridget St John.Bruce Spelman Carolanne Pegg Chris Harwood Clifford T Ward Comus Fairfield Parlour Family Fat Mattress Forest Fotheringay Fresh Maggots Friends Gary Farr Heron Honeybus Ian A Anderson Ithaca Jade Jade Warrior John Fandinando & Peter Howell John St. Field (Jackie Levin)John Williams Julian Jay Savarin Keith West Kevin Lamb Knocker Jungle Majority One Maldoon Mark Fry Marsha Hunt Mellow Candle Merrell Fankhauser & H.M.S Bounty Mortimer Natural Acoustic Band Oberon Paper Bubble Paul Brett Pentangle Prelude psychedelia Roy Harper Sandy Denny Shelagh McDonald Siren Snafu The Coterie The Ghost The Music Box The Occasional Word The Woods Band Tim Hollier Tim Rose world music Zior

Various Artists – The Magic Forest – More Pastoral Psychedelia & Funky Folk 1968-1975 (Strawberry/CherryRed, 2025) The sequel to 2022’s Deep in the Woods, The…

Oisín Mac Diarmada - Lane to the Glen cover artwork. A misty photo of a pat through woods.

Album reviews

“Lane to the Glen” Celebrates Sligo’s Golden Age of Irish Traditional Music

Angel Romero January 11, 2025 No Comments Celtic music Irish music Oisín Mac Diarmada world music

Oisín Mac Diarmada – Lane to the Glen (Ceol Productions, 2024) Oisín Mac Diarmada, renowned fiddler from the band Téada, has released a new album,…

The cover of the book "Missing! Music" features a distressed, worn-out flyer pinned to a wooden surface. The flyer displays an image of a rural, red-earth setting with a single microphone stand in the foreground. The title, "Missing! Music," is prominently displayed in bold black letters, followed by the subtitle, "Voices from Where the Dirt Roads End." The authors' credits include Ian Brennan, a foreword by Dame Evelyn Glennie, and photographs by Marilena Umuhoza Delli.

Book Reviews

Missing Music: Voices from Where the First Roads End

Angel Romero January 8, 2025 No Comments Ian Brennan Marilena Umuhoza Delli world music

“Missing Music: Voices from Where the First Roads End” was authored by Grammy-winning music producer Ian Brennan. It chronicles his ongoing efforts to amplify the…

New Grange cover artwork. A photo of the artists scattered on top of a green hill.

Artist Profiles

Artist Profiles: New Grange

Angel Romero January 7, 2025 No Comments Alison Brown American folk music Bluegrass Darol Anger Mike Marshall New Grange Philip Aaberg Tim O'Brien Todd Phillips western classical music

Through the vision of San Francisco Bay Area collaborators and string instrument virtuosos Marshall and Darol Anger, six celebrated acoustic music veterans formed New Grange.…

Nuevo Mester de Juglaría in 2006. Group photo in a town square with snow on the ground.

Artist Profiles

Nuevo Mester de Juglaría: A Pillar of Castilian Folk

Angel Romero January 6, 2025 No Comments Castilian folk music Nuevo Mester de Juglaría world music

(headline image: Nuevo Mester de Juglaría in 2006) Nuevo Mester de Juglaría, a prominent folk music group from Segovia, Spain, has been a staple of…