Jesse Cook The Rumba Foundation (Koch Records, 2009) Canadian guitarist Jesse Cook was interested in recording an album that captured the history of rumba. Back…
Exploring the Foundations of Rumba and Vallenato
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.
Intuitive Slide Guitars
Doug Cox and Salil Bhatt Slide to Freedom 2: Make A Better World (Northern Blues, 2009) Slide to Freedom 2: Make A Better World brings…
Soul Satisfaction
Otis Redding The Best: See & Hear (Shout Factory, 2009) Shout Factory has released a two-disc set by Otis Redding, one of the influential legends…
A Slice of Spain
Various Artists Putumayo Presents: España (Putumayo, 2009) Putumayo’s most recent release focuses on the music of Spain. The compilation’s producer has chosen to focus on…
The Grand Sonero Dominicano
Puerto Plata Casita de Campo (Iaso Records, 2009) Dominican musician Puerto Plata is a relatively undiscovered gem. He is finally getting well deserved international recognition…
From the Well of Cuban Soul
Alex Cuba Agua del Pozo (Caracol Records, 2009) Cuban singer-songwriter Alex Cuba (Alexis Puentes) has gained quite a good reputation in North America with his…
Ukrainian Diaspora
The Ukrainians Diaspora (Omnium, 2009) The Ukrainians are back with Diaspora. The album showcases their accordion-driven Eastern European sound which blends folk music from Ukraine…
Hawaiian Guitar Virtuoso Makana Releases Instrumental CD
The Venus & the Sky Turn to Clay album is the first totally instrumental release of Makana, a young Hawaiian maestro of slack key guitar.…
Vital DVD Ouled Bambara: Portraits of Gnawa
Ouled Bambara: Portraits of Gnawa (Twos & Fews, 2009) The CD and DVD set Ouled Bambara: Portraits of Gnawa reveals the creatively rich lives and…
Funky Tejanos
Brownout Aguilas and Cobras (Six Degrees, 2009) In Austin (Texas) there is a thriving musical scene that includes musicians who are taking Hispanic Texan music…