Madison Quinn | World Music Central

The album cover for A Ccu Apparteni by Roberta Gulisano features a contemplative woman in a red dress standing indoors, gazing out a sunlit window. The warm-toned photo is bordered like a vintage snapshot, with delicate handwriting in red for the artist’s name and album title on a textured, parchment-like background.

Album reviews

Roberta Gulisano’s A Ccu Apparteni Reclaims the Music of the Uprooted

Roberta Gulisano – A ccu apparteni (Mhodí Music Company, 2024) At first listen, A Ccu Apparteni by Roberta Gulisano feels like a dispatch from a…

The album cover for Salsa de la Bahia Vol. 3: Renegade Queens features a colorful, hand-painted cityscape of San Francisco and Oakland, connected by the Bay Bridge. The buildings are labeled with names of iconic music venues like Black Hawk, El Matador, and Jazz Workshop. Silhouettes of musicians playing congas and horns bring the scene to life, while vibrant signage highlights the local salsa and Latin jazz legacy. Below the illustration, a list of featured artists appears in pastel colors.

Album reviews

Renegade Queens Highlights the Women of San Francisco Bay Area Latin Jazz Scene

Madison Quinn May 14, 2025 No Comments Bobi Céspedes Carolyn Brandy Cocomama Grupo Falso Baiano Jackie Ryan Kat Parra Kristen Strom La Doña Latin jazz Maria Marquez Mary Fettig Montclair Women’s Big Band Sandy Cressman The Blazing Redheads Wayne Wallace world fusion world music Xiomara Torres

Various Artists – Salsa de la Bahia Vol. 3: Renegade Queens (Patois Records, 2025) Spearheaded by trombonist-arranger Wayne Wallace and filmmaker Rita Hargrave, Salsa de…

The album cover for Jawaya Jathum by Fancy Fingers and Winyo features the two artists standing side by side on a sunlit beach, ankle-deep in water. Dressed in flowing outfits—yellow for Fancy Fingers and gray for Winyo—they each hold a guitar, green and natural wood respectively, against a bright blue sky with soft clouds. The title appears in bold, shimmering letters overhead.

Album reviews

Fancy Fingers & Winyo Weave Luo Roots into Global Grooves

Madison Quinn May 11, 2025 No Comments Fancy Fingers Kenyan music Luo music Winyo world fusion world music

Fancy Fingers and Winyo – Jawaya Jathum (Delicious Tunes, 2025) Jawaya Jathum (“The Guitarist and The Music Lover”) is a 13-track Luo-language album that penetrates…

The album cover for Tel ve Ten by Ozan Baysal features a folk-inspired design with a symmetrical arrangement of four ornate, circular patterns resembling traditional Turkish motifs. Each circle contains petal-like shapes in green or blue, surrounded by intricate details in red, yellow, and white. A delicate white crane stands at the center. The background transitions between deep green and warm red hues, divided by fine golden lines that create a structured, geometric layout.

Album reviews

Ozan Baysal Recreates Şelpe in Tel ve Ten

Madison Quinn April 27, 2025 No Comments baglama Ozan Baysal şelpe Turkish music world music

Ozan Baysal – Tel ve Ten (ARC Music EUCD2976, 2025) Ozan Baysal’s debut album, Tel ve Ten (String and Skin), spotlights the ancient Anatolian baglama…

The album cover for Ra di Spina – Vocazioni features a symbolic image: a heart-shaped metallic emblem radiating like a sacred icon sits atop a stylized, glossy torso-like form. The central figure is encased in a dark, marbled texture, resembling cracked earth or burning roots. Beaded in silver edging. Set against a pale background.

Album reviews

Calling Back the Voices: Ra di Spina’s “Vocazioni”

Madison Quinn April 23, 2025 No Comments Calabrian music Italian music Ra di Spina world music

Ra di Spina – Vocazioni (Agualoca Records, 2025) Vocazioni, the debut album by Ra di Spina (King of Thorn), is a project deeply rooted in…

The album cover for Born in the City of Tanta presents a vintage photograph of a traditional Egyptian musical gathering. Musicians in red fezzes and embroidered garments play instruments like the oud, kanun, and tambourine, flanked by seated women in ornate dresses. The setting is framed by intricate decor and green drapery, while a hookah rests in the foreground.

Album reviews

Tantalizing Sounds: Unearthing Egypt’s Lost Urban Folklore

Madison Quinn April 21, 2025 No Comments Egyptian music shaabi world fusion world music

Various Artists – Born in the City of Tanta: Lower Egyptian Urban Folklore and Bedouin Shaabi from Libya’s Bourini Records 1968-75 (Sublime Frequencies, 2025) Throughout…

The album cover for Tsapiky! Modern Music from Southwest Madagascar features a young man sitting atop a green, dust-covered vehicle, playing an electric guitar amid large, weathered speakers and megaphones. Below him, a crowd gathers, many wearing straw hats.

Album reviews

Amped Up and Unruly: Tsapiky! Modern Music from Southwest Madagascar

Madison Quinn April 14, 2025 No Comments Madagascan music Madagascar tsapiky world music

Various Artists – Tsapiky! Modern Music from Southwest Madagascar (Sublime Frequencies, 2025) This compilation introduces a raw and electrifying portrait of tsapiky, the high-energy music…

Album reviews

Taylor-Made for the Soul: Ebo’s Farewell Grooves

Madison Quinn April 13, 2025 No Comments Adrian Younge Afrobeat Ali Shaheed Muhammad Ebo Taylor Ghanaian music Highlife world music

Ebo Taylor, Adrian Younge + Ali Shaheed Muhammad – Ebo Taylor JID022 (Jazz Is Dead, 2025) There’s a moment when music stops being just sound…

Album reviews

Changing Rhythms: Alsarah & The Nubatones Navigate New Musical Terrain

Madison Quinn April 8, 2025 No Comments Alsarah Alsarah & The Nubatones Sudanese music world fusion world music

Alsarah & The Nubatones — Mawasim Altariq – Seasons of the Road (self-release, 2025) Alsarah & The Nubatones have unveiled their third studio album, Seasons…

Ra di Spina, Alexsandra Ida Mauro and Laura Cuomo standing back to back

Artist Profiles

Spinning Voices: Ra di Spina Weaves Polyphony into Southern Italian Tradition

Madison Quinn April 7, 2025 No Comments Alexsandra Ida Mauro Calabrian music Italian music Italy Laura Cuomo Ra di Spina

(headline image: Ra di Spina, Alexsandra Ida Mauro and Laura Cuomo) Ra di Spina is a musical project founded by the talented singer and ethnomusicologist…