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),…
Nice But Slim Pickings
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.
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…
Seconds on the Chicha
The Roots of Chicha 2, Psychedelic Cumbias From Peru (Barbes Records BR0028, 2010) It was worth the wait, and now what a joy to have…
Divas and Dance Delights
The Rough Guide to Salsa Dance (World Music Network RGNET1239CD, 2010) The Rough Guide to Salsa Divas (World Music Network RGNET1228CD, 2010) World Music Network’s…
Banned Stand
The Rough Guide to the Music of Afghanistan (World Music Network RGNET1237CD, 2010) Despite the five years in Afghanistan (1996 to 2001) when music was…