Gaida Levantine Indulgence (Palmyra Recordings, 2009) It was overlapping pre-dawn calls to prayer from the mosques of Damascus and the sounds of Arabic pop on…
Ancient Indulgence Made Modern
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.
Buoyant Banjo
Evie Ladin Float Downstream (Evie Ladin / Evil Diane, 2010) The sound of the banjo remains an acquired taste, even given a recent resurgence in…
Rocking the House Again
Afro-Rock, Volume 1 (Strut 059CD, 2010) I reviewed this collection back in 2001 when the site you’re looking at was called World Music Portal and…
Enter the Dragon
Byron Lee & the Dragonaires The Man & His Music (17 North Parade VP4165, 2009) Many a ska, calypso and reggae purist has dismissed the…
How Can They Keep From Singing
Mara Louw & the African Methodist Choir – African Hymns (ARC Music EUCD 2249, 2009) Soweto Gospel Choir – Grace (Shanachie 66043, 2010) There’s a…
Stringing Along
Lawson Rollins – Espirito (Infinita Records INF-204, 2010) Chris Burton Jacome – Levanto (CBJ 1347, 2010) Even with all sorts of instruments that were once…
Not Just The Other Tito
Tito Rodriguez El Inolvidable (Fania 773-130-600-2, 2009) Far from being simply the Latin music Tito whose last name wasn’t Puente, Tito Rodriguez was a supremely…
Reggae Gets a Stretch
Jason Wilson – The Peace Maker’s Chauffeur (Wheel Records/Raspberry Jam Music, 2009) Edward II – The Definitive Collection (E2 Music E2CD1001, 2009) Despite the very…
Authenticated
Keletigui et Ses Tambourinis The Syliphone Years (Sterns Africa STCD 3031-32, 2009) Independence from France in 1960 meant that the West African nation of Guinea…
End Times of the Grand Master
Franco and Le TPOK Jazz Francophonic, Vol. 2: 1980-1989 (Sterns Africa STCD 3046-47, 2009) The first of this two-volume series came earlier in 2009, the…