Samputu Testimony From Rwanda (Multicultural Media MCM 4003, 2004) It’s been a decade since the genocide in Rwanda, a massive tragedy that the United States…
Expert Testimony
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.
Hit It
Joji Hirota / Pete Lockett – Taiko to Tabla (ARC Music EUCD 1856, 2004) Paoli Mejias – Mi Tambor (Paoli Mejias JMCD/2004-1, 2004) Since percussion…
A Cakewalk on the Latin Side
Charanga Cakewalk Loteria de la Cumbia Lounge (Triloka/Artemis ARTCD-256, 2004) Being a hardcore fan of global music shouldn’t preclude a person from possessing a working…
The Real Revolutionaries
Tinariwen Amassakoul (World Village 468026, 2004) A lot of musicians fancy themselves rebels and freedom fighters. The members of Tinariwen truly were. Their heritage is…
Feasts of Fusion
Lo’Jo – ce soir la… (World Village 468027, 2004) Global Village Orchestra – Globalistics (Random Chance Records RCD-19, 2004) As vague as a phrase like…
Leave Your Grass Skirt at Home
Ooklah the Moc – Rearrange Your Positive (Ghetto Circus Records CG2, 2004) The Lambsbread – Sing Praise (Adin-nin Records ADOO3, 2003) Much as some people…
A Different Kind of Blue
Various Artists Blues Lounge (Putumayo PUT 229-2, 2004) The art of mixing roots music from various sources with modern electronica has really taken off lately,…
Wondrous Women of the Western World
Eva Ayllon – Eva! Leyenda Peruana (Times Square Records TSQCD 9040, 2004) Emeline Michel – Rasin Kreyol (Times Square Records TSQCD 9041, 2004) Lhasa –…
Bang-Up Dibango
Manu Dibango The Rough Guide to Manu Dibango (World Music Network RGNET 1144 CD, 2004) For many, Cameroon’s Manu Dibango truly arrived with his massive…
Vinyl Go the Distance
Vinyl All the Way Live (In the Pocket Records VI450992, 2004) If their name suggests they’re something of a throwback to an earlier time of…