Raya Brass Band Dancing on Roses, Dancing on Cinders (2012) As Eastern European-style brass band music has become increasingly popular, New York’s Raya Brass Band…
Brass Band Sense Of Presence
Category: Album reviews
Round Dance Grooves
Northern Cree Dancerz Groove (Canyon Records CR-6503, 2012) Northern Cree, the popular Canadian First Nations group has a new round dance album titled Dancerz Groove.…
Wan Fambul Catalyst for Reconciliation
Various Artists Wan Fambul (Catalyst, 2012) Renowned world music artists along with pop singers and rappers contribute their music Wan Fambul, a benefit album for…
Entrancing Mehraab
Loga Ramin Torkian Mehraab (Six Degrees Records, 2012) Iranian composer and musician Loga Ramin Torkian’s debut solo recording Mehraab is a densely rich musical landscape…
Expanding the Horizons of Radio Music
Esperanza Spalding Radio Music Society (2012) Esperanza Spalding, the young bassist, vocalist and composer who won the 2011 GRAMMY Award for Best New Artist, is…
Love and Understanding for Jug Band Music
Sankofa The Uptown Strut (Kingswood Records, 2012) Sankofa, a group formed by musicians from the African diaspora, has released The Uptown Strut, an album that…
Musical Minds Meet, Mutual Marvels Manifest
The Toure-Raichel Collective The Tel Aviv Session (Cumbancha CMB-CD-22, 2012) It happens more and more nowadays. Two musicians from different backgrounds have a chance encounter,…
Tejano Rhapsodies
Del Castillo Infinitas Rapsodias (Smilin’ Castle Records) Austin-based Del Castillo has released this new 2-disc set titled Infinitas Rapsodias. Although described as a Latin rock…
Delightfully Daring Geomungo Factory
Geomungo Factory Metamorphosis (Dada Media, 2012) Every once in a while I get a CD that is truly astonishing, I mean something that stops any…
A Fine Shrine
Loga Ramin Torkian Mehraab (Six Degrees, 2012) Tehran-born Loga Ramin Torkian left Iran for the United States after the 1979 revolution, but he didn’t leave…