Terrakota World Massala (Ojo Records OJO005, 2010) Upon inquiry, my Indian-born office mate informed me that the spices used to create massala can and do…
Baked Earth Seasoned to Taste
Category: Album reviews
Masterful Confluence
Amjad Ali Khan and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Samaagam (World Village 468102, 2011) Two of the great classical music traditions of the world come together…
Putumayo Presents Jazz Classics
Various Artists Putumayo Presents Jazz (Putumayo World Music, 2011) From the opening strains of Nina Simone’s version of “My Baby Just Care For Me,” Putumayo’s…
New Reggae Flavor on Dakar-Kingston
Youssou N’Dour Dakar-Kingston (Emarcy Records, 2011) Youssou N’Dour draws deeply from his own childhood experiences of listening to the easy, breezy reggae recordings played in…
Banjo with a worldwide scope
Jayme Stone Room of Wonders (Jayme Stone JS300, 2010) Canadian banjoist Jayme Stone ventures into the world of jazz improvisation, classical music and various global…
Krauss & Union Station at Their Best
Alison Krauss & Union Station Paper Airplane (Rounder, 2011) Paper Airplane reunites Alison Krauss, one of the finest voices in the American roots music scene,…
Best of Fado: Tribute to Amalia Rodrigues
Matilde Larguinho Best of Fado: Tribute to Amalia Rodrigues (ARC Music) This is a compilation of the most beautiful songs of Amália Rodrigues, known as…
Sitar Out of Genre
Jonathan Mayer Out of Genre (First Hand Records, FHR09, 2011) Sitar maestro Jonathan Mayer takes the sitar out of its comfort on his latest album…
Reggae Gold
Various Artists – Reggae Gold (Hip-O Records/Universal) This hefty double album packs 30 tracks of fine reggae music, especially from the early years of this…
Flamenco Mischief
Ricardo Diaz Travesuras (Blue Light Records, 2010) What do you do when you want to absorb the soul of flamenco, go to Jerez, of course.…