The Rippingtons Cote D’Azur (Peak Records, 2011) The great challenge for the exponents of “smooth jazz” is to manage to be different while maintaining the…
Smooth World
Category: Album reviews
Persian Vocal Explorations
Sussan Deyhim City of Leaves (2011) Sussan Deyhim’s City of Leaves is an intimate effort in collaboration with keyboardist and composer Richard Horowitz. Deyhim’s musical…
Steelpan Goes Reggae
Steelpan virtuoso Mighty Jamma returns with a second volume of lively pieces that fuse Trinidad and Tobago’s steelpan music with Jamaican reggae, ska and Caribbean…
Fado on a Grander Scale
Ana Moura Coliseu (World Village 468103, 2011) The pure, aching intimacy of Portuguese fado music is a perfect fit for the small venues (called fado…
Dancing in the Tropics or Elsewhere
Sofrito Tropical Discotheque (Strut STRUTO70CD, 2011) The DJ team of Hugo Mendez, Frankie Francis and The Mighty Crime Minister, collectively known as Sofrito, can reportedly…
An Even Fuller Belly
The Rough Guide to Bellydance (World Music Network RGNET1249CD, 2011) The folks responsible for World Music Network’s very extensive Rough Guide series must be too…
Hot From the Land of Fire
Azerbaijan – Traditional Music / Lok-Batan Folklore Group (ARC Music EUCD 2318, 2011) I don’t have much Azerbaijani music in my collection, so this CD…
Taylor Tells Tales
Ebo Taylor Life Stories (Strut STRUTO72CD, 2011) Ghana’s Ebo Taylor has been making music for more than half a century, first as a frontman, arranger…
Swinging’ Gaita
Bellonmaceiras Quinteto Folkfusion (Dofol, 2010) Spanish band Bellonmaceiras Quinteto brings together Galician folk music and a series of global sounds with a focus on improvisation.…
Africa Gets Axed
The Rough Guide to African Guitar Legends (World Music Network RGNET 1259 CD, 2011) A recent music-themed issue of the Los Angeles Times Magazine featured…