Toumast – Ishumar (Real World/Ryko USCDRW148, 2008) Etran Finatawa – Desert Crossroads (Riverboat Records/World Music Network TUGCD 1048, 2008) Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara –…
Yer Desert Blues
Category: Album reviews
Choose the Party
Three recent compilations use the word party in the album’s title. These electrifying will get your guests grooving. The Rough Guide to African Street…
Masterful Boleros from Buena Vista Social Club Diva
Omara Portuondo Lágrimas Negras – Canciones y Boleros (Yemaya Records, 2005) Kudos go to the Spanish label Yemayá Records for the 2-disc release of Omara…
Peruvian Pursuits
Peru Negro – Zamba Malató (Times Square Records TSQ-CD-9066, 2008) Chicha Libre – ¡Sonido Amazónico! (Barbes Records BROO17, 2008) There’s nothing wrong with pan flutes,…
Opening Flamenco’s Doors
Raphael Brunn Flamenco Quintet Puertas Abiertas (independent, 2007) New York-based guitarist Raphael Brunn plays Flamenco Spanish-style. While many US-based guitarists who claim to play Flamenco…
Opening the Curtain
Csurgó Zenekar – Folk Music From Hungary (ARC Music, 2008) Folk Dance Ensemble Vila – Music of Serbia (ARC Music, 2008) Csurgó Zenekar has researched…
Fashionable Lounge for Uncensored Conversations
3 Na Massa (Nublu Records, 2008) Members of well known hip Brazilian bands got together in an attention-grabbing project called 3 Na Massa, which celebrates…
A Legend from the Venezuelan Plains
Vidal Colmenares – …Otro Llano (Cacao Música, 2006) Música Llanera is the folk music of the Venezuelan plains, Venezuelan cowboy music. Cacao Music has released…
Toumani’s Mande Variations
Toumani Diabate The Mande Variations (Nonesuch, 2008) Son of Sidiki Diabate, one the most celebrated kora players , Toumani Diabate has blazed a career worthy…
Irrepressibly Charming
Rupa & The April Fishes Extraordinary Rendition (Cumbancha, 2008) The San Francisco-based Rupa & The April Fishes’ release of their debut recording Extraordinary Rendition on…