Cañizares Suite Iberia (Sony BMG, 2007) Flamenco guitarist Juan Manuel Cañizares ventures again into classical music with his adaptations of Albeniz’s Suite Iberia. Albeniz and…
Iberian Remembrances
Category: Album reviews
Cosmopolitan Acoustic Music Variations
Compass Rose Quintet Cosmopolitango (2007) The Compass Rose Quintet is an acoustic ensemble that features four stringed instrument players and one percussionist. The mandolin, violin…
Bump Around
Massukos Bumping (Poo Productions PPLCD001, 2006) I sought out Bumping after seeing it reviewed in the ever-trusty UK magazine Songlines. Being entirely unfamiliar with the…
Hungarian Atmospheres
DJ Bootsie The Silent Partner (Ugar Records, 2004) DJ Bootsie is a musician from Hungary. His CD The Silent Partner presents edgy electronica where trip…
Vincent at Her Prime
Rhonda Vincent Good Thing Going (Rounder, 2008) One of the finest bluegrass mandolinists in the United States is musician and songwriter Rhonda Vincent. She is…
Essential Scratch Perry
Lee “Scratch” Perry – Chicken Scratch (Heartbeat, 2007 reissue) Heartbeat Records has releases of Lee “Scratch” Perry’s Chicken Scratch in a Deluxe Edition CD. The…
Latin Reggae and Mestizos
Various Artists – Latin Reggae (Putumayo, 2008) Compilations are a good way to get acquainted with new artists, but they are not always accurate. Putumayo…
Propelling Screen Drama
Antonio Pinto City Of Men The Soundtrack (Lakeshore Records, 2008) Often writing a music review for the soundtrack to a movie is a little tricky,…
Out of Africa and Back Again
Steve Reid Ensemble Daxaar (Domino Recording Co. DNO 165, 2007) Steve Reid isn’t one of those musicians who just happened to come across the splendor…
Stepping Away From Tradition
Deepak Ram Steps (Golden Horn Records GHP 031-2, 2008) India’s bamboo bansuri flute is hardly a jazz instrument, but that doesn’t stop South African-born Indian…