Tony Allen Lagos No Shaking (Honest Jon’s Records HJRCD20, 2006) Tony Allen, Africa’s finest drumset player and right hand man to Fela Kuti in the…
Tony Allen Back on the Beat
Category: Album reviews
Take 2 CDs and Call the Doc in the Morning: A Musical Cure for Insomnia
Dr. Andrew Weil’s Music for Self-Healing Relax & De-Stress Music selected and designed by Joshua Leeds Sounds True Anders Rogg & Audun Myskja Videre (Moving…
Nice Going
Azouhouni I Gotta Go (Zohore Records ZR0405, 2005) An exceptionally good melding of jazz and African rhythms here. Azouhouni Adou, a native of Ivory Coast…
Spirit of Kora
Mamadou Diabate – Heritage (World Village 468064, 2006) Seckou Keita Quartet – Afro-Mandinka Soul (ARC Music EUCD 2028, 2006) Toumani Diabate’s Symmetric Orchestra – Boulevard…
Heart Wrenching Malian Blues
Ali Farka Touré Savane (World Circuit/Nonesuch Records, 2006) With his death at 67 in March of 2006, Ali Farka Touré left behind more than a…
Persian Roots Transformed into a World of Stratospheric Sensuality
Azam Ali Elysium for the Brave (Six Degrees Records, 2006) Born in Iran and raised in India and the United States, Azam Ali is familiar…
Quiet Graceful Voice
Susana Baca Travesías (Luaka Bop, 2006) The hauntingly precious vocals of Peru’s Susana Baca are always a treat, but her latest release Travesías is especially…
Rachid Taha and Khaled Fest of Re-issues
With impeccable timing, Wrasse Records, who certainly knows how to pick ‘em, has unleashed a veritable Rachid Taha and Khaled fest of re-issues, amply satisfying…
Breezy Fusion of Jazz and Flamenco
Carles Benavent and Josemi Carmona Sumando (Nuevos Medios, 2006) Jazz bassist Carles Benavent and guitarist Josemi Carmona have combined talents for Nuevos Medios release Sumando,…
The New Melancholic Voices of Fado
The elegant blend of vocals, the twelve-stringed guitarra portuguesa and viola that is the fado might have had a mysterious birth, and a even more…