Boubacar Traore Kongo Magni (World Village 468051, 2005) Boubacar “Kar Kar” Traoré was a musical star in Mali by the time that country became independent…
Traore’s Trials and Treasures
Category: Album reviews
Another World Is Possible: Artists with a Conscience
Various Artists Another World is Possible (Uwe, 2004) This attention-grabbing hard cover book and CD collection is for those individuals with a social conscience. The…
Native American Tribute to Mother Earth
Various Artists Sacred Ground, A Tribute to Mother Earth (Silverwave Records SD942, 2005) Producer Jim Wilson (Robbie Robertson, Walela) has joined forces with some of…
Radical Scot Mestizos
Shooglenifty – Radical Mestizo (Compass Records 744092, 2005) The latest release by the hippest Scot band, Shooglenifty, is a live album. Radical Mestizo was recorded…
Wax: Ali gets his arms
This premier offering from Cameroonian-born singer, Wax, is a magnificent 14-track expression of the artist’s rich and varied cultural influences. “Ali gets his arms” the…
Magical Fire Crow
Joseph Fire Crow Red Beads (Makoché Music, 2005) On his website Joseph Fire Crow is quoted as saying, “You can teach someone how to play…
Rio in the Rough
Various Artists The Rough Guide to the Music of Brazil: Rio de Janeiro (World Music Network RGNET 1157 CD, 2005) This isn’t the first in…
A welcome re-issue for afrobeat’s progenitor
Geraldo Pino & the Heartbeats Heavy heavy heavy (RetroAfric Retro20CD, 2005) In afrobeat circles the real cognoscenti have long regarded two albums as classics of…
European jazz with ancient roots
Zalmoxis Trio Aquamarine (2005) Zalmoxis Trio have been working together for about eighteen months running up to this, their first official album release. The main…
An eloquent plea
Emmanuel Jal & Abdel Gadir Salim Ceasefire (Riverboat Records, 2005) Unity between north and south in Sudan is not a foregone conclusion in these war-torn…