Marta Topferova La Marea (World Village 468040, 2005) The former Czechoslovakia wouldn’t be very high up on anyone’s list of Latin music hot spots, but…
Czech These Latin Sounds
Category: Album reviews
Altan\’s Local Ground
Altan Local Ground (Narada70876-19196-2 2, 2005) Altan is one of the most veteran acts in the Irish folk music scene. Their style has created many…
Brazil Plugged Out
Various Artists Acoustic Brazil (Putumayo PUT 234-2, 2005) Putumayo’s 1999 release Brasileiro was also mostly acoustic though more upbeat, and the label has presented other…
Beatwave Japan, Hip Japanese Electronica
Various Artists Beatwave Japan (Sonic 360, 2005) The Japanese musicians included in Beatwave Japan have mastered the art of electronic grooves. Beatwave Japan is an…
The Who and What of Rachid Taha
Rachid Taha Tekitoi (Wrasse Records WRASS 126X, 2004) The title of Rachid Taha’s latest album translates as “Who Are You?”, though “what are you?” might…
Sheer Makassy magic
Orchestra Makassy – Agwaya (ARC Music EUCD1909, 2005) From the opening bars of the irresistible ‘Mambo Bado’ to the sweet, bitter end of ‘Mume Wangu’…
Kuti According to Fela
Fela Anikulapo Kuti – The Best of Fela Kuti, 2CD & DVD Box (Wrasse Records WRASS132) It’s hard to think of anything to say about…
Where there’s brass
Gangbe Brass Band – Whendo (Roots Racines/Contre Jour CJ015, 2004) Best described as afrobeat-goes-trad (afrotrad?), the sound of Benin’s Gangbé Brass Band blends percussion and…
Night Journey
Jennifer Cutting Ocean: Songs for the Night Sea Journey (SunSign SCD2004, 2004) Jennifer Cutting is an Anglo-Irish-American composer/bandleader with advanced degrees in music and ethnomusicology.…
African Beat, Amerind Soul, Indomitable Spirit
Various Artists Garifuna Music – Field Recordings From Belize (ARC Music EUCD 1913, 2005) The music on this disc, raw and fiercely non-commercial though it…