Born in Senegal but based in Poland, kora player Ablaye Badji harnesses longstanding griot tradition to a funk/jazz backdrop on “Aduna,” a sparking piece of…
Music of a Different Griot Home
Category: Single reviews
Reviews of single recordings
Kitchen Fresh
Germany’s Epic Soul Kitchen is on a musical excursion entitled “Dip Trip,” and their Latinized jazz is cooked up right and tight. The solos are,…
Magnificent Seven
“Butterflies,” by a band called Intercontinen7al, may well be the first of its kind: a bossa nova song comprised of parts recorded on all seven…
Feel the Fire
It’s more than a bit ironic that the video for a song called “Burnin’” prominently features a snowy background. Even so, American band MSJR puts…
A Perfectly Fitting Tribute
Although she’s an American-based artist, Maritzaida’s tribute to legendary Mexican singer Chavela Vargas, “Noche de Ronda,” brims with authenticity. Deep-hearted vocals, acoustic guitar and cello…
Come to the Water
Combining acoustic guitar with rhythmic splashing sounds, Spain’s Xurxo Mares creates a charming, Galician-rooted instrumental piece appropriately titled “Pandeirada da auga.” It’s fairly short but…
Timeless as ever Bossa Nova
U.K. pianist Michael Eastwood leads the way as a global cast of a dozen players glide through “Bo-sete-nova,” a bossa nova tune with a time…
A Personalized Message
Jamaica’s Minna LaFortune continues on her unfailingly conscious reggae journey with “The Message,” a tribute to those players and singers who are, like her, deeply…
Learning From the Past
Composed in 1933 and quickly suppressed, “Soldados de pantano” (Soldiers of the Swamp) was a song that articulately addressed the evils of fascism and the…
Say Hello
A lively, infectious mashup of zydeco and New Orleans jazz, “Hello Baby” by Jeffrey Broussard and the Nighttime Syndicate is also a perfect showcasing of…