Donna Maria, Electronica Meets the Soul of Portuguese Traditional Music
Portuguese band Donna Maria have released Tudo É Para Sempre… (Different World DW5006CDVD, 2005). Donna Maria are a Lisbon based group, featuring Marisa Pinto (vocals),…
Musician and Actress Rachel Bissex
Rachel Bissex, 48, musician, actress, arts activist, and mentor and friend to many died on February 20, 2005 after a long battle with cancer. A…
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…
Rare Tracks in New June Tabor Boxed Set
London, UK – Always is a new collection by English singer June Tabor. The 4 CD Box Set, on Topic Records (TSFCD4003), includes 67 tracks,…
Sauti za Busara – Sounds of Wisdom Swahili Music Festival, Another Step Forward for East African Music
Contributed by Yusuf Mahmoud The second edition of Zanzibar’s Sauti za Busara (Sounds of Wisdom) Swahili Music Festival in February finished in fitting style with…
Comusication: Towards a new general theory of music
In order to build a general theory about music, a social scientific approach must be accepted, based on evidence collected from individual and collective experiences…
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…
Martin Carthy won two awards at the 2005 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards
London, England – Martin Carthy was awarded the prestigious Folk Singer of the Year award as well as the Best Traditional Track award for “Famous…
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…