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…
Worlds Collide by el douje
Santa Cruz (California) flamenco guitarist, El Douje, has just released his debut solo album. Entitled Worlds Collide, it’s a bold mixture of traditional and modern…
Samite Distributes Musical Instruments to Displaced Children
Samite is currently on a mission of peace and hope in Africa, including his homeland, Uganda. Samite is the founder and executive director of Musicians…
WorldBeat Cultural Center Presents 2nd Annual Bob Marley Day Festival In Tijuana, Mexico
Bob Marley Day will be held at the El Foro, Tijuana’s old Jai Alai, one of the best venues in Tijuana. San Diego and Los…
They Were Some Very Good Years
Bembeya Jazz National The Syliphone Years (Stern’s Africa STCD 3021-22, 2004) The West African nation of Guinea pretty much had to start from scratch after…