Central Asian and Avant-Garde Explorations
Alim Qasimov & Michel Godard – Awakening (Buda Musique, 2019) Awakening is a genre-defying recording from Azerbaijani mugham singer Alim Qasimov and French musician Michel…
Hail The White Zulu
Contrary to popular opinion, Paul Simon was not the first musician to recognize the rich potential of fusing Western pop with Zulu tribal rhythms. An…
Ghanaian Reggae Star Rocky Dawuni Releases “Elevation” Music Video
Rocky Dawuni, Ghana’s reggae maverick, has released the “Elevation” video. The song appears on his most recent album “Beats of Zion.” With its message of…
Glamorous recital from Canadian Singer and Harper Loreena McKennitt in San Sebastian
The “Lost Souls Tour”, an extensive tour of Europe, also ended up in Spain (Valencia, Murcia, Granada, Madrid, Barcelona, Zaragoza, and finally in San Sebastian).…
Artist Profiles: Sylvestre Randafison
Valiha maestro Benjamin Sylvestre Randafison was born in Madafascar in 1928. In addition to playing and promoting the usea of the valiha, Sylvestre Randafison also…
Artist Profiles: Rakotozafy
Rakotozafy was born in 1933. He was one of the best valiha players in Madagasca. His version of the valiha featured a total of 24…
SIU2, Hong Kong’s Creative East-West Musical Fusion
SIU2 – Sonic Traveler (Flower Music, 2008) One of the thrills of my CD review stack is that I often don’t know what musical adventure…
Mongolian and Persian Hybridization at Rainforest World Music Festival 2019
Sedaa is a Germany-based quartet featuring three Mongolian musicians and one Iranian instrumentalist. Together they make a remarkable mix of Mongolian, Middle Eastern and global…
Salif Keita to Receive La Mar de Musicas Award
Malian world music star Salif Keita is the winner of La Mar de Musicas Award. La Mar de Musicas is a highly respected world music…
The Rarely Heard Himalayan Folk Music of Bhutan
It is uncommon to come across music from Bhutan at a world music festival, as the Himalayan nation was isolated for many years. The Rainforest…