Artist Profiles: Malouma
Malouma Mint Moktar Ould Meidah was born in the 1960s in Mederdra (Traiza), into a family of griots (singers who work as oral historians). Her…
Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil Headliners at the Opening Ceremony of Rio Olympics
Acclaimed Brazilian singers, songwriters, and guitarists Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil are set to perform at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games in Rio…
The Shiny Treasure of Vieux Kante
Vieux Kante – The Young Man’s Harp (Sterns Africa, 2016) I suspect that unseen, undiscovered masters of all shapes, sizes and disciplines brush past us…
Shai Tsabari & the Middle East Groove All Stars to Perform at Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles
Shai Tsabari & the Middle East Groove All Stars are set to perform on Thursday, August 25, at 8:00 PM at Skirball Cultural Center’s Sunset…
Artist Profiles: Daby Touré
Daby Toure had a rural upbringing in Mauritania, but this first solo album betrays his Senegalese family roots. After touring in support of Peter Gabriel’s…
Malian Kora Maestro Toumani Diabate
Toumani Diabate was one of the most brilliant players of the kora (a 21-string harp-lute from West Africa). He was born in 1965 in Bamako…
Artist Profiles: Mamadou Sidibe
Mamadou Sidibe was the first person to change the traditional Malian instrument the doso ngoni, to the now popular kamele ngoni. He changed the number…
Artist Profiles: Mamadou Diabate (kora)
Mamadou Diabaté was born in 1975 in Kita, a Malian city long known as a center for the arts and culture of the Manding people…
Artist Profiles: Madou Sidiki Diabate
Madou Sidiki Diabate presents a night of traditional West African music that dates back centuries. While relatives – his famous older brother Toumani Diabate and…
Memorable Bossacucanova
Bossacucanova – The Best of Bossacucanova (Six Degrees Records, 2016) Brazilian music innovators Bossacucanova have put together some of their finest songs and instrumentals in…