Tombak In The Spotlight On Between Hands
Kaveh Mahmudiyan — Between Hands (Global Sonics, 2025) Kaveh Mahmudiyan’s first solo album, Between Hands presents his own compositions with the tombak (Persian goblet-shaped drum).…
Fiddle Meets EDM
Canadian fiddler and singer-songwriter Ashley MacIsaac and fellow Canadian percussionist and producer Jay “Sticks” Andrews got together to form a new project called Fdler. The…
26th Jewish Culture Festival, a Krakow festival of World Music
The first Jewish Culture Festival was held in Poland in 1988, at which time its main goal was to emphasize the very important role of…
Length & Time: Max Romeo
I will be writing a column on Length & Time in music, in each presenting an album and its strategies that pertain to addressing Length & Time. There…
Thalma de Freitas to perform at Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles
Brazilian singer, songwriter, and actress Thalma de Freitas is set to perform on Thursday, August 4, at 8:00 PM at the Skirball Cultural Center’s Sunset…
Artist Profiles: Sekouba “Bambino” Diabaté
Sekouba “Bambino” Diabaté was born in the small village of Siguiri (Guinea) near the Malian border. He is descended from griots or jeli (a caste…
Artist Profiles: Maciré Sylla
Maciré Sylla is a singer from Guinea-Conakry. Her first album, “Mariama,” sold more than 250,000 copies in Africa alone, and won her the “Best Guinean…
Artist Profiles: Les Espoirs de Coronthie
Les Espoirs de Coronthie is a group of Susu musicians and dancers from Guinea who perform music rooted in Manding traditions. They use musical instruments…
A Beautiful Musical Experience in East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem West Jerusalem, featuring David Broza, Steve Earle, Muhammad Mughrabi and Mira Awad (Film Movement, 2016) The film East Jerusalem West Jerusalem is a…
Maggie the Pony Helps Mamadou Kelly and Ban Kai Na
Malian blues act Mamadou Kelly and Ban Kai Na ran into problems last week during their American tour when the one string of their…
Forde Festival 2016: World music, human rights and cultural preservation
My summer travels this year took me to the Montreal International Jazz Festival as well as Forde Traditional and World Music Festival. This is my…