Category Archives: Music

Various artists’ The Rough Guides to the Music of Mali & Guinea, South African Jazz, and Master Fiddlers of Dagbon

As befits its size, history and incredibly diverse populations, Africa produces an amazing variety of music. These three discs give just a glimpse of the scope of that diversity, from traditional music created on gourd instruments, to Cuban, Brazilian and … Continue reading

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Various artists’ The Rough Guide to Highlife

Before Paul Simon broke out with Graceland in 1990, not many people outside of Ghana and Nigeria had heard of highlife music. Simon had been given a cassette of some highlife music, and mentioned it as an influence on that … Continue reading

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Various artists’ The Rough Guides to the music of Senegal & Gambia, Marrabenta Mozambique, and Unwired: Africa

Big Earl Sellar wrote this review. I always find it a tad embarrassing to listen to Rough Guides releases. I mean, I should really just get off my butt and track down the original releases, instead of relying on these … Continue reading

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A Rough Guides omnibus review: Afro-Cuba, Lucky Dube, Nigeria & Ghana, and Haiti

Various artists’ The Rough Guide to Afro-Cuba Lucky Dube’s The Rough Guide to Lucky Dube Various artists’ The Rough Guide to the Music of Nigeria & Ghana Various artists’ The Rough Guide to the Music of Haiti Jennifer Byrne wrote … Continue reading

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Various artists’ The Rough Guides to the Music of Africa, and to Congolese Soukous

Big Earl Sellar wrote this review. I’m thoroughly convinced that no one is entirely sure how many musical genres are floating around Africa right now. These two Rough Guides give a quick glance at some of the music of the … Continue reading

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Various artists’ Arabic Grooves: Rebel Music of Algeria: The Rough Guide to Raï

Raï is a music that took shape in Algeria – more particularly in the western cities of Relizane, Sidi Bel Abbès and above all the seaport of Oran – whence it found its way all over North Africa and thence … Continue reading

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The Flash Girls’ Play Each Morning Wild Queen

They talk about the Islands and they have been called Wild Queens. I wonder if they are not really Anne Bonney and Mary Read, those piratical dames, those buccaneer broads, those sword-and-knife wielding beauties of the Bounding Main. After all, … Continue reading

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Johnny Hallyday’s Live at Montreux, 1988

Jean-Philippe Smet was born on June 15, 1943. Influenced and inspired by Elvis Presley, he joined the rock revolution as Johnny Hallyday when he released his first album in 1960. He is a hero in France, but almost unknown in … Continue reading

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Feast of Fiddles’ Live ’01

Feast of Fiddles began life as an idea for a one-off show, cooked up between melodeon player Hugh Crabtree and folk club impresario Mike Sanderson in 1993. The idea was simply to invite some of the UK’s best known fiddle … Continue reading

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Attila the Stockbroker’s Live in Belfast

Judith Gennett wrote this review. “No Blood For Oil” is the first thing you see on the website of English Punk Poet Attila The Stockbroker. Attila, who’s been making a living as a poet for 20 years, is not afraid … Continue reading

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