Tag Archives: world music

Gary’s favorite ‘world music’ of 2020

This sort of exercise serves to point up one of the problems with broad genres like “world music.” It’s reductive and inaccurate and Western-centric, and you end up with some strange companions. However, I listened to lots of music from … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Gary’s favorite ‘world music’ of 2020

Uun Budiman and the Jugala Gamelan Orchestra, Banondari: New Directions in Jaipongan

One realizes, after a while, that popular music, while it may appear in many guises, has certain things in common. Sometimes it is subject matter, sometimes it is more elusive. But, more on that later. Jaipongan is a newly designated … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Uun Budiman and the Jugala Gamelan Orchestra, Banondari: New Directions in Jaipongan

Elina Duni and Rob Luft’s Lost Ships

I was utterly beguiled by Elina Duni the first time I heard her sing, which was on the ECM debut of her longtime quartet, 2012’s Matanë Malit. On that first album and the follow-up Dallëndyshe with Colin Vallon, Patrice Moret … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Elina Duni and Rob Luft’s Lost Ships

Brooklyn Raga Massive’s In D

As we all know, 2020 has been a trying year in so many ways, but it has been one of the best years for music in my recent memory. And Brooklyn Raga Massive’s In D touches me as deeply as … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Brooklyn Raga Massive’s In D

Auli’s Voices of the Ancestors (Senču Balsis)

There just aren’t enough albums that combine bagpipes and yodelling. If you don’t see yourself agreeing with that statement you can just stop reading now. Okay, whoever’s still with me, meet the Latvian drum-and-bagpipe ensemble Auli.  They’ve been making music … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged | Comments Off on Auli’s Voices of the Ancestors (Senču Balsis)

Various artists’ Folk & Great Tunes From Russia

You would have to think that a huge, ethnically diverse and culturally rich country such as the Russian Federation would be rich in folk art. And you’d be right. You’d also imagine that when it comes to folk music, there … Continue reading

Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Various artists’ Folk & Great Tunes From Russia

Tamikrest’s Tamotaït

“Tamotaït means hope for a positive change,” says Ousmane Ag Mossa, the singer, guitarist and songwriter for the Tuareg (or Kel Tamasheq as they prefer) rockers Tamikrest. They, like their fellow makers of what’s come to be called “desert blues” … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on Tamikrest’s Tamotaït

Divahn’s Shalhevet

Many Christian hymns and modern worship songs are based on the popular music of the day with the original secular lyrics replaced by religious themes and words. As it turns out, that’s also a tradition among the Mizrahi, the Jews … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on Divahn’s Shalhevet

Sunny Jain’s Wild Wild East

Brooklyn-based jazz drummer Sunny Jain dives deep into what it means to be an immigrant, a first-generation American of South Asian descent, and a member of the global community of marginalized people in Wild Wild East. It’s as wild a … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on Sunny Jain’s Wild Wild East

Tautumeitas’s Songs from Auleja

This stirring album presents a studio version of music sung by the Tautumeitas ensemble at a concert that was founding member Asnate Rancāne’s project for a bachelor’s degree at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music. Fortunately, it’s a lot … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged | Comments Off on Tautumeitas’s Songs from Auleja