Tag Archives: world music

Ljova and the Kontraband’s Mnemosyne

The violist Ljova first came to my attention when he joined the superb Brooklyn-based gypsy band Romashka a few years ago. Although I know him from folk circles, Ljova’s musical background is extremely diverse; the list of performers he’s worked … Continue reading

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Ilgi’s Ej Tu Dejot

This CD is the latest offering from this energetic and imaginative Latvian folk-rock band. We got everything else they’ve recorded (see my reviews of Kaza Kapa Debesis and Isakas Nakts Dziesmas) and listen to them often and with great pleasure. … Continue reading

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La Musgaña’s Lubicán, Las Seis Tentaciones, En Concierto, y Temas Profanos

These four CDs represent a good sampling of the recorded output from this talented Castilian Spanish folk ensemble. The other three CDs they’ve done over the years (La Musgaña, 1988; El Paso de la Estantigua, 1989; and El Diablo Cojuelo, … Continue reading

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Le Trio Joubran’s Majaz

Le Trio Joubran is an ensemble of Palestinian oud players, the brothers Samir, Wissam and Adnan Joubran. They come from a very musical family: their father, Hattem Mdada Joubran, makes ouds and other stringed instruments; their mother, Ibtisa Hanna Joubran, … Continue reading

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Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu

For anyone who heard Paul Simon’s Graceland and was captivated by the South African choir that is Ladysmith Black Mambazo; for those who have followed their career and been entranced by their dancing and just their look, here is the … Continue reading

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Arthur Lyman’s Bwana Á & Bahia, and Isle of Enchantment & Polynesia

Arthur Lyman, who passed away in February 2002 when he was 70 years old, was a vibraphone and marimba player. He popularized a weird sort of lounge Polynesian music in the ’50s and ’60s which eventually took on the sobriquet … Continue reading

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Ilgi’s Kaza Kapa Debesis and Laimas Muzykanti’s Orkla Bolss

UPE is a Latvian music label founded in 1997. It looks like the first CD we received from these folks was Dudas Latvija back in the summer of 2001. That magnificent collection of bagpipe music led us to Ilgi, a … Continue reading

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Various artists’ Music from Montenegro

Music from Montenegro is a single-disc collection that showcases the variety of Montenegro’s folk music styles, with 28 tracks covering nearly 76 minutes. Variety is the key word here, and the musical variety echoes Montenegro’s ethnic and geographic diversity. With … Continue reading

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Makam’s Almanach

Makám has been putting its own stamp on Hungarian folk music for more than 20 years now. Or rather, Zoltán Krulik’s stamp. Almanach is the first album by this group I have heard, but they’ve been making recordings since 1984. … Continue reading

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Various artists’ Putumayo World Music Presents: Mali and Afro-Latin Party

The Putumayo label — along with various ventures by Peter Gabriel and Ry Cooder, the Rough Guide recordings and broacasts on BBC World Service by Andy Kershaw and Charlie Gillett, to name some of the most prominent influences — has … Continue reading

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