Classical Music

Clive Bell is Britain's leading player of the Japanese shakuhachi, and a founder member of Jah Wobble's Deep Space project. DAVID ROSS was drummer for the instrumental combo Kenny Process Team. But none of this would prepare you for Mystery Lights, their first duo recording. This is a spacious, intimate music, full of colour and melody, exploratory but highly accessible. Many instruments, both acoustic and electronic, familiar and unfamiliar, weave a spell hard to resist. This album was made in collaboration with Walter & Donald the budgerigars. Recorded live at "The Earl of Kilgorlin". CD includes a video playable on any PC.

Senegal's greatest living artist is back with a major album that subtly alternates between tradition and modernity. A marvel of balance between modern sounds and his African roots, History is an album with variety and eclecticism. Tracks include a tribute to his late bassist, Habib Faye, the beautifully written song "Confession," a great remix of the song "Birima" with Seinabo Sey, "Hello," a duet with Mohombi, along with many other treasures. Youssou N'Dour is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine described him as, "perhaps the most famous singer alive" in Senegal and much of Africa. From April 2012 to September 2013, he was Senegal's Minister of Tourism.

Pepe Romero, head of an outstanding family of folk musicians has been playing the bagpipe since he was twelve years old. He is known today, as one of the best bagpipers in Galicia. The repertoire on this album, based on self-composed themes with clear, unmistakable and genuine roots in the Galician usical tradition, is another aspect that gives a very special character to this group. (ARC Music)

With the towering spires and sky framing canyons of Monument Valley as their stage, flutist Paul Horn and R. Carlos Nakai create a music that is at once intimate and majestic. Wind, thunder, bird song, the keening of falcons and even the raucous cries of curious ravens provide counterpoint to the lyrical grace of Horn's transverse flutes and the haunting tone of Nakai's traditional Native American flute.

M�nica Giraldo is a woman walking two paths. The first one is taking her deeper and deeper into the heart of Colombian music, surrounded by the power of her native land's traditional rhythms. The other one leads her out and away, following melodies and harmonies from the world. M�nica is a singer-songwriter who released two independent albums before earning a nomination for Best New Artist at the 2008 Latin Grammys. Born in Bogot�, Colombia, Giraldo studied music at Unviersidad de los Andes in her hometown and subsequently studied further at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Since her return to Colombia, she recorded several albums: Muy Cerca in 2005, Todo da Vueltas in 2008, which earned her a nomination for Best New Artist at the 2008 Latin Grammys. She also released Que venga la vida with Polen Records in 2014, and Bajo el mismo cielo in 2017. This new release features her very best work.

Dreyer. Gaido discovered the Uyghur band Qetiq in 2010 in a bar in Urumqi, the capital of the independent Uyghur province Xinjiang in northwest China. Some of Qetiq's songs are their own compositions, but there are also transcriptions of traditional Kazakh and Uyghur music, such as Dolan Muqam, music from the deserts of Xinjiang, which dates back centuries.

Music is woven into the fabric of Africa and is as vast and varied as the continent's many regions, nations, and ethnic groups. From traditional songs to contemporary compositions by inspired artists, ARC Music presents in this compilation of artists from all over Africa. Featured artists include Afrika Mamas, an all-female musical group hailing from South Africa who perform a song written by the group’s leader, Insingizi a cappella trio who come from Zimbabwe, Gondwana Dawn children’s choir, Gabriella Ghermandi from Ethiopia and more. The compilation was curated by Julia Beyer, director of ARC Music, who is well-known for leading the label into new, successful world music initiatives.

Classical Music

Ilya Kuzinets, leader of the group Adon Olam, was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. He began to study the violin at the municipal music school in St. Petersburg and finished the class with honors. He continued his study at the Rimsky Korsakov College, St. {Petersburg, and then at the St. Petersburg Conservatoire. There he received his diploma with honors with Professor Anatoly Reznikovsky. In 1991 he emigrated to Israel and continued his studies at the Jerusalem Rubin Academy. In the following years, he played in various orchestras and folk groups with whom he toured Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, and South America. Since 1996, parallel to all of his concert and touring activities, he has been the house composer for The Israel Stage Orchestra, writing new pieces and arrangements for the orchestra. He also wrote arrangements for the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and other orchestras in the area. This group presents traditional Israeli songs arranged by Kuzinets for his group Adon Olam.

Traditional Irish music is said to have originated with the Celts when they settled on the land after travelling from Europe around 500BC. They brought with them many influences of the east; one possible origin for the most famous of Celtic instruments- the harp- is that it came from Egypt and was used to create music for those of higher rank. Over the years traditional Irish music has been born, developed and spread worldwide as a means to express the traditions, musical styles, poetry works and treasured stories of it's ancestral lands. This album is a celebration of Ireland's traditions heard in songs from all over the country, from many a talented and well-known Irish musician- the tales of their land

The era of the Maharajas was a time of bejeweled kings, opulent palaces filled with the finest art, and a rich cultural tradition of Rajasthan- the land of the kings. The DHOAD Gypsies of Rajasthan take us back to these times, recreating the experiences of the public spectacle of palace life. These are ancient melodies that were handed down to DHOAD's musical director, Rahis Bharti, over several generations from his courtier-musician ancestors, who would sing in the presence of Maharajas at public events like births and marriages and religious ceremonies, or just for entertainment. 'Sona ra button Banna' celebrates the birth of a prince; 'Dhanra Saheba ji,' the arrival of the wedding party, and 'Janwariyo (Romantic Peacock)' announcing the coming of the rainy season, a symbol of wealth and the return of a lover.

From the African musical traditions that shaped him, to the fresh and modern touches that identify him: Zimbabwe's Vusa Mkhaya tells his story through Vocalism.

This release is a captivating album by a popular folk group from Coimbra, Portugal's cultural capital. Portugal is a popular year-round locale, not only as a vacation destination in the Summer, but also for it's timeless folk and fado music. The present album is the perfect gift for Portuguese fans. Grupo Folclorico de Coimbra, a non-profit cultural association, was founded in 1986. It's main aim is to collect, study, recreate and revive the popular traditions of Coimbra, in the areas of singing, dance, costumes, poetry and life of Coimbra in the late eighteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth century. Today the group, of whom all members are past or present students and also employees of the University of Coimbra, has a repertoire of over 90 songs in two main areas: songs of very diverse types, from satire, work songs, religious songs to serenades, and dance, which include urban dances and those of the surrounding rural areas. They perform regularly in Portugal as well as abroad. They have presented their traditions in Hungary, France, Spain, Lithuania, the Canary Islands, Egypt, Brazil, and Canada. "This is a rarity... For fans of Portuguese music with a curious ear." (Allmusic USA)

The title of the album says it all. Centuries ago, when the djinns, African bush spirits, gave the first ever kora to the griot Jali Mady 'Wuleng' (Jali Mady 'The Red') it had 22 strings. When Jali Mady died his fellow griots took one string away in his memory. But in it's southern Senegal and Guinea Bissau birthplace the 22-stringed kora survives, the extra string giving the instrument special advantages in terms of tonal reach and groove. For Seckou Keita, that one extra string represents home: the place where his heart resides. Seckou Keita has arguably become his generation's most influential and inspiring kora player, an exceptional and charismatic musician. A childhood prodigy, Seckou is uniquely descended from a line of Southern Senegalese griots and kings. His last two albums, Miro and The Silimbo Passage, hit No. 1 in the European world music charts, and Clychau Dibon, the fruit of his collaboration with Catrin Finch, won fRoots Critics Poll Album of The Year 2013, Songlines Magazine Best Cross Cultural Collaboration 2014, and two BBC Radio 2 Folk Award nominations.

Discover world percussion with this vibrant and interesting collection that in it's 25 tracks highlights and introduces a huge variety of world percussion with renowned performers from the Americas through Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific islands.

Musicians from the UK travel to The Gambia in this unique cultural exchange. Under the guidance of Gambian percussionist and vocalist Musa Mboob, musicians from both countries create an inspired, energetic, tribal, West African soul music. "... captivating sounds of West Africa in it's most innovative masterpiece of artistic creativity... " (ebonyonline. Net) Musa Mboob and XamXam aim to bring you the perfect blend of traditional West African music with a modern twist. Musa has made it his aim in life to continue the family tradition of playing percussion and promoting traditional music from The Gambia. In 2017 Musa returned to The Gambia with a new set of musicians and returned with this collection of new songs that capture the exciting Gambian vibe.

Much has been said and written about the origins and first appearances of the Gypsies. Their first documented existence in Europe dates back to the early fifteenth century and most scholars agree that they originally came from Northern India. This is based on the resemblance of their Romany language to certain languages in Northern India. Apparently, the Gypsies migrated into Persia in the 11th century and further into South East Europe around the beginning of the 14th century and from there into Western Europe. Today, Gypsies live all over the world, including North and South America and even Australia. As many Gypsies worked as musicians or entertainers, they had a considerable impact on the music of the countries in which they lived- their own particular musical style often combined with the folk music of a particular country, thus preserving the traditions over centuries. The so-called Gypsy repertoire can be described as a blend of Russian, Hungarian and Romanian influences but on the other hand the Roma have contributed their own style to many areas of music and influenced other artists in their music, such as Bizet, Brahms and Dvorak, to name but a few. In this compilation, a variety of Gypsy music has been included, from purely traditional to modern, including soloists who excel with their instruments, small Gypsy ensembles, large Gypsy brass bands, some of the greatest Gypsy singers and composers as well as travelling Egyptian Gypsies, recorded on location.

Classical Music

This exciting collection contains tracks from Brazil. Covering all the bases, this release features samba, bossa, MPB, gaucho music, and folk music. The included booklet contains information about each of the pieces.

From Easter Island to New Zealand, travel through paradise with this recording featuring traditional island music. This new release features music from the entire Pacific Islands, including Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Hawaii, Tahiti, and everywhere in between. This release includes songs recorded professionally in the studio, as well as raw field recordings which capture the essence of Pacific folk music.

Nadur is Clannad's first album of new material since 1998's Grammy winning Landmarks and features the full original line-up: siblings Moya, Ciaran and Pol Brennan, and their twin uncles Noel and Padraig Duggan, back together for the first time since the 1989 album Past Present. Nadur, Gaelic for nature is a natural progression to the Clannad sound that since the 70s has fused the traditional with the modern, the past and the future, with stunningly beautiful results.

"This first full-length album ‘Old Tunes, Dusted Down’ is dedicated to the work of father and son Hubert and Andries Boone. Hubert Boone (b. 1940), a Flanders/Belgium equivalent to Bert Lloyd, Peter Kennedy and Ralph Vaughan Williams in England, and Alan Lomax in America was, and remains, one of the pioneers of folk song collecting in his native Belgium. “ ...This Belgian one is a keeper... - folkworld.de I can’t imagine a more fitting tribute to Hubert Boone...” - De Smet (VRT Radio)"

The inspiring group Afrika Mamas are three-time South African Music Awards nominees, and have toured all over the world. They sing in an a cappella or Mbube style, featuring rich textures, thick harmonies, reminiscent of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The twelve tracks featured on this disc are a fantastic representation of the works of this moving group.

This captivating album presents a beautiful cross-section of music from China and Japan, from tender and contemplative Chinese string melodies to the powerful thunder of Japanese taiko drums. Featuring a great variety of music played on traditional instruments in traditional and contemporary arrangements. Extensive information about each of the artists and the pieces. (ARC Music)