Capoeira is a Brazilian cultural expression that mixes martial art, sport, music and popular culture. Developed in Brazil, mainly by descendants of African slaves with some Indian influence, it is characterized by agile, complex movements. One feature that distinguishes the Capoeira from most other martial arts is it's musicality. Practitioners of this Brazilian martial art not only learn to fight and play, but also to play the typical instruments and sing. An experienced capoeirista who ignores the musicianship is considered incomplete. The present release is filled with the best Capoeira songs and rhythms for both the experienced and novice Capoeirista, or just to listen to and enjoy.

Qawwali literally means ‘utterance’ and qawwali is the mouthpiece of Divine Power. This art form is the devotional music of the Sufis- the mystical sect of Islam, intended to elevate the spirit and bring both performer and listener closer to God. Qawwali originated with the foundation of the Chishti order of the Sufis in Khorasan (Persia) in the early 10th century and was brought to the Indian subcontinent in the 12th century. At the heart of Sufism is the heart itself: devotional love of God (Allah), his prophet (Mohammed) and his friend (Ali). Music is the vehicle to reach the heart and attain a state of grace or enlightenment, a ‘stateless state’ or ‘Ma’rifat’- the inner knowledge. Traditionally a qawwali performance is heard at the shrine of a saint or a gathering of the brotherhoods. Today the qawwal, as the qawwali singer is called, will sing at all the major events such as marriages and religious festivals, and, increasingly, in a number of secular contexts. It still remains one of the most popular forms of musical expression in the subcontinent. Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was born in 1948 shortly after the independence of India and Pakistan. He comes from a distinguished family of musicians steeped in classical and mystical Islamic tradition. His ancestors were great practitioners of qawwali. Today Nusrat is considered the greatest exponent of qawwali. His art has transcended all boundaries of language and religion and has popularized this beautiful and inspirational music to audiences worldwide.

Former Syrian television and radio start, Zein Al-Jundi brings the music of Syria to life on this recording. Al-Jundi was born in Homs, Syria and grew up in the capital city of Damascus. She began singing professionally at a young age and became a household name quickly. Discovering that in spite of not singing for years, her passion for music did not die. She decided to go back to her music, which has since taken more of a centre stage in her life and occupies more of her time. From the beginning and for many centures, music has been at the heart of Syrian culture and formed an integral part of every aspect of it. Whatever the occasion, a wedding or an engagement, a child birth, a religious festival, it is always celebrated with a song.

Former Spanish National Champion accorionist Enrique Ugarte, presents this new release, Classics on the Accordion. Ugarte displays perfect command of his instrument, as her performs classic and folk pieces that he has arranged. Works included are favorites like Ravel's Bolero, Mozart's Eine Kleine Nacht musik, and the Sabre Dance.

Egyptian master percussionist Hossam Ramzy presents this album of Egyptian rhythmic dance. The first part of the album explains the Egyptian dance rhythms, and gives examples of each, such as the Masmoudi, Maqsoum, and Saaidi. From track 25 on, Hossam presents a drumming workshop. He explains the drums, which include the table, darabuka, mazhar, and duf, then plays simple examples as well as how the drums fit into a full percussion section.

A posthumous record? "Nothing to declare!" as Rachid would have said, leaning on the bar counter, with messy hair, bright eyes, and a raspy voice. He's there, you can't miss him. He may be laid to rest in Algeria, but he hasn't left us. He knew that those who are allegedly missing are well and alive: "Do you really know the others?" the master of rock-Cha�bi once asked, quoting the greats Johnny Cash, Oum Kalthoum, and Andy Warhol in a prophetic song titled Andy Walhoo. He wrote this arabic-punk-electro piece with guitars, balafon, and mouth harp before succumbing to a heart attack on September 12, 2018. With boundless energy, Taha wrote eleven songs together with Toma Feterman for his eleventh solo album, diving deep into his roots as usual. First, Algerian Cha�bi, so subtle, yet so complex. Then rock, which took the world by storm during the postwar period, and punk, it's offshoot, in the style of The Clash. Finally, electronica, the musical revolution of the late twentieth century, as hypnotic as the Gnawas guembris or Sufi trance sounds.

Takillacta: Music of the People. It dates back to the mid-eighties, when I was a newcomer to New York City. One day I was walking down through Soho and heard music that was familiar, but with a distinctive flavor in the sound. It turned out to be some of my future bandmates playing on the street. What I was hearing was a new way of expressing the folklore of our latitudes: Andean highlands and valleys; Patagonia; South American pampas; and the Tateyama Mountains of Japan. We, the members of Takillacta, come from different countries and musical backgrounds: Per�, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, and Japan. Beneath the sound of our music are the life stories and traditions brought by each of us from those distinct places. This project is a reflection of those backgrounds and the folklore carried in each of us, the memories of which have nurtured us through our years of living in New York, the city where you can't escape blending with so many people and cultures. This album is dedicated to the native people of the Americas, and to artists and poets of all backgrounds who embrace tradition while letting it grow into new forms.

Rudy ”Twoleft” Smith is a legendary figure in the world of steel pan and steelband.This album, What Pan Did For Me, offers samples of his many musical faces: the pan man, the jazz musician, the arranger, the pan tuner, the tune smith…Rudy’s life covers most of the development of steel pan as a tuned musical instrument.The first pans were made from biscuit tins and other metal containers and had but few notes.These were the first steel pans Rudy made and played as a very young boy.During the period 1945-55 the steel pan was gradually transformed into a set of instruments from treble to bass made from 55 gallon oil drums.The orchestra made up of steel pans became known as steelband.The original function of steelbands was to provide music for the masqueraders in the famous Trinidad carnival.The bands played the Trinidad calypso music, but very soon began playing other kinds of music.The U.S. had both a naval and air base in Trinidad.The G.I. audience was a different one than the local audience.And they could pay.With the “Yankees” departure in the late 1950s the steelbands had to look for new markets.As a teenager Rudy started to travel with the band Merrymakers, taking steelband to Europe in the wake of the 1950s calypso craze.

Classical Music

The Art Of The Chinese Lute MIAO XIAOTYUN Ms Miao Xiaoyun is a virtuoso player of various Chinese lutes. Here she presents a fascinating array of Chinese traditional and ancient pieces. On some of the pieces she is accompanied by her husband, the internationally acclaimed Chinese dulcimer player Professor Xu Pingxin. The Art of the Chinese Flute

Joining TIPA musicians on this album are monks of Nechung Monastery, singing special pujas (prayers) unique to this specific monastery. The album opens with a blessing of the environment recorded in the Nechung monastery, and a Losar prayer for the New Year. Tibetan wind instruments, human skull rattes and Tibetan long horns accompany them in vigor. (Yarlung)

CELTIC THUNDER Greatest Hits showcases decades of wonderful Irish music! Irish favorites include "Heartland," "Galway Girl" and "Whiskey in the Jar." On the spiritual side, the globally touring group sings "Hallelujah" and "Amazing Grace." Garnering hundreds of millions of streams and tickets sold, Celtic Thunder has been hailed as Billboard's Top World Music Artist.

TOUR D'AFRIQUE

This album begins its journey in Egypt, where the music has a distinctly Middle Eastern and Arabic influence, being at the crossroads of Africa and Asia. These influences stretch across much of the Sahara, through Libya, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. The call-and-response style, as is found in much of the gnawa music of Morocco, begins to introduce to the listener something more familiar to Western ears. As the album approaches Western Africa we uncover the ancestry of blues music, which became the foundation of most Western popular music. The Western African influences in blues music are unmistakable and are explored enthusiastically by these West African artists. Along the southern coast of Western Africa, and heading into central Africa, a noticeable percussive style takes over. Drumming in these parts of Africa is an ancient, often tribal, tradition that continues to this day. We travel next to Eastern Africa and Sudan, a country with a long and turbulent history that has seen its religion and politics influence its music in many ways. Sudanese music went through something of a renaissance in the early-mid 20th century and the song included here is from that period. Lastly, moving south, we hear guitar music, percussion, and above all vocals taking center stage.

With Summer around the corner, ARC Music has taken one of their strongest selling genres and compiled an album especially designed to appeal to summer lovers with music sourced from the most popular vacation destination on Earth- The Caribbean. This release features music from Trinidad, Martinique, Costa Rica, and more. The islands that make up the Caribbean archipelago are among the most beautiful in the world, sharing many similarities between them, but each with a character and charm all of their own. Much like the islands themselves, there is a familiar uniqueness about the music of the Caribbean. Many Afro-Caribbean styles are instantly distinguishable from each other but share a rhythmic palette and boast a style that is undeniably Caribbean. Authentic Caribbean performers are featured, including Rafael & Energia Dominicana, Mandigo y su Son, King Selewa & His Calypsonians Calypso Invasion, Pablo Carcamo, and many more. In the words of a reviewer, "If you've been there, it takes you back. If you've never been, you'll want to go."

The male choir of the Optina Pustyn Monastery Department in St. Petersburg was established in 1996 with the blessing of its Father Superior, Hieromonach Rostislav. The choir consists of between six and nine professional singers, who are all graduates of the St. Petersburg Conservatoire. The main goal for the formation of the choir was the cultivation of the heritage of the old Russian Church singing, its sources, and different styles. The repertoire of the choir, however, reaches beyond the purely ancient repertoire and represents the great riches and variety of the Russian clerical as well as secular choral art. After two decades of creative activity, the choir has become a permanent participant in many Russian and international festivals, playing up to a hundred concerts a year.

This very infectious, upbeat and danceable rhythm from Brazil evolved out of Forro, a unique Brazilian dance rhythm, will not let you sit still. An irresistible invitation to move your body and dance. With Enrique Ugarte, Mauricio Calquin, Jonas Mo, Beatriz Schmidt and Pablo Carcamo.

- The centuries' long historical tradition of flamenco and it's evolution shows a diverse background of cultural roots and influences including Indian, Jewish, Byzantine, Arabic and South American. - Taught to play guitar and sing by his father Juan el Minelva, at the time the best-known guitarist in the region, Andres Fernandez Amador, a gitano from the province of Almeria in Andalusia, southern Spain, sings and plays modern flamenco in the style of Paco de Lucia, Pata Negra and the Gipsy Kings, as well as traditional 'classical' flamenco ('cante jondo') and original compositions.

A superb selection of Irish ballads delivered by some of the greatest representatives of Irish folk, e.g. The Dubliners, Declan Hunt, Terry O'Neill, Brier, Corrib Folk, Blackthorn and many more. The songs include such classics as The Boys of Killibegs, All for me Grog, Cuanla, Sing Irishmen Sing, Carnlough Bay, Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore and many others.

This heady, brand new collection, the fourth Sabla Tolo release, features hip-swaying, high-energy percussion compositions with full arrangements for Oriental dance. It’s Egyptian percussion with an African feel, peppered with hot, driving Brazilian Samba and a hint of Indian spice mixing it up with Moroccan Shaaby and Flamenco. Noted the world over for his percussion talents, arranging and musical diversity, Hossam Ramzy is Arc Music’s best-selling artist.

She’Koyokh, award-winning klezmer and Balkan music ensemble, present vibrant and exhilarating music, straight from London’s melting pot: soulful Eastern European Jewish, Balkan, Turkish and Gypsy music. Performing “the best klezmer & Balkan music in Britain” (Evening Standard), She’Koyokh have spent fifteen years absorbing the rich folk music traditions of Eastern & Southern Europe and Turkey. The band’s evolution spans the origins of busking at East London’s Columbia Rd Flower Market to performing at WOMAD and Sziget festivals, recording live for BBC radio, and playing venues from the Southbank Centre to Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. Masters of the genre, She’Koyokh’s repertoire includes Bulgarian oros, Serbian kolos, Bosnian love songs, ballads from the mountains of southwest Turkey, as well as rip-roaring klezmer music.

Classical Music

Catrin Finch releases Notes to Self, her first solo album in a decade, featuring personal tracks dedicated to her 13-year-old self. Accompanied by letters, the album reflects on her 40-year career, exploring vulnerability, transformation, and life under public scrutiny. As a gay woman, cancer survivor, and mother, Finch channels her struggles and triumphs into music, marking a bold, introspective evolution in her artistry.

The Barcelona Clarinet Players commissioned six prominent Latin American composers to write new works for clarinet quartet and wind band. During their 2021–2022 season; they recorded each work with a different wind band in the United States or Latin America; and the result is a captivating album of extraordinary musical richness and diversity that showcases the unique aesthetic of each composer and the artistry of the performing ensembles.

This album represents a trove of new and never-before recorded songs from the Kazuno region in northern Japan world premiere recordings. Many of the works by renowned local Kazuno children's song composers were largely unknown with beautiful melodies, even though the Japanese culture reveres children's songs, taught to children and sung often by both children and adults. The scores for these children's songs were not published for commercial sale and were believed to be inaccessible but were lent to soprano Wakako Kawasaki by two individuals residing in Kazuno who possessed complete children's songs collections of composers Jujin Odajima and Takatomo Kurosawa for this recording project, as these works of these great composers from Kazuno were not even being sung in their hometown. These collections were used as the base works for the album in addition to pieces composed by Sapporo composer Kyoichi Enda, inspired by Japanese author Ryusuke Saito's story of the Kazuno floods. The album also includes a revival performance of "Dainosaka," a song associated with the Kemanai Bon Dance not sung since the early Showa period (1926-1989), arranged with piano accompaniment by Dr. Akiko Hosaki. Today "Dainosaka" is performed only with flute, drum, and dance, but historical records indicate it was accompanied by song as well. "Dojokko Funakko," was discovered on an original song monument at a temple in Kazuno and added to the album. The album is the result of years of research and discussions with Japanese musicologists in order to create a collection which will be historical in the annals of Japanese music