Mali's Les Escrocs are pioneers in the fast-growing world of African Rap and Hip-Hop. Since the early 1990s, the group has helped define the cutting edge of new music in West Africa, mixing traditional instruments with contemporary international beats, and boldly addressing sensitive issues of social and national politics: polygamy, AIDS, corruption, and the changing role of women in society. Les Escrocs made their first recording with help from another Griot, the master of the 21-string kora, Toumani Diabate. Toumani and other older musicians encouraged the group to stick with it's engaged, roots approach, and before long, Les Escrocs found themselves on national television, giving all of Mali a powerful rebuttal to the common idea that rappers were all dropouts and delinquents. From there on, the group's popularity has climbed steadily. Les Escrocs started out as a trio of rappers, but after Mamadou's two cohorts left to study abroad, he was joined in 1999 by Salim Diallo. The two went on to make four albums, Kokadje (Transparency), Kalan (Study), Can 2002, and a new work nearing completion as this CD goes to press. These fourteen tracks offer a retrospective of the first decade of Les Escrocs, one of the most innovative and talented groups to emerge from the awesome crucible of ancient and modern arts that is Mali.

Includes work(s) by various composers.

India/Canada Ritesh Das Toronto Tabla Ensemble: Weaving

Timbila is a xylophone-like instrument and the name of the rhythmic music that comes from the Chopi people of rural Mozambique. One of the last living masters of the timbila drum orchestra is Venancio Mbande. He is 70 years old, lives in a small village without electricity or modern amenities, but his skills as an ensemble leader, musician and master of the timbila tradition are undeniable. Timbila is a music that dates back hundreds of years (first documented by a Portuguese missionary in 1560). The foremost characteristic of timbila is the instrument. The Chopi people's mbila, singular for timbila, is a unique instrument in the music of the Bantus of the Southern Africa continent. The xylophone and marimba are the Western variants of this remarkable instrument, born much later than it's timbila ancestor. Made from the wood of the Mwenje tree, the timbila comes in different types depending on their tone. It uses heptatonian tuning which means that an octave is divided into seven roughly equal intervals. The music itself is a vibrant mesh of rhythms and whistles, dancing and drumming. A group orchestral suite, Ngodo, is usually renewed about every two years. In general, the topics of the lyrics deal with current issues. But it always starts with an introduction by a solo timbila. For this live field recording session, Mbande's orchestra took it's customary places in the shade of two big trees. In front of them was an open square for the dancers. Like the visual splendor of South Africa's Zulu dances, it is a remarkable feat to witness and hear. On the whole, Ngodo resembles music theatre and ballet. However, the leading role in this colourful form of art is the music.

Wedged between Turkey and Russia, the Republic of Georgia is older than both countries. Musically, it's more like an island, with a deep-rooted polyphonic vocal tradition (music in several independent voices) completely distinct from all cultures around it. Proudly carrying the folk music of Georgia into the 21st century is the vocal unit, Trio Kavkasia, who have immersed themselves into this original vocal styling which was in full bloom around the Ninth Century. Consisting of three Americas, tenors Alan Gasser and Carl Linich, and Stuart Gelzer singing bass; they have collectively dedicated more than 40 years to this unique East-European music. And they've done it with respect and an archeological attention to detail. Over 25 tracks of liturgical tunes and secular ballads, not to mention happy drinking songs sung at taverns and weddings, O Morning Breeze is a remarkable achievement and musical experience. While some aspects, such as Georgian liturgical music, have been documented since the Middle Ages, other folk elements are entirely passed on orally, with wax cylinders from the turn of the century as it's earliest snapshot documentation.

Timba MM (pronounced 'Timba emmay emmay') take traditional Cuban sounds and adapt them further with other musical genres from around the world. Michel Medrano Brindis (who has performed with the likes of David Sanborn, Gipsy Kings and Dominique Fils-Aim�) formed Timba MM with good friends Mathieu S�n�chal and Adam Goulet. They compose their own songs inspired by contemporary Cuban artists such as the Pedrito Martinez Group, NG La Banda, Sintesis, Afro Cuban All Stars and Buena Vista Social Club.

China’s rich and diverse musical heritage has been recorded and documented in a stunning, original collection. With twenty albums in the pipeline, this is a highly specialized series with the appeal of perhaps being the closest thing to the ‘complete works’ of traditional Chinese music. Each album features a different region of the vast territory; a historical snapshot of China’s heritage. Due to the cultural privacy China mandates, these are in fact rare, musical gems. This is volume fourteen of a twenty album series, exploring China’s rich and diverse musical heritage. Folk songs from the Monba and Lhoba peoples of the Tibet Autonomous Region. These celebrational love songs of the Monba and the Jia yi jia and Bai li songs of the Lhoba, are played on a range of traditional instruments such as the Da beng, Jew’s harp and double-tube flutes.

China’s rich and diverse musical heritage has been recorded and documented in a stunning, original collection. With twenty albums in the pipeline, this is a highly specialized series with the appeal of perhaps being the closest thing to the ‘complete works’ of traditional Chinese music. Each album features a different region of the vast territory; an historical snapshot of China’s heritage. Due to the cultural privacy China mandates, these are in fact rare, musical gems. Folk songs from the Tujia and Sui peoples of Hubei and Guizhou Province. This album features ‘inserting chant’ songs and south songs of Changyang by the Tujia peoples, and various ancient songs of the Sui. All played on traditional instruments such as mouth organs, bronze drums, gongs and suona, as well as the popular dongdong kui (bamboo clarinet), that dates back thousands of years. This is volume seventeen of a twenty album series, exploring China’s rich and diverse musical heritage.

China’s rich and diverse musical heritage has been recorded and documented in a stunning, original collection. With fifteen albums in the pipeline, this is a highly specialized series with the appeal of perhaps being the closest thing to the ‘complete works’ of traditional Chinese music. Each album features a different region of the vast territory; an historical snapshot of China’s heritage. Due to the cultural privacy China mandates, these are in fact rare, musical gems. The Kazakhs pass on their pastoral lifestyle from generation to generation, their music is delicate and their dance mellow and enchanting. There is a saying that ‘music and horses are the two wings of the Kazakhs’. Kyrgyz music however draws influence from Persian-Arabia, with brighter tones and sharper playing. For the audience who are not familiar with the music from Xinjiang, it is also easy to distinguish the songs between the two minorities in this album by their accompanying instruments. The tunes of Kazakh and Kyrgyz are accompanied by dombra and komuz respectively. As representative instruments for the minorities under discussion, the two are very popular among their peoples.

This series explores China’s rich and diverse musical heritage. The songs featured in this recording are folk songs of five minority ethnic groups of Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang—Mongol, Daur, Oroqen, Evenki and Hezhen. As with Chinese traditional visual arts, the song titles explain their mood and origin.

China’s rich and diverse musical heritage has been recorded and documented in a stunning, original collection. With twenty albums in the pipeline, this is a highly specialized series with the appeal of perhaps being the closest thing to the ‘complete works’ of traditional Chinese music. Each album features a different region of the vast territory; an historical snapshot of China’s heritage. Due to the cultural privacy China mandates, these are in fact rare, musical gems. Folk songs from the Uyghur peoples of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. This album features six folk songs from the Yili region in northern Xinjiang, five folk songs from Kashgar and Artux in southern Xinjiang and two excerpts from the Uyghur Twelve Muqam. All are played on traditional instruments such as rewap, dap, tembor and dotar. This is volume eighteen of a twenty album series, exploring China’s rich and diverse musical heritage.

Dave Swarbrick: English Fiddler

Kadialy’s captivating kora skills originate from his long family history of Kouyate griots. Embracing the art of traditional storytelling, via the 21-stringed kora, he draws on his past heritage for inspiration while creating his own uplifting compositions. In the Senegalese society, ‘aado’ stands for ‘moral customs and values’. Kadialy’s enchanting songs touch on these principles and reflect on the Mandinka culture.“...Admirable skill and precision.” (Songlines #125) “Kadialy’s skillful and emotional playing of the kora produces some peaceful ethereal and yet highly melodic rhythms which I truly love.” (The Folk Roots) “Kadialy Kouyate’s kora playing soothes the soul with its beautiful melodies and deep messages from the griot tradition of West Africa.” (Penny Black Music, Nicky Crew)

Naxos World 2004 Sampler

In 2018, Fadhilee was asked to take part in a research program to explore the musical genre Omutibo. This finger-picking style of guitar playing, which originated from the Luhya people of Western Kenya, was popular around the mid ‘50s to the late ‘60s. Fadhilee started implementing it into his own songs after noticing his own natural playing style was similar. He is now a modern-day pioneer known for bringing Omutibo music to a new generation. SHINDU SHI is an album of good-time music, fetching its roots from the Luyha technique ‘Omutibo’ from Western Kenya. With a comical, dramatic and playful flair, Fadhilee is a breath of fresh air to the Kenyan and international music market, creating his own vibrant style.

Bringing together the music of Wales and the Khasi Hills in North East India, 'Sai-thaiñ ki Sur (the weaving of voices in Khasi) is a unique cross-cultural collaboration. Between 1841 and 1969, hundreds of men and women left Wales to establish and maintain the first Welsh Overseas Mission in the Khasi and Jaiñtia Hills. This three-year album project explores the folk songs, poetry, missionary hymns, folklore, and resultant culture of the crossing of Wales and India. Welsh songwriter Gareth Bonello (The Gentle Good) has recorded this poetic, beautiful album with artists from the indigenous Khasi community.

The Cuban classical pianist Yamile Cruz Montero and the Greek jazz drummer Christos Asonitis are a couple in life and in music. Although they come from two different musical worlds, they have found a common language. Both of them arrange classical to contemporary Cuban piano music with great precision and feeling, such as compositions by Aldo López Gavilán, Andrés Alén, José Maria Vitier & Ernán López-Nussa for piano and percussion. They present the traditional and popular Cuban music styles and fuse them with influences from world music. Some of the works leave space for improvisation, which the two musicians use with creative enthusiasm. The international duo has already played live in Cuba, Germany, Great Britain and Greece. They are very proud to present their debut album as a creative duo: Rapsodia Cubana.“Magical, authentic, touching” (The New Listener)

I found the best singers and instrumentalists in Bikutsi Pop (my genre) in Yaounde, the town where I live in Cameroon, and started working with them on the songs, then I booked a professional studio, one of the best in the town, Studio Karel DC, for 12 days. We started the recording, using the programmed sounds with the background vocals and after three days we continued with the guitars and bass. We then took two days to edit those recordings before I recorded the lead vocals. I took three days for my leads, then a day for a break, which allowed us to listen to all this. Two days for the addition of my leads, then we prepared the mix. The genre I perform is Bikutsi Pop music. Bikutsi is a genre coming from the south province of Cameroon, and means "the hit of the floor," the dance of Bantu fighters. I add sounds to my music from South Africa and from some other African countries I visited while touring with another band I was in before starting to work on my solo album. These sounds, like flutes, xylophone, kora, etc., allow that new style to be appreciated by a larger number of people out of Cameroon and even Africa. The vocalists I used in this album were Lary and Henry-Georges, the bass guitarist was Gordon, and I did the guitars and the leads. The songs had been arranged by Mr. Isidore Modjo, Gordon and myself. I also helped Mr. Isidore Modjo in the production, as I myself am a sound technician.

Evergreen Club: Sunda Song

Electric Highlife: Sessions From the Bokoor Studios

Douduk - The Sound of Armenia

China’s rich and diverse musical heritage has been recorded and documented in a stunning, original collection. With twenty albums in the pipeline, this is a highly specialized series with the appeal of perhaps being the closest thing to the ‘complete works’ of traditional Chinese music. Each album features a different region of the vast territory; an historical snapshot of China’s heritage. Due to the cultural privacy China mandates, these are in fact rare, musical gems. This album features ballads from the She, wandering love songs from the Miao, and lullabies from the Li peoples. All played on traditional instruments such as the suona, lu sheng and yehu. This is volume fifteen of a twenty album series, exploring China’s rich and diverse musical heritage.

China’s rich and diverse musical heritage has been recorded and documented in a stunning, original collection. With fifteen albums in the pipeline, this is a highly specialized series with the appeal of perhaps being the closest thing to the ‘complete works’ of traditional Chinese music. Each album features a different region of the vast territory; an historical snapshot of China’s heritage. Due to the cultural privacy China mandates, these are in fact rare, musical gems. The Uzbek and Tatar peoples both live in Xinjiang province and speak Turkic languages. The population of Chinese Uzbeks is around ten thousand, which is approximately three times that of the Tatars. The majority of these two peoples live in the northern and western regions of Xinjiang province. The Uzbek music displays its artistic charm with complex melodic variations and gorgeous ornaments. Their instrumental music mainly includes interludes of Shashmaqam and dutars accompany all the Uzbek musical pieces. The music of the Tatars is the gemstone in Xinjiang’s musical crown, with many of their songs being popular among different ethnic groups. In this album, the accordion accompanies all the Tatar songs. The kubyz, the brass jew’s harp, is another popular instrument among them and they also perform on an instrument similar to a long end-blown flute, the qurai.

China's rich and diverse musical heritage has been recorded and documented in a stunning, original collection. With nineteen albums in the pipeline, this is a highly specialized series with the appeal of perhaps being the closest thing to the 'complete works' of traditional Chinese music. Each album features a different region of the vast territory; an historical snapshot of China's heritage. Due to the cultural privacy China mandates, these are in fact rare, musical gems. This series explores China's rich and diverse musical heritage. The songs featured in these recordings are folk songs from the Tibetan peoples of Qinghai province and the Tibet autonomous region. Beautiful folk singing, atmospheric soundscapes of nature and varied traditional instruments are heard in this colorful album from Tibet.

China's rich and diverse musical heritage has been recorded and documented in a stunning, original collection. With nineteen albums in the pipeline, this is a highly specialized series with the appeal of perhaps being the closest thing to the 'complete works' of traditional Chinese music. Each album features a different region of the vast territory; an historical snapshot of China's heritage. Due to the cultural privacy China mandates, these are in fact rare, musical gems. This series explores China's rich and diverse musical heritage. The songs featured in these recordings are folk songs from the Bai, Nu and Derung peoples of Yunnan province. As with Chinese traditional visual arts, the song titles explain their mood and origin.