Cheo Hurtado, virtuoso of the cuatro and bandola guayanesa, presents part of the vast traditional Venezuelan repertoire, mainly derived from pre-baroque and baroque Hispanic music: melodic richness and rhythmic vigour. Cheo Hurtado (born Asdr�bal Jos� Hurtado on 2 May 1960 in Ciudad Bol�var, Venezuela) is one of the most celebrated virtuoso performers of the cuatro, a small four-stringed instrument central to Venezuelan folk tradition. The Spanish conquest reached Venezuela fairly early. Christopher Columbus had already landed near the Orinoco delta by his third journey, in 1498. As it was near to Santo Domingo and Cuba, which were the gates to all contact with the homeland, Venezuela was exposed to a good deal of musical input from Baroque Europe. In addition to church and secular art music, Spanish popular music forms were also introduced throughout the continent of South America. These musical forms may have already gained African and American influences while in Spain. In the course of time, they turned into traditional music. Cheo Hurtado learned to play the cuatro with his father, performed at an early age as a soloist, and was awarded several prizes. He has played with various groups, including Guruf�o (one of the most popular bands in Venezuela). He also plays the bandola llanera, mandolina, and the Cuban tres.

The diatonic button accordion, from the beginning of the 19th century, became hugely popular in traditional rituals, secular celebrations and love songs, bringing a new aesthetic to Masikoro music in the south-west of the Great Island. The Masikoro's appropriation of the instrument began with modifying it's scale to suit indigenous ears and music. This involved carving the reeds of the accordion to turn it into a "prepared accordion". As the instrument is very difficult to find in new condition, musicians play on old models inherited from their fathers, sometimes even their grandfathers. Repaired several times, they produce noises and clicks from the bellows that become elements of expression in the music. Often accompanied by singing, rattles and drums, the accordion now plays a major role in various traditional rituals such as possession sessions, ceremonies of exorcism, of circumcision and funerals. It also accompanies dancing and songs of nostalgia, and sometimes the end of market days.

Mosa�c is an ensemble made up of six musicians from Bulgaria, France, Portugal, and Tunisia. Their compositions are above all else a space for musical encounters at the crossroads of jazz and Mediterranean music. Their musical language is varied, combining Balkan ornamentation with the colours of Western European chamber music and the rhythmic essence of North African music. The ensemble explores imaginative worlds and interweaves traditions like a Mosaic, passing from energetic grooves to the breath of the Bulgarian kaval and the woody sonority of stringed instruments. Now that it's creations have been welcomed throughout the Mediterranean, Mosa�c presents a debut album inspired by the different places it has visited and the people it has met.

The voice of Ti Fr�re rises up, alone in the silence. A voice with an edge and a hiss, grinning and derisive, shouting, rasping and groaning, it threatens and then becomes very sweet and tender, and with it now come all the manifold voices of the Mauritian people: matrons and young girls begin to sway their hips, a magic wave running through their bodies, as their feet beat time and as the fire on the beach is smelt in the warmth of a night thronged with insects and spirits (.). -Jean-Marie Gustave Le Cl�zio. Wherever she came into contact with the outside world, Africa's influence was profound. Slaves left empty-handed with nothing but their memories, voices, bodies, and therefore their songs, rhythms and dances. And these traces grew, despite their new masters' prohibitions, into the unique musical expression of many a people throughout the world. This was how the s�ga, the music of exile, evolved into the traditional song and dance of the people of Mauritius and Rodrigues, and of other Indian Ocean islands too, like the Seychelles and R�union.

Singer Sheila Dhar, a disciple of Ustad Fayyaz Ahmed Khan (a leading figure in Hindustani classical singing), through the ragas Bhairav and Kaushi Kanhra, traces the many facets of the Kirana gharana musical lineage with sobriety, fidelity, and depth. "Raga, the central concept in all Indian music, is a Sanskrit term which means passion, colour, and attachment, something which has the effect of colouring the hearts of people. The music is never 'prepared', but rather a live communication in which the listener contributes to the reality of each moment. The ideal of the singer is to share with the listener all phases of the creative process, much like an idea developed in extemporaneous speech. (.) In raga development the musician envisions a heightened state of being through the portraiture in the lines of the raga. The lines, colours, and feelings offered by the raga create a field of awareness in which the listener can share in the intended evocation. This live chemistry of participation is a vital factor in traditional performances." - Sheila Dhar

Using simple means -yodeling, musical bow, mouth harp, gong, drum and voice- the Adadi of Atauro share their sorrows and joys, both intimately and collectively. The Atauro island has around 10,000 inhabitants, divided into three ethno-linguistic groups, of which only the Adadi (around 2,000 people) have preserved a varied musical practice, despite the fact that it (and their language) is in serious danger of extinction. The music gives rhythm to the walks to the fields, and enhances the harvest of palm wine morning and evening. It often brings tears to the eyes, but softens sadness and intensifies joy at celebrations that include all age groups and genders. Despite an abrupt interruption in transmission in 1974 by Christian missionaries, certain forbidden ritual songs are still remembered.

These recordings, made between 1960 and 1987 by Jean Malaurie during many missions to the Far North, are intended to use their music to reveal the heart and spirit of the Inuit people, forged in a demanding environment. The Inuit live in one of the world's most vast areas. From Siberia -their homeland- to Greenland, they occupy some of the most desolate icy deserts on the planet. Inuit civilisation has adapted to it's terrible environment in one of the greatest challenges of courage and wisdom in human history. Through songs and drums (warrior choruses, throat singing, poignant melodies), the Inuit bear witness to their myths and legends, their identity, their hidden being and their strength in the midst of desolate spaces that would have driven the weakest characters to despair.

Rigodon Sauvage, with a repertoire (Southern Alps, Dauphine) drawn from folklorists' compilations and field recordings, has created an innovative style, giving a contemporary echo to a long musical history. The dominant image of the traditional music and dance of the Southern Alps and, more broadly, the Dauphine, commonly associates the music with the violin and the dance with the rigodon. This image is the culmination of a rich musical history that has been traced through archives, folklorists' works and fieldwork. This history, with it's mechanisms common to all the French provinces, has exacerbated certain salient features of popular musical practices, giving them an unprecedented representative value and place. These practices and the repertoires that have emerged have their own particularities -melodic-rhythmic forms, types of learning, functions, relationship to dance, etc.- These practices and repertoires are very different from "learned" music, even though they are geographically and sometimes culturally close.

The complete collection of Irish trad, dance, folk & ballads, instrumental classics and party favorites on five CDs.

Live at Slane Castle, Ireland was recorded this past August at Slane Castle in County Meath, Ireland, the home of Lord Henry Mount Charles a gorgeous location that has also hosted concerts by U2 and Bruce Springsteen. The 80-minute, 25-track concert draws on material from both their self-titled debut CD and a New Journey. Also included is a 20-minute 'making of' featured that takes viewers behind the scenes of Celtic Woman's elaborate production.

The international Irish music phenomenon, Celtic Woman, is renowned for singing inspirational melodies and heartwarming songs that stir fans of all ages and cultures. Songs from the Heart was filmed in HD in the lush Irish country setting of the majestic Powerscourt House & Gardens. Under a dramatic evening summer sky with the backdrop of the historic estate and musical support of a 27 member film orchestra, 20 member Discovery Gospel choir, 12 member Aontas Choir, 10 member Extreme Rhythm Drummers and an 11 piece Bag Pipe ensemble performing rooftop, the radiant Celtic Woman uplifted their adoring audience with Songs from the Heart. Musical Director David Downes has created a completely new program of repertoire that showcases the beauty and ethereal presence of vocalists, Chlo�, Lisa, Lynn, and Alex along with the energetic inventiveness of Celtic violinist M�ir�ad within a setting of cinematic proportions that was transformed for the first-time-ever into a concert stage. Songs from the Heart is a true celebration of Ireland and the pure essence of Celtic Woman.

This is a finely balanced blend of traditional and contemporary material, reflecting the color and vitality of the Irish folk tradition.

This recording is a witness to the last passage of a rich musical heritage that fascinated figures such as Bela Bartok and Zoltan Kodaly: the last masters and the first disciples are reunited, who will be the reference for subsequent generations in a completely different social context. Numerous styles of dance and song - often accompanied by the recorder, bagpipes, reed, hurdy-gurdy, zither, tambura lute, violin, cymbalum, gardon viol (with struck strings) or spoons- form the basis of traditional Hungarian music: songs of the old style linked to weddings, traditional quests, winter and summer solstice bonfires...; and the new style nourished by contributions from Serbian, Swabian and Slovakian neighbouring cultures...; As for the Gypsies, dance and a cappella songs play a predominant role, in a style that is often spectacular and whose vocabulary, sometimes very bold, is that of everyday life, mixed with the most delicate poetry.

Celtic Woman -"Destiny" Caroline; Manhattan ; World Music Artist Hometown: Ireland, DVD Multi-platinum Irish music sensation Celtic Woman returns to North America in 2016 with DESTINY, a brand new album & DVD, which will be available in stores 1/15/16. The DVD was filmed in Dublin, Ireland at The Round Room @ The Mansion House, the historic home of The Lord Mayor of Dublin, and will air in December on Public Television stations across the US. Celtic Woman will be touring to support release starting Mar 4 in Nashville with performances in 85 cities through July 2016.

2016 release. Celtic Woman has a remarkable twelve-year legacy of introducing the most talented singers and musicians from Ireland onto the world stage. Voices Of Angels showcases the angelic voices of Susan McFadden, Mair�ad Carlin, �abha McMahon and introduces the breathtaking new Celtic violinist Tara McNeill. With some of the most popular songs from the Celtic Woman repertoire, several previously unrecorded tracks and all new orchestral arrangements recorded with the 72-piece Orchestra of Ireland.

2018 release. Multi-platinum international music sensation, Celtic Woman, return with a spectacular studio album Ancient Landis Fall. Ancient Land is the first brand new studio album since the Grammy-nominated Destiny in 2016. Ancient Land will feature all new material for Celtic Woman, with new and original songs alongside traditional Irish pieces and some well-known cover songs.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo is the most famous and successful zulu vocal group of all time. Founded and led by Joseph Shabala in 1974, they quickly became hugley popular in their native South Africa, be it was their collaboration with Paul Simon on his class Graceland about in the mid-eighties that brought them to a worldwide audience. Ladysmith Black Mambazo has played Montreux on three occasions and this CD is a combination from all three performances. It features classic tracks such as "Hello My Baby," "Kings of Kings" and the song co-written with Paul Simon, "Homeless", which has become their signature tune.

DVD. Ancient Land was recorded at Johnstown Castle in County Wexford, Ireland on September 13 and 14, 2018, in front of an invited audience. It was the group's first outdoor special since Celtic Woman: Songs from the Heart was recorded nine years prior. The Celtic Woman: Ancient Land appeared on PBS in the United States beginning in November, 2018. The show was dedicated to Dave Kavanagh, one of the founders of Celtic Woman, who passed away in April, 2018: "our founder, our leader, our guiding light. S� mo laoch mo ghile mear."

30 romantic Celtic melodies featuring traditional Irish instruments. 30 Yuletide favorites delivered via the warm, green-hued tones of traditional Irish instrumentation (Celtic harp, guitar, flutes, etc.).

TIGRE

Deluxe CD/DVD edition. 2018 release. Since it's debut, Grammy-nominated global musical sensation Celtic Woman's concerts continue to touch the hearts of a huge audience that spans the globe. Both an accomplished recording ensemble and a one-of-a-kind live act, Celtic Woman combines the country's finest musical talents with epic stage production to present a uniquely inspiring live experience. Filmed in Dublin, Ireland in September 2017, Homecoming: Live From Ireland represents the next chapter of their extraordinary musical journey.

Sacred Spirit is an album blending authentic Native American chants with contemporary musical arrangements in the tradition of Enigma and Deep Forest. For this release, Virgin has changed the cover to the original version, released in the U.K. in 1995. a contribution from sales of this album goes to the Native American Rights Foundation.

2020 release. From traditional standards to contemporary Irish songs, Sharon Browne's Celtic Thunder show has captivated audiences around the world. Now in it's eleventh year, the PBS hit ensemble returns to the US with it's latest Show Celtic Thunder - Ireland. This release combines ten years of Celtic Thunder hits and focuses on their most popular Irish and Celtic songs that have made Celtic Thunder one of the best-loved and most successful musical acts on Public TV and on tour since 2008.

MCCORMACK, John: Remember (1911-1928)

The Pernambuco Quartet owes it's creation to luck, chance and passion, when four musicians emblematic of their culture came together around the rich traditions of the Pernambuco region - a unique alchemy of poetry, rhythms and music. Outside Brazil, the carnivals of Bahia and Rio are the best known, but the carnival of Recife (one of Brazil's oldest cities, founded in 1537), capital of the state of Pernambuco (Nordeste region), emanates a very special charm, characterised by a generous musical and artistic variety: frevo (carnival music and dance), maracatu (music, dance and procession against a backdrop of Afro-Brazilian worship), caboclinhos (dramatic music and dance linked to indigenous traditions), and so on. This first album by the Pernambuco Quartet is a magnificent journey through the music of Pernambuco, from the quays of Recife to the sert�o, from the city to the arid hinterland, carried by the voice of Antonio Marinho, the flute of Cesar Michiles, the guitar of Breno Lira, the percussion of Lucas dos Prazeres and their shared inspiration.