World and International
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20 Best of Brazilian Capoeira
Sufi Qawwalis (Live)
Letters to Bach / Noa
Noa, Israeli Born, NY raised singer/songwriter of Yemenite origins, is an internationally renowned artist, who has performed on the world’s most prestigious stages, including numerous performances in the Vatican for three Popes, the White House, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the most important theaters of Europe. She has been produced and endorsed by Pat Metheny and Quincy Jones and shared the stage with Stevie Wonder, Sting, Andrea Bocelli and many others. She is Commander of the order of Merit of the Italian Republic, Good Will Ambassador to the UN, Global Leader of Tomorrow and has received endless awards for her artistry and commitment to peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
JE SUIS AFRICAIN
LOUISIANA BLUES
Momentum / Kleztory
Originating in the villages and ghettos of Eastern Europe, klezmer has been played from the early middle ages. The Jews who emigrated to America in the 1880s to early 1900s brought klezmer with them. In the New World, klezmer was heavily influenced by early jazz and swing, and the style continues to evolve. Klezmer’s distinctive sound blends artistic virtuosity with numerous tempo changes, irregular rhythms, dissonance, and an element of improvisation. Eclectic and diversified, klezmer is unique, easily recognizable, and widely appreciated. KLEZTORY is a rich mosaic of cultures (Russian, Canadian, Quebecois, and Moldavian), musical training (academic and self-taught), and musical tastes (classical, contemporary, jazz, blues, country, and folk). Combining their talents, these musicians perform with an emotion and a virtuosity that is the true spirit of klezmer. Momentum is Kleztory’s 6th album, and celebrates the band’s 20th anniversary. Combining traditional tunes and new compositions, the album juxtaposes music which the band has played since it started with completely new material.
Miao, Xiaoyun: Art of the Chinese Lute
Ilanga (The Sun) / Afrika Mamas
Afrika Mamas return with their fifth release Ilanga (The Sun). A stunning album of a cappella music. Their take on John Lennon's Imagine, rearranged with Zulu vocal accompaniment, is something to behold. The album also includes songs written with the sons of the late Joseph Shabalala – the founder of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. As ever, the ladies deliver a powerful album addressing community issues in South Africa and a hopeful message for the future. “Astounding Zulu singers” (Songlines magazine) Afrika Mamas are a folk-tale group with a vision to promote African culture through music and theatre. They further aim to develop an ‘edutainment‘ approach, in which they educate while entertaining their audiences on various African tales, breaking stereotypes that are held on some African cultural traits. They are all single mothers with eleven children between them. They have a solid friendship and deep trust in each other, which elevates the bond they have maintained over the years. They were founded by their band leader, Ntombifuthi Lushaba, in 1998, while the other group members were working as backing singers for various artists including Tu Nokwe, Brenda Fassie and Steve Kekana. Since their formation as Afrika Mamas they have collaborated with an array of South African and Afrikaans musicians including Janni Moolman, Amanda Strydom and Dozi,to name a few.
Del Canto Gitano / Various
Del Canto Gitano portrays the unique, historic blend of Greek, Roman, Arabic, Sephardic, Indian and Castilian traditions, that create the mystical symbiosis of Ancient Andalusia. Arranged for flamenco guitar, with baroque guitar, Greek violin and original Iberian rhythmic interactions, combined with the vocals of Victoria Couper and Hindustani tenor Rupesh Gawas. This is music of great resonance and feeling. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, into an Argentinian/Italian family, Ignacio started playing the guitar aged six. Inspired by his cultural surroundings, he played with his siblings as a family pastime, learning Argentinian folk songs and tango music. His passion for flamenco started, aged 9, when he discovered the works of the Spanish flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia. His desire to pursue the flamenco genre eventually took him to London in 2013, where he became musically connected with Spain and the rest of the world. Ignacio is now an acclaimed London-based flamenco guitarist, producer and recording engineer. He graduated as a choir master at Buenos Aires Conservatoire in 2013, and has since collaborated with a number of performers including Ahmed Mukhtar, Baluji Shrivastav OBE and Eduardo Niebla.
China: The Art of the Pipa / Wang Weiping
| Wang Weiping belongs to the generation of pipa lute performers that has taken over brilliantly from the historical masters, and is by no means inferior to them, as far as both virtuosity and musicality are concerned: traditional pieces and compositions under the emblematic patronage of the princess Wang Zhaojun. The pipa, an instrument with a rich repertoire and advanced playing technique, has long been in the hands of the professionals, and occupies an important place at the Conservatory as well as concerts. The generation born after the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) has taken over brilliantly from its historical masters, Li Tingsong (Suzhou 1906-1976), Lin Shicheng (born in 1922 in Shanghai), and even Liu Dehai (born in 1937 in the Hebei), and is by no means inferior to them, as far as both virtuosity and musicality are concerned. Wang Weiping is one of the most remarkable representative of this new generation. Incidentally, it should be noted that Chinese culture is one of the few cultures in the world to grant women the rank they deserve as instrumentalists. She is a specialist in the thousand year old repertoire of Dunhuang scores transcribed by Ye Dong, which she has played in Hong Kong, Macao and Japan. She is pursuing her international career as a soloist and within the ensemble “Fleur de Prunus”, and is working with modern Chinese contemporary composers. |
GREATEST HITS
Iran / Dariush Tala'i, Mohammad Musavi, Majid Kiani
TOUR D'AFRIQUE
The Four Quarters of Jerusalem
An African Journey: Music from Cairo to Cape Town
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.
Caribbean Summer
TAIWAN SILK & STRINGS
Russia's Most Beautiful Songs
Lambada
Busker's Ballroom
Divanhana Live in Mostar: Sevdah Music from Bosnia & Herzego
Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita: Echo - Music for Harp & Kora
Sangam: Hindustani Music Meets Jazz & Contemporary Classical
Something magical can happen when two rivers meet, two traditions collaborate, or two talented friends work hard on a joint creation. Paul Livingstone on sitar and Pete Jacobson on cello take inspiration from the Hindustani musical tradition, and from Paul’s teacher and mentor Ravi Shankar who collaborated so eloquently with Yehudi Menuhin on violin and helped to popularize Hindustani music in the West. Pete and Paul also draw inspiration from American jazz improvisation. Sangam, in Hindi, means many things, including “confluence,” or the blending of two people, ideas or traditions into something fresh and new. Paul and Pete focus on the Hindustani tradition in this recording. Hindustani music centered in Northern India after diverging from Carnatic music in the 12th Century. The most basic elements in South Asian classical music are the raga and tala. A raga is traditionally a monophonic melody, though Paul and Peter take liberties, incorporating occasional counterpoint and harmony (often in thirds). Each raga adheres to a strict musical structure, which can be executed vocally or on instruments in their individual styles. The tala is the cyclic rhythmic framework which outlines a beat cycle and provides the glue to bring the instruments together in polyrhythmic play. I love what Pete and Paul do within this classical tradition, blended from time to time on this album with their inspired incorporations of new music and jazz. This is not as far-fetched or radical as it may at first seem; both Indian classical musicians and modern jazz cats focus on improvisation on the main melody or idea, just as European players did in the Renaissance. (Bob Attiyeh, producer)
Home / Les Arrivants
Les Arrivants is an ensemble composed of Amijai Ben Shalev (bandoneon), Abdul-Wahab Kayyali (oud) and Hamin Honari (tombak, daf, frame drums), three musicians who moved to Montreal during the COVID-19 pandemic. The repertoire developed by "Les Arrivants'' therefore reflects their experience of adaptation, which has had a lasting impact on their artistic and social lives. It is steeped in the traditional styles that the instrumentalists have mastered over the course of their careers: Argentinean tango, classical Arabic music, traditional Persian rhythms. This album is part of the Collection du Centre des musiciens du monde, a place where professional artists from an array of musical traditions, exchange ideas and share experiences.
