Alan Shavarsh Bardezbanian: Oud Masterpieces

Bazaar Istanbul - Music of Turkey

Includes Samba hits by the best-known Brazilian composers.

Gurdev Singh: Art of the Indian Sarod

BRASIL SAMBA

Aryeh Frankfurter: Celtic Harp - Tunes From Ireland, Scotlan

Legends of Gypsy Flamenco

Hungarian Gypsy Music

Songs and Dances of Ukraine

River Songs of Bangladesh - Field Recordings by Deben Bhatta

Safari Sound Band: Mambo Jambo

Music of the Middle East - Iran, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Turkey,

Hossam Ramzy: Sabla Tolo - Journeys Into Pure Egyptian Percu

Celtic Music from Galicia

Japanese Music by Michio Miyagi, Vol. 2

Jigs, Reels and Hornpipes from Ireland

Best of Scottish Fiddle

Francisco Fialho: Best of Fado

Enrique Ugarte: Cafe Paris

The songs included on this album are all settings of words by either Elizabethan or Jacobean poets: a period of literature that has been a prime source for song composers since its creation. The Shakespeare texts – all ‘songs’ from the plays – contain the works that made Quilter’s name, and have largely been responsible for his enduring reputation. Nathan Vale studied with Ryland Davies at the Royal College of Music and Benjamin Britten International Opera School. He was awarded an Independent Opera Vocal Scholarship to the National Opera Studio, where he was further supported by the Elmley Foundation, ENO, the Nicholas John Trust and The Seary Trust. He is a former winner of the London Handel Singing Competition where he was also awarded the Audience Prize. He continues his studies with David Pollard.

Sufism is the mystical branch of Islam. The Sufi strives for a direct connection with God. The rapture of music and dance is frequently used to create a transcendental experience in which the ego falls away, allowing direct experience of the divine. There is a saying: ‘If a man claims to be a Sufi, he is not, and any true Sufi will never claim to be one’. To call a music ‘Sufi’ is to thereby bring into question its authenticity. If we claim this is Sufi music, it therefore must not be. What we can say, though, is that Shafqat Ali Khan’s music is thoroughly rooted in the Sufi tradition. Many of the songs are ghazals, a poetic musical form in which the singer, taking the woman’s perspective, longs for the return of her lover. This longing, expressed in a romantic form, is understood to be a metaphor for the soul’s longing to be connected with the divine. The spiritual expression of Sufi music is robust and intensely emotional. This is no quiet background music for meditation, but deeply passionate music that wrestles with strong emotions, from melancholy and despair to rapturous ecstasy. By directly going into the emotion, in a way somewhat akin to how an American blues or gospel singer might, we find transcendence. The music takes us on a journey, and we emerge somehow changed.

A potent cocktail of explosive footwork, haunting singing, virtuoso guitar playing and percussive handclapping from southern Spain with some of flamenco’s finest award-winning artists. This album was recorded live at a flamenco bar in the heart of Andalusia. JALEO began touring outside Spain in 1988, and ever since, their rigorous touring schedule has become more demanding each year including recording, theatre performances, workshops, TV and radio work. For three decades Jaleo have captivated the attention of audiences of all ages and walks of life with the universal appeal of their art. Their authentic and charismatic approach to performance – sometimes serious, sometimes humorous, but always sincere – has won them many followers and considerable critical acclaim from both press and public alike. Formed by award-winning flamenco artists from Seville who have each earned great recognition within their own country, Jaleo has now firmly established an international reputation as a very exciting and dynamic dance company with an innovative approach.

Essence of Raga Tala is unique and compelling take on Indian musical tradition. Presented by producer and composer Kuljit Bhamra MBE, nine Indian ragas and selected talas are re-imagined for both traditional and western instruments in new and exciting directions. Kuljit Bhamra MBE is a prolific composer, musician and record producer whose main instrument is the tabla. He is best known as one of the record producers who pioneered the British Bhangra sound and for his many collaborations with musicians from different genres and continents. Kuljit has worked on numerous film scores, including Bend it Like Beckham, Bhaji on the Beach, A Winter of Love, and he appears on soundtracks for The Guru, The Four Feathers and Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. He is the recipient of many awards including a platinum disc for outstanding record sales presented by the much-loved BBC Radio DJ John Peel, who was a big fan of his music. His cutting-edge projects and ground-breaking educational work earned him the prestigious honor of MBE in Her Majesty The Queen’s birthday list 2009.

Martin Jones has been one of Britain’s most highly regarded solo pianists since first coming to international attention in 1968 when he received the Dame Myra Hess Award. The same year he made his London debut at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and his New York debut at Carnegie Hall, and ever since has been in demand for recitals and concerto performances on both sides of the Atlantic. He is a prolific recording artist and his many major projects include the complete solo piano works of Mendelssohn, Brahms, Debussy, Grainger, Stravinsky, Korngold, Szymanowski, Granados, Guastavino, Mompou, Ernesto Halffter, Joaquin Nin, Has Gál, Jean Françaix, Jean Roger-Ducasse, and Alan Richardson. On the present release, Jones explores the works of Spanish pianist and composer Enrique Granado,

An album of soulful compositions with heartfelt melodies, each piece highlighting a particular Egyptian instrument. Following Hossam Ramzy's high standard in dance pieces it washes onto the shores of world music with a hypnotic and exotic flavor. Includes four bonus practice tracks for dancers, and explanations to each of the songs.