Son Real is one of London’s most innovative and contemporary Latin bands today. Founded in January 2006 by Latin Touch Entertainments, Son Real aim to create a fresh sound representative of the UK’s love affair with the “Latin spirit”. Musically, Son Real Orchestra is a collaboration between British and Colombian musicians. Their style is modern yet remains true to traditional tropical roots: salsa in all of its variations, traditional folk rhythms like cumbia and plena, the infectious sounds of merengue and urban Latin beats like reggaeton. Son Real’s seven- to fourteen-piece bands are comprised of a Latin Rhythms section: piano, bass and traditional Latin percussion, and the all-important brass section. Vocally they are fronted by three female singers, engaging audiences with their own unique vocal stylings and harmonies as well as vibrant and dynamic stage performances. Their presence on the scene offers a much-needed female perspective in Latin music today. Son Real’s charm lies in its enthralling rhythms which capture their audiences leaving them yearning for more.

On Mexico's west coast, inland from the tourist zone of Acapulco and Huatulco, the Costa Chica is an isolated region of towns and villages in the foothills of the Sierra Madre. It is a region known, from the outside, for violence and poverty, but, as the boleros in this album reveal, has a deep feeling for poetry, a love of music and constant parties where it all comes together far from the recording studios and the concert halls of Mexico City. In 2016, after several journeys to the area, these five remarkable bands were recorded. The groups, each in their own way, are masters of the bolero tradition, inherited from the local musician and composer Alvaro Carrillo. This collection includes very well known boleros like 'Sabor a mi' and 'Luz de luna' as well as contemporary boleros from the Costa Chica, recorded for the very first time.

This release features newly composed Greek songs from the pen of Michalis Terzis, one of Greece's most prolific and distinguished composers. Sung by the prominent Cretan singer Vasilis Skoulas, the songs create a warm and pleasant atmosphere. Michalis Terzis studied piano and music theory at the Macedonian Conservatory in Thessaloniki and in Athens with A. Ainian and K. Chronopoulos. He started his music career in 1973, performing in music theatres in the historic part of Athens beneath the Acropolis. He recorded his first piece in 1976. His works have since been performed and recorded by the most famous Greek singers, and he has won awards at many Greek and international film festivals for his music. As Michalis Terzis continues his very successful music career, he maintains the strong belief that music is the most important, direct and creative way to communicate with people of different cultures and languages.

This new release features fifteen rousing and very danceable Cuban songs in the best tradition of ‘Buena Vista’ with some of the old guard as well as the younger generation of ‘post Buena Vista’ Cuba. Artists include Luis Frank, Soneros de Verdad, Mayito Rivera, Rudy Calzado, Cesar Pedroso, and more. The Buena Vista Social Club was a members’ only club in Havana, Cuba that operated until the 1940s. The club was so widely known, that it inspired a 1990s band, a popular album, a late-nineties film, and a brand name. The spirit of the club is evident in this release as well. These songs have been handpicked and remastered by celebrated sound engineer Diz Heller.

The tracks that make up this release are songs that were made famous by the Queen of Fado herself, Amalia Rodrigues. Up and coming fado starlet Matilde Larguinho sings these traditional songs, accompanied by Antonio Carvalho on the Portuguese lute and Alfredo Pena on the guitar. Included in the booklet are the original Portuguese lyrics, as well as descriptions of the songs in English and biographies of the musicians.

A gorgeous album with a brilliant collection of passionate Tango. 18 elegant Tangos, Milongas and Valses, almost a full hour of stylish music, from the very traditional to today's modern renditions, presented by some of the finest exponents in the genre.

Classical Music

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.

Field recordings of authentic Bosnian folk music; gathered by Swedish composer Folke Rabe; here paired with his monumental orchestral work "So That This Song Shall Not Die"; based on the varied melodies & expressions he found there.

Dublin native Aoife Ní Bhriain is one of her generation's most versatile and gifted violinists, a dazzling musician who commands both the classical world and her Irish traditional heritage. From across the Irish Sea and the west coast of Wales, harpist Catrin Finch has also built an impressive classical career and ventured into unchartered musical territory, most notably through her international award-winning collaborations. Double You, their debut album as a duo, features an exquisite collection of new compositions that draw inspiration from various genres, taking listeners on a captivating journey on the wings of the bees across the Irish Sea and inspired by the cultures of their home countries.

Composed by Phil Scarff and performed by world-jazz ensemble Natraj, RAGAMALA PAINTINGS ALIVE! shines a contemporary light on historic artwork from India. The members of Natraj individually and collectively bring a wealth of experience exploring the intersection of jazz and global musical traditions. Their stunning performance showcased in this release is wide ranging, deep, and accessible, while firmly rooted in the rich tapestry of Indian classical music. RAGAMALA PAINTINGS ALIVE! is part of a larger multimedia work created in collaboration with Indian classical dancer Jayshree Bala Rajamani, incorporating dance, music, spoken word, and projected images. It brings to life historic ragamala paintings, with each painting representing one Indian classical raga or melodic framework. Inspired by Modest Mussorgsky and his iconic work, Pictures at an Exhibition, Scarff threads the suite together with musical “promenades” that represent the viewer entering and moving about an art gallery, with each theme anticipating a painting or set of paintings to come. Whether heard on its own or experienced as a full multimedia performance, RAGAMALA PAINTINGS ALIVE! takes listeners on a compelling contemporary journey that celebrates classic ragamala paintings from India.

On the occasion of her fiftieth birthday, Agnes Palmisano presents a cross-section of diverse Viennese Dudler and so-called coloratura yodels from two centuries under the album title "Dudel-Diva". The Viennese Dudler (the urban form of yodeling that emerged from the tradition of today's Theater an der Wien), listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO since 2010, has in her one of the best and most successful interpreters today, who, together with a select ensemble of specialists in this cultural heritage, is able to bring the entire range of Viennese Dudler to the point and to the ear in a unique way. To this end, she is collaborating with the duo Wiener Blond, Die Gebruder and members of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. The bandwidth of this exemplary album ranges from the beginning of the yodel in the early 19th century to contemporary new compositions.

Amorosa, a multicultural musical band based in Brussels, is driven by the voice of Stéphanie Scultore who sings about love in French and Portuguese, drawing us into her poetry between the warmth of Brazilian rhythms and the elegance of jazz harmonies. Amorosa's music is generous. Sometimes voluble, sometimes calm. At once intimate and universal, it draws its uniqueness and its modernity from the way it mixes genres, textures and registers while drawing on popular traditions.
Petit Soleil is an album full of love and humor. Stéphanie drew her inspiration from both the birth of her son and the death of her mother a few months later. The music is a tribute to those who are leaving and those who are coming: the people who live within us, the people who are dear to us and accompany us at every moment in a cycle that renews itself endlessly. Each song pays tribute to a place or a person and evokes something of the sky in the form of dialogue, contemplation, poem, prayer, reverie or legend, telling a story that is both intimate and collective, forming a patchwork of a great landscape.
The time of an album, a day or a lifetime, we sit down facing the sea and the sky to rediscover stories and listen to songs, to remember where we come from…

The members of the Ensemble Hougaku Shijyuusoudan explore the art of sankyoku: a refined repertoire of instrumental chamber music, to which singing often adds a poetic touch. The practice of this trio music was established as early as the end of the Edo era (late 19th c.), and underwent a major growth with the secularization of shakuhachi flute playing (formerly reserved for itinerant Zen monks of the Fuke sect).

Ancient music and magnificent performers of today, all graduates of the Tokyo National Conservatory and winners of prestigious competitions: while perpetuating the traditional repertoire, they are multiplying collaborations and are also committed to animating the future of their instruments by commissioning works from contemporary composers.

Unanimously praised for his mastery of the sitar – the king instrument of North Indian classical music – Kushal Das is particularly renowned among aficionados (the rasika) for his art of the surbahar: this 'bass-sitar' with its long sustain, ideally suited to subtle alap, is here at the service of the raga Darbari Kanada performed in concert in the setting of the Radio France Auditorium. The adjective darbari comes from a Persian term meaning "royal court", and this was indeed a "majestic" concert lasting almost two hours. What a wonderful harmony between the acoustics of the venue, the choice of raga, the instrument and the artist, for this first concert of Indian classical music in the Auditorium! Although Kushal Das went on to perform other raga with tabla accompaniment, it is only the raga Darbari Kanada that is the subject of this disc: an alap –an improvised prelude, exposition and development of the raga; these terms reflect only an approximation of the real meaning, for when a complete alap is presented in this way by a master, it is much more a world in itself, in which the artist expresses alone, without accompaniment, the extreme of his musical thought in the service of the raga. Darbari Kanada is a deep night raga, and undoubtedly one of the most difficult to master. It requires a great deal of musical maturity to, through its melodic rules, unleash the full extent of its emotional impact imbued with breadth, dignity and depth. A fundamental raga, Darbari Kanada is also a perfect illustration of the fact that in a raga, the note (swara) must be considered as a "note in context", as are so essential the choice of ornaments, proportions, dynamics, angle and direction of the attack –everything that constitutes the "approach to the note".

This music for string quartet offers a selection of melodically refined chamber pieces brimming with highly subtle ornamentation, creating a fine blend of different instrumental timbres and sonorities. It is performed with great poetry by musicians of the previous generation.

Traditional Vietnamese music, shaped by numerous cultural influences linked to its geography, is characterized by movement and abundant variation. It is an art form where dynamism appears to be a permanent feature. Each composition is played from memory, and improvisation is a primary form of musical creation. Once the melodic canvas is fixed in memory, performers can execute extremely complex and daring variations.

The ensemble features:
Nguyên Vinh Bao on dàn tranh (zither with 25 strings)
Ba Tu on dàn nguyêt (moon-shaped lute)
Ut Ti on dàn nhi and dàn gao (2-stringed spike fiddle)
Hoàng Cò Thuy on dàn ty bà (4-stringed pear-shaped lute)

Rooted in the Mandinka idea that history and ancestry shape identity and guide the future, Tona reflects on Kadialy Kouyate's rich heritage as a Kouyate griot and his distinctive style of kora playing, shaped via his life history thus far. With gratitude for the past and optimism for the future, Kadialy continues to refine his artistry, weaving tradition with personal expression.

Tel ve Ten is the debut album by Ozan Baysal. Discover the diverse sounds of the double-necked baglama, a modified Turkish instrument which has evolved from the traditional Anatolian baglama style, selpe. Featuring improvisations, original compositions and arrangements of traditional Anatolian melodies.

Chinese pipa virtuoso Gao Hong and Indian multi-instrumentalist Baluji Shrivastav OBE unite their rich musical traditions in a cross-cultural collaboration that shines with emotional depth. Alongside Yousef Ali Khan on tabla, Baluji's expressive Indian raags provide a spacious foundation for Gao's intuitive improvisations - at times echoing his motifs, at others soaring freely.

Taking on the bold freedom of the skylark, Chinese pipa virtuoso Gao Hong and flamenco guitarist Ignacio Lusardi Monteverde fly together from ancient Asian dynasties, through the Thar desert to Andalusia, harmoniously combining cultures as the East meets West.

Drawing upon Yale Strom and Hot Pstromi’s extensive expertise in the klezmer tradition, this album pays tribute to the rich cross-cultural interaction that shapes Eastern European Jewish music. A captivating blend of traditional melodies, virtuosic instrumentation and modern arrangements showcase the timeless appeal of this vibrant musical tradition. Recorded in the 17th century Shakh Synagogue in Holešov, Czech Republic, it is both nostalgic and innovative in its musical concepts, linking the past and the future with beautifully emotive vocals, violin, accordions, contrabass, saxophone, clarinet, flute and piccolo.

In this stirring soundtrack of The Irish Revolution; Pól Brennan is joined by Steve Turner; Aiden O'Donnell and Nick Bailey; as well as his sister and fellow CLANNAD member Moya. His music captures the raw emotion sparked by historic events such as the Great Hunger of 1847 through to the Irish Civil War in 1922–1923; using moving tunes and mournful melodies to depict the sacrifices made by the Irish people in their quest for independence. Liner notes written by Cathal Goan.

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VERY BEST OF IRISH MUSIC AND B

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