World Music - CD Reviews (427)
Led by steelpan virtuoso Liam Teague and multi-instrumentalist Robert Chappell, Panoramic playfully merges calypso, Afro-Cuban, and jazz music. Panoramic’s debut CD, …
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I definitely love the business of reviewing CDs. It’s such an indescribably satisfying and rewarding experience. We reviewers get acquainted with some of the most remark…
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Voices of Africa is a Choral and Percussion Ensemble that produces a mix of traditional African percussion rhythms and acappella vocalizing within a gospel, R&B…
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There are some recordings that really defy you to place them in one sort of category or another and this is definitely one of them. Toukouleur, the new recordin…
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One of the dangers a critic faces is becoming jaded. Over exposure to recordings and concerts can make even high quality recordings--and there are many of them--seem mundan…
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Nominated as the Best Native American Music Album category at the Grammys, Sacred Ground blends wordlessly, and elegantly clutches many tribal songs with a spirit of tri…
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Brent Gunter’s "next generation guitar style" is a fusion of the sounds of Southern Spain, the Middle East, Africa and America producing a rich and dramatic effect. The …
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Virtuoso saxophonist David Borgo has released Ubuntu, a breathtaking album inspired by eight songs of Abdullah Ibrahim. Ubuntu is a lyrical, educational a…
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Don’t buy Solo Settings if you’re looking for straight-ahead jazz. It doesn’t claim to be such, instead asking to be rated as "world music." Fair enough.Th…
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Equal parts joyous and melancholy combined with sophistication and melody, Aidan Mason experiments with a musical movement called ‘Azania’ a mix of classical ny…
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A re-issue of a 1983 recording, Tibet is essentially a soft suite of flute and guitar duets by guitarist Gregory James and friend Barry Shulman on the flute and…
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The CD presents itself as the ultimate African urban music. So, I was ready for some joyous beats that would get my feet up and down the floor. As expected the fi…
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Bassist Henri Francis Mbappe Mabole Elessa is from Cameroon. His charismatic persona has shared the stage with musicians such as Herbie Hancock, Manu Dibango, Fela Kuti,…
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Proof that Music is a Universal LanguageMany jazz saxophonists have incorporated elements of African music, with widely varied success. David Rogers, howev…
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Here's a fine new offering from a man who cooks equally well on the stage or in the kitchen. Mel Melton's CD is possibly one of the last record sessions to come out of New …
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There is something to cherish when international music is done with the character and charm of its birthplace. A seemingly haunting and tender feel lifts from the sounds…
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Ladysmith Black Mambazo Creates Classics for every Continent Yes, you've heard of them (even if you don’t own any of their 40+ albums). Remember Paul Simon's
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"Afro Nordic Soul Jazz" Not As Foreign As You'd ThinkJourney of the Sledge Dog and the Camel is a witty title for a Danish sextet performing African…
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Master piper Eric Rigler and his virtuosic bandmates probably get a kick out of folks who can’t put a label on their music. Call it rock, jazz, Latin, pop, Celtic? How a…
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The most progressive volume to date from Water Music’s Tantra Lounge series - the compilation is filled with dubby-jazz and prog electro styles paired with Bali’esque South…
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