World Music - CD Reviews (427)
Clarinetist David Krakauer's new live CD is a testament to the continuing vitality of Klezmer music. Klezmer is an improvisational form with roots in the Jewish ghettos of …
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(Meaning: Ladysmith name of Shabalala’s rural hometown; Black a reference to oxen, the strongest of all farm animals; Mambazo Zulu word for axe, a symbol of the group’s abi…
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This is an extraordinary recording that exemplifies the world stage that jazz occupies as well as the shrinking and inter-connectedness of the world. Recorded live at SABC …
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Mention African music today, and most people think of Ladysmith Black Mambazo.Cultural emissaries at home and around the world, their innovative, tightly choreographed styl…
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Africa Straight Ahead is a traditional, straight ahead jazz project with an African slant released in time to honor the historic Ten Year Anniversary of the End o…
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AFRICA STRAIGHT AHEAD coincides with the historic ten year anniversary of the end of apartheid in South Africa and is the sequel to the previous jazz releases, SMOOTH AFRIC…
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Blessed with an infusion of world music themes, jazz motifs, and gospel, Ladysmith Black Mambazo hits pay dirt with the RAISE YOUR SPIRIT HIGHER, a surefire hit for the gro…
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Heads Up president Dave Love’s dedication to bringing South African jazz to worldwide listeners is admirable.... and successful. After experiencing a sort of epiphany durin…
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Daniel Berridge and selected musical pals, under the moniker Broadway Project, are the source for the album cryptically titled The Vessel. At first glance, the packaging ar…
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One of the perks of being a music critic is also one of the biggest drawbacks. When the mailman delivers a packet of new jazz CDs it’s always a voyage of discovery. Some of…
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This last release of Sound Records is a really good surprise. Antonio Gentile is an Italian hand percussionist and Franco Baggiani is a trumpet player. "World Two" is their…
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Africa Before Invasion is Najite Agindotan’s (he calls the group ‘Najite Olokun Prophecy’) love letter to his homeland. A prime example of 20th century African Diasp…
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If you are fan of the guitar, flamenco, jazz and folk then the DVD Guitar Nights Proudly Presents The Four Martins is for you. The DVD is a live concert featuring En…
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From its very beginning, one of the ways jazz has developed and grown has been by fusing with elements of non-Western music traditions. There is evidence, for example, of C…
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Yaya has done a unique thing with "Live at Club Soda" - He has combined the traditional tribal sounds of African music with instruments rarely heard within th…
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Phrygian Istikhbar is the stunning debut from the very talented Tunisian pianist Wajdi Cherif. It’s a blend of jazz and Tunisian classical music, though it leans a little h…
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Gary Trotman’s new CD, PanBrassOrama touts itself as a "Steelasophical Midi Album Production Product". Those who are fans of steel pan (a.k.a. steel drum) music will…
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Mention 'Italian music' to most folk and they'll likely think of: Volare, Enrico Caruso, Frank Sinatra and Antonio Vivaldi. (OK, Jazz fans might think of Charlie Ventura, J…
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Scott Hill has selected a difficult route for pursuit of his career in music. Not only has he chosen a notoriously difficult instrument to play, one that has not commonly b…
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Barana & Co’s Live at the Music Meeting is excellent music that combines the traditions of Turkey and jazz to form a cohesive blend of polyphony and rhythm. For the …
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