Bluesmen's World(Music)

"Chirgilchin is from the republic of Tuva in Russia, west of Mongolia. It was created in 1996 when the three musicians were still 18 (the girl) and 20 years old (the two boys). This is their first CD and a remarkable one at that. The particularity of Tuvan music is throat singing (also called sometimes diphonic singing), found in many Asian countries, but in ways that are found solely in Tuva. Throat singing is a way of using the throat to produce two sounds or notes at the same time with the voice (these notes being harmonics produced by the throat). Tuvans developed five different ways of producing these sounds. Ondar Mongun-ool, the throat singer, shows at his young age an incredible mastery of this so particular and amazing way of singing. These three young musicians are simply mesmerizing. What they offer on this CD are not only songs and beautiful music, but a part of themselves, of who they are through their music."

01. Homudal - Man's Sad Song
02. Darlaashkyn - Freedom Song
03. Borannadyr Solo
04. Konturei
05. Chirgilchin - Mirage
06. Kozhai - Aidysmaa Kandans Native Land
07. Kara Duruya - Black Crane
08. Majalykta Chylgymmy - Lyric Song
09. Kyrgan Boru - The Wolf And The Kid
10. Kolkhozchu Maen - Collective Farmer
11. Khaian - Girls From Ulug - Khema
12. Erge Chokka Choranymny - Woman Without Rights
13. Bai-Taiga
14. Ak-La Bashtyg Avaiymny - Whitehaired Mother
15. Teve - Khaya - Camel - Rock
16. Oshku Dotpeleer

Ondar Mongun-ool (vocals, morin-khuur, chantzy, doshpulur, sygyt, sygyt khomei kargyraa, sygyt khomei bell, igil)
Aidysmaa Kandan (vocals, tungur)
Tamdyn Aldar (igil)
Additional personnel: Alexander Bapa (guitar)

Link

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"Few people know that the first Jews in North America came to New York on a boat from Recife, Brazil 350 years ago. Marking the Semiseptcentennial of this momentous occasion, Frank London's Klezmer Brass All Stars' Carnival Conspiracy: In the Marketplace All is Subterfuge (released by PIRANHA Musik/Harmonia Mundi) brings the spirit and aesthetic of Brazilian carnival together with the street sounds of Brass Band and Klezmer in the celebration of what London calls "the original New York Jewish music." Forty artists from eight countries and four continents meet in this 'band that's not a band.' The group will be kicking off New York's globalFEST in January.

Carnival is intended to subvert. Mikhail Bakhtin, the Russian granddaddy theorist of the "carnivalesque" (both the description of a historical phenomenon of carnival and the name he gave to a certain literary tendency), proclaimed that the purpose of carnival is to liberate the masses. During the great carnivals of Medieval Europe, and their later manifestations in Latin America and the Caribbean, the period of carnival served to temporarily reverse the social order, shake things up, and shock people into new ways of experiencing the world. This philosophy was not lost on Frank London. References abound in Carnival Conspiracy: Bakhtin, Rabelais (the French patron saint of carnivalesque literature), and George Clinton are invoked in the liner notes, laying out a feast for the intellectual, for the tongue-in-cheek cultural critic, as much as for the layman, the booty shaker and the Hasid. Ever the trickster, London and his merry band take listeners on a wild ride.

Carnival Conspiracy is indeed a kind of musical travelogue. Just when you think you are hearing a traditional Klezmer song on "Midnight Banda Judía," in come the sounds of Bavarian beer hall and a Mexican banda, and a song that starts with Brave Old World's Michael Alpert singing in Yiddish ends in Spanish. Then, when you think you have gotten a handle on the traditional beats of Eastern European wedding songs mixed with the Brazilian beats of New York Maracatú, suddenly you are lost in the echoing loops of a dubby version of "A Time of Desire," a traditional tune arranged by Frank London and remixed by Brooklyn-based Curha ("a multi-instrumental electronic music creator who thrives on deconstructions and reconstructions of everyday noise"). Once you stop trying to locate yourself in the origins and philosophy of the album and its references, you throw up your hands, dance a samba-hora jig, and find yourself lost in the transnational frenzy of joy and ecstasy that is the essence of carnival.

Get ready˜the cover art should prepare you for the ride inside. Deliciously carnival inspired drawings by Belgium-based artist and klezmer violinist Richard Kenigsman pick up the same themes close to Frank London's heart: traditional Jewish culture seen both on its own terms and through a radical-feminist-populist-revolutionary-sacred-as-profane-and-vice-versa lens.

Humorously rumored to be a troupe of drunkards that invented Klezmer, the "Inebriated Orchestra" is busted on this album as a sober group who are serious about shaking things up with wit and wisdom. But when the bubble of hype bursts, you are left with the fact that this music intoxicates. Carnival Conspiracy invites transcendence on all levels; it will make you dance past your critical mind, laugh yourself into liberation, and reconsider the meaning of Jewish music. Of all the CDs recorded by Frank London's Klezmer Brass Allstars, this is by far the third."

01. In Your Garden Twenty Fecund Fruit Trees
02. Oh Agony, You Are So Sweet Like Sugar I Must To Eat You Up
03. Another Glass Of Wine To Give Succor To My Ailing Existence
04. Midnight Banda Judía
05. In The Marketplace All Is Subterfurge
06. Who Knows One
07. Pantagruel, Shiker Hindert Prozent
08. A Time Of Desire - Curha Mix
09. Our Ancestors Forty Thousand Years Wide
10. Out Of What
11. Mi Yamalay
12. Borracho #1 The Cobbles In The Street Moan For You

Frank London, trumpet, peck horn
Susan Hoffman Watts, trumpet
Merlin Shepherd, clarinet
Matt Darriau, clarinet, saxophone
Alex Kontorovich, clarinet, saxophone
Curtis Hasselbring, trombone, skronk guitar
Jacob Garchik, baritone horn, trombone
Ron Caswell, tuba
Mark Rubin, tuba, baritone horn, tex-mex guitar
Aaron Alexander, drums)
various featured performers with assisting musicians.

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"Listening to “Gipsy Love” (i.e., “Cigányszerelem”) by Kalyi Jag ... one begins to understand how the Roma managed to survive for centuries without a country of their own: through passionate expression of their music. Transcending time and politics, music expressed the Roma way of life like nothing else could, since they traveled from place to place. Kalyi Jag brings to life the full Gipsy spirit: they sing of cruel fate, lost love, poverty, infidelity and jealousy. They sing about a simple way of life: selling horses at the fair and the thoughts and feelings of being a knife-grinder, who wanders from village to village plying his trade. They sing about a son who abandons the straight and narrow life, breaking his mother’s heart, and about the son who brings pleasure to his young wife by playing music on his guitar. The rhythms are universally Gipsy and Balkan-like, they do not resemble any of the Hungarian popular music know as “nota” which is often played by Gipsy bands in restaurants in Hungary. Although Kalyi Jag uses a few modern instruments, like the guitar, they provide traditional percussion using hollow milk cans and other common utensils, such as spoons or vocalization. The harmonies are typical Roma .. they are hauntingly familiar to anyone who enjoys Balkan music, because so many ”traditional” Balkan sounds incorporate them into their village music. This is understandable as the Gypsies have wandered into and out of all the countries in Eastern Europe ... some settled down into ghettos in the cities or segregated sections of villages, maintaining their unique identity and way of life for centuries.

Most gypsies today, can be categorized by where they live: either city-dwellers (urban gypsies) or rural dwellers (village gypsies). The time of wandering in caravans, over mountains and settling in the valley for an overnight stay, has for the most part been abandoned. For the past 100 years or so, the better known Gipsy bands have originated in the cities where their talents were utilized in restaurants and hotels, playing music for the clientele. The music which they played was usually the popular music of the day or national music of the country, with violin as the primary instrument In Hungary, the cimbalom (a type of hammered dulcimer, played with a mallet) has been almost universally identified with Gipsy music. Although segregation has occurred, most often due to discrimination and often has a
negative connotation, it helped foster and maintain the Gipsy way of life. On many levels, the gypsies were viewed as ‘outsiders’ yet this fostered their identify, cohesion, and community spirit in a way nothing else could. In the past, music was the only way to maintain the freedom of the Gipsy spirit and express universal sorrow and melancholy in the midst of harsh circumstances. Today, the younger Gipsy musicians, although remaining true to their roots, are often college-educated. Kalman Balogh, the world-renown young Gipsy cimbalom player and some members of Kalyi Jag, Jozsef Balogh and his wife, Agnes Balogh-Kunstler, have
studied music formally. They remain true to the rural Gipsy music. The rural gypsies were known for creating primarily sorrowful and melancholic songs. They also used vocalization, such as, repetitive made-up sounds or created rhythms, by slapping ones hand on the thighs, or stomping on the floor. Emotional extremes are the core basis of the origin of these sounds and the music itself. Gypsies can express, like nobody else on earth (except perhaps for African-Americans, i.e., Blacks, who sing the blues) the pure love of life despite pain and sorrow. Kalyi Jag expresses the eternal yin and yang cycles of life, love and hate, happiness and sadness, hope and frustration as no other Gipsy group has done before. In addition, they compose and create songs and music reflective of their roots. The compositions are original and new ... but the traditional sound they create is as old as the Gipsy culture itself. “Gipsy Szerelem“ will live up to your highest expectations of what good music should sound like. It is a treasure-chest of music whose roots go very deep ... the expression of the eternal opposites of life provides a universal appeal for people who have eclectic tastes in music."

01 - Black Lover
02 - Bring Me My God
03 - My Guitar
04 - My Little Girl
05 - This Boy Is Cunning
06 - The Knife Grinder
07 - The Mother Is Cry
08 - Let's Go Dancing
09 - My Little Worn Wagon
10 - The Girl Whit Golden Teeth
11 - Up Mother
12 - With My Wife
13 - I Am Not Happy
14 - Wake Up Girl
15 - I Remember Bulgaria
16 - You Are My Lover
17 - Good World
18 - In The Fair

Gusztáv Varga - voice, guitar
Ágnes Künstler - voice
József Balogh - voice, tambura, guitar, spoon
József Nagy - water can, oral bass

Link

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"San Francisco may never again capture the epiphanic heights of the 1960s, when the Haight-Ashbury intersection was the very cradle of the global countercultural movement, but it seems it's not going to give up trying.
Rupa And The April Fishes is the latest category-defying, pan-everything, all-musical-points-of-the-compass outfit to come from the melting-pot city. They're surprising and delightful, as the punningly titled debut disc Extraordinary Rendition colourfully reveals.
Extraordinary Rendition crackles with energy and seethes with vivid splashes of colour. Sung in French, Spanish and English, it has a likable ability to simultaneously stimulate and soothe, its aromatic melange of sounds throwing up surprise after surprise in a free-wheeling, all-inclusive fashion that intoxicates with every note.
The musical signature owes much to the diversity of the five-piece band, fronted by the eponymous and exotic Rupa Marya, along with the intensely woven but lightly worn reciprocity of their playing. As gently swaying piano accordion mingles with the pulse of a double bass, brass and percussion massage the senses with welcome hints of klezmer, Argentinean tango, French Musette and Roma music. All of this is subtly filtered into a seductively assembled whole.
There's a useful tension, too, between Marya's ambition to say something politically relevant and her aspiration to do so in an determinedly laid-back style. You might catch echoes of DeVotchKa, The Tiger Lillies or Gogol Bordello here but you won't find any of their unfettered hysteria, comic-book grotesquerie or messy rawness. If you absolutely insist on a comparison, think Pink Martini with the emphasis on music rather than on style for style's sake.
Instead, there's something sunlit, warm and free to be found in all of this, and a refreshing honesty, too. It's musical globe-trotting conducted with sophisticated elegance and underpinned by a winning sense of joy."

"If Rupa were a movie she would be Amélie meets Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown meets Latcho Drom meets Do the Right Thing. She'd be set in India and Berkeley...She would be (and, in fact, is) an instant cult classic"

01. (San Francisco)
02. Maintenant
03. Poder
04. C'est Pas D'lamour
05. Américaine A Paris
06. Pécheuse
07. Mal De Mer
08. Abeilles
09. Plus Que Moi
10. Not So Easy
11. Peinture
12. Yaad
13. Wishful Thinking

Marcus "The Tone" Cohen: trumpet
Isabel "Iz" Douglass: accordion, voice
Aaron "Rhone-Ditty-Rhone" Kierbel: percussion, contraptions, fish
Safa "Jazz Spy" Shokrai: upright bass
Ara Anderson: trumpet, bass trumpet
Rupa: songstress, voice, guitar

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"Composer-musician M. Montanaro, with Vents d'Est, rewrites the geographical map of Europe with jazz and folk music, Czech, Slovak, Serb, Hungarian or French violins and harmonies are laced sometimes with swing sometimes with sacred music."

01. Deux villages
02. In tambourin virtuositas - Galobet lucet omnibus
03. Pikria
04. Giro ergo sum - Passa carriera - Solo
05. Coquelicots
06. Persana
07. Andalousia
08. La peur
09. Maraghna
10. Estampie - Pastorela
11. Horo na gore

Musicians:
Miqueu Montanaro - galube, tamburine, flutes

With
GHYMES:
Szarka Tamás - violin
Buják Andor - clarinet, viola
Buják Krisztián - clarinet
Szarka Gyula - double bass
Pukkai Attila - cimbalom

VUJICSICS:
Borbély Mihály - clarinet, saxophone
Horváth Zoltán - tambura
Béhr László - cimbalom
Eredics Gábor - accordion, tambura
Szendrodi Ferenc - tambura
Eredics Kálmán - double bass

Voice:
Hayet Ayad (1,10.)
Carlo Rizzo (2.)
Nena Venetsanou (3,8,11.)
Sara Alexander (5,11.)
Samia Bechikh (7.)

Guests:
Carlo Rizzo-tamburello
Serge Pesce-guitare
Fabrice Gaude-batterie
Dominique Regef-violle o roue
Keyvan Chemirani-zard
Sara Alaxander-accordeon

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Big thanks Frankie for the CD!

This record contains traditional songs, scored in an arrangement usual for Dikanda - not bound by any style, but based on ideas selected from many different styles.

The group was founded in 1997 in Szczecin, Poland. Passion for the traditional music and hard work let them create their own style and original sound. Their acoustic songs have been inspired wholly by Oriental culture, Balkan folklore – Macedonian and Romanian. Typical Dikanda’s style is creation of new words and meanings in composed songs.

Dikanda in one of the African’s dialects stands for family. This is directly connected with the group’s spirit – they live and work as if it was a small, loving family.

So far they have released 3 Cds, played hundreds of concerts, played on many significant European festivals. They were given numerous prices, including:

I Price at the Festival „Nowa tradycja” in 1999
I Price at the Festival „Eurofolk” in 1999v III place at the Folk Phonogram of the Year for the record „Jakhana Jakhana” in 2002
I Price at the Folkherbstfestival, the “Eiserner Eversteiner” - the only European Folkprice in Germany, Plauen 2004
“CD of the year” from the German Folkmagazin “Folker!” in 2005
They have played in India, Greece, and Russia and at the Montreux Jazz Festival. They achieved their popularity and great sympathy folk audience in many western-European countries (particularly in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy).

01. Ajotoro (Dikanda)
02. Me minise i gapi mou (Macedonia trad.)
03. Kokodoi (Gypsy trad.)
04. Kaman song (Rajasthan trad.)
05. Szirato (Dikanda)
06. Piriwiejsa (Russian trad.)
07. Jokoriste czarno (Dikanda)
08. Staro nevestinsko (Balcan trad.,lyr. by Dikanda)
09. Sadila moma (Bulgarian trad.)
10. Szai dzela (Dikanda)

Anna Witczak - vocal, accordion
Katarzyna Dziubak - vocal, violin, viola
Daniel Kaczmarczyk - drums, percussions
Piotr Rejdak - guitars
Grzegorz Kolbrecki - double bass

guest :
Cezary Borkowski - piano, synthesizers

Link

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America, what a country! The assimilated young New Yorkers in this Gypsy-punk sextet sure think so, jury duty and ESL classes notwithstanding. Previous Golem discs rewired traditional klezmer (raucous Jewish wedding jazz), mainly with vocals in Yiddish. Their fifth disc’s originals, based loosely on Ukrainian immigrant songs collected by singer Annette Ezekiel-Kogan, are in English and just about every tongue spoken East of the Danube, with rock and reggae underpinning whirling dervishes and Old World lover’s laments. The universality comes from carefree comic irony: Ezekiel-Kogan brassily nails a mock citizenship exam (Q: “Can you name the 49th state in the Union?” A: “Al-aaaaa-ska!”) and cosinger Aaron Diskin rhymes kosher and fo’ sure in a song about how much he loves tuches. Pretty soon, the space between exile and arrival starts sounding like a hot spot."

"This 6 piece Gypsy Punk Gem is renowned for electrifying dance floors with their globetrotting goulash of Jewish, Slavic, and Gypsy songs. Mixing old world and new without compromising either, the album is a startling portrait of an ideal world where there is no need only to ghettoize or assimilate. Citizen Boris winds through the struggles and triumphs of immigrant life in America, with the wild energy and panache that characterizes Golem's Gypsy-punk sound."

"Instantly accessible!"


01. Train Across Ukraine
02. Mirror Mirror
03. Tucheses and Nenes
04. Come to Me
05. Meat Street
06. Zingarella
07. Tell Her You Love Her
08. Citizen Boris
09. Lullaby
10. Chervona Ruta
11. Balkan Espanol

Annette Ezekiel Kogan, Aaron Diskin (vocals)
Alicia Jo Rabins (violin)
Curtis Hasselbring (trombone)
Taylor Bergren-Chrisman (bass instrument)
Tom Monaghan (drums)
Emery Dobyns (percussion)

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"An introduction to the musical and mystical journey of this neo folk act. Lux Interna: the innermost light an esoteric term that carries intonations of Gnosticism describes the nature of Lux Interna's music very aptly. Singer/songwriter Joshua Levi Ian Gentzke founded the group some ten years ago as an outlet for folk-inspired songs with demanding lyrics revolving around mystical topics of an existential nature. The voice of this music bespeaks a Blakean quest for the divine within this world. He is aided and abetted in this quest by his co-conspirators, Kathryn Gentzke, Katherine Trimble, Kevin Sweet, and Shane Hallinan, all adding vocal, visual and musical textures to the songs. Lux Interna have frequently been compared to artists such as Current 93, Backworld, Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave. This rings true, however, not in terms of imitation, but rather in the sense of a shared spiritual and aesthetic kinship. Musically one can expect a deep, passionate male voice and a soothing, sometimes ghost-like female vocal, woven into well-crafted songs arranged for acoustic guitars, cello, keyboards, and dulcimers. Over the course of four studio releases and a row of concerts (mainly in Europe), Lux Interna has emerged as one of the most original and essential ensembles of the Dark Folk genre, although the sheer quality of their music surpasses any clichéd niches.[a lantern carried in blood and skin] is an anthology featuring tracks from all previous Lux Interna albums. It is their first domestic release and gives an excellent overview over their musical and mystical journey thus far."Lux Interna trust their own muse without glancing sideways on genre conventions or commercial appeal; they create folksongs that are as catchy as they are complex and that confront the listeners with painful questions concerning the disenchantment of the world and their own fickle place in this world." A. Diesel, Zwielicht magazine (GermanyIn Digipak, with 12 page booklet."The neo-classical ballad works well on masterpieces like Fallen, Your Lily White Hands, and Into Nothing (Blackwatersong.) The whispering, female vocals on a few songs (like Your Lily White hands ) add a sensual background touch which is very complementary with the male vocals. Lux Interna has enough ingredients and potential to get out of the shadows, because this album is simply brilliant!"

01. Horizon
02. Into Nothing (Blackwatersong)
03. Fallen
04. For An Autumn Girl
05. Flowers Under Glass
06. Your Lily White Hands
07. A Season Apart
08. Blossoms
09. Lange Mußt Du Leiden
10. Distance

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"Creating a journey of songs that have traveled up hills and down mountains, traversed open grasslands and floated down rivers, huddled in tiny villages, crept past lonely rooms and wafted out onto misty churchyards, Márta Sebestyén has truly triumphed with her latest I Can See the Gates of Heaven… Hungarian Religious and Secular Songs. Carving out elegantly wrought musical signposts with her shapely vocals, Ms. Sebestyén lays down a path to the rich, ripe folk traditions of Hungary’s past. I Can See the Gates of Heaven… is astonishingly good.

With appearances on more than 100 recordings like the movie soundtrack The English Patent, Deep Forest’s Boheme, Peter Gabriel’s Big Blue Ball and Kismet, Ms. Sebestyén’s stellar career also includes performances throughout Europe, China, Japan and the United States, as well as, numerous awards such as the St. Martin Prize, Fellini Award, a Grammy Award and a Golden Giraffe. Joining Ms. Sebestyén on I Can See the Gates of Heaven… are musicians Mátyás Bolya (dudák, shepherd’s flutes, fujara, tárogató, saxophone and overtone singing), a member of the Moldavian music scene and a researcher at the Folk Music Archive of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Musicology and Balázs Szokolay Dongó (lute, and zithers), a former member of Békés Banda and a bagpipe teacher at the Óbunda Folk Music School. Together, they have turned their talents toward the revitalization of the Hungarian folk tradition.

Stringing pearls of melodies and folk songs into sparkling tracks, I Can See the Gates of Heaven… opens with the eerily ancient sounding “Vision,” incorporating the Moldavian ‘Csángó’ Hungarian tunes “Mountains and Valleys” and “Mary Lullabye.” Dipping into a font of overtone singing by Mr. Balázs and achingly lovely vocals by Ms. Sebestyén, “Heritage” pairs the Eastern sounds of a Cheremis song with the delightful lonely sound of a shepherd’s song. The quaintly Medieval-sounding “Flower Gatherers” shimmers with flute, tin whistle and koboz.

The vibrant jaunt that is “Sending off Sorrow” includes “If You Too, Laci…,” “Goat-Like Dance” and “A Rhythmic Yell” from the Moldavian ‘Csángó’ tradition. The solemn “Invocation” is crafted out of potently reverent “Oh, Saint Stephen” before blossoming into the Eastern flavored “Don’t Let Me Fall…” with a sultry serpentine saxophone and koboz. The bright ribbon of folk melodies on “Valiant Knights,” “Good King Matthias” with its winding troubadour melody and couple dance and finally “Evening Prayer” with the opening Middle Ages melody “Kyrie” and delicate flute and zither work steep I Can See the Gates of Heaven… in crystalline beauty.

Ms. Sebestyén’s silvery vocals and expressive delivery surely cast a spell over the listener, invoking rich folk images of Hungary that only sparkle more brightly with the additions of Mr. Balázs on flutes, fujara and saxophone, along with Mr.Dongó on koboz and zithers. I Can See the Gates of Heaven… is a delightful journey, colored by centuries of Hungarian tradition, preserved and presented by these true Hungarian masters."

1. Látomás / Vision
2. Örökség / Heritage
3. Virágszedők / Flower gatherers
4. Bú-küldöző / Sending off sorrow
5. Könyörgés / Invocation
6. Válogatott vitézek / Valiant knights
7. Jó Mátyás király / Good King Matthias
8. Estéli ima / Evening prayer

Márta Sebestyén - voice, flute, tamburine
Balázs Szokolay Dongó - bagpipe, flutes, saxophone
Mátyás Bólya - Moldavian lute, zither

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René Lacaille is the musical embodiment of the unique Creole culture of the Indian Ocean island of La Réunion, incorporating African, Indian, Madagascan and European rhythms and instruments. On the album Mapou, this remarkable singer, accordion player, guitarist and extraordinary songster tells the story of his troubadour life, which highlights the evolution of the music of La Réunion and features (among others) the fascinating styles of séga and maloya.

"Music fans will have to read the informative liner notes to Rene Lacaille's Mapou to get a detailed explanation of how Creole culture came to La Reunion, which is a small island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Like Creoles everywhere, the La Reunion's culture is a mixed one: in this case made up of slaves and free people from Africa, India, Madagascar, Europe and China. Son of a working musician who played events of all kinds on the island, Lacaille has broad range of styles at his disposal. The album opens with an African-influenced "Madina" (featuring ukulele, triangle, and bongos) and moves through a very fulfilling but varied 20-song program where elements of tango, bolero, cha cha cha and calypso come out in such local strains as sega and maloya. Singing in Creole, Lacaille's voice is warm and inviting even to those who don't speak the language. A veritable inside-out version of western hemisphere Creole music, Mapou is a one-of-a-kind listening experience."

01. Madina
02. Ogardanou
03. La Bou Dan Fon
04. Lusaka
05. Game Zoboc
06. Isis
07. La Mandoz
08. Atmosfer
09. Kiz'n Man
10. Mazurka 28
11. Dalonaz
12. Titep
13. Pecheur Quat'sou
14. Sega 58
15. Zamalgamer
16. La Roses Si Feuilles Songes
17. Cabaret Sam
18. Quand Moin La Quitte Mon Pays
19. Lo Ker I Bat
20. Cos Cote

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A miraculous eastern whirlwind breaks up from this music, an eddy that nips you away like a dream! Natural easiness, joyful power that makes you fly. The latest album of Grandpierre Attila's group playing world music of ancient power is characterized by freshness from Middle-Asian, Moldavian, Transdanubian, Chinese and Indian folk music. In the endless plains of Eurasia the horse-riding people lived through this compelling world of experience,from which the impressive folk music of the ancient steppe was born, speeding on the back of galloping horse throughout thousands of years. On this CD the Vágtázó Csodaszarvas (Galloping Wonder Stag) lets the magic power of the compelling of music free. Everithing is pervaded by the fascinating feeling when the energy is liberated, the gates to the living universe open wide, and the cosmic creating power of the All blooms there. The Galloping Wonder Stag gives over the direction of its music to the miraculous cosmic creating power living within us. This is the secret of its genuineness of ancient power.

01. Napkapu- Sungate
02. Hunok Csatája - Battle Of Huns
03. Ének A Csillagokig - Song To Reach For The Stars
04. Tengertánc - Dance Of The Sea
05. Égi Áramlás - Heavenly Flow
06. Mámoros Éji Vágtázás - Ecstatic Galloping At Night
07. Emlék - Memory Of An Other Life
08. Emberélet - Human Life

Attila Grandpierre - voice
Csaba Bakos - percussion
Botond Bese - bagpipes
Róbert Benkő - double bass
András Fazekas - drums
András Fábri - cister
Géza Fábri - strings
Bernadett M. Gebri - vocals
Krisztina Molnár - violin
Géza Orczi - tapan, ud, saz, buzuki, dzura, tambura, tamburica
Zsolt Vaskó - wind instruments

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"The Klezmatics have always chosen the path less traveled in its 20 years as a band. And with a variety of lefty political messages injected into traditional klezmer music, there's no disputing its reputation as radical. This live effort is a collaboration with guest singers Joshua Nelson and Kathryn Farmer joining in on the fun. The Newark, New Jersey-based Nelson brings (believe it or not) a serious gospel music flair to four songs, turning the klezmer band into a fire-and-brimstone gospel group as he exhorts both the players and the crowd on songs like gospel standard "Walk Into Jerusalem." The remarkable pairing is more balanced on the rest of the album, but never better than on "Shnirele, Perele," a duet featuring Nelson and Klezmatics singer Lorin Sklamberg that has an ecstatic drama that bridges these seemingly contradictory religious cultures. The album's eight new songs and two hits is as good a collection yet produced by this band, and one of the most remarkable examples of genre-bending heard in years.

To the question of what this all means in terms of Frank London's sense of new American Jewish music, he responded: "Links in the chain, Ari." Which takes me back to where I began: the dialogue about what it means to be Jewish is alive and well. Judaism and Jewish culture are no longer frozen in time as they seemed to be during my growing up in the shadow of WWII. The Holocaust didn't succeed. Bands like the Klezmatics—especially the Klezmatics, are playing amazing music linked directly to the chain of Jewish tradition, and more. It's perfectly okay to purchase this album because it contains great live music. What makes this album great is that there is so much more here than mere great live music. Enjoy."

"The entire band pitches in vocally on several cuts to great effect, particularly on a cheerful a capella 'Moses Smote the Water´, and the instrumental contributions from the 'Matics are superb as usual, with particular garlands due Matt Darriau´s reeds. A pure delight from start to finish."

"One spiritual transformation after another... makes being black and Jewish seem as obvious and natural as matzo."

"A moving summit of African-American, Jewish worker's, spiritual and festive songs."


01. Eyliyohu hanovi (trad., arr. London)
02. Elijah rock (trad., arr. Klezmatics and Joshua Nelson)
03. Ki loy nue (trad., arr. Klezmatics)
04. Shnirele, perele (trad., arr. Klezmatics)
05. Walk in Jerusalem (trad., arr. Klezmatics and Joshua Nelson)
06. Go down Moses (trad., arr. Klezmatics and Kathryn Farmer)
07. Moses smote the water (trad., arr. Klezmatics)
08. Oh Mary don't you weep (Sam Cooke / Leroy Crume)
09. Didn't it rain (trad., arr. Klezmatics, Joshua Nelson)
10. Ale brider (trad., arr. Klezmatics)

Lorin Sklamberg: lead vocals, accordion
Frank London: trumpet, keyboard, organ, vocals
Matt Darriau: alto sax, clarinet, bass clarinet, vocals
Lisa Gutkin: violin, vocals
Paul Morrissett: bass, tsimbl, vocals
David Licht: drums, vocals

with
Joshua Nelson: lead vocals, piano, organ
Kathryn Farmer: lead vocals, piano, organ

Link

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01. Eszterlánc - Elvész A Nyom
02. Csik Zenekar - Csillag Vagy Fecske
03. Vágtázó Csodaszarvas - Hunok Csatája
04. Cimbaliband - De Szépen Szól A Cimbalom
05. Dutar - Idegen Vendég A Kinai Menyegzőn
06. Fabatka - Nyáron Piros Télen Kék
07. Istvánfi Balázs - Duda Blues
08. Mydros - Pote Vudas Pote Kudas Anapse To Tsigaro
09. Khamoro - E Mery-Mari
10. Topán György - Két Csárdás Dallam
11. Fondor- Szerelmes A Muzsikás
12. Vágtázó Csodaszarvas - A Zene Lakodalma
13. Etnorom - Kotyka Tele Bassaven
14. Borbély Dresch Quartet - Erdély Blues
15. David Murray & Balogh Kálmán Gipsy Cimbalom Band - Ballada
16. Udrub - Parfume De Gitane
17. Morotva - Cifra Palota
18. Agocs Gergely - Három Árva
19. Herczku Ágnes - Arany És Kék-Kalotaszeg
20. Kallós Zoltán - Bonchidai Gyűjtés Ritka Csárdás
21. KMB - Volt Egyszer Egy Rózsa
22. Relax - Earthrise
23. Chagall Klezmer Band- - Shabechi Yerushalayim
24. The Transform Quintet - Sushi
25. Csik Zenekar - De Szeretnék
26. Hirős Zenekar - Menyasszonykisérő
27. Unger Balázs És Barátai - Bulgáros-Arges
28. Szerelmem Nagysajó - Tizet Ütött Az Óra
29. Fodor Sándor Neti - Legényes
30. Dresch Quartet - Tedd Rá
31. Szilvási Gipsy Folk Band - Phurdel Balval Duj Duj Deshuduj
32. Cimbaliband - Oppadirida
33. Fonó Zenekar - Három Éjjel Három Nap
34. Csillagok Palotája - Egy Lengyel Ének

Link 1.
Link 2.
Link 3.

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The band Cicala Mvta was founded in 1994 by its leader Wataru Ohkuma who is rated as one of the most innovative musicians of contemporary Japanese music. He is a superb player of the clarinet, saxes, vibes and accordeon. As producer and bandleader Wataru Ohkuma had participated in many revolutionary recordings of the 80ties (a.o. "Soulflower Mononoke Summit"). Wataru Ohkuma merges in his music Okinawa-style music and other traditional Japanese forms like Jinta with western composition techniques and traditions. Some say this CD "Ching Dong" is the Japanese answer to Giora Feidman and to Fanfare Ciocarlia. The bands name, Cicala Mvta is Italian and is written as the epitaph on the gravestone of the greatest street singer songwriter of popular music in Japan before the 1920s,Soeda Azembo, who at the time around 70 years ago, unable to speak his mind in fear of being thrown into prison, like having a cicala stuck in his throat, a "mute cicada".

The band Cicala Mvta merges Japanese Chindon music with own compositions and traditional music from various ethnic regions. Ohkuma plays a composition by Paul Dessau as well as Kabuki-melodies (Shi-chome) and Nepalese wedding dances or Klezmer songs.

Basis is Chindon music which until 50 years ago was a popular street form of advertising. Chindon bands were common in Japanese cities where new openings of shops, inaugurations of Pachinko's a.o. were announced by them.

In Cicala Mvta brass bands from Balkan meet Klezmerbands as well as New Orleans Marching Bands within the overcrowded streets of Tokyo.

The British magazine "FolkRoots" about "Ching Dong":
“The stirring debut album by Cicala Mvta, Wataru Ohkuma's own band, produces complex, challenging and powerful music.”

01. Ohfuku Jinta
02. Punku Mancha No Odori
03. Rajamati Kumati
04. Michikusa No Tameni
05. Azuma Hakkei
06. Fratanisation Song
07. Okuni Tsujiru Tobira
08. Turkish Dance
09. Nekomushi Ga Hairu Kara
10. Aohige No Yu-Utsu
11. Shi Come
12. Punku Mancha Reprise

Wataru Okuma (clarinet, bass clarinet, vocals),
Yoshiyuki Kawaguchi (saxophone),
Yoshiki Sakurai (guitar),
Takero Sakijima (tuba, recorder),
Tatsuya Yoshida (drums, vocals),
Keisuke Ota (violin, vocals),
Yoshiaki Sato (accordion),
Yoichiro Kita (trumpet),
Akiko Watanabe (trombone),
Miwazo Kogure (ching-dong, gorosu)

Link

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So many excellente musicians on one recording! "Composer-musician M. Montanaro, with Vents d'Est, rewrites the geographical map of Europe with jazz and folk music, Czech, Slovak, Serb, Hungarian or French violins and harmonies are laced sometimes with swing sometimes with sacred music."

01. Orient express
02. Várom
03. Marina
04. Cancon d'amor
05. Jeux d'enfants
06. Turca
07. Rotroenge
08. L'erba d'ongria
09 Migrations

Musicians:
Miqueu Montanaro - galube, tamburine, flutes

With

GHYMES:
Szarka Tamás - violin
Buják Andor - clarinet, viola
Buják Krisztián - clarinet
Szarka Gyula - double bass
Pukkai Attila - cimbalom

VUJICSICS:
Borbély Mihály - clarinet, saxophone
Horváth Zoltán - tambura
Béhr László - cimbalom
Eredics Gábor - accordion, tambura
Szendrődi Ferenc - tambura
Eredics Kálmán - double bass

Guests:
Écsi Gyöngyi- vocal

Serge Viallat - piano
Ökrös Csaba - violin
Alan Vitous - percussions
Kobzos Kiss Tamás - vocal
Viliam Mesko, Rudolf Cikatricis- fujara

Choir:
Galambos Edit, Mózes Katalin, Polák Ildikó, Pócs Erzsébet, Urbán Valéria, Szatmáry Zsuzsa, Zábreczky Tímea

Link

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Big thanks for Frankie for the CD!

If only for the ethnic composition of the group, Vershki Da Koreshki is one of the most radical ensembles in the world. Composed of a Tuvan singer and musician (Huun-Huur Tu's lead singer, Kaigal-ool Khovalyg), two Russian avant-garde jazz instrumentalists (Vladimir Volkov and pianist/accordionist Alexi Levin), and a Senegalese singer and percussionist (Mola Sylla), Vershki Da Koreshki truly brings the world under one musical umbrella.
The group's multi-weave of East and West is dazzling. The wiry Asian inflections of Khovalyg's awe-inspiring throat singing abut complex tribal polyrhythms and Sylla's warm West African melodies. These disparate elements are spliced with progressive jazz accompaniment and wild improvisational soloing, creating a shifting, seething whole that is at once dark, evocative, propulsively rhythmic, and celebratory. As the band's name indicates ("Vershki" is Russian for 'leaves,' while "Koreshki" means 'roots'), these international experimentalists are simultaneously anchored in fundamental world rhythms and dedicated to exploration in the more ethereal realms. They meld the two approaches to create an organic whole. THE REAL LIFE OF PLANTS, the band's debut, is more than a musical document. It is a beautiful articulation of a singular global musical vision.

01. Real Life Of Plants
02. Chimtchak Salghin
03. Vershki Da Koreshki
04. Pitchendebin
05. Ana
06. Khomouz-Bas
07. Borbannaadyr
08. Doudobas
09. Toumkoumani
10. Khoomei-Bas
11. Choro Baye Samba
12. Koreshki Da Vershki
13. Berioza

Mola Sylla (Senegal) - vocal, kongoma, xalam, kalimba
Kaigal-ool Khovalyg (Tuva) - vocal, khoomei, ighil, khomyss, khomouz, amyrga
Alexei Levin (Holland) - accordion, prepared accordion, piano, khomuss, doudka, chen
Vladimir Volkov (Russia) - double bass

Link

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"Hellwood is Johnny Dowd, Jim White, and Willie B; three distinct songwriter/musicians brought together by years of friendship, mutual respect, and camaraderie.

You wouldn't want to visit Hellwood, a place bereft of hope and spiritual sustenance whose population, the CD cover claims, numbers only three: melancholy observers of the underside of the American Dream Jim White and Johnny Dowd, and the latter's drummer, Willie B. Chainsaw of Life is replete with psycho-tableaux of life's losers - which home territory for White and Dowd, with the latter acknowledging his pessimistic tendencies in "Thomas Dorsey", comparing the gospel songwriter's inspirational work with his own output. "I sing songs of lust and depravity," he apologises, "That's the only kind of song that comes out of me." But there's an abundant musical enthusiasm about their collaboration, ranging from mordant alt.country, punk-blues and Beefheartian marimba-rock to the wan combination of banjo and melodica that underscores White's admission, in the concluding "Dream On", that "I might be a dreamer/But I'm all dreamed out." Though not, on this showing, entirely free of nightmares."


"It’s a weird and wonderful journey the three artists paint with characters and scenarios that stretch the imagination. With every listen, new nuances about these stories reveal themselves."

"Coal-black gothic Americana from Johnny Dowd, Jim White, and Willie B that brings Tom Waits exotica and Vic Chestnutt wit to a sedately rocking David Lynch setting."

"A concept album about God, Satan, death, war and an all-American, fucked-up family man, by Johnny Dowd and Jim White with Willie B: this marvelous mess of beat, punk, and country noir makes you worry more than usual about the U.S."

"Cheer up. No matter how bad it gets, you can be pretty sure life will never plumb the depths depicted in Hellwood. The love child of Jim White and Johnny Dowd, the Burke and Hare of alt Americana, Hellwood begins with 'Thank You, Lord,' possibly the most sarcastic prayer ever uttered, and ends with the end-of-the-rope lullaby 'Dream On.' The fast food thumper 'Chicken Shack' and the battered relationship in 'A Man Loves His Wife' describe unremitting misery, but tenderness and beauty save the day."

01. Thank You Lord
02. Fireworks Factory
03. A Man Loves His Wife
04. Alien Tongue
05. God's Back Pocket
06. Chicken Shack
07. Spider In The Bed
08. Thomas Dorsey
09. The Good Die Young
10. Man In A Plaid Suit
11. Ten Commandments
12. Dream On

Link

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Ditties. About lovers, happy and unhappy brides, parting and letting go, courage, love and predestination... All this is put into words and melody with the help of Hungarian folksongs, completed by a poetical song of the Chuvash in which they praise their relatives, also by a fine, elegantly dancing short Cheremis song, and a Bulgarian mountain song that sounds sharply from afar.

01. Az én szemem / My Eyes
02. Te kisleány / Little Girl
03. Hegyen s földön / Mountains and Valleys
04. De jó együtt / How Fine It Is Together
05. Este van / Evening Has Come
06. Ága-boga / The Flowers of the Wreath
07. Zaljubih / Mother, I Fell in Love
08. Kék szivárvány / Blue Rainbow
09. A szeretet próbája / A Test of True Love
10. Szemünk-lelkünk / Our Eyes and Souls
11. Ádil hullám / The Waves of Volga
12. El vagyon rendelve / Our Destiny Has Already Been Settled

Szilvia Bognár - voice
Péter Bede - saxophone, shepherd's flute
János Gerzson - oud
Krisztián Rácz - acoustic and electric guitar
Csaba Gyulai - percussion, gadulka
Zoltán Kovács - double bass, bass guitar, violin, vocal
István Pál "Szalonna" - violin
Balázs Thurnay - kaval, shepherd's flute, marimba, vocal

Special guests:
Ágnes Herczku - voice
Ági szalóki - voice

Link

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For the CD big thanks for Frankie!

The aim of this CD is to make the rich and diverse music of the Hungarian War of Independence in 1848-49 more well-known. The selection is based on period manuscripts, collections and on compilations by prominenent Hungarian historians, and also on the bands' own collections.
The songs on the album try to illustrate the most different strata of vocal and instrumental music from that age, ranging from the most archaic tunes and perfoming, up to the freshest, partly folklorised songs dating from that period.

"The history of a nation can most precisely be known form the existing writings of chroniclers and form the results of historical science. Neverthless, the hisorical consciousness of the masses and also the collective memory (which is a particular projection of the former) bear considerable significance. A retrospective view on the outstanding events and figures of history will show that the richest material in folklore is associated with revolution and the war of independence. This is partly due to the fact that the collective memory, which is able to span some generations has not forgotten them. On the other hand the time distance is big enough for the period words of art or earlier words recomposed by the people, as well as pieces of well-known poets and composers to polish to more perfection in the process of bequest. This selection is based on period manuscripts, collections, compilations, on the national collection from 1948-49, special bibliography on folk music and ethnography and also our own collections. The program attempts to illustrate the most different strata of vocal and instrumental music from the period of the independence war, form the pieces of most archaic melody and performance, yet actualised lyrics to the most fresh, partly folklorised songs belonging to that period."

01. Bécs várostól nyugatról keletre
02. Ütik a rézdobot
03. Jön Kossuth, jön
04. Kossuth-nóta
05. Kossuth Lajos azt izente
06. Kossuth Lajos a vezér
07. Este későn megpendítik a dobot
08. Azt beszélik oda föl
09. Megtanultam tótul, svábul
10. Kossuth izenete eljött
11. Erdély körül van kerítve
12. Rákóczi induló, féloláhos és verbunk
13. Gábor Áron rézágyúja
14. Krakowiak (A lengyel légió táncnótája)
15. Garibaldi nóták
16. Kun verbunk
17. Áldja meg az Isten azt az édesanyát
18. Kispejlovam megérdemli a zabot
19. Ezernyolcszáznegyvennyolcban


EGYSZÓLAM:
Zoltán Juhász - duct flute, long duct flute, flute, badpipe
Kálmán Sáringer - duct flute, long duct flute
Éva Fábián - gardon, voice
András Berecz - voice
(1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 17)

KALAMAJKA:
Béla Halmos - violin
Tamás Petrovits - cimbalom
Péter Dövényi - viola
András Nagymarosy - bass, tamburica, ádurica
Éva Fábián - voice
(1, 4, 7, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19)

Contributors:
Katalin Juhász - voice
Gergely Agócs - shawn, clarinet, voice
Réka Juhász, Dénes Juhász, Lilla Juhász, Anna Sáringer, Gergely Dövényi, Katica Szabó - voice

Link

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"This steamy little disc of Russian and Romanian gypsy music is a case of musicus interruptus. Over in less than a half-hour, it leaves the listener panting for more. Though packaged as a nicely finished product, it is really more of a polished demo than anything else. But this New York based octet has a lot to offer. Every track is crisp and danceable, with sassy, jazzy horns, crashing percussion, and throbbing accordion. Vocalist Inna Barmash warbles as slinkily as a Balkan Edith Piaf.

Her work on "Tanya (A Secret)" is smoldering. On "Rustemul," guitarist Joey Weisenberg and violinist Jake Shulman-Ment set up a down-and-dirty near-rock groove that is picked up by the horns, but alas, at less than two minutes, it's over too soon. Winner of the best subtitle award is "Zaznobila & Baro Foro (She messed with my head in the great city)." It's a fun party song that lives up to the promise of its name. The bonus track is a scratchy, retrofied version of "Tanya." Then, just when the dancers are getting warmed up, it's over. More, more, more!"

01. Mariana
02. Loli Phabay (The Red Apple)
03. Shimdiggy
04. Tayna (A Secret)
05. La Circuma de la Drum (The Tavern on the Road)
06. Rostemul
07. Zaznobila & Baro Foro (Shes Messed With My Head in the Great City)
08. Moldovan Batuta

Inna Barmash (vocals),
Jake Shulman-Ment (violin),
Lev 'Ljova' Zhurbin (viola),
Jeff Perlman (clarinet & saxophone),
Ben Holmes (trumpet),
Patrick Farrell (accordion),
Joey Weisenberg (guitar),
Ron Caswell (tuba),
Timothy Quigley (drums & percussion)

Link

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Originally released in Europe, Willard Grant Conspiracy’s sixth album, Let It Roll finally finds a domestic release for leader Robert Fisher’s weary baritone and frightening tales of probity.

Fisher’s relative anonymity stateside probably has a lot to do with the fact that he can be a challenging listen, and with ten songs clocking in at over an hour, Let It Roll is one tortuous record.

With somber visions and a voice that echoes late-period Nick Cave, Willard Grant Conspiracy is very much a thinking man’s Americana, providing listeners who don’t possess a modicum of patience little incentive to explore. But like some of those big-ass books still sitting on your shelf that appear too intimidating to start, Let It Roll can be an enjoyable read if you manage to find the time to sit down with it.

Starting with “From A Distant Shore”, a first-person account of a soldier preparing for battle overseas, Fisher wisely chooses to accompany the tale with a metaphoric trumpet and haunting violin. The subject matter is far from a pleasant one and it foreshadows some of the weighty themes that W.G.C. examines throughout the rest of the album.

The title track, one of the lengthiest songs on the disc, starts with three minutes of passionate guitar and violin turbulence before Fisher sets foot behind the mic with an equally intense murder ballad. By seven minutes, he’s defiantly yelling on his way to the gallows “There’s nothing to dying more than a ropes last whisper,” to the point where his voice has grown hoarse. Powerful stuff.

“Breach,” the second track to clock in at over nine minutes, strolls along like a last-call conversation, which can be either a provocation or pleasure depending on your own state of inebriation.

The liquor seems to flow again with W.G.C.’s cover of Dylan’s “Ballad Of A Thin Man.” Fisher gradually builds up Bobby’s ominous verses until he’s rasping the lyrics while guitarist Jason Victor creates some gruff six string verbalization of his own.

There are parts of Let It Roll which recall Dream Syndicate’s stunning The Medicine Show for good reason: Steve Wynn joins W.G.C.’s collective approach as a co-songwriter for the song “Flying Low” and backing vocalist. I’m sure the collaboration came from a feeling of mutual respect for one another and Fisher has found a great frame of reference in his own attempt at creating a commanding record.

As imposing as it strives to be, the unfastened quality of the performances oftentimes makes it seem too convoluted to receive the attention it deserves. But for those that can find the time to embrace it, Let It Roll turns out to be one helluva read.

"Boston-based music group Willard Grant Conspiracy sure knows how to make a music critic's job tough. Whereas most bands can be blithely described with a few words, WGC practically requires a new genre tag. Stylistically, it's got strong folk-rock and rootsy overtones but isn't exactly Americana. Instead, WGC couches the disquieting angst of Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen in the baroque-like elegance of Belle & Sebastian at their most melancholic. Lead singer Robert Fisher's smooth, contemplative baritone has a winning straightforwardness mingled with world-weariness and suspicion. On the ditty "Flying Low," he croons, "And I dreamed I saw the angels flying low/They encompass all that's good, or so I'm told." The album is lent orchestral savor by the regal-sounding violin/viola of Josh Hillman and the yearning trumpet of guest Dennis Cronin. Rendering Roll more cathartic than depressing is WGC's occasional forays into wrenching rockin' dissonance a la Roxy Music and John Cale-era Velvet Underground. Dylan fans may not like the droll, thundering rendition of his "Ballad of a Thin Man." With WGC, it appears that glum is good."

01. From A Distant Shore
02. Let It Roll
03. Dance With Me
04. Skeleton
05. Flying Low
06. Breach
07. Crush
08. Mary Of The Angels
09. Ballad Of A Thin Man
10. Lady Of The Snowline

Link

"Since the first volume of this Network Medien series came out in 1995, the whole notion of "Desert Blues" has become more familiar, even to the point where not every song on a double CD like this has to necessarily fit the description (a description that, since first coined, has been open to varied interpretation anyway). All that's really needed are great songs from the Saharan regions, and there are loads of them here. Not a lot of the featured artists were on the first two volumes, so there's a healthy amount of freshness here.

You can start just about anywhere with blow-by-blow descriptions: rootsy rai from Khaled, elegant kora work by Toumani Diabate, rockish excursions courtesy of Tinariwen, etc. If you want a quick summation, the back cover offers one: "Recently discovered finest ballads from Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea, Niger, Western Sahara, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Ethiopia." I suppose "finest ballads" does at least as well as "desert blues" in describing the music here, which represents everything from griot tradition to jazz and classical fusion. Actually, as more Saharan artists and countries increase their presence on the global music scene, collections like this will continue to be necessary in keeping up with the work of established stars (Gigi, Oumou Sangare, Habib Koite), newer or lesser-known names (Bako Dagnon, Idrissa Soumaoro) and even non-Africans who successfully get in on the action (Markus James, Kronos Quartet). There's over two hours of superb sounds on this set, the illustrated liner notes are informative and thoughtful, and it's essential listening even if you missed the first two installments."

Disc 1.

01. Djelimandy Tounkara - Fanta
02. Idrissa Soumaoro - M´ba Den
03. Souad Massi - Raoui
04. Khaled - Wahrane, Wahrane
05. Tiris - El Nabi
06. Booubacar Traore & Regis Gizavo - Kanou
07. Markus James - Dream After
08. Bako Dagnon - Lassidan
09. Fula Flute - Keme Bourema
10. Gigi - Bati Bati
11. Cherif M´baw - Baayo
12. Abdouolaye Alhassane Toure
13. Rokia Traore & Kronos Quartett - Bownboï
14. Toumani Diabate & Ali Farka Touri - Ai Ga Bani

Disc 2.

01. Dhafer Youssef - A Kind Of Love
02. Seckou Keita Quartet - Tounga
03. Ali Farka Toure - Penda Yoro
04. Boubacar Traore - Kar Kar
05. Malouma - Yarab
06. Bassekou Kouyate & Lobi - Traore Banani
07. Abdallah Ag Oumbadougou - Imidiwan
08. N´gou Bagayoko - Kulu
09. Tinariwen - Izarharh Tenere
10. Oumou Sangare - Djorolen
11. Habib Koite - Mali Ba
12. Amadou & Mariam - Ce N´est Pas Bon
13. Getatchew Mekurya - Eywat Sstenfegagn
14. Gigi - Ethiopia

CD 1.
CD 2.

Guitarist, composer, arranger, and professor at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music, Gyula Babos is one of the best known personalities of jazz life in Hungary. He was hardly 17 when he won the Jazz Competition of the Hungarian Radio in 1966, and since that time his goal has been to make his mark on the international music scene with compositions rooted in Hungarian folk and Gypsy music. After joining and founding several groups (the Aladár Pege Quintet, Kex, Rákfogó, Kőszegi Rhythm and Brass, Saturnus, BDSZ Collection, the Babos Trio and Quartet) and participating in European jazz festivals, in 1989 he produced his first solo album, called In 'n Out, which contains his own compositions – just like Blue Victory, his second release, recorded in 1994, with Victor Bailey, Terri Lyne Carrington, Béla Szakcsi Lakatos, and the late George Jinda. The album was released in twelve European countries. He made his third solo album for Sony Columbia in 1998, entitled Once Upon a Time..., which is the realization of his intention to fuse jazz with Hungarian and Gypsy folk traditions in his own way. The material was recorded with the Babos Project Romani. Babos introduced the group not only in Europe, but also in England and in Israel at the Red Sea Festival. Seventy-five Minutes Live, his latest release features the celebrated percussionist Trilok Gurtu. On this album, East-, West- and Middle-Eastern Europe meet in Babos’ music. Besides recording and composing (film and cartoon scores included), he is also a producer for pop and contemporary artists. One of his greatest dreams was fulfilled when in 1991 he played with Frank Zappa in front of an audience of thirty thousand people in Budapest.

01. Intro
02. Nara-Nannay
03. Gelem
04. Trans-Sylvania
05. Csillagok - Stars
06. Három nap - Three Days
07. Romantic Gipsy Heart
08. True Colors
09. Mathild Song
10. Mese feketén fehéren - Tale Black and White

Babos Gyula - guitar, synthesiser
Oláh "Chumo" Árpád - piano
Hárs Viktor - double bass
Lattman Béla - bass guitar
Borlay Gergő - drums
Kunovics Katalin - voice
Dobi Matild - voice
Bihari "Imi" Ernő - voice, can
Daróci "Choli" József - voice

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"For the first time in over two decades, Steeleye Span sounds like a bona fide band again. While their string of sporadic comeback albums from the past 20 years were generally decent (although not spectacular), they seemed to lack the intangibles that distinguish a true and cohesive group effort from a reformed assemblage that only half-heartedly recaptures their past glory. While only fiddler Peter Knight and guitarist Bob Johnson remain from that period, Bedlam Born is the closest Steeleye Span has come to recreating their '70s heyday. Bassist Tim Harries, who has been with them since 1989's Tempted and Tried, provides the most out-and-out rock & roll moment on this album with his electric guitar debut on "John Ditchford." At least three other tracks ("Well Done Liar," "The Beggar," and "We Poor Labouring Men") also display a noticeable rock angle that hearkens back to albums like Rocket Cottage and Parcel of Rogues. But this album is equally divided between the raucous and the reflective, the traditional and the contemporary; "Who Told the Butcher" and "Poor Old Soldier" with their electric piano accompaniment and Peter Knight lead vocals sounds like Sails of Silver-period Steeleye. Lead singer Gay Woods adds a maturity and firmness of voice not necessarily found in Maddy Prior, the legendary vocalist whom she eventually replaced. They are different types of singers but both are equally suited for Steeleye Span. Woods provides captivating vocals on "Beyond the Dreaming Place," "The Connemara Cradle Song," and the chilling "The White Cliffs of Dover." After appearing on just three tracks on Horkstow Grange, longtime Fairport Convention drummer Dave Mattacks returns to make a full-time contribution on Bedlam Born, thus significantly solidifying the foundation of this band."

01.Well Done Liar
02.Who Told The Butcher
03.John Of Ditchford
04.I See His Blood Upon The Rose
05.Black Swan
06.Beggar
07.Poor Old Soldier
08.Arbour
09.There Was A Wealthy Merchant
10.Beyond The Dreaming Place
11.We Poor Labouring Men
12.Connemara Cradle Song
13.Stephen
14.White Cliffs Of Dover

Gay Woods, vocals, bodhrán;
Bob Johnson, vocals, acoustic & electric guitar;
Peter Knight, vocals, keyboards and violin;
Tim Harries, bass & electric guitars, keyboards, vocals;
with Dave Mattacks, drums and percussion

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Ando Drom (On the Road) Gypsy folklore group was founded in Budapest 1984.The songs are sung in Gypsy Language, accompanied by guitar, mandolin and tambura; for percussion they use spoons, jugs, wooden through and oral bass.

Since the members come from different segments of the Hungarian Gypsy population, the group presents a wide range of styles and variations within Gypsy music and culture. They present the traditional music and dances of the Gypsy people in an authentic and, at the same time, modern way.

In addition to their concert tours abroad, they often perform in Hungary, where Ando Drom is considered to be one of the most renowned Gypsy folklore groups. They were honoured twice with "Nívó-díj", a high Hungarian musical award.

01. Iszik a kocsmán / Drinking In The Pub
02. Te szan mange piramnyi / You Are My Lover
03. Xanamiko / Brother-in-law
04. Könyörgés / Prayer
05. Na mangav me ratyija / I Don’t Need Brandy
06. Ahaj Devlam szote kerav / My God, What Shall I Do
07. Pujari szomasz - Kanak tu ternyi szanasz / I Was Child – When I Was Young
08. Naj man sella / I Have No Money
09. Bare gindura / Big Trouble
10. Raja Devla / My Lord, God
11. Csi Zsanav / I Do Not Know
12. Lasi ratyi – Kövecselik az utakat / Good Evening – They Are Making Roads
13. Pergyij e bar lulugyenca / The Garden Is Full of Flowers
14. Muro nav / My Name
15. Sza tele zsav / I Go Around The World

Jenő Zsigó - voice, guitar, mandolin, can, spoons, udu,oral bass
Imre Bihari - voice, guitar, can, oral bass
Matild Dobi - voice, dance, spoons
Gyula Bódi – accordion
István Samu - guitar

Link

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"Recorded live in Bordeaux.
Developed over the last 15 years, Song of the Lodz Ghetto is a unique musical work, a song cycle in which memory and imagination freely interact to create a Proustian journey between present and past. At the center are Brave Old World's arrangements of the rare Jewish street and cabaret songs from the Nazi ghetto of Lodz, Poland, 1940-44. Leading through the Lodz repertoire like stepping-stones through the river of memory are Brave Old World's own original compositions, reflections on 17 years of performing Jewish music. Michael Alpert's moving Berlin 1990 forms the emotional and musical counterpoint to the passionate and ironic street songs of the bard of the Lodz ghetto, Yankele Herszkowicz. A musical and spiritual journey of resistance, love, and reconciliation."

"...this collection illustrates the power of the creative consciousness to survive, even thrive, in the most harrowing of circumstances."

01. Rumkovski Kayim/Lodzh-fidl
02. Lodzh-overtur
03. A gants fayn mazltov
04. Nisht nor simkhe/Veynendiks
05. Vayl ikh bin a yidele
06. S'Iz Kaydankes, kaytn
07. Kimts in herts/Rumkovski Khayim
08. Yikhes/Vinter 1942
09. Makh tsi di eygelekh
10. Berlin 1990 (Refren)
11. Es Geyt a Yeke
12. Ver Klapt du Azoy?/Geto varyant
13. Geto, getunya
14. Kuyavyak
15. Amerike Hot Erklert/Kemfn!
16. Berlin 1990
17. Lodzh-coda
18. Bobover Khupe-Marsh/Rumkovski Khayim

Alan Bern: musical director, accordion, piano
Michael Alpert: vocals, fiddle, percussion, guitar
Kurt Bjorling: clarinet, bass clarinet
Stuart Brotman: bass, cello, cymbalom, trombone, fiddle

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Recorded in 2001, Golem's debut album features tunes sung in Ladino, Ukrainian, Spanish, and of course, Yiddish... not bad for a 5 song EP!

01. Skrip Klezmer!
02. Balkan Espanol
03. Kopav Kopav
04. Madre Mia
05. Az der Rebbe Elimelekh

Aaron Diskin: vocals, tambourine
Alicia Jo Rabins: violin
Curtis Hasselbring: trombone
Taylor Bergren-Chrisman: contrabass
Laura Cromwell: drums

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"Once upon a time in Hungary a group of young and talented people – who had otherwise not much common points – agreed that they will show their compatriots and to the whole world that the saying “the Hungarian rejoices crying” is absolutely false. In the music of Yava Folcore Punk Brigade the folk songs are not artefacts of museums or worldmusic-like commercial products but pulsating energy which is not only intertwined with the musical traditions of the Middle East or Indonesia but also with hardcore punk music. After long waiting the debut album of the band will be coming out in November 2008 and the band that already had several international gigs is ready to conquer the world.
Yava was established by the bassist of the legendary band “Galloping Coroners” (VHK), Adam Mestyan and Polett Dus in 2001 and their very different characters define the main features of the band. Polett today is the editor in chief of a radio station but before she played as an actor in a travelling company, was a folk-musician and then lived for a long time in Indonesia where she studied the ancient arts of “wayang” and the “gamelan” music. Adam was graduated as an Arabist and lived in North Africa and later one year in Kuwait. In 2002, the folk musician Szabolcs Roka joined the band who is the master of the Hungarian “koboz” and the Arabic-Turkish oud. From 2004 the also legendary VHK-member guitarist Fritz Laszlo Nemeth joined the band while the progressive metal-drummer Kristof Szabo is the youngest member.
In the inimitable music of the YAVA FOLCOR PUNK BRIGADE it can happen that the bass will answer to the themes of the bagpipe. Who does not believe this, listen to this magic how the different musical traditions of different nations are united, how the medieval songs and instruments are joined to punk and hardcore melodies."

01. Szerelem
02. Tizenkettö
03. Ó, Castília
04. Indonéz
05. Mire vársz
06. Gen 36
07. Rejtsetek el engem
08. Kezemet homokba
09. Üsküdari mese
10. Aranytoll
11. Izzott nyögött
12. Hergetés

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"Winter Chasing draws from the music of the peoples of our country in the widest sense of the word: I could almost say, it embraces nearly all the peoples with a common fate during its thousand: year: old disastrous, bloody history who have influenced each other musically: Katalin Szvorák, who gives expression to this common tone, is a highly competent, artistic interpreter of the music of the Hungarians and all the peoples living with them.

May you regard the music you hear as a bunch of flowers made of the music of thousand years and love it both as a whole and each of its precious flowers separately.

And accept it with proper love from from Katalin Szvorák who has gathered the bunch and presents it to you now."

Sung in Hungarian, Slovak, German, Moravian, Armenian, Czech, Gypsy and Croatian.

01. Ma vagyon Farsang híres napja
02. Ez ki háza, ki háza
03. Za nuno baluśo
04. Hipp, hopp farsang
05. Kura Jóska, dudáljon kend
06. Pod šable
07. Elmúlott a hosszú farsang
08. Dúsgazdag siralma
09. Sokác kóló
10. Talalaj, talalaj
11. Haj ki kiszi, haj ki
12. Keď si videl, že nemožem
13. Jaj, de szennyes a kendője
14. Faschingmarsch
15. Huculka
16. A macskának kesely lába
17. Gakavik
18. Ezek a szép szász leányok
19. Illik a tánc a rongyosnak
20. Hopp csillárom

Musicians:
Kati Szvorák - voice
and The Monarchia Orchestra:

MULATSCHAG GRUPPE (Bécs, Vienna, Austria):
Evelyn FINK - violin, voice
Ernst FRITZ "Blizzfrizz" - violin, accordion
Andrea HOFFMANN - harp, voice
Rudolf PIETSCH - violin, voice
Margit WERNER-ANDERL - voice

PONITRAN (Nitra, Slovakia):
Bernard GARAJ - Slovak bagpipe, cimbalom, voice
Peter HUJER - violin, ozembuch, voice
Marián JÁREK - violin, voice
Ján VÁCLAVEK - viola, voice
Pavol VAKOŠ - double bass, voice

Béla ÁGOSTON - clarinet, bagpipe
Joszif Jurijevič ČERNAVEC (Técső, Ukraine) - Jew's harp
Tamás GOMBAI - violin
Mihály HUSZÁR - double bass, accordion, voice
Ferenc KISS - voice, kobsa, zither, Jew's harp, tambur, percussions, violin, hurdy-gurdy, water can
Zsolt KÜRTÖSI - double bass
Péter PÉTERDI - keyboards
Zoltán SZABÓ - Croatian bagpipe, tambur, ocarina
Sándor D. TÓTH - viola

Pupils of the folk-song class of Szentendre Vujicsics Tihamér Music School:
Flóra KISS, Berci SASVÁRI, Borcsa SASVÁRI, Marci SASVÁRI, Csenge SZEBENY, Rebeka TAMÁSI, Sára TÍMÁR, Réka ZETELAKI - voices

Link

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"In both Polish and Hebrew, the word "balagane" means either "big mess" or more colloquially, "whorehouse." It is also the name of the second album from Montreal-based group Jeszcze Raz (pronounced YES-chay Raz), led by the irreverent poet/songwriter Paul Kunigis. Balagane is a playful collection of rollicking songs driven by elements of Jewish, Gypsy, and Arabic folk, with hints of French chanson, jazz and blues in the mix.

This array of influences is skillfully woven by polyglot pianist and songwriter Paul Kunigis. Polish-born of a Catholic mother and Jewish father, Kunigis was raised in Israel where he went to a school run by French Jesuits and took Hebrew studies on the side. He plays his upbringing like a trump card, laughing, "I had a first communion AND a bar mitzvah!" with self-conscious irony. In his music, Kunigis acknowledges the myriad of sometimes opposing cultural forces that created him. Most of all he identifies as an outsider.

Songs in Polish, Hebrew, Arabic and French lambaste bar-stool philosophers, celebrate the lives of rag-pickers and prostitutes, and dream improbable dreams of a lasting peace in the Middle East. The impassioned lyrics are bittersweet and gutsy: Kunigis pulls no punches. In concert, he likes to say with a twinkle in his eye, "My music is not politically correct. It's just correct."

Balagane was produced by Yves Desrosiers of Lhasa de Sela fame, and features Desrosiers on guitars. The elements that made Lhasa's La Llorona sound great (including a careful attention paid to arranging and dynamics) make this album a success, too. A song that starts with bare-bones percussion and bass might evolve into a raucous burlesque sing-along with swirling violin, snaky accordion and sleazy bass clarinet blats. Percussion lines laid down by the rock-steady Rémi LeClerc are played over in such a way that individual songs integrate klezmer, Latin and Arabic influences effortlessly.

If there is one shortcoming to the album, it is that you may recognise some concepts from earlier tracks returning in some of the latter songs. But Kunigis and Jeszcze Raz can hardly be classified as one-trick ponies. No, they are the whole crazy circus. Balagane, indeed."

In March of 2003, Jeszcze Raz won the 2002 Juno Award (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammies) for World Music Album of the Year.

01 - Balagane (Bordel)
02 - Czarna kawa (Café Noir)
03 - Alte zachen (Vieilles Guenilles)
04 - Yahayouni (Mes Yeux)
05 - Bamidbar (Dans le Désert)
06 - Zimbergaya (Tzimbergaya)
07 - 3 pajaci (3 clowns)
08 - Swetlana (Chviétlana)
09 - Tiberiade (Tibériade)
10 - Ostatni dzien (La Derninre Valse)
11 - Mamaleh (Petite Maman)
12 - J'aimerai te dire
13 - Shequette (Silence)

Link

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