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Ravi Shankar plays the classical music of India with pristine technique — but I'm not swept away. With Alif Laila, I am. Her sitar-playing brings new emotion, drama, dynamics to these centuries-old ragas. Tari, a world-renowned tabla master, frames her sitar with beguiling percussion melodies, played with boggling dexterity and heart-stopping expressiveness. more... |
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He came, slept in the studio and gave us three days and three nights
of total flamenco immersion. Tao’s CD is my most extraordinary
guitar session to date. A passionately committed player, he honed
his scorching chops apprenticing for four years under gypsy masters
in Spain. more... |
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A "dream team" Irish trio plays traditional jigs, reels
and airs with passion and originality. Led by button accordion master
Joe Derrane, 2004 National Heritage winner.
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With sound like no Celtic CD you’ve heard, they’ve laid
down a kickass set of authentic traditional Irish music—highly
danceable and passionately devoid of green beer and leprechaun commercialism.
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For years, I’ve been itchin’ to find someone to lay down
a heavy duty Latin jazz CD, something closer to the Afro-Cuban roots
than today’s fare. Then my friend Asante, the legendary master
drummer from Ghana, discovered this red hot young lion of Latin
piano—and promptly brought him north to the U.S. more... |
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They created a historic first and they made fun music: their infectious
Afro-Caribbean-Celtic grooves will have you popping your fingers
and step-dancing, whether you’re a jazzer or a Gael.
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Asante danced and drummed the length of my studio—filled wall-to-wall
with his 85 hand drums, African xylophones, gongs, whatnot.
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I’d been searching three years for a reggae band to record.
Then I heard Midnite, just in from St. Croix. Thirty seconds of
their tight, crushingly powerful bass groove ended my search.
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Thirty-five years ago, Bey sparked my passion for the African drum
when I heard him leading Olatunji’s Drums of Passion. His work
with Randy Weston and Art Blakey helped introduce the African drum
into jazz. more... |
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For their second CD, A la Carte adds a little extra spice to their
savory recipe. They do hits by P-Funk, Ray Charles, J.J. Johnson,
the Meters and Dizzy. Singer Chuck Brown returns, and is
joined by Little Feat’s Shaun Murphy.
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Patato, the history-making pioneer of the modern Latin three-conga
style, is the most melodic and the most African of all the Cuban
congueros I’ve heard. You’ll never hear the gorgeous attack
and resonance of his congas better than here. more... |
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Here’s a stomping Bluiett electric group that’ll knock
you on your butt. His group includes Calvin Jones on electric bass,
Ronnie Burrage on drums, Donald Blackman on keyboard and Chief Bey
on hand drums. more... |
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A La Carte serves up a New Orleans street band marinated with a
hot salsa percussion section. The brass section stomps like the
Dirty Dozen and moans like a Bourbon Street funeral..
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