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Brothers from Mali: Habib Koité/Eric Bibb and Ballaké Sissoko/Vincent Segal

Read More Habib Koite and Eric Bibb Imagine this: American Eric Bibb and Mali's biggest pop star Habib Koité teams up to play the most interest traditional and contemporary blues...… Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal What I can tell you about this duo is that Ballaké Sissoko is known for his kora-playing skills and that Vincent Segal is the one with the cello....…

In the last week, I have enjoyed two different shows in which one of the main performers was from the West African country of Mali. The first was Habib Koité and Eric Bibb at the Dakota Jazz Club on February 26th. The second was Ballake Sissoko and Vincent Segal at the Cedar Cultural Center on March 8th. Both shows had an intimate feel with an older audience, incredible sound quality, and artists that did not fail to show their depth, passion, and joy.

Brothers in Bamako Habib Koité and Eric Bibb are two guitar playing soulful, passionate, and spiritual artists who create beautiful music together. Koite’s guitar style is drawn from his Malian ancestry, as well as rock and folk sounds. Bibb has a deep, soulful, blues voice and while their styles are different, they meld perfectly together. The concert was relaxed and intimate with a lot of story telling which gave the audience a view into how the songs of the artists come to life through experience. They were clearly enjoying their time on stage, dancing, joking, and jamming together throughout the performance.

Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal were touring for their second album together At Peace. Sissoko plays the Kora; a 21-string bridge harp instrument used extensively in West Africa and Segal is a French cellist. As I listened to the music they made together, I was moved, awe-inspired, and grateful to be hearing them play live. It was a pure joy because it’s in the live listening of them that the music truly moves and really comes alive. In both of these shows, I loved feeling immersed in a new type of music from a different culture. It was pure joy.

Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal at the Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (03/09/13)

audrey ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ ericbibb.com ♥ sixdegreesrecords.com

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Habib Koité / Eric Bibb: Brothers in Bamako (Capsule Reviews)

Wonderful Music, Wonderful Birthday

Night Time Is the Right Time

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World Beat: Celtic Thunger, Bibb & Koite, Putumayo and Evergreene

Read more World Music.

CELTIC THUNDER
www.celticthunder.ie

Celtic Thunder is a so-called "Irish supergroup", consisting of vocalists Emmet Cahill, Ryan Kelly, Colm Keegan, George Donaldson, Keith Harkin, and Neil Byrne. The band plays a good mix of folk, traditional Irish, adult contemporary, rock… anything to give new meaning to the Celtic storytelling music.

Celtic Thunger's new CD and DVD companion called Mythology, was released last Tuesday (February 19th) on Verve Records.

The DVD is a live show, filmed at Dublin's Helix Theatre in 2012. The show tells the tales of the Celtic People through legends and cultures.

Mythology is already topping the Amazon charts in the World Music > Celtic charts as well as General AAS.

BROTHERS IN BAMAKO
ericbibb.com

Imagine this: American Eric Bibb and Mali's biggest pop star Habib Koité teams up to play the most interest traditional and contemporary blues.

The two 'brothers in Bamako', Bibb and Koité will be playing tracks from their 2012 album, Brothers in Bamako, available via Stony Plain Music, at the Dakota Jazz Club tomorrow - February 26th at 7pm and 9pm.

The duo is currently in their North American tour dates (for world tour schedule, check out ericbibb.com):

02/26/13 Minneapolis, MN Dakota Jazz Club
02/27/13 Chicago, IL Old Town School Of Folk Music
03/01/13 Montreal, QC Scène Rio Tinto Alcan
03/02/13 Quebec City, QC Palais Montcalm
03/03/13 Somerville, MA Somerville Theatre
03/05/13 Starkville, MS Mississippi St. University
03/06/13 Austin, TX Paramount Theatre
03/09/13 New York, NY B.B. King Blues Club

PUTUMAYO
putumayo.com

The latest Putumayo world music compilation will be focusing on vintage French chanson music from the mid-1900s era. The release will be called Vintage France, and it is coming out on February 26th (tomorrow).

What can you expect but to hear Juliette Gréco and, of course, Serge Gainsbourg.

CEO and founder of Putumayo, Dan Storper, added his comment on this latest compilation, "French artists have created this beautiful, melodic music that has stood the test of time. Perhaps the greatest surprise, was discovering Norbert Slama, a blind octogenarian accordion player who performed with Josephine Baker and Edith Piaf, in my backyard in New Orleans. His performances in a small, vintage café in the Marigny transported me to a bygone era."

Remember, since 2011 you can get Putumayo digitally - but I still recommend getting the actual physical CD.

EVERGREENE MUSIC
evergreenemusic.com

Evergreene Music has released Balkan Arts 701: Bulgarian Folk Dances, the first installment of the Balkan Arts Series (a joint New York venture between Evergreene Music and The Center for Traditional Music and Dance).

What can you expect from the rest of the series? More original recordings were from the 60's and 70's, and to include folk music from Bulgaria, East Serbia, Greek Macedonia and Thrace, and Romania.

The next EP will feature East Serbia in February, Greek rarities from Macedonia and Thrace in the spring, and more Romania and Bulgaria in the summer of 2013.

Curator Martin Koenig talk about the importance of these recordings, "The Balkan Arts recordings are all old-time music and have the same power as the music from Appalachia-the Doc Watson's and the like, and I truly believe that we, the West, now have more of an ability to absorb and appreciate this music than we did in the 60s and 70s. Even my 18-year-old son and his friends now respond to it. With so little of this music around anymore, anything that's this real needs to be cherished."

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou at the Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (07/10/12)

Read More Orchestre Poly-Rythmo Orchestre Poly-Rythmo at the Cedar on July 10th. This is a rather big band …

Benin's Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou are currently on tour throughout the US. They stopped by the Cedar Cultural Center last night, July 10th, as part of the venue's African Summer series.

As expected, this was a rather large band, ten band members, playing a variety of instruments including a couple of saxophones, keys, and shekere. They traded off vocals to about four of the ten members, but everyone had their moment to shine on their respective instruments.

Mélomé Clément was introduced as the band leader (the only band member dressed in all white), but I felt that Vincent Ahehehinnou was the center of attention as the star main vocalist.

As you can see from their set list, it looked like it wouldn't last more than 30 minutes, but the truth is, their songs are extra long and they easily filled up at least two hours. Highlight of the show for me was when they had three women come on stage to boogie down near the end of "Gbeti Madjor".

Their afrobeat/funk sound reminded me a lot of when I saw Seun Kuti (son of Afrobeat's pioneer Fela Kuti).

Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou will finish their US dates this July. Come out to see them if they're playing in your area.

07/11/12 Chicago, IL Mayne Stage
07/13/12 Toronto, ON Harbourfront Centre
07/15/12 Louisville, KY Forecastle Festival
07/19/12 Brooklyn, NY BAM R&B Festival
07/20/12 Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall
07/22/12 New York, NY Summerstage

Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou at the Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (07/10/12)

vu () ♥ polyrythmo.com

World Beat: Brasil

This is part four of World Beat.

>>>

Curumin: Selvage

CURUMIN
facebook.com/curumin

Hey, just a reminder that Céu will be in Minneapolis this June 15 at her usual stop-in at the Dakota Jazz Club. Previously, Céu had local artists open up for her, but this time, she's touring with a labelmate, Curumin, from Six Degrees Records.

Just to give you a little background on Curumin, his name is Luciano Nakata Albuquerque, and he is half Spanish and half Japanese. According to his biography, the correct pronunciation of Curumin is koo-roo-meen.

I have decided to sample some of his music, and I have to say: it's danceable electronic! Check out "Selvage", it's got a great beat. I don't know if it's a Portuguese, but in English, that's the unraveling edges of a fabric (or the edges of a stamp). The song comes from their new album, Arrocha, which just came out June 5th, 2012.

TOUR DATES w/Céu (except where noted)

06/10/12 Highline Ballroom - New York 06/12/12 6th & I Historic Synagogue - Washington, DC 06/15/12 Dakota Jazz Club - Minneapolis, MN 06/17/12 Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO 06/19/12 Musical Instrument - Phoenix, AZ 06/20/12 Belly Up Tavern - Solana Beach, CA

06/21/12 El Rey Theatre - Los Angeles, CA 06/23/12 Slims - San Francisco, CA (Solo Show) 06/25/12 The Triple Door - Seattle, WA 06/26/12 Rio Theatre - Vancouver, BC 06/28/12 Brighton Music Hall - Allston, MA 06/30/12 Club Soda - Montreal, Canada

MONICA DA SILVA
monicadasilva.com

Mônica da Silva is a Brazilian/American Singer with a new CD Brasilissima. You might have heard her first single, "Aí Então" on Putumayo World Music's compilation Brazilian Beat.

I believe she's based in Florida, but her music draws inspiration from Astrud Gilberto ("The Girl from Ipanema") but with modern elements.

She's appearing live here:

6/13/12 Bardot Miami, FL
6/22/12 Wynwood Kitchen Miami, FL
6/30/12 Casa Monica St. Augustine, FL
7/20/12 Casa Monica St. Augustine, FL

CAPITAL
www.capitalguitar.com

Capital's new album, Floats on Flat Tires, is out now via Revolg Records, and features all original music with electronic beats and percussion by Brazillian legend Marco Bosco.

The CD release party is tomorrow (June 8th) at Central SAPC in Santa Monica.

Watch the beachy music video for "Leida" below:

IBRAHIM MAALOUF
ibrahimmaalouf.com

Composer and trumpet player Ibrahim Maalouf is from Lebanon, but I think he's currently based in France? I could be wrong, but in Paris, he recruited Zalindê, a 17-member, all-female, Brazilian-style batucada ensemble to blast out potent rhythm tracks for his latest album Diagnostic.

Maalouf explains, "Since it's my music, I choose what I think is beautiful. For example, I love Balkan trumpets, and I really love Brazilian batucadas, and when you put a Brazilian rhythm under trumpets playing an Arab melody with a Balkan feel, I think it sounds really good. So I did it."

Maalouf will be performing on June 21, 2012 at Drom and as part of Make Music New York at the French Embassy cultural services.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

World Beat 3

This is World Beat part 3, read other more World Music here. Yeah, this might be the 4/20 edition.

SEUN KUTI
knittingfactoryrecords.com

Seun Kuti is the son of Nigerian musician Fela Kuti . Like his father before him, Kuti took up music and even leading his father's band Egypt 80! Kuti and Egypt 80 are currently on tour in America.

I have previously mentioned that Kuti released his album, From Africa With Fury: Rise via Knitting Factory Records. If you liked the album, good news: some of those songs have been remixed in an EP that came out yesterday (4/10) called From Africa With Fury: Rises Remixes.

Tracks includes "The Good Leaf (Spoek Mathambo Remix)", "Slave Masters (Jacques Renault Remix)", "African Soldier (JD Twitch Remix)", and "You Can Run (Falty DL Remix)". The first track mentioned is available as a free download via thefader.com. I believe this is a digital-only release.

If it all goes well, I will be covering his Minneapolis show:

4/12 - UW Madison - Madison, WI 4/13 - Rhythm Foundation - Miami, FL 4/14 - The Cedar - Minneapolis, MN 4/15 - Coachella - Indio, CA 4/16 - Campbell Hall - Santa Barbara, CA 4/18 - UC San Diego - San Diego, CA 4/19 - Zellerbach Hall - Berkeley, CA 4/20 - UCLA Royce Hall - Los Angeles, CA

4/22 - Coachella - Indio, CA 4/24 - KTAOS Solar Center - Taos, NM 4/25 - Albuquerque Museum Amp - Albuq, NM 4/27 - New Orleans Jazz Fest - New Orleans, LA 4/29 - Houston Internat'l Festival - Houston, TX 5/2 - House of Blues - New Orleans, LA 5/13 - Lake Eden Arts Fest - Black Mountain, NC

THE BLACK SEEDS
theblackseeds.com

The Black Seeds are described as "New Zealand's reggae-soul heavyweights". Their album, Dust and Dirt, just came out yesterday (4/10), and to celebrate, their previous albums (Keep On Pushing, The Black Seeds Live Vol. 1, On The Sun and Into The Dojo) are also seeing a North American release.

The Black Seeds are currently on tour:

April 11 – Vancouver, BC – Fortune Sound
April 12 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
April 13 – Denver, CO – Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
April 14 – Boulder, CO – Fox Theatre
April 15 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl
April 17 – Ithaca, NY – Castaways

SECRET STASH RECORDS
chocolaterobots.com

We've mentioned Secret Stash Records a few times here. Not because they're based out of Minneapolis, but that we actually like them. They concentrate on collectable and cool looking vinyl as their main bread and butter. And no different, their latest release will be a compilation called Long Live Boogaloo. The double vinyl will be out April 17th, while the CD version will be out in May 8th.

The first 250 copies will come with an extra 7". Based on the fact that their limited T-Shirt are sold-out, I would recommend pre-ordering now for the 7".

Description from the label:

In the mid 1960s Latin teenagers in New York's Spanish Harlem neighborhood created a new style of music called Latin boogaloo. The sound was a mix of the Cuban music they grew up with and American R&B like James Brown and Hank Ballard. It quickly caught on and before long the young purveyors of this new sound were taking business from the likes of Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez, and Eddie Palmieri. Soon the established acts reluctantly joined the craze and recorded a smattering of Boogloos. However, many of them were not happy about it. In general they felt it was beneath them. Eventually a small group of the most powerful people in the Latin music business conspired to kill off the Boogaloo and make way for the burgeoning Salsa craze. Concert promoters, DJs, and venues were bribed to turn away any and all Boogaloo business. As soon as it came, it left.

BRIEFLY:

SIMON RICHARDS simonrichardsmusic.com World musician, Simon Richards announced that he's officially signed with Fontana/Universal for his debut album Kaleidoscope Worlds. The album is so far in advance (to be released on September 2012) that I don't actually have a cover artwork for it. Look for his first single, "Bee Bopping to My Life", to be a reggae influenced song. Speaking about the single Richards stated, "This is just one of those fun songs where the idea is for you just to kick back and enjoy life! I wanted the single to be a fun, upbeat track that everyone can relate to."

BOB MARLEY bobmarley.com Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) will be releasing the official soundtrack from the documentary on Bob Marley, simply titled MARLEY, as a 2-CD collection and a special 3-LP vinyl set! The soundtrack will contain 24 tracks, hand-picked by the Marley family and Chris Blackwell, so expect hits like "Jammin", "One Live", and "Exodus". Academy Award-winning director Kevin Macdonald's MARLEY will open in US theaters on… 4/20, duh.

ZZK RECORDS simonrichardsmusic.com Nicole wrote about ZZK Records before, describing them as "as Cumbia, mixed with electronic beats, funk, tribal sounds, dancehall, tons of random neon objects, and hallucinogenic substances, boiled in a pot under extreme pressure, causing an awesome, danceable, music explosion known as ZZK". The Future Sounds of Buenos Aires is a new compilation record from ZZK, set for release on May 1st.

ELISA LUU elisaluu.com Italian ambient electronica artist Elisa Luu is releasing her second album Un giorno sospeso (which literally translate to "One day suspended") via Hidden Shoal Recordings on June 1st. Her music is described as a mix of digital manipulation and analogue tones with immersive drones. Listen for yourself, a free download of "Se fosse per me" at hiddenshoal.com.

ELIN FURUBOTN elinfurubotn.com Norwegian Elin Furubotn's International Debut Album, Heilt Nye Vei (New Path), just came out yesterday (April 10th) via Ozella Music. The singer-songwriter describe her music on the album as: "crosses lines between jazz and singer-songwriter stuff, between rock and folk, but I don't like to split my interests and passions up. And in scenes like in [sax player Karl] Stavanger, you get to know everyone very well. It's a more intimate scene, and it's easy for musicians from different backgrounds to work together."

THE HIGHEST PASS thehighestpass.com The Highest Pass is a full length documentary about a journey to the high mountain region of Ladakh. It is directed by Jon Fitzgerald, and will premiere in Los Angeles at Laemmle’s Monica 4-Plex and in Pasadena at Laemmle’s Playhouse 7, starting April 27, 2012. The singer from YES, Jon Anderson, wrote two original songs for the film including the title song, "The Highest Pass", with composer Michael Mollura. Mollura's work was influenced by his love of world music and yoga meditation.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com

World Beat 2

Read More Cheb i Sabbah Born in Constantine, Algeria, Cheb i Sabbah (which means "young of the morning") spent his time in Paris and eventually settled in San Francisco in the 80s.

We actually cover quite a few World Music, but have never put it under one umbrella… although I am leaning towards keeping it under the 'World Beat' name.

>>>
SAMAYA: A BENEFIT ALBUM FOR CHEB i SABBAH
chebisabbah.com

You may remember last year I mentioned the death of Cheb i Sabbah. Well, it looks like Samaya: A Benefit Album for Cheb i Sabbah is released today, in conjunction with Sweet Relief Musicians Fund. If the name 'Sweet Relief' sounds familiar, in the 90s it was the name of a charity album used to aid Victoria Williams due to multiple sclerosis. She's taken that gift and founded the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, whose goal is to provide financial assistance to all types of career musicians who are struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability or age-related problems.

In celebration of his work (and Earth Day!), there will be some music festivals:

4/20-4/22 – Tadasana International Festival Of Yoga & Music – Santa Monica, CA (tadasanafestival.com)

SIERRA LEONE'S REFUGEE ALL STARS
sierraleonesrefugeeallstars.com

Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars is Africa's "most lauded and active touring bands". You can experience that when they tour through the USA, see their tour details below.

Also, check out their new song, "Mother in Law", on Paste Magazine. This is the first single from their album Radio Salone, set for release April 24th, 2012, on Cumbancha.

May 18th San Diego CA @ Anthology (headline)
May 19th Joshua Tree, CA @ Joshua Tree Music Festival
May 22nd Santa Fe, NM @ Santa Fe Sol (headline)
May 24th Kansas City, MO @ Crossroads
May 25th Iowa City, IA @ Englert Civic Theater (with Orgone)
May 31st Memphis, TN @ Levitt Shell at Overton Park (headline)
June 17th Arlington, TX @ Levitt Pavilion (headline)
July 1st Toronto, ON @ TD Toronto Jazz Festival
July 10th Montreal , QC @ Festival Nuits d’Afrique
August 4th Laytonville, CA @ The Gaia Festival
September 8th Bowling Green, OH @ Black Swamp Arts Festival

BRIEFLY:

THE KONIAC NET facebook.com/koniacnet Based out of Bombay, India, is David Abraham, who goes under the stagename The Koniac Net. The name doesn't come from anything, instead Abraham offers this explanation that it was the name of one of his mix CDs from nearly ten years ago. It sounds like he's always liked the name. His debut album, One Last Monsoon, just came out and you can get it from the usual online source: Amazon, iTunes, etc.

DESCRIBE describenation.com DeScribe, er, described his music as "music with a message". His real name is Shneur Hasofer and from his beard, you can guess, he's Jewish. You may remember that he teamed up with Y-Love for "Change". DeScribe is at it again, this time teaming up with Israeli superstar Idan Raichel and the single is called "In the Stereo". You can picture Zoolander, looking "in the stereo" for this one. You can grab "In the Stereo" for free at describenation.com.

MARISA MONTE marisamonte.com.br Blue Note Records is releasing Marisa Monte's O Que Você Quer Saber De Verdade album on March 27th. This is the long-awaited new album from the Brazilian superstar. The album, which translate to "What You Really Want to Know", was produced by Monte with co-producer Dadi and features multi-instrumentalist Gustavo Santaolalla, Brazilian power trio Nação Zumbi, Argentinean tango group Café de los Maestros, & a duet with Rodrigo Amarante of super group Little Joy. I will let you know how the album turns out after I give it a good listen.

CHICHA LIBRE chichalibre.com Chicha Libre* is based out of Brooklyn, New York, but their sound is that of Tropicália. The secret, or not so-secret, origin of the band is that two Americans and two French guys all met in a Mexican bar. Their album, Canibalismo is coming out on Barbès Records/Crammed Discs on May 8, 2012. From reading the description of their music, it basically draws inspiration from the South American countries (Peru, Argentina, Cuba, etc). This kind of reminds me of Peña and music from the Secret Stash Record label. * I thought this was Spanish for girl books, but I think its "free beer".

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

thedharmablues writes:

Friday, 16 March 2012 at 03:18 AM

I love the 'world beat' stuff! Just reading through it all.

Talking about the world's beats, the Guardian Music Blog runs this monthly download - guardian.co.uk - Definitely worth checking it out.

World Beat

Here are some world artists that's come across my inbox. I get a lot of mail, so don't feel like I'm ignoring you if I don't answer my emails.

DIE ANTWOORD
dieantwoord.com

Christopher's been following South Africa's Die Antwoord since 2010. I guess they are huge right now, as it is their third time on the cover of Rolling Stone South Africa magazine!

To help promote their album, TEN$ION, they are doing some dates in February:

02.09.12 - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero Theatre
02.10.12 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
02.11.12 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza
02.12.12 – Washington D.C. - 930 Club
02.14.12 - Toronto, ON - The Phoenix Concert Theatre
02.15.12 – Chicago, IL – Metro
02.18.12 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
02.19.12 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
02.22.12 - San Francisco, CA - The Regency Ballroom
02.20.12 – Seattle, WA – Showbox at the Market
02.22.12 – San Francisco, CA – Regency Ballroom
02.24.12 - Los Angeles, CA - Club Nokia
02.25.12 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues

TEITUR
teitur.com

I think he's still based out of Denmark, after all, he was awarded the "Best Male Singer" at the Danish Music Awards in 2007.

Teitur is back in 2012 with his new album, Let The Dog Drive Home, with a pending tour below:

2.4 San Francisco, CA @ Cafe DuNord
2.6 Santa Barbara, CA @ Soho Restaurant & Music Club
2.9 San Diego, CA @ Anthology
2.10 Los Angeles @ Largo
2.17 Nashville, TN @ The Basement
2.18 Atlanta, GA @ The Five Spot
2.19 Athens, GA @ UGA Performing Arts Centre
2.20 Lexington, KY @ Natasha's Bistro
2.22 Bethlehem, PA @ Musikfest Cafe
2.23 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's
2.24 Vienna, VA @ Jammin' Java
2.25 New York, NY @ Highline Ballroom
2.29 Old Saybrook, CT @ Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center
3.1 Albany, NY @ WAMC Performing Arts Studio
3.2 S. Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
3.3 Cambridge, MA @ Club Passim
3.4 Wakefield, QC, CAN @ Black Sheep Inn
3.6 Toronto, ON, CAN @ Great Hall on Queen Street
3.7 London, ON, CAN @ London Music Club
3.8 Ann Arbor, MI @ The Ark
3.10 Evanston, IL @ S.P.A.C.E.

THE TOURE-RAICHEL COLLECTIVE
toureraichel.com

The Touré-Raichel Collective are two superstars, Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré and Israeli Idan Raichel. Their album, The Tel Aviv Session, comes out March 27th on Cumbancha Records.

Their US/Canadian tour starts in April:

Fri/Apr-13 – New York, NY – City Winery
Sat/Apr-14 – New York, NY – City Winery
Sun/Apr-15 – Somerville (Boston), MA – Somerville Theatre
Mon/Apr-16 – Minneapolis, MN – Dakota Jazz Club
Tue/Apr-17 – Platteville, WI – Platteville Center for the Arts
Thu/Apr-19 – Chicago, IL – Old Town School of Folk Music
Sat/Apr-21 – Atlanta, GA – Rialto Center For The Arts
Sun/Apr-22 – Los Angeles, CA – Echoplex
Mon/Apr-23 – Santa Cruz, CA – Kuumbwa Jazz Center
Thu/Apr-26 – San Francisco, CA – Herbst Theatre
Sat/Apr-28 – Seattle, WA – Triple Door
Sun/Apr-29 – Vancouver, BC – Norman Rothstein Theatre

SHTAR
shtarmusic.com

Speaking of Israel, Shtar is described as a "cross between the Gorillaz, Beck, and Snoop Dogg", which sounds pretty awesome.

Their debut album, Infinity, is coming out March 6, 2012, via Shemspeed Records. In the meantime, they're playing a few dates below:

Sat Feb 11 12 09:00 PM | Jerusalem, IL
Venue: Mike's Place Jerusalem

Thu Feb 23 12 09:00 PM | Jerusalem, IL
Venue: Mike's Place Jerusalem

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Putumayo World Beat: African and Latin

For the first time, Putumayo World Music is bringing their compilations to the internet with the launch of the Putumayo World Beat series, last Tuesday, August 30th, starting with two terrific showcases, African Beat and Latin Beat.

What took Putumayo so long? According to this great New York Times article, founder Dan Storper said this:

I’ve built a business focused on creating compelling physical packages that combine music, culture and travel, that make great gifts and that sound very good. I’m 60 years old. I still don’t own an iPod or iPad. I like reading physical books, magazines and newspapers, and buying CDs that have interesting liner notes. I’m certainly not an early adopter.

It is important to note that you can still find their albums at random shops, classy museums, or coffee shops, this is just another outlet for this record company... which I think it's a great idea to join the modern world, even though, at the same time, I am from that Storper's antique world and love holding books and magazines and flipping through the album's liner notes.

Anyway, right away, the first thing you might notice is that the two cover art for both African Beat and Latin Beat are slightly different than the typical Putumayo albums. The art is still by Nicola Heindl, who's been producing covers for them since the beginning, but, from afar, looks more abstract than her usual traditional/folky art. I like it, you can tell right away, from the maracas and hand drums (Djembe), what the music in the album should sound like.

Between African Beat and Latin Beat, I did rather enjoy the former a tad bit more. This is because the music on this compilation had a weird mixture of Africana rhythm and traditional vocals/lyrics, but it's backed by electronic and "future" dancey music. The mixture of old and new sound is refreshing.

Latin Beat, on the other hand, is a little more traditional, showcasing some salsa, tropical, big band (banda), and Cuban rhythm. There are some exceptions, like the rap/hip-hop flavor in "Chocolate" by Columbia's Profetas.

You can't really go wrong with either compilations, especially if you're new to the genre and want a map, it's a great start. Since now you have the option to download, you can find the usual digital places: iTunes and Amazon MP3. I still recommend buying the physical album, the CD booklet has biographies and photographs on each musician spotlighted in the compilation.

PS, One minor problem I have with the compilations is that some songs sounds like they were perhaps edited for brevity. Songs like "Alapomeji Anthem" seems to fade out before it's supposed to end. I understand why longer songs needed to be shorten to fit other songs, but, to me, it just felt like I'm missing something. But otherwise, this does serve as a jumping point, so if you can't get enough of that particular artist (9ice), you'll do yourself a favor and look up his other works.

vu () ♥ putumayo.com

It began in Africa

CHEB I SABBAH
chebisabbah.org

Born in Constantine, Algeria, Cheb i Sabbah (which means "young of the morning") spent his time in Paris and eventually settled in San Francisco in the 80s. He's been spinning and mixing music for a while, and eventually started releasing albums in the 90s. His last album, Devotion was released in 2008.

Well, according to his website and notes I have received, Cheb i Sabbah was diagnosed with Stage 4 stomach cancer (stage 5 is the worst and final stage of cancer). Like most Americans, more common in performances/arts, he does not have health insurance. His weaken condition also means that he cannot perform to bring in a steady income.

Find out how you can help at chebisabbah.org, direct donation can be accepted here: indiegogo.com.

Seun Anikulapo Kuti: Rise

SEUN ANIKULAPO KUTI
myspace.com/seunkuti

From Africa With Fury: Rise is Seun Anikulapo Kuti's sophomore album. It is released today, under Knitting Factory Records.

If the name 'Kuti' sounds familiar, that's because he is the youngest son of afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti (who I previously mentioned here). Looks like the music gene still runs in the family.

He's doing a few selective dates this Summer:

07.13.11 - Belly Up - San Diego, CA
07.15.11 - Grand Performances - Los Angeles, CA
07.16.11 - Regency Ballroom - San Francisco, CA
07.17.11 - Reggae On The River - Garberville, CA
07.20.11 - Artown - Reno, NV
07.22.11 - Celebrate Brooklyn - Brooklyn, NY
07.23.11 - Grassroots Festival - Trumansburg, NY
07.24.11 - Hillside Festival - Guelph, ON
07.27.11 - SOB's - New York, NY
07.29.11 - Manuel Artime Theater - Miami, FL
07.30.11 - Floydfest - Floyd, VA

KHAIRA ARBY
myspace.com/khairaarby

Khaira Arby and Her Band is from Mali (West Africa), and have just received Mali's highest musical honor, 2011 Tamani D'Or Award. Khaira Arby and Her Band has been wowing audiences with their appearances at SXSW.

Khaira Arby is returning to the US, this July to tour for her latest album, Timbuktu Tarab, which was released in August 2010. Tour dates listed below.

07/04 Montreal, QC - Jazzfest 07/05 Cambridge, MA - Oberon 07/06 Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl 07/07 New York - Poisson Rouge 07/08 Phila, PA - Johnny Brendas 07/09 Washington, DC - Red Palace 07/10 Pitts, PA - Thunderbird Cafe 07/12 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle		07/13 Minneapolis, MN - Cedar 07/15 Grass Valley, CA - WorldFest 07/16 SF, CA - Grand Ballroom 07/20 Los Angeles, CA - The Echo 07/22 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress 07/24 Denver, CO - Underground 07/27 Co Springs, CO - Armstrong Quad

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Red Hot Bossa Nova

There's a movie about a bird that can't fly called "Rio", there's a popular game called Angry Birds: Rio, and even Vin Diesel and the Rock is "Fast & Furious" in Rio! With the next World Cup to take place in Rio de Janeiro, there's no denying that Brazil is hotter than ever.

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Beirut: Leaozinho Free Download Beirut's cover of the Caetano Veloso song "O Leãozinho" at redhot.org Read More Red Hot Red Hot + Blue was one of the first CDs I've ever own. This was an AIDS-benefit CD which sold over 1 million records, put out by the good people at www.redhot.org.

RED HOT + RIO 2
www.redhot.org

Red Hot + Blue was one of the first compact disc that I purchased in 1990, so it's one of those albums that hold a special place in my heart. I loved every track, even the odd funky rap track, and over the years I have had the album stolen/lost and repurchased it three times (the last time was because I wanted the DVD version of the album!).

I'm happy to see that the Red Hot organization is still very active these days, from social networking to transforming their website as news and blog. It's quite a long way to go from their beginning of just bringing awareness of AIDS through music.

Red Hot + Rio 2 is the sequel to the 1996 release, which definitely has the flavor of that time period (Everything but the Girl, PM Dawn, Stereolab, etc). Version two basically updated to more modern artists, including Brazilian Girls, Beirut, Alice Smith, John Legend, Ceu, of Montreal; but also keeping timeless acts from the first version of David Byrne (Talking Heads), Bebel Gilberto, and Money Mark.

One thing to note, about all of the Red Hot projects, is that they only feature original recordings. There is the odd remix, for instance Beck's song "Tropicália" from his 1998 Mutations, which actually sound more like a mashup because there are some Portuguese cover of "Tropicalia" and then later you hear Beck's vocals. Still, for any Beck completist, this is a must-have release.

Alice Smith and Aloe Blacc set the tone for the album with "Baby". It's loungey and laid back. It's message is clear: "we live in the biggest city in South America" and that it's been a long time, but we're happy to be back.

As you might suspect, these songs are covers or influenced by musicians from the Brazilian music scene (in particular Tropicalia/Tropicalismo), and, yes, sometime they only sing in Portuguese. You would expect to hear natives like Ceu, Curumin, and Gilberto to churn out these Portuguese numbers, but surpisingly some Americans (Beirut, Mia Doi Todd) and even Danish (Quadron) did a wonderful job with their songs.

If you like latin music and you want to support the Red Hot Organization, this is a wonderful start. I hope this generation will pick up the album for one reason or another, only to discover this wonderful world of Brazilian music and the various musicians to help made this possible. I know that the original Red Hot + Blue made a special mark on me, I loved every one of those Cole Porter cover songs and it really opened up my eyes and ears.

Red Hot + Rio 2 will be out June 28, 2011. Pre-order here. From the look of the order page, you may also get some bonus extra tracks. The digital album will be delivered in high quality 320kbps MP3 on June 28th at midnight. While some organization only donate a portion to charity, I have to tell you that Red Hot donates all proceeds go to charity.

* PS, I didn't want to spend the whole article talking about Bebel Gilberto. But I think she's great. She sounds just like her mom (Miucha).

Read More Putumayo Putumayo World Music was established to introduce people to the music of the world's cultures. Th...

BOSSA NOVA AROUND THE WORLD
www.putumayo.com

What I love about Putumayo is that it's not for the aficionados, it's for normal people that just wants an taste. It's perfect as a starting point for a particular genre, and with this release, they're introducing "Bossa Nova Around the World". Obviously with that title, they're emphasising artists from other countries outside of Brazil, for strictly Bossa Nova, you need to check out their first release of Samba Bossa Nova.

To get a background on Bossa Nova, check out Dave's Jazz Note #13: Go Global, which goes into detail about how a jazz saxophonist Jewish kid from the Bronx help bring Bossa Nova to the world (hint Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto were reponsible for "The Girl from Ipanema" with Gilberto's then-wife Astrud on vocals).

As you listen to Bossa Nova Around the World, it's easy to see why this Brazilian sound caught on: you feel like you're on a beach with the music as a light breeze over you. This is the soundtrack that you can relax to a book.

While many of these songs try and emulate the winning formula of "The Girl from Ipanema" (rhythmic acoustic with loungey girl singer), I thought these bands stood out:

2raumwohnung, in particular, blew me away with "Melancholisch Schön", because, from my understanding, they are a dance/pop group from Germany, and here they are on this compilation doing a wonderful laid-back bossa nova song. Hilde Hefte from Norway had a very similar sound with "Vakker Natt (Corcovado)", but with acoustic and piano.

From Mexico (and Canada?), Amanda Martinez, did a nice job with a classic samba rhythm with distinctive Spanish-style with "Hasta Que Pueda". It's really a nice song, I'm glad they chose that song as a freebie (I just verified that the link doesn't work!).

Dusko Goykovich from Serbia did a really fun song, "Menina Moça". It has a big band sound and the horns and the flutes are singing to you, even though there are no words in the song.

As usual, each Putumayo release comes with biography on each band. For this type of music, it's perfect to sit band and read the various biography on each band. You can order some various Brazil Putumayo releases below:

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