Taj Weekes’s Anthems of Hope

2013 is off to a great start for St. Lucia's TAJ WEEKES, a singer-songwriter with a topical bent and a clear vision of his responsibility to help make the world a better place now and for future generations.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Expressing the Power and Beauty of Difference

A powerful commentary on migration, refugees and human rights, the multicultural RAFIKI JAZZ's third album, HAR DAM SAHARA, speaks eloquently to our time.
by David McGee
 

 

 

Light In Shadow

An interview with SHULAMITT OTTOLENGHI about the 10-year journey that produced her powerful new CD, FOR YOU THE SUN WILL SHINE: SONGS OF WOMEN OF THE SHOAH
by David McGee
 

 
 

Bound Together in the Spirit of Cultural Exchange

On DUSTY ROAD, KLEZMER-ISH explores music of immigrants from various cultural backgrounds who left their homelands in search of a different and better life.
by David McGee
 

 

 

On Dawning, Saffron Engages East and West In Service to Rumi’s Impassioned Insights

On Dawning, its new album, Saffron engages East and West in service to the Persian Sufi poet Rumi's impassioned insights. World music at its most moving, this.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Juaneco y su Combo and The Birth of Jungle Cumbia

Out of the Peruvian jungle in the late '60s came JUANECO y su COMBO with a new sound known as Jungle Cumbia. Two new releases highlight the band's incredible music and tragic-laden history. This is an event.
by David McGee
 

 

 

Pushing the Envelope of Nordic Jazz

The Karl Strømme Quintet is opening up new frontiers in Nordic jazz. The group's new album, DYNALYD, furthers the musicians' integration of other styles into the modern jazz tradition. A most pleasing sound it is.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Equal Opportunity Vibe

Vintage Calypso is alive and well...in Berlin, where LORD MOUSE AND THE KALYPSO KATZ are packing 'em in with their swaying beats, hot horns and bold lyrics. Go Calypso is the group's new album, explained herein by Lord Mouse hi...
by David McGee
 

 

 

The String and The Source

On Néo, KAORU WATANABE celebrates 'going upward, connecting to the divine...the unity that binds us to something greater.' It's the master Taiko multi-instrumentalist/composer's finest hour.
by David McGee
 

 
 

De Paris, Tout pour l’amour

Anticipation is building in Europe for the breakout prospects of 22-year-old Parisian songstress Juliette Katz, who is being favorably compared to Adele, although her sultry, silky, soulful singing and intense romanticism recal...
by David McGee
 

 

 

‘Knowing Happiness Without Restraints’

Descended from Hindustani musical royalty, ANANDI BHATTACHARYA makes an impressive international debut on JOYS ABOUND, a celebration of 'knowing happiness without restraints.'
by David McGee
 

 
 

Klezmer? Gypsies? Schubert? Yes!

Schubert's classic C Major Quintet re-invented by ZRI, a Hungarian klezmer band, in a revelatory performance following the group's acclaimed 2014 gypsy interpretations of Brahms's music
by David McGee