Showing 1 - 6 of 6
Universal language
Life, John Clewley, Published on 24/10/2023
» The Transglobal World Music Chart for October has some excellent new releases for the coming cool season. And if there is a theme that runs through the Top 20, it is one of reflection and understanding in a world that is full of pain and hurt. This is exemplified by the No.1 album Jarak Qaribak by Dudu Tassa and Jonny Greenwood.
Holy trinity
Life, John Clewley, Published on 14/02/2023
» The banjo is a key instrument in Western folk music -- from US bluegrass to Irish trad -- and over the past 20 years, research into the roots of this three-stringed instrument have revealed its west African lute origins, with two instruments, the ngoni and the ekonting, now understood to be the closest ancestors to the banjo.
Remember the Raja
Life, John Clewley, Published on 26/10/2021
» Pornsak Songsaeng, the 'Raja of Molam' from Isan, died of a heart attack in Nong Bua Lam Phu province on Oct 17. He was 60 years old. Pornsak was one of the most famous Isan music stars, and his funeral was attended by many of his fans as well as many of the big names in the entertainment industry.
Mighty Malagasy grooves
Life, John Clewley, Published on 18/08/2020
» Madagascar, which lies just off the coast of East Africa, is in the furthest western part of the Indian Ocean. It's important to understand how contemporary Malagasy (the name for all things from Madagascar, including the language) music was shaped by the cultural flows from the Indian Ocean and from continental Africa.
African musical great you've never heard of
Life, John Clewley, Published on 26/01/2016
» Sory Kandia Kouyate, the legendary West African jali (praise singer) and bandleader died suddenly in 1977, just a few years before African popular music took off internationally. He was just 44-years-old, and sadly, he's hardly mentioned these days but had he continued his pioneering career, I'm sure he would have been as famous as his compatriot Mory Kante, or other internationally renowned West African singers like Mali's Salif Keita and Senegal's Youssou N'dour.
Get into the groove
Life, John Clewley, Published on 13/08/2013
» Many Asian countries celebrate the ancient bon festival around the seventh lunar month, although in Japan the festivities are usually held in the middle of August. The festival is ancient and dates back to one of Buddha's disciples, Mokuren, who wanted to ameliorate the suffering of his deceased mother. To do this he danced what Japanese people call bon odori (bon dance), which is performed by everyone in the community to welcome the spirits of the dead, to celebrate their ancestors.