Showing 1 - 7 of 7
Blurring the boundaries
Life, John Clewley, Published on 21/07/2020
» The summer festival season has been cancelled as have many major sporting events. Under the current Covid-19 measures, some events like the Notting Hill Carnival in London, which is usually held at the end of August each year, have gone online. Sound systems and steel bands will still perform live but revellers will only be able to enjoy them online.
Musical archaeology
Life, John Clewley, Published on 10/07/2018
» James Cagney is regarded as one of the first gangster tough guys of Hollywood. Films like The Public Enemy (1931) made him a big star and his tough-guy persona belied his background as a dancer. If you look at the opening scene to his 1932 film Taxi, you'll hear him speaking fluent Yiddish, a "High German" language that originated with Ashkenazi Jewish communities and was later fused with other German dialects, as well as the Hebrew, Aramaic and Slavic languages.
Rediscovering an African legend
Life, John Clewley, Published on 16/01/2018
» In recent years, several master photographers, whose work captured the post-independence rise of popular music, have emerged from West Africa. The first was Seydou Keita, who was born in Bamako, the capital of Mali, and died in Paris in 2001. He set up a studio in Bamako in 1948 and took portraits there until 1963. His trademark hand-painted backdrops (modern roads with skyscrapers, kitchens with mod cons) and props (scooters, suits) provided the setting for Malians to show that they were modern.
The roots of Chicha – Peru's jungle beat
Life, John Clewley, Published on 19/09/2017
» Ever since Paul Simon used the Peruvian orchestral tune El Condor Pasa in his song of the same name, the image of Andean music is one of locals playing panpipes, dressed in traditional costumes. Think also of soprano Yma Sumac and her exotica music from the 1950s.
Make it funky
Life, John Clewley, Published on 17/12/2013
» Funk music features on two excellent compilations this week: New Orleans' funk on New Orleans Funk Experience (Nascente, 2010) and Diablos Del Ritmo _ The Colombian Melting Pot 1960-1985 (Analogue Africa, 2012).
Rumble in the jungle
Life, John Clewley, Published on 18/06/2013
» The annual Rainforest World Music Festival, set in the lush jungles of Sarawak, Malaysia, is set for a three-day weekend of music and dance from June 26-28 at the Cultural Village, just outside the state capital, Kuching. The region's premier world music event has recently garnered awards, and for the fourth year running was on Songline magazine's list of 25 top international music festivals.
Southeast Asia's kaleidoscope of sounds
Life, John Clewley, Published on 23/04/2013
» The Asean Economic Community (AEC) is due to open the markets of 10 countries in Southeast Asia in 2015 and much has been written about how best to prepare to take advantage of the opportunities the economic union will bring.