Showing 1 - 10 of 46
Rhythms of the Northeast
Life, John Clewley, Published on 21/02/2026
» The first Maha Morlum Festival, a showcase soft power event, was held in Maha Sarakham from Feb 13-14 and World Beat travelled to the Isan province to enjoy the two-day, one-night immersive experience promised by the event's organisers.
The lion roars on
Life, John Clewley, Published on 29/07/2025
» Musician and bandleader Thomas Mapfumo is 80 years old this month. The man, often dubbed the "Lion of Zimbabwe", is still hugely popular in his home country, despite having gone into exile and resettling in Oregon in 2000.
Live gem resurfaces
Life, John Clewley, Published on 11/03/2025
» Cameroonian musician, composer and songwriter Manu Dibango passed away in 2020 at the age of 86. His career and life were extraordinary. He was one of the most celebrated African musicians alongside Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela, Fela Kuti, Frnaco and Youssou N'Dour. He was known as the most sampled of all African musicians.
Carrying the torch forward
Life, John Clewley, Published on 04/02/2025
» Rizwan-Meuzzam Qawwali Group is a Pakistani Qawwali ensemble led by brothers Rizwan and Muazzam Ali Khan. The duo performs with their seven-member party, who provide harmonium, percussion and handclaps. The singing brothers are nephews of the late great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who popularised the Islamic Sufi genre worldwide before his untimely death at 48 in 1997.
Rhapsody In Blue – a timeless American classic
Life, John Clewley, Published on 19/11/2024
» On Feb 12, 1924, a concert organised by popular jazz band leader Paul Whiteman was held at the Aeolian Hall in New York City. Despite the cold and snow, the show was jam-packed not only with music fans but also composers like Sergei Rachmaninov and John Philip Souza and popular actors like Gertrude Lawrence.
Global grooves
Life, John Clewley, Published on 05/11/2024
» Manu Chao released his last studio album La Radiolina in 2007. Prior to that, he released Clandestino in 1998 and Proxima Estacion: Esperanza in 2001 to global acclaim. He took off with a huge ensemble to tour the world after that, which resulted in the live album Radio Bemba Sound System in 2004. And prior to that, he had already played his version of punk rock, inspired by The Clash, with the legendary band Mano Negra.
A fresh take on mbalax
Life, John Clewley, Published on 24/09/2024
» In the early 1980s, Senegalese singer Youssou N'dour performed at the Africa Centre in London as part of a club night called the Limpopo Club. It was the first time mbalax, the dance music popular in the Senegambia, had been heard in London and I like so many intrigued rushed off to buy his Immigres album released in 1984 on the UK Earthworks label.
Musical dissent
Life, John Clewley, Published on 26/03/2024
» Award-winning singer Kiran Ahluwalia was nearly lost to music fans 20 years ago. The Indian-born Canadian musician had completed an MBA and was all set to move forward with a career in finance, but she had misgivings about working with leveraged buyouts and her heart was not in it.
Fusing different musical worlds
Life, John Clewley, Published on 13/02/2024
» Klezmer is the music of Ashkenazi Jews, who created the music in Central and Eastern Europe in the 16th century. Although mainly instrumental, the music is usually sung in Yiddish. It was hugely popular before the destruction of Yiddish communities in Central Europe during the Holocaust. Professional Klezmer musicians who escaped to the US founded large klezmer orchestras in the first two decades of the 20th century, who competed with jazz ensembles and Irish big bands in New York.
From melons to molam
Life, John Clewley, Published on 02/01/2024
» The Jim Thompson Farm Tour in Pak Thong Chai, Korat, is back after the challenges of Covid lockdowns and economic slowdowns, with a leaner, more focused tour which this year runs from now until Friday.