Showing 1 - 10 of 12
A global meeting for music buffs
Life, John Clewley, Published on 30/07/2019
» The 45th International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM) was held at Chulalongkorn University earlier this month. The premier global meeting for ethnomusicologists was held in Southeast Asia for the first time in its history. As the secretary-general of the ICTM Prof Ursuka Hemetek said: "This is a special occasion for us to be in Southeast Asia for the first time."
Travel notes
Life, John Clewley, Published on 23/05/2023
» Cambodia, like many Southeast Asian countries, enjoyed a golden era of popular music during the 1950s and 1960s, when Phnom Penh, known as the "Pearl of the Orient" became an important cultural centre, a breading ground for the meeting of Western rock and pop and Cambodian music. Author Dee Peyok in her fascinating new book Away From Beloved Lover: A Musical Journey Through Cambodia (Granta, UK, 2023) notes that "the music of East and West merged across Southeast Asia to the most fascinating mélange of instruments, attitudes and expressionism".
Amid chaos, world music still rocks
Life, John Clewley, Published on 19/01/2021
» Riding high at the top of this month's Transglobal World Music Chart is the Isreali-Persian singer, songwriter and social activist Liraz Charhi.
808s in Tamil Nadu state
Life, John Clewley, Published on 10/11/2020
» This month's Transglobal World Music chart has an Asian flavour with an Arabic twist as Ammar 808 took the top spot with a fusion of South Indian music from Tamil Nadu state that has been through an Arabic blender.
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.
Giving the gift of exotic sounds
Life, John Clewley, Published on 03/12/2019
» The festive season is upon us and there are lots of exciting new releases to give as gifts to friends or loved ones or to add a bit of sparkle to your life. Here are some highlighted new releases, some from last month's Transglobal World Music Chart.
Joy to the world of music
Life, John Clewley, Published on 25/12/2018
» It's been a busy year for "World Music" fans. There have been some fabulous new releases from artists across the globe, and compilations of music that might easily have gone unnoticed. But while we are celebrating new music and golden hits from the past, some musical giants have left us for the great stage in the sky.
Ry Cooder returns to gospel roots
Life, John Clewley, Published on 16/10/2018
» American guitarist Ry Cooder released his first studio album for six years recently. The Prodigal Son (Fantasy Recordings, USA) has put aside his more politically engaged music -- as heard on a series of albums, Chavez Ravine (2005), My Name Is Buddy (2007), Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down (2011) and Election Special (2012) and returned to a more-gospel oriented sound that he created on his early albums.
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.
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.