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Showing 1-10 of 24 results

  • LIFE

    Farewell to a legend

    Life, John Clewley, Published on 05/12/2023

    » News of the passing of frontman and singer of The Pogues, Shane MacGowan, on Nov 30 sent shockwaves of sadness around the world of Irish music. Tributes were published across media, from the Irish president to his former bandmates.

  • LIFE

    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.

  • LIFE

    A timeless musician

    Life, John Clewley, Published on 26/09/2023

    » Eliades Ochoa was a key member of the legendary Buena Vista Social Club, which was established in 1996 and organised into a stellar ensemble of Cuban musicians, many of whom performed Cuban music of the 1940s and 1950s -- bolero, son and danzon. An album was released to great acclaim and a film documentary of the group garnered an Academy Award for director Wim Wenders.

  • LIFE

    Country comes to the city

    Life, John Clewley, Published on 31/01/2023

    » The All-Thidsa Molam Band was in Bangkok this past weekend to perform at the Thailand International Jazz Conference. World Beat caught up with band last Friday when they played two sets at Isan Spicy BBQ, a rooftop bar at the Jim Thompson Art Center.

  • LIFE

    The world beat goes on

    Life, John Clewley, Published on 04/01/2023

    » This year the entertainment business returned to some form of normality after the hard slog of lockdowns and lack of customers. It was good to see music lovers back at festivals and clubs. And the best festive season present of all was the performance of Ethiopian legend Hailu Mergia and his trio at Studio Lam on Dec 21.

  • LIFE

    Tunes for the chill season

    Life, John Clewley, Published on 09/11/2022

    » The music scene has been given a boost this year with the return of tourists and the reopening of entertainment venues. Festivals are returning to the provinces this month and the local circuits for rock and luk thung are back, too. The summer festival season in Europe, Japan and North America also returned and coincided with lots of summer and now winter music releases. The World Beat desk is groaning under the weight of new music.

  • LIFE

    Where cowboys rule

    Life, John Clewley, Published on 05/07/2022

    » The Colombian writer and journalist Gabriel Garcia Marquez was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982. At his award ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, a delegation of Colombian musicians performed for the event. Harp player Carlos "Cuco" Rojas, the founder of the Cimarron band, and lead singer Ana Veydo joined the musicians, adding their festive joropo dance music from plains of the Orinoco River (in Colombia and Venezuela) to the music on the Nobel stage.

  • LIFE

    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.

  • LIFE

    Tracing the roots of zouk

    Life, John Clewley, Published on 08/12/2020

    » In 1983, Kassav', a band from the Antilles in the Caribbean, released Zouk La Se Sel Medikamen Non Ni (Zouk Is The Only Medicine We Have). It became the first Antillean record to sell 100,000 copies. Kassav' went on to top the French pop charts with a string of gold albums, drew bigger crowds at their concerts than Prince and put Antillean music firmly on the international musical map.

  • LIFE

    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.

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