Deodato Siquir

Balanco (2AM Productions DS7501, 2008)

Born in Mozambique and presently based in Denmark, drummer/vocalist/bassist/guitarist/pianist Deodato Siquir has made a solid and enjoyable African jazz CD here. At times his breezy style is similar to that of Cameroon’s Richard Bona- light, accessible, full of catchy riffs, pleasant vocals and expertly played solos. Siquir’s also got a knack for tossing in contemporary touches like samples and turntable manipulation without messing up a largely organic approach favoring honest music over trickery.

The 2009 edition of globalFEST will introduce audiences to established artists they have not heard before, striking yet unheralded traditions, wild young innovators playing with centuries-old forms, and funky global revivalists of 1970s musical activism.
 
 Many international artists who are the musical toast of their communities remain virtually unknown to the broader U.S. audience. Kailash Kher, a sensation in the Bollywood film world with his Sufi inflected popular songs, a judge of "Indian Idol," and a household name on the Subcontinent, will finally blast onto the American scene, with his band Kailasa in tow. Though most everyone knows calypso, few Americans outside Caribbean communities know Calypso Rose, the grand dame of calypso, who has spent decades writing over 800 songs from fun-loving party numbers usually associated with Carnival, to politically and socially conscious anthems.
 

Belgian label Crammed Discs is reissuing on November 18th, 2008 recordings by two of its most popular artists, Bebel Gilberto's "Tanto Tempo" and Suba's: "São Paulo Confessions."
 
 The daughter of João Gilberto (who co-invented bossa nova 50 years ago with his friend Tom Jobim), Bebel Gilberto was living in New York and couldn't get a suitable record label in the US or Brazil when Brussels-based independent label Crammed signed her worldwide back in '99. Released in early 2000 via Crammed's sub-label Ziriguiboom (and entrusted to Six Degrees Records for US distribution), Bebel's debut album "Tanto Tempo" captivated audiences around the globe with its delicate mix of classic bossa nova and cool electronica. It became one of the greatest international successes in the history of Brazilian music, totalling over one million sales worldwide. "Tanto Tempo" was nominated for a Grammy (as were Bebel's successful second and third albums, also produced and released by Crammed).

Zambian musician Mathew Tembo will present his new album, Anthem, with a live concert in Lusaka on Friday, 21 November, 2008. "Many of you know me as a reggae musician, but this is my debut marimba album, bringing indigenous Zambian sounds from the village to the modern stage," says Tembo. 

Anthem is available in stores in Zambia and online at www.urbansedated.com. Also, you can hear some old and new songs, and see the video for "Nandunge" at www.myspace.com/mathewtembo.

Márta Sebestyén

I Can See the Gates of Heaven…[Nyitva látám mennyeknek kapuját] Hungarian Religious and Secular Songs (Viva La Musica, 2008)

Creating a journey of songs that have traveled up hills and down mountains, traversed open grasslands and floated down rivers, huddled in tiny villages, crept past lonely rooms and wafted out onto misty churchyards, Márta Sebestyén has truly triumphed with her latest I Can See the Gates of Heaven… Hungarian Religious and Secular Songs. Carving out elegantly wrought musical signposts with her shapely vocals, Ms. Sebestyén lays down a path to the rich, ripe folk traditions of Hungary’s past. I Can See the Gates of Heaven… is astonishingly good.

David Rothenberg
 Thousand Mile Song: Whale Music in a Sea of Sound
 (comes with CD)
 Basic Books
 
 I realize that a review for a book focusing on whale songs might seem a bit strange, maybe even out of place on a world music site. However, musician and author (of several books including "Why Birds Sing: A Journey Into the Mystery of Birdsong"), David Rothenberg brings us another dimension. And he brings up the concept that non-human creatures enjoy listening to and making music as much as humans. And for many readers such myself this seems like a manifestation of one of those wild childhood dreams.

The 2009 edition of globalFEST will be showcasing top international acts in New York City.  The event will be held at New York City's Webster Hall, January 11, 2009. The line-up features Calypso Rose, Chicha Libre, Femi Kuti & the Positive Force, Hot 8 Brass Band, Kailash Kher's Kailasa, L&O, La Troba Kung-Fú, Marcio Local, Occidental Brothers Dance Band International, Shanbehzadeh Ensemble, Tanya Tagaq, Valkyrien Allstars, and Watcha Clan.
 
 For the sixth year, this leading showcase for international sounds keeps a foot in the door of cultural exchange, giving dozens of musicians access to the American stage. The event takes place on January 11, 2009 on three stages at the newly remodeled Webster Hall in New York City. With just one ticket, festival-goers can see thirteen acts in one night, representing diverse global styles, from groundbreaking hybrids to little-known traditions, and in three unique settings under the same roof.

Gilberto Gil

Banda Larga Cordel (WEA, 2008)

Jill Turner reflects on the dizzy heights that Gilberto Gil has scaled as a musician and a politician, whilst she listens to his bright and breezy new album, Banda Larga Cordel, his first for eleven years. One of the greatest names in Brazilian music, Gil recently stepped down as Brazil's Minister of Culture, to spend more time, not with his family but with his music:

Gil has travelled a long and interesting road since creating the Tropicalia sound in the late sixties. Music that once got him booed off stage as he fused regional Brazilian styles with outside rock instruments and influences. Music that also led to Gil's detention and temporary exile, as his lyrics made oblique references to and criticized the military occupation.