Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Krar Collective, Ethiopia Super Krar

Krar Collective are a London-based trio who started out playing at weddings in the Ethiopian community, and have developed their own distinctive style, based largely on reworking traditional songs from across Ethiopia. The band is led by Temesgen Zeleke, who was encouraged to bring a new approach to his playing of the krar, the ancient Ethiopian lyre, by the Ethio-jazz legend Mulatu Astatke, who is honoured here on Mr Astatke. Zeleke's approach involves the use of electric, acoustic and bass krars, and a style that includes rousing, driving songs like Ete-Mete and the gently rippling, acoustic Tizita.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

October Jazz Fest Takes Off Tonight

The October International Jazz and World Music Festival 2012 goes into full swing tonight in what promises to be an explosion of jazz-related events in and around Harare until Sunday.

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Hamid Ali presents 'Jadoo'

In UK, Qawwali is most common among the World Music circuit, through the continued presence of the work of the late great Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Qawwali is now hugely popular contemporary Bollywood music

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K'naan: Country, God or the Girl

For whatever reason, the American hip-hop community has never really taken to K'naan, the Somali Canadian rapper whose first two albums delivered frequently riveting descriptions of growing up in Mogadishu and moving to Toronto.

Tuesday, October 09, 2012

Trio Garufa

Contemporary Argentine tango dance has become a worldwide phenomenon. The music that accompanies the dance, though, is still thought to be mostly a Buenos Aires/Montevideo event.
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