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…to the music of Mali

“Mali is the crown jewel of West Africa-a vast, magnificent country w/ ancient musical traditions and many of the continent’s best loved musicians.  From Wasulu, songstress Oumou Sangare, and the rocking desert blues of Tinariwen to the acoustic blues of BBC Award winner Bassekou Koyate and the international stars Amadou & Mariam, the Rough Guide explores this thriving and evolving musical dynasty.”~Rough Guide

comments / tracks  of interest: 

#1: med. Tempo, cool-roll feel

#2: kora/guitar instrumental

#3: ballad w/ xylophone & guitar

#4: up-drum-beat w/ occasional sirens

#5: xylophone & piano beat-up, fast tongue

#6: female vocalist w/ full band

#8: med-tempo slow roll w/ beautiful vocals

#12: reggae rhythm

#14: shrill calls, raps, electric blues

#15: instrumental version of summertime

…to the music of Japan

Japan has been blending the traditional with pop, jazz, old time…and coming up with some crazy combinations.  Rough Guide has gathered these sounds and more.  From the elegant: gagaku, to today’s hottest roots acts mixed with melodramatic pop-music: enka, post-war boogie-woogie productions, and African influences.  I would love to see some of these acts live. 

comments / tracks  of interest: 

#1: traditional sounding female vocals call to one another

#2: rocking (in my opinion)

#3: fluttering vocals-hypnotic musicality

#4: Afro-Cuban influences

#5: dub instrumental

#7: Okinawa’s most loved & respected elder musician

#10: stringed instrumental

#13: traditional sound

#14: rapid instrumentation, old time style

#15: old boogie-woogie recording

Introducing Hanggai

This is Chinese folk revival: sounds from the Mongolian Grasslands, and is comprised of young musicians from Beijing.  The group’s leader, Ilchi, was fronting a punk band until he heard traditional overtone singing (a.k.a. hoomei, a.k.a. throat singing).  He traveled to his father’s homeland of Inner Mongolia to learn the technique, and met the other musicians in Hanggai.  Rediscovering and expressing their roots and native language is causing quite a stir in China, and the outcome of their adaptations of traditional songs causes quite a stir in me.   

comments / tracks  of interest: 

#1: banjo & fiddle,  horse canter rhythm

#4: gentle instrumental pull to overtone singing, quite atmospheric

#5: catchy hook

*#7: I wish I knew Mongolian so I could sing along to this one

#8: lullaby, record scratching or crackling fire sounds

#9: live recording of drinking song

#10: ~1:30 per season