What World Music Are You Listening To?

[bart]

Originally Posted by Parabellum

Another one I really like in the arabian folk, Déserts from Claire Gignac. Excellent recording.

Good sound indeed!
Very lively music.

[bart]

Buika - El último trago
con la colaboración de Chucho Valdes
via Qobuz




I wanted to hear more from this great singer.
This is a nice marriage off Spain and Latin America!

The pairing of Afro-Majorcan vocalist Concha Buika and Afro-Cuban pianist Chucho Valdés has apparently been a long time coming. But they are here together on this lovely recording, featuring songs from a wide variety of composers, in a handful of duets, or with the Valdés' band backing them. El Ultimo Trago -- translated as "The Last Drink" -- is as much a tribute to Mexican singer Chavela Vargas, a major influence on Buika. She's a passionate singer with a dusky, slightly raspy, thin, and gritty voice, but she sure can belt out a song like a great blues singer, or Cape Verdean contemporary Césaria Evora. While coming from the land of flamenco, this music retains the son quality of Afro-Cuban music, in great part due to the professional expertise Valdés adds to the musical arrangements, not necessarily the lyric content. Those expressions come from a romantic context, telling tales of lessons in life sung in Spanish, mostly brief and to the point, made more elegant by the legendary pianist, who as usual can do no wrong. The consistency of these recordings from track to track reflects the romantic notions of these great musicians, from the slow, sultry cha-cha form of "Soledad" and "Sombras," to the light son "Cruz de Olvido" with the magnificent, regal, traditional-styled piano playing of Valdés, "Se Me Hizo Facil" where Buika's singing is at times exuberant, or the bolero type "Somos" with chiming chords from the pianist. The uptempo clave beat of "El Andariego" incites a more animated Buika and instills Valdés to jump into a montuno bridge, and a very lively "Luz de Luna" is pushed along by the skilled trumpet playing of Carlos Sarduy. Bassist Lazaro Rivero Alarcón, percussionist Yaroldy Abreu Robles, and drummer Juan Carlos Rojas Catro lay out on several selections, as Buika and Valdés go it alone for the passionate "Las Cuidades," the short, quaint, classic waltz "En El Ultimo Trago," the lilting "Las Simplas Cosas" that bears resemblance to the croon tune "Besame Mucho," or the delicate closer "Vamonos." Clearly a chemistry exists here, beautifully exotic, with Buika as the shining star to be discovered and fully illuminated, with Valdés as her colorful spotlight technician. It's unlikely you'll find a better pairing of an amazing singer and accompanist anywhere else, no matter the music type, but if you enjoy the classic Latin song performed with every ounce of emotion available, this recording will be impossible to resist.

© Michael G. Nastos /TiVo

[joel_hifi]

Originally Posted by Parabellum

World music is one of my favorite genre (if that's a genre anyway), along with movie soundtracks. Here are a few that I like.

Rabih Abou-Khalil - Selection
Adam Ben Ezra - Pin Drop

Very well recorded too!

Serge, merci pour toutes ces magnifiques suggestions
Thank you for all the great suggestions, many of which I'm not familiar with!

[joel_hifi]

Originally Posted by bart

Buena Vista Social Club
via Qobuz




One of my favourites.
I got to see them live in Brussels in '99, just before they all started to die.
Ry Cooder - again him! - was instrumental (pun intended) in realising this project.

Bart, we saw the Buena Vista Social Club in Geneva in 2001, once Ibrahim Ferrer's voice started to warm up 10 minutes into the concert, the entire crowd stood up and then danced to their music the whole evening, in the usually very conservative Victoria Hall... one to remember!

[joel_hifi]

Originally Posted by Antonmb

Ry Cooder, V.M. Bhatt - A Meeting by the River
Water Lily Acoustics (1993)

Here’s another wonderful Ry Cooder collaboration that fits in this category.

Tony, great collaboration, thanks!

[radio times]

Your doing great lads. R3's world hour; some gentle group work, mainly from the 70's from Columbia.

[joel_hifi]

Originally Posted by Parabellum

Another one I really like in the arabian folk, Déserts from Claire Gignac. Excellent recording.

Serge, a very fine suggestion of World Music, thanks!

[joel_hifi]

Cristina Branco - Corpo Iluminado

One of the greatest contemporary singers of Portuguese Fado

Her third album, released in 2001

[Parabellum]

Originally Posted by joel_hifi

Serge, merci pour toutes ces magnifiques suggestions
Thank you for all the great suggestions, many of which I'm not familiar with!

Bien content que tu aimes! I am very happy about this thread, lots of great discoveries for me as well!

[joel_hifi]

Originally Posted by joel_hifi

Dan Storper, the founder of the Putumayo World Music record label, did a lot to promote international music.

I have quite a number of their joyful and well recorded CD compilations, here's a good start:

I just found out that there's a Putumayo World Music Hour show that can be heard on over 100 radios around the world...