World music

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant%C3%B4nio_Carlos_Jobim wrote:Antônio "Tom" Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim (January 25, 1927 – December 8, 1994), also known as Tom Jobim (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈtõ ʒoˈbĩ]), was a Brazilian songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, and pianist/guitarist. He was a primary force behind the creation of the bossa nova style, and his songs have been performed by many singers and instrumentalists within Brazil and internationally.

Widely known as the composer of "Garota de Ipanema" (The Girl from Ipanema), one of the most recorded songs of all time, Jobim has left a large number of songs that are today included in jazz and pop standard repertoires.

http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/victor_jara wrote:We tend to know Jara as a protest singer. And it is true. But he's more than that. Jara was an honest and humble singer. After having listened to almost ninety songs, two things came into my thinking. Jara bursted directly from its people and the folk songs he interpreted and created show us that world traditional music heritage is mostly of joy and celebration of life. But, during the short years a man passes through the Earth, there are some circumstances changing it, entering into songs without asking. Circumstances that can be love, the hardness of a working life and injustice (in all its forms, such poverty and opressive regimes). As most of us know, Jara was assassinated short after militars (leaded by Pinochet and aided by CIA) took the power in Chile. I'm not talking about heroes and idols but Víctor Jara is a symbol of freedom, representing how mean those who claim of man-kind can be. I feel a deep sadness and injustice about what was done to him. Along with José Afonso's, Víctor Jara songs keep demanding for identity, freedom and hope. The hope that people can sing more their songs and themes

http://prognotfrog.blogspot.gr/2007/02/akido-akido-usa-1972-afro-psych.html wrote:somewhere it says: "... When I first listened to this album, I started out on side 2 by chance. And this is why I didn’t get past much of the rest of the album. The first song on side 2, titled Gone With Yesterday, is frickin’ awesome. A definite future mix-tape centerpiece, a song blended of afro-beat, reggae, folk, and 70s soul. Has a haunting guitar in the background which sounds Indian or Egyptian that just keeps improvising and then cuts to a solo after the first vocal verse. And then keeps going until you’re totally feelin’ it. The music is strangely happy and positive although the vocals say, “Yesterday, you gave me happiness, happiness, that’s all I need, to get me happy, but Today, my happiness is gone, with yesterday, with yesterday, ohhh everything, with yesterday.” And then the next song continues this mood theme and goes off into a terrific all instrumental afro-funk jazzy jam (Hippies, you’d like this).

And the rest of side two is just kick-ass. I can’t go wrong if I’m deciding what to throw on and I choose this side. I can listen to a fantastic single and then jam the rest of the way through the record, djembes and everything. Psychedelic Afro-funk! Which is so good and I go to flip the record, but, strangely, side 1 is dissapointing. Because I expect it to be better than side 2, cuz it’s side 1 of this awesome record.

But it’s more subdued, less exciting, and the first song completely stops the pulse of the record so far (if listened to from side 2 first). It’s like an introduction to who they are, with a lame slow drum intro and then some music to kind of show us what we’re about to hear. And then the songs sound choppy and mixed up. They can’t decide if they want to make more songs like, Yesterday, or jam out like they do so well. The first two songs with vocals suck, and then they start jamming for a song, which sounds sweet. And then the next song goes to a half jam/half Yesterday, which sucks again. And the last song of side 1 is a chant, and kinda sucks too.

So I think if this album was contructed better and the actual concept was re-evaluated the album would be a classic in 70s Afro-funk. As it stands, side 2 is so good that the album is definitely still worth checking out."

http://www.last.fm/music/Der+Golem wrote:Der Golem was an experimental band from Fryazino, Russia, formed in 1999 by Roman Sidorov (Старуха Мха, SEDATIV, Fatal) and Dmitry Zubov (Hypnoz, Zuboff Sex Shop). Both musicians are dead: Roman Sidorov committed suicide in September 2003, Dmitry Zubov died in November 2011.
Der Golem released two albums, “Zmet” in 1999 and “Дисциплина взорванных мостов” in 2000. Their music was a strange mix of industrial, post-punk, post-rock and drone ambient.

http://www.last.fm/music/Amara+Toure%CC%81/+wiki wrote:The enigmatic Amara Touré from Guinée Conakry finally getting a well deserved compilation showcasing all of the 10 songs ever released between 1973 and 1980. Cuban influenced music of a different kind featuring amazing spaced-out guitar works!!

“Latin music, is it really foreign to us Africans? I don’t think so. Listen to the drums, to the rhythm. It all seems very close to us - it feels like it’s our own culture”, declared enigmatic singer Amara Touré.

It is the late 50s, and Senegal is going crazy to the groove of Son Montuno and Patchanga. Brought to West Africa by Cuban sailors in the early 40s, these styles were immediately adopted by a flourishing music scene that did not hesitate to embrace the Caribbean sound, mixed it with their own Folklore, and, in the process, created something new. Through the unique cultural fusion of West African and Caribbean influences, Latin music took on a new and unique sound - the format was reinvented.

Producer Ibra Kassé and his Miami nightclub acted as the spearheads of this movement. They brought a breath of fresh air into Dakar’s nightlife, further energising one of West Africa’s most exciting cities. The demand for ballroom parties and live acts exploded, attracting numerous musicians from surrounding countries. One of the musicians who answered this call was percussionist and singer Amara Touré, from Guinea-Conakry. Spotted by Kassé while performing with Dexter Johnson, Touré was asked if he would like to be part of a new project. Little did he know that this project would become a phenomenon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Bull wrote:Alexander "Sandy" Bull (February 25, 1941 – April 11, 2001) was an American folk musician and composer. Bull was an accomplished player of many stringed instruments, including guitar, pedal steel guitar, banjo, and oud. His early work blends non-western instruments with 1960s folk revival, and has been cited as important in the development of psychedelic music.

His albums often presented an eclectic repertoire including extended modal improvisations on oud. An arrangement of Carl Orff's composition Carmina Burana for 5-string banjo appears on his first album and other musical fusions include his adaptation of Luiz Bonfá's "Manhã de Carnaval", a lengthy variation on "Memphis Tennessee" by Chuck Berry, and compositions derived from works of J. S. Bach and Roebuck Staples.

Bull used overdubbing as a way to accompany himself. As documented in the Still Valentine's Day, 1969: Live At the Matrix, San Francisco recording, Sandy Bull's use of tape accompaniment was part of his solo performances in concert as well.

http://surfingtheodyssey.blogspot.gr/2015/08/tirogo-1977-float.html wrote:Originally released in Nigeria, 1977. "Tirogo is another great sample of lost African psychedelic music. It was recorded in Nigeria in 1977 and originally released on EMI, same as the great album BLO - Chapter One. This Nigerian rock-psych band Tirogo is similar to bands such as Ofege, BLO, Founders 15, Doves, and Aktion. Great African songs covered with wild guitar solos, spooky organ, great beats and strong vocals. 4 guys on the cover / 6 were actually in the band looking pretty young. It is getting harder and harder to find lost African bands since there is a big rave in the International music scene to hunt for good material. With the massive help of collectors and Now Again Records in the USA, who actually went to Nigeria to sign the boys, we are able to present this amazing album to you. It will suit the same music lovers who like Amanaz, The Witch, Question Mark and BLO."

Tirogo were labelmates with the band Blo, and ought to appeal to folks into Blo, Ofege, Sjob, and others from the Nigerian scene, as well as "Zam Rockers" like Witch, Amanaz, and the Ngozi Family from down in Zambia. Originally released in 1977, Tirogo's Float, their debut, is a stoned masterpiece of psychedelic garage groove with authentic African vibes. Seriously, at this point, can't we just say, if you like those others, you'll like this? 'Cause you will. Stinging fuzz guitar leads swirl and sizzle over seriously funky, energetic rhythms, as the vocalists chant about girls and the devil... yeah! The sort of thing that when you're listening to it, you can't help but think, "this is the best shit ever!"... and it's kinda true!!
Dunno how many more records like this they can dig up, it's hard to imagine, but we're grateful for what's been reissued thus far, winners like Tirogo and Witch, wow. And they do it right, the cd booklet includes an extensive, interesting interview with original Tirogo lead vocalist and bassist Wilfred Ekanem, conducted by African music collector and Now-Again head honcho Egon, who coordinated these reissues.

https://bombino.bandcamp.com/track/adounia-life wrote:Omara "Bombino" Moctar, a young Tuareg guitarist and songwriter, was raised during an era of armed struggles for independence and violent suppression by government forces. His electrifying jams capture the spirit of resistance and rebellion while echoing with guitar riffs reminiscent of fellow Africans Tinariwen and Ali Farka Touré as well as Jimi Hendrix, John Lee Hooker and Jimmy Page

http://estastonne.bandcamp.com/track/elemental-who-am-i wrote:As a modern-day Troubadour Estas Tonne travels countless places and finds himself in several cultural references without identifying himself with a single nation or country, rather with the cultural richness of the world. His music is therefore a reflection of a classical structure, technique of Flamenco, roots of Gypsy, characteristics of Latin and Electronic Soundscapes.