Two Lovers (Mand) - ali akbar khan

The classical music of North India is an uplifting and extraordinary music, dating back thousands of years. Maestro Ali Akbar Khan was one of the most accomplished Indian classical musicians. Considered a "National Treasure" in India, he is admired by both Eastern and Western musicians for his brilliant compositions and his mastery of the sarode (a beautiful, 25-stringed Indian instrument). Concert violinist the late Lord Yehudi Menuhin called Ali Akbar Khan, "An absolute genius...the greatest musician in the world," and many have considered him the "Indian Johann Sebastian Bach."

Ali Akbar Khan's father, the late Acharya Baba Allauddin Khan, is acknowledged as the greatest figure in North Indian music of the 20th century. Their family traces its gharana (ancestral tradition) from Mian Tansen, a 16th century musical genius and court musician of Emperor Akbar, to Mohammed Wazir Khan, court musician of Rampur State and Baba Allauddin Khan’s guru.

Born in 1922 in East Bengal, Bangladesh, Ali Akbar Khan (Khansahib) began his studies in music at the age of three. He studied vocal music from his father and drums from his uncle, Fakir Aftabuddin. His father also trained him on several other instruments, but decided finally that he must concentrate on the sarode and on vocal. For over twenty years, he trained and practiced 18 hours a day. After that he continued to study with his father until he was over 100 years old. Baba Allauddin Khan left behind such a wealth of material that Khansahib felt he was always learning new things from it.

Ali Akbar Khan gave his first public performance in Allahabad at the age of thirteen. In his early twenties, he made his first recording in Lucknow for the HMV label, and the next year, he became the court musician to the Maharaja of Jodhpur. He worked there for seven years until the Maharaja’s untimely death. The state of Jodhpur bestowed upon him his first title, that of Ustad, or Master Musician. Many years later, he received the title of Hathi Saropao and Dowari Tajeem at the Jodhpur Palace’s Golden Jubilee Celebration in 1993.

At the request of Lord Menuhin, Ali Akbar Khan first visited the United States in 1955 and performed an unprecedented concert at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He also made the first Western LP recording of Indian classical music, and the first television performance of Indian music, on Allistair Cooke's Omnibus, sowing the seed for the wave of popularity of Indian music in the 1960's.

Khansahib founded the Ali Akbar College of Music in Kolkata, India, in 1956. Later, recognizing the extraordinary interest and abilities of his Western students, he began teaching in America in 1965. By 1967, he had founded the Ali Akbar College of Music, which moved to Marin County, California, the following year. In 1983, Khansahib opened a branch of his college in Basel, Switzerland, That is run by his disciple Ken Zuckerman.

Throughout his career, Khansahib composed and recorded music for films. He composed extensively in India beginning with “Aandhiyan” by Chetan Anand (1953) and went on to create music for “House Holder” by Ivory/Merchant (their first joint film), “Khudita Pashan” (or “Hungry Stone”) for which he won the “Best Musician of the Year” award, “Devi” by Satyajit Ray, and “Little Buddha” by Bernardo Bertolucci, to name a few.

1997 was a landmark year for Ali Akbar Khan. In February, he was the second recipient to receive the Asian Paints Shiromani Award - Hall of Fame, following filmmaker Satyajit Ray. In August, the Indian Embassy requested Khansahib to perform at the United Nations in New York and at Kennedy Center in Washington DC; both performances were in celebration of the 50th year of India’s Independence. In September, Ali Akbar Khan was chosen to receive the prestigious National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. First Lady, Mrs. Hillary Clinton presented it to him at a ceremony in the White House.

When Ali Akbar Khan first received the title of Ustad as a relatively young man, his father merely laughed. But later, when the patriarch was a centenarian, he told his son one day that he was very proud of him; "I am so pleased with your work in music that I will do something which is very rare. As your Guru and father, I am giving you a title, Swara Samrat (Emperor of Melody)." Khansahib felt most fortunate to have received this blessing from his father, mother, and uncle.


http://www.aacm.org/

desert - mohammed reza shajarian

Mohammad-Reza Shajarian (Persian: محمد رضا شجريان) (born September 23, 1940 in Mashhad, Iran) is an internationally and critically acclaimed Persian traditional singer, composer and ostad (master) of Persian music.[1][2][3] He has been called "Iran's greatest living master of traditional Persian music."[4] Shajarian is also known for his skills in Persian calligraphy, and humanitarian activities.
Shajarian has collaborated with Parviz Meshkatian, Mohammad Reza Lotfi, Hossein Alizadeh, and Faramarz Payvar. He is recognised as skilled singer in the challenging traditional Dastgah style. In 1999 UNESCO in France presented him with the Picasso Award and in 2006 with the UNESCO Mozart Medal.

Ferghana Dance - turgun alimatov

Turgun Alimatov (20 January 1922 – 17 December 2008) was an Uzbek musician.
He was born in Tashkent in 1922 and lived there through the 1990s. He learned music from his father, never having taken formal music lessons, and began performing in 1939, becoming well known to the Uzbek public through musical theater as well as radio. His music has been strongly identified with sentiments of Uzbek nationalism. In 1991 he toured the United States.
He played traditional Uzbek music, including melodies such as the Segah and the Nawa. He performed on and composed for the sato,[1] dutar and tanbur.[2]
On December 17th, 2008 Turgun Alimatov died at the age of 86.[3]

Mohsen Namjou - Iranian

Mohsen Namjoo Meşhed şehrinde geleneksel yapıdaki bir aile içerisinde büyüdü. Edebiyat ve müziğe olan ilgisi daha çocukluğunda başlamıştı. okuldaki sanat etkinliklerinde aktif olarak rol alıyordu. Daha 12 yaşında iken babasını kaybedince annesi ve abileri onu müzik okuluna göndermeye karar verdiler. Burada Nasrullah Nasehpur tarafından eğitildi. Ailesinin karşı çıkmasına rağmen profesyonel olarak müzik yapmaya karar verdi ve müzik eğitimine Tahran Üniversitesi'nde devam etmek için Tahran'a taşındı. Giriş sınavını kazanmak için bir enstrüman çalmayı bilmesi gerekiyordu. Malî durumu nedeni ile gücü ancak bir sitar almaya yetmişti.
1994 yılında üniversiteye girdi. Burada ağırlıklı olarak müzik ve tiyatro eğitimi aldı. Üniversitedeki klasik öğretim sisteminden memnun değildi. Klasik, geleneksel İran müziği ile yakından ilgilendikten sonra denemelere başladı ve bu geleneksel müziği modern yöntemlerle birleştirip sentez yaptı. Bu çalışmaları bazı kesimler tarafından kabul görmedi ve çok sık zorluklarla ve engellemelerle karşı karşıya kaldı.
İran müziğini alışılmamış bir şekilde uygulaması ve şarkılarının değişik tarzı nedeni ile, üçüncü yılında üniversiteden atıldı. Üniversiteden atıldıktan sonra Tahran'da üç konser verdi. 2000 yılından bu yana rock müzik ve caz onun için önemli hale geldi. Bu iki müzik türünü geleneksel İran müziği ile birleştirdi. Bu denemeler çok kötü bir teknik ile kayda alındı. Bu kayıtların bir kısmı kopyalandı ve tüm İran'da, bir çok insan tarafından sevilerek dinlendi. 2006 yılında özel konserler vermeye başladı ve aynı yıl Uluslararası Rotterdam Film Festivali'nde "Hotspot Teheran" konulu etkinlikte sahneye çıktı. Çok başarılı olan bu konser sonrası Hollanda radyosunda onunla bir söyleşi yapıldı ve konserden bazı eserler çalındı. İran sınırları dışında Mohsen Namjoo özellikle "Sound of Silence" isimli belgeselle tanındı. Bu belgeselde Amir Hamz ve Mark Lazarz, Namjoo ile birlikte, İran'ın diğer öncü müzisyenleri O-Hum, Hich-Kas ve Emad Bonakdar'ı da göstererek, Tahran'daki underground müziği anlatıyorlardı.
Temmuz 2009 tarihinde Kuran'ı karalama suçlaması ile beş yıl hapse mahküm oldu.

Poor Butterfly - Carmen McRae

Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer, composer, pianist, and actress. Considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century, it was her behind-the-beat phrasing and her ironic interpretations of song lyrics that made her memorable.[1] McRae drew inspiration from Billie Holiday, but established her own distinctive voice. She went on to record over 60 albums, enjoying a rich musical career, performing and recording in the United States, Europe, and Japan.

http://www.carmenmcrae.com/

Diferente - gotan project

Gotan Project, 1999 yılında kurulan Paris merkezli grup. Kurucuları Philippe Cohen Solal, Eduardo Makaroff ve Christoph H. Müller (eski Touch El Arab üyesi)'dir.
Grubun ilk kayitli parçası "Vuelvo Al Sur/El Capitalismo Foraneo" (2000), ilk albümü "La Revancha del Tango"(2001)dur. Albümleri tango ağırlıklı olup electronik, dub ve caz türü parçalar barındırıyor.

http://www.gotanproject.com/splash

Maxutu - kocani orkestar / cibelle

Koçani Orkestar, (Kočani Orkestar Makedonca: Кочани Оркестар) Makedonya'nın Koçani şehrinde trompet virtüözü olan ve Türkçe konuşan Naat Veliov adlı bir Roman tarafından kurulmuş müzik grubudur.
Balkan Çingene Müziği'nin en önemli topluluğundan biri olan Koçani Orkestar, trompet virtiözü Naat Veliov tarafından kuruldu. Adını Makedonya’nın Koçani şehrinden alan grup; 2 trompet, 3 tuba, saksafon, klarnet, zurna ve perküsyondan oluşan zengin bir altyapıya sahip. Bazı şarkılarını Türkçe'de üzerine söz yazılmış haliyle görmek mümkündür. Bunların en tanınanı Mahsun Kırmızıgül'ün "Alem buysa kral benim" şarkısıdır. Emir Kusturica'nın "Çingenler Zamanı" filminde görünüp tanınan grubun Türkiye'de en çok bilinen parçası "Şiki şiki baba"dır.

http://www.myspace.com/kocaniorkestar

Adir Adirim - Balkan Beat Box

Balkan Beat Box is an Israeli group founded by ex-Gogol Bordello member Tamir Muskat, Ori Kaplan of Firewater and Big Lazy, and Tomer Yosef (MC, vocals, perc, sampler unit). As a musical project they often cooperate with a host of other musicians both in the studio as well as on stage. Their current live crew consist of Tomer Yosef, Ben Hendler, Itamar Ziegler, Eyal Talmudi, Uri Kinrot, Jeremiah Lockwood, and Peter Hess. Amongst their other collaborators are Victoria Hannah, the Bulgarian Chicks, and gnawa player Hassan Ben Jaffar.

Cassablanca - Lonely Drifter Karen

This World Is Crazy - lonely drifter karen




Lonely Drifter Karen was born from the union of three people with different musical backgrounds, from folk and dream pop to cabaret, experimental, classical, rock and more. The band consists of Austrian singer Tanja Frinta, pianist and producer Marc Melià Sobrevias from Spain and Italian Giorgio Fausto Menossi on drums and percussions.

Started as a solo project by Viennese-born Tanja Frinta (after her former music group "Holly May" had disbanded) while she was living in Sweden, Lonely Drifter Karen became a band when Frinta moved to Barcelona and met Italian drummer Giorgio Menossi and Majorcan keyboard player and arranger Marc Meliá Sobrevias. From December 2006 until January 2008 Frinta and Melià had been recording the debut album Grass is Singing, which was released by Crammed Discs in May 2008 in Europe, June 2008 in the US and September 2008 in Canada. The Canadian release of the album is in collaboration with Montreal based Semprini Records who has also released Lonely Drifter Karen's 7" The Owl Moans Low in July 2008. The Grass Is Singing album was enthusiastically welcomed by the press in several European countries [1][2][3][4] (see quotes below).
The band is currently living in Brussels and Barcelona, where they recorded their second full length album Fall Of Spring which is due for release in the spring of 2010.

http://www.myspace.com/lonelydrifterkaren

Cut the jazz - de phazz

De Phazz is a downtempo jazz ensemble integrating modern turntablism and elements of soul, Latin, trip hop and drum and bass into a lounge music sound. De Phazz is led by Pit Baumgartner, a German producer who changes his crew for every new album. Some of the more permanent members are Karl Frierson and Pat Appleton. Since the release of Detunized Gravity and Godsdog, De Phazz have appeared on the radar of listeners of equally innovative and sample-driven jazz by the likes of Amon Tobin and The Cinematic Orchestra. The band has released records on Mole Listening Pearls and Universal Jazz Germany along with single releases on Edel Records and United Recordings, and also remixes existing material.

http://www.de-phazz.de/

best of by stephane pompougnac - hotel costes

The Ballad Of Sacco And Vanzetti - stéphane pompougnac




Stéphane Pompougnac is a French house DJ, and also a musician, composer and producer. He is famous for mixing the Hôtel Costes series - a series of compilations of downtempo style tracks.

Pompougnac was born in 1968 in Paris, France. His parents were a psychotherapist and a dental surgeon. He spent his early life in Bordeaux.
He first worked at Hôtel Costes as a waiter. He began to DJ at places such as 'Queen', 'Privilège', 'Diable des Lombards', and 'Les Bains Douches'. At Les Bains he met Claude Challe, who helped form his musical knowledge. He then met Jean-Louis Costes, the co-owner of Hôtel Costes. Costes invited Pompougnac to work for him in 1997. Pompougnac released his first CD of mixes, Hôtel Costes, in 1999.
At the age of 18, Stéphane Pompougnac made his DJ debut in clubs such as the Ubu, the Colony, and the Dream in Bordeaux, France, during the mid-'80s. After finishing his studies and national service, he spent six months in London before returning to Paris in 1992 where he mixed at clubs, such as Queen, Folies Pigalle, the Locomotive, and Privilege. One year later, he became the resident DJ at les Bains et Douche . Albert De Paname ostensibly first introduced him to Jean-Louis Costes although Pompougnac had worked as a waiter for Costes some ten years prior at Cafe Costes in Les Halles. This time, however, Costes offered Pompougnac a more coveted position: resident DJ at the famous Hotel Costes. He accepted.
Hotel Costes is one of France's most famous and is frequented by sports stars and celebrities of the film and fashion world. Pompougnac released his first CD in 1999, titled Café Costes. Pompougnac's second CD, Costes, La Suite, met with more success and the song "Sympatique" was used for a car ad in France sending record sales over 100,000. His first two albums were released in France through Barclay Universal; his increased success, however, saw a deal with MSI for his third compilation, Etage 3, released in October 2000. His first three compilations together sold nearly half a million copies. Pompougnac also spins for Les Venues de la Mode (the fashion Oscars) and has provided the music for various fashion shows by Gucci and Yves Saint-Laurent.

Bang bang - ida sand

http://www.idasand.se/

http://new.music.yahoo.com/ida-sand/

Dreamcatcher - bahramji & maneesh de moor

maneesh de moor
Born in the Netherlands, currently travelling, Maneesh mastered the art of sound synthesis and sound sculpturing, after studying classical and pop/world. He specializes in the crossover of ethnic/traditional styles and contemporary atmospheres and grooves. Over the years he has been collaborating with many musicians from around the globe (Sudha, Praful, Bahramji, Deva Premal & Miten, Prem Joshua amongst many others) and released the groundbreaking solo album “SADHANA an ethno-ambient journey into...

http://www.mdmsound.com/MDMsound/Maneesh_de_Moor.html

Jolie Coquine - caravan palace

Caravan Palace is a French electronic-swing band based in Paris.[2] The current band line-up consists of Sonia Fernandez Velasco (vocals and clarinet), Arnaud Vial (guitar), Hugues Payen (violin), Camille Chapelière (clarinet), Charles Delaporte (double bass) and Antoine Toustou (electronics and trombone).[3] The group formed in 2005 after three of the band members were hired by a film production company to provide the soundtrack to silent pornographic movies.[2][4]
The band's influences include Django Reinhardt, Vitalic, Lionel Hampton and Daft Punk.[1] The band released their début studio album, Caravan Palace, on the Wagram label in October 2008. The record charted in Switzerland, Belgium and France, where it reached a peak position of #11.[5]

http://www.myspace.com/caravanpalace

Saraab - simon shaheen & qantara

Simon Shaheen dazzles his listeners as he deftly leaps from traditional Arabic sounds to jazz and Western classical styles. His soaring technique, melodic ingenuity, and unparalleled grace have earned him international acclaim as a virtuoso on the 'oud and violin.

Shaheen is one of the most significant Arab musicians, performers, and composers of his generation. His work incorporates and reflects a legacy of Arabic music, while it forges ahead to new frontiers, embracing many different styles in the process. This unique contribution to the world of arts was recognized in 1994 when Shaheen was honored with the prestigious National Heritage Award at the White House.

In the 1990s he released four albums of his own: Saltanah (Water Lily Acoustics), Turath (CMP), Taqasim (Lyrichord), and Simon Shaheen: The Music of Mohamed Abdel Wahab (Axiom), while also contributing cuts to producer Bill Laswell's fusion collective, Hallucination Engine (Island). He has contributed selections to soundtracks for The Sheltering Sky and Malcolm X , among others, and has composed the entire soundtrack for the United Nations-sponsored documentary, For Everyone Everywhere. Broadcast globally in December 1998, this film celebrated the 50 th anniversary of the United Nations Human Rights Charter.

But perhaps his greatest success has come with Blue Flame (ARK21, 2001), where he leads his group, Qantara, on a labyrinthian journey through the world of fusion music to discover the heart of the Middle East. The album has been nominated for eleven Grammy Awards, and the band's performances have been called "glorious."

A Palestinian, born in the village of Tarshiha in the Galilee, Shaheen's childhood was steeped in music. His father, Hikmat Shaheen, was a professor of music and a master 'oud player. "Learning to play on the 'oud from my father was the most powerful influence in my musical life," Shaheen recalls. He began playing on the 'oud at the age of five, and a year later studying violin at the Conservatory for Western Classical Music in Jerusalem. "When I held and played these instruments, they felt like an extension of my arms."

devamı

http://www.simonshaheen.com/

Kanis edo den tragouda Aqui nadie canta - glikeria

Glykeria (born Glykeria Kotsoula, Greek: Γλυκερία; born 1953, in Agio Pnevma, Serres, is a Greek singer active in Greece and Cyprus, while also gaining fame in Israel, France, Turkey and England. Her career has spanned over 30 years and is marked by several multi-platinum releases.

Glykeria began her career in 1974 working in the Athens Plaka music boites and gave performances with well-known artists, singing songs by M. Hadjidakis, M. Theodorakis, M. Loizos and others.
She began her discographical career by signing with Lyra Music, releasing her first album alongside another rising artist Giorgos Gerolymatos called "Min Kaneis Oneira" in 1978. This release caused a stir in the industry, showcasing Glykeria's unique voice to the nation.
[edit]1980-1985: Rise To Fame
At the beginning of the 1980s, Glykeria released her first solo album, "Ta Smyrneika", a compilation album with traditional songs from Smyrn. During the following years, Glykeria performed at well-known clubs and bouzoukia, gaining momentum and many fans, and collaborating with other well-known singers, including George Dalaras. The same year she released her debut album "Sta Matia Koita Me", which was composed entirely by Stelios Fotiadis and marked the beginning of their successful continuing collaboration.
In 1982 she was selected to represent Greece in the Europalia '82 festival in Brussels, together with Sotiria Bellou, George Dalaras and Margarita Zorbala. The following year, Glykeria released her first official live concert "Omorfi Nyhta" and due to its massive success Lyra released her first live album, "I Glykeria Stin Omorfi Nyhta", which went on to break every musical sales record in Greece up to that point.
In April 1985, the release of the double-disk album "Tragoudi Aisthimatiko" brought to life some of Glykeria's biggest hits, like "Magisses", "Pentohiliara", "Ta Dahtilidia" and "Fantaraki", pointing the new artist to first place in the album sales of 1985 amongst national and international sales.
In 1986 she sang “Earini Symfonia” (poem by Yiannis Ritsos, music by Yiannis Markopoulos) for the song’s premier performance, at the opening ceremony of the World Championships held for the first time at the Athens Olympic Stadium, broadcast to 120 countries all over the world.
[edit]International career
She has sung in concerts in Greece and abroad (Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Cyprus, Israel) and Turkey. Due to the successful concerts she gave in Israel she was proclaimed most popular foreign singer; the Mayor of Jerusalem awarded her the golden key of the city (1994). Three albums were released in Israel at the same time, all of them gold in a very short time: Glykeria golden-hits, Far away, Glykeria – 14 classics, and her first album in France: Golden hits – The voice of Greece.
In 1998 her second album was released in France. She took part in two albums for the American label Putumayo and in compilations released in Europe.
In 1999 she performed two concerts in Tel Aviv with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. A few months later the concert’s album was released and, immediately afterwards, Glykeria and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra was released throughout the world by Sony Classical.
In 2001 she participated in the album Alif of the world-renown musician Omar Faruk Tekbilek.
In 2002 she gave concerts with the “Mikis Theodorakis Orchestra”, the “Estudiantina” orchestra, and gave a personal tour all over Greece as well.
In the same year her album “Open Heart” was released in Israel and “Glykeria’s Rebetika Songs” in Turkey. In the First Arion Awards in Greece she was awarded the prize for best Greek popular singer. Glykeria, "The Sweet one" in Greek, has been a successful female singer in Greece for many years. In the of summer 1993 she performed in Israel for the first time. She ended her performance with her own captivating version of an Israeli anthem "Shabechi Yerushaly'im" ("praises to Jerusalem") in Hebrew. This magical moment triggered a Greek-Israeli love story.
Glykeria became the most loved Greek singer in Israel and a major part of Israel's cultural scene in the 90s. Her special style full of depth, melancholy and endless emotion captured the heart of the Israelis, and her songs, both in Hebrew (with perfect pronunciation) and Greek became all-time classics. She became a "household" name in Israel, an "honorary citizen", a platinum and gold albums seller, and the favorite of Israel's top leaders and celebrities. Her deep connection to Israel culminated in 1998 when she was the only foreign artist to be invited to sing in the special memorial event for Yitzhak Rabin, the beloved leader who was assassinated three years before. With tears in her eyes she sang and wailed in front of 200,000 people in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv. In the summer of 1999 she was invited to perform with The Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra. Also in 2006 during The Israel–Lebanon conflict she came to Israel with her son and met Ehud Olmert and sang for the soldiers at the borders. [1]
Glykeria collaborated with world renowned composer Mikis Theodorakis on a two-disc album composed of songs written by the famed composer in 2008.

Kak Budda - Deti Picasso

The Moscow based Deti Picasso plays an unusual sort of music in Russia - head-spinning and sharp, with strong ethnic roots, psychodelia and hypnotic energy. Very expressive female vocals, transparent guitar music and a soft cello sound are mixed with rough psychedelic tunes. Ancient Armenian chants and songs recorded with the academic string quartet blend with new forms of guitar sound. The music is very fresh, original, extraordinary and captivatingly sincere. At the centre of the band is Gaya Arutyunyan - one of the most original singers of the Russian rock scene. Gaya's voice is not operatic, smooth, or even attractive. It is jagged, nervous and urgent. In 2004 Deti Picasso made their public appearance with Armenian folk dance songs combined with heavy guitar themes and innovative modern rock music. Their second album, "Ethnic Experiments" became one of the best examples of the rising contemporary Eastern European rock scene. "Ethnic Experiments", in Armenian, is the type of album release that happens once every few years. It startles you and makes you think, by going deeper into the approach than what is usually presented in a simple folk song. From that time on, the band's art brings together 2 streams: the Moscow club and Armenian folk cultures. No wonder Deti Picasso won the warm acclaim of audiences and became one of the most respected bands of the Moscow club scene. As a result of their domestic success, they were invited to play in the biggest festivals and clubs in France, Belgium, Portugal, Hungary, Austria, Croatia, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania and the Czech Republic. Among the most important are Festival "Musicas do Mundo" in Portugal, "Sziget" festival in Hungary, "Rock for People" Festival in the Czech Rep., "Fete de la Musique" in France and more.

Furusato - mizuyo komiya

Mizuyo Komiya is a first class koto player in Japan. Not tied into traditionalism, she easily adapts her style to collaborate with those in the Western music field.


When did we start saying that we were so "busy"? When we were kids, there was always plenty of time. One day lasted a long time.It felt like the summer vacations would never end. Deep forests, rice paddies and brooks. Childhood friends calling me out to play. These are landscapes beautifully etched in my memory, a nostalgia of a time long gone.

When listening to the "Furusato" (Old Home) played by Mizuyo Komiya, longing for time past and a sweet sad resignation started to flicker within my heart like sunlight sifting through the trees.

The instrument Komiya plays in this CD is a 25 stringed "Sou", a modern solo instrument recreated from the traditional 13 stringed Sou. With the paulownia wood forming a smooth slope with rows of beautiful bridge stops on the top supporting the strings, the Sou is a classic instrument that brings tradition into our lives and is something that serves as a bridge to a world, introducing new sounds.

SOU produces plenty of fresh, pure sounds but it is also able to create many curious sounds that catch your attention and tug at the heart. Let's listen to these sounds. There is, for an instance, the faint "creaking" sounds that are created when the ivory nails hit the strings. There are also subtle sounds that are created when traditional technique called "oshite" (pushing) is applied to the chords to change the pitch.

What can be called "shadows of sounds" particular to the Sou are found in these recorded pieces, scattered like so much particles and quietly bursting open. Soliloquies and sighs of the people past, people singing children to sleep with songs that tell of the hard and painful lives they had led. The thin lights of the fireflies' trails. The sounds of the wind blowing through the bamboo grass fields. Tones of the Sou are tones that have been soaked up from people's hearts and those from Nature.

When you listen to the music and let the memories come as they may, you may find the time from far back when locked away within your heart. Perhaps "Furusato" takes on life in such circumstances. This may be a Lullaby for grown ups who live in a world where the luxury of time has been lost.

Yukiko Ito
[kaynak: http://www.pacificmoon.com/html/warabe.html]

Silent Moon - jia peng fang

JIA PENG FANG was born in the year 1958 in the town Jams in the Helong Jiang Province of China, and got his first Erhu at the age of eight in 1965 - the year that marked the start of the Cultural Revolution. Jams, a town about thirty hours by train from Beijing, situated close to the Russian border, was not excluded from the ravages wrought by the Cultural Revolution. In fact, how Jia chanced upon the Erhu was through his enlistment into the Maoist Propaganda Corp.

When he was sixteen, he was helped by his brother to travel to Beijing to study with professional Erhu players. At that time in China, people were not permitted to move their registers, and it was not possible for someone in the village to simply move into the city. From the ages of sixteen to eighteen, Jia could not get his food rations but made himself a small enclosure, about a meter big on his aunt's veranda and devoted himself to practicing his Erhu day in and day out. He was determined to become a professional Erhu player. In time, he became good enough to play the sub for the teacher he was studying under. But on the date of the exam for enlisting in the Navy Song and Dance Band, the great Karasan Earthquake struck and the exam was canceled, destroying Jia's hope of joining. About half a year later, as a part of the Cultural Revolution Policy, he was forced back to his homeland Jams to labor on the farmland.

After the Cultural Revolution blew over and the country settled down, a letter reached him. It was from Jia's former teacher advising him to enter the music academy. After going back to Beijing, he was chosen from among over five hundred applicants to enter the Central Music AcademyÕs Folk Music Department. An examiner at the examination, a concert master of the China Central Folk music Orchestra, strongly suggested that Jia should try out for their orchestra. He arranged for JiaÕs registry in the city and made sure he would be paid for his living expenses. Suddenly Jia found himself starting a life of a professional Erhu player.

Jia busied himself rediscovering the traditional arts, which had been denied by the Cultural Revolution, as he continued his enlightening performances as an Erhu soloist and then a sub concertmaster of the orchestra. Then in 1988, to seek new possibilities for his music, he left for Japan with just a suitcase in one hand and his Erhu in the other.

He took on many kinds of part time work until his first break came, through meeting with the musician Katsuhisa Hattori. Hattori fell in love with Jia's talent and the tones of the Erhu and invited him to take part in his album productions and concert activities, thereby expanding Jia's world of musical activities. Jia entered around this time in the Master of Arts Degree Program in Music at the Tokyo University of Arts.

In 1997, his brilliant co-performance with the orchestra at Carnegie Hall in New York solidified his position in the world of music. Also in June of 1998, he made his debut album "RIVER" with the Pacific Moon label, which blended Western music with the Chinese folk instrument. The high quality of the work won him a high acclaim in Japan and abroad, as well as proving to be a commercial success.

In 1999, the concept was further developed in the Pacific Moon album "RAINBOW." It proved to be even more successful than the first album, both in Japan and abroad. The third album from Pacific Moon, "FARAWAY...", was released in January of 2001. This "Best Album" contains a selection from the first three albums, and also the recording of the co-performance with the pianist Naoyuki Onda, live from the studio of the American national FM program "Echoes."

Presently, Jia is teaching how to play the Erhu to over a hundred students as he continues to work in the genres of jazz, classics, making movie sound tracks, conducting live stage performances, recording and pursuing the unending potentials of his music.

http://www.myspace.com/jiapengfang

Hybrid Rainbow - the pillows

The Pillows (styled as the pillows) are a Japanese alternative rock band. During their long-running career, the group has released more than a dozen original studio albums, along with several EPs, singles and compilations. The Pillows are currently signed to the Avex Trax label.


http://www.pillows.jp/

Wings Of The Eagle - Uttara-Kuru

Fusing ancient Japanese instruments like the koto and the shakuhachi flute with western acoustic instruments and synthesizers, Uttara-kuru forged a sound that was firmly planted in the 20th century yet echoed a deeper, more primal purity. Their name came from the Japanese Buddhist version of Shangri-La, a place where peace reigned and cultures converged -- an appropriate moniker for a group that sought to create a similar peaceful convergence in music. Their debut album, Prayer, consisted almost entirely of sutras -- Buddhist chants, some of which were over 1000 years old -- that were chanted by monks and filled out by synth-dance beats conjured up on various instruments. The duo, renowned producer Kazumasa Yoshioka and Seiichi Kyoda (considered one of the finest arrangers in Japan) issued that album and the next one, East Wind, on Pacific Moon, the label that employed Yoshioka as producer for all of its albums. East Wind, released in 1999, branched out from the specificity of their former project to provide a wider range of sound textures, still keeping the cross-cultural focus that was featured on Prayer. ~ Stacia Proefrock, All Music Guide

Aa-Shuu Dekei-oo - huun-huur-tu

Huun-Huur-Tu (Tuvaca: Хүн Хүртү Khün Khürtü) Rusya'nın Moğolistan sınırımda yer alan Tuva bölgesinden çıkmış bir müzik topluluğudur.
Müziklerinin ayırdedici özelliklerinden biri gırtlak vokalidir. Grup ayrıca igil, khomus, doshpuluur, tungur (şaman davulu) gibi enstrümanları kullanmalrıyla ünlüdür.
1992'de Kungurtuk adıyla kurulan grubun ilk üyeleri Kaigal-ool Khovalyg, Alexander Bapa, Sayan Bapa ve Albert Kuvezin'di. Bir süre sonra Huun-Huur-Tu (güneş ışınları) adını alan grubun şarkılarının çoğu step yaşantısını yansıtan geleneksel Tuva ezgilerinden oluşmaktadır.


http://www.hhtmusic.com/

Tappmarschen - hedningarna - tra (1994)

Hedningarna, İskandinav halk müziği grubu. İsveç ve Finlandiya halk müziklerini elektronik ve rock müzik öğelerini kullanarak yorumlarlar. Grup 1987 yılında Hållbus Totte Mattson Anders Norudde ve Björn Tollin tarafından İsveç'te kuruldu. Hedningarna isveç dilinde Pagan anlamına gelen Hedning sözcüğünden türetilmiş paganlar anlamına gelen bir isimdir.

http://www.silence.se/hedningarna/

Kyla Vuotti Uutta Kuuta - Varttina

Värttinä (Finnish for spindle) is a Finnish folk music band which was started as a project by Sari and Mari Kaasinen back in 1983 in the village of Rääkkylä, in Karelia, the southeastern region of Finland. Many transformations have taken place in the band since then. Värttinä shot into fame with the release of their 1990 album Oi Dai.
As of 2009, the band consists of three lead female vocalists supported by three acoustic musicians. The vocalists sing in the Karelian language of Finnish Karelia. Värttinä collaborated with A. R. Rahman, a famous composer from India, in composing the music for The Lord of the Rings, which played in Toronto in 2006 and opened in London in May 2007.
In August 2005, Värttinä recorded their tenth studio album called Miero at Finnvox Studios, Helsinki. It was released on January 25, 2006 in Finland, and January 30, 2006 worldwide. In 2006, Värttinä also released the Värttinä Archive Live DVD, which included material from their 20th anniversary concert and other new and archive material.
Värttinä has been featured on popular children's show Arthur singing their hit song "Matalii ja Mustii" from the album Seleniko. The song was also featured on the show's first soundtrack, Arthur and Friends: The First Almost Real Not Live CD (Or Tape).

http://www.varttina.com/main.site?action=siteupdate/view&id=2

Gul'deraiym - Kapash Kulysheva - dombra -music of kazakhstan

Kapash Kulysheva (KAZ: Қапаш Құлышева) is a Kazakh folk singer, a soloist of republican ensemble Gulder and Honored Artist of Kazakh Republic.

Tango Lunaire - lalo schifrin

Lalo Schifrin, gerçek adı Boris Claudio Schifrin olan 1932 Arjantin doğumlu piyanist ve kompozitördür. Görevimiz Tehlike (Mission: Impossible) adlı dizinin müziği ile dünya çapında başarı elde etmiştir.

http://www.schifrin.com/

Siteiakes Kontylies - Ross Daly

Ross Daly is a musician of Irish descent, who "has been spend in many different parts of the world and his home for the last 35 years is the island of Crete in Greece" who plays Lyra (Cretan).[1]

Ross Daly told that music is "the language of my dialogue with that which I perceive to be sacred" and "travelled extensively, studying under many of the world's greatest masters of modal traditions" and searching for "music archetypes" around the world mainly in "Middle East, Central Asia, and the Indian Subcontinent". In 1982 he established the educational institution called Labyrinth Musical Workshop, in the village of Houdetsi, 20 kms south of the capital city of Herakleion, where more than 250 instruments Daly collected during his travels are in exhibition and hundreds of students from all over the world arrive in order to study with renowned international teachers of modal music each year.[1]
In 1990 Ross Daly designed a new type of Cretan lyra which incorporates elements of lyraki, the byzantine lyra and the Indian sarangi. The result was a lyra with three playing strings of 29 cm in length (the same as the standard Cretan lyra), and 18 sympathetic strings which resonate on Indian-styled jawari bridges (the number of sympathetic strings was later increased to 22).
Daly has released more than 35 albums of his own compositions as well as of his own arrangements of traditional melodies that he collected during his travels.[1]
"In Summer 2004 he was the artistic director of the cultural program of the Olympic Games for the Olympic city of Heraklion on the island of Crete, titled "Crete, Music Crossroads". He organized and artistically supervised 15 concerts with the participation of 300 musicians from all over the world," including: Jordi Savall, Eduardo Niebla, Huun Huur Tu, Habil Aliyev, Dhoad Gypsies of Rajasthan, Mohammad Rahim Khushnawaz, Chemirani Trio, Adel Selameh. (kaynak wikipedia)


http://www.rossdaly.gr/

Le Métèque - georges moustaki

Georges Moustaki
Yussef Mustacchi 1934’te Iskenderiye, Mısır’da doğdu. 17 yaşında Paris’e gitti ve daha sonra Georges Brassens’e olan hayranlığından dolayı ismini Georges Moustaki olarak değiştirdi.
60 yıllık kariyeri süresince arkadaşlar edindi, şarkı yazdı ve tüm dünyayı dolaştı. Bu süre boyunca yazarlık ve oyunculuk da yaptı.

1958’de Edith Piaf’in isteği üzerine, onun için şarkılar yazdı. Bunların içinde en mükemmeli "Milord" şarkısıdır. "Irma la Douce"’in yaratıcısı Colette Renard, Yves Montand ve Barbara gibi sanatçılar için de şarkılar yazdı. 1960 ve 1965 yılları süresince, "Eden Blues", "Les Orteils du Soleil" ve "Les Musiciens" gibi single şarkılar çıkardı. 1966’da Yunanistan’da Melina Mercouri ile tanıştı, ve ilerki yıllarda "Métèque" ve "En Méditerranée"’yi Yunanca’ya çevirdi ve onları Yunan albaylar diktasına karşı direnç şarkıları olarak söyledi. 1966’da Serge Reggiani ile tanıştı. Onun için "Sarah", "Votre fille a vingt ans", "Ma liberté" ve "Ma solitude" gibi unutulmaz şarkılar yazdı. Barbara’nın "La longue dame brune" repertuarı için şarkılar yazdı ve 1968’deki turneleri süresince bu şarkıları düet olarak söylediler. Barbara bir konser öncesinde hastalandığında, sahneyi Moustaki aldı. 1969 Moustaki icin belirleyici bir yıldı. "Le Métèque"i single olarak çıkardı ve çok büyük başarı elde etti. Daha sonra LP’si çıktı ve bir yıl sonra Prix de l'Académie Charles-Cros ödülünü aldı. Konser turlarında "Ma Solitude" ve "Joseph" favori şarkıları oluşturdular.

Bu arada "Donne du rhum à ton homme" ve "la Pierre" gibi Yunanlı besteci Manos Hadjidakis’in şarkılarından oluşan hiç kaydedilmemiş şarkıları da içeren bir albüm çıkardı. Bir sonraki yıl ise Albert Cossery’in "Mendiants et orgueilleux" kitabından sinemaya uyarlanmış olan filmde rol aldı ve "Il y avait un jardin" adında yeni bir albüm çıkardı. 1972 de "Ligne droite" ve Mikis Theodorakis’in "L'homme au coeur blessé" ve "Nous sommes deux" şarkılarını da içeren “Dans” albümünü besteledi. O yılın en önemli olayı Brezilya, Rio de Janeiro’daki Uluslararası Popüler Müzik Festivaliydi. Bir sonraki albümü “Decleration”da Brezilya müziğinin etkisi hissediliyordu. Moustaki, Antonio Carlos Jobim’in "Aguas de março"sunu "Eaux de Mars" olarak uyarladı. Georges Brassens’e olan saygısını 1974’teki albümü "Les Amis de Georges" ile dile getirdi. Chico Buarque’in "Portugal", Toquihno ve Vinicius de Moraes’in, "Je suis une guitare" ve "Le droit à la paresse" şarkılarını adapte etti. 1975-1977 yılları süresince kendini "Humblement il est venu", "Prélude", ve "Espérance" albümlerini çıkarmaya adadı. 1979’da "Si je pouvais t'aider" ve "Et pourtant dans le monde" albümlerini çıkardı.

1981’deki "C'est là" albümünü çıkardıktan sonra, Hollanda’lı Flairk grubuna katıldı ve 1982’de "Moustaki & Flairk"’i çıkardı. Bir sonraki albümünde Hadjidakis’in "Pornographie"si ve "l'instrument du malheur" da yer almaktadır. 1986’da yeni albümü “Joujou” ve 1988’de canlı çifte albümleri ve bir yıl sonra da Yunanca, İtalyanca ve İspanyolca’ya da çevrilecek olan "Les Filles de la Mémoire" albümü çıktı. "Ballades en ballade" koleksiyonu çıktıktan sonra Moustaki 1992’de "Méditerranéen" adlı yeni albümünü kaydetti. 1996 da "Tout reste à dire" albümünü yarattı. Şarki sözleri yazarak kariyerini yapan birisi icin bu albümün başlığı şaşırtıcı gelebilir, ama bu gezgin adam ilhamlarla dolup taşmaktaydı. "As-tu brisé un coeur?" Sufi Türk şair Yunus Emre’nin bir şiirinden alınmıştır. "Demande de réparation pour dommages de guerre"’da Nilda Fernandez eşliğinde Dan Ben Amots’un dizelerini seslendirdi. "Des mots démodés"da Enzo Enzo berrak sesiyle ona eşlik eder. ”Ave maria nomorro”yu Portekizce seslendirdi. Anıları "Fils du brouillard" Ocak 2000’de yayınlandı. Aralık 2002’de Kutulu set halinde 10 CD’den oluşan ilk jenerik koleksiyonu çıktı. 2003’de, ilk bestesi olan “Gardez vos reves”nin stüdyo versiyonu ve onu üne kavuşturan Edith Piaf için yazmış olduğu “Milord”u içeren “Moustaki” sürpriz albümünü çıkardı.

1970’ten itibaren aralıklarla Paris, Bobino’da sahne aldı. Afrika, Amerika, Tokyo Festivali, Rio Festivali, Carnegie Hall, Casino de Paris, le Petit Journal Montparnasse, “Francofolies”, “Les vieilles charrues”de konserler verdi, festivallere katıldı. Belçika, Kanada, Mısır, Almanya, Fransa, Polonya, Ispanya, İsviçre, Tunus, Türkiye, ve Amerika’ya turları oldu. Kariyeri boyunca 1970’lerden itibaren Olympia’da birkaç defa konser verdi. Mayis 2008 deki son konserinde seyirciler onu “Bis” ve “Merci” tezahüratlarıyla ayakta alkışladılar. (kaynak: wwww.vicdanfilmleri.com)

http://www.creatweb.com/moustaki/

Cançâo do mar - dulce pontes

Dulce Pontes (born April 8, 1969) is a Portuguese songwriter and singer who performs in many musical styles, including pop, folk and classical music. She is usually defined as a world music artist. Her songs contributed to the 1990s revival of Portuguese urban folk music called fado.

Pontes was born in 1969 in Montijo, a small city in the District of Setúbal, not far from Lisbon. Trained as a pianist, she became a singer after entering a competition in her hometown at age 18. She soon became an actress in Portuguese television and theater. In 1991 she won the national music festival with her song "Lusitana Paixão" (known in English as "Tell Me"), which led her to represent Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest, where she finished 8th, which to date is the fourth-best finish for a Portuguese performer in this contest).
"Canção do Mar" (Song of the Sea), one of her many international hits, was later recorded by Sarah Brightman, under the name "Harem". "Harem" was later a #1 Dance & Crossover hit in the US for Brightman.
Pontes started her career as a mainstream pop artist, but over the years she has evolved to become a world music singer. She blends traditional fado with contemporary styles and searches out new forms of musical expression. She introduced musical traditions of the Iberian Peninsula in her work, rediscovered many long forgotten popular tunes and found use for obsolete musical instruments. Her work is inspired and influenced not only by Iberian musical tradition, but also Arabic, African, Brazilian and Bulgarian sounds. She sings mostly in her native Portuguese, as well as Spanish, Galician, Mirandese, Italian, English, Arabic and Greek.
Dulce Pontes has collaborated with Cesária Évora, Caetano Veloso, Marisa Monte, Carlos Núñez, the Chieftains, Kepa Junkera, Eleftheria Arvanitaki, George Dalaras, Andrea Bocelli (O Mar e Tu, duet sung by Pontes in Portuguese and Bocelli in Neapolitan, for his 1999 album Sogno), and others. Her song "Canção do Mar" appeared on the soundtrack of Hollywood film Primal Fear. A 30-second piece of that same song serves as the theme to the NBC police drama Southland. Her album Focus is the fruit of a collaboration with Italian composer Ennio Morricone with whom she has also performed live.
In June 2006, Pontes prepared her double LP O Coração Tem Três Portas (The Heart Has Three Doors). It was recorded live without an audience in Convent of the Order of Christ in Tomar and St Mary Church in Óbidos. According to the artist, it is "her most personal and intimate album." It includes Portuguese folk music, mostly fado. "[1] It was released in December 2006.
In 2009, Pontes released Momentos, a double disc collection that includes songs from her 20 year career as well as several previously unreleased tracks.[2] Currently, she is working on an album of all new songs which is titled Nudez. (wikipedia)

http://www.dulcepontes.net/

Di Blues Indian - trilok gurtu & the frikyiwa family

Trilok Gurtu (born in Mumbai, India on 30 October 1951) is an Indian percussionist and composer, whose work has blended the music of his homeland with jazz fusion, world music and other genres.
He has released his own albums and has collaborated with many artists, including Terje Rypdal, John McLaughlin, Jan Garbarek, Joe Zawinul, Bill Laswell, Maria João & Mário Laginha, and Robert Miles.

Pontdaurat - rené lacaille & bob brozman

Lacaille comes from the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, a "department" of France with a complex cultural mix of European and Indian influences. The music of France was superimposed on the island's own Indian based rhythms to create a unique new sound calledmaloya. Lacaille comes from a family of musicians, and grew up amid that rich cultural stew, and the music he makes on his box is heavily rhythmic and very heady.
New album: Cordéon Kaméléon (Connecting cultures 2009) sponsored by Mondomix, Nova, Trad Magazine, Réunionnais du Monde, PRMA

Born in 1946, René Lacaille is the master of the spicy séga rhythms of l'Île de la Réunion, a volcanic island paradise located deep in the southwestern Indian Ocean. The embodiment of la Réunion's vitality, René is a man steeped in his culture's celebration of life and good times. As early as age 7, he learned how to command a party when he accompanied his father to perform at weddings and dances throughout the island's many towns. This was rigorous training, because the musicians had to be versatile and capable of playing the Paso Doble, cha-cha, polka, waltz, bolero, Creole quadrille, Sega, and Maloya. René's talent and curiosity led him to master the bongos, drums, accordion, guitar, and saxophone. The countless nights that Rene spent playing professionally, combined with new music arriving from other shores, provided a variety of influences for him, and his own compositions would soon be informed by flamenco, salsa, twist, rock, jazz, and fusion.
In his 20s, Rene abandoned the accordion for the guitar, and formed the now-legendary group Caméléon, who were the first to invent electric Maloya, blending traditional Réunion music with modern western timbres. Rene's "Sax Séga" would prove to be a hit with the francophone market, and is still featured on flights by Air France. In 1979, René moved to France and continued his musical interests in jazz and fusion. In his 1996 release ASTER, Rene draws on all of his preferred influences.
Soon after, he had a deeply moving musical encounter with the roots Réunion artist Danyél Waro, which re-kindled his interest in the accordion and Réunion musical traditions, thereby changing the direction of his musical life. To mark the reunion that René enjoyed with the accordion and the hot séga and maloya rhythms of his homeland, René recorded PATAMPO with Danyel Waro and with Rene's percussionists Joel Gonthier and Bernard Marka, who have played with Rene for over ten years. Since meeting Bob Brozman in 1999, René has toured with him in Europe, South Africa, and Canada. René continues to compose new music at an astounding rate.
In 2002, Rene and Bob released DIGDIG (meaning "tickles") with World Music Network. It became an international hit, reaching #3 in Europe’s World Music charts. René and Bob have toured extensively and repeatedly throughout Europe, Canada, east Africa, and in 2005 they will be touring for the first time in Australia, for a month (March/April). René's talents continue to usher him into new countries each year, helping to span his reach from Europe and Africa to Canada, Brazil, China, and the USA. Rene’s second album for World Music Network, MAPOU, has been released in 2005 to great acclaim. New album CORDEON KAMELEON is released in 2009.


http://www.myspace.com/renelacaille

Ljiljana Buttler and Mostar Sevdah Reunion - "Pilem, pilem"

"The Mother of Gypsy Soul" has died unexpectedly, taken by a cruel disease. True musical legend, she left us a consolation with her music. She had recently released a beautiful album Frozen Roses - 2009.

LJILJANA BUTTLER was born in Belgrade 1944., her father was an accordion virtuoso and her mother a Croatian singer. But her father left soon after she was born and her mother had to support herself and her child, singing in bars. They settled in Bijeljina, a small town in Bosnia, but one night her mother fell ill and Ljiljana went to the café and said “My mother can’t come tonight, she’s sick. Please let me sing.” She was only 12 but had learned at her mother’s side. A year later her mother left and Ljiljana was on her own – she continued singing in cafes to support herself through school. Then she headed for Belgrade. “I started singing in bars in Skadarlia (the famous restaurant quarter, a sort of Balkan Montmartre)”, she remembers. “The atmosphere was fantastic. The people laughed and cried during the music. That always inspired me – that and strong sljivovica (plum brandy), lots of sad loves and lots of emotion and romance. Sometimes we made recordings for Radio Belgrade. They simply came to the cafes, listened to the music and if they liked it, asked the musicians back to the radio to record”.
From 1980 Ljiljana started doing concerts and became well-known on TV until the political and musical mood started changing with so-called turbo-folk providing the soundtrack for the Milosevic era. “Even before the war, I realised that somehow the joy had vanished and the Balkan men were no longer interested in love stories. Suddenly it became important to wear a short skirt and flash your cleavage. The shorter the skirt, the better singer you were thought to be. I realised my time was over. It was a time for weapons and hatred. It affected me terribly and the war that followed has left scars that will last forever.”
In 1987 she vanished from the Balkan music scene in which she played such a dominant role, leaving music lovers wondering about her mysterious disappearance. In 2002 she decided to return to her homeland and record a new album on the Snail Records label. Her vocal abilities on “Mother of Gypsy Soul” lead us to the depths of Gypsy and Balkan soul. At the age of 62 she sings better then ever; what she is presenting to us now is a pure handbook of Balkan Blues. The astonishing reappearance of this lost legend is something to be more than grateful for.
Her performance on the album shows why, in the former Yugoslavia, she was referred to as the 'Gypsy Ella Fitzgerald' and the 'Billie Holiday of Gypsy Music', but mostly she was called lovingly the 'Mother of Gypsy Soul'.

www.myspace.com/ljiljanabuttler

Elisa Vellia trio : "Myrtia"

Elisa Vellia trio : "Myrtia". live in Arles. oct 2009 from Elisa Vellia on Vimeo.

Elisa Vellia, harpist singer, was born in Greece on the Island of Corfu and grew up in Athens. Her love of travel and adventure made her leave her homeland, and in London she fell in love with the Celtic harp and made it her instrument. She now lives in Brittany, France.
Between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, between her native ground, Greece, and her ground of adoption, Brittany, the greek singer-harpist weaves her own musical universe. Elisa Vellia was born and grew up in the heart of Greece. Her love for adventure
and discovery found her leaving Athens for London where she discovered the Celtic harp. With tremendous enthusiasm, she’s worked alongside important names of the Irish and Scottish harp world. Her musical journey brought her to Brittany where she settled, as the ideal place for her to express her own music, one with no borders. Together with Christine, she created the duo Sedrenn, who quickly becomes popular. Numerous concerts had them traveling throughout France and beyond. Elisa felt the strong desire to return to Greek
music. Her 1st solo album, “The thief of secrets”, was released in 2005 by Harmonia Mundi (best-selling in this category for the year 2006). In 2008 she released Ahnaria (greek for “footprint”) and performs on stage with a trio and occasionnaly with the breton singer
Annie Ebrel.

DISCOGRAPHY:
« Ahnaria» Chants du monde/HM 2008 / Fip selection
« Voleurs de secrets » Chants du monde/HM 2005 / Fip selection

http://www.elisa-vellia.com/

On the Way - beoga

Beoga (Irish word for ‘lively’) are a five-piece traditional band based in County Antrim, Ireland. In 2005, Beoga were nominated by Irish Music Magazine for the best traditional newcomer’s award. With the addition of one of Ireland’s premier young singers, Niamh Dunne, Beoga are confirming their reputation as one of the most exciting acts to emerge from Ireland in recent years.
New album "The Incident" (Compass 2009)

The band was drawn together after ‘jamming’ in a ferocious music session at the All-Ireland Fleadh in August 2002. Their unique sound features the twin duelling accordians of Seán Óg Graham and Damian McKee, along with four times All-Ireland bodhrán champion Eamon Murray and pianist Liam Bradley.
The band released their debut album 'a lovely madness' in September 2004, to critical and popular acclaim in Ireland, Europe and America. Describing Beoga as a ‘phenomenon’ and their music as ‘madcap genius’, Irish music magazine predicted they would make a big mark on the Irish music scene.
The bedrock of Beoga’s music lies firmly within the Irish tradition, but they are not afraid to incorporate other genres’ nuances into their music. From bluesy riffs to Astor Piazzola-style jazz, to a raunchy New Orleans jamboree vibe, their music always returns to a wonderfully bouncy traditional sound. With a repertoire of fresh self-penned tunes and inventive arrangements, the debut album 'a lovely madness' earned 9/10 in Ireland’s Hot Press music magazine and was one of the Top Trad/Folk Albums of the year.
The group’s 2007 release Mischief’ has also received excellent reviews across the board, including a phenomenal 9.5/10 rating from Hot Press. The album is tipped by Irish Music Magazine and US based ‘The Celtic Connection’, among others, as a contender for 2007 album of the year. The Chicago American Times proclaims “super vocals, a terrific staccato beat to the rhythm, with a real sense of style and wit. This is a major major band to be reckoned with.” The Irish Echo describes Beoga as “perhaps the most audacious band rooted in trad today” ranking them with Irish group Grada, as the two most promising bands launched in the new millennium.
Over the last few years Beoga have performed at major Celtic and Folk festivals throughout Europe and the USA, including the All-Ireland music Fleadh, Dranouter, Tonder, Boston, Kansas and Milwaukee Irish Festivals, the Guinness Irish Christmas tour of Austria, the Irish Folk Festival tour of Germany along with Solas and Kevin Burke, and the Irish Unplugged Tour of Holland with the Fureys and Davey Arthur. In September 2007, Beoga performed live with the BBC Orchestra to a television audience of millions as part of the prestigious ‘Last night of the Proms’. Beoga’s popularity continues to flourish, as they captivate audiences on a global scale with their blend of passion, energy and vitality.

Discography:
A lovely madness - 2004
Mischief - 2007
The Incident - 2009

Line up:
Liam Bradley : piano
Seán Óg Graham : accordeon, guitar
Damian McKee : accordeon
Eamon Murray : bohdran
Niamh Dunne : vocals, fiddle

www.beogamusic.com

Gnosienne - Claude Chalhoub

Born in Beirout in 1974, Claude Chalhoub began studying the violin at the age of eight and initially played Arabic music. He was awarded a prestigious Queen Elizabeth scholarship by London’s Royal College of Music, chosen to be concertmaster in Daniel Barenboimís «West-Eastern Divanî.
New album "diwan" (2008 Herzog Records)

What would you expect of a man who grew up in a family of 11 children? Probably learned to talk loud enough to make himself heard. And if he taught himself to play the violin while a bloody war was going on around him in his native Lebanon and eventually got so good at it that he gained a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music in London? Must be extraordinarily gifted.AND disciplined. What if he got to play with some of the greatest musicians of our times (Daniel Barenboim, Yo Yo Ma, Michael Brook, to name but a few) in his early twens? That Michael Brook who produced Sinnead O'Connor and Brian Eno and that Daniel Barenboim of the Chicago Symphonie orchestra? What kind of music IS this? Well you'd better listen to it. It's the kind of music that proofs that there are only two kinds of music - good and bad.That Fairuz is just an other colour of Eric Satie. That ears can look for sounds and eyes can listen to images. All you have to do is to stretch out your antennas in every conceivable direction - like Claude Chalhoub.

Claude Chalhoub performs traditionnal Arab music with great passion worldwide, both alone and with other artists, including the legendary Lebanese singer Feiruz, and was recently invited in the Womad Festival. Renowned producer Michael Brook produced his first album.

http://www.myspace.com/claudechalhoub

opop (with fanfare ciocarlia) - aco bocina with fanfare ciocarlia

Aco Bocina started playing the guitar at nine, that is, as soon as he was able to handle one, and he went right away at his first music school. His artistic background develops and is still developing in his constant wandering around the world. His passion for mandolin first made him write music for this small – yet great – instrument and then play it. Still very young, he went all around Europe both as a soloist and as First Mandolin in a great orchestra.

The release of “Modern Mandolin”, his first album recorded and published in Germany in 1986, is soon followed by his decision to choose Italy as his new home. In this first production Aco offers the music he always based his career upon, that “Mediterranean Music”, a very broad concept, that he founded himself. In Italy Aco started working together with Curci Editions that, apart from showing faith in his prowess as a composer by buying rights over some of his pieces, uses his undisputed technical abilities to produce “Mandolino Facile”, a small method for the instrument on which he shows his technique. Soon thereafter he works on Pierangelo Bertoli’s album “Oracoli”, gets the International Award for Culture “San Valentino d’Oro” and performs on the opening ceremony for 1994 Cycling World Championship at the “Tindaris” open-air theatre at Tindari (ME), broadcasted live by RAI 1.

In 1995 his second album “Ad Libitum”, published by Bumshiva Music, shows once again his gift for musical composition and his ability to turn well-known songs into something new . The subsequent period is marked by participations at some high-level events: a concert at Teatro Smeraldo in Milan, a performance at a fund-raising concert against AIDS in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele and his showing as opening act for Matt Bianco at PalaTrussardi (now PalaVobis) are just examples. In the meantime he keeps on showing on TV at different occasions: the “Maurizio Costanzo Show”, “Uno Mattina”, Red Ronnie’s “Help” and “Fuego” are just examples.

In 1997 his piece for guitar “Amor y Fuego”, published with Warner Chappel, goes in “105 for you – Disco Latino”, a compilation, and Aco plays together with Chieftains in their concert at the “Teatro delle Verdure” in Palermo, toghether with the symphonic orchestra of “Teatro Massimo”. In 1999 he publishes, again with Warner Chappel (meanwhile he also published with them the maxi-single “Aco Bocina”) the album “Rumba Tzigana”. It’s also thanks to this production that “Musica! Rock & Altro”, the weekly insert of “La Repubblica” claims he’s the “new hero of gipsy rumba”. During this year he takes his music abroad by successfully participating at “Walnut Valley Mandolin Championship”, part of the “Walnut Valley Festival” that takes place every year in Kansas (USA).

Back in Italy he plays once again in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan for a fundraising gig to support Exodus, an association that helps recovering from drug abuse. In 2000, a year that opens with a concert at the Malpensa airport, he performs in many important Italian ethnic music festivals: “Festa della Musica” in Milan (in cooperation with “Corriere della Sera” that published the festival’s CD also featuring Aco’s “Hombres Azules”), “Mundus 2000” in Reggio Emilia, “Suoni e voci della sera” in Modena, “Notturni d’Arte 2000” in Padua and “Festival Europeo della Cultura Zingara” in Rome.

2001 saw the release of Aco’s new album, made between Milan and Bucarest with Fanfare Ciociarlia, featured in five of the ten tracks. Among the most important performances this year we remember the second participation at “Mundus”, the show on “Lago Nord” with Willie de Ville, the performance at Caldarola’s Teatro Comunale for “Tuttiteatri” and the appearance as guest star at the award “Virginia Reiter” at Storchi Teatre in Modena. After the CD’s launch at FNAC in Milan in 23 October and four promotional exhibitions for the album at the Roialto in Milan in November, the year closed with a beautiful concert in Vittorio Emanuele square, in the very heart of Nuoro, together with Gypsy Queen Esma Redzepova. ( devamı: http://www.acobocina.it/)

Sila kale bal - Saban Bajramovic

Šaban Bajramović (Serbian Cyrillic: Шабан Бајрамовић) (April 16, 1936 – June 8, 2008) was a Romani musician from Serbia.

He was born in Niš where he attended primary school for only the first four years. On quitting school, he picked up his musical education on the street.
When he was 19 he ran away from the army out of love for a girl. As a deserter, he was sentenced to three years prison on the island Goli otok, but as he told the military court they could not hold him for so long as he could survive, they raised his punishment to five and a half years. He survived as he was a good goalkeeper in the prison football team. Because of his nimbleness and speed, they called him "Black Panther". Soon he forced his way into the prison orchestra that played, among other things, jazz (mostly Louis Armstrong, Sinatra, and sometimes John Coltrane) with Spanish and Mexican pieces.
After Goli otok, his intensive music career began. He made his first record in 1964. He is believed to have composed 650 compositions. Šaban also composed the official Roma people anthem "Djelem, Djelem" in 1964[1][2]. Later, in 1969, new lyrics for the song were written by Zarko Jovanovic[3].
In 2008, it was revealed that Bajramović was living impoverished in Niš with serious health complications and was no longer able to walk. The government of Serbia intervened to provide him with some funds.[4] He died in Niš on June 8, 2008, from a heart attack

http://www.sabanbajramovic.com/

Vuoi Vuoi Me - mari boine

Mari Boine, previously known as Mari Boine Persen, (born 8 November 1956) is a Norwegian Sami musician known for having added jazz and rock to the yoiks of her native people. Born in Finnmark, Norway she grew up amid the Laestadian Christian movement as well as amidst discrimination against her people. She was asked to perform at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, but refused because she perceived the invitation as an attempt to bring a token minority to the ceremonies. Gula Gula (first released by Iđut, 1989, later re-released by Real World) was her breakthrough release, and she continued to record popular albums throughout the 1990s.
In 2003 Boine was awarded the Nordic Council Music Prize. She was appointed knight, first class in the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav for her artistic diversity on September 18, 2009

http://www.myspace.com/boine