Music Video Round-Up for 2nd wk of Dec--Chillin' with Northerners

photo by Patricia Herlevi, winter chill

It's now been almost a decade since I discovered Scandinavian or Nordic traditional music.  It started with a Rough Guide to Scandinavian Music in 2003, that lead to the Nordic music label NorthSide based in Minneapolis.  I think you will enjoy this selection of handpicked videos by some of the finest players in Northern Europe.

Let's start with a group of Finnish and Norwegian youngsters known as Frigg.  No one is going to freeze with these fiddlers in town.

1. Frigg, Norrsken, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Xm1a35mJt4

2. Triakel (Sweden), Old Sara, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGc36_bRBwc

3. Vasen (Sweden), Josefin's Waltz, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJS3ZTf-sWI

4. Annbjorg Lien (Norway), Galadriel, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTHaT36xJFU

5. Las Chicas del Tango (Finland), Viejo Amor, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj1xGQDvPMg

Top 7 Jazz CDs of 2012

I cut my CDs in half this year to concentrate on writing "Whole Music" (the book).  World Music recordings made up the bulk of reviews in 2012, while jazz and classical lingered more in the background.  Still, the 7 recordings below are phenomenal.

1. Fred Hersch Trio, Alive at the Vanguard, Palmetto

2. Jeff Hamilton Trio, Red Sparkle, Capri Records

3. Marshall Gilkes, Sound Stories, Alternate Side Records

4. Roberta Donnay, A Little Sugar, Motema

5. Gregory Porter, Be Good, Motema

6. Ahmad Jamal, Blue Moon, Jazz Village (Harmonia Mundi)

7. The Jens Wendelboe Big Band, Fresh Heat, Rosa Records


Honorable Mention: Lisa Dillan, Love Me Tender, Kirkelig Kulturverksted

Best book on music: Music Medicine by Christine Stevens (Sounds True)

Music Video Round-Up for 1st wk of Dec.--Latinize!

This feature on my blog will discontinue after the end of 2012.  It's fizzling out in popularity and it takes a bit of effort on my part that I can focus elsewhere.  This week enjoy the sounds of Latin jazz as expressed by diverse performers.

1. Poncho Sanchez, live Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man" (Mexico/US)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oenlU0KiILc

2. Astor Piazzolla, Zero Hour (Argentina)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z40MBS5gFk

3. Eliane Elias, Girl from Ipanema (Brazil)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SWFVTL1LVI

4. Tomatito (Spain) and Michel Camilo (Dominican Republic/US), Besame Mucho
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAC7iS5fqaY

5. Paquito D'Rivera, Panamericana, (Cuba/US)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySZoh3qY-ps