The Whole Music Experience

Sevara Nazarkhan Tortadur Sevara Music   In 2003 I was introduced to the music of the Central Asian country Uzbekistan via a young folk-pop performer Sevara Nazarkhan.   I reviewed her Real World electronic album Yol Bolsin and felt enraptured by its exotic instruments, and snaky melodies and haunting stories. Then after enjoying that recording for a few months, I forgot about the doutar (Uzbek lute) player/songwriter/vocalist (granted I've reviewed 100s of albums since that time).   And in the background the musician recorded a total of 4 albums including her new independent folkloric recording Tortadur performed on all acoustic instruments.    Her newest recording featuring Uzbek folksongs, some dating back to medieval times, played on traditional instruments features old world musicians.   In fact, the press release beat me to the punch by comparing these elder musicians to the Cuban Buena Vista Social Club.   Here again you h...

Huun Huur Tu Ancestors Call World Village There are few musical cultures left on the planet that take us to a deeply primal place and even some of those cultures, mainly hailing from indigenous people have been swallowed up by electronic music or turned into popular culture in the form of world music. But for any of you who have listened to an a cappella Saami yoik, a traditional Navajo chant, Aboriginal didgeridoo, Tibetan nomadic music, or Tuvan throat-singing have experienced that deep primal place. Your root chakra opens. Shamanism and music were wedded to each other hundreds of thousands of years ago. The first flutes, drums, harps, etc were put to shamanic use, as were many of the early singing traditions. These shamans knew about the power and intent of sound and put it to good use either healing others in some way or put it to bad use through sorcery to trip up an adversary. But even without any prior knowledge of shamanism or ancient musical practices, a music list...

Milagro Acustico Thermae Atmospherae Look Studio/CNI Music Since 2002 when I was first introduced to the Italian ensemble Milagro Acustico, I have reviewed several of its recordings. MA’s music can best be described as a musical journey through time and space that marries contemporary genres such as jazz with ancient Silk Road and Mediterranean music traditions. The musicians, led by Bob Salmieri embed passionate female and male vocals within an array of exotic acoustic instruments. Fans of Middle Eastern and Turkish lutes, percussion as well as, flamenco guitar, western horns, and bass will feel at home listening to the 3-CD album, Thermae Atmospherae . When I put the first disc into my player the songs sounded familiar to my ears. So I brought out previous MA recordings and I noticed that many, if not all the music on the CDs had been pre-recorded and I believe arranged in a slightly different manner. Thermae Atmospherae revolves around the concept of the Roman bath, but...

Tomoko Sugawara Along the Silk Road Ancient and Modern Music for the Kugo Motema I normally wouldn’t expect a delicate Silk Road recording to be released on a jazz label. However, Japanese harpist Tomoko Sugawara debuts on Motema’s New World series with her exquisite recording, Along the Silk Road . Although this album marks her third recording, I believe it’s her first recording featuring the kugo, a harp that finds its roots in ancient Mesopotamia. Also known as an angular harp, “chang” (Iran) and “kunghou,” the instrument traveled on the Silk Road from the Middle East and Spain to China and Japan.  Then it mysteriously disappeared during the 17th century. On Along the Silk Road , Sugawara performs solo pieces in which the harp resembles a Japanese zither (koto) as she plucks the tight strings with an occasional strum for emphasis. She also performs collaborative pieces, such as Qawl (ancient Iran), which features a duet of kugo and the Middle Eastern...