The Whole Music Experience

Lo’Jo Cinéma el Mundo World Village It takes a global village to make a Lo’Jo album, but then Lo’Jo, hailing from Angers, France, feels more like a collective of nomadic musicians, than a structured sextet.   After a hiatus from North America, the French band has returned with the eclectic Cinéma el Mundo (Cinema of the World) that harks back to Lo’Jo’s Mojo Radio of the late 1990s, but minus rousing songs such as Mojo Radio and Sin Acabar .   The new album possesses a more contemplative sound and like the cinema in its title, conjures floating images. I have yet to come across a world music act that fuses whirling circus music with traditional instruments from Africa, Asia, and Europe in the manner of Lo’Jo--“original” doesn’t come close to describing this band’s music.   I imagine any music journalist new to the scene will choke on adjectives trying to describe this band that defies any labels.   Then with each album, the musicians del...

photo by Patricia Herlevi, Angels in the Sky A strange idea came up for this post.  I feel that since many people are going through divorce, separation or breakups, I'll blog on healing music for these circumstances.  And of course, you would listen to different types of music during the various stages of your soul's evolution after a breakup or divorce.  I'm including music that is familiar to most people, mainly popular types of music such as rock, jazz, show tunes, and bluegrass. Let's start with the tension felt by a couple when separation is inevitable.  The couple has tried therapy, learned better communication skills, but the spark has left, and so have any reasons for keeping the relationship together.  This stage also reveals the inner workings of each person in the couple, if they tune into that silent space inside them.  The souls yearn for a different life, and not just the grass looking greener in the neighbor's yard. For this stage, ...

Roberta Donnay & The Prohibition Mob Band A Little Sugar Motema American jazz chanteuse Roberta Donnay takes a journey through jazz history on her juicy CD, A Little Sugar .   The songs range from 1897 to present day while showing off blues, Dixieland, and swing roots.   Donnay immerses herself in the feminist sentiments of Roaring twenties and Depression Era women jazz singers, and Donnay’s softer vocals take on a gritty edge even with songs by Irving Berlin and Hoagy Carmichael. Woman empowerment, though tongue and cheek on songs such as One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show come into play.   Playful is the right word to describe this recording a nd if you want sexy innuendos listen to (Tropical) Heatwave or (I Want a Little) Sugar in My Bowl .   If you look for clever lyrics, you’ll find plenty here and you’ll chuckle at the witty one-liners too.  After listening to this CD, I feel like watching Hollywood classics, even Silent Era mov...

Silvana Kane La Jardinera Six Degrees Records Silvana Kane (Canadian band Pacifika) offers an enchanting solo debut La Jardinera , featuring nueva cancion (new songs) from South America.   The minimalist approach of Kane’s yearning vocals set against a framework of acoustic guitar, banjo, bass and trumpet gives off an intimate feeling as if we sit in Silvana’s living room while she shares her favorite songs.   Kane reaches back to her childhood living in Peru, Canada and the United States when she discovered celebrated Latin American singer-songwriters such as Mercedes Sosa, Violeta Parra, and Chabuca Granda.   Kane transforms the folkloric songs into contemporary lullabies, which Kane sings in sweet, whispery Spanish.   Since I’m a fan of South American folk songs and warm acoustic music, I enjoy immersing myself in Kane’s recording.   When I first listened to the CD, I also visited YouTube to watch Kane’s sensual and touching videos. T...

photo by Patricia Herlevi, Happy Flowers Consider how music affects our moods.  When we listen to songs from our formative years, we wax nostalgia, but this can have therapeutic effects too.  We hear of people listening to romantic music to get them in the "mood" and marches and political anthems often accompany rallies.  But how conscious are we of shifting or creating moods with music? I've already mentioned rhythmic entrainment and resonance on this blog so we're not heading in that direction today.  Hopefully, you have kept a music journal where you have tracked emotional and physical responses to music and sound exposure.  I would even go as far as asking you to listen to music you heard as a child, even if this music was the favorite of a sibling or parent.  Then track your emotions, feelings, and thoughts. Where does your mind wander to, which memory surfaces? How does this memory cause you to feel? Do you feel angry, sad, or elated? And ac...