The Whole Music Experience

World/Mali   Vieux Farka Toure Mon Pays   Six Degrees Records   Mali faces more trouble with Islamic fundamentalists warring against Tuareg nomads in the north part of the country and music was banned.   Anyone who enjoys Malian music has most likely heard of this sad news, yet the music keeps coming, showing us a face of hope, defiance and peace, at least in the hearts of the Malian people. Vieux Farka Toure, the son of the late Malian guitar legend, Ali Farka Toure records his best album thus far, Mon Pays which speaks of anguish for his fellow Malians and also possesses a healing force not found anywhere but in music.   Mostly an acoustic album with blues guitar, the traditional kora (West African harp), ngoni, and calabashes, you will also hear piano on the final track Ay Bakoy , played by Israeli Idan Raichel, a friend and musical collaborator of Vieux. These aren’t the only instruments you will hear on this tapestry of African, Mi...

World/Galician   Radio Cos Radio Cos   Folmusica The American song collector Alan Lomax knew a good thing when he made field recordings of Galician music decades ago.  In some ways Galician folk music with its Celtic influences could be mistaken for Scottish or Irish music and in other ways, it sounds like Basque traditional music, some Portuguese traditions tossed in and the musicians sing in the exotic Spanish dialect, Gallego.  Radio Cos performs Galician dance music on Radio Cos punctuated by “aye, la, la” and on one of the tracks, I could have sworn I was listening to a Mexican ranchera (listeners also dodge animated bullets on that song). Romp-stomping accordion bounces along delicious polyrhythms played on the traditional frame drums and tambourines, maracas, violin, gaitas (bagpipes), saxophone and vocals.  The vocals supply us with harmonies and occasionally passionate outbursts.  On Pandeiretada (traditional drum) the music...

Some of you probably start your day with a spiritual ritual such as meditation, yoga, toning, chanting or taking a meditative walk.  Some of you journal or set an intention for the day.  Perhaps, you do a little of all the above. I have found through my various morning rituals that starting the day with spiritual recordings including Gregorian chant, Buddhist chant, kirtan, or sung affirmations help me deal better with the stress throughout the day.  It's true that we don't have control over outside events except that we do have control over our thoughts, feelings, emotions and reactions to life's events.  With the Law of Attraction teachings our thoughts, beliefs, and emotions radiate vibrations that attract like vibrations. The problem arises when we have a tendency to think negative thoughts and find that we were not born Polly Annas or come from a family of upbeat people.  Training the thoughts in the direction of joy, peace, and balance is still possi...

World Son De Pueblo   Colombia (Traditional Songs and Dances from) Arc Music I suppose if you’re going to celebrate the music of Colombia you would want to travel to the South American country in December since according to the liner notes for Traditional Songs and Dances from Colombia performed by Son de Pueblo, “for several weeks we celebrate the joy of life...” And that joy of life in Colombia includes rousing Afro-Latin musical traditions from the plains, mountains, and the Caribbean flavored with salsa, rumba, and musical genres from throughout Latin America. Anyone who only knows Colombia through tragic news stories involving drug trafficking or from flavorful coffee beans, needs to delve into traditional Colombian culture whether that is cuisine, traditional music or folkloric dance because this is where you find happy and contented people celebrating their regional offerings and culture heritage.   The beauty of the Caribbean countries is the w...

World  Michalis Terzis   Magic of the Greek Bouzouki Arc Music For those of us who don’t live in, travel to Greece or come from Greek origin probably only hear traditional Greek music while eating at a Greek restaurant or as the soundtrack for the comedy movie, My Fat Greek Wedding .   People of a certain age will also recall the soundtracks from the movies Zorba the Greek and Never on a Sunday (two must-see classics).   Greek music comes in two emotions for the most part, desperately tragic as in rembetika and exuberant as in Greek dance or feasting songs. While I enjoy Greek vocal music, instrumental music with its bouzouki, baglamas (Turkish instrument), lutes, zither, mandolins, guitar, piano, bass, percussion sound invigorating or just plain haunting depending on the song.   However, I think most non-Greeks will conjure thought of Greek wedding music or the lively circle dance songs.   We think of sunny islands, the sea, sand...