The Whole Music Experience

Egypt Noir Nubian Soul Treasures Various Piranha (Germany) Anyone who has been listening to world music in the last 2 or 3 decades will be familiar with both Egyptian and Nubian music. The serpentine melodies, pentatonic scales, call & response vocals, and marriage between Oriental and western music certainly has the ability to attract a wide following, especially the younger crowd hungry for exotic dance grooves. The music on Egypt Noir (performed by an array of younger and classic musicians) entices with its musical mix. You’ll hear the lush Egyptian-style orchestra arrangements with call & response vocals skimming over the lush surface, plenty of raspy sounding shawms (an oboe-like instrument), heart-thumping polyrhythms and you might think a celebration is taking place. It is. Take a listen to the rousing beats, Cuban-style horns and saxophone and you’re in for a cosmopolitan musical treat. I’m listening to Egypt Noir for the third time as I ...

Cesaria Evora Nha sentimento Lusafrica Nancy Vieira Lus (release date November 2009) World Village Last March a news brief regarding a minor stroke suffered by Cape Verdean vocalist, Cesaria Evora appeared on World Music Central . The musician had flown to Australia to perform at WOMADELAIDE and she suffered a stroke prior to the festival performance. Needless to say her performance was cancelled leaving disappointed fans in the wake. This month brings us happier news since the 66-year old Evora releases the recording, nha sentimento on Lusafrica. The press release described the recording, “Cesaria ventures further afield than ever before, twisting Arabic musical traditions into bluesy sinuous compositions from some of Cape Verde’s best songwriters.” The result sunny Cape Verdean repertoire with Egyptian exoticism produced by longtime friend and collaborator Manuel de Novas (who recently passed away) with songs arranged by Egyptian Fathy Salama. Again—the ...