World Music Central's list of musicians, scholars and music industry professionals who left us in 2008.March 2 Jeff Healey, 41, musician and vocalist. Mr. Healey was a jazz and rock guitarist and vocalist. He toured with the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughn, B.B. King and Eric Clapton as well as forming several bands over the years. His recordings include See the Light , Adventures in J...
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2008 Music Obituaries, March
2008 Music Obituaries, February
World Music Central's list of musicians, scholars and music industry professionals who left us in 2008.February 3 Jorge Liderman, 50, composer. Born in Buenos Aires Argentina, Mr. Liderman went on to study at the Rubin School of Music in Israel and the University of Chicago. He joined the faculty of the University of California at Berkeley and is known for orchestral works Shir Eres, Song...
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Haitian References
BelO Reference (Sacem, 2008) Blending Haitian tradition with modern production and an easygoing flow that goes down like smooth jazz at times, the music of Haiti's BelO is equal parts Caribbean, African, Francophone and worlds beyond. His balladeer's voice and acoustic guitar are prominent throughout these songs of hardship and hope (not exactly uncommon subject matter considering where...
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Haitian References
BelO Reference (Sacem, 2008) Blending Haitian tradition with modern production and an easygoing flow that goes down like smooth jazz at times, the music of Haiti's BelO is equal parts Caribbean, African, Francophone and worlds beyond. His balladeer's voice and acoustic guitar are prominent throughout these songs of hardship and hope (not exactly uncommon subject matter considering where...
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2008 Music Obituaries, January
World Music Central's list of musicians, scholars and music industry professionals who left us in 2008. January 1 Dennis Clifton, 54, musician and studio engineer. Starting out playing on the road and in [wiki:[wiki:jazz]] clubs, Clifton later joined the band FCC (Funky Communications Commission). He went on to work as a studio musician and played in the [wiki:bluegrass] band Corn...
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The David Grisman Quintet will perform Four Nights in Seattle
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The Pacific Jazz Institute at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley presents mandolinist and composer of "Dawg" music for four nights January 15 - 18, 2009. Band members are David Grisman (mandolin), Grant Gordy (guitar), Matt Eakle (flute), Jim Kerwin (bass) and George March (drums). Set times Thursday and Sunday at 7:30, Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm and 9:30pm. Doors open at 6:00pm on Thursday and 5:...
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Kora Master in the Spirit
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Youssoupha Sidibe Xelcom (Self-released, 2008) Senegal's Youssoupha Sidibe has played his kora (21-stringed West African harp) alongside artists as varied as Matisyahu, Bela Fleck, India Arie and Midnite, but on this meditative release he's put aside crossovers and dug deep into his African roots. Xelcom consists of six lengthy tracks on which the kora typically establishes a softly attenti...
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Chicha Rebound Continues
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Juaneco y su Combo Masters of Chicha Vol. 1 (Barbes Records BROO20, 2008) The 2007 compilation Roots of Chicha brought long-overdue wider recognition to a style born in late '60s Peru that combined galloping grooves with surf-rock guitars, tart Farfisa organ and an attitude steadfastly at odds with the upper classes who called most of the shots in Peruvian culture at the time. Juaneco y su ...
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Old Town School Of Folk Music in Chicago Introduces World Music Wednesdays: Winter/Spring 2009
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[image1_left]Old Town School Of Folk Music in Chicago introduces a new series called World Music Wednesdays, which replaces the previous format of Peña, Afrofolk, and World Music Series by presenting music of all of these genres in each three-month series. The series will run all year round (48 Wednesdays). This unique series is a free community series that explores the rich diversity that exi..
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Breaktronics
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Artist:nuwella
XKollective Electric Flowers (Flexitrax, 2008) To get an idea of the sound of British trance outfit XKollective, think of a combination of South Asian fusionist Talvin Singh, electro psychedelic rockers Ozric Tentacles and TransGlobal Underground. XKollective can be adequately described as a global electronica dance band that combines electronics and bass with acoustic instruments such as In...
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Bluegrass Supergroup Blue Highway Announces Winter 2009 Tour
Burlington, MA (USA) - Blue Highway, one of the most influential groups in contemporary bluegrass, was recently nominated for five awards by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA). Both Wayne Taylor and the songwriting team of Tim Stafford/Steve Gulley were nominated for Bluegrass Songwriter of the Year. Stafford also received a nod for Guitar Performer of the...
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Artists Celebrated Human Rights Day 2008 in Stockholm
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Artist:Ineta & Milda Zigure
On the 10th of December, the Sweden branch of Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI-S) presented an opportunity to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights with international artists. Besides Master of Ceremony Samson Mande European Human Rights Hero awardee, several renown human rights activists honored the event. Norsang Drikung, leader of Tibetan Communit...
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Ladino Voices
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The exploration of Sephardic music is taking musicians in new directions. US-based Gerard Edery's latest recording is a fascinating collaboration with Lithuanian singer Maria Krupoves, who specializes in the folk songs of Central and Eastern Europe, especially those of her native Vilnius (Lithuania). The album is titled Two Faiths One Voice and the material includes Ladino music from Turkey, ...
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Ladino Voices
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The exploration of Sephardic music is taking musicians in new directions. US-based Gerard Edery's latest recording is a fascinating collaboration with Lithuanian singer Maria Krupoves, who specializes in the folk songs of Central and Eastern Europe, especially those of her native Vilnius (Lithuania). The album is titled Two Faiths One Voice and the material includes Ladino music from Turkey, ...
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Festival on the Niger 2009 Lineup
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The 5th edition of the Festival on the Niger will be held in Segu (Segou), Mali, January 28 through February 1. The 2009 edition will features well known artists from Mali, as well as musicians from nearby West African countries, as well as Portugal and Mexico.The line up scheduled for 2009 is Oumou Sangare , Abdoulaye Diabaté, Oumar Koita, Coumba Gawlo (Senegal), Narimbo (Mexico), Bass..
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The Magic of Legendary Latin Rock Fusion Band Azteca on CD and DVD
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One of the more unusual reunions of a 1970's music act happened on September 15th 2007 at the Hollywood Key Club - legendary Latin Rock Fusion act Azteca appeared for the first time in more than 30 years. Created and arranged by documentary producer Daniel E. Mesa, the concert reunited original members Pete Escovedo, vocalists Wendy Haas and Errol Knowles, bassist Paul Jackson, guitarist ...
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Found Horizon
Various ArtistsSound of the World Presents Beyond the Horizon (Warner Classics and Jazz 5144288632, 2008) It's always a pleasure to see and hear what BBC DJ Charlie Gillett will include on these year-end compilations of his, partly because there's bound to be a number of favorite artists and partly because some new and emerging ones will be present too. Gillett has a knack for pacing and...
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War of the World
War - Greatest Hits Live (Avenue Records R2512351, 2008) War- a world music band? I'd testify to it in a court of law. Their mixture of soul, rock, jazz and blues with Afro-Latin and Caribbean rhythms was groundbreaking for its time (paving the way for groups like Ozomatli) and they managed to turn equal measures of fun and social consciousness into pop chart success. Forty years af...
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Mezklah Bassist Juan Carlos Ramirez Critically Injured in a Car Crash
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At approximately 2:00 PM Saturday, on December 6, Mezklah bassist and keyboardist Juan-Carlos Ramirez was involved in a major car accident in Downtown Los Angeles. He sustained major injuries, including a broken pelvis and ruptured bladder, for which he is currently undergoing treatment for at USC's Intensive Care Unit.According to Mezklah guitarist Greg Hernandez, Juan-Carlos is improvin...
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