Monthly Archives: November 2012

iPhone interview: M.A.K.U. SoundSystem Colombia’s nu voice!

Interview by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

This year, the energy will reach new heights with the newest voice on the world stage, M.A.K.U.SoundSystem (featured at NY’s globalFEST 2011). They are one of my favorite bands of this year. Their driving rhythms are grounded in Afro- Colombian traditions and their gaitas come from Colombia’s indigenous heritage (like their name), as they present their music with the freedom of young Colombians hailing from urban Queens.

I interviewed them backstage for the second time after their show at the Encounter NYC Colombian Music Festival at Le Poisson Rouge, November 10, 2012. (First interview here.)

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Festival review: the 9th Annual Encuentro NYC Colombian Music Festival 2012

Date: November 10, 2012
Venue: Le Poisson Rouge
By Dawoud Kringle

On Saturday, November 10, 2012, Le Poisson Rouge  played host to the 9th Annual Encuentro NYC Colombian Music Festival. The festival, produced by Pablo and Anna Mayor, was brilliantly conceived, and efficiently executed. The musical acts covered an astonishing spectrum of different styles and combinations of genres. It was announced that a percentage of CD sales donated to hurricane relief effort in New York.

In American music history studies, much has been said about the influence Latin music had on jazz. It works both ways. One of the very noticeable things was how the music the groups offered shows clearly how deeply American jazz influenced and changed the music of Latin America.

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Scoop: The Cambodian Space Project…is Phnom Penh – the Berlin of SE Asia?

Text by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

It’s been a long time I haven’t heard from my contributor Sean Hockings who still resides in Hong Kong, still running his label Metal Postcard Rec, and hopes to bring China and SE Asia’s underground music scene to a wider world. Today he mailed me a YouTube video and the press kit of a very interesting Cambodian alternative rock band called  The Cambodian Space Project. Enjoy!

Text by Sean Hockings

News From Metal Postcard Records

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POST-SANDY MARCH TO THE VILLAGE VANGUARD AND BLUE NOTE!

Text by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

Last  Wednesday, November 14th, 8:30pm, I attended the Justice For Jazz Artists rally for the second time. A chilly night. I and my union brothers met at Two Boots Pizza at the corner of 11th street and 7th Avenue in New York for a march to the Village Vanguard and the Blue Note. When I arrived the band was already getting ready to march. Again the goal of this rally was to keep the pressure high on club owners and let these clubs and their owners know that they need to do the right thing and provide pension contributions, fair pay scales and protections of recording rights for musicians who play in their clubs!

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