Artist: Maracatu New York
Title: Baque Do Brooklyn
Label: On Nation Beat Music
Genre: Afro-Brazilian style of music from Northeastern Brazil
Maracatu New York’s Baque Do Brooklyn
CD review by Matt Cole
Artist: Shujaat Husain Khan & Katayoun Goudarzi.
Title: Spring
Label: self-released
Genre: Indian/Persian folk music
Artist: Brian Landrus Kaleidoscope
Title: Mirage
Label: BlueLand Records
Genre: jazz/funk
Review by Matt Cole
Mirage is the 5th CD as a leader from composer/low reedsman Brian Landrus. In addition to Kaleidoscope, which consists of Nir Felder on guitar, Frank Carlberg on Rhodes and piano, Lonnie Plaxico on acoustic and electric bass, and Rudy Royston on drums; Landrus added a string section for this album, consisting of Mark Feldman and Joyce Hammann on violin, Judith Insell on viola, and Jody Redhage on cello, with Ryan Truesdell conducting.
Artist: V.A.
Title: Afrobeat Airways 2
Label: Analog Africa
Release Date: September 17, 2013
Genre: Afro Beat
From the coastal cities of Accra and Cape Coast, basked in a tropical sound heavily influenced by highlife, to the semi-Saharan cities of Tamalé and Bolgatanga (part of a self-proclaimed ‘Islamic Funk Belt’) via the central city of Kumasi, Analog Africa has criss-crossed Ghana in search of rare tracks, part of its ongoing, hard-grooving mission to bring the soul, funk, and vintage local pop out of obscurity and into its deserved international place.
Building on the success of the first installment in 2009, Afrobeat Airways 2 is a selection of 13 ultra-rare tracks by some of the musical giants who had created a movement that rocked the West African nation throughout the ‘70s: legendary singer K. Frimpong; Nana Ampedu (leader of the mighty African Brothers Band); Gyedu-Blay Ambolley and his superb guest appearance with The Complex Sounds; afrobeat star Ebo Taylor, backing his son in an unreleased track called ‘Children Don’t Cry’; the enigmatic Rob and his unique blend of twisted afrofunk; innovative drummer De Frank; and Uppers International, with their raw Islamic funk style. More obscure artists such as Los Issufu and his Moslems, Waza Afrika 76 and Tony Sarfo and his Funky Afrosibi make northern hemisphere debuts, adding to a rich list of Ghanaian artists whose music could be transferred seamlessly to any dancefloor in the world.
Artist: Nashaz
Title: Nashaz
Label: Ziryab Records
Genre: hard driving grooves in 10/8 and 7/8 combine with moments of contemplative beauty that sound at once Arabic, and yet distinctly American
Release date: September 17, 2013
CD release concert: at Drom (NY), September 17, 2013
Review by Dawoud Kringle
In the realm of Persian / Arabic maqam, people like Rabih Abou-Khalil and Simon Shaheen kicked open a door that once open, will never close. I speak, of course, of the introduction of elements of jazz into maqam. Nashaz has taken up the gauntlet on this and run with it.
