In the video for Barcelona-born Dani “Macaco” Carbonell’s song “Sideral,” a quote by Polish philosopher Stanislaw Jerzy Lec scrolls across the screen. “We should learn languages, including the ones that do not exist,” it reads in various tongues, such as Korean, Russian, and English. The singer-songwriter, it’s evident, is deeply…
Though the music on Mujer de Cabaret is arguably reminiscent of the Cuban Buena Vista Social Club, there are also clear elements of Dominican musical roots. Often José Cobles (a.k.a. Puerto Plata) plays acoustic merengue — for years seen as a poor man’s version of the genre — and his…
Once considered by saxophonist Stan Getz as the natural successor to Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, the Tacoma, Washington-born singer Diane Schuur is now in the fourth decade of her award-studded career. To celebrate, in June she released a live CD, Diane Schuur: Live in London, captured at that city’s…
“We enjoy each other as people; we get along and play music we love,” Yellowjackets bassist and cofounder Jimmy Haslip says about the band’s famous longevity. “We seem to have a common goal, and that makes it easy to travel and perform together.” Existing for more than 25 years since…
Trying to define the work of Manu Chao — who has finally followed up on his 2001 disc, Próxima Estación: Esperanza, after a six-year hiatus — is certainly not easy. The Franco-Spanish musician challenges the listener using lyrics written in four languages and beats that reflect complete open-mindedness. The artist…
This self-labeled “Cuban surf-rock” band has a curious history. A few years ago, Miami-born founder Jorge Navarro conducted academic research on how to use music as an educational tool for teachers who work with Hispanic students. While he was at it, he came up with the concept for his band,…
Once a year Latin alternative musicians — that is, those who don’t play salsa, tango, bolero, or other regional beats — come together en masse in New York City. The Latin Alternative Music Conference is a series of industry panel discussions, networking opportunities, open bars, promotional stops, and, of course,…
After a number of adventuresome jazz albums on Blue Note, the Miami-based trumpeter returns to his pre-Irakere roots on this disc. These original songs bear an Afro-Cuban feel not far from Buena Vista Social Club turf, with Sandoval even sporadically abandoning the mouthpiece to sing. His trademark high-register squeal is…
A jeep bumps along a desolate dirt road in the arid countryside of Pernambuco, Brazil. The dry landscape, part of the nation’s poorest region, is a far cry from the romantic image that Americans have of the country. This is, after all, not the mountains, sea, and Ipanema of Antonio…
Bebel Gilberto fans know better than to expect the sort of bossa nova plied by her father, Brazilian guitarist and singer João Gilberto. Although there is a clear bossa influence in her style, the younger Gilberto has gone beyond it, pushing the boundaries of Brazilian music to suit her own…
Although standout actress Aishwaria Rai’s pretty face adorns the cover of the newly released Rough Guide to Bollywood Gold, the music presented here has little to do with the young crossover star of Bride and Prejudice. The tunes, however, are all representative of the golden era of Bollywood films —…
Dulce Pontes An oral tradition that is passed on in the taverns and streets of Lisbon, Portugal, fado is the urban, bluesy musical form that gained international renown through the voice of the late Amália Rodrigues. The lyrics speak of love, longing, and the gritty life led on the streets…
Spanish-born Maria Quiñones created the persona of Martirio (which translates as “martyr”) as an onstage alter ego, one who wears dark glasses and large, decorative combs known as peinetas. She performed with numerous groups before joining the group Veneno (Poison), which helped vault her to prominence. Throughout her career, the…
At age 63, Joe Chambers ranks as one of the most notable drummers and percussionists of his generation, and a staple of the venerable (and once-independent) Blue Note label. Not only have his highly imaginative compositions been covered by the likes of Freddie Hubbard and Bobby Hutcherson (with whom he’s…
“A lot of people have found their way into learning about music through smooth jazz,” saxophonist Marion Meadows observes of his chosen genre. “It does seem to draw on new ideas, and it gets people to later dig harder material.” A West Virginia native, Meadows himself studied classical music as…
Victor Jara was one of Chile’s top folk composers, educators, and political activists until the time of his murder in 1973 during a military coup. On a newly released CD, Chilean vocalist Francesca Ancarola has found an amorous way of paying tribute to the fallen songwriter by revisiting his work…
Forget the fiery performances that this Brazilian legend has staged in the past, backed by a big band playing reggae and samba. This time around, he follows in the footsteps of João Gilberto. Gil performs solo, revisiting both classic and obscure selections from his personal songbook. Gil was one of…
There must be something in the water of Brazil — the country produces a seemingly endless stream of innovative musicians. Maybe it has more to do with the fact that music is as common as water in Brazil, played everywhere from the streets to the shopping malls to the corporate…
There are certain instruments folks wouldn’t ordinarily associate with jazz music, and the steel pan (used in soca and calypso) is on that list. But on Andy Narell’s latest disc, Tatoom, the pan is taken to a different level, and the jazz tunes that are created here seem abstract at…
Aterciopelados In the ten years since they released La Pipa de La Paz (“The Pipe of Peace”), this genre-busting duo has continued to break musical barriers, blending the folk traditions of their native Colombia with a melange of sounds picked up as they’ve toured the Americas and Europe. The pair’s…
While many of his famous Brazilian contemporaries are reissuing hits from their lengthy back catalogs, 64-year-old singer Caetano Veloso stubbornly continues to push himself forward as evidenced on his newest album, Cê. The simple, stripped-down instrumentation here (guitar, bass, drums) is also a nice change from some of his larger…
Singer/songwriter Jorge Drexler was virtually unknown in the U.S. before an Oscar win in 2005, for his song “Al otro lado del río,” from Walter Salles’s film The Motorcycle Diaries. And what viewers saw of him on Oscar night might have been misleading. Those who saw the telecast remember that…
