PRI's The World - Global Hit
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Composer Kevin James Finds Music in Disappearing...
New York-based composer Kevin James's Vanishing Languages Project explores the musicality in four endangered languages: Ainu, Quileute, Dalabon and Jawoyn.
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Brooklyn Band 'The National' Channels Soviet Era Punk...
'The National' is one of the more popular American bands around. For their latest video, they took inspiration from an unlikely source: a Soviet-era punk band called Zvuki Mu. The World's Clark Boyd reports.
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Georgian Jazz Piano Prodigy Beka Gochiashvili
When he was 11 years old, Beka Gochiashvili played piano for then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice when she visited his country, Georgia. Now he's 17, studying jazz at Julliard in New York. This Friday, he takes part in a concert, hosted by Chick Corea, called "Musicians of the Future." The World's Alex Gallafent met up with Beka in New York.
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Cuban Composer Cesar Portillo De La Luz: An Appreciation
Earlier this month, Cuban composer César Portillo de la Luz, died in Havana at the age of 90. Reporter Betto Arcos offers this appreciation.
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US Navy Trombonist Composes Score for Viral Animated...
Brian Sadler plays trombone for the US Navy's Seventh Fleet Band, based out of Yokosuka, Japan. Sadler's also a prolific composer, and now he's written music for an animated fim that's going viral online, "Maker vs Marker."
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Creating Caribbean Music in London: Anthony Joseph and...
Musician Anthony Joseph grew up on the Caribbean island of Trinidad, where he began writing poetry at the age of 10. But it was only after moving to London at the age of 22 that he started setting his words to music.
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DJ Pick: Eric Bibb and Habib Koité 'Brothers in Bamako'
Tuesday's DJ pick was chosen for us by Mannasseh Phiri of JOY-FM in Lusaka, Zambia. The CD is called "Brothers in Bamako" and is by blues singer Eric Bibb and Malian guitarist Habib Koité.
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Iranian-American Band The Yellow Dogs Leave Tehran for...
The members of The Yellow Dogs fled Tehran's underground rock scene after being featured in a movie about that scene. They're now based in Brooklyn, touring the US, and living the dream.
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Jamaican Reggae Singer Ken Boothe
Ken Boothe is one of Jamaica's great "rocksteady" stars from the 60s.
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Shamshad Begum, a Star Bollywood Voice, Dies at 94
A major Bollywood star died in Mumbai last week. During the golden age of Indian cinema, in the 1940s and 50s, Shamshad Begum was the voice of many actresses, yet was not seen on movie screens.
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Kansas City's Fado Novato Dares to Dig Into Rich...
In Kansas City, a group of musicians decided to dig into the Portuguese traditional song of fado, and created a new band specialized in this music new to them, overcoming cultural challenges along the way. Reporter Suzanne Hogan of KCUR radio in Kansas City met with the band "Fado Novato."
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Algerian Singer Lili Boniche is Honored by Daughter in...
The late Algerian singer Lili Boniche is remembered with a new collection of his songs called "Anthologie." The World music reviewer Betto Arcos has more.
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Remix Culture: Old and New in Morocco
The term "Remix Culture" has come to signify the combination of old cultural materials to make brand new works. From Morocco, producer Jordan Fletcher goes on a journey with a musician who hopes to use this remix culture as a way to educate consumers and give back to struggling folk artists.
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Hiatus Kaiyote: Future Soul from Melbourne
The landscapes of the central Australian region and the culture of the Aboriginal people who live there have inspired a new sound.
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Remembering Bi Kidude, Zanzibar's Queen of Music
This month the ancient port city of Zanzibar in Tanzania, Africa, has been mourning the death of one of its great musical stars, Bi Kidude.
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Oliver 'Tuku' Mtukudzi is 'Left Alone' on His New Album,...
Sarawoga is the first new album Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi has recorded since the death of his son in 2010, who was killed in a car crash in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare.
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Cape Breton Mourns Death of Canadian Singer Rita MacNeil
Residents of Cape Breton and throughout Canada are mourning the death of singer-songwriter Rita MacNeil. She died Tuesday night at the age of 68.
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Burmese Group Me N Ma Girls Invade New York
We first told you about the pop group the Me N Ma Girls early last year. Their career was taking off just as their country, Burma, was in emerging from decades of military rule. There have been some big changes in the country and for the group since then, including their first show in the US.
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Northern Ireland's Violent Past Through a Father's Lens...
The melding of photographs and songs help tell the story of Northern Ireland's recent violent history. The photos were taken in the 1970s and 80s by award winning photojournalist Bobbie Hanvey.
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The Mexican-American Subculture of Lowriding Around the...
The Mexican-American car subculture of lowriding with roots in Los Angeles has spread around the world from Japan to Brazil. There is even a Japanese lowriding magazine about L.A. Chicano and Chicana studies professor Denise Sandoval grew up near the mecca of lowriding in East L.A. and has been studying the global spread of the lowriding.
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Bali Woodcarver Turned to Making Guitars by Tourist...
A traditional wood carver on the Indonesian island of Bali has started a new career - making high-end guitars, even though he knows little about Western music.
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Indian Musicians Shivkumar Sharma and Zakir Hussain
Shivkumar Sharma and Zakir Hussain are masters of north Indian classical music. Sharma plays the santoor, a stringed instrument from the Kashmir Valley, and Hussain plays the tabla, a percussion instrument. When collaborating, Sharma's melodic sounds mix with Hussain's powerful rhythms.
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Church Bells of Chagford
We visit the rolling hills of South West England, where church bell ringing is both, a family tradition, and an art.
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Cambodian Space Project Rocks Phnom Penh
Srey Channthy went from working in the rice fields to becoming a singer of an international Khmer psychedelic rock band.
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South African Punk Band, National Wake
A documentary tells the story of National Wake, a South African punk band that challenged the country's apartheid divisions in the 1970's. Unfortunately, the group didn't last very long, as reporter Mirissa Neff tells us.
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Pop Yeh Yeh, 1960s Music from Singapore and Malaysia
Tom Schnabel is our guest DJ today. His pick is a new collection of music from Singapore and Malaysia from the 1960s. A Malaysian journalist from the era dubbed this music 'Pop Yeh Yeh.'
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Haitians Rediscover the Melancholy Music of Beken
Perhaps one of Haiti's most famous musicians has re-emerged after a decade. Beken, a melancholy artist, who had stopped making music for years, has become suddenly popular again.
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Freshlyground Blends Musical Styles with Political...
The South African band Freshlyground isn't afraid to sing about social and political issues going on in Africa. But members claim they're not a political band. Their focus is on the music.
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'Hitler's Composer': Why an Israeli is Rethinking...
The music of German composer Richard Wagner is considered taboo by many in Israelis. That's because Wagner is widely linked with Hitler and antisemitism. But an Israeli researcher says it may be time to rethink Wagner, as Daniella Cheslow reports from Tel Aviv.
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Bloco Sergento Pimenta: The Beatles Samba-Style
One of the hits of Rio de Janeiro's carnaval this year was Bloco Sergento Pimenta, a samba tribute band dedicated to the music of The Beatles.
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Metal Bands From Cuba Perform at South by Southwest
Three bands from Cuba are performing at South by Southwest tonight. It's the first time any of them are performing on U.S. soil. Organizers of the festival faced challenges getting them into the country and convincing others that Cuba's musical outreach is more than just rumba and son.
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Pope Francis Likes Tango; We Recommend He Checks Out New...
If Pope Francis is aiming to reach out to younger members of the flock, we strongly recommend he also check out some of the newer music coming out of his home city. Try Boogat for starters. Even though Boogat is from Quebec, he's been a hot number on the electro-latino circuit in Buenos Aires.
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Cuban Rumba Rhythm With a Flamenco Soul
Cuban rumba percussionist, Pedrito Martinez released a new CD recently in tribute to Spanish Flamenco singer Camaron de la Isla.
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Uruguayan Percussion from Daniel 'Tatita' Marquez
Tuesday's Global Hit comes from the South American country of Uruguay, where percussionist Daniel 'Tatita' Marquez is working to get his country's music better known around the globe.
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The Comeback of UK Alt-Rock Band My Bloody Valentine
The UK-based band My Bloody Valentine has made a comeback with their first release in 22 years. DJ Marius Asp tells us what he thinks of the band's comeback album, called "MBV."
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Stompin' Tom Connors: Canadian Folk Hero
Canadian country-folk musician Stompin' Tom Connors , a music legend in Canada, passed away this week. He wrote hundreds of songs and sold nearly four million albums. but unlike most Canadian musicians, he wasn't interested in courting American fans.
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Sexy Fi Breaks New Ground in Brazilian Music
Marco Werman speaks with singer Camila Zamith, front woman of Sexy Fi, about how the band's tropical chic sound on their debut record is redefining Brazilian music.
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Efterklang Inspired by Abandoned Coal Mining Settlement
The World's Clark Boyd profiles the Danish trio Efterklang. The band headed to the far north to find sounds for their latest album, "Piramida." They ended up in an abandoned Russian coal mining settlement on Spitsbergen.
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New Zealand Contemporary Dance Troupe Black Grace Uses...
Black Grace is New Zealand's leading contemporary dance company. They incorporate the haka, a traditional Maori warrior dance, while also being at the cutting edge artistically.
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Cristina Pato Brings the Galician Bagpipe to the Jazz...
Cristina Pato thought she'd left the Galician bagpipe behind when she left Spain. But playing the bagpipes provided her with more musical opportunities when she made the move to New York.
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Omar Sosa and Paolo Fresu Peform from their Album 'Alma'
In an exclusive performance, Cuban pianist Omar Sosa and Italian trumpet player Paolo Fresu play songs from their recent album 'Alma.'
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Brassy Kiwi Singer Gin Wigmore
With bleach-blonde hair, thick black eyeshadow, a big bright smile, and a collection of tattoos, 26-year-old Kiwi musician Gin Wigmore is an interesting sight to see. But perhaps what meets the ear is even more captivating than what meets the eye.
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Oumou Sangare, Malian Musician and Auto Executive
Malian singer Oumou Sangare performs in concerts all over the globe, but it's only in Mali where consumers can buy her cars. Michael May profiles this African singer who's parlayed her musical success into other business endeavors.
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What Beatboxing Tells Us About Language Acquisition
Beatboxers make sounds most of us think we can't make. Sounds that native English speakers usually have trouble making. Sounds sometimes borrowed from other languages. So say researchers at the University of Southern California.
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Taiwan-born Emy Tseng Swings to Brazilian Jazz
Emy Tseng is a singer, born in Taiwan and living now in Washington DC.Her debut album is full of Brazilian jazz.
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Wu Man: A Master of the Chinese Pipa Eagerly Mixing...
For over 20 years, Wu Man has made it her mission to introduce the little-known pipa to western audiences and to perform western genres of music on it.
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Soultana: 'The Voice of Women' Raps in Morocco
Wednesday marks the two-year anniversary of Morocco's version of the so-called Arab Spring. It didn't unseat a dictator, but Morocco's King did offer a few reforms. Little has changed, though, for most of Morocco's youth and now they're voicing their protests in rap.
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Celebrating the Music of Maqam
Maqam is an Arabic musical term, and for the past two years there's been a festival in New York devoted to it. Reporter Bruce Wallace attended this year's Maqam Fest to find out what maqam is exactly.
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Recording of Jimi Hendrix in London Surfaces
Jimi Hendrix's career was brief, but the guitar great left behind a wealth of recorded material. New tapes of Hendrix seem to surface all the time. But none quite like the one The World's Clark Boyd is going to tell you about.
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Bollywood Dance-Off in Berkeley
Indian-American college kids pay tribute to Bollywood and bring their Indian and American identities together in a Bollywood Dance-Off.
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Music of 'Matteo': American Folk on Traditional Chinese...
Most of the members of band Matteo did their Mormon mission in Taiwan and came back with traditional Chinese instruments. Now, they use those instruments to play American indie folk music.
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Aboriginal Country Music From Roger Knox
Roger Knox is known in his native Australia as the Black Elvis. But his latest album has the aboriginal singer offering up a distinctly country vibe.
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28-Disc Series 'Ethiopiques' the Result of Francis...
Francis Falceto has spent decades collecting Ethiopian music and introducing Americans to the sounds of Ethiopian Jazz from the '60s and '70s.
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Jazz Guitarist Yuto Kanazawa Writes 'The Ocean' in...
Japanese jazz guitarist Yuto Kanazawa is from Fukushima and when the earthquake and tsunami struck his home city he was far from home. Kanazawa was in Boston studying at Berklee College of Music.
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Retro-Style Jazz Music from Dutch Singer Caro Emerald
Retro-style jazz sounds from Dutch singer Caro Emerald. Her music recalls the days of big band and jazz divas of the 1940s and 50s.
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Mariachi Music Gaining Credibility in Texas Schools
Mariachi music is a quintessential sound of Mexico. But in Mexico, it's a style of folk music that's never been taken all that seriously and certainly not among music educators. It's considered bar music, unworthy of academic study. But it's becoming different story just north of the border in Texas.
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The Future of Reggae According to Former Jamaican PM...
Jamaica's former PM Edward Seaga used to be a record producer, and he's just curated and produced a four-CD set commemorating the 50th anniversary of the birth of reggae.
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Analog Africa Re-Issues 'Diablos del Ritmo'
Tom Schnabel of KCRW in Santa Monica, California spins a few of his favorite tracks from the new compilation CD "Diablos Del Ritmo." The album highlights the wide range of musical styles from Colombia.
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Ccile McLorin Salvant's American Songbook
Born and raised in Miami, 23-year-old Ccile McLorin Salvant grew into a jazz singer only by leaving the US and heading to France. The singer, whose heritage takes in Haiti, France, and Guadeloupe, has since won acclaim from her peers in the jazz world.
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Carla Bruni Pays Tribute to Masters of French Chanson in...
France's former first lady, Carla Bruni is going back to her old job of chanteuse. For five years Bruni didn't record an album out of respect for presidential protocol. But now that her husband is out of office, she's letting loose.
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Hard Rock Sounds from the Swedish Band Graveyard
The Swedish band Graveyard has a muscular, hard rock sound that drives their new album "Lights Out." Marco Werman speaks to Alex Sjoberg, the group's drummer.
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Hungary's Surf Rock Band, the Summer Schatzies
Landlocked Hungary gets surf music of its own. Summer Schatzies put a dark Central European spin on Southern California genre.
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Jazz Samba Singer and Pianist Tania Maria
We spin tracks off Tania Maria's new album 'Canto.' The Brazilian singer, composer and pianist swings to the sound of choro, samba and jazz.
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Quebec's Separatists on Charm Offensive with Bilingual...
Quebec's new separatist government is promising to require French exams in English language schools and to ban bilingual newsletters in some municipalities. That's enraging many English speakers. So the government is bankrolling a province-wide tour by a pro-English musician.
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Lara Bello's Flamenco-Inspired 'First Yellow, Then...
Betto Arcos tells us about singer Lara Bello who grew up surrounded by flamenco music and dance in Granada, Spain.
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Barbara's Gttingen: A Song That Made History
France and Germany on Tuesday mark the 50th anniversary of a key treaty that officially cemented the peaceful reconciliation of the two nations two decades after World War II. Another factor that cemented the nascent France-Germany friendship in the 1960's was a song by a French singer named Barbara.
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Ethiopia's Samuel Yirga: From Dub Colossus to Solo Artist
Samuel Yirga is a member of the UK/Ethiopian group Dub Colossus. Now, the pianist and composer branches out with a solo CD called 'Guzo.'
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The Tradition of Murder Ballads in Finland
Songs about murder, both real and fiction, have a long history in Finland. The album "Murhababalladeja" features six tracks in the genre.
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Stephane Wrembel: 'Midnight in Paris', Django, and the...
Stephane Wrembel studied guitar in, among other places, Roma camps outside Paris. He wrote the distinctly Django Reinhardt-like theme for Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris." But he disdains the term 'Gypsy Jazz', and woe betide anyone who says he's just following in Reinhardt's footsteps.
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Fatoumata Diawara Sings for Peace and the Emancipation...
This past weekend in New York, Host Marco Werman had the chance to speak with Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara, who had landed in the city from Mali's capital Bamako just three days earlier. Like most of her musical colleagues back home right now, music takes a backseat to the daily concerns of war.
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Iwan Fals: The Voice of Social Justice in Indonesia
Back in the 1960s, American musicians wrote songs of social justice. Today, Indonesian singer-songwriter Iwan Fals does the same.
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French Singer Nolwenn Leroy and her Celtic Roots
French singer Nolwenn Leroy made her US debut this week in New York. Leroy's is a name with Celtic roots. And that's the kind of music she plays on her first US album.
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World Kora Trio Shine at the Africolor Festival
The musical group, which was the highlight of the festival, gives a modern and funky vibe to traditional instruments.
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David Bowie Breaks Decade-Long Musical Silence
After a 10-year musical silence David Bowie is back. Early this morning he released a new single and video online. A new album is on its way in February. The news comes on the British singer's 66th birthday.
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Discovering South African Opera Singer Mthetho Maphoyi
South Africa's Mthetho Maphoyi discovered an opera CD left behind by his dad who had abandoned him. The chance to sing opera made him feel closer to his father. And it was while singing on a street corner that he was discovered.
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Welsh Band Pays Tribute to Samoa for Jumping the...
When Samoa jumped over the international dateline at the end of 2011, Howl Griff wrote a song about it. At the stroke of midnight of this year, a Samoa radio station played it, thus making the song "International Dateline" the first song played in 2013.
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Remembering Master Violinist M. S. Gopalakrishnan
M.S. Gopalakrishnan was a violinist whose intense study led him to develop new styles of playing the instrument in Indian classical music.
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Sorie Kondi: A Street Musician from Sierra Leone with an...
Marlon Bishop reports on a street musician from Sierra Leone who is cultivating an American audience with a little help from the Internet.
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Folk Singer Pete Seeger Remembers the Legacy and Death...
Until this past week, no one has been charged with the death of Chilean singer Victor Jara. The folk hero died during a military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet back in 1973. Marco Werman speaks to American folk singer Pete Seeger about the death and legacy of Victor Jara.
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The Shout Out Louds Record New Single on Ice Record
To help promote their new single "Blue Ice," Swedish indie rockers Shout Out Louds reached out to a Stockholm ad agency to create working records out of ice.
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Goth Service at St. Edward in Cambridge,UK, Featuring...
Anchor Lisa Mullins visits Cambridge, England, where she stumbles upon a bizarre and fascinating church service. It features Goths in leather bustiers and the music of Leonard Cohen.
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'Music Time in Africa' Founder Leo Sarkisian Retires
The man who founded Voice of America's "Music Time in Africa" program retired this past fall after 47 years on air at the age of 91.
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GlassDuo: Ethereal Glass Harp Music from Poland
The origins of the glass harp can be traced to Benjamin Franklin, who developed one of the early versions of this instrument before it fell out of fashion for about a hundred years. Today, two classically trained musicians from Poland are touring the world with a glass harp of their own. The couple performs under the name GlassDuo.
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Earworms: Tunes That Stick in Our Heads
How often does a tune intrude on your thoughts and plays and replays in never-ending loops? Scientists call these intrusive musical thoughts "ear worms."
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Boy Sopranos and Early Onset of Puberty
A new study finds that boys' voices are breaking at age 12, two years younger than in 1960. That's bad news for boy sopranos and the choirs they sing in.
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Music Picks of 2012
Anchor Marco Werman and producer April Peavey talk about their top music picks of 2012.
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The Strange and Startling World of Japanese Otaku
In Japan, obsessive collectors of comic books and anime have a name -- Otaku. Their lifelong devotion to their collections can result in some startling life changes in the fictional worlds they inhabit.
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Rescuing the Lost Sacred Songs of Georgia
For most of the 20th century, the country of Georgia was under Soviet rule. A lot of Russian traditions flowed across the border--sometimes influencing--sometimes replacing native Georgian traditions. Now, 20 years after Georgia became independent, religious communities want to unearth one of those lost traditions: sacred song.
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Justin Adams Guitarist for Juju and Founder of Mali's...
British guitarist Justin Adam and Gambian musician Juldeh Camara make up the Afro-beat duo Juju. Adams is also founder of Mali's Festival in the Desert. Adams' about the future of the festival and Juju's new album "In Trance."
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The World's DJ Picks: Favorite Recordings of 2012 Part II
We offer two more musical favorites from our DJs around the globe. We hear music from a trio in Norway and a singer from Mexico.
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Bachata: Two Generations Carry on Playing Music from...
A recent concert in New York City brought two generations of musicians together to pay homage to bachata, a style of music born in the Dominican countryside more than 50 years ago.
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Remembering Ravi Shankar, the 'Godfather of World Music'
For children of the multicultural age, the late Shankar was something of a father figure.
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The World's DJ Picks: Favorite Recordings of 2012 Part I
Three of our DJ's around the globe offer their favorite recordings from 2012. Monday's list includes a Syrian-American hip hop artist and a mirba player from Zimbabwe.
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Latvian Mezzo Soprano Elīna Garanča Returns to Met in...
Monday's Geo Quiz/Global Hit features mezzo soprano Elīna Garanča who's appearing on stage at the New York Metropolitan Opera in the role of Sesto in Mozart's The Clemency of Titus. Later this month Garanča returns to her hometown Riga to sing with the Latvian National Opera.
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K-Pop Beyond Gangnam Style
The "Gangnam Style" music video by South Korean musician PSY is now THE most watched online video ever. But what most viewers don't know is that "Gangnam Style" is just the tip of the iceberg in a massive government-backed effort to export Korean pop music, or K-pop, all over the globe.
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Iranian Musician Comes Out of Hiding for US, Canada Tour
Iranian musician Shahin Najafi has a price on his head. Iranian clearics also have a fatwa out on him. But none of this is stopping him from touring North America.
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Veracruz, Mexico Celebrates the 100th Birthday of Singer...
Antonia del Carmen Peregrino Alvarez was born into a family of musicians in the port city of Veracruz, on the Gulf Coast of Mexico.
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The Bee Gees get a Brazilian Makeover from Singer Ana...
Brazilian singer Ana Gazzola interprets the songs made famous by the Bee Gees on her latest album 'Musicas e Palavras dos Bee Gees.
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Japanese Composer Asuka Kakitani Committed to Jazz...
Jazz orchestras are rare creatures nowadays: it's hard to find the money or the venues to support them. But new jazz artists, such as Japanese composer Asuka Kakitani, are committed to the format, arguing that it offers a palette of sounds like no other.
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Pacifika's Silvana Kane: Songs of South America
Silvana Kane goes solo on her new album 'La Jardinera.' The Peruvian-born lead singer of the the band Pacifika reinterprets the songs from her youth.
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Dance Floor Politics in Tijuana with the Band Los...
Musicians in Tijuana are speaking out about violence, corruption and Mexico's incoming president. Valerie Hamilton talked to Tijuana's Los Macuanos about the political party on the dance floor.
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DJ Tom Schnabel Pays Tribute to Two Late African Artists
Tom Schnabel, from KCRW in Santa Monica, California, is our guest DJ today. He plays tracks from two African artists who died too soon. They are Zani Diabat and Sory Kandia Kouyat.
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Neba Solo: Mali's Balafon Master
The World's Marco Werman catches up with Mali's Neba Solo, a master of a kind of wooden marimba called the balafon.
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Singing the Song of the Nubian Diaspora
Many of the sons, daughters and grandchildren of the displaced Nubian generation are scattered around the world. Recently, some told their cultural story at a Nubian arts revival in the US.
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Hsn Şenlendirici: Turkish Clarinetist Crosses Musicial...
Clarinetist Hsn Şenlendirici is famous in his native Turkey for connecting different musical styles. Recently, he's been exploring the connection between Turkish and Arabic music.
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Elephant9: Progressive Jazz-Rock from Norway
Our DJ pick today comes courtesy of Marius Asp of NRK in Oslo, Norway. He tells us about the latest release from Norwegian jazz-rock band Elephant9. Their album is called "Atlantis."
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Electronic Pow Wow with 'A Tribe Called Red'
A Tribe Called Red is a Native American DJ collective and they host one of the hottest club nights in Ottawa. They mix electronic dubstep beats with traditional pow wow singing and drumming with a dose of politics.
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The Many Meanings of Chips Funga
'Chips Funga' is one of the most popular phrases in Kenya today.
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Spain's Serrat and Sabina: A Music Appreciation by Betto...
Betto Arcos tells us about two Spanish singers he's been a fan of for a long time: Joan Manuel Serrat and Juaquin Sabina. Their latest record together is called "La Orquesta del Titanic."
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Bluegrass in Pakistan
The American band Della Mae features five skilled musicians - all women - steeped in the bluegrass tradition. But will people in Pakistan get it? Anchor Aaron Schachter speaks to the band while they're on tour in Lahore.
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Ahmed Gallab's Sinkane: Searching for Sudanese Roots
Ahmed Gallab was born in Sudan and raised in the US. In his early 20s he gained a measure of indie-rock fame playing with groups such as Of Montreal and Yeasayer. But it's his solo project Sinkane that seems to be drawing him back to his African roots.
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Damon Albarn's Soundscape Gives the BBC Something to...
Its 90th birthday falls at an awkward time for the scandal-rocked BBC. But it is celebrating nonetheless, with an audio collage that harks back and peers forward, courtesy of musician Damon Albarn
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Kenya's Christine Kamau
Guest DJ Mannasseh Phiri tells us about an exciting new trumpet player from Kenya named Christine Kamau. Her debut album is called "This is For You."
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Sweden's 'Supergroup': The Amazing
The Swedish press has dubbed "The Amazing" a Swedish supergroup. Band members beg to differ, but they will say they're all good musicians and great friends, too. Anchor Marco Werman speaks to two members of the band, Christoffer Gunrup and Reine Fiske.
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Watching Georges Mlis' Films the Old-Fashioned Way
The heirs of French pioneer filmmaker Georges Melies are wrapping a US tour. They have been presenting Mlis' turn-of-the-20th century silent gems the way they were meant to be seen: in a theater, with lively narration and piano accompaniment. The World's Adeline Sire met with Mlis' descendants, Marie-Helene and Lawrence Leherissey.
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Afghan Rapper Soosan Firooz
Soosan Firooz is a female rapper in Afghanistan. Her life has been threatened by extremists, but she says she'll keep on making music. Anchor Aaron Schachter tells us more.
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Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto Play to a Traditional Cumbia...
Reporter Betto Arcos tells us about the "gaita", an indigenous wooden flute played along Colombia's Caribbean coast, and the popular band called Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto.
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Nelly Furtado's 'The Spirit Indestructible' Draws...
Canadian singer Nelly Furtado has a new album out called "The Spirit Indestructible." Furtado tells anchor Lisa Mullins that one of the songs on the album was inspired by the Arab Spring.
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Tuareg Band From Northern Mali Mourns Homeland
Mali has been split into two for the past few months, ever since rebels took over the northern part of the country. One casualty has been Mali's previously vibrant music scene. Reporter Mirissa Neff spoke with members of Terakaft, a band from Mali's north.
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Heavy Metal in Post-Mubarak Egypt
Heavy metal musicians and fans have it rough in Egypt. They've long been viewed with suspicion and skepticism by many Egyptians. Now Egypt's metal heads wonder where they stand in the new Egypt, as Noel King reports from Cairo.
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Electropop from Sweden's Niki and the Dove
Norwegian DJ Marius Asp spins a few tracks from the debut album by Niki and the Dove. The Stockholm-based group plays indietronica music.
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Fijian Band Rosiloa Keeps Culture Alive Through Music
Reporter Michael Rhee visited with the band, Rosiloa, on Fiji's main island. The band is achieving success using traditional rhythms and harmonies to talk about modern problems facing the island nation.
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Lulu Gainsbourg Wants to Step out of his Father's Shadow
Anchor Marco Werman speaks with Lulu Gainsbourg, the son of late legendary French crooner Serge Gainsbourg. Lulu has recorded an album of his father's best loved songs with a range of performers, from Rufus Wainwright to Scarlett Johansson.
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Big Hass Brings Hip Hop To Saudi Arabia
Marco Werman speaks with passionate radio host, Big Hass who has made it his mission to bring the "true" Hip Hop to Saudi Arabia.
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Angola's Waldemar Bastos and Classics of My Soul
Music contributor Tom Schnabel plays us some of his favorite tracks from the new album by Angola's Waldemar Bastos.
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Paul Weller's Dangerous Age
He's been called the 'Modfather.' Paul Weller's music catalogue dates back to the 1970s and the iconic English punk band The Jam.
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Remembering Dutch Actress Sylvia Kristel, Star of...
Dutch actress Sylvia Kristel, who shot to fame with the 1974 erotic French film "Emmanuelle," died of cancer in Amsterdam this week.
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Rumba-Rooted Band Staff Benda Bilili Wows Audience on...
Kenya's most economically important lake is known for its scenic beauty and wildlife. The World's Anders Kelto reports the lake is also part of a booming agricultural and fishing economy that's threatening to tilt the delicate ecological balance.
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#MyFirstConcert: Share Your Experience
We've heard from of you since producer Andrea Crossan admitted that the first concert she ever went to was the Canadian band Rush, and that she lied about it for years. Andrea and anchor Marco Werman share some of the many stories we've received.
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Rita Brings Persian Music to Israel
From Iranian refugee to Israeli pop sensation, Jahanforuz has brought Persian music to Israel and is winning fans along the way.
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Barcelona's Kitsch Crooners
In a working class bar in downtown Barcelona, each Saturday night, a mostly elderly audience gets transported back in time, to the glory days of the copla, and other forms of romantic Spanish popular music.
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Rush-Girl on Canadian Rock Band Rush
The Canadian rock band Rush may soon be enshrined into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The trio has been nominated and Rush fans are thrilled. Host Aaron Schachter speaks to die-hard Rush fan Beverly Wintjes also known as RushGirl. She's on her way to a Rush Convention being held in Toronto this weekend.
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Iranian Singer Sussan Deyhim Contributes to the Argo...
Iranian singer Sussan Deyhim contributed music to the new film "Argo." The film is set in Tehran during the US Embassy hostage crisis that followed the Iranian revolution. This is a time period that resonates with Sussan Deyhim even though she had left Iran a couple years prior.
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The Music of Pussy Riot
Anchor Marco Werman talks about the music of Pussy Riot, which he says got lost in all the talk about their activism.
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DJ Mannasseh Phiri Spins Tracks from the 'Say Africa'...
Mannasseh Phiri is our DJ in Zambia. Today, he plays some of his favorite tracks from the album "Say Africa" by South African musician Vusi Mahlasela.
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Abu Ghosh Festival Celebrates Vocal Music in Israel
In a region where religion often pulls people apart, it's refreshing to see Israelis musicians visit a Muslim village and perform in a Roman-era Catholic Church.
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Jarabe De Palo: Spanish Latin Rock Recycled
Jarabe De Palo is one of the most popular and enduring bands in Spain. On their latest album, "Orquesta Reciclando" or Recycling Orchestra, they've reworked some of their biggest Spanish hits.
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The AfroBeatles: John, Paul, George, Ringo and Fela
Friday marks the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' releasing their first single, "Love Me Do." So Thursday, we introduce you to the music of The AfroBeatles. It's a mash-up of Beatles tunes with Fela Kuti's afrobeat music.
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'The Seventh Chieftain": Celtic Superstar Carlos Nez
Celtic superstar Carlos Nez, from the region of Galicia in northeastern Spain, has been called "The Seventh Chieftain."
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Music and Stories of the Late-Brazilian Funk Master Tim...
Tim Maia was a Brazilian musician whose music was intertwined with personal stories of excess and controversy. He died in 1998 at the age of 55. Musician Roger Bruno performed with Tim Maia at a time when both were trying to establish their careers.
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British Singer And Song Writer Ben Howard
UK singer-song writer Ben Howard talks about and sings a tune from his debut CD "Every Kingdom."
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Gagaku, the Music of the Japanese Imperial Family
Gagaku is the oldest form of classical music in Japan. It thrived in Japanese imperial courts from the 700s. The tradition still survives but is rarely performed outside of Japan. But reporter Maria Bakkalapulo attended a performance in Scotland and tells us about it.
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'Avila': Latest Jazz Sound from Ska Innovator Ernest...
Anchor Marco Wermna talks about the latest jazzy sound coming from the Jamaican ska innovator Ernest Ranglin.
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Scottish Identity and Independence From Singer Julie...
Scottish Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis is taking part in a showcase of Scottish artists at this year's Ryder Cup. Fowlis speaks to Marco Werman about the importance of Scottish identity and culture as well as her music that was featured in the Disney Pixar film "Brave."
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Gypsy Brass Band Fanfare Ciocarlia Rollicks Through...
The Romanian brass band Fanfare Ciocarlia mixes Balkan music with jazz and movie themes and even a Steppenwolf song, and play it all with a fearsome velocity.
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Benefits to Help Refugees from Northern Mali
We highlight two musical efforts to help refugees fleeing violence in northern Mali. First, a concert in New York this weekend, dubbed "Musicians for Mali." Then, a new CD called "Songs For Desert Refugees."
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A Niece's Song Tribute to Her Aunt, the Late Eva Garza
Leticia Rodriguez's aunt was Eva Garza, a star singer in Mexico and one of the first Latina crossover artists back in the 1940s and 50s. Rodriguez wants to keep her aunt's legacy alive and her new album includes many of the songs first made famous by Eva Garza.
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Art-Pop Music from Norway's Susanne Sundfr
Music journalist Marius Asp from NRK in Oslo brings us his latest pick from the European music scene. Today, he spins tracks from Norway's Susanne Sundfr's new album "The Silicone Veil."
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Female Rappers in Haiti Find Their Voice
Rap kreyol has exploded in Haiti in recent years. Rap was largely introduced and popularized in Haiti by the most famous Haitian-American, Wyclef Jean, about a decade ago. Rappers are now all over Port-au-Prince, and its supporters say it's the voice of the poor and marginalized. But that voice is almost never female.
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Elikeh: Afropop Band Raises Awareness for Togo
Togo native Massama Dogo wants his band Elikeh to make you dance and think. He's from a country with few natural resources, but plenty of poverty and repression.
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From TV Theme Song to All-Spanish Album, Guatemala's...
Gaby Moreno is a singer-songwriter from Guatemala now living in Los Angeles. Her previous albums have all been in English, but she's now released her first album in Spanish. It's called Postales. Reporter Betto Arcos tells anchor Marco Werman which songs he likes best on the new album.
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Portuguese Band Buraka Som Sistema Revives Kuduro
Buraka Som Sistema has been creating a unique take on Angolan kuduro music. The group's sound initially struck a chord with Lisbon's young clubgoers, and ever since they've been heating up dance floors around the globe.
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Brazilian Musicians in New York, Yesterday and Today
Marco Werman tells us how two Brazilians view New York City through their music. There is Luiz Bonf offering his view in a song from 1959 and now, in 2012, we have Mauricio Pessoa with his new album Habitat.
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Swiss Harpist and Norwegian Pop Star Go Baroque
A musical collaboration between a Swiss harpist and a Norwegian pop star results in a baroque-sounding album of songs by Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake and others. Guest DJ Tom Schnabel tells more.
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Musicians Tour the UK on the African Express Train
More than 80 African and Western musicians are on board the Africa Express. They're on a unique train journey travelling around the UK and making music as they go.
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Nairobi Singer Makadem's Get Out the Vote Effort in Kenya
Kenyan singer Makadem gained international fame with his song "Obama Be Thy Name," in support of Barack Obama's presidential run in 2008. Four years later, the singer is focused on getting out the youth vote for Kenya's own presidential elections next year.
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Mexican Rapper Tells His Side of Mexico's Drug War
MC Enfermo is a rapper from Sinaloa, the home state of one of Mexico's fiercest drug cartels. He raps about the drug culture, and why it's bad for young people in his community.
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Wapapura: A Solar-Powered Recording Session in Spain
The open air recording project called Wapapura, is the brain child of French musician Rafa Kotcherha.
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London Band LV and South African Okmalumkoolkat Release...
LV, a London-based band, takes East London grime and shakes up the local rhythm of kwaito in the process.
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Jovanotti Brings Italian-Style Hip-Hop to US
Jovanotti says he is moving to New York this fall and will be touring in October.
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Fan Releases Nosferatu D2's Album Again, Ignites Cult...
Nosfeartu D2 was virtually a nameless band when it broke up in 2007, but developed a cult following on the release of its debut album two years later by one diehard fan.
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Zimbabwean Artist Hope Masike Revives the Traditional...
Hope Masike says it hurts her to see the traditional African thumb piano being tied down to obsessions with tradition or colonial mentalities that label it as pagan or unchristian.
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The Many Voices of Jacob Collier
The World's Alex Gallafent looks at the online sensation Jacob Collier, a young Englishman who loves to sing and arrange. Collier has created an online hit with his version of Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely?"
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Musical Genre of Dub According to British Producer...
Adrian Sherwood is known for pushing the boundaries in the genre of music knowns as dub. The London-based producer pushes them even further on his new album Survival and Resistance.
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Music in Northern Mali is Silenced by Islamist Extremists
Extremists in the occupying north of Mali have banned secular music on radio stations. Marco speaks to music journalist Rose Skelton who recently visited Mali and spoke to musicians there.
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Doreen Kutzke Yodels Her Way Into Berlin Clubs
Yodeling is an art form generally associated with the Swiss Alps. But it has proved a versatile inspirations for one Berlin-based artist. E. Okobi reports.
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Alex Anwandter: Chilean Singer and Spokesman for Gay...
Chilean singer Alex Anwandter is part of an emerging electro-pop scene in his home city of Santiago.
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Afrobeat from Antibalas: Lead Singer Amayo Channels Fela...
The New York Afrobeat band Antibalas have just come out with their latest release. And it's chock-a-block with the spirit and sound of Fela Kuti.
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Musicians Gather for the 11th Annual Son Jarocho...
Betto Arcos gives us a preview of some of the bands to performing at this year's Son Jarocho Festival taking place this weekend in Los Angeles.
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Malaysian YouTube Sensation Zee Avi
With two albums out, and a third in the works, Avi gives the YouTube generation of musicians something to aspire to.
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Debo Band Grooves to Ethiopian Jazz of the 70s
Debo Band is an 11-piece ensemble rooted in 1970s music from Ethiopia.
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Maga Bo Explores Afro-Brazilian Roots in Rio de Janeiro
Maga Bo is a music producer based in Rio de Janeiro. He tells us about a couple tracks from his new album Quilombo Do Futuro.
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New Rules for Dublin Buskers
Buskers or street musicians have to follow a new set of rules if they want to play on the streets of Dublin, Ireland. The city requires that anyone busking has to be able to play at least 20 songs and they can't monopolize the same corner.
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Exiled Iranian Musician Mohsen Namjoo
Musician Mohsen Namjoo has been called the "Bob Dylan" of Iran. He's currently in exile in East Oakland, after his music caught the ire of Tehran.
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Daniela Nardi's 'Espresso Manifesto and the Songs of...
The Italian-Canadian singer's new album, Espresso Manifesto, consists of the songs of legendary Italian singer, Paolo Conte.
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Remembering Mexican Singer Chavela Vargas
We remember legendary Mexican ranchera singer Chavela Vargas who died yesterday at the age of 93.
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African Funk
Music reviewer Tom Schnabel tells us about two recent CDs of African funk. BLO is a reissue of 1970s music from Nigeria, while the band KonKoma has its roots in Ghana.
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Hafez Modirzadeh
New music by Iranian-American jazz saxophonist Hafez Modirzadeh is the result of a decades-long effort to find ways of combining Persian and Western musical scales. Reporter Bruce Wallace tells us more.
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Tom Pang Plays Bluegrass with a Mongolian Twist
The World's Mary Kay Magistad profiles a Mongolian musician who is bringing new sounds to Shanghai by playing the mandolin with American bluegrass players.
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Ondatropica Bring New Approaches to Colombian Music
Colombian bandleader Mario Galeano teams ups with English producer Will Holland to come up with a modern sound of traditional Colombian music. They mix cumbia and boogaloo with rap, electronica and Middle Eastern sounds.
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Ondatropica Bring New Approaches to Colombian Music
Colombian bandleader Mario Galeano teams ups with English producer Will Holland to come up with a modern sound of traditional Colombian music. They mix cumbia and boogaloo with rap, electronica and Middle Eastern sounds.
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Bibi Tanga: Son of a Diplomat Grooves with The Selenites
Bouncy, electro-swing from France caught the ear of KCRW's Tom Schnabel recently. The band is Caravan Palace and their new album is called Panic.
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Caravan Palace: Electro-Swing from France
Bouncy, electro-swing from France caught the ear of KCRW's Tom Schnabel recently. The band is Caravan Palace and their new album is called Panic.
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Spanish Indie Bands Suffer with Economic Downturn
Spain's worsening economy is putting a pinch on Spanish indie rock bands and many bands are struggling to make ends meet.
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Cuban Pianist Alfredo Rodriguez
Alfredo Rodriguez was a relatively unknown jazz pianist when legendary producer Quincy Jones met him at a gig in Switzerland. A month later Rodriguez got a call from Quincy Jones productions, offering to produce an album. Reporter Betto Arcos tells the story.
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The Tallest Man on Earth: Swedish Musician Kristian...
Kristian Matsson is The Tallest Man on Earth. Not literally the tallest man, but that's what this Swedish musician calls himself.
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'Searching for Sugarman': Sixto Rodriguez's Obscure to...
A new documentary traces Rodriguez's fascinating journey from being a forgotten star to an anti-Apartheid icon.
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Ringmasters: A Swedish Barbershop Quartet
The latest winner of a Barbershop quartet competition is Swedish. The quartet are the first champions from outside North America. They won the competition earlier this month.
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Spoek Mathambo's 'Father Creeper'
Mathambo takes Western hip-hop and mixes it with the local electronic dance music scenes of South Africa to make his latest album.
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'The Cherry Thing': Sweden's Neneh Cherry and The Thing
Swedish singer Neneh Cherry and Swedish jazz trio The Thing collaborate on a new album called The Cherry Thing.
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The Nizami Bandhu: A Family Devoted to Qawwali
The Nizami Bandhu, who sing Sufi music as a form of worship, have been passing the music down to younger generations.
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Remembering 'The King of Afghan Music' Ahmad Zahir
Afghanistan's psychedelic folk master died in 1979, but ask anyone in Kabul today about him, and it's like referring to Elvis.
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'Wake Up Madagascar': A Music Tour to Fight Deforestation
An group of musicians from Madagascar are set to tour America to alert people about the deforestation on their island.
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'Mission to Lars': An Austistic Man's Journey to Meet...
Tom Spicer had a long dream of meeting Lars and his siblings set out to make that dream come true and made a documentary about it.
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Russia's Drug Czar Blames Beatles for Drug Problem
Russia's chief medical officer recently blamed his country's rampant drug addiction problem on The Beatles.
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Riccardo Crespo: Brazilian Music with New Orleans Flavors
Riccardo Crespo grew up in southern Brazil, and has lived in New Orleans for 13 years. His music is calm mix of the two cultures.
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Atomic Particles and Teeny Bikinis
Today's global hit is in honor of the bikini's anniversary.
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La Yegros Brings Sensuality to Argentine Music Scene
A unique fusion of glitchy, experimental electronic music and South American folk rhythms is filling dance floors across Europe and the US.
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Singer 'Mexican Institute of Sound' Brings Politically...
The album is Lara's caustic commentary on what the country has become during the past six years of drug violence.
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'White Album': A Collection of Russian Protest Songs
The album, brainchild of Vasily Shumov and Artemy Troitsky, contains more than 200 songs.
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