Browse by Label: WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)

Artist:	EL TANBURA
Title:	Between The Desert And The Sea
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 450002CD

"El Tanbura is a collective of veteran Egyptian master musicians, singers, fishermen and philosophers. They hail from Port Said, the gateway to the Suez Canal and the world beyond. Like their hometown, El Tanbura boast influences from East and West (and North and South): Gallibiya, Levis and Gucci sunglasses, Fez and Nike caps jostle for prominence. Their music is driven by the seductive call of the simsimiyya -- an ancient lyre dating back to the Pharaohs, revered both for its mesmerizing properties and occult origins in ancient exorcism rituals. Founded in 1989, El Tanbura perform to enthusiastic audiences across Egypt and have made numerous international festival appearances in Jordan, Tanzania, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Canada and the UK. Their first album was released with the Paris-based Institute du Monde Arabe, and they have also collaborated with One Giant Leap on the forthcoming film 2sides2everything."

Artist:	ATLAS & THE MAZEEKA ENSEMBLE, NATACHA
Title:	Ana Hina
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 450005CD

"Ana Hina is the exciting, brand new direction for Middle Eastern music icon and singing sensation Natacha Atlas. Her debut acoustic project (and first album for the World Village label), finds Natacha exploring a more traditional roots world, again infusing Oriental and Western music, but looking to the past to uncover a rich history of musical collaboration. Working with top British musical director and arranger Harvey Brough, the band features outstanding musicians from around the globe and from different musical backgrounds: Clara Sanabras (Barcelona) oud and voice; Natacha's cousin Alyel Minyawi (London via Cairo) percussion; Andy Hamill (Scotland) double bass; the great Gamil Awad (a star in Egypt who played on some of this repertoire the first time around) on accordion, soloing in the Nubian style; with Arabic soloists embellishing the tight harmonies of a Western string section, this performance spans the centuries and crosses continents from the West to the East and back again. In the specially created arrangements, locked in the embrace of this exciting band, Atlas' voice is heard as never before, a priceless jewel in a rich and eclectic setting."

Artist:	SONAME
Title:	Plateau
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 450006

"Soname's fascinating autobiography Child In Tibet (Piatkus Books, 2007), has sold over 100,000 copies world wide. This book tells the remarkable story of her triumph over adversity, told against the backdrop of a turbulent and dangerous Tibet. Soname was born in the harsh Tibetan countryside during the Chinese occupation. When she was just sixteen, Soname risked death in a freedom trek across the Himalayas, finally arriving in Dharamsala, home in exile of the Dalai Lama. Soname later managed to reach England, where she met and married an Englishman. Her hidden talent was discovered when she sang a traditional Tibetan song at a wedding reception, unaware that a member of a famous band was a guest. Today, Soname has rapidly progressing career and an international touring schedule. Plateau, was recorded in London and Kolkata and features UK and Indian musicians including tabla maestro Tanmoy Bose. The producer is Dave M. Allen who has worked with The Cure and Depeche Mode. Soname composed all the material and sings in Tibetan throughout, her vocals evocative of the mountains and culture she has left so far behind. Tibet's struggles remain a powerful issue throughout much of the world yet Tibetan culture remains distant and mysterious to most. The emergence of such a forceful, talented and appealing singer as Soname is set to change that."

Artist:	ERRAJI, HASSAN
Title:	Awal Mara
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 450007

Moroccan master musician "Hassan Erraji's stunning World Village album Awal Mara is a comeback disc of pure excellence. It is sure to re-ignite his army of dedicated admirers around the world as well as recruit new legions of music aficionados about to experience the aural delights and charm of his creations for the first time. The album is packed full of compelling new songs fashioned from Erraji's immense classical musical knowledge, absorbed into a contemporary music sensibility which has most certainly been given a veritable Yorkshire twist by the highly esteemed personnel involved with the project. Meticulously recorded by the widely respected producer Dave Creffield whose exhaustive list of credits include Kaiser Chiefs and Embrace, the album was actually recorded at the Leeds studio owned by one of the Kaiser Chiefs themselves. The recordings then remained in Yorkshire to be mixed and mastered in Leeds by another highly regarded producer, Carl Rosamond, who has worked with many seminal Leeds bands such as Cud and The Wedding Present. Add to the Erraji recipe an exciting new dynamic young band including the extravagantly gifted rhythm team of Kenny Higgins and Ben Stevens and all the ingredients are there to once again establish Hassan as one of the most important, charismatic, fascinating and influential artists on the world music stage today."

Artist:	AKHTAR & GARY LUCAS, NAJMA
Title:	Rishte
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 450008

"Najma Akhtar born in the UK, is an English singer of South Asian ancestry. Her unique and distinctive styles ranges from fusions of jazz with Indian ghazals and bhajans (love songs and spiritual songs), Indian semi-classical vocals and the occasional Bollywood hit. Gary Lucas is an American guitarist, a Grammy-nominated songwriter, and an international recording artist with over a dozen solo albums to date as well as a soundtrack composer for film and television. He has been described as 'one of the best and most original guitarists in America,' a 'legendary leftfield guitarist,' and one of 'the most innovative and challenging guitarists playing today.'"

Artist:	DHOAD GYPSIES OF RAJASTHAN
Title:	Roots Travellers
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD/DVD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 450014

"Having performed over 600 hundred concerts in 40 countries worldwide over the last six years, the Dhoad Gypsies are the undisputed cultural ambassadors of Rajasthan. The group is a collective of consummate musicians and vocalists, both young and old, wise and spirited, and their music is enjoyed the world over for its emotive and rousing style and its unparalleled rhythmic complexity and speed. Their heritage reaches back seven generations through a rich and celebrated musical legacy. They perform a diverse repertoire of traditional Rajasthani folk music and semi classical North Indian compositions on tabla, harmonium, dholak and castanets. Dhoad Gypsies' new album Roots Travellers manages not only to capture the effervescent spirit of the group, but also bring centuries of tradition into the present." Bonus all region short film DVD; running time: 30 minutes.

Artist:	SINGH & NILADRI KUMAR, TALVIN
Title:	Together
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 450016

"Talvin Singh is known for his groundbreaking tablatronic style combining Indian traditions and modern European aesthetics. His groundbreaking 1996 compilation Anokha -- Sounds of the Asian Underground was followed by the Mercury Prize winning OK (recently re-released as part of Island's 50th anniversary celebrations). Since then, Talvin has worked and collaborated with and for a vast variety of artists from all parts of the world. Niladri Kumar, a fifth generation sitar player, has an equally fresh, experimental approach to his instrument and is recognized as one of the finest players and most open minded musicians of his generation. Coming together for their first time in 2009, Singh and Kumar combine their deep-rooted Indian classical training with a modern, contemporary perspective to create an altogether extraordinary sound."

Artist:	VA
Title:	Festival In The Desert
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	DVD
Price:	$26.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 458020DVD

2004 release. "Only a lucky few can say they were there -- but now, thanks to World Village, the rest of us can watch the DVD and experience the next best thing. Lionel Brouet directed this fascinating and atmospheric documentary about the now legendary 2003 Festival in the Desert in Essakane, Mali. Rich with live performance footage and artist interviews, Brouet's film is like a magical journey to a concert -- in the middle of the Sahara desert. Sit back and enjoy performances by top stars of African music, as well as Western pop legends such as Robert Plant. The combination of the DVD and World Village's bestselling CD make an ideal record of an important and thoroughly unique event. Bonus features include musical performances only available on the DVD, a photo gallery and an interview with festival promoter Issa Dicko discussing the Tuareg people and their life in the Sahara. In French with English subtitles / Color & B&W / Letterbox 4/3, NTSC / All regions / 52 min. + 12 min. bonus feature)."

Artist:	TINARIWEN
Title:	Live In London
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	DVD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 458086DVD

"Toureg desert rockers Tinariwen look set to consolidate their position as the world's favorite African band with the release of their first DVD, Live In London. The DVD features twelve songs filmed at the Shepherd's Bush Empire, London, December 2007. The soundtrack was mixed and supervised by Justin Adams, producer of Tinariwen's recent album Aman Iman, and regular guitarist with Robert Plant. Some of the Saharan guitar rebels' most popular songs appear on the DVD, including 'Chet Boghassa,' 'Cler Achel,' 'Amassakoul 'n' Tenere' and 'Matadjem Yinmixan.' The DVD also includes exclusive extras including an intimate 50-minute campfire interview with the band's founder, Ibrahim, tips on how to tie a 'shesh' (Toureg turban) as well as a mini documentary on Tinariwen." NTSC format; Region 0. Feature length: 1 hour, 8 minutes.

Artist:	TINARIWEN
Title:	The Radio Tisdas Sessions
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468010

2002 release. "Out of the desert comes Tinariwen, a band of nomads with electric guitars. The Kel Tamashek, as the Touareg refer to themselves, fiercely resisted the French and the Malian government. The Tinariwen sound emerged when members were in exile in Libya listening to Bob Marley and John Lennon. They decided to apply their traditional music to the electric guitar and became the musical mouthpiece of the Touareg independence movement. Reminiscent of Ali Farke Tour�, this raw desert recording was produced by France's global troubadours Lo'Jo and guitarist Justin Adams (of Jah Wobble & Sinead O' Connor fame)."

Artist:	VA
Title:	Festival In The Desert
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468020

2003 release. "Imagine a musical celebration so remote it can only be reached by camelback or 4x4. Then add to that picture days filled with camel racing, impromptu jam sessions under traditional leather tents -- and a modern stage full of electric guitars. You start to get a picture of what it must be like to attend the annual Festival in the Desert -- a unique celebration of the music and culture of the Tuareg people (and one of the most remote music festivals on the globe). The Festival in the Desert also welcomes artists from other parts of Mali, Africa and the world. In January 2003, a diverse group of world-famous musicians (and adventurous music lovers) trekked to Essakane, Mali -- deep in the Sahara -- to perform and attend the third-annual Festival in the Desert. World Village's CD from this amazing event features tracks by Ali Farka Tour�, Oumou Sangar�, Lo'Jo, Tinariwen and Robert Plant. The Led Zeppelin singer performs 'Win My Train Fare Home' with guitarist and World Village recording artist Justin Adams. The festival and its amazing music have already been featured on NPR's All Things Considered, Rolling Stone and in major US newspapers. The San Francisco Chronicle called the 2003 festival, 'the only event on Earth where top-name Western musicians (like Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin) perform on the same stage as nomadic groups with guitars, where Muslim government leaders and devout adherents of Islam sit in the same audience as jeans-wearing men with tattoos, and where camels and donkeys are as common a sight as people.'"

Artist:	TINARIWEN
Title:	Amassakoul
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468026

2004 release. "Music and poetry often cross paths with war. For the Tuaregs, poetry has long been a symbolic expression of the pain and suffering of war, just as their sword dances are a choreographic representations of real battles. With camel culture close to extinction and the Malian peace accords of 1992 providing only token relief from years of conflict, the songs of Tinariwen mourn the passing of the golden age of the Saharan tribes, while endeavoring to map out a future for the generations who must survive beyond it and live in the modern world. Before Tinariwen, the idea of a group didn't even exist in the southern Sahara. There were only impromptu bands who would get together for the usual joyous gatherings in camps or oases. Seeing their potential, Tuareg political figure Iyad Ag Ghali financed the acquisition of guitars and amps for the group, and in turn used some of their songs as propaganda tools during the rebellion of the 1990s. Tinariwen's first CD for World Village, The Radio Tisdas Sessions, was recorded with the help of solar energy in the studios of Radio Tisdas, the Tuareg station of Kidal. Acclaim for the album rocketed the group to the top ranks of African bands and the top 10 lists of some of the world's most respected critics. Even though the music of Tinariwen's new CD, Amassakoul, was recorded in a modern studio, their bewitching rhythms and passionate words lose none of their power. Tinariwen's lyrics all possess that texture of something crucial, essential and honest. They are all the fruit of distress and of a hope greater than the person who expresses it, the hope of an entire community that it might once again discover its true values."

Artist:	DIABATE, MAMADOU
Title:	Behmanka
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468039

2005 release. "Anyone who hears the performances on this CD will understand right away that Mamadou Diabat� is a master of his instrument, the 21-string Mande harp of West Africa, the kora. As the name indicates, the Diabat�s are griots -- or jeliw -- performers with an ancestral duty to preserve memory of the past through music, song and oratory. As a boy, Mamadou used to accompany his blind grandfather, Seydou Diabat�, as he visited various jatigui (nobles) around Kita and played for them on his ngoni. Seydou was especially fond of playing the song 'Alfa Yaya Jalloh,' composed for the great Fulani king in the Fouta Djalon, in present day Senegal and Guinea. Within the words to that song were lines sung in a very old form of the Mandinka language called Behmanka. Mamadou says, 'Behmanka means people who do good things for society, people who worked hard in their lives so that people were proud of them. This is a word the Mandinka people like to use a lot.' In choosing Behmanka as the name for his solo album, Mamadou honors his personal and artistic ancestry, as a jeli must. But make no mistake: Mamadou is a forward-looking, innovative player, and the versions of traditional songs here are absolutely unique to him. Mamadou has his stylistic preferences. He favors the silaba tuning, essentially a major tuning, as opposed to some of the modal tunings also used by kora players. He also plays in the key of D major, highly unusual for kora players today, who almost always perform in F-major and its related modes. Above all, Mamadou infuses these performances with his unparalleled technique, and with all the ideas and influences he's absorbed in his adventurous, musically rich life."

Artist:	SHAJARIAN, MOHAMMAD REZA
Title:	Bidad
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468043

2005 release. "Bidad is the first release in a new series of reissues featuring classic recordings by Mohammad Reza Shajarian -- the most popular and highly revered singer in Persian music today. Bidad, literally translated, means 'injustice.' It is also the name of the gusheh (fragmentary musical building blocks) upon which this recording is based. This groundbreaking recording from 1984 was a turning point in the musical direction of Iran's art music. During the turbulent years immediately before and after the revolution of 1979, the younger generation of musicians devoted much of their work to being a voice for the people, calling for and then celebrating social and political change. This brought new life to an art form that had a reputation as stale music from an older generation. But it also gave birth to a more anthem-like style that lacked depth. Bidad was one of the first albums to successfully bridge the gap between tradition and modernity, proving that Iranian art music could simultaneously maintain its integrity and remain socially and politically relevant. In support of Shajarian's glorious voice, Bidad features an extraordinary ensemble of musicians performing exquisite compositions by Parviz Meshkatian."

Artist:	KOITE & BAMADA, HABIB
Title:	Muso Ko
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468055

"Habib Koit�, Mali's maverick singer/songwriter, has earned a worldwide reputation thanks to his critically acclaimed second album, Ma Ya. But it was his first release, Muso Ko, that made him an instant star back home in Mali, and it contains some of his best and most enduring compositions to date. 'Cigarette Abana,' still a mainstay of Koit�'s live show, has become an anti-smoking anthem these days, but it began in a humble, after hours jam session when Koit� was making fun out of the fact that the musicians had run out of smokes. Muso Ko raised Koit� and his group, Bamada, from the status of respected Bamako bar band to national headliners with a budding global career. The album draws upon Koit�'s many years of songwriting and delivers one crowd-pleaser after another."

Artist:	TOURE, VIEUX FARKA
Title:	Vieux Farka Toure
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468065

"Vieux Farka Tour�'s self-titled debut album was recorded in Bamako, Mali, at Studio Bogalan and produced under the direction of Eric Herman and the guidance of Toumani Diabat�, along with award-winning engineer Yves Wernert. Graced by guest turns from Toumani Diabat� (on 'Toure De Niafunk�' and 'Diabat�') and Ali Farka Tour� (on 'Tabara' and 'Diallo'), the line-up also features other veteran players such as Bassekou Kouyat� (ngoni), Seckou Tour� (vocals), and Hassey Sarre (njarka). Younger stars sit in as well, including Mamadou Kon� (tama), Adama Diarra (djemb�), and Issa Bamba, whose powerful yet agile voice has often been compared to that of Salif Keita. Like his father before him, Vieux seems to envision each tune in overview while eschewing virtuosity for its own sake, inexorably constructing one cumulative yet fiery, melodic trajectory after another. The term 'African blues' is only partly accurate, although the parallel Malian and American tributaries almost certainly sprang from a common source. But whether originating from near or far, depending on where the listener stands, the two traditions share a dusty, sun-struck, languid elegance that remains profoundly redolent of the Motherland. Thus, adventurous fans of celebrated Mississippi Delta stylists like John Lee Hooker will find themselves transported, too."

Artist:	TINARIWEN
Title:	Aman Iman: Water Is Life
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468067

"Tinariwen's songs, with rutted five-tone scales and wreathed in handclaps, are propelled by icy-hot guitars over sinuous French and Tamashek vocals. The material sometimes contains recollections of other Malian luminaries, such as Amadou and Mariam, Habib Koit�, Oumou Sangare, and the late Ali Farka Toure, plus New World descendants like Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, and untold generations of Delta bluesmen. Their lyrics speak of drought and displacement, deceased heroes, and assouf, which, like Brazilian saudade, can mean longing, nostalgia, and love of home, but also a desert-dweller's bone-deep craving for open wilderness and solitude. Aman Iman, their third CD for World Village, was produced by British bluesman and label-mate Justin Adams and recorded at Bogolan studios in Bamako, Mali. The album's fifteen tracks celebrate their heritage in all its trance-inducing, hip-shaking, majesty, mystery, and magic. The third track, 'Matadjem Yinmixan' ('Why All This Hate Between You?'), harbors tantalizing echoes of European troubadour music, which after all evolved from some of the same ancient Muslim sources. On 'Ahimana' ('Oh My Soul'), original founding member Mohammed Ag Itlale interprets a style more usually performed by women, paradoxically with no loss of masculinity. Throughout, rangy, cloaked pickers are flanked by a female chorus whose hand drums are spiked by sharp, off-center clapping, shrill ululation, and fervent responses to the men's singing. Together, they goad one another to heights of fervent experimentation while basking amid hallowed folkways."

Artist:	SAIRAM, ARUNA
Title:	Divine Inspiration
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468074

"Making her World Village debut, Indian sensation Aruna Sairam offers us a chance to discover the Carnatic music of South India, until recently overshadowed by Northern India's better known tradition of Hindustani classical music. Deeply rooted in the region's temple culture with its emphasis on devotional song, Carnatic music stretches back to ancient times and is organized around the system of melodic 'ragam' and rhythmic 'talam' (equivalent to the ragas and talas of Hindustani music). During a performance, much of the excitement lies in how a virtuoso soloist puts these organizing principles to their most stunning use. On this extraordinary album, Sairam unites poetry, language, and music from across centuries and from across India itself. These nine songs vary in structure, pace and mood, while the nine poets belong to different periods and speak many tongues. But they are as one in denouncing the distinctions of caste, creed, gender, and sectarianism. At the center of a line-up comprising violin, tampura, hand cymbals and a variety of hand drums, reigns Sairam, whose rich and concentrated voice is a pure pleasure to listen to."

Artist:	ADAMS/JULDEH CAMARA, JUSTIN
Title:	Soul Science
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468076

"With fat, buzzing bass lines, no-holds-barred guitar licks, playful yet virile rhythms, searing fiddle riffs, pounding, viscerally percussive ground-swells and vocals that feel as old as the ages yet fresh as the dawn, Soul Science is less of a cross-cultural collaboration than an arresting, endlessly fascinating dispatch from a new nation entirely. The tracks evoke a garage band from a place where automobiles are completely irrelevant because whenever the inhabitants decide to travel, they are already there. Transitioning and overlapping amongst blues from several continents, American rock 'n' roll of sock-hop vintage, shadowy respites amid the heat mirages of a Sahel afternoon and desert evenings when the moon seems well within reach, Justin Adams (electric and acoustic guitars, Tamashek lute, percussion, banjo, vocals) and Juldeh Camara (lead vocals, one-string fiddle, West African banjo, percussion) along with their inspired back-up team of Salah Dawson Miller (percussion) and Billy Fuller (bass), have achieved a white-hot synthesis instigated by centuries of history refracted through the kaleidoscope that is the information age."

Artist:	KALHOR AND BROOKLYN RIDER, KAYHAN
Title:	Silent City
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468078CD

"Iranian kamancheh (spike fiddle) virtuoso and composer Kayhan Kalhor first encountered the string quartet Brooklyn Rider while participating in Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project. Silent City was born of a growing friendship between Kalhor and the group. Reinterpreting classical and folkloric sources in a freewheeling, impassioned manner was already second nature for all concerned but, invigorated by shared connections between their respective traditions, the five musicians, along with Jeffrey Beecher (bass) and Mark Suter (percussion), found themselves communicating on a fresh and thrilling new wavelength. All four works on this recording were composed by the participants. The album opens with the Icarus-like, Zoroastrian imagery of 'Ascending Bird' -- a feverish, searing take on a tale ancient beyond recall that remains perpetually relevant. Although 'Silent City' was written to commemorate the Kurdish village of Hallabja in Iraqi Kurdistan, Kalhor dedicated the piece to cities throughout history 'destroyed by humanity, war, and natural disaster.' 'Parvaz,' another variant of the 'soaring bird' image, features a setar (a 4-string Iranian lute with movable frets) that, along with the bowed instruments, depicts frantically beating wings striving toward the light. On the final selection, the transcendent romance of 'Beloved, Do Not Let Me Be Discouraged' inspires the participants to reach deep inside as many and one, rising to an ecstatic culmination of shared passion and imagination."

Artist:	CULTURE MUSICAL CLUB
Title:	Shime!
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468080

"Culture Musical Club began life as part of the youth organization of the Afro Shirazi Party during Zanzibar's struggle for independence back in 1956. Today, Culture Musical Club is not only the largest, but also one of the most prolific and successful orchestras of Zanzibar as they present taarab music. In addition to innumerable performances in Stone Town, villages of Zanzibar and on Tanzania mainland, this group has toured internationally with outstanding success and has won over audiences in France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, the Arab Emirates and Reunion. They perform new compositions on a regular basis and have developed a distinct and uniquely Swahili style. Their CD releases have made the name Culture Musical Club known to audiences throughout the world, so much so that rehearsals in their clubhouse have become somewhat of a tourist attraction. This, however, does not interfere with the first and foremost aim of their social gathering -- namely to enjoy music and 'to be moved' by it, as the original meaning of the word 'taarab' implies."

Artist:	DIABATE, MAMADOU
Title:	Douga Mansa
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468082

"With the release of Douga Mansa ('The King's Vulture'), his third album for World Village, Mamadou Diabate further consolidates his already awe-inspiring reputation as a kora virtuoso. In Diabate's hands, the kora proves capable of infinite variation, encompassing delicately articulated structures, swirling eddies of glissandi, pounding, vertical rhythms and roaring cataracts of arpeggio. On 'Toutou Diarra,' the opening track, an astounding range of simultaneous yet syncopated melodies and rhythms join and separate. It seems impossible that such complex clarity could possibly be the work of a solo musician -- with no overdubbing whatsoever -- but so it is. The title tune, with its serene, wave-like themes, refers to patience and life and death recurring in cycles, each leading into and becoming the other. These and other glorious tracks engage the imagination and ravish the senses. Every note is informed by the sure touch and blazing invention of a world-class master."

Artist:	TERAKAFT
Title:	Akh Issudar
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468084

"Malian group Terakaft's second album, Akh Issudar (the title refers to an old Touareg proverb - 'Aman iman, akh issudar' -- 'Water is life, milk is survival'), sweeps onto the U.S. scene like a searing sirocco fresh off the Sahara. Their keening, scratchy singing veers off onto curvy, Islamic-flavored tangents and passages of 'talking blues,' discursive chanting, and raucous call-and-response, punctuated by wailing, cries, ululations and even an underlying, buzzing drone. Note how the chorus matches the sinuous lead vocal note-for-note on 'Islegh Teghram.' But the multi-layered guitars crown all, with their rich, round, sensually tinny chords and lead riffs, inexorable, multi-layered and impulsive. They evoke the Mississippi Delta at high noon, T. Rex and the early Stones, garage bands without number, and even the late, great Ali Farka Tour�, but with ornate, back-leaning rhythms that stride, limp, twirl and spring ahead at the speed of light. The closing instrumental interplay on 'Amdagh' is mind-boggling, but only one of many such highlights. Wielding their guitars like icy-hot torches of change and enlightenment, these indigo-swathed musicians, masked to their hawk-like eyes, have fashioned a potent, blues-like sound that makes the hips itchy -- it's impossible to stand still around this music!"

Artist:	OREKA TX
Title:	N�madak Tx
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468085

"In the early part of the new millennium, a pair of intrepid musicians who call themselves Oreka Tx (from the Basque word for 'balance' and the initial letters of their chosen medium), took their txalaparta, a locally beloved but otherwise little-known instrument, and traveled to India, Lapland, Mongolia, and the Sahara in search of fresh collaborations, adventures and ideas. The result was an astounding documentary called N�madak Tx ('Nomadic Txalaparta') which won multiple awards at international film festivals and is coming soon to theaters worldwide. The new album, N�madak Tx, offers a wealth of newly arranged material inspired by the film, and makes an ideal companion to it. The txalaparta (pronounced roughly 'tchala-parta'), although nearly extinct as recently as the 1950s, is inextricably tied to Basque culture and is now enjoying a renaissance. It is a member of the idiophone family and consists of wooden planks supported by insulated stands. It is struck from above by two players (txalapartaris), each employing a pair of thick, pestle-like wooden sticks. Acting at once in tandem and independently of one another, but always eerily in synch, the players create complex, lightning-fast, changeable rhythmic and melodic patterns, moving between the tenor range and bass notes so profound that they pummel the listener's solar plexus. Inspired for life by their far-flung encounters, the men of Oreka Tx have obliterated established boundaries of culture, time and space by embracing and transforming them."

Artist:	LES TRIABOLIQUES
Title:	Rivermudtwilight
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468088

"Les Triaboliques are full of surprises, but the biggest of all is that it took this long to happen. rivermudtwilight, the breathtaking collaboration from multi-instrumentalists Ben Mandelson, Lu Edmonds and Justin Adams is the culmination of a decades-long, indefatigable quest by these voracious visionaries to absorb and utilize the planet's panoply of sound. Having exercised their skills individually within numerous diverse settings, it was perhaps inevitable that this 'meeting of the ancient guild of post-punk, Anglo, globetrotting string players reveling in idiosyncrasy,' as Adams describes it, would eventually come to fruition. The album comprises eleven exquisitely rendered tracks -- most composed by the British trio -- that employ a battery of conventional and exotic instruments, multilingual vocals and a seamless merger of international influences. These diablos of dusk-core offer new distressed string band music for the 21st Century. The Desert, the Delta, the Steppes and the Underground -- all are united in what Mandelson likes to call 'Triabolique Twi-Fi.'"

Artist:	MCKEOWN & LORIN SKLAMBERG, SUSAN
Title:	Saints & Tzadiks
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468089

"Following on the heels of their grammy Award-winning work with the Klezmatics, vocalists Susan McKeown and Lor in Sklamberg present Saints & Tzadiks -- a fascinating album combining Yiddish and Irish songs. Culled from rare archive material and old recordings, McKeown and Sklamberg have selected songs on various themes from the Jewish and Irish traditions: love, death, betrothal, betrayal and the demon drink. The bulk of the Jewish material is drawn from the Ruth Rubin Archive at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, where Sklamberg serves as Sound Archivist. The Irish songs come from both the popular and the ancient Gaelic sean n�s traditions. Susan McKeown has recorded ten albums of original and world music and built an impressive career through her many releases, extensive touring and performances on programs such as A Prairie Home Companion, All Things Considered, Mountain Stage and for PBS, Sessions at West 54th and American Masters. Her World Village album Sweet Liberty was nominated for a BBC Folk Music Award. Lorin Sklamberg has been the lead singer of the Jewish American roots band the Klezmatics since its founding in 1986."

Artist:	ADDIS ACOUSTIC PROJECT
Title:	Tewesta: Remembrance
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468091

"Making its World Village debut, the Addis Acoustic Project, directed by guitarist and arranger Girum Mezmur, transports Ethiopia's instrumental popular hits of the 1950s and 1960s into the 21st century. Inspired by East-African, Jazz, and Latin musical styles, the group creates an intoxicating blend of sounds that Mondomix.com called, 'a gentle groove with carefully rounded edges.' Mezmur's stylistic revival echoes that of the famous Buena Vista Social Club, in its goal of bringing back the glories of lost traditions."

Artist:	SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE, THE
Title:	Off The Map
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468095

"Over the years, the Silk Road Ensemble has evolved from a group of strangers, brought together by artistic director Yo-Yo Ma, into a close-knit band of friends. Off the Map is a testament to that transformation, as the Silk Road Project celebrates its 10th anniversary. Gabriela Frank's 'Ritmos Anchinos' transports us into the Andes, with pipa and sheng imitating indigenous folk instruments. Angel Lam's childhood memories emerge in 'Empty Mountain, Spirit Rain' -- an urban groove of Hong Kong carried by shakuhachi and bass. Creation of the world is at the center of Evan Ziporyn's 'Sulvasutra.' Written for India's great tabla player Sandeep Das, the piece is an explosion of colors -- cosmic particles uniting in the Big Bang, knowledge spreading like fire throughout the universe. Osvaldo Golijov's 'Air to Air' invokes a Sicilian protest song, prayers to Holy Mother Guadalupe and songs from the Christian Arab Easter service, known to millions across the Middle East through recordings by the incomparable Lebanese singer Fairouz. The album features the playing of such renowned superstars as Kayhan Kalhor, Wu Man, Cristina Pato and Wu Tong, yet it is the Silk Road Ensemble's collective spirit that shines through, proving great things can happen when strangers meet."

Artist:	TINARIWEN
Title:	Imidiwan: Companions
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD/DVD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468096

"In December of 2008, Tinariwen gathered in the Sahara to record a new album. The sessions took place in a rented house, out in the bush, in nomad camps and in other magical locations. The whole adventure was filmed by the French director Jessy Nottola and a DVD of that film is included with the CD. Imidiwan: Companions is the band's fourth release for World Village and it possesses all the elements that have made them so magnetic to western ears: raw simplicity, melodic beauty and songs ranging from the epic and universal to the intimate and personal. This fourteen track album, produced by Jean-Paul Romann, who had previously worked with Tinariwen on their 2001 debut album, The Radio Tisdas Sessions, was recorded in Malian village of Tessalit, home of band members Ibrahim Ag Alhabib and Hassan Ag Touhami. Since their debut, Tinariwen has picked up a number of awards and a raft of 'legendary' fans including the likes of Robert Plant, Carlos Santana, Brian Eno, Thom Yorke, TV on the Radio, Bono and The Edge." DVD: NTSC All Region; total playing time: 30:44.

Artist:	BHATT & MATT MALLEY, V.M.
Title:	Sleepless Nights
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468097

"Indian classical music legend Vishwa Mohan Bhatt has mesmerized the world with his dazzling musicality, virtuosity and astonishing command of the Mohan Veena (an instrument he designed -- a modified and Easternized slide guitar). Bhatt is best known in the United States for his Grammy award winning album A Meeting by the River, which he made with guitar great Ry Cooder. Guitarist Matt Malley is an Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe nominated songwriter who co-founded the multi-platinum rock group Counting Crows. Malley is also a big fan of North Indian classical music and a friend and student of Bhatt. When chance brings them together, either Malley is taking lessons from his 'music guru' at Bhatt's home in Jaipur, India, or he is recording with Bhatt in his home studio in Thousand Oaks, California. Speaking about Sleepless Nights, their new album for World Village, Bhatt says, 'In my view, music is the melody for life. The seven musical notes carry all the diverse shades of love and this musical album is an endeavor to spread the message of love and harmony all over the world. In the contemporary world, love is the only emotion which needs to be experienced and appreciated, and Sleepless Nights, propagates this sacred emotion.' Malley adds, 'I hope that our record will put at least one more brick in the bridge between the East, West and all races of the world.'"

Artist:	KALHOR, KAYHAN
Title:	I Will Not Stand Alone
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468100

"On I Will Not Stand Alone, Kayhan Kalhor debuts a new instrument, the shah-kaman, designed especially for him. He is accompanied by Ali Bahrami Fard, on the rarely-heard bass santour. The album is a meditation on one of the most difficult stages in his life, where darkness and violence seemed to be taking over yet through music and his connection to the people, hope rises. Its message is a bittersweet reflection on love, life and country."

Artist:	KHAN, AMJAD ALI
Title:	Samaagam
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468102

"In the Sanskrit language, the word samaagam translates as, 'a confluence or flowing together.' The Sikhi Wiki website describes Samaagam as, 'an important gathering or meeting...to celebrate, announce or exchange ideas of great communal value.' These definitions offer insight into the music on Samaagam, an exquisite new recording teaming Indian sarod virtuoso Amjad Ali Khan with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by David Murphy. This stunning collaborative work suggests by its very nature a powerful and significant unification. While many musicians have attempted to forge East-meets-West connections, rarely have they been as successful in creating as seamless and exhilarating a bond. For Khan, this album is a dream fulfilled. An admirer of European classical music, Khan long harbored a desire to fuse the magnificence of the Western orchestra with the traditions of the raga."

Artist:	HUUN HUUR TU
Title:	Ancestors Call
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468107

"Redefining the folk traditions of their native Tuva, the four brilliant singers/multi-instrumentalists of Huun Huur Tu transform ancient and modern musical forms into a rich sonic tapestry. The band's members come from the former Soviet Republic of Tuva, a sparsely settled region that lies at the center of Asia, north of Mongolia, and 2,500 miles east of Moscow. Since its formation in 1992, the group has featured indigenous music played on rare instruments and has preserved and popularized kh��mei (throat-singing) -- arguably one of the world's oldest forms of music-making. Closely linked to traditional shamanistic practices, Tuvan folk music, with its combination of instrumental and throat-singing sounds, has been used for communication with spirits of the human, animal and natural worlds for centuries. Singled out for its incredible sound, Huun Huur Tu has performed in venues around the world. Their past collaborations include projects with Frank Zappa, Ry Cooder, The Kronos Quartet, and (most recently) electronica wiz and record producer Carmen Rizzo."

Artist:	DIABATE, MAMADOU
Title:	Courage
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 468108

"On his fifth album, Courage, Mamadou Diabate carves out a new direction. A departure from the traditional melodies on his previous album, these contemporary pieces highlight his versatility as a composer and affirm his place as one of the finest kora players living in the world today. He is accompanied here by a five piece band recorded in Bamako, Mali. His previous solo effort, Douga Mansa, took home a 2009 Grammy Award in the category of Best Traditional World Music."

Artist:	KALMERY, SO
Title:	Brakka System
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 479023

"So Kalmery is originally from the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country sadly so often in the headlines over the last years. His story is one marked by the rich history but also the misfortunes of this part of Africa. His father was assassinated because of his close ties to the independence leader Patrice Lumumba, and So Kalmery became an orphan and a refugee at the age of seven... He spent many years fleeing from the various wars that devastated the region and finally found asylum in Zambia. It was during this period that the humanism which permeates his songs was forged. Very young, he learned music and played in numerous local orchestras. He established himself in Europe following a tour with the great Congolese musician Franco. A prodigious musician, an insatiable traveler, a poet, singer and dancer in search of the roots and the values of humanity, So Kalmery is an atypical and mystical figure, who plays an unclassifiable music which is at the crossroads of blues, folk music, soul and pop: Brakka."

Artist:	DUOUD
Title:	Ping Kong
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 479025

"DuOud consists of two oud-playing Istanbul-based musicians; Tunisian born Jean-Pierre Smadja (already noted for two albums he issued as Smadj on MELT 2000), and Algerian born master oud player Mehdi Haddab (known for his work with the acclaimed French based trio, Evoko, and more recently Speed Caravan). Blending their North African heritage with the latest Western technology, the pair builds a musical cycle that looks to their African roots while absorbing and morphing contemporary music styles -- break beats, jazz grooves and metal guitar. While DuOud are not the first to mix the North African lute with electronic technology, they do it with such an imaginative freedom that sets them apart from their contemporaries; their debut album Wild Serenade saw them nominated for the Best Newcomer award in the 2003 BBC Music Awards. On Ping Kong, DuOud hovers between tradition and futurism, with varying moods ranging from surf kitsch to contemporary groove. The album features cameos from Cyril Atef from Bumcello and Malouma."

Artist:	LE TRIO JOUBRAN
Title:	Randana
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 479031

"With their skillful, heart-wrenching improvisations, Trio Joubran brings to bear a wealth of harmony and sweetness, full of depth and joy. Their music gives a special poetic voice to the plight of the Palestinian people. The trio has been recording since 1995, and these two releases are reissues of the group's first two albums. Randana is a product of the three Joubran brothers melding their respective strengths: Samir's compositions; Wissam's hand-made instruments and skills in taqasim, or improvisation; and youngest brother Adnan's prodigious raw talent. It was originally released on the artists' own label of the same name -- Palestine's first recording label."

Artist:	BARRY, MAMADOU
Title:	Niyo
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 479033

"Mamadou Barry is a multi-instrumentalist -- he not only plays tenor, alto and soprano sax but also flute and percussion. A connoisseur of all the subregion's rhythms and music styles, Barry is open to all musical trends. Niyo was recorded with the cream of Conakry's musicians, all generations included, both modern and traditional. It notably features three of the finest female voices in Guinea. With his cool yet energetic Afrobeat style and the frenzied rhythms of the forest that he has invited into his music, Barry showcases all the facets of his talent in this recording, notably his gift for hypnotic Mandingo melodies."

Artist:	TRIO IFRIQIYA
Title:	Petite Plan�te
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 479034

"Fay�al El Mezouar was trained at the music school El Kordobia in Tlemcen, Algeria. For this trio, he has gathered around him jazz pianist and improviser Didier Freboeuf and drummer Emile Biayenda, founder of the band Les Tambours de Brazza. Their music blends many styles including Arab-Andalous, traditional, jazz and contemporary. It highlights a kind of common musical language where elements from the Orient, Africa and Europe cross paths."

Artist:	LE TRIO JOUBRAN
Title:	A L'ombre Des Mots
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD/DVD
Price:	$20.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 479036

"Trio Joubran has been breaking musical barriers for over ten years. Brothers Samir, Wissam and Adnan make up the world's first and only oud trio. With their skillful, heart-wrenching improvisations that tell of Palestine, the trio brings to bear harmony and sweetness, depth and joy. On stage, as their eyes meet, their instruments join together to express that which the spoken word cannot. Working here with the great poet Mahmoud Darwich, the group has reached a pinnacle. The trio comments, 'Mahmoud Darwich was as sensitive to the notes of our ouds as our ears and hearts to his poetry. We accompanied him in more than thirty shows in Europe and the Arab world. The last one was in France, in Arles, this beautiful city where we decided to begin a common work and where our music would accompany the variations of his voice, in strength and weakness, certainty and doubt, life and death... When he passed away, we decided to realize this project and the accompanying became a tribute.'" "A L'ombre Des Mots features the recording and the shooting of the concert given on September 19th, 2008 at the Cultural Palace, in Ramallah, Palestine, on the memorial day of Mahmoud Darwich, forty days after his death." DVD is in Arabic with French subtitles.

Artist:	KANZA, LOKUA
Title:	Nkolo
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 479043

"On his latest album, Nkolo, Congolese singer Lokua Kanza draws on sounds from his father's village and his native Lingala tongue to give the African Diaspora a musical sense of place. Listening to the album is an unabashedly uplifting experience -- the theme of love is ever-present. The title track 'Nkolo' translates as 'God' and the album is unashamedly spiritual. A devout Christian, Kanza cut his musical teeth aged eight singing in the church in Kinshasha. Kanza, who now lives mainly in Brazil, was known as 'the Brazilian' from an early age. The album's tunes are a mixture of ndombolo [Congolese dance music] and samba, but Kanza also introduces instruments from outside these traditions, such as an ondes Martenot and a cristal Baschet (similar to a glass harmonica). Sung in Lingala, Portuguese and French, Nkolo is the embodiment of a perfect cross-cultural mix, a blend of beautiful melodies and radiant atmospheres. Its aesthetics simply defy categorization, touching at times on unseen spiritual forces."

Artist:	TERAKAFT
Title:	Aratan N Azawad
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 479052

"Formed in 2001, the Malian group Terakaft (whose name is Tamashek for 'caravan') affirms its reputation as a genuine desert blues-rock band in this, its hypnotic third album. With their swirling guitar riffs, subterranean bass and shattering percussion, these blue bloods of the Sahara mine the legacy of master guitarists John Cipollina and Jimi Hendrix. The stark, harsh conditions of the desert permeate their wild riffs, and they are the perfect embodiment of all that is wild and free in desert blues today. Terakaft was formed in 2001 with a line-up that included two former members of Tinariwen. The band features a perfect mix of two rhythm guitars (one keeping the beat effortlessly, the other soaring and sweet) and the deep, heartbeat tones of the bass, resembling the delicate but strong steps of a camel making its way through the desert."

Artist:	LE TRIO JOUBRAN
Title:	As Far
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 479055

"Le Trio Joubran are the worthy inheritors of a rich tradition. For the Joubrans, music is a family affair. The trio's parents, Hatem Mbadda Joubran, stringed-instrument maker emeritus known throughout the Arab world, and Ibtisam Hanna Joubran, a singer, both come from families where music is transmitted from generation to generation. On this astonishing new studio album, the three brothers have created a unique blend of hypnotic grooves and tight interplay. As Far is a vibrant masterpiece of an album that will take you along on a fascinating Middle Eastern journey."

Artist:	KOUTSOVITIS, SOFIA REI
Title:	Sube Azul
Label:	WORLD VILLAGE (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	WORLD 498035

"Argentinean-born singer Sof�a Rei Koutsovitis is considered one of New York's most passionate, charismatic and inventive vocalists. On Sube Azul, her World Village debut, the listener is treated not only to the depth and fullness of a riveting voice but also to her formidable skills as a songwriter and arranger. The album is a collection of mostly original Spanish-language songs that reflect Koutsovitis' immersion in modern and progressive jazz while also responding to the pull of ancestry and the appeal of organic, pan-musical connections. She brings to bear the folkloric traditions of Argentina and its regional neighbors, tying together diverse influences in a program full of complexity, melody and romance. Just as Sube Azul reconciles the artist's worlds, her North and South American homes, the album strikes other balances in turn -- the polish and professionalism of a seasoned artist, the hunger and wide-eyed energy of youth and the simple, sensual qualities that can spring only from the heart."

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