• Rock,  World

    A Sunday Cup of Joe

    Happy Sunday. Let’s do it right with Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros’ live version of a Maytalls classic, “Pressure Drop”. ‘Nuff Said…

    Joe Strummer – Pressure Drop (mp3) – live, unknown date/location – {The Best of Toots and the Maytalls on Amazon}

  • World

    Bata Ketu

    Bata Ketu by Michael Spiro and Mark Lamson (Guest post by Ty H.)

    A beautiful CD and a great introduction to Orisha music from Cuba and Brazil. Another CD that is probably not for everyone, but it’s very well produced, very interesting, beautiful percussion and singing. The songs jump back and forth between Cuban Orisha rhythms and Brazilian Orixa rhythms (you don’t have to know anything about either one to be able to tell where this happens). Orixa songs are from the Yoruban religions that came over from Nigeria to the new world (Santeria, Candomble,etc), and the songs are very powerful and seductive. The Brazilian batucada in the last track is slamming, track 4 is my favorite when the full samba-reggae groove comes in towards the end of the song. That one gets me every time. Check it out.

    Buy on Amazon.

  • World

    New Ancient Strings

    New Ancient Strings by Toumani Diabate (Guest post by Ty H.)

    This is a CD that you may not be familiar with, but is a favorite of mine. It’s one of those CD’s that when it reaches the end, most often, I want to hit play again. Highly recommended for relaxing, something mellow. Diabate comes from a long line of Griots who are highly respected in Mali culture not only for their music but also because their songs pass along their spoken history. The kora, a 21-string instrument, is incredible to hear and to watch being played.

    Listening to this CD I can imagine the arid Saharan landscape and many of the songs seem like journeys where you lose sense of time and place. If you want to check out something from Africa, this is a great place to start. It’s a CD that you’ll find yourself listening to often.

    Check it out on Amazon