Monday 4 October 2010

This Week's Picks (#16)

I hope the following week's tracks will make up for the lack of posts this week. :) Please enjoy!

"Autorail" by Orchestra Baobab


Orchestra  Baobab are a Senegalese Afro-Cuban band that formed in the seventies and epitimizes the sound of the genre. This track is from their 1993 album, Bamba, which features recordings from the 1980s. The band famously mixes Cuban rhythms with Wolof and Mandinka traditions from West Africa creating the smooth sounds you hear in the video.


"Walodhani No Mazaha (Those Who Thought it was a Joke)" by Mohamd Ilyas

Moving closer to my own research insterests, here's a piece from the spice island of Zanzibar. Mohamad Ilyas is taarab musician. Taarab is Zanzibar's biggest musical export, and is a genre of mixed styles and shows Arabic influences. While I spent time in Zanzibar studying other genres of music, it was impossible to avoid this beautiful music. It is easy to understand why so many people love taarab.


"Mast Qalandar" by Faiz Ali Faiz and Titi Robin


Pakistani qawwali singer Faiz Ali Faiz and French guitarist Titi Robin join forces in this album to create an inspiring fusion. This track is from the recently released album Jaadu (Magic). This track is fun and moving. The qawwali singers add an undeniable force to Titi's music and the creative sounds that come out of this partnership are simply wonderful.

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