I first heard Tamer Pinarbasi play the kanun on our video for Amnesty International "The Price of Silence." Andres Levin, the producer, had him record the first layer of "world music" onto the existing basic track from Aterciopelados. As soon as I heard the results, I was entranced. Tamer just laid down one good take after another, plus it was all tasty stuff.  Later, when I was taping my first blog installment I caught Tamer playing again, with the New York Gypsy Allstars.  This time I was struck by his technique and velocity. He played some great solos, and even his backup (which I sometimes think is as much the measure of a musician as the solos) was great. So I contacted him and last week he gave me a quick interview and performance at our office before running off to a gig in Brooklyn.

I must say I got a bit hypnotized just looking at the kanun and at Tamer's hands...hope you do too!

New York City is a magnet for artists from all over the country and the world. That's why I thought it would be cool to make this blog as much (or more) about the musicians, clubs and entrepreneurs in town, as about new CD releases,  or music biz news. There's so much that goes on between the working musicians of New York-- connections made, ideas exchanged, and of course, bands formed. This week I interviewed Scott Kettner, who wears the hat of musician, bandleader and entrepreneur, and who is a passionate advocate for North Eastern Brazilian music.

Scott's first baby is Nation Beat, a band I'll profile later, but the other evening, his Forro Brass Band was in fine form, getting everyone up and dancing, and dancing very sexily, too as you can see from the video.  Although I'm a fool for the good old forro of Luiz Gonzaga and Dominguinhos, I liked the horn arrangements.  Well, MAYBE I'd still like to hear an accordion in the mix, but as Scott mentioned wryly in his interview, he'd have more musicians up there if he could only get a bailout.....

Today I want to discuss very bad world music videos.
While it's a given that it's hard to find the really GOOD videos, every now and then you find that truly awful video that crosses over from simply bad into a category all its own....and then, perversely, you end up wanting to share it.

So my first entry is by Bond, those Classical Babes.

"World music," you say?  "How is Bond world music?" Well, they are playing a classical piece to a Latin beat, and they are in Havana right? (And those Cuban hotties aren't dancing the minuet.) That's why the video was sent to us in the first place. "Oh why pick on those nice string playing women" you may ask. Well, my answer is: They can take it. They've made their dough and they know just what they are doing. And as someone once said, ANY publicity is good publicity. For me, I'm enthralled by the sheer kitsch of the video-- the premise itself is sooo specious-- oh those happy dancing Cubans, those big-finned cars from the 50's and sixties-- those crumbling Havana facades....It's just like Buena Vista!  Add to that the Babes playing their instruments IN THE OCEAN (guess no one is playing an Amati) with little Cuban boys doing aquatic dance moves, under a thundering sky! As Dan Akroyd used to say: There now, that wasn't so good was it?

As my blog progresses, I would like to share more of my favorite terrible world music videos. -And I hope that you will reciprocate and send me some of your faves too. I will only publish them if they are truly awful, so pick carefully!

I'd also like to mention two more cool web destinations: 

Lucid Culture is not really a world music site per se, but has complete listings of NYC live music plus (they are live music supporters) reviews of the CLUBS so if you are going to visit the Big Apple, you know what you might hear and what kind of scene you are letting yourself in for. This site has very definite opinions, which I enjoy.

..and Condé Nast has a treasure in John Oseid's blog "boom box" which will also keep you current on world music releases and performances not just in New York, but wherever the intrepid Oseid travels.

As promised here's part two of my visit with Julian Kytasty. It concerns itself with the folk tradition, and Julian gets pretty whimsical. But of course, he settles back into some good old Slavic Darkness at the end.

I'd also like to start calling your attention to some of the great blogs and websites on the net that foster World Music. You have to  know these are all labors of love!  First and foremost, RootsWorld should be on anyone's list for great critical reviews, knowledgeable essays, (hey, I've written for them!) and even for those hard to get CDs from all over the world. Check it out, you'll be wandering around on that site for days!  

And if you can't get to a cassette shop in Ghana, the next best thing is Awesome Tapes from Africa, where you can hear the stuff that NEVER gets here....it's just TOO funky. Highly recommended listening.

Just had a great visit with bandura virtuoso Julian Kytasty.  Ever since I heard him play this celestial instrument I've been wanting to spread the word, so on this particular installment of the blog I kept my mouth shut and just let Julian do his thing.

I hope you enjoy it; it's gonna be in two parts because it ran rather long, and I couldn't bear to cut it all down. The first post here is just one composed piece, and the second part is to come; it'll be more about the traditional repertoire. The meeting was also fun because he lives in what used to be the predominantly Slavic section of Manhattan, has lived there for 30 years and so knows where you can still get the best potato pirogy. (Which turns out to be a weekend church kitchen run by some sprightly elderly ladies.) And yes, we went there and had some mighty FINE home-made borscht and pirogy!

UPDATE on the Lost Fingers:  for those of you who got hooked on the band from my last post, Sony will be bringing them back to the US for an official PUSH in July. They're up for a Juno award, the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy.

UPDATE on the NY Gypsy Festival, the next event will be taking place at Le Poisson Rouge with Slavic Soul Party and Scott Kettner's Forro Brass band. Scott Kettner is a true Brazil Nut, who fronts  his own Nation Beat band, fusing the music of Northeastern Brazil with -gulp- Country classics.

Don't laugh, Willie Nelson loves them! Hmmmmm...Maybe it's time to vlog the guy. (Scott, not Willie.)

Starting in mid-June we'll be rolling out five new world music blocks, and some great new music documentaries. With themes ranging from "What a World" to "Romance" to "Mashups" and plenty of exciting live performances these new music blocks will be a great way to start your summer off. Faves to watch out for: a spirited Gaucho improv with Renato Borghetti, and some truly great Balkan Brass fusion with Shantel.

Of the new documentaries, Soweto Strings is an uplifting true story of a dedicated music teacher in South Africa whose young students are an inspiration to us all. They come from poverty and troubled home lives, but somehow gravitate to classical music, bringing a whole hearted enthusiasm and discipline to their studies. This is the one to watch if you've got the blues!

Have you been to iTunes U? It's the special educational section of the iTunes site, accessible through the first page (in the "iTunes Store" Box) and now you can not only see lots of special Link TV programming, like interviews with foreign film directors and world music artists, but you can download them, free of charge.  These features also appear in the regular iTunes display, right along with related music downloads. That's more exposure for Link, and more exposure for World Culture!

Most of the time when we think of the music of South Africa, we think of the immense variety of "indigenous" music, from Maskanda to Township Jive and so much more. We don't hear much of the musical contributions of the Dutch, or even of western music. But lately we have been seeing the impact and interpenetration of cultures that resulted from colonization in films like Karoo Kitar Blues. Another film debuting this week, Beautiful in Beaufort Wes (also located in the Karoo) reflects the popularity of the singer-songwriter idiom. For here in this dusty small town, we find one of South Africa's most noted poets and troubadors, Gert Vlok Nel. As the camera wanders in and out of the lives of the town's inhabitants, Nel accompanies it with songs reminiscent of Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen. The songs capture the loneliness, the longing and also, the love that infuses the film.  Is it "world music?" Perhaps not, but watch the film, and then decide whether or not you have visited a unique place, and been changed from the journey.

Last week I wrote about the diversity of music and films coming out of Africa these days. This week, you will notice that blocks #32 and #51 are all music from African countries, and two of our feature presentations are Vusi (Mahlasela) and Friends in Concert and Youssou N'Dour and the Grand Orchestre du Caire in concert. It's just a coincidence, but a good one. In looking back at block #32 (it was one I put together shortly after making contact with Gallo Records, in South Africa) I find it still as thought provoking and informative as ever.

We open with the late great Lucky Dube, who was tragically murdered during a carjacking in JoBurg this year. In his time he was pioneer of African Reggae, and "House ofExile" is a classic that displays his way with a beautiful melody. Next, El Hadj n'Diaye continues with the theme of displacement, with "Thiaroye" a powerful statement about missing one's homeland.  After that, KDD presents a truly dynamic (and high end) video. The chorus is a reworking of the French national anthem, as they demand "another color on the flag." In another (and much lighter) vein, Gomes and Tavares gather some of France's hippest rappers and deejays for a spoof on police corruption. Check out the reference in the video to cassoulet - the first time I saw it couldn't stop laughing. Back on African soil we find South African Jabu Khanyile smoothly extolling the hopes of a non apartheid future-- but hard on his heels, we have Phuzekhemisi, the great maskanda musician who never lets the powers that be, be they white or black, forget what is right.

We close with one from Oliver Mtukudzi, from Zimbabwe.  His video is about a prodigal son.  This video was made in slightly happier days for Zimbabwe, and we can only hope that things get better for its people by the next time we play this block.

Africa is a continent withover 50 countries, each with a myriad of faces and issues, and as it assumes a more and more important role in the world it is fascinating to see the cultural markers that are coming out of it, in the form of movies and documentaries. This week we are showing three films that represent such markers.

Our music documentary Fangafrica takes a look at a hooked up and urbanized pop culture, specifically a hip hop festival in Burkina Fasso. Karoo Kitar Blues, on the other hand focuses on an insular and isolated community in the South African desert, where music is an hermetic blend of local sensibilities and old colonial pop tunes.

The Cinemondo entry Waiting for Happiness is a reverie about cultural dislocation in Mauritania, as an urbanite visiting his mother's home town encounters traditions and attitudes he can no longer recognize or relate to. In particular check out the transmission of music from one female bard to another. To hear more of this kind of striking music, check out Ouleya Mint Amartichitt at YouTube here.

For videos that showcase some of the many faces of Africa, check out:
Daara J "Boomerang"
Issa Bagayogo "Diama Don"
Wazimbo "Nwahulwana"
K'Naan "Soobax"
Sobanza Mimanisa "Kiwembo"