World Music has expanded as a category so much in the past ten years that at this point it is harder to say what it isn't, than what it is. The Peruvian band Novalima manages to pack a world's worth of musical influences into what they do, including working the turntables as "Coba Soundsystem", and their sound is, to my ears, as refreshing and pop-oriented as any band out there. But they are very conscious of where they come from, and when I interviewed them, they were quite specific about their efforts to modernize and revive the Afro-Peruvian musical heritage.

They were all checking their cellphones when I walked over, which I thought was a fun place to start.

The light was kind of dreadful at the bar but it was the quietiest place I could find to interview the guys. So I boosted the color and contrast for a kind of comic-book effect...it's fun to experiment! But of course, I have to tell you the guys are much cuter than this makes them look :-) 

I got the chance to catch Cape Verdean diva Lura performing at the party for her latest CD "Eclipse." She gave a terrific show -- a kind of survey of the many kinds of song and dance rhythms from the island. I wish I could have gotten better footage (had to use the awful "zoom" on the Flip) but I think you'll get the idea. She's a great dancer and her singing, which was uniformly excellent, communicated her love of the Cape Verdean heritage. The band was as solid as it gets, and played a wonderful lilting version of "Mascadjon" from the new CD.  We end with a snippet of the very sexy "Vazulina."  Enjoy. 

For those of you who love Desert Blues, that loping, hypnotic guitar music that we associate with the Tuareg and the Saharawis, consider this: The electric guitar has reshaped traditional Saharawi music, but the situation in the refugee camps grows more dire every day, with fewer and fewer guitars for young people to play, thus further endangering an already endangered cultural legacy.   
Got an electric guitar that is gathering dust somewhere?  Want to put it to truly good use? Check this out!

Okay, if you've gone to the URL above, you know that this is a great site.
It's maintained by my old friend Angel Romero, and it's a terrific resource for what is going on in world music, and as you can see, what is happening on many tangential levels.

This just in from a friend who thought it was worth sharing.  He's right.
Istanbul's Sulukule, the world's oldest Gypsy settlement, known for its music & dance clubs, is being demolished by developers to make way for gentrification. If you have ever been entranced by the sound of Turkish Roma clarinet, read this and weep.

Good-bye, Gypsies: The Loss of 1,000 Years

Rupa, who fronts the April Fishes is certainly a multi faceted creature. A doctor, a musician, a painter, a linguist, she is someone who doesn't just sing about life, she plunges in with both feet.  She spent quite a bit of time talking to me in New York about the various bandmembers and singing their praises (sorry Fishes, I didn't use that stuff --and readers, it IS an excellent band!) but eventually we got down to some of the subjects that drive her.

A documentary about the band's trip along the border between Mexico and the USA is in production.

On another note, there is a very moving video that while as commercial as it gets, cuts to the heart. It is an homage to Neda, and all the young people who have demonstrated and suffered during the recent government crackdown in Iran. The majority of people living in that country are now below the age of 30-- Possibly the largest demographic on earth of educated young people to be held back by their own government. These days we all know we are watching history when we watch Iran.

The ripples continue to spread outward.

A few years ago I was invited to attend a musical awards ceremony for the World Culture Open. It was held at Avery Fischer Hall in Lincoln Center, but what drew me there was the roster of artists that were to perform. I already knew some of them, like Misia the fado singer from Portugal, the Rustavi Choir from Georgia, and of course, Youssou N'Dour, from Senegal.  But I found myself stunned by other artists I was not as familiar with. The oud duet of Yair Dalal from Israel and Nasser Musa from Palestine was riveting. Omar Farouk Tekbilek from Turkey was ecstatic, singing Sufi poetry; so much so that the elderly Jewish couple sitting next to me said "Oh, our cantor would LOVE this!" But what  probably blew me away the most was the opening performance - a troupe of Korean women who played an array of drums in perfect unison. Gorgeously attired, they did not seem to even break a sweat as they executed complex rhythms and demanding choreography. You can imagine my excitement when I learned that the entire concert had been videotaped and was available for Link TV. And it's playing this week. Check it out!

We had some time to fill between the end of Blind Shaft this week's Cinemondo offering, and the next program. I love this sort of challenge; it's a programmer's delight to sequence videos that relate to a theme.  So after Blind Shaft's dark tale of greed you can settle back for a sampling of videos about our relationship to money: Aterciopelados' sarcastic Don Dinero makes fun of our obsession with the stuff. Control Machete delivers a cautionary tale about gambling, and Bisso Na Bisso gives us a whimsical - yes, it's possible -look at corruption. Taiwan's Kou Chou Ching rap about the perils of runaway capitalism in China, and we close with a sweet song about generosity, from Davy Sicard. Hey, we couldn't leave you depressed, could we?

And if you're having trouble making out this lyrics of this week's video premiere, Hard Times of Old England Retold, we've got them here for you:

Hard Times of Old England Retold

For 5 generations my family have farmed
By hoofs and by tractor by hoe and by hand
But that won't stave off the bank's last demand
Singing all the hard times of old England,
In old England very hard times.

Time was I could sell what I grew at the shop,
Then Tesco turned up all of that had to stop
Now I can't make a living out of my crop
Singing all the hard times of old England,
In old England very hard times.

More and more of our village gets sold every day
To folks from the city who're happy to pay
For a holiday cottage to stay empty all day
Singing all the hard times of old England,
In old England very hard times.

The countryside alliance expects I suppose
My support when they march down
To bloody Blair's nose
But they said not a word when our post office closed
Singing all the hard times of old England,
In old England very hard times.

The hedgerows my grandfather tended are gone
And with it the Lapwing and the Cornquake's sad song
I fear I'll be carrying on before long
Singing all the hard times of old England,
In old England very hard times.

And now to conclude and to finish my song
Let’s hope that these hard times they will not last long
And I may soon have occasion to alter my song and sing
All the Good Times of Old England
In Old England very good times.

This week we have a wonderful film on Cinemondo, called Vanaja. Why am I mentioning this on our world music page? It's because Vanaja has some wonderful music and dance in it. It opens up with an almost extinct art form, called Burra Katha, a kind of storytelling entertainment once common in Andhra Pradesh, where the movie was filmed. As the story progresses, the main character, a 14 year old girl takes up Kuchipudi  dancing, and I personally think this stuff is utterly mesmerizing. The precision of each movement, as it relates to the complexities of the musical accompaniment is a pleasure to watch. There are many different kinds of Indian dance (as demonstrated by the video by Sona Mohapatra "Ishq Nachaya" and Vanaja gives us an opportunity to gain insight into one of them - and it's a great story, too!

As we head into the big Independence Day celebrations, Link TV is brimming with great music programs to enrich your holiday. So if "scattered thunderstorms" are keeping you indoors, why not curl up in front of your TV and party down with Amadou and Mariam Live at la Gout D'Or as they serenade a rain-soaked, blissed out crowd.  Or if all that partying has got you seeking a bit of serenity, commune with Maria Bethania, and be seduced by her rich, laid back vocals. If the commercialization of the holiday makes you wonder what it's all about - check out Sufi Soul, and get CENTERED! And finally, if you think that music can't change a life, tune in for Soweto Strings and get carried away by its upbeat message.  Happy Holiday!