Archive for March, 2009
Migrations 09 brings world music to St Georges Bristol throughout 2009
Posted on March 31st, 2009 in World Music.
Throughout 2009, the sounds of the world will be migrating across continents to St George’s Bristol for Migrations 09 in the UK’s west country capital.
Following the April 1 performance from the timeless Senegalese big band Orchestra Baobab and then the thrilling new Malian ngoni music of Bassekou Kouyaté and his band Ngoni Ba on April 2, later in the month there are shows from Malian singstress Oumou Sangare and Polish accordionists Motion Trio. May kicks off with Ivo Papasov’s Bulgarian Wedding Band, followed by Bollywood Brass Band and the Necks. Later in the year there are the Egyptian collective El Tanbura, UK Arabic star Natacha Atlas and the Mazeeka Ensemble and a Cajun Special with the Magnolia Sisters among others.
As part of this marathon festival, even when the concerts end, the music doesn’t. They also have a late night sessions at the Migrations festival bar after each concert where you can continue to enjoy the music. Migrations Bristol will also run in conjunction with the main concerts, bringing the multicultural sounds of local music to the festival.
Songlines Music Awards 2009: the final nominations announced and WOMAD performances
Posted on March 19th, 2009 in Songlines News.
We take great pleasure in announcing the Songlines Music Awards nominations.
The Songlines Music Awards recognise outstanding talent in world music and are run in partnership with WOMAD festival, culminating in performances by a selection of the nominees at this summer’s WOMAD in Charlton Park, July 24-26 2009, including Rokia Traoré, Dub Colossus and Los Desterrados.
There are four categories: Best Artist, Best Group, Cross-Cultural Collaboration and Newcomer.
The eligible artists are those who have had albums reviewed in Songlines during 2008 (from issues #50 to #57 inclusive) and were voted on by the public. The top four artists in each category give us the final nominees.
Please find below a list of the final nominees and their relevant album:
BEST ARTIST
Toumani Diabaté: The Mandé Variations on World Circuit
Lila Downs: Shake Away on EMI
Mariza: Terra on EMI
Rokia Traore: Tchamantché on Nonesuch
BEST GROUP
Amadou & Mariam: Welcome To Mali on Because
Bellowhead: Matachin on Navigator Records
Los Desterrados: Miradores on Crusoe Records
Umalali: The Garifuna Women’s Project on Cumbancha
CROSS-CULTURAL COLLABORATION
Balkan Beat Box: Nu-Made Remixes & Videos on Crammed Discs
Ska Cubano: Ajiaco! The Remix Album on Casino Sounds
Monkey (Damon Albarn & Jamie Hewlett): Journey to the West on XL
Jah Wobble & The Chinese Dub Orchestra: Chinese Dub on 30 Hertz
NEWCOMER
Kiran Ahluwalia: Wanderlust on World Connection
Buika: Nina de Fuego on Warner Jazz
Dub Colossus: In A Town Called Addis on Real World
Dengue Fever: Venus on Earth on Real World
The nominations will be discussed on BBC Radio 3’s World on 3 programme on March 20 at 11.15pm, presented by Lopa Kothari and with music journalist Nigel Williamson.
The winners, to be selected by the Songlines editorial team, will be published in the June issue (#60), on sale May 1.
The April/May 2009 Songlines podcast is now available through iTunes
Posted on March 18th, 2009 in Songlines News.
This podcast includes highlights from the April/May 2009 issue of Songlines (#59) – our ‘green’ issue – opening with an excerpt from Staff Benda Bilili. Songlines Editor-in-chief, Simon Broughton, plays an extract from ‘Tree of Tanzania’, a track featuring instruments made from African Blackwood trees.
Andy Morgan talks about Staff Benda Bilili (cover stars for this issue), playing music from their debut album, Très Très Fort on Crammed Discs. Nasim Masoud announces the nominations of the inaugural Songlines Music Awards, with music from all 16 nominees, including Amadou & Mariam, Mariza, Jah Wobble and Monkey: Journey To The West. Simon Broughton reports on the Labyrinth summer school in Crete, with an interview and live music.
Nathaniel Handy brings you the latest news with music by Bassekou Kouyaté (Out Here Records), Hanggai (World Music Network) and Gipsy.cz (Indies).
The podcast ends with an exclusive extract by Vieux Farka Touré from his forthcoming album Fondo on Six Degrees – our featured label this issue.
The next Songlines podcast, featuring highlights from the June issue (#60), will be available from May 1 2009.