Songlines World Music News

Charlie Gillett (1942-2010)

Songlines — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:05:36 +0000

On March 17 2010 much loved radio DJ and music writer Charles Thomas Gillett died after a long illness, aged 68. Charlie’s endless passion for promoting artists who otherwise might not have been heard saw him become the patriarch of world music – the very scene he and a handful of others decided to give a name to, at a historic meeting in London in 1987.

Two years earlier, Charlie was the first to play ‘Sultans of Swing,’ on Honky Tonk, his Radio London show, thus securing a record deal for the hugely successful group Dire Straits. Through his compilation albums and broadcasts for the BBC World Service and Radio 3’s World on 3, world music artists who will always be grateful for Charlie’s support include Youssou N’Dour, Salif Keita and Mariza. It was the sincerity and infectious enthusiasm with which he introduced musicians to his listeners that made him such a central figure, one who will be greatly missed.

Charlie is survived by his wife Buffy, their daughters Suzy and Jody, their son Ivan, and two grandchildren. A full tribute to Charlie’s incredible legacy will be included in Songlines #68, on sale April 30.

Songlines Music Awards 2010 nominations

Songlines — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:43:23 +0000

Songlines magazine announces the final nominees of the Songlines Music Awards 2010 and releases a compilation album on March 22, featuring all 16 nominated artists.
Following on from the success of last year’s inaugural awards, Songlines magazine is delighted to announce the final nominees in the 2010 Songlines Music Awards. The Songlines Music Awards recognise outstanding talent in world music and are voted by Songlines readers and the general public. There are four categories: Best Artist, Best Group, Cross-Cultural Collaboration and Newcomer. The final nominees are the top four in each category from the public vote. The winners of each category will be announced in the June issue (#68) of Songlines, on sale from April 30, 2010. The 16 final nominees are:

BEST ARTIST

Goran Bregović (for the album Alkohol – Sljivovica & Champagne on Blue Wrasse)

Bassekou Kouyaté (for the album I Speak Fula with Ngoni ba on Out Here Records)

Oumou Sangaré (for the album Seya on World Circuit)

Lura (for the album Eclipse on Lusafrica)

BEST GROUP

Gypsy Groovz Orchestra Goes TuttiMundi (for the album Night Train for Lovers and Thieves on Network Medien)

Staff Benda Bilili (for the album Très Très Fort on Crammed Discs)

Tinariwen (for the album Imidiwan: Companions on Independiente)

Shooglenifty (for the album Murmichan on Shoogle Records)

CROSS-CULTURAL COLLABORATION

Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara (for the album Tell No Lies on Real World)

Transglobal Underground (for the album Run Devils & Demon (Best Of) on Nascente)

Stockholm Lisboa Project (for the album Diagonal on Westpark)

Faiz Ali Faiz/Titi Robin (for the album Jaadu on Accords Croisés)

NEWCOMER

Invisible System (for the album Punt: Made in Ethiopia on Harper Diabaté)

Deolinda (for the album Canção ao Lado on World Connection)

Speed Caravan (for the album Kalashnik Love on Real World)

Mamer (for the album Eagle on Real World)

“The audience for world music is greater now than it’s ever been,” says Simon Broughton, editor-in-chief of Songlines, “and it’s reaching out in ever more diverse directions. The fact that we have Balkan maestro Goran Bregović and Western China’s Mamer as nominees is indicative of that. But it’s still essential to have awards in which the leading names can be feted and the new and innovative names highlighted.”

Songlines is also releasing a compilation album, distributed by Proper Music, on March 22, 2010, featuring all 16 nominated artists.
www.songlines.co.uk/music-awards

April/May 2010 issue of Songlines (#67) is on sale in the UK from March 19

Songlines — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:38:06 +0000

The April/May 2010 issue of Songlines is on sale in the UK from March 19 and includes our regular Top of the World CD with ten tracks from the finest new releases from around the planet. There’s also a selection of five tracks selected by comedian Steve Martin.

The Top of the World CD includes tracks from Bollywood playback legend Asha Bhosle; Gotan Project duo Müller & Makaroff; soulful DRC singer Lokua Kanza; versatile Scottish piper Michael McGoldrick; Cuban salsa and son troupe Asere and new Saharan desert blues outfit Tamikrest, among others.

The main editorial features include:

• Songlines Music Awards – Find out who’s been nominated in this year’s Songlines Music Awards.

• Cesaria Evora – A rare interview with Cape Verde’s charismatic grande dame of song.

• Béla Fleck and the Banjo – Taking our lead from banjo player Béla Fleck, we trace the instrument’s African roots.

• The Chieftains and Ry Cooder – How an odd chapter of Mexican-American history led the Irish band to hook up with Ry Cooder and discover Mexican music.

• Xalam – Digging through the archives to salute one of Senegal’s original supergroups.

• Balkan Beat Box – A crash-course in partying with a conscience from the mongrel crew.

• Sounding Out Addis Ababa – all the best places to see and hear music in the Ethiopian capital.

• Beginner’s Guide to Pandit Jasraj.

• Postcard from Argentina.

• Festival Med, Portugal.

• Backpage from Melbourne, Australia.

• My World – comedian Steve Martin.

• Grooves – Ian King, Kid Creole and Karan Casey share their favourites.

• News, including K’Naan’s World Cup song.

• Reviews of the latest CD, DVD and World Cinema releases.

The April/May 2010 Songlines podcast is available through iTunes from March 18

Songlines — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:36:36 +0000

This podcast includes highlights from the April/May 2010 issue of Songlines (#67) opening with an excerpt by comedian-actor Steve Martin (our cover artist this issue). Songlines editor in chief, Simon Broughton, plays an extract from the second free CD with this issue, Iranian Underground as well as a bonus track from Steve Martin’s playlist – ‘Foggy Mountain Breakdown’ from the album Earl Scruggs And Friends.
Features include: Nasim Masoud with the nominations for the 2010 Songlines Music Awards, Lucy Wilson on Balkan Beat Box and Jenny Cathcart on Senegalese band Xalam. Nathaniel Handy brings you the latest news with the Official UK World Music Album Chart, as well as music from Amparo Sánchez (Wrasse) and a preview of Jim Moray’s forthcoming album, which will be available for free, exclusively with the next issue of Songlines. The podcast ends with an extract from Cesaria Evora’s Nha Sentimento album on Lusafrica.
The next Songlines podcast, featuring highlights from the June issue (#68), will be available from April 30 2010.

Comedian Steve Martin playlist and the 10 best new releases in the April/May issue of Songlines (#67)

Songlines — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:35:04 +0000

The April/May 2010 issue of Songlines – on sale March 19 – features a free covermount CD packed full of the best new sounds from around the world, plus 5 tracks selected by comedian Steve Martin.

The covermount CD includes tracks from Bollywood playback legend Asha Bhosle; Gotan Project duo Müller & Makaroff; soulful DRC singer Lokua Kanza; versatile Scottish piper Michael McGoldrick; Cuban salsa and son troupe Asere and new Saharan desert blues outfit Tamikrest, among others.

Pick up your copy here on the website, at selected WHSmith’s and at all good record retailers. Feast your ears on these all-new tracks:

* Piston Mahlathini & The Queens ‘Nomacala’ on Strut Records

* Balkan Beat Box ‘Look Them Act’ on Crammed Discs

* Asere ‘Palo Santo’ on Astar Artes

* Tamikrest ‘Alhoriya’ on Glitterhouse Records

* Michael McGoldrick ‘Pontivy’ on Vertical Records

* Lokua Kanza ‘Dipano’ on World Village

* Asha Bhosle ‘Chura Liya Hai Tum Ne’ on Nascente

* Ian King ‘Adieu to Old England’ on Fledg’ling Records

* Müller & Makaroff ‘Andrés Retamal’ on Mañana

* Martín Portillo & Marcelo Rojas ‘Pájaro Campana (The Bell Bird)’ on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

Plus Steve Martin’s playlist:

* Steve Martin & Earl Scruggs ‘Daddy Played the Banjo’ on Rounder

* Tony Ellis ‘Paint Creek’ on County Records

* Loudon Wainwright III ‘High, Wide and Handsome’ on 2nd Story Sound Records

* Béla Fleck and Bassekou Kouyaté ‘Throw Down Your Heart’ on Rounder

* The Bothy Band ‘The Maid of Coolmore’ on Mulligan Records

March 3 marks Music Freedom Day with concert and album release

Songlines — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:37:27 +0000

The freedom to make music – to sing it, play it, record it and distribute it – is something most people take for granted.

On March 3, Freemuse – the global organisation committed to freedom of expression for musicians and composers worldwide – is celebrating Music Freedom Day with a concert in Stockholm’s Concert Hall. The event will include the presentation of the Freemuse Award – won last year by outspoken Ivorian reggae star Tiken Jah Fakoly – and the launch of Listen to the Banned, an album of music by artists from around the world who are censored in their homeland.

Freemuse has documented cases of music censorship in over 100 countries, and the album, released on the Norwegian Grappa label, features just a few of those voices and is compiled by Pakistani-Norwegian singer, composer and human rights activist Deeyah.

Listen to the Banned features Chiwoniso Maraire, who continues the Zimbabwean mbira traditions of her father Dumisani, and whose latest album Rebel Woman topped the World Music Charts Europe. She has been outspoken in her condemnation of police brutality in her homeland. Ferhat Tunç is a Kurdish singer from the far east of Turkey who has been arrested and imprisoned for his criticism of Turkish government policy towards the Kurdish minority. The album also includes Freemuse Award winner Tiken Jah Fakoly, Afghanistan’s Farhad Darya, Aziza Brahim from Western Sahara – a region claimed by Morocco and occupied by its military, and Kurash Sultan, from the restive far western Chinese province of Xinjiang where the Uighur people face repression and discrimination.

Tha album opens with a track from Iranian singer Mahsa Vardat, for whom the restrictions are more subtle and result from the simple fact of her being a woman. In Iran, a woman is not allowed to sing in public to an audience including men unless accompanied by a male singer. Her few international concerts to mixed audiences are a rare opportunity for her to experience complete freedom as a singer.