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Review of Mare Nostrum

Mare Nostrum

Jordi Savall & Hesperion XXI

Alia Vox

Rating: ★★★★

Jordi Savall is a leading specialist in early music, the styles of the 12th to 18th century. In those times...

Reviewed by Neil van der Linden in issue: June/2012

Review of The InCider Sessions

The InCider Sessions

The Ciderhouse Rebellion

TCR

Rating: ★★★

Whatever fiddler Adam Summerhayes is on, I want some. He’s known for his formidable talent in classtcal and tolk traditions,...

Reviewed by Nathaniel Handy in issue: December/2020

Review of Wahdon

Wahdon

Fairuz

wewantsounds

Rating: ★★★★

Recorded in Beirut and Athens, and produced by Fairuz's son Ziad Rahbani in 1979, this previously rare LP has been...

Reviewed by Martin Longley in issue: October/2019

Review of Kafilah Nights: Malay-Arabic Variations from 1960s Indonesia

Kafilah Nights: Malay-Arabic Variations from 1960s Indonesia

M Mashabi & His Kelana Ria Orchestra

Elevation Records

Rating: ★★★★

This collection is a precious insight into the music scene of 1960s Indonesia. Formed by Adi Karso and Munif Bahasuan,...

Reviewed by Shukri Habib Ali in issue: January/February/2024

Review of AlKemi

AlKemi

Daymé Arocena

Brownswood Recordings

Rating: ★★★★

Cuban music contributes to, and absorbs, myriad musics from across Latin America, the Caribbean and the US. It has also...

Reviewed by Chris Moss in issue: April/2024

Review of Sargal

Sargal

Ali Boulo Santo Cissoko & Volker Goetze

Motéma Music

Rating: ★★★★

In 2023, the New York-based trumpeter/producer Volker Goetze and Senegalese kora master Ali Boulo Santo Cissoko teamed up with flamenco...

Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: September/2025

Review of Our Boys Are Doing It

Our Boys Are Doing It

Dennis Mpale (feat Kippie Moketsi)

As Shams / We Are Busy Bodies

Rating: ★★★★★

First issued locally in 1977, Our Boys Are Doing It was trumpeter Dennis Mpale’s first solo album, although by then...

Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: June/2025

Review of Second Circle the Horizon

Second Circle the Horizon

Sally Anne Morgan

Top of the World

Thrill Jockey Records

Rating: ★★★★★

To evoke the natural world is an age-old quest for musicians. To accomplish the mission so thoroughly and sonorously, as...

Reviewed by Doug Deloach in issue: August/2025

Review of Club Coco – New Dimensions in Latin Music

Club Coco – New Dimensions in Latin Music

VARIOUS ARTISTS | Various Artists

Club Coco

Rating: ★★★

The Dominican-American Charlie Chimi’s ‘Échale Candela’ (Set it on Fire) was what first sparked Mexican DJ Coco Maria to assemble...

Reviewed by Mark Sampson in issue: October/2025

Review of Yashlik

Yashlik

Yashlik

Maqom Soul

Rating: ★★★

In the 1960s, the Kazakhstan Soviet Socialist Republic tightly controlled cultural expression. As these restrictions began to ease, folk ensembles...

Reviewed by Michael Ormiston in issue: February/March/2026

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