Reviews

Grandmother’s Dance

Trio Samara

Ahmad al Khatib’s 2012 album Sabîl was one of the most exciting oud (Arab lute) recordings in recent years. His...

Reviewed by Bill Badley in issue: Jan/Feb/2014

In the Shadow of Leaves

Randolph Matthews & Byron Johnston

A suspended cultural identity looms over this debut disc by vocalist Matthews and guitarist Johnston. This may or may not...

Reviewed by Martin Longley in issue: Jan/Feb/2014

Avante

Siba

He played a key role in the recent resurgence of interest in traditional music from the north-east of Brazil, initially...

Reviewed by Russ Slater in issue: Jan/Feb/2014

Clearing

Arlet

This debut from a quintet of musicians playing accordion, clarinet, violin, guitar and euphonium straddles the boundaries between folk, jazz...

Reviewed by Nathaniel Handy in issue: Jan/Feb/2014

Cocktail d’Amour

Les Primitifs du Futur

Every couple of years there surfaces a new and often surprising instance of Robert Crumb’s enduring forays into amateur music-making....

Reviewed by Matthew Milton in issue: Jan/Feb/2014

Mundum Renovavit

Windstreken

The Dutch word windstreken can be translated as ‘points of the wind’ and ‘corners of the world’. The ensemble consists...

Reviewed by Neil van der Linden in issue: Jan/Feb/2014

A South Asian Suite

Arun Ghosh

There are many bear-traps that Indian fusion records tend to fall into – pretentiousness, over-complexity and cod spirituality being among...

Reviewed by Peter Culshaw in issue: Jan/Feb/2014

Orchestre National de Mauritanie

Orchestre National de Maurianie

For a national orchestra, this combo had previously had a remarkably small discography: one 7” single to show for an...

Reviewed by Mark Hudson in issue: Jan/Feb/2014

Aljawal

Débruit & Alsarah

A refined product courtesy of two years of musical interplay, Aljawal is a distinctive and sonically potent album, unlike anything...

Reviewed by Edward Craggs in issue: Jan/Feb/2014

An Anthology (1857-1912)

Abd Al-Hayy Hilmi

This is a cross¬section of the legacy of Egyptian singer Abd Al-Hayy Hilmi, whose final years of life coincided with...

Reviewed by Neil van der Linden in issue: Jan/Feb/2014