Tearaway soca from the studio of Darryl Braxton, mixing it up with ragga and rave vibes.
The Latin Jazz classic from 1969, huge on the Dingwalls scene back in the day for the sizzling dancer Tema De Alma Latina.
The ravanne is a large drum — a goatskin stretched over a wooden frame — played with the hands, emblematic of the Creole cultural heritage on this island in the Indian Ocean: the music here is fabulous.
The opener Sweet Juju was a hard-sought West London two-step weapon, back in the day; Nomalizo is tropical funk, somewhere between Maze’s Twilight and Ramsey Lewis’ Brazilica, beloved by the neo-Dingwalls massive.
A landmark field recording, exquisitely done, ambient and intimate, with beautiful music, and documentation by Colin Turnbull. A hit with Peter Brook, anyway.
It says ‘Volume 1’ on the cover, and this debut is full of promise, but it’s a one-off, from Nigeria, 1973: African styles grooving together with Latin and Caribbean, US soul and funk, and psych rock.
Miraculously restored from the few remaining original copies, Khmer music from the 1930s to the 1950s, including Chapey, Romvong, Lakon Basak, Pleng Khmer, Ayai, and Ayai Reung, as well as classical, court-derived traditions such as Pinpeat and Mahori, and popular styles including Lamleav and Pleng Ka. With a sixteen-page booklet of detailed notes and vintage photographs.
Chocolate Mena leading three lineups — featuring Joe Henderson, Jerome Richardson, Alfredo Armenteros, and co — through Lalo Schifrin and Duke Pearson arrangements of core Latin and Jazz classics.
Menwar is a political and cultural spokesperson for the Creole minority in Mauritius, refreshing traditional musical forms like sega to put his messages across. The sound is lightly rootsy, dominated by drums and voices.
Double-headed drums, horns and shells, guitars and violins, reed flutes and cascabeles whirled together in festive and ritualistic dance music, an amazing mixture of indian-Mexico and Spanish Middle Ages.
Rawly ethereal, other-worldly singing by members of hill tribes in China, Vietnam, and Laos.
His earliest recordings, for Emory Cook — unflinching social commentary, spun with invincible exuberance and literary panache.