Songs written, mixed, and produced by Marcelo E. Quinonez. Band is based out of Seattle interestingly, and they play afro latin rock tinged with exploration into ska, reggae, cumbia, etc. Vocals in Spanish and English. Really tight musicianship—good music for this time of year.
Debut album from this Brooklyn based alto saxophonist. All instrumentals. Gastelum has lent a notable contribution to the Brooklyn neo soul scene—he has played with Sharon Jones, The Budos Band, and others on Daptone. That combined with some obvious Eddie Harris (electrified saxophone 
) and Mulatu Astatke (+ other) influences makes for an interesting and modern cross-bred sound.
Eclectic psych-jazz funk from this four-piece band out of Milan–- contemporary takes on obscure themes from Italian cinema circa 1960’s-70’s. Described by Wax Poetics as “Italian soundtrack funk that sounds like Goblin recording at Stax!” Perhaps not as eerie or fantastical as Goblin, but this group certainly lays down some dark, sophisticated grooves.
A child of the Ivory Coast & daughter of a master musician there, as a young adult Dobet teamed up with a French guitarist in music & in marriage. Still together, now in France, their music has a mostly acoustic sound with strong, beautiful female vocals. Nice!
This 2007 recording was just found in the booth, three years after its release. Dobet released a new CD in France in April - hopefully we’ll be able to add that one to our collection in a more timely fashion.
He’s back after a four year break, releasing some wonderful new music as well as three tracks that are new versions of classic material (Papa, Folon, and Seydou). Released near his 60th birthday, this descendent of Malian royalty who is also an albino sings about superstitious prejudices against albinos in Africa, & other social issues.
This amazing collection surveys contemporary material from popular Russian Gypsy virtuosos. The music passionately fuses timeless Gypsy folk styles with romantic Russian themes, often starting quietly and building to a frenzy. CD2 is a fine guitar duo with a classical sound.
With roots in the accordion-driven bal musette of 1880s Paris, this style remains the soundtrack to the city. But Paris is changing; the North African population is adding its musical flavors to the traditional mix - and the evolving style sounds great! Second bonus CD is by a great Paris quartet named Beltuner.
Solo debut by this Sao Paulo singer-songwriter features a predominantly acoustic-sounding Brazilian samba vibe with rich but unobtrusive electronic embellishments. Vocals & compositions really stand out - the next Bebel Gilberto or Céu? Maybe! This is a great new Brazilian recording.
Second release from Quantic’s Cali, Colombia studio strives to build on vintage Latin (mostly cumbia) traditions by fusing them with features of dub & reggae to create something fresh & new. He succeeds admirably! Features many notable South American musicians.
Check out this video of “Un Canto a Mi Tierra”
Here’s NPR’s “First Listen” program about “Dog with a Rope” where you can hear all the tracks.
Second release from this British Afro-Brazilian Funk band presents a more evolved sound that’s still cutting edge fusion, but also draws more heavily from the rich African and Brazilian musical heritage that inspires this band. Nice!
Note: Track 8 is a Hendrix cover!