By genre: Latin and World
Ali Farka TouréOne of the predominant "bluesmen" of Africa, guitarist Ali Farka Touré has a distinctive style that combines his native sound of Arabic-influenced Malian music with American blues. Deeply rooted in African rhythms, Ali's music captured the attention of the West beginning in the 1980s, and his legacy still carries on through his extensive and masterful works such as Soukora, Timbarma, and Sega. His albums Talking Timbuktu and In The Heart Of the Moon won GRAMMYs in 1994 and 2005, respectively, while Savane became Toure's last album when he passed away in 2006 after a long battle with bone cancer. |
 Official website Buy from iTunes Store |
Buena Vista Social ClubCapturing the traditional sounds of Latin America, Buena Vista Social Club is composed of a rotating cast of the finest musicians from Cuba and has become a critical and commercial sensation. The project's roots lie in famed American guitarist Ry Cooder, who traveled to Havana in 1996 to seek out long-forgotten Cuban musicians; before long, the Buena Vista Social Club had earned a Grammy and an Academy Award nomination and had become the best-selling album of Cooder's long and storied career. |
 Official website Buy from iTunes Store |
Célia MaraCélia Mara’s diverse geographical background is reflected in her globe-trotting sound. Born and raised in the small bordertown of Pedra, Brazil, she spent her youth absorbing samba and bossa rhythms before relocating to Europe in the early 90s, where she became heavily involved in the jazz scene. Her music effortlessly combines these two influences while incorporating elements of rock, ska, and funk to create a sound that is truly unique and representative of her vision of the planet, by always carrying a message of unity, peace and social justice. The fiery Manifesto Bastardista and the quirky, funky Brigada Rosa are but two examples of her diverse sound, which is equally at home in underground dance clubs, grand opera-houses, or large outdoor festivals. |
 Official website Buy from iTunes Store |
Chicago Afrobeat ProjectAfrobeat cannot stand still. As the genre enjoys a resurgence across the globe, Chicago Afrobeat Project remains true to its original vision of breathing the intensity of Chicago’s rich music scene into the infectious sounds of afrobeat. Afrobeat’s traditional influences — funk, rock, jazz, afro-cuban, high life and juju music – settle into a hypnotic, dance-compelling pulse at the core of Chicago Afrobeat Project. However, the group demonstrates a fiery originality by incorporating elements of high-energy rock and experimental jazz into their sound. The group’s fresh energized take on the genre, along with its frenzied and exciting live show have established CAbP as one of the premiere afrobeat groups in the United States. |
 Official website Buy from iTunes Store |
CubanismoCubanismo embodies the heart and soul of Latin music, combining salsa and mambo with a raucous mix of New Orleans R&B and Dixie-land jazz. Led by trumpeter Jesús Alemañy, Cubanismo's first line-up featured piano great Alfredo Rodriguez, along with an all-star line-up of Cuban musicians. Their most popular works include the fiery singles, Mambo UK, Descargo De Hoy, and Salsa Pilon. Their first full-length project Malembe, released in 1997, rocketed to the top of Billboard's Tropical/Salsa chart, while Reencarnacion and Mardi Gras Mambo cracked the top fifteen in both Tropical/Salsa and World Music album charts. |
 Extended bio and discography Buy from iTunes Store |
DazkariehDazkarieh is a four-piece experimental folk rock band from Lisboa, Portugal, whose work suggests a never-ending search for acoustic sounds which merges into a powerful electric discharge through which an invigorating path is drawn in the "traditional root" of Portuguese music. In the Jornal de Letras, Manuel Halpern attempts to pinpoint the sound of Dazkarieh when he says, "in this album, for a moment, I think I'm hearing Sonic Youth (…) with bag-pipes and adufes. Exaggerated? Maybe. Dazkarieh are one of those bands that create a positive aura that turns ethno into cool." Their music provides an experimental fusion that draws upon American rock music, folk tunes from Sweden and Ireland, Arabian traditionals, and most of all the explosive roots music of Portugal. |
 Official website Buy from iTunes Store |
HaaleHaale is a New York-born singer of Iranian descent, whose name means ‘halo around the moon.’ Mixing her Persian heritage of Sufi mysticism with American neo-pyschedelia, Haale creates trance-inducing songs filled with soulful rhythms and lush textures. Releasing two mesmerizing EPs and touring extensively throughout 2007, Haale established a strong presence in both the New York downtown scene and international music festivals such as Bonnaroo, South by Southwest and the Mimi Festival. In her breathtaking full-length debut, “No Ceiling”, Haale explores themes of transformation and evolution, singing in both Persian and English accompanied by a riveting soundscape of exotic percussion, psychedelic guitars and soaring strings. |
 Official website Buy from iTunes Store |
Jimmy BoschAn expressive playing style, marked by flaring melodies and soulful rhythms, has made Jimmy Bosch one of the leading trombone players in contemporary Latin music. Known throughout the Latin communities as "El Trombon Criollo," the New Jersey-born Bosch has strengthened the music of many top-notch Latin groups. |
 Official website Buy from iTunes Store |
Max ZTAfter hearing the hammered dulcimer at a Chicago area folk festival at the age of six, Max ZT was hooked. He studied under Kat Eggleston for ten years before venturing to Bard College in upstate New York. Several years into his college studies, Max traveled to Senegal, West Africa, to study the Mandinko technique with the Cissoko griot family. He has returned to Senegal numerous times to further his education. Max now resides and works in Brooklyn, NY where he continues to create his beautiful, magical and melodic music on the hammered dulcimer. He has won the National Hammered Dulcimer Championship and works with scores of national and international artists. |
 Official website |
Nation BeatMelding Brazilian maracatu drumming, New Orleans second-line funk, and even elements of rock and bluegrass, Nation Beat have earned their reputation as the most original and alluring fusion group today. Led by the invigorating rhythms of Skott Kettner, the inspiration for Nation Beat has its roots in the slums of Brazil, where Kettner studied drumming and first noticed the similarities between Brazilian and American music. Since 2003, Nation Beat has been bringing their audacious and infectious energy to people all over the world, appealing to fans of many genres, and especially to those who like to dance. Highlights include the raucous bluegrass-funk of Nago Nago, the tribal thump of O Povo, and the high-energy country strut of A Cowboy In Brazil. |
 Official website Buy from iTunes Store |
Noble SocietyBroadcasting, from Brooklyn, New York, Noble Society creates a musical hybrid of dancehall and hip hop, with a whole lot of reggae thrown in. Sound-ink.com declares them "so good it hurts. It's the New York answer to grime – U.K. style beats with U.S. MCs." Filling the mysterious void of credible reggae artists in the U.S., Noble Society have earned their crown as the new kings of Urban Reggae. Their breakout album, Take Charge, was named Best Reggae album of 2008 on iTunes and the group was featured on the Huffington Post as one of the Top Ten global acts to watch in 2009. |
 Noble Society MySpace Buy from iTunes Store |
Orchestra BaobabSenegal's Orchestra Baobab is one of the seminal and most influential groups in the World music scene. When they initially formed in 1970, their poppy Afro-Cuban sound was instantly popular and helped transform the capital city of Dakar into one of the most vibrant musical cities in the world. The group enjoyed considerable worldwide success up until 1985, when political revolution kept them sidelined. But popular demand eventually led to their triumphant return in 2001, and they continue to tour and record. |
 Official website Buy from iTunes Store |
Oumou SangareBorn and raised in the West African nation of Mali, Oumou Sangare has been immersed in the traditional sounds of the Wassoulou region since her birth in 1968. Her music is characterized by an upbeat, bluesy and folksy sound, but her political lyrics speak out against injustices towards women. Her debut album, Moussoulou, was released in 1989 and sold an astonishing 250,000 legal copies (in addition to countless bootlegs), which helped launch a long and fruitful career. |
 Official website Buy from iTunes Store |
Shasha MarleyShasha Marley is a singer and lyricist from Ghana who has used his music to promote social, political and medical change throughout Africa. Upon hearing some of Shasha's tracks, Grammy Award winner Isaac Hayes said, "This brother is pure talent, he and I are going to do great things together." Growing up, Shasha was inspired by such artists as Bob Marley, Burning Spear, and Jimmy Cliff, as well as political icons, specifically Nelson Mandela. After the release of his first album, Tell Freedom, Shasha began to play a variety of shows that ranged from a concert at the first ever Ghanaian Miss Universe beauty pageant to a performance for all African Presidents during the last Organization of African Unity summit, organized by the leader of Libya. |
 Official website Buy from iTunes Store |
Slavic Soul Party!Slavic Soul Party! is a group of New York-based jazz musicians who, in the early 2000s, put their own spin on the instrumental folk music of Macedonia and the Balkans. This five-member ensemble brings their own elements of jazz and funk to a traditionally Eastern European style. Fiery brass, throbbing funk grooves, killer Gypsy accordion, and virtuoso jazz chops make Slavic Soul Party! the most danceable Balkan-flavored pop this side of the Adriatic. The Big Easy funk influence on the band's recent album Teknochek Collision adds a welcome laid-back quality to their Balkan-brass sound. The group’s knack for improvisation has inspired countless live performances and a heavy touring schedule of nearly 100 shows a year in the US, Europe, and beyond. |
 Official website Buy from iTunes Store |
Toumani DiabatéA master of the kora (21-string West African harp), Toumani Diabaté has brought the traditional music of his native Mali to the attention of an international audience with a series of well-received solo albums and some acclaimed collaborations (Bjork, Taj Mahal). Although he came from a family of musicians, Diabaté taught himself to play the kora from an early age, as his father, who also played the instrument, was often away touring. He developed a style of playing that, while being strongly rooted in the Malian tradition, is also open to a wide range of other influences, such as jazz and flamenco. |
 Toumani MySpace Buy from iTunes Store |
Vieux Farka TouréFollowing in the footsteps of his beloved father Ali, Vieux Farka Touré carries on the rich Sonrai songwriting tradition: West African folk music that is often credited as being the root of Blues music in America. Touré was born and raised in Mali, and he writes globally-minded music that infuses West African melodies with elements of reggae and rock and carries with it a positive, uplifting message. His acclaimed debut album was released in 2007 and an exciting remix record quickly followed. |
 Official website Buy from iTunes Store |
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