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robw on 01/19/2011 at 03:00PM
Siberian Double Header: Huun Huur Tu & Sibirskaya Vechora
Huun Huur Tu photo live at Rainforest World Music Festival 2007, Sarawak, Malaysia, Photographer: Damian Rafferty CC by-nc-sa via flickr
This winter has felt a bit like Siberia in WFMU's hometown of Jersey City, so it's the perfect time for what may be a New Jersey radio first: a twin bill of live sets by bands from Siberia, live on Transpacific Sound Paradise with Rob Weisberg this Saturday, January 22nd from 6-9PM.
Kicking things off is the first and still greatest traditional band from Tuva in southern Siberia, Huun Huur Tu. The tireless overtone-singing spike-fiddle-wielding marvels serenade us in-studio midway through a winter North American tour that includes a gig at Joe's Pub in NY on Saturday January 29.
Later in the show, Sibirskaya Vechora, an award-winning ensemble from the Krasnoyarsk region of central Siberia, steps up to the mics. The group, dedicated to researching and preserving regional traditions, performs traditional songs from Siberia and other parts of Russia.
In 2008, Sibirskaya Vechora carried out a cultural heritage research project titled 'Young Voices for Ancient Songs.' One of its results was the CD "Muziki, Viryazukhi Moi", which contains 13 songs recorded during ethnographic expeditions and performed by Sibirskaya Vechora. The album is available form the Free Music Archive, courtesy of Sibirskaya Vechora and CEC Arts Link.
Huun Huur Tu and Sibirskaya Vechora perform live on Transpacific Sound Paradise with Rob Weisberg this Saturday, January 22nd from 6-9PM, on WFMU 91.1 FM in the New York Metropolitan area and 90.1 in New York's Hudson Valley.
robw on 03/09/2010 at 05:45PM
2010 Golden Festival Mix/Collection
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For a quarter of a century, NY Balkan music scene pioneers the Zlatne Uste Balkan Brass Band have organized the annual Golden Festival. a massive two-night grassroots Balkan and East European music and dance festival at the Good Shepherd School, 620 Isham Street (near Broadway and 207 St.) in upper Manhattan. The festival is the biggest event of its kind in New York City: The second night (Saturday) is a marathon featuring 40-50 bands and artists performing on three stages from 6pm until 4 in the morning. See: http://www.goldenfest.zlatneuste.org/ With the help of co-host / tech guru Irene Trudel and our peerless crew, WFMU's Transpacific Sound Paradise broadcast all the music from the Golden Festival's Kafana stage from 6pm until midnight on Saturday January 16th. Kafana is Serbo-Croatian for "cafe"; the stage is located conveniently near the food! We are now proud to present a collection of recordings from the festival on the Free Music Archive. The full collection is here, while a mix of highlights is available at right (please click "i" for more info about each artist). |
>> 2010 Golden Festival photo gallery on Flickr
>> 2010 Golden Festival mp3 collection on the Free Music Archive
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robw on 12/14/2009 at 04:09PM
Cyminology live on WFMU's TSP
From WFMU's Transpacific Sound Paradise 11/28/2009 (playlist):
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A live session and interview with Cyminology, the excellent Berlin-based multi-cultural ensemble led by Iranian-rooted singer Cymin Samawatie. Cymin's fluid combination of refined Persian poetry with jazz/improv-oriented arrangements impressed ECM records honcho Manfred Eicher - who signed them up to his influential Munich label for the group's third CD, "As Ney," released earlier this year. Lineup: |
robw on 08/03/2009 at 10:43AM
Alash: Master Tuvan throat-singing quartet live on WFMU
Alash is a quartet of master throat singers and instrumentalists from Tuva, the tiny but music-rich Central Asian republic. Proteges of Tuvan musical ambassador Kongar-ool Ondar (who you may know from the documentary film Genghis Blues), Alash mainly focuses on traditional repertoire. But the group also cites Jimi Hendrix as an influence and has collaborated with the Sun Ra Arkestra and Béla Fleck.
Alash is currently on the road in North America - gigs in the WFMU area include an August 9 date with the Sun Ra Arkestra at the Rotunda in Philadelphia, and their tour-ending August 15 gig at cozy Barbes in Park Slope, Brooklyn. See http://www.alashensemble.com for full info on tour dates. The website also includes excellent background on the group, the traditions, the songs and the instruments (including images of course).
We catch the ensemble for a live session, with background provided by their sidekick and sometime collaborator Sean Quirk. Thanks to our illustrious engineer, Mark Triant
<<WFMU Playlist & Streaming Archive>> // <<Alash Ensemble mp3s on the Free Music Archive>>
robw on 06/08/2009 at 03:26PM
Brahim Fribgane live at WFMU
Brahim Fribgane is a talented Moroccan-born oud player and percussionist whose repertoire ranges from Berber folk songs to sub-Saharan influenced gnawa music to classical styles of the Middle East and North Africa. His collaborations reflect an even broader range of styles - he's recorded with Hassan Hakmoun, Sussan Deyhim, South African jazz player Pops Mohammed, DJ Logic, and even Morphine.
Brahim Fribgane was chosen as one of just a handful of local artists to be featured among the global luminaries at the Muslim Voices Festival of performing arts at BAM (the Brooklyn Academy of Music) and the Asia Society from June 5-14: He's playing a free show (along w/ zerobridge) on Friday June 12 at the BAM Cafe. You can also check out Brahim Frigbane over at Myspace and here on the Free Music Archive.
(WFMU Playlist & Streaming Archive)
robw on 02/20/2009 at 03:29PM
Balkan and Middle Eastern music from the Golden Festival
Every January, NY Balkan music scene pioneers the Zlatne Uste Balkan Brass Band and friends organize a massive two night grassroots Balkan / Roma / East European music and dance festival / celebration at the Good Shepherd School in the Inwood section of Upper Manhattan.
Audition the collection's page on the FMA here, or follow the jump for a few audio highlights:
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