An incredible story about music created by inmates and their guards in Zomba prison, Malawi. Writing music that helps tell their story, bringing hope, inside a place that has been called the “waiting room of hell”.
Sad to hear the news of a great Canadian poet / songwriter passing on today – here’s one of his most well known songs sung by Klezmer artist Daniel Kahn in Yiddish.
Martin’s musical mystery tour – It’s been almost a year since my last music blog – WOW! Time does fly. So here are three very different pieces of music from the Czech Republic, inspired by various people I met and a concert I recently attended whilst in the country.
Great to hang out with David and Leslie Gereghty from Recreational Music Center. They have pioneered an incredible non-profit school that encourages music learning and performance in the San Diego area. They have also started an initiative called Music4Change which, in their words, “brings quality music programming, free of charge, to individuals and groups who might not otherwise have the opportunity to play an instrument or experience live music performances.” Please support this amazing couple and if you are in the area check them out @ Liberty Station.
Music4Change™ is committed to empowering the community through music education, cultural enrichment, and social service.
Martin’s Musical Mystery Tour 16 – I am back in Sweden, this time on the East coast and for this blog I take a look at the unique Sami expression called joiking. Check out tracks from Sweden, Finland and Norway that all use this vocal technique.
Sofia Jannok is a Swedish, Sami artist, singer, songwriter, TV host of the radio and reindeer herders from Gällivare in northern Lapland. This song – Snölejoninna- was released on Sami National Day, 2015. Read More
Martin’s Musical Mystery Tour – Ok so this month’s blog was inspired by a joke! Like drummers, accordion players also get the brunt of them, and so let’s take a listen. We start off with Greek singer and composer Magda Giannikou, who is joined here with the band Snarky Puppy. Check our her group Banda Magda.
Martin’s Musical Mystery Tour – I have just been in Mexico and met a young conga player from the Dominican Republic. One evening we shared music and I got to hear some incredible sounds from his Caribbean home. So this month’s blog is a pick of his suggestions.
Juan Luis Guerra is apparently one of the most internationally recognised Latin artists of recent decades. I love his style of merengue and Afro-Latin fusion which has given him considerable success throughout Latin America (this You Tube clip has had 7 million hits). He is also credited for popularising bachata music on a global level and is often associated with this genre.
Aster Aweke is a popular Ethiopian singer born in Addis Ababa and now living in the USA. I love this track that shows her incredible range and vocal versatility.
Sitting chatting and listening to You Tube clips from around the world with our friends Martha (Inuit) and Joseph (Pueblo). They showed me this wonderful clip from the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada.
Remember reading a book written by Daniel J. Levitin, a rock musician who turned his attention to cognitive neuroscience. This clip ventures down the same paths to try and explain some of the theory behind the musician and his brain.
