African
Nass El Ghiwane Live in Morocco
Merely mentioning the name Nass El Ghiwane in North Africa is to invoke the gods of sonic mythology. Since 1971, this Casablanca-based band, born out of a political theater movement, has helped to redefine and revitalize Moroccan Gnawa, Rai and Chaabi styles. On a beautiful June evening in Rabat, I got to sit back and watch thousands of fans spanning four generations singing along to every song. On this particular night, in celebration of the annual Mawazine festival, American... Read More
Walking Around Morocco
A little pictorial journey of my visit to Rabat, Morocco in June 2011 to cover the Mawazine festival. Music has now brought me to Morocco three times, twice in the summer of 2011 alone, and I can say with confidence that there is much in terms of society, politics and culture that Americans can learn from this wonderful nation. Like anywhere, there are institutional problems, issues of poverty and gender equality, and a small sect of religious fundamentalists. Overall, however,... Read More
Latin
Thievery’s Rastas and Austin’s Latin Soul
Years ago a friend in DC passed along a four-song EP by two Rastas best known as the bouncing hype men of Thievery Corporation. They wore white pants and black jackets with puffy fedoras while wielding canes, throwing off accessories in pure lion-dreaded fury as the show’s energy rises. They were Flavor Flav’s ravings to [...]
Middle Eastern
Oum Live in Casablanca
One of the highlights of attending Morocco’s Festival de Casablanca in July, 2011 was seeing the vocalist Oum perform live, as well as spending time with her during the festival. Part Erykah Badu, part mid-20th century jazz singer, part Moroccan poet, she creates a brilliant blend of modern R&B and soul with the folk heritage [...]
South Asian
Rediscovering Legacies in India, Thailand and Indonesia
Our knowledge of foreign cultures is most often obtained through the media we consume, outside of actual travel. Given the abysmal amount of Americans who even own passports (30%), we predominantly rely on the Internet, cable shows and newspapers. While the possibility of exploring innumerable forms of media now exists, old habits die hard (or [...]
Balkan
Big Brass at the Disco
“Initially I had a lot of difficulties. I did not find a label that wanted to release it. I was in a lot of negotiations, but they all said that nobody would listen to this. They would say, ‘Why are you into this music?’ I had to create my own label and system to make [...]