Much of the music included in the local level series is unavailable outside of the country of origin and thus inclusion in the series offers a unique opportunity for the music to reach a wider audience. We encourage you to support the artists by purchasing their recordings as the opportunity arises and will be updating this page with such information as it becomes available.
Please send additions for this page to gregg@madnomad.com. |
01.A.1. | Mustapha - Morocco |
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After visiting the glorious Saharan dunes of Erg Chebbi, we hitched a ride back to civilization and were dropped of in the small town of Erfoud. From there we would catch a bus north. A friendly guy hanging around helped us buy our tickets and then asked us how we'd like to spend the wait time before the bus departed. When we expressed an interest in the local music he excitedly lead us up the road to the town market. Turning a corner, we slipped into a small dingy room with shelves piled high with cassette tapes. A man sat on a stool behind a makeshift counter, half-heartedly watching over a couple dusty old dubbing decks.
He played us a bunch of tapes - all recorded and produced locally; by him. We walked out with a couple. One of them, this one by Mustapha. |
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no additional information found | ||||
01.A.2. | L'Haj L'Houcine Toulali (Haj Houcine Toulali) - Morocco |
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We were in Fes for about ten days, staying in the old city and taking in an incredible amount of live music - one or two shows each day. It was the fifth annual Fes Festival of World Sacred Music. One afternoon inbetween shows, I sat in a tiny tape stall in the narrow alleys of the medina as the proprietor auditioned tapes for me. Haj Houcine Toulali was from Meknes - a city we had visited briefly the day before trying to find transport out to a sunset concert amongst the ruins of Volubulis. |
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info: | ||||
www.maroc.net www.rootsworld.com |
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purchase: | ||||
www.gemm.com www.amazon.com |
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01.A.3. | Orchestra Abde el Jabbar - Morocco |
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Here's one from another of the tapes we picked up in Erfoud (see 01.A.1). As the proprietor explained it, this style of music is called baldi |
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no additional information found | ||||
01.A.4. | Ganda Fasig - Mauritania |
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We were in Mauritania in the month of June. It was quite warm. 50ºC one day in Nouakchott. That's 122ºF. We did a fair bit of walking that day around the center of this capital city. One of our stops found us in a happening tape shop where the proprietor hipped us to the fact that Baaba Maal was going to be performing the following week across the border in St. Louis, Senegal. None of the tapes in this shop were for sale - after all, the guy had only one copy of each. Instead, you'd tell him what you wanted and he'd dub you a copy. All three tapes of Mauritanian music included in this series were purchased in this shop. |
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no additional information found | ||||
01.A.5. | Saidou Ba - Mauritania |
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see 01.A.4. Not much more found on the web. You might try finding this release on Sonafric: SAF 50 023 Saidou Ba Musique de la Republique Islamique de Mauretanie [Mauretanie] sunsite.kth.se |
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01.A.6. | Ganda Fasig - Mauritania |
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see 01.A.4. | ||||
01.A.7. | Dimi Mint Abba - Mauritania |
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see 01.A.4. Dimi Mint Abba is by far the best known Mauritanian artist outside of Mauritania. Her "Music and Songs of Mauritania" (1992) is generally available. |
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info: | ||||
allmusic.com | ||||
purchase: | ||||
www.gemm.com ubl.artistdirect.com |
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01.B.1. | Fode Kouyate - Mali |
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In Bamako, tapes are sold street-side from small stalls. The stalls tend to be clustered together and if you're looking for something at one stall and they don't have it, they'll ask around for you at the others. We picked up this tape during a listening session at one of these stalls.
You might be able to locate one of these two releases by Fode Kouyate: |
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allmusic.com | ||||
purchase: | ||||
www.gemm.com | ||||
01.B.2. | Habib Koité & Bamada - Mali |
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Since the time when we encountered Habib Koité's tapes in Bamako, he has broken into the international market with a bang. A recent US tour with Oumou Sangare (we saw them at Stanford) only served to increase his popularity. So much so that his CD has been consistantly sold out. With a little effort you should be able to locate Ma Ya, his US release on Putamayo, and possibly an earlier release called Muso Ko. |
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info: | ||||
www.alula.com www.mediaport.net www.contrejour.com |
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purchase: | ||||
www.putumayo.com www.gemm.com ubl.artistdirect.com |
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01.B.2. | Habib Koité & Bamada - Mali |
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see 01.B.1. | ||||
01.B.4. | Oumou Sinayogo - Mali |
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We picked this one up in Bamako. For those who know of him, Boubacar Traore plays on this tape. |
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Not much found on the web. Try www.natari.com for tapes. | ||||
01.B.5. | Mamadou Tounkara - Mali |
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no information found | ||||
01.B.6. | Amy Koita (Ami Koita) - Mali |
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Our first day wandering the streets of Bamako we noticed leaflets plastered to walls announcing a concert performance that night by Amy Koita. Unfortunately we hadn't yet acclimated to the city enough to be enthusiastic about finding the venue. So we missed that one. Later we learned that her album Sarama had just been released and she was the hot ticket.
"Ami Koita brings a woman's perspective to the music of Mali. Known for her powerful vocals and dynamic stage presence, Koita has become a role model for the women of West Africa. Although she was born in Kirina—the same village as Salif Keita—Koita comes from a much different ancestral background. While Keita was born to a family of nobility and went against his parent's wishes to become a musician, Koita was born to a Jali family in which music was an accepted form of expression. Initially focusing on traditional Jali music, she has increasingly adopted modern influences." -- allmusic.com |
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purchase: | ||||
www.gemm.com (Amy Koita) www.gemm.com (Ami Koita) ubl.artistdirect.com |
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01.B.7. | Mohamed Traore - Mali |
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no information found | ||||
01.B.8. | Nahawa Doumbia - Mali |
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We came across this Best of Nahawa Doumbia tape in the market in Bamako. Most info on the web about her is in French. Her album Yaala on Cobalt should be readily available. Also of interest is her involvement with the Frikyiwa project out of Paris. | ||||
info: | ||||
www.mondomix.org (in French) www.theworld.org (Frikyiwa) |
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purchase: | ||||
ubl.artistdirect.com www.gemm.com |
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01.B.9. | Baaba Maal - Senegal |
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Baaba Maal is well known outside of West Africa and numerous releases are readily available. Regardless, I've included him here because of his importance in the Senegalese music scene and because he was part of our Senegal experience. We saw him perform with his band Daande Lenol in his home region near the border of Mauritania. The selected track is unavailable on any of the US releases. |
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info: | ||||
members.home.net/baaba www.palmpictures.com/maal |
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purchase: | ||||
ubl.artistdirect.com www.gemm.com |
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01.B.10. | Youssou N'Dour - Senegal |
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Another superstar who is widely known outside of his native Senegal - Youssou N'Dour is also included because of his importance in Senegalese music. The release that this track comes from - St. Louis - is available in the US only as an import. |
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info: | ||||
www.allmusic.com | ||||
purchase: | ||||
ubl.artistdirect.com www.gemm.com |
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01.B.11. | Jaliba Kuyateh - The Gambia |
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I made an error on this one on the CD track listing - got the artist's name switched with part of the album title. The artist is Jaliba Kuyateh and Kumareh Band. The album - released in 1998 - is called Njai-Kunda in Paris.
Not to make excuses but part of the reason I was confused was I keep hearing in my head our Gambian friend Ebrima raving about "Njai Kunda mon he da best". 'Least that's what ended up in my head. While not as well known outside of the Gambia as Foday Musa Suso or Alhaji Bai Konte, Jaliba Kuyateh appeared to be quite popular at home. |
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info: | ||||
www.gambianews.com | ||||
audio: | ||||
www.gambia.gm | ||||
purchase: | ||||
www.rust.net (cassettes) | ||||
02.A.1. | Abdel Said - Egypt |
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I'm a little fuzzy on this one. Bought it either in Cairo or Luxor. We bought tapes in both places. |
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no information found | ||||
02.A.2. | Al Sambati - Egypt |
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This one we picked up in Cairo for sure. We spent some time listening to stuff in full-fledged, actual shop - they even had CDs. Apparently Al Sambati is heavyweight on the oud but I can't find onything on him on the web. Maybe the spelling is off. |
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no information found | ||||
02.A.3. | Amany (Amani?) - Egypt |
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This is a tough one. I was told the name of this album is Baedenak and that the singer - Amany - is Egyptian. I haven't been able to turn up any additional information on her. There is, however, a prominent belly dancer from Lebanon with the same name and she has a number of CDs out. Might this be the same person? | ||||
02.A.4. | Shaimaa el Shaib - Egypt |
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We picked this one up in Amman, Jordan. Shaimaa el Shaib is a young girl - 15 years old or so. She was quite popular throughout the Middle East but I haven't been able to find much on her on the web. There is this one fan site with some audio clips. I've exchanged email with this guy he tells me she has two albums. "The first one made a big hit and the second one is not bad and it's called 'Ana Tayiba'." |
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www.kalimat.net | ||||
02.A.5. | Asalah Nasri (Assala Nasry) - Syria |
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I think we first heard Asalah Nasri's music in Morocco and had someone jot down the name for us in Arabic. Some months later, perhaps in Jordan, we picked up this tape. |
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info: | ||||
arabia.com | ||||
audio: | ||||
www.arabicnetwork.com | ||||
02.A.6. | Wail Jessar (Wail Jessa)- Lebanon |
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no information found | ||||
02.A.7. | Said Abu M'Itik - Jordan |
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Heading out for a night under the stars in Wadi Rum, this tape was our soundtrack. Said Abu M'Itik was a friend of Absalom, our guide. One morning in Amman, a helpful tape stall owner promised to track down a copy of the tape for us. By that afternoon, it was ours. | ||||
no additional information found | ||||
02.A.8. | Raed Koobbha - Palestine |
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We picked this one up in the Arab quarter of the old city in Jerusalem. |
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no information found | ||||
02.B.1. | Erkan Ogur & Ismail H. Demircioglu - Turkey |
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"The innovative guitar playing of Erkan Ogur has played an influential role in the evolution of contemporary Turkish music. Initially trained in the classical oud, a six-stringed fretless lute, and the tambur, an eight-stringed fretted lute), Ogur has adopted the instrumental techniques of Turkey's music to the fretless guitar. His custom-designed guitars and use of the e-bow have given his music a distinctive microtonal sound. According to ttp:www.nbci.com, Ogur is "probably the only fretless guitarist to utilize full chords." In a mid-1990s, Ogur described the goal of his compositions and improvisations as a way to "move through the colors and layers of my music." A graduate of the State Conservatory of Turkish Art Music, which he attended from 1980 to 1984, Ogur has continued to explore a diverse approach to his music. His album, Telvin, was recorded in collaboration with Dutch experimental jazz trumpet player Eric Vloeimans." -- allmusic.com |
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info: | ||||
members.dencity.com/metestudio | ||||
purchase: | ||||
www.istanbulshotels.com/kalan.htm And I quote, "The contributions of Kalan Music to our musical life maybe best explained with the word "distinction". For years, it stands as asource we cannot give up, against the worthless, forgeting and low-level results of populist advance byproducing which its colleagues didn't or couldn't manage. So what results in this difference is the non-abondanable "line" that must be underlined." |
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02.B.2. | Erkan Ogur & Okan Murat Ozturk - Turkey |
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see 02.B.1. |
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While in the Cappadocia region of Turkey we stayed in the town of Göreme. One afternoon after returning our rented motorbike we still had some energy and decided to hop a dolmus to the city of Nevsehir. We were in search of tapes. We found a good shop and started listening to stuff. We scored a nice pile of tapes but they came at a high price. We'd stayed too long and had missed the last bus back to Göreme. The taxi was quite pricey. | ||||
02.B.3. | Brader - Turkey |
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no information found | ||||
02.B.4. | Hekimo - Turkey |
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We bought this tape in Diyarbakir which is considered the capital of Kurdish Turkey. Many of the most popular musicians in Turkey are Kurdish but the oppresive political climate has prevented them from singing in the Kurdish language. Hekimo, we were told, were based outside of Turkey (somehwere in Europe) and their tapes were smuggled into the country. |
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no additional information found | ||||
02.B.5. | Selda Bagcan - Turkey |
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We first heard this tape in Diyarbakir but it was pretty popular throughout Turkey. We picked up a copy in Istanbul. |
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audio: | ||||
www.hut.fi | ||||
purchase: | ||||
www.turadyoshop.com www.gwpost.com |
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02.B.6. | Selda Bagcan - Turkey |
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see 02.B.5. | ||||
02.B.7. | Xale Zulfekar - Turkey |
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Here's another one that we got in Diyarbakir. We were really challenging this particular shop owner to come up with stuff we liked. The language barrier didn't help things. He was most sympathetic however and even ordered in tea for us. |
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no information found | ||||
02.B.8. | Xale Zulfekar - Turkey |
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see 02.B.7. | ||||
02.B.9. | Eyal Golan - Israel |
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Finding interesting Israeli music was tough. It tends to be pretty watered down. Eyal Golan is one of the better pop music stars. |
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info: | ||||
israeliculture.about.com | ||||
audio: | ||||
sephardiconnect.com | ||||
purchase: | ||||
www.gemm.com www.jewishmusic.com www.israeldirect.co.il www.jerusalemgifts.com |
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02.B.10. | Eyal Golan - Israel |
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see 02.B.9. | ||||
02.B.11. | Zahava Ben - Israel |
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Along with the Eyal Golan tape, we got this one in the old city in Jerusalem. Most of the tape shops in the old city - whether they carry Arab or Jewish music - are in the Arab quarter. |
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audio: | ||||
sephardiconnect.com | ||||
purchase: | ||||
www.gemm.com www.jewishmusic.com songsearch.com www.israeldirect.co.il www.jerusalemgifts.com |
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02.B.12. | Latifah (Latifa) - Tunisia |
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For the most part we bought tapes from the countries we visited. In the Arab world however the music tends to transcend national boundaries. Egyptian artists, for instance, were especially popular in Jordan and in the Arab parts of Israel. The Tunisian singer Latifah was popular throughout these countries as well. | ||||
info: | ||||
www.geocities.com/ewissam latifafan.homestead.com |
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purchase: | ||||
www.gemm.com www.aramusic.com www.songsearch.net |
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02.B.13. | Ehab Tawfik (Ehab Tawfic) - Egypt |
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This song and the next I just had to include because we heard them so often. These were mega-hits of the moment in Egypt, Jordan and in the Arab areas of Israel. |
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purchase: | ||||
arabia.com www.aramusic.com |
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02.B.14. | Ehab Tawfik - Egypt |
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see 02.B.13. | ||||
03.A.1. | Kohinoor Langha & Party - India (Rajasthan) |
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We bought a few tapes of Rajasthani music in Jaipur. At most shops there they wouldn't break open the plastic and let us audition them but we found this one guy who was accomodating and gave him all our business. |
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no information found | ||||
03.A.2. | Mansoor Khan Langa & Pathan Khan - India (Rajasthan) |
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This track and the next one come from two different tapes. Well, at least the covers are different. As it turns out, the only difference in the material is that the two sides of the tape are swapped! We bought one in Jaisalmer and one in Jaipur. |
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purchase: | ||||
www.indiaclub.com | ||||
01.A.3. | Mansoor Khan Langa & Pathan Khan - India (Rajasthan) |
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see 01.A.2. | ||||
03.A.4. | Samandar Khan - India (Rajasthan) |
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Here's another that we picked up in Jaipur. It's a local Jaipur production from 1998. |
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no information found | ||||
03.A.5. | Begum Akhtar - India |
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Begum Akhtar is widely known and you should be able to find her CDs. This track comes from a Best Of (Golden Moments) tape of ghazals (Urdu love poems set to music). We bought it along bustling Free School Street in Calcutta (now Kolkata!). |
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info: | ||||
www.saregamaindia.com www.fabmart.com www.outlookindia.com |
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purchase: | ||||
www.induslive.com www.gemm.com |
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03.A.6. | Hariharan and Zakir Hussain - India |
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Another tape of ghazals - this one a bit more modern. Hariharan is well known within India while Zakir Hussain is probably the most well known tabla player in the world. Zakir Hussain's father was Alla Rakha - the great tabla player who died while we were in Sikkim (although we didn't hear about his pasing until months later when we reached Taiwan). |
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info: | ||||
allmusic.com | ||||
Hariharan www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Temple/3458 jukebox.indiatimes.com |
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Zakir Hussain www.eyeneer.com |
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purchase: | ||||
www.gemm.com ubl.artistdirect.com |
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03.A.7. | Shubha Mudgal - India |
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A shop owner in Chowringhee in Calcutta hipped me to this one. In addition to the singer Shubha Mudgal, other noted artists included in this production are the sarangi master Ustad Sultan Khan and the singer Sukhwindara Singh. |
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info: | ||||
www.rajshri.com www.dhadkan.com |
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purchase: | ||||
www.gemm.com ubl.artistdirect.com |
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03.A.8. | A.R. Rahman - India |
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The predominance of film music in India is well known. A.R. Rahman is the reigning heavyweight is this insanely popular genre. When a film is hot in India, so is the soundtrack. Taal was the most popular film when we arrived in India and the selected cut is taken from its soundtrack. |
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info: | ||||
www.rahmanonline.com www.arrahman.com imusic.artistdirect.com |
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purchase: | ||||
www.gemm.com (AR Rahman) www.gemm.com (A.R. Rahman) ubl.artistdirect.com |
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03.A.9. | Manna Dey - India |
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Manna Dey (born: Prabodhchandria Dey) is one of India's most influential vocalists. The nephew of singer and star of India's New Theater, K. C. Dey, Dey has successfully balanced fast tunes, romantic ballads and solemn hymns. Although his deep voice prevented him from securing lead roles in theatrical performances, Bey has proven himself an extremely eclectic vocalist. Dey grew up singing Baul songs, Rabindra-sangeet and Khayyal. A graduate of Vidyasagar College in Calcutta, Dey elected to devote his attentions to singing rather accepting a career as an attorney. -- allmusic.com |
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info: | ||||
sprocket.colorado.edu | ||||
audio: | ||||
www.ganguly.de/mannadey | ||||
purchase: | ||||
http://www.khazana.com | ||||
03.A.10. | Kishore Kumar ∓ Asha Bhosle - India |
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Two of the greats of Indian singing, singing together. Work by both should be readily available. |
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info: | ||||
Kishore Kumar allmusic.com www.yoodleeyoo.com/ |
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Asha Bhosle allmusic.com www.indianmelody.com |
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03.A.11. | Khagen Mahonta - India (Assam) |
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This track and the next one come from a compilation tape called "Folk Songs of Assam". We bought it in Shillong - the capital of the northeast state of Meghalaya - after having just returned to India from Bangladesh. |
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no information found | ||||
03.A.12. | Sneho Lata Das - India (Assam) |
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see 03.A.11. | ||||
no information found | ||||
03.A.13. | Banajit - India (Assam) |
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We bought this one in the dreary capital city of the northeast Indian state of Assam - Guwahati, where it was locally produced. It's a compilation of various artists. |
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no information found | ||||
03.A.14. | Rameshar ∓ Dhanada Pathak - India (Assam) |
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This one was also purchased in Guwahati and it was also locally produced. |
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no information found | ||||
03.B.1. | Dota Roy - Bangladesh |
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All the tapes from Bangladesh were purchased in Dhaka. We really scored there as these are excellent tapes and - with the exception of Dolly Sayantani - are extremely difficult to find outside of Bangladesh. We had the luxury of staying with friends who live in Dhaka and were able to listen to tapes on their stereo - then go back and buy more. I love the covers - check out the scans. [to come] |
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no information found | ||||
03.B.2. | Baul Halim - Bangladesh |
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see 03.B.1. | ||||
no information found | ||||
03.B.3. | Kala Mia - Bangladesh |
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see 03.B.1. | ||||
no information found | ||||
03.B.4. | Mansoor Ali - Bangladesh |
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see 03.B.1. | ||||
no information found | ||||
03.B.5. | Sahidul Islam - Bangladesh |
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see 03.B.1. | ||||
no information found | ||||
03.B.6. | Dolly Sayantani (Doly Shayontoni) - Bangladesh |
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audio: | ||||
www.banglaradio.com | ||||
03.B.7. | Dhungkar Tsering & Dhungkar Kyi - China (Tibet) |
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I'm very sorry that China is under-represented in this series. All the tapes that we bought in Yunnan - mostly Naxi music - are out there some place in a box trying desperately to reach us. The tapes we've chosen to include here were purchased in Xiahe, in the province of Gansu. This is a largely Tibetan area and the music represents that. |
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no information found | ||||
03.B.8. | Dhungkar Tsering & Dhungkar Kyi - China (Tibet) |
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see 03.B.7. | ||||
no information found | ||||
03.B.9. | Daowa Dolma - China (Tibet) |
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see 03.B.7. | ||||
no information found | ||||
03.B.10. | Daowa Dolma - China (Tibet) |
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see 03.B.7. | ||||
no information found | ||||
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