They invited their fans singing “come see us play”. So we did it and enjoyed every single minute of it. Sidestepper brought their Afro-Colombian groove to WOMAD Festival and it was simply “chevere!”
A few minutes later, we witnessed the brilliant 30-year reunion of Songhai – kora king Toumani Diabate with flamenco guitarists Juan & Jose Carmona & Javier Colina plus a fantastic trio of supporting Malian vocalists and the tightest Spanish percussion section ever. It was truly a wonderful experience and an honour to be the eye- and earwitnesses of the revisitation of this classic album.
If people call you the ‘Godfather of funk’ and your music career spans over six decades, there must be a reason. When it comes to George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, the reasons are dozens and the saxophonist from Kannapolis demonstrated all of them yesterday night. He played on the Womad Open Air Stage supported by a bunch of stunning and outstanding musicians and proved another time to be one of the coolest artists around. His infectious, groovy and buoyant vibes got everyone dancing for more than an hour and can easily grab the title highlight of the 2016 edition of the Festival.
It’s easy to daydream when you have the chance to enjoy a performance of Anoushka Shankar. You loose yourself in the notes played on the sitar by her sinuous fingers, her set list formed by original and traditional ragas which recall her northern Indian roots, but also her educated and charming voice blending together jazz and pop influences.
Anita Tijoux never disappoints. You can be sure that, once on stage, she will express all her temper, personality and feelings about the current events. Yesterday evening, she jumped on the Siam Stage and with the support of her band she recalls some of the most meaningful songs of her career like “Shock”, “Vengo” and her latest single “Calaveritas”
‘Mamadou Kanda Keita’ is extracted of the “very special” collaborative album Korolen by Malian kora master Toumani Diabate and renowned London-based symphony orchestra LSO. “Commissioned as a special project by the Barbican Centre in London and produced by World Circuit, these recordings feature Diabaté and his group of eminent Malian…
Every month, we bring you a collection of the best world music-related videos. That’s our way to give value to too often overlooked, rich and diverse artistic expressions. Listen with your eyes! Watch the full playlist:
Back in 2009 there was a big music conference like Womex in Bogotà. There I met a guy called Bernard Batzen, who was also Mano Negra and Manu Chao’s manager – an experienced statesman in the world music sphere. He had travelled to Bogotà, participated in the conference, and then…
WOMAD UK 2016 edition will also be the 10th on the grounds of Charlton Park, that’ why the organisers are already going all out to celebrate the anniversary… You just have to take a glance at the first name announced for the upcoming 34th edition of the event, which will take…
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