Upbeat World Music CD takes kids to the Caribbean, Latin America, and South Africa

November 8th, 2011 | By Joshua | No Comments »

I am a complete sucker for pretty much everything produced by Putumayo Kids, the children’s and educational division of the renowned music label Putumayo World Music (for which I am an equally eager sucker). In addition to their new Kids World Party CD, Putumayo Kids has launched a collection of sticker and coloring books. I LOVE the Latin America book — it is oversized with an alluring travel scene on the cover and big, simple drawings of animals and cultural landscapes inside.

“That looks like the Banjo Billy bus,” said my four-year-old when she saw the cover. She was referring to the funky, decked-out tour bus that we often see lumbering around the streets of Boulder, Colorado.

“That’s called a ‘chicken bus,’” I explained, loving this sudden teachable opportunity the book had given me before I’d even opened it. (more…)

Moises Gadea: Nicaraguan singer-songwriter, new video “Soy Migrante”

August 5th, 2011 | By Joshua | No Comments »

I first met Moises Gadea in 1998, at an open-air nightclub in Managua, near La UCA (University of Central America) campus. His band, Ixmaná, a high-energy folk-rock experiment, was playing. Moises invited me on stage that night and a friendship was born.

I follow Moises’s musical career from afar now, bummed about all the gigs I’m missing in Managua bars, but happy to see him putting out new music and working on new projects all the time, like this stunning track, “Soy Migrante,” from the documentary film, “Y Me Fui” (And I went).

The video shows Moises singing in the studio in between scenes of Nicaraguans struggling to survive in the distinct landscape of their patria. “I am Nicaragua,” begins the song. It definitely makes me want to see the film—and return to the country. Enjoy: [VIDEO]

Malian-Americana Folk Music Mash-Up: Adam Klein Returns to Mali with a guitar and a cameraman

November 7th, 2010 | By Joshua | No Comments »

[The following article appears in the Fall 2010 print issue of Worldview, the magazine of the National Peace Corps Association (I love getting to write about my friends)]

by Joshua Berman

Adam Klein, a singer-songwriter from Georgia, stood on a flat rooftop in northern Guatemala. His lean, tall figure, bushy hair, and pregnant guitar cast a silhouette against the Milky Way. He sang and played and searched for words. I sat at Adam’s feet with pen and paper, trying to help as he composed a ballad about don Fernando, the ancient foreman on the bridge project where we were working that week.

“O Fernando … on a fateful morning/ there was a heavy sun/ in the peaceful sleepy town/ Without a warning, they rounded up everyone/ and they cut all the people down….”

Adam and I were in Rabinal, (more…)

Jazz Around the World gives incredibly smooth tour of the globe

November 21st, 2009 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Putumayo Records’ newest release, Jazz Around the World, was much smoother and more soft-spoken then I expected it would be; more exotic, quiet lounge than brash experimenting. Fresh takes on world classics like Chan Chan, and lots of soft high hat and samba. The album highlights jazz’s influence on local types of music as much as it provides new cuts, so you get a truly diverse yet coherent collection. My favorite track has to be the Malian version of an old standard: Summertime at Bamako performed by Keletigui Diabate with Habib Koite, but it’s a tough call. LISTEN TO A FEW SAMPLES to see what I mean.
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Disclosure: Putumayo provided me with a review copy of Jazz Around the World, but did not pay me to write this post.

Putumayo World Music takes a trip to España

October 1st, 2009 | By Joshua | No Comments »

It’s hard to keep track of Putumayo World Music’s frequent releases of incredible collections, but I found España entirely worthy of my attention. The music is a fresh, lively whiff of the country which I hope to visit one of these days. Here, listen for yourself.

“Spain’s contemporary musicians blend flamenco, rumba catalana and pop into a vibrant musical tapestry…. The featured songs were selected from hundreds of albums collected during several scouting trips to Spain by Putumayo’s A&R team. España also features the work of renowned photographer Peter Adams and a recipe by famed Basque chef Eva Arguinaño.” (more…)