Nigel Williamson on the life of the colossus of South African music who died on Februrary 23
From the oppressive days of white minority rule, through the liberation war and the challenges of independence that followed, his music uplifted and inspired his people
Nigerian highlife saxophonist Orlando Julius dies at age 79
The pioneering female mbira player and champion of Shona tradition has died, aged 76
Orchestra Baobab's swinging bass player, an ever-present since the mid-70s, has passed away
The joyous, spiralling guitar playing of Rise Kagona helped to make the jit jive of the Bhundu Boys one of the glories of the 1980s world music boom.
Congolese guitarist and soukous innovator Papa Noël Nedule has passed, aged 83.
Olivia Harrison, the wife of the late Beatle George Harrison, talks about how George's collaborations with Indian musicians helped shape her own musical tastes
Kayhan Kalhor, a master of the Iranian kamancheh, speaks to Nigel Williamson about his various collaborations and why he has always played simply for the enjoyment of making music
World music is a maze. And what you need is a good map. So here is our A to Z of world music, taking you from Africa Express to Zimbabwe, from Balkan brass to qawwali and from cumbia to WOMAD
Nigel Williamson looks back at the enduring global popularity of the Irish musical ambassadors
The kora has become almost synonymous with the music of Mali. Nigel Williamson examines the career of its chief exponent Toumani Diabaté
Nigel Williamson takes a look at the rise to global fame and fortune of West Africa’s golden couple
The perfect introduction to Fela Kuti – a true original: "Never have life, politics, art and music been so inextricably linked together in one incendiary, insurrectionary and highly danceable package"
Simultaneously innovating and upholding the traditions of the ngoni, Bassekou Kouyaté is a name synonymous with his instrument’s modern sound. Nigel Williamson rounds up his sparkling career
The Brooklyn-based Afrobeat emissaries Antibalas have developed their own post-modern take on Fela Kuti’s legacy
Nigel Williamson charts the career of the genre-defying sitarist, from her Indian classical beginnings to her star-studded cross-cultural fusions
A Songlines playlist for Apple Music, with range of Western artists coming together with world music's brightest to create an exciting variety of new sounds.
A Songlines playlist for Apple Music exploring the many and varied uses of this iconic instrument of West Africa
There are almost 60 million displaced people and refugees living worldwide. Nigel Williamson selects ten artists who have all released albums while living in exile
Nigel Williamson selects ten albums that best showcase the inimitable Touareg desert groove sound
The bright star rising from West Africa in the form of Noura Mint Seymali is just one of the continent’s long and impressive list of women singers. Nigel Williamson picks ten favourite albums
Mokoomba might be the latest bright young band from Zimbabwe, but before them there have been some truly legendary artists and releases. Nigel Williamson selects ten classic albums
While guitarist Afel Bocoum steps out of Ali Farka Touré’s shadow and into the spotlight with his latest release Lindé, Nigel Williamson selects ten other excellent albums by Malian guitarists
The Beatles’ fusion of Indian music into Western pop inspired a monsoon of similarly adventurous experiments. Nigel Williamson offers a chronological selection of the most inventive albums of the last 50 years
Nigel Williamson conjures a magical world of legend and lore with a selection of music inspired by gods, monsters and heroes
Nigel Williamson selects 10 vital albums brimming with bluegrass, clawhammer and old-time reinventions
The Malian kora player has become an international star, noted for his myriad musical collaborations. Nigel Williamson examines his extensive back catalogue
The UK-based Senegalese kora player has made a name for himself as one of the foremost innovators operating in African music today. Nigel Williamson dives into his impressive career and marvels at his myriad works to date
Nigel Williamson explores The Beatles and India, a new film lifting the lid on the Fab Four’s journey east and the impact that Indian music and culture had on the group’s own sound and legacy
Emerging from the shadow cast by his famous father, guitarist Vieux Farka Touré has spent a career forging his own path. But now he’s finally returning to his roots. Photography by Kiss Diouara
“I never want anything I do to feel like it’s a lecture.” Nigel Williamson guides us through the prolific and pioneering career of one of America’s finest
Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi revisit classic folk songs on their latest release. The pair talk about the continuing relevance of folk music, the concept of home and life during lockdown
Decades in the making, the new book from influential US producer Joe Boyd is the definitive history of how non-Western music became popular across the world
A Songlines playlist for Apple Music, with range of Western artists coming together with world music's brightest to create an exciting variety of new sounds.
A Songlines playlist for Apple Music exploring the many and varied uses of this iconic instrument of West Africa
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