Reviews

Moon Night

Guo Gan

For prolific Chinese erhu virtuoso Guo Gan, the last few years have seen a number of new explorations, including collaborations...

Reviewed in issue March/2019

Mitsune

Mitsune

Over the past decade or two, Tsugaru shamisen has become something of a contemporary craze in Japan, with players such...

Reviewed in issue March/2019

Maithree: The Music of Friendship

Nirmala Rajasekar

This album finds celebrated Indian veena player and vocalist Nirmala Rajasekar gathering a few friends to make an acoustic fusion...

Reviewed in issue March/2019

Waves of Joy: Bauls from Bengal

Deben Bhattacharya

Born in Bengal in 1921, Bhattacharya came to the UK after World War II, worked for the Post Office and...

Reviewed in issue March/2019

Bhumika

Toronto Tabla Ensemble

Those in the West intrigued by India's rich musical traditions used to face a long trip to learn more. Now...

Reviewed in issue Jan/Feb/2019

Tablananda

Subhasis Bhattacharya

There is a fine tradition of brothers in bands, occasionally accompanied by a sub-plot of sibling rivalry. Fortunately there is...

Reviewed in issue Jan/Feb/2019

Deva

Deva Premal

Deva Premal is a German national who embraced Indian spirituality in 1990 when staying with the controversial guru Osho at...

Reviewed in issue Jan/Feb/2019

Ragas on Saxophone

Phil Scarff

If this album contained anything other than ragas on saxophone any listener's disappointment would be understandable. Fortunately Phil Scarff delivers...

Reviewed in issue December/2018

Muraqaba

Fanna-fi-Allah

Fanna-fi-Allah, meaning ‘To Annihilate the Self,’ is the name of a Canadian-American group specialising in qawwali, the devotional music of...

Reviewed in issue December/2018

Music of Southern & Northern Laos

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Sound recordist Laurent Jeanneau has spent years travelling among the ethnic minority cultures of Laos and Cambodia. This two-CD set...

Reviewed in issue December/2018