Book

Wildman Of Rhythm : The Life & Music Of Benny Moré
Cuba’s greatest sonero, Benny Moré remains a legendary name in Latin music. We review this new biography of the original mambo king.   Despite the global impact of Buena Vista Social Club, Cuba’s greatest sonero, ‘El Bárbaro del...
20/01/2010

book cuba latin music

Jerusalem
Patrick Neate’s satirical new novel Jerusalem explores the fractured notions of identity and authenticity in the aftermath of British colonialism in Africa.   Over the past decade, hip hop loving south Londoner, Patrick Neate, has notched up a...
16/12/2009

literature book africa society

Freedom, Rhythm & Sound: Revolutionary Jazz Original Cover Art 1965-83
This collection of rare album artwork reflects the independent energy of the African American jazz movement. Located in the heart of Soho in London, Soul Jazz Records is a musical oasis. While many of the quality record shops that once graced this area...
18/11/2009

book jazz

Fela: This Bitch Of A Life
First published in French and then in English back in 1982, this recently re-issued authorized biography of the late great Fela Anikulapo Kuti by Carlos Moore provides a raw and unique insight into the turbulent life of this African musician who...
15/10/2009

book afrobeat society

Bicycle Diaries
Along with producing his own music and engaging with others through his label Luaka Bop, David Byrne continues to delve into the world of art and installations while regularly putting his thoughts into print. This is his seventh book - it’s a...
16/09/2009

cultural tourism book bicycle

The Ballad of Britain
A metal chair flies through the air and finds its target: writer Will Hodgkinson was fast discovering the perils of trying to make a field recording of local troubadour Pete Molinari in Kent’s tougher suburbs. On a quest to find the sonic soul of...
10/09/2009

book britain folk

The Dead Yard: Tales Of Modern Jamaica
During the 70s and early 80s I was obsessed with Jamaica. I idled my days away in the record emporiums between Dalston Junction and Seven Sisters and amassed stacks of pre release 7” singles that relayed the latest news from Yard. My own leftist...
12/08/2009

book jamaica

The No-Nonsense Guide To World Music
World music is a slippery beast to contain in book form, let alone a two-word epithet. It’s the equivalent of trying to lasso an eel – or, as David Toop beautifully describes in his introduction to Louise Gray’s new book, it’s a...
05/08/2009

book

From Jazz Funk & Fusion to Acid Jazz -The History of the UK Jazz Dance Scene
“He was DJing in a corner, challenging the dancers with Coltrane, Palmieri, chants to the Orisha of the Yoruba,” recalls African-American cultural historian Robert Farris Thompson in the introduction to this long awaited book. Describing...
09/07/2009

book jazz dance event

Puglia Sounds
It will be the window of Puglia Sounds in France and in all Europe. This blog will show all the i...

AFRO by SOUL
Africa is the future and the future is now…as the prophecy unfolds Eric Soul is as always ahead o...

The Center for Black Music
The Center for Black Music in Salvador, Bahia, and the International Exhibition of Black Music in...

Charlie Gillett
Charlie Gillett was one of the UK's leading World Music journalists. For years he presented a wee...

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