Thursday, July 21, 2016

Putumayo World Music Record Label Origins and Sampler album



Putumayo World Music is a New York City-based record label, now specialising in compilations of music from various nations, regions, or musical styles which may be classified as world music.

Origins - In 1991, on his way home from Bali, Dan Storper stopped in San Francisco, California. In Golden Gate Park, he heard the Nigerian band Kotoja. He was impressed by the music and the way it gathered many different people. He made a compilation of music he had gathered on his journeys and gathered a positive response. This led him to give out his first release in 1993. Storper took the name of his record label, Putumayo, from Colombia's Putumayo Department where he travelled in 1974. The word is said to be the name of a bird (heron). Every release features the art of Nicola Heindl. Her art is both folky and modern, and, according to the Putumayo website, "represents one of Putumayo's goals: to connect the traditional to the contemporary.





Typically a Putumayo World Music compilation is presented as a theme under the title “Putumayo Presents:” The themes can be regional (South Africa, Caribbean, Asia), music types (reggae, folk, Latin, jazz) and other themes (lounge, groove, party).

The Putumayo Kids division was created in 2002. Since the release of the World Playground CD in 1999, Putumayo Kids has achieved honors from Parents' Choice Awards and the National Parenting Publications Association, and has grown to be one of the more important children's record labels.

Putumayo launched the Putumayo World Music Hour in 2000, a commercially-syndicated world music radio show. Rosalie Howarth of KFOG hosts the Music Hour. The weekly show is heard internationally on over 150 commercial and non-commercial stations.




Putumayo has ten offices worldwide. Their products are sold at a network of more than 3,000 book, gift, clothing, coffee and other specialty retailers in the US. The label claims to distribute their CD's in more than 80 countries around the world.

Putumayo's compilations have been available digitally since August 2011.

Website




Facebook


Next post: The Rough Guide to World Roots


Visit my other blogs and pages here:



Saturday, July 16, 2016

Going Global...A Musical Journey Around the World by various artists



16 tracks from various diverse and unique artists including Mariza, Blind Boys of Alabama, Nigel Kennedy, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Afro Celts, Damon Albarn and Sheila Chandra. This sampling will whet your appetite for the eclectic sounds of world music.






next post: Putumayo World Music Sampler

Visit my other blogs and pages here:


Thursday, July 14, 2016

One World: Music From Around the World; compilation from Rounder Records



This generous 18 track compilation, Music from Around the World, released in 1994 on Rounder Records, brings together a varied assortment of artists presenting a myriad of musical forms and productions.

On this journey we experience Astor Piazzolla's Argentine Tango, Mingo Saldivar's Conjunto music from South Texas, Latin Jazz from Mario Bauza, Mali's Oumou Sangare, Nigeria's Prince Nico Mbarga, plus sounds from Brazil, Mauritania, Mexico, South Africa, Cuba, the Caribbean, Togo and Zaire.





Next post: Going Global

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Music Rough Guides: Out of This World; compilation by various artists



Released in 2004 on the World Music Network label, this compilation, Out of This World, celebrated 10 years of musical exploration with a 10 track showcase from various artists of the label.

Includes music from Africa, Portugal, India, USA, Middle East and South America, encompassing Latin, Tango, Bhangra, Arabesque, Bluegrass, Cajun and African Blues.



Next post: One World: Music From Around the World

Monday, July 11, 2016

What is World Music and How is it Defined



It's been said that ALL music is World Music, and, if taken in that context, that is correct. The term "World Music" was originally coined to distinguish various forms of music from the more traditional and popular music that most western countries and communities are used to. 

The average music listener or aficionado knows the genres of pop, rock, jazz, blues, country and their variations, but if they look a little further or broaden their musical tastes a bit more, there is a whole plethora of instruments, rhythms, vocalisations, songwriting and production techniques that are just waiting to be discovered and appreciated.

At almost every corner of our globe from the Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia, Pacific and all points in between, there is indigenous music that has been around for decades, if not centuries, that can open our mind and ears and take us on a musical journey that is practically endless.

World Music has now become a popular form of music within itself, and artists now tour the world to present their sounds to populations that may not have heard or seen them before, and there also many collaborations between western artists and indigenous musicians that have resulted in multi-selling albums and music awards. 

Take some time out and discover these sounds, you'll be enlightened beyond your dreams.




Next post: Music Rough Guides: Out of This World