CD Review: Atash's 'Everything Is Music'

Atash
Everything Is Music
Ars Mundi

Everything Is Music is titled from a poem by Rumi, a Sufi poet of the 13th century, which combines swirling, Middle Eastern rhythms with hypnotic flamenco, Indian, and Mediterranean influences. The mature vocals are not too boisterous and very akin to Cheb Khaled. The band is spearheaded by Mohammad Firoozi Dashtestani, who hails from Iran. The Farsi singer aids the help of fellow musicians, Roberto Riggio on violin; Dylan Jones on bass; Abou Sylla on balafon, djembe, and conga; Jose Manuel Tejeda on acoustic guitar; Jason McKenzie on drums and tabla; John Moon on violin; and Indrajit Banerjee on sitar. The nine tracks are a global goldmine of infectious sounds and world rhythms. The Austin, Texas-based band finds no trouble getting their music across to the local crowds, as well as an international audience. The music cuts through borders and beliefs by creating organic, yet accessible, music tunes. Rumi would be proud! ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica's 'Where Here Meets There'

Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica
Where Here Meets There
Self-Release

American-based and globally-derived, Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica brings us a chilling romp through world jazz, chamber music, Middle Eastern percussion, and classical music with an instrumental ability that almost rivals the works of Gershwin, Bach, Tjader, and Gillespie. Actually, those greats have music on here, but Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica reinvents various preludes, songs, and dances with a contemporary spin. Musicians Brian O'Neill, Geni Skendo, Shane Shanahan, Jason Davis, Tev Stevig, and Noriko Terada provide a wealth of instrumental accompaniment. The final result is intriguing, but not overdone in any way. The glistening vibraphone melodies, Arabic percussion, fluid flutes, and various overdubs make Where Here Meets There absolutely amazing no matter where you are. Fans of global jazz, instrumental music, classical, percussion, dance, and easy listening will find Mr. Ho's Orchestratotica very enthralling. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Various Artists' 'Global Bass Vol. 3'

Various Artists
Global Bass Vol. 3
UrbanWorld

The global beats of electronic, bass-heavy, and dance music is introduced to us on the tracks gracing UrbanWorld's new release, Global Bass Vol. 3. The musical style is upbeat, funk-driven, and jazzy. There are African, South American, and European elements throughout. The Afro-funk and Afro-latin musical genres are well-represented, but there appears to be a good amount of world grooves from hard-to-describe locations or styles. Superpendejos, Silver Bullit, Los Chicos Altos, Idan K, Empresarios, Kosta Kostov, Rube, Systema Solar, and many others are represented here. This is an adventurous mix of instrumental and vocal music with a capacity to evoke danceable rhythms from urban sources. The music has substance, which is amplified with the multiple cultural influences and musical genres. However, the bass is a defining characteristic of the music--no matter where it originates. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Sa Dingding's "Harmony"

Sa Dingding

Harmony

Wrasse Records

The Chinese and Mongolian-influenced Sa Dingding is no stranger to musical success. Her previous album, Alive (2007), was a preview of things to come. Harmony is an extension of Alive and is the product of Sa Dingding's musical maturity. The incorporation of contemporary beats with traditional instrumentation give Harmony a richly-textured musical adventure. The fairly polished production is similar in tone to what Te Vaka did for the South Pacific, or what Huun Huur Tu did for Mongolia. Harmony is a mix of global pop, electronica, fusion, and dance music. There is no void of catchy 'harmonies' as well. Though not for the ethnic purists, Harmony is one of those albums that reveals more of itself with each listen. Sa Dingding sings in Mandarin, Sanskrit, English, and her own self-created language. Most of the songs contain liner notes in English. Great job...again! ~ Matthew Forss