Category: good to hear

Nduduzo Makhathini
“Libations: Omnyama”, from the album uNomkhubulwane
The South African painist, composer and singer 11th overall effort but third masterwork for Blue Note is radiant and revelatory. “Emerging from a mother song gifted to Makhathini during his initiation process to become a healer, (the pianist was immersed in water in order to encounter the Zulu goddess uNomkhubulwane) the elegant crafter opener “Libations: Omnyama,” relies on a gracefully hypnotic repeated figure to establish its beautiful trance. Makhathini’s resonant, storytelling spoken word enchants as well as heals. It is a marvelous six minutes of utter transportation.” (Mike Jurkovic for All About Jazz)
Blue Note

Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few
The World is on Fire
Saxophonist Isaiah Collier, age 25, has shared the stage with Chance the Rapper as well as appeared at many jazz festivals around the globe. Collier has a deep history in Chicago’s jazz scene. Collier’s first introduction to jazz was a flyer for a camp in Chicago landing in his face less than a decade ago, giving him his first chance at the saxophone. His father, a keyboardist, and singer, would often bring Collier, 12, to perform at gigs, and Collier recalled thinking, “Wait! I can actually make money doing this?” After a few years at Stockton’s Brubeck Institute, Collier recently returned to Chicago. His new, fierce “cold bop” album protests against the violence targeting black people.
Division 81 Records

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Ya Allah Ya Rehman, from the album Chain of Light
Four traditional qawwalis by the exceptional Pakistani singer recorded in 1990 at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in England have resurfaced! “The record’s title comes from a refrain about spiritual bonds that traverse generations: “Every breath of mine, is related to his chain of light.” It was written by the Pakistani scholar Naseeruddin Naseer Gilani as a tribute to the 11th-century Sufi mystic Abdul Qadir Gilani.” (The New York Times) Nusrat’s voice is like no other, and we are lucky to have him back, at least for the length of this new album.
Real World Music

Manu Chao
Sao Paulo Motoboy from the album Viva Tu
Another revenant! Manu Chao has a new album out, offering stories of community and refelxion. “Viva Tu continues to explore Chao’s deep connection to the world around him, reflecting his musical evolution, global travels and his commitment to social justice. The album’s reggae-rooted final track, “Tantas Tierras,” sums up the uncertainties of our current planet-wide state while still holding onto hope. Chao remains true to his signature style, drawing from genres like pop, rumba flamenca, chanson, cumbia, and reggae.” (World Music Central)
Radio Bemba

Caribou
Honey
“Honey is Canadian electronic musician Dan Snaith’s first album as Caribou in more than four years. In the time since his previous album, Suddenly, was released in 2020, Smith has focused on recording as his more dance-focused music alter-ego, Daphni. Now, he’s switched back to Caribou.. The sound is bigger and more universal than any other Caribou record, but it feels like a natural evolution rather than the two projects bleeding into one another.” (A.V. Club) Snaith (born 29 March 1978) ihas released 10 studio albums since 2000 and has recorded and performed under the stage names Caribou, Manitoba, and Daphni.
Written, produced and recorded by Dan Snaith

Meshell Ndegeocello
Love – from her new album No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin
Meshell Ndegeocello, born Michelle Lynn Johnson on August 29, 1968, is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and bassist. She “happens to be much more than merely a good musician. She’s been playing professionally since the early 1990s and, at 55, is about to release her 14th album, a collection of songs that excites her. The past — the repertoire, the old stuff, the hits — can start to feel like ‘karaoke of myself,’ she said, even if that’s never what it’s been like for us folks in the audience.” (Wesley Morris, here in The New York Times)
UMG Recordings

Hannah Kendall
Verdala
Known for her attentive arrangements and immersive world-building, British composer Hannah Kendall’s music looks beyond the boundaries of composition. Her work bridges gaps between different musical cultures, both honouring and questioning the contemporary tradition while telling new stories through it. Contrasting fine detail with limitless abandon, she has become renowned both as a composer and a storyteller, confronting our collective history with narratively-driven pieces centred on bold mission statements.
Ricordi

The Cucaracha’s Band
Akira
The Cucarach’ss Band hails from  Ontiñena, in he Spanish province Huesca, in Aragon, known for the foklore association “Raíces de Ontiñena”. Three of its members decided to give a “baturro” touch to the most popular songs. In September of 2008 they launched their band adventure with a parade through Ontiñena, attracting the attention of their countrymen. After the incorporation of two new members, “The Cucaracha’s Band”, has improved a lot, as their rehearsals and their many performances show.
Babylon Music

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Wild Gold
The Australian rock band around Nick Cave is releasing a new album on 30 August. Cave hopes the album has the “effect on listeners” that it had on him. He describes it as a “complicated record” but simultaneously “deeply and joyously infectious”. As their records reflect the band’s “emotional state”, Cave shared the impression that they are “happy” this time around. Cage, who lost two sons within seven years seems to have recuperated after this dark period in his life.
PIAS

Johnny Irion
Sleeping Soldiers of Love
This is the first single off of Johnny Irion’s upcoming album, Sleeping Soldiers of Love, out on August 9th. The album was mixed by Patrick Sansone and features an all-star cast of players including Jeff Bridges, Mike Mills of REM, and many others. Johnny Irion has solidified his reputation as one of the most spirited artists in the folk-rock genre. His career is steeped in authentic American punk & roots music, a heritage he embraced wholeheartedly.
Blackwing Music

Laurie Anderson
O Superman
A hymn to the earth. “Homeland is not only a place where we were born or live; it is where our soul takes refuge and finds its own peace!” Suor Snow Raven was born in one of the most remote and cold inhabited places in the world – the Republic of Sakha – Yakutia (arctic Siberia). She was three years old when she started to learn the language of birds and animals. Her archaic music strikes a chord deep within us and reminds us what it means to be a dedicated spiritual warrior for the earth. (SGS)
Majestic Sounds

Saint Levant
On This Land
Marwan Abdelhamid, AKA Saint Levant, was born in Jerusalem to a French-Algerian mother and Serbian-Palestinian father. He spent 10 years growing up in Gaza, to which he would dedicate his first EP From Gaza with Love. In 2007, Marwan and his family were forced to flee to Jordan, later moving to Santa Barbara, California. Drawing inspiration from his origins with influences that combine traditional Arabic music, R&B and hip-hop, the young artist embraces the plurality of his own cultural heritage, the Arab community worldwide and the Palestinian struggle abroad.
MDLBEAST Records 

Bayou
Haika Wehbe
Another example iof so-called Arabizi Music, a form of Arabic pop, shows that Hip Hop has found a new home in the Middle East, with guys leerings after girls they wish to dominate to snappy sounds. Bayou was a big act at Coachella this year and his just released another single. He has moe than one ace up his slieve and is worth following, on a musicl career between Los Angeles, CA, and Amman in Jordania,
MDLBEAST Records 

Carin Léon
Bolela – Aviso importante
If you enjoy a bit of romantic summer mjusic of the old kind, this is the sound for you. If you like the south, and especially Mexico, or Italy, Carin turns back time for you to when this sound abounded. Love it! Óscar Armando Díaz de León Huez, known professionally as Carín León, (born 26 July 1989) is a Mexican singer-songwriter who specializes in regional Mexican music. León was born in Hermosillo, and won the Ltin Grammy in 2022 als best regional Mexican act.
Icarls Music

Hermeto Pascoal
Música da Lagoa (Sinfonia do Alto Ribeira, 1985)
Música da Lagoa (Sinfonia do Alto Ribeira, 1985)
Hermeto Pascoal (born June 22, 1936) is a Brazilian composer and multi-instrumentalist. He was born in Lagoa da Canoa, Alagoas, Brazil. Pascoal is best known in Brazilian music for his orchestration and improvisation, as well as for being a record producer and contributor to many Brazilian and international albums.His career began in 1964 with appearances on several Brazilian recordings alongside relatively unknown groups. These albums and the musicians involved established widely influential new directions in post-bossa nova Brazilian jazz.
Rede Manchete

Cosmo Sheldrake
I Did and I Do and I Don’t
Cosmo Sheldrake is an English musician, composer, and producer. He is the son of biologist Rupert Sheldrake and voice teacher Jill Purce, and the brother of biologist Merlin Sheldrake. He released his first single, “The Moss”/”Solar”, in 2014 and followed it up with the Pelicans We EP in 2015. This is a gentle little love sung by one of today’s most original musicians. Cosmo’s music is rife with nature citations, representing the leading edge in what music can become. Also, he’s begun to sing and has a very relatable voice. This man is on the way to becoming a star! .
Transgressive

Nduduzo Makhatini
Izibingelelo (Greetings) live at the Centre for Jazz Studies at UKZN
“The art of the South African jazz pianist Nduduzo Makhathini transcends borders. In his music, he not only combines the sound of South Africa with that of the global North. For him, improvising is a way of accessing spirituality, both for the musician and for the audience. For more than ten years, the charismatic pianist has been impressing audiences on all continents and at many a performance.” (Moods, Zurich)
Blue Note

Aya Nakamura
Hypé
Aya Danioko (born 10 May 1995) in Bamako, Mali, known professionally as Aya Nakamura, is a French singer. She comes from a family of griot, West African storytellers, praise singers, and poets of oral traditions. Throughout her career, Nakamura accumulated five number-one songs and a number-one album in France. We may look forward to enjoying her art at the opening of the Olympics In Pais this summer. “Right-wing critics say Ms. Nakamura’s music does not represent France, and the prospect of her performing has led to a barrage of racist insults online against her. The Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation.” (Wikipedia and The New York Times)
Warner Brothers

Mdou Moctar
Imouhar
Mahamadou Souleymane (born around 16 August 1984), known professionally as Mdou Moctar (also M.dou Mouktar), is a Tuareg songwriter and musician based in Agadez, Niger, who performs modern rock music inspired by Tuareg guitar music. (Wikipedia) He is known for his political activism. Mdou Moctar is its current iteration is first and foremost a band. It started out peforming at traditional weddings. Of the recent political coup in Niger Mdou says: I never liked France I my country. I don’t hate France or the French people, I don’t hate American people either, but I don’t supprt their manipulative politics, what they do in Africa. In 2024, we want to be free, we need to smile, you understand?” I do and love the raw power of his music. (SGS)
Matador

Cami Layé Okún
Afro Cuban Funky Grooves
“Since the release of her 2015 debut album Nueva Era, Cuban singer Daymé Arocena has established herself as one of her country’s most expressive voices. Encompassing everything from nimble jazz scatting to luscious orchestrations and breathy phrases that soar over bata drums and Santería folk rhythms, Arocena’s four albums have explored the joyous range of Afro Cuban music.” (Ammar Kahlia, The Guardian) She grew up Havana, with a family immersed in rumba folklore. She entered the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory at age 10.
NTS Radio. La Habana, Cuba