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Recorded
in Nouakchott with her young musicians' band, which blends all the
components of today’s Mauritania (Moorish, Fulani, Tukulor,
Soninke, Wolof and Haratin), this album highlights her splendid
voice and her talent as both a composer and an interpreter. In the late eighties she began appearing on stage in Mauritania. With a new repertoire, she brought about a true musical revolution among singers. Such pieces as "Habibi habeytou", "Cyam ezzaman tijri", "Awdhu billah"... disrupted the established order. Malouma was aiming to impose a style that drew from the purest tradition and modernized it. The research she undertook was centred on a successful blending of traditional and modern music, the latter providing its instruments and its approach, the first its rich repertoire. Malouma thus became a singer-songwriter, introducing a unity of theme in her songs (oughniya) and not refraining from broaching subjects that were more or less taboo such as love, conjugal life or inequalities. Her website is here. Guinean audiences
first got introduced to Mama Assiata Kamaldine Contéduring
“Love System’s” 1988 tour when she was singled
out through her passionate performance, graceful poise and flirtatious
playfulness, stealing the show night after night. She delighted
audiences and became an overnight sensation. The following year,
Bamako and Segu, in turn, felt under Kamaldine’s spell providing
the first indication into her supra-national appeal. It was in 1991
during the “Fécouverte RFI” talent show, sponsored
by French Radio, that Kamaldine got her first international break
eventually lending her to Dakar’s stadium “Iba Mar Diop”.
It was the beginning of a love affair. Dakar turned out to be a
charmed city, in more ways then one, for Kamaldine. It was also
there that she met the Midas of African music, Boncana Maiga, whose
golden touch has sparkled before with such African stars as Alpha
Blondy, Aicha Koné, Africando and Oumou Sangaré to
name but a few. Boncana signed her, on the spot, to his production
label “Maestro Sound”. The rest as they say...is soon
to become music history. So catch them while you still can, they
are about to fly, fly high and far. Azar
Nafisi is a Visiting Fellow and professorial lecturer
at the Foreign Policy Institute of the Johns Hopkins University’s
School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC.
A professor of aesthetics, culture and literature, Dr. Nafisi held
a fellowship at Oxford University teaching and conducting a series
of lectures on culture and the important role of Western literature
and culture in Iran after the revolution in 1979. She taught at
the University of Tehran, the Free Islamic University, and Allameh
Tabatabaii before coming to the United States—- earning national
respect and international recognition for advocating on behalf of
Iran’s intellectuals, youth, and especially young women. She
was expelled from the University of Tehran for refusing to wear
the mandatory Islamic veil in 1981, and did not resume teaching
until 1987. She has lectured and written extensively in English
and Persian on the political implications of literature and culture
as well as on the human rights of Iranian women and girls and the
important role they play in the process of change for pluralism
and an open society in Iran and other Muslim societies. Financial Times
journalist Gautam Malkani will be taking over the paper's Creative
Business section, AiM can reveal today. The paper made an internal
announcement on Monday to the effect that he would be taking over
from the previous section editor Carlos Grande.The FT announced
in December that its media supplement Creative Business would be
dropped as a weekly pull-out and instead become a monthly pull-out
supplement. Every week the paper will still carry a few pages dedicated
to Creative Business, which Gautam will also look after, but they
will be part of the paper as opposed to a stand-alone section. Magou Born on the
tiny Senegalese island of N’Gor, Magou is associated with
a husky yet lyrical voice and thoughtful lyrics. He was born into
a fishing community and brought up by his mother and grandmother.
His paintings financed his first forays into music, and he quickly
became involved in bands combining rap, soul and reggae. His distinctive
vocal style attracted Dakar’s Studio Yes, which put him in
touch with the German Network label. It brought out his first solo
album “Africa Yewul”. Warehouse Theatre Company in co-production with JID Theatre Company present My Life, an autobiographical portrait of teenage life in London by young playwright Karla Williams. In My Life Kia has more to deal with than your average 16-year-old; her life changes suddenly after the death of her mother and a close friend. Love, pain, faith and loss all have an impact on the resilient Kia in this life-affirming pursuit of strength and happiness. These themes are cleverly interwoven with the usual rites of passage in teenage life to create a bittersweet portrayal of one teenager's discovery of faith as she steers into adulthood. Visit herat: http://www.redhillandreigatelife.co.uk/ ABDULLAH CHHADEH Nara was formed in 2001, an ensemble combining Abdullah's qanun with a variety of traditional and mainstream instruments such as the nay (Arabic end-blown flute),Syrian accordion and Middle Eastern and Western percussion such as the frame-drum, daf, darbuka, kit-drums and double bass. An ever evolving musical project based entirely on Abdullah's original compositions. In the first few months of its existence Nara has produced startlingly enthusiastic reactions from audiences, particularly at WOMEX and at WOMAD festivals in the UK and Canary Islands. Visit him at: http://www.abdullahchhadeh.com/ There's nothing like the warm spirit of the Caribbean to re-energize a dry, stale season of the same old song and dance. And with summer fast approaching there couldn't be a better time for Barbados-born singer Rihanna to break into an industry that is eager to celebrate the next big thing. Thanks to multi-platinum island-born superstars like Sean Paul, Shaggy and Elephant Man, the mainstream has been primed for a rhythmic female star to step into the forefront of popular music. Visit her at: http://www.rihannasite.com/ The music of Guinee-Bissau-born artist Eneida Marta is colored by a variety of influences from traditional music: her father's Angolan roots, the Portuguese Diaspora (she is a resident of Lisbon) and a variety of African cultures. Marta speaks Fula, Biafada, Bijago, Mandjak, Mankanya, Futa Fula, Balanta, Papel and Mandinga. There is also the instrumentation, the tchifre cow horn, the onomatopoeic bumbulum tree trunk drum, the tina, made from a wine barrel cut in two, immersed in water and played only by women. This is vibrant music from one of the under-recorded corners of West African. Visit her at: http://www.griotsound.com/webeneida/ As an artist, Raman continues to develop and explore issues of identity with new sounds that celebrate multiplicity. She draws her collaborators from across Europe, Asia, and Africa: Cameroonian bassist Hilaire Penda, Guinea-Bissau born percussionist Djanuno Dabo, American drummer Marque Gilmore, British-Asian tabla player Aref Durvesh, and of course British guitarist and producer Sam Mills are at the heart of this album as they were on Salt Rain. You can visit her site at: http://www.susheelaraman.com/ Keyshia Cole is the real deal. Like many young people raised in a tough neighborhood, the 21-year-old songstress endured a tumultuous childhood in Oakland, California, and has fought all her life to keep her dream of a music career alive. Now she's realizing that dream on her own terms with her first album for the A&M label, The Way It Is. It's been a long road for Keyshia, but it's her powerful voice-- a bell-like instrument whose soaring clarity is topped off with a tantalizing touch of soulful grit -- that's carried her through, not to mention the diminutive singer's personal combination of sugar, spice, sass and sex appeal, along with a solid-steel spine. Check out her site at: www.keyshiacole.com/ Asha Bhonsle - A gift of the constellations. A multi-hued, multi-faceted voice with a face that has embraced every form of music in the last fifty years-setting a benchmark of style, verve and versatility. Timeless, reflecting the music of changing ages. Eternal, the embodiment of all that is classic.A Renaissance woman. There never was, nor will be another persona like Asha.In this century, she sets yet another benchmark. Asha Bhosle sings eight memorable ghazals that are loved by all. Words and Music that become immortal.Songs that seep through your minds and nestle in your heart. Soak in the Songs of Starlight, by Asha -Gautam Rajadhyaksha Read the review at Rediff.com Visit her at: http://www.asha-bhonsle.com Recording Artist,
Songwriter, TV Host, Motivational Speaker Rachael Magoola, a Ugandan singer now based in the UK, was formerly a member of The Afrigo Band. From 1989 to Jan 2001 she, worked as a music teacher in Kaliro Primary Teacher's College. While at Kaliro she was the patroness of the Music Club. She formulated the syllabi and schedules for the college. The College choir under her patronage on several occasions represented the Busoga region at the National Primary Teachers College Music Festivals. She also arranged many other musical activities both intra and inter college. Visit her profile at: http://rachelmagoola.calabashmusic.com/ Estella Ogbonna is a woman with brains and intelligence and all you need to do is listen to her speak. She has earned the education many dream of acquiring but her pet dream of becoming a fashion designer seems to be consuming her and with the opportunity to live and work in the United States of America, Estella is fulfilling her long life dream of becoming a fashion guru. Recently Taiwo Obude caught up with her to conduct this interview.To learn more, visit her at: tradishionale.com .You can view a galley sample of her work at smugmug.com . Email her here.
Kelly Takunda Orphan has been on a long and wondrous musical journey beginning with her Armenian roots to the percussion driven music of West Africa, Zimbabwe and the Caribbean. This, her first recording, reveals a rare breed of musician who carefully and respectfully fuses together music of disparate cultures. The vocals are warm and lush—the rhythm tracks will make you want to dance!” You can reach her here.  Elias Negash Elias' musical journey extends many decades that have taken him across many lands. Inspired by his mother who was also a pianist, Elias formed his first group in the 1960's. Elias has had an eclectic musical background where he has combined his native Ethiopian music, with his Jazz education, and other influences from the world music segment. World. He later made his television music debut with Murder She Wrote and Natalie Cole's Big Break productions. Elias was also the composer for the Soundtrack of the show Glitz starring Jimmy Smith and Markey Post with the Magyk band. To learn more, visit here
Sweet like herseys chocolate kisses – Her flow is melodic – it ‘taint missin. Comin’ straight fo your head – she brings her charm to the show. She’s velvety smooth all over the microphone. Smooth like butta – so I’m told. Rich like diamonds, more solid than gold – smoothed out harmonies with lot’s of pizzazz. She’s velvety smooth funky-style jazz. “Sometime ago I learned that I could write and that process would heal my wounds, strengthen my resolve, nurture my spirit and provide a window to what is inside of each of us – we share the human experience and I write” -Glo Glo has been perfecting her funky style jazz around Sacramento nightspots for the past several years. She has performed at the Heritage Festival, the California State Fair, Mahogany Poetry Series, The Show Poetry Series, Luna’s Café, Featured on the Public Access Sacramento Show “Moore time for Poetry” Winner of the Jazz Artist of the Year SOS Music Awards 2001. LA Black Music Awards Show Glo has performed solo and with several bands over the years. “Light Years” a contemporary gospel group, “The Payback” an R&B group patterning themselves after some of the soul artist of the 60’s and 70’s. Gladys Night and the Pips, Aretha Franklin, and James Brown to name a few. The “Bub Sextet” an acid jazz fusion group gave way to Glo coming out as a spoken word writer and artist. Most recently Glo is writing and performing with Capital City Artists Collective which is a non-profit organization whose mission is to reach out to the artist’s community and provide a nurturing environment and support for the artists’ development. She is working on her 2nd CD project soon to be released. The first project titled “Island Paradise” was well received. Stay tuned for Glo: She’s a smooth operator! Gloria Purter's address: 1500 W El Camino Ave, #614, Sacramento, CA 95833 Her phone is 916-501-4641. Her e-mail is here.
The producer Ibrahim Sylla heard
her and decided to make a solo album with her ("Lancey"
– Sterns Africa). The album was a great success in Guinea
in the 1990s when, after a long pause, it was finally released.
The reason for the delay was Oumou Dioubate's provocative lyrics.
She sings, among other things, that she will perform a traditional
dance - naked - in order to become pregnant. When she returned from
Paris it was impossible for her to live together with her husband.
She earned sufficient money from "Lancey" to enable her
to buy a new house for herself and her child.
Emmanuel
Nado
A popular lecturer on a variety of Jewish themes at colleges, synagogues, elder hostels, and adult educational institutions, Ken has been featured on a number of radio and T.V. talk shows, most recently on The History Channel documentary, "Operation Magic Carpet," which deals with the airlift of the Jews of Yemen to Israel. He is currently a lecturer in Jewish History on the faculty of the University of Judaism's Department of Continuing Education and Shurgin Elder Hostel Program. Ken lectures extensively on a variety of African Jewish communities, including the Beta Israel of Ethiopia, the Berber Jews of North Africa, the Lemba of Zimbabwe and the Abayudaya of Uganda. His website is here, and he can be emailed here.
Dear
Friends,
In Burkina Faso, Regina is the first woman to enter the world of the cinema by carrying out a training course as a scriptwriter on the film "Yam Daabo" (The Choice) produced in 1986 by Idrissa Ouédraogo. Her first film is a short made in 1992, titled "A Certain Morning", which won the "Tanit d' Argent" award. This film is the first fiction film directed by a woman in Burkina Faso. With
"Puk Nini" (1995), she achieved international recognition.
Her short film "the Trick of Konaté" (1998), on
the prevention of the AIDS, was rewarded in many international festivals,
whose Fespaco 1999 and Festival of the Short Film of Clermont-Ferrand
reveal a scenario writer very committed.  Mala
Waldron Vocalist/Pianist/SongwriterAfter two Japanese label deals (Tokuma Communications and 3361/Black), jazz/soul vocalist, pianist & songwriter, Mala Waldron feels as if she’s starting over with "Always There" as her first indie release. No stranger to the music business, she has been doing gigs since the age of 15. As the child of two professional jazz musicians, she is also no stranger to the many styles of jazz. As a young girl, Mala was influenced by her Mom’s record collection, which included artists such as Donny Hathaway (her favorite), Joni Mitchell, Roberta Flack and Les McCann. Her brother introduced her to Motown, James Brown and Sly & the Family Stone, and as a teen, she was strongly influenced by the music of Earth, Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder and Steely Dan. Mala started with classical piano at age 7, and then, wanting to learn to improvise, studied her father's recordings. She feels she got the best jazz education, and few would argue. Her dad was jazz pianist/composer, Mal Waldron, most well known as Billie Holiday's last accompanist and for composing Soul Eyes first recorded by John Coltrane. Mala's performance credits include performances with Andy Bey, Makanda Ken McIntyre, Don Braden, Jeanne Lee, Cecil McBee, George Cables, James Williams, Billy Drummond, Victor Lewis, John Betsch, James "Jabbo" Ware ME WE & THEM Orchestra, Hilton Ruiz, Andrei Strobert, Warren Smith and violinist, Naoko Terai. In 1995, a longtime dream came true when Mala toured Japan with her father and recorded a CD duo project entitled He's My Father. That album was followed by her debut solo release, Lullabye. Ms. Waldron feels, of all her recordings to date, Always There best captures her musical essence and artistic vision. Mala first met guitarist Steve Salerno in 1998, while doing a weekly solo piano/vocal gig at a now defunct jazz club on Long Island. She views their meeting as "one of the better things to come of that gig." She laughs when recalling that the first job Steve called her for was a funeral! A few years later Mala met drummer/percussionist, Michael "T.A." Thompson, through a mutual friend, saxophonist Milt Harris. After working together on material for Mr. Harris' recording project, they recognized a great synergy and intuitive ease of relating between them. They decided to expand their collaboration by writing for other artists, the first of whom was vocalist Barbara Sfraga. This is also when they first discussed the idea of playing together and recording Mala's music. Mala met bassist, Miriam Sullivan around 2002, when they began working together in an all-female band called "Sage." At this point, Mala had all the players except the 'right' bassist to fit in with her project. In retrospect, she finds it funny that she overlooked Miriam assuming she'd be too busy with other projects. Mala recalls one day, venting about it, when Miriam suddenly said she'd love to play with the band! From the first rehearsal, the group knew right away that Miriam was the missing piece to their puzzle, she fit in beautifully. They did their first performance at 17 Main a jazz club in Mt. Kisco, New York, to an enthusiastic crowd. Unfortunately, 17 Main has since closed, but this unit goes on working together, as well as supporting and developing their own individual projects. To visit her website go here. Back to Page One of the Newsletter |
This
is Page Two of the newsletter
that features the works and offerings of many different people from
a variety of walks of life. We celebrate these people, their works,
their specialties, and we include their emails and urls where possible.
If you know anyone who you feel should be included in the Wambara
Newsletter, please contact us 
Malouma
Kamaldine
Azar
Nafisi 
Gautam
Malkani
Rihanna
Eneida Marta
Keyshia
Cole
Cynthia
Carter Hill
Singer/songwriter
Sara Tavares belongs
to a second generation of Africans on the rise in the Portuguese
and international musical panorama. Her new album, Balancê's
artistic sophistication transforms this Cape Verdean star into one
of the most distinctive representatives of musical hybrids as expressed
in Lisbon. Stripped of the superfluous, these songs are expressly
organic and emotionally pure. Special guests are Júlio Pereira,
Melo D, Boy Gê Mendes, André Cabaço, and Ana
Moura.
Gloria
Purter 
Lura
Welcome
to Echoes of Africa radio station 91.5 KKUP.
Educator,
writer, and translator, Ken Blady
was born in Paris, France, and grew up in Hassidic Brooklyn, where
he attended yeshiva and rabbinical seminary. A San Francisco Bay
Area resident since 1972, Ken has a B.A. in History from the University
of California at Berkeley, and an M.A. in Clinical Counseling from
California State University, Hayward. He is the author of "The
Jewish Boxers' Hall of Fame," "Jewish Communities in Exotic
Places”; and translator of "The Journeys of David Toback."
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