Chisinau: the real media revolution is underway
MONOCLE: The so-called “Twitter Revolution” of April 2009 proved to be misleading – but now Moldova’s media landscape has been truly shaken up.
Le Cool Moscow – July/August
Afisha Picnic Kolomenskiy Park, 8/8/09 The cult British ska-pop combo Madness will take to a Moscow stage for the first time in their checkered 33-year history. Headlining the capital’s biggest summer festival will be no daunting task for a group which spent over 200 weeks on the UK singles charts between 1980-86, now reunited and...
Omara Portuondo: 77 Not Out
At 77, Omara Portuondo is an elder stateswoman of world music. Here she tells Frederick Bernas about her new album, Gracias, and reflects on a long life of innovation, cultural enterprise and funny stories. With a musical career spanning 60 years and counting, Omara Portuondo is far from finished. “It is never enough, there is...
Samay – Dingwalls, 16/7/08
The first thing that strikes you about Samay is the intriguing combination of Western and Indian instruments: guitar, bass, saxophone, Tabla and Sarod. From the opening moments of this CD launch gig, it was clear a wonderful sense of communication existed: the five musicians frequently exchanged glances and pushed each other forward during solos. In...
Ponto de Equilíbrio – Abre a Janela
Formed in a Rio de Janeiro hippy refuge in 1999, Ponto de Equilíbrio blend traditional aspects of roots reggae with musical flavours from across Brazil into an utterly distinctive and highly refreshing individual sound. The group’s second album, Abre a Janela, conveys a similarly diverse selection of moods and emotions, from deep, mellow grooves such...
Antibalas / The Budos Band – Jazz Cafe, 19/4/08
A perfect warm-up for what was to come, The Budos Band took to the stage with well-synchronised, driving compositions and sharp melodies, matching the flawless studio sound of their two releases on Daptone Records. Definitely worth a headline slot in future, it surely will not be long before this materialises. The 11-man force that is...
Afrobeat: Tony Allen and Antibalas – Jazz Cafe
Within the space of one month, London’s Jazz Cafe plays host for two singular names in the Afrobeat genre: representing the old guard is Tony Allen, one of the foremost figures in the music’s inception. Representing the new generation is the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, a wild collection of New Yorkers with its own niche on...
Richard Bona – Jazz Cafe, 30/3/08
It’s an incredible story. Born in a small village in Cameroon, Richard Bona was raised by a musical household and developed a talent for building instruments. As a teenager he was inspired to take up bass guitar after hearing Jaco Pastorius. In 1995 he moved to New York and has flourished into an international star....
Bristol: What else is going on?
Frederick Bernas embarks on a voyage of discovery to investigate the less talked-about aspects of Bristol’s vibrant music scene. While most students will probably know the names of the three Bristol venues I visited during this musical adventure, how many can say they have a good awareness of what kind of shows are going on?...
Eduardo Niebla – St George’s, 25/11/06
St George’s Hall off Park Street, which boasts of being one of the finest acoustic venues in the country, was host to a creative exploration of musical possibilities from a trio comprising two guitars and an Indian tabla player. Eduardo Niebla, whose show title brings to mind a completely contrasting guitar legend – Hendrix –...
