Music around the world

[Mike]

I remember when I was ten or eleven, discovering the short-wave radio band on my dads record console, listening to music from Havana and other places, being quite amused by the difference and yet similarities of other cultural music.

When I was about twelve or thirteen, I heard 'Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand' for the first time, as many of you well know this is I want to hold your hand sung buy The Beatle's in the German language.

Recently while on vacation in Eastern Washington I tuned to an all Spanish TV station and they had this girl playing acoustic guitar and singing a Spanish sorta rock song, I was captivated, it really sounded good, I did not understand a word of it but it sounded good.

I occasionally catch a music video on a Japanese station I have on cable (or at least it's Japanese some of the time) and some are really good.

Anyway, all this makes me wonder about music around the world, in America, here, I get such a limited view of "all" the music of the world, and while I'm sure there are some visitors to Songfacts from all over the globe (we are, after all, "WWW".Songfacts.com) I am very curious to learn more of what music is being missed by the cultural curtains.

Anyone have any thoughts on this subject? Any music you have heard from other countries that you would like to share your thoughts on?

Mike

[Earth-Angel]

Good topic PF! I like to think I have a diverse selection of the universal language of music and song, but I am sure there are many wonderful artists I have yet to hear about!

South Africa has a very energetic and vibrant music scene, there is hardly a weekend that goes by that you can't catch 3 or more excellent local bands at a club or bar - easily access to some upcoming talent! Local artists who have made it big are greats like Hugh Masekela, Ladysmith Black Mambaza, Dave Matthews, Seether, Johnny Clegg & Savuka, Soweto String Quartet.

In my home town, there are many brilliant bands who are getting alot of local airplay and hopefully will crack the International market.

As for foreign music, Twarres, Within Temptation (Holland), Gyllene Tider, Kent, Andreas Johnson, Martin Kersici, Sahara Hotnights(Sweden), The Rasmus (Finland), Lacuna Coil (Italy), are excellent, as well as the sounds of Arabic trip-hop from Egypt to Ethiopa, Kenya and Somalia, J-pop, Latin American flamenco, Afro-cuban fusion beats and Tibetan monks. I could go on and on about the music coming from the UK too, but these artists are well known here and in the States.

If there was one international band I could recommend with my every fibre - it would be Kent.

Kent are perfection in my eyes. A well-established ban with a loyal fan base spanning the globe, their music is thoughtful and haunting, whether sung in English or Swedish - they can move your soul.

:guitar:

[edna]

I love French music. What they call "la chanson française". I know it´s easier for me as I understand the lyrics, but maybe it´s worth it anyways. Juliette Gréco, Georges Brassens, Edith Piaf, are my favorite.

Pop music has Michel Polnareff, Françoise Hardy, Jacques Dutronc, France Gall, Lio...

Serge Gainsbourg is a singer/songwriter who wrote the most beautifull songs for Gréco, Jane Birkin, Brigitte Bardot, Jeanne Moreau, France Gall, Françoise Hardy and I can´t remember anymore because there are so many... He´s a genius and should get a posthumous Légion d´Honneur.

I don´t like Spanish music though I lived here for thirty years and some rock musicians (and even some folk musician -not flamenco-) are good friends of mine. Yet there are two or three local bands I really love but they don´t do anything original. Rock and roll was made to be sung in English.

[bluesboy]

David Byrne produced a world music cd in the '90s.

Peter Gabriel has done the same thing with Real World record label.

Here's more to explore.

[bluesboy]

Thank You Amy

::

[edna]

Johnny Clegg & Savuka

He´s amazing. You can´t stop dancing. I saw him live some twenty years ago (maybe less) and it´s still one of my favorite bands.

Manu Chao is a French musician who makes "patchanga", a mix of southamerican and european sound. It´s very easy to listen and he sings in french and spanish.

We already mentioned the Brezilian music, bossa nova, samba and so: Toquinho, Vinicius de Moraes, Maria Betanhia, Gilberto Gil, Joao Gilberto, Caetano Veloso.

I also like italian pop music of the sixties: San Remo Festival, it´s the opposite of rock&roll spirit but it´s beautifull.

[Batman]

Indian music is pretty cool, even if I only have 1 Indian song on a CD (the indian music section from "Concert For Bangladesh" by Ravi Shankar). The only other world music I like is Irish music. I like listening to it, and I like playing it.