This is a recording that can be heard as on ode to the innocence of childhood […] that manages to reconnect with the ghosts […] we once were and with which, as adults, we sometimes fleetingly come into contact again. Vincent Bessières – CD liner notes Born in Toulon in the south of France, Olivier […]
voice
The Gloaming: Live at the NCH
Following in the footsteps of The Chieftains, Planxty, the Bothy Band and more recently Altan or Lúnasa, The Gloaming is one of the rare traditional Irish music bands to enjoy a commercial and critical success both a home and abroad while at the same time making a significant impact on the contemporary musical landscape. Since […]
Trio Da Kali and Kronos Quartet: Ladilikan
Opening the record, Trio Da Kali’s balafon (a wooden xylophone), bass ngoni (a traditional lute) and vocals clearly transport the listener to West Africa. But the introduction of Kronos Quartet’s classical strings a minute into “Tita” triggers an unexpected yet uplifting musical shift, thus unveiling an extraordinary fusion record. Commissioned by the Aga Khan Music […]
Trio Mediæval & Arve Henriksen: Rímur
Based and formed in Oslo in 1997, Trio Mediæval is a Norwegian/Swedish vocal ensemble whose repertoire features a wide range of medieval music from France, England or Italy, traditional Folk songs and ballads from the Nordic countries as well as contemporary music written for the trio by Gavin Bryars, the New-York-based collective Bang on a […]
Birds on a Wire
Birds on a Wire is an enchanting voice and cello duo formed by French-American singer Rosemary Standley (with multinational France-based alt-folk band Moriarty) and young Brazilian singer, songwriter and cellist Dominique Pinto aka Dom la Nena. Initiated by Rosemary Standley in 2011 as “Rosemary’s Songbook”, the project evolved into the Birds on a Wire duo when the […]
Arve Henriksen: Places of Worship
A founding member of free improvised and electronic music quartet/trio Supersilent, Norwegian trumpet player Arve Henriksen is also a prolific artist as a leader…and a personal favourite on Spellbinding Music (see previous posts on Migration and Opening Image). A sumptuous aural feast featuring the musician’s trademark liquid trumpet and eerie soprano voice on two tracks, Places […]
