Stories about Music from January, 2009
French Caribbean: Carnival 2009 is launched
Carnival is a tradition, a part of every West Indian soul and the French Caribbean is no exception. Here is a review of blogs from Martinique, French Guiana, Haiti and Guadeloupe, which highlights the features of Carnival there.
Poland: Maanam
the POLSKI blog writes about Maanam, a Polish band that, in the early 1980s, was “the epitome of cool, largely thanks to their unique sound and the distinctive voice and fiery personality of their lead singer, Kora.”
Bahamas: A Better Way
“The Bahamas is so very rich in culture that we could all be benefitting from it. But we’re not”: Nicolette Bethel explains why.
Trinidad & Tobago: Pelham and Pan
From Trinidad and Tobago, Caribbean Free Radio publishes another podcast, this time focusing on “veteran producer and steel orchestra arranger, Pelham Goddard” as he discusses the evolution of steel pan music.
Haiti: Mardi Gras
The Haitian Blogger offers a glimpse into Mardi Gras celebrations on the island.
Barbados, U.S.A.: True Identity
Living in Barbados is hoping that “President Obama will help us in the Caribbean and those in Africa rediscover who and what we really are.”
Estonia: Arvo Pärt
Robert Amsterdam's Blog writes about “Estonia's most famous contemporary composer Arvo Pärt,” whose latest symphony is dedicated to Mikhail Khodorkovsky – and whose 2006-2007 works are dedicated to Anna Politkovskaya.
Nigeria: Future Awards Winners 2009
Read this to know the winners of Future Awards 2009 in Nigeria.
Nigeria: Calabar Carnival
In case you missed news about the famous Calabar Carnival in Nigeria, Ladybrille has an update. Calabar is “city known for its tourism [international museum, botanical garadens], culinary skills, beautiful women and very pristine/eco-friendly people and environment, Calabar serves as the capital of Cross River State.”
The Balkans: “Whose Is This Song?”
Recently several Macedonian bloggers published the documentary “Whose Is This Song” by a Bulgarian director Adela Peeva on their blogs and started discussing the story. The documentary was filmed as an idea that the director got during a dinner in Istanbul with several friends (a Macedonian, a Serb, a Greek and a Turk), when all of them said that the song playing in the background was from their country.
Iran: A song for Gaza
Several Iranian bloggers wrote about Michael Heart's “we will not go down tonight“, a song for Gaza.
Jamaica, U.S.A.: One Love?
Bob Marley's One Love was played at Barack Obama’s Opening Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, prompting Abeng New Magazine to say, despite the ironies: “We are proud that the USA can borrow from us at a critical moment when the president-elect sells the idea that ‘anything is possible in...
Chile: Review of the Opera Viento Blanco al Municipal
Marcelo Aliaga of Bloggeando la Vida [es] reviews the opera Viento Blanco al Municipal, which is based on the tragedy suffered by Chilean soldiers because of harsh weather conditions in the Antuco region of Chile.
Mexico: Monterrey Bands at SXSW
Bands from the city of Monterrey, Mexico will be well represented at the annual South by Southwest music festival to be held in Austin, Texas, writes Issa Villarreal of We Shall Be Free [es].
Trinidad & Tobago, Grenada: Farewell to the Duke
Spicewriter (from Grenada) and Trinidad and Tobago News Blog both pay their respects to The Mighty Duke, described as “one of Calypso’s greatest icons.”
Taiwan: Alternative Music Scene
Steve from Fool's Mountain blogs about the alternative music scene in Taiwan, with a number of mtv.
Trinidad & Tobago: Clear the Way for Carnival
To get into gear for Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, Caribbean Free Radio posts the first in a series of podcasts with rapso group 3 Canal.
DR Congo: A musical roundup
With so much bad news coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo lately, we decided to show a different perspective on the country and looking at a completely different type of blogs for a change - those highlighting Congolese music.
Jamaica: Wood & Water
The fact that Usain Bolt's home town of Sherwood Content experienced a sporadic water supply over the Christmas holidays prompts Kadene Porter of Abeng News Magazine to blog about the many areas in which the government has fallen short: “The name Jamaica, land of wood and water is almost mocking...
Russia-Estonia: Arvo Pärt's Khodorkovsky symphony
James at Robert Amsterdam brings attention to a new symphony by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt dedicated to Russian economico-political dissident Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
Dominican Republic: Remembering Eduardo Brito
Eduardo Brito was a famous baritone from the Dominican Republic, who passed away in 1946, and even the National Theater bears his name. However, Roció Díaz of Monaco [es] writes that very few Dominicans today know about the man and his life.
