Most popular in the West as the lead singer for the Hungarian group Muzsikas (three albums are available from Hannibal Records), Marta Sebestyen has also released several solo albums. among them Apocrypha (1992), which collects songs from three Hungarian-only traditional albums recorded with Karoly Cserepes (Love, Christmas and Emigration). High...

Most popular in the West as the lead singer for the Hungarian group Muzsikas (three albums are available from Hannibal Records), Marta Sebestyen has also released several solo albums. among them Apocrypha (1992), which collects songs from three Hungarian-only traditional albums recorded with Karoly Cserepes (Love, Christmas and Emigration). High Days was released in fall 2000. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide [-] Hide

One of the most internationally successful acts to emerge from the contemporary Finland music scene, Värttinä revitalized the nation's folk traditions with an aggressive and ultra-modern style that eschewed not only the costumes of their ancestors but also the long-accepted cultural notion that women should sing unaccompanied. A product of the... [+] Read More

One of the most internationally successful acts to emerge from the contemporary Finland music scene, Värttinä revitalized the nation's folk traditions with an aggressive and ultra-modern style that eschewed not only the costumes of their ancestors but also the long-accepted cultural notion that women should sing unaccompanied. A product of the folk music department at Helsinki's Sibelius Academy, Värttinä formed in the early '80s, its 21 original members all previously associated with an area youth group. Over time their ranks gradually slimmed down, and by the early '90s the group primarily consisted of vocalists Sari Kaasinen, Mari Kaasinen, Kirsi Kahkonen, and Sirpa Reiman, backed by an ever-revolving lineup of backing musicians.

Their records, beginning with 1991's Oi Dai, revived the unique polyphonic music of the Finno-Ugric people of Karelia, a region of eastern Finland extending into Russia; 1992's Seleniko led the band to its first U.S. tour. Subsequent albums such as 1995's Aitara and the following year's Kokko launched Värttinä to European superstardom, and various festival dates across Europe allowed Värttinä's momentum to be sustained. Vihma was released on Paddy Maloney's (the Chieftains) Wicklow Records in 1997, reaching top spots on the CMJ charts. It was followed a year later by the downtempo holiday album Can We Have Christmas Now?

Unfortunately, Wicklow went under by the turn of the century, leaving Värttinä without a U.S. distributor for their 2000 release, Ilmatar. But specialty Nordic label Northside saved the day, issuing the album stateside in 2001. The album was still staunchly traditionalist, but continued the group's experimentation with original compositions and electronic programming. The triumphant Live in Helsinki followed a year later. In March 2003 Värttinä celebrated their 20th year with the clear-eyed, intimate Iki. Miero, on Peter Gabriel's Real World label, was released in 2006. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Zap Mama is an all-female a cappella quintet founded by Zaire native Marie Daulne. Daulne's father, a white Belgian, was killed during the revolution of 1960 while her mother was pregnant with her, so the remainder of the family fled to the forests and found refuge with a tribe of pygmies. Daulne was raised primarily in Europe, but when she... [+] Read More

Zap Mama is an all-female a cappella quintet founded by Zaire native Marie Daulne. Daulne's father, a white Belgian, was killed during the revolution of 1960 while her mother was pregnant with her, so the remainder of the family fled to the forests and found refuge with a tribe of pygmies. Daulne was raised primarily in Europe, but when she heard a recording of traditional pygmy music at age 20, she decided to return to Africa to learn about her heritage. She was trained in pygmy onomatopoeic vocal techniques before returning to the West to found Zap Mama. Her group blends world music styles from all over the globe with little, if any, instrumental or percussive backup other than what group members can do with their voices and bodies. Their 1993 debut, Adventures in Afropea I, became the biggest-selling non-compilation album in the history of Luaka Bop Records, helped in part by an opening slot on that summer's 10,000 Maniacs tour. A year later, they released a follow-up, Sabsylma; 7 followed in 1997. A Ma Zone appeared in 1999. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Baka Beyond reflects the multicultural vision of ex-Outback guitar, mandolin and bouzouki player Martin Cradick and his wife, Su Hart. A fusion of Celtic and West African musical traditions, the band represents a collaboration of musicians from northern Europe and West Africa.

Cradick and Hart conceived Baka Beyond shortly after the... [+] Read More

Baka Beyond reflects the multicultural vision of ex-Outback guitar, mandolin and bouzouki player Martin Cradick and his wife, Su Hart. A fusion of Celtic and West African musical traditions, the band represents a collaboration of musicians from northern Europe and West Africa.

Cradick and Hart conceived Baka Beyond shortly after the breakup of Outback in 1992. Traveling to the rain forest of Cameroon, the couple lived with Baka pygmies and recorded their music. A field recording, Heart of the Forest: The Music of the Baka Forest People of Southeast Cameroon, was released the following year. Joined by Breton fiddler Paddy LeMercier, Cradick and Hart recorded two albums with musicians from the Baka tribe: Spirit of the Forest, released in 1994; and The Meeting Pool, released in October 1995. The group continued to evolve into a touring ensemble with the addition of Senegalese percussionist Sagar N'Gom, an ex-member of Outback; keyboardist Tom Green, formerly of the Orb; drummer Sam Pope; bassist Marcus Pinto; and vocalist Kate (Budd) Hardy. Baka Beyond's 1998 album, Journey Beyond, was a heavier produced project featuring guests including percussionists from the Ghanaian band Kakasitsi. Although most of the album was recorded in England, African vocals for two songs -- "Migrations" and "Konti" -- were recorded while Cradick, Hart and their son traveled through Senegal. ~ Craig Harris, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Dibango is Cameroon's, and perhaps Africa's, best-known jazz saxophonist. Starting in the 1950s, he became a globe-trotting musician, living and performing in France, Belgium, Jamaica, Zaire, and Cote d'Ivoire, as well as in Cameroon. In 1960, Dibango was one of the founding members of the Zairean band African Jazz, with whom he spent five... [+] Read More

Dibango is Cameroon's, and perhaps Africa's, best-known jazz saxophonist. Starting in the 1950s, he became a globe-trotting musician, living and performing in France, Belgium, Jamaica, Zaire, and Cote d'Ivoire, as well as in Cameroon. In 1960, Dibango was one of the founding members of the Zairean band African Jazz, with whom he spent five years. World attention came to Dibango with the release in 1972 of Soul Makossa, a work that actually had precious little of the makossa sound in it, and scored later hits with Seventies and Ibida. Dibango's output has been prodigious and multi-faceted. He has worked with musicians as diverse as Fela Kuti, Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, Don Cherry, and the Fania All-Stars. In addition to being one of the leading jazz saxophonists of his generation, Dibango has also run nightclubs, directed orchestras, and started one of the first African musical journals. A later release, Polysonik -- featuring English rapper MC Mello, Cameroonian singer Charlotte M'Bango leading a choral section, and sampled pygmy flutes -- shows that Dibango is continuing to flourish and expand in challenging new directions. ~ Leon Jackson, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Guitarist Martin Cradick's stay with the Baka Pygmy people resulted in songs co-written in Cameroon with the villagers. Others constructed later in London set guitar, violin, and other instruments to rhythmic ideas from the Pygmies, creating a non-derivative style that avoids trying to either duplicate or dilute the songs of the Baka, while... [+] Read More

Guitarist Martin Cradick's stay with the Baka Pygmy people resulted in songs co-written in Cameroon with the villagers. Others constructed later in London set guitar, violin, and other instruments to rhythmic ideas from the Pygmies, creating a non-derivative style that avoids trying to either duplicate or dilute the songs of the Baka, while still capturing their highly charged lightness of being. "Ngombi," for example, pipes the birdlike call of a forest flute above Cradick's compelling acoustic guitar, while fellow outback alumnus Paddy le Mercier goes for the emotional jugular with a romantic, gypsy-flavored violin. A spirited Baka rhythm ties the instruments together. ~ Bob Tarte, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Folklore meets science on the computer-manipulated cover of this latest release from Jai Uttal; the music behind the cover reveals more of the modern world meeting folklore and tradition head on, with Uttal putting traditional chants to new music and mixing together western and oriental instruments along with the traditional and the contemporary... [+] Read More

Folklore meets science on the computer-manipulated cover of this latest release from Jai Uttal; the music behind the cover reveals more of the modern world meeting folklore and tradition head on, with Uttal putting traditional chants to new music and mixing together western and oriental instruments along with the traditional and the contemporary in instrumentation. The result is a heady, muscular mixture that carves its own niche in as distinctive a way as anything from Bill Laswell's corner. There's a range of vocal and instrumental tones mixed into Beggars and Saints that goes beyond any easy description -- think of swaying willows in a light wind and you'll be more on target. While it has its roots in the street music of India, Beggars and Saints is really more about spirit, wood and water. ~ Steven McDonald, All Music Guide [-] Hide

A pioneering work for countless styles connected to electronics, ambience, and Third World music, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts expands on the fourth-world concepts of Hassell/Eno work with a whirlwind 45 minutes of worldbeat/funk-rock (with the combined talents of several percussionists and bassists, including Bill Laswell, Tim Wright, David... [+] Read More

A pioneering work for countless styles connected to electronics, ambience, and Third World music, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts expands on the fourth-world concepts of Hassell/Eno work with a whirlwind 45 minutes of worldbeat/funk-rock (with the combined talents of several percussionists and bassists, including Bill Laswell, Tim Wright, David van Tieghem, and Talking Heads' Chris Frantz) that's also heavy on the samples -- from radio talk-show hosts, Lebanese mountain singers, preachers, exorcism ceremonies, Muslim chanting, and Egyptian pop, among others. It's also light years away from the respectful, preservationist angles of previous generations' field recorders and folk song gatherers. The songs on My Life in the Bush of Ghosts present myriad elements from around the world in the same jumbled stew, without regard for race, creed, or color. As such, it's a tremendously prescient record for the future development of music during the 1980s and '90s. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Only slightly less essential than A Meeting by the River, his Grammy-winning 1993 collaboration with Ry Cooder, this album pairs legendary Indian guitarist Vishwa Mohan Bhatt with new grass pioneers Jerry Douglas and Edgar Meyer. It's an oddly endearing Bengali-gone-bluegrass experiment in fusion few might expect to work, but once those... [+] Read More

Only slightly less essential than A Meeting by the River, his Grammy-winning 1993 collaboration with Ry Cooder, this album pairs legendary Indian guitarist Vishwa Mohan Bhatt with new grass pioneers Jerry Douglas and Edgar Meyer. It's an oddly endearing Bengali-gone-bluegrass experiment in fusion few might expect to work, but once those lightning-fast fingers start blazing away on chord progressions that seem to originate in some strange universe halfway between Nashville and nirvana, all preconceptions are blown right out the window. Dizzying solos make this an imaginative masterpiece. ~ Bret Love, All Music Guide [-] Hide

After four previous American releases, the short, sharp and focused Kokko hones the girl group midnight sunners to a laser beam of pop music strengths in the service of ditties largely derived from the country's Karelian tradition. The male-dominated instrumental side finally holds its own with the massed female vocalists on this release, even... [+] Read More

After four previous American releases, the short, sharp and focused Kokko hones the girl group midnight sunners to a laser beam of pop music strengths in the service of ditties largely derived from the country's Karelian tradition. The male-dominated instrumental side finally holds its own with the massed female vocalists on this release, even earning a fiery cut of its own. Bright and constantly evolving arrangements keep the listener's attention shifting between the vocal maelstrom and assorted accordions, fiddles, keyboards, reeds, guitars, percussion, and drum loops. Of all the immaculate conceptions here, the most inspiring may be "Halla" with its dervish riff, hey-yeah goose herding calls, klezmer and EZ jazz sax figures, and a funky horn caesura which stops everything in its tracks. ~ Bob Tarte, All Music Guide [-] Hide