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Please note!
Most of our CDs have been imported from Europe or Asia. They are not all shrink-wrapped, and I am not going to con you by wrapping them here just to make you think they have been sterilized in America. I guarantee that the CDs and the contents are all brand new and in perfect condition. Whenever I can, I use recycled shipping materials. They may not look as pretty on the outside, but they save money and keep the trash dumps a little bit emptier.
Thanks- Cliff, cdRoots

Here are some of the newest titles in stock. Use this search to seek music by country, artist or title

various
The Rhythm of Speech II (2 CDs and 1 DVD)
Iranian percussionist Keyvan Chemirani's Le rythme de la parole II brings together the seemingly disparate traditions of Persia, India and Mali in an exploration of common heritage, rhythmic diversity and cross-cultural experimentation. Singer Sudha Ragunathan represents the Southern Indian tradition. Nahawa Doumbia from the southern Wassoulou region of Mali is accompanied by kora player Ballaké Sissoko. The 2 disc set also includes a DVD (PAL format) documentary with some live performances. The Rhythm of Speech 2 presents conversations exploring the common ground between Indian sacred music, Sufi mysticism and Malian dance music. The set is presented in a hardcover book format with excellent notes and illustrations, complete with all texts and an essay by French world-music radio personality Caroline Bourgine.

various
Golden Afrique Vol. 2
The critical acclaim that was heaped on Golden Afrique Vol.I was well deserved, and now there is a second edition (2005) devoted to Congolese dance music, from African rumba to the early forms of soukous music, the music that toppled highlife from its throne as the pan-African party sound. From the beginnings of the outstanding Ngoma label to Kabasele's 1960 hit "Indépendance Cha Cha Cha" and featuring an early recording by Manu Dibango, plus Tabu Ley Rochereau, Franco, Sam Mangwana, Dr. Nico, Nyboma, plus an excellent collection of tracks from less famous artists, some of whom can be heard on CD for the very first time.

Justin Vali
Madagascar Valiha (Les Bambous) (2 CD set)
Justin Rakotondrasoa (called Vali after his main instrument) is one of Madagascar's best-known players of the valiha, a box harp played upright, with strings on both sides of the box. He is a master of the tradition but is also a lover of innovation and exploration. This album shows his love for and commitment for his own country as each piece bears the name of a plant or animal found in Madagascar.

Regis Gizavo, Louis Mhlanga, David Mirandon
Stories
Malagasy accordionist Régis Gizavo, South African guitarist Louis Mhlanga and French percussionist David Mirandon join in a beautiful, subtle recording of shared roots and diverse interests. It's all trio arrangements, with vocals by Gizavo and Mhlanga and no additional instrumentation, and the rich and dynamic sound is a testament to their musicianship. fRoots says: Well, for a start the extraordinary tightness of their playing makes it sound like a hard working regular band... the general level of telepathy is really remarkable, even on the more obviously jammed pieces... Nicely recorded too by Gizavo and Mirandon's regular sound man Manou Gallet, with a pleasing roundness that's perfectly suited to the ensemble sound: busy but light and warm. Highly recommended. - Ian Anderson

Nuru kane
Sigil
This is world music: Senegalese musician moves to Paris, but instead of going to the western pop route, he discovers the gnawa of north Africa, travels, learns, and comes back to Paris to make a unique and enthralling electro-acoustic roots music.

Stella Chiwese
Double Check (2 CDs)
Something new, something old - two sides Of Zimbabwe's mbira queen. A completely new recording created in Zimbabwe, the unfortunately titled first CD 'Trance Hits,' is an album with references to spirits, a policeman possessed by the sounds of the m'bira, a singing fish and a song she dreamed her grandmother was singing to her. The second, 'Classic Hits,' features re-released tracks with her original band, The Earthquake and produced by a selection of Brit procuders int he 90s including John Peel, Hijaz Mustapha (aka Ben Mandelson) and Colin Bass (and a special guest appearance of the rhythm section of 3 Mustaphas 3). For old and new friends alike, this is a welcome and highly recommended recording.

Afrissippi
Fulani Journey
Things like this are just too irresistible: a Senegalese musician moves to Oxford Mississippi, meets up with some local blues talent and before you know it, a new band is born. Guitarist Guelel Kumba is joined by Eric Deaton (of the RL Burnside Band) and local legends, The Taylor Grocery Band, with a special bonus video that includes a guest appearance by the MC5 legend, John Sinclair. highly recommended

Grand Kalle et l'African Jazz
Merveilles du Passe 1958-60; Volume 1
Grand Kallé, Dr. Nico, Dechaud, Mujos, Vicky Longomba, Rochereau, (briefly) Manu Dibango: the first great modern Congolese band at its peak. Marvelous indeed and truly essential. Listen

various
Midnight in Mali
It can't get much better than this: a live concert with some of Mali's best and most interesting performers: guitarist Djelimady Tounkara, balafonist Keletigui Diabaté, n'goni master Basekou Kouyaté and singer Dieneba Seck with Medina N'Diaye (kora, vocal), Samba Sissoko (percussion), Salif Sissoko (percussion), Mariam Tounkara (vocals), Alou dembele (bass), Zoumana Tereta (sokou-violin), Vieux Kanteall (kamalen n'goni) and all under the direction of guitarist Habib Koité. Highly recommended!

Ludovico Einaudi and Ballake Sissoko
Diario Mali
I am, to be honest, not quite sure what to make of this one. Italian classical-crossover pianist Ludovico Einaudi and Malian kora player Ballaké Sissoko seem to have found a uniquely odd collaorative place, one that often borders on the George Winston-ian but just as often finds a smooth, incessant blues groove. It never quite explodes, but in its own gentle way it does probe.

The Green Arrows
4 track recording session
A mighty 2 CD set of recordings by a legendary Zimbabwean guitar-rooted band. The Green Arrows were a major influence in Zimbabwe in the 1970s, fusing the different rhythms of the region into one unique popular sound and the first Zimbabwean band to record an LP, which was released in February 1976. This compilation presents 20 tracks recorded from 1974-1979, all nicely remastered. 24-page booklet includes a complete history of the band (edited by Banning Eyre), a detailed discography, and rare photographs.

These are just some of the newest titles in stock.
Use this search to seek music by country, artist or title

There are also some pages devoted to specific regions

Music of the Sakalava Menabe - Tribute to Mama Sana - Various Artists - 16.99
This recording is dedicated to the memory of Mama Sana, the last traditional player of the tubular zither called valiha, which many consider to be the 'national instrument' of Madagascar. Sakalava Menabe is a region located on the central western coast of the island. These recordings were made in 1995 and 1996 by the people who live here, and knew her best.

Le Mandigue: Empire de la Musique - Various - 17.99
A collection of 16 tracks by artists featured at the Festival Musiques Métisses in France. Originating in Mali and Guinea, these musicians are the cultural ambassadors of the vast region once known as the Mandingo Empire, which stretched from the shores of the Gulf of Guinea to the sands of the Sahara, from the forests of Africa's Atlantic Coast to its desert dunes. Includes previously released tracks by Salif Keita, Amadou and Miriam, Rokia Traore, Nahwa Doumbia, Ali Farka Toure, Boubacar Traore, Super Rail Band, Mory Kante, Habib Koite and many others.

Geej - El Hadj N'Diaye - 15.99
Songlines describes this Senegalese singer's work as having a "gripping blend of haunting melodies, floating guitars and inspired lyrics." El Hadj brings together far-flung strands of Senegalese tradition and identity in an unique musical career. His songs are informed by a deep knowledge of and compassion for those who are suffering and neglected in Africa, and he writes with a literary flair born of his own experience as an author and actor. From its most tender whisper to its most anguished gut cry, the voice of El Hadj is a marvel. This is mostly a gentle acoustic album, a subtle but powerful letter from Senegal to the world. Highly recommended.

Burkina Faso: Lobi Country - Buur Xylophones - various - 12.99
Music of the Lobi people of southern Burkina Faso, Northern Ghana and Ivory Coast. This culture was moderately successful in resisting colonization and remain a relatively closed society today, so their music maintains a certain level of 'authenticity' and tradition today. This album features music to accompany funerals and initiation ceremonies, played on buur xylophones.

Art Vocal and Instrumental Art of the 19th Century - Aicha Redouane and Ensemble Al-Adwar - 17.99
Aïcha Redouane and the Ensemble Al-Adwar rediscover the art of wasla (a musical suite performed by a chamber orchestra - qanun zither, oud lute, kaman violin and riqq percussion), which reached its apogee in Cairo in the 19th century. It is a repertoire and a vocal technique that once seemed completely lost. Redouane, born in Morocco and raised in France, is a leading exponent of Arabic and Arabo-Andalusian music. Aïcha medorg1

Next Stop... Soweto Vol. 2: Soultown, R and B, Funk and Psych Sounds From The Townships 1969-76 - various - 12.99
Second of a 3-part series exploring underground South African music during the late '60s and '70s. Touches on mbaqanga and jazz artists who dabbled with soul and funk fusions during the early '70s: the Mgababa Queens and Mahotella Queens, and great SA jazz combo The Heshoo Beshoo Group, more. 22 tracks.

Nigeria 70 - Sweet Times - Various - 12.99
Afro-funk, Highlife and Juju from 1970s Lagos' features Moneymen, Super 5 International, Victor Olaiya, Bola Johnson, Sina bakare and a whole lot of other great names you won't know but ought to.

Next Stop... Soweto: Township Sounds From The Golden Age Of Mbaqanga - various - 15.99
First of a 3-part series exploring underground South African music during the late '60s and '70s. This volume covers the vibrant energy of the township jive sound. Jive - or mbaqanga - emerged in the '60s as a fusion combining elements of rural Zulu music and harmony vocal styles with Western instrumentation. Takes the listener far beyond the accepted township jive with smaller groups utilizing jazz, gospel, rumba, funk and traditional mining songs. Includes hit makers like Mahlathini and Mahotella Queens but puts more emnphasis on names you might never have heard before: The Big Four, Piliso and His Super Seven, African Swingsters, Lucky Strikes, Intombi Zephepha. (20 tracks)

Songs of King Shaka - Various So. Africa - 13.99
Traditional Zulu songs for voice, foot-stomp percussion and other regional traditional styles.

Objectif Perfection - Bala Et Ses Balladins - 18.99
One of the national orchestras of Sekou Touré's Guinea, the band was on top of 1964 until 1980 when their last recording was made - aptly called objectif perfection - which is released in full on this CD. Plus four more tracks from around 1970, including two versions of sara.

Roots And Fruit - Orchestre Baobab - 18.99
This album focuses on the work of the Casacais musicians (from the southern region of the country, the Casamance) of Orchestre Baobab: Balla Sidibé and Rudy Gomis. it compiles tracks from the hard to find buur and musique'afrique labels, an unreleased 10 minute smoochie by Rudy Gomis and Rudy`s 1986 solo-cassette (featuring barthelemy attisso and balla sidibé) - the last fruit of Baobab.

No. III de Number 1 - Number 1 de Dakar - 19.99
They went under a lot of variants of the name: Starband de Dakar, Orchestra No. 1, Star Number One, and Starband du Senegal to name a few, and they always delivered number one, A-class music, steeped in Cuban and Latin influences, and always 'just right.' This is a collection of their more obscure recordings (and none are on the more familiar Dakar Sound releases).

4-track Recording Sessions - The Green Arrows - 15.99
The Green Arrows were an important part of the Zimbabwean music scene in the 1970s, fusing the different rhythms of the region into one unique sound. This compilation presents 20 critical tracks that the Green Arrows recorded from 1974 –1979, all well-remastered. Carefully prepared 24-page bookletincludes a complete history of the band (edited by Banning Eyre), a full detailed discography, and numerous rare photographs and artifacts. After a long absence from performance, the band reunited on stage on the last day of the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) on May 1, 2005.

Take One - Hallelujah Chicken Run Band - 15.99
In 1973,Thomas Mapfumo helped form the Hallelujah Chicken Run Band and, for the first time, began to shift his music away from Western-influenced rock and explore the traditional music of his Shona people, transcribing the scale of the traditional instrument mbira (or thumb piano) to guitar with his guitarist Joshua Dube. The HCR Band was one of the first to develop the staccato style of guitar for which Zimbabwe is known today, and was also one of the first modern groups to sing in the traditional Shona language – a major act of liberation and an act of protest against the Rhodesian government. This compilation presents 18 of the Hallelujah Chicken Run Band's biggest and most influential hits, recorded from 1974–1979 and all painstakingly remastered. Take One is a mixture of songs of liberation alongside poignant love songs. Carefully prepared 24-page booklet with a complete history of the band was edited by renowned critic Banning Eyre, with a full detailed discography, and numerous rare photographs and ar

Sunday Monday: palm wine music from Ghana - Kwabena Nyama - 12.99
Ghana: musique de vin de palme: Nyama plays a rugged, rural form of palm wine music, the so called Akan-blues with lyrics rich in proverbs from the Akan culture. The singer and guitarist is primarily accompanied by percussion and voices.

Biso Nawa - Henri Dikongue - 16.99
A master of a gentle, acoustic sound from Africa, Dikongue and his guitar make their 2005 stop on CD with this warm recording, joined by a small ensemble: Henri Dikongué, vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion; Jean-Paul Flores, guitar; Ludovic Mantion, piano; Etienne Mbappè, bass

African Jazz Pioneers - African Jazz Pioneers - 15.99
A who's-who of African jazz-roots greats, including Stompie Manana, Jasper Cook, Bheki Buthelezi, Sam Tshabangu, Albert Khumalo and on and on. It's been called African-jazz, Soweto-soul and a dozen other hyphen-hyphens, but it is unique music unto itself, that could only have happened in South Africa in the 1980s, and this 1989 recording features some of the best session players out there.

Music from Tanzania and Zanzibar 1 - Various - 18.99
Swedish national radio recordings: Here the focus is on traditional music, with several groups from two African countries whose music is less well known and highly exciting including a Wagogo women's group

Music from Tanzania and Zanzibar 2 - Various - 17.99
This music is unique - warm, swinging, close to folk music - now with modern, digital sound quality. Includes the group Tondo.

Music from Tanzania and Zanzibar 3 - Various - 18.99
The Kilimani Muslim School Choir presents Muslim 'gospel' with lead singers, youth choir and pitched tambourines.

The Music of Ammasu - Brong-Ahafu Ghana 1976 - Ammasu Akapoma Group - 17.99
A musical portrait of the Village of Ammasu in the Brong-Ahafu region of Ghana. The Ammasu Akapoma Band is the hottest funeral band in the region and on this album you will find ritual and recreational drumming, singing in sorrow and happiness, children's music, a brass band and more. Includes a 28 page booklet with text and pictures.

Plea for Peace - The Afro-Semitic Experience - 15.99
This African-Jewish jazz alliance offers a unique perspective, both musically and philosopically. Using tools expected and unexpected (bass, horns and drums are met by dobro, violin, African percussion and clarinet) they make a music that will grab the ear of mainstream jazz and Jewish fusion fans because no matter the genre, it is genuine, original and surprising.

Djembe Du Burkina Faso - Yé Lassina Coulibaly - 16.99
Dancer and drummer from Burkina Faso presents a solo set of performances on the goblet-shaped, Mandinkan djembe drum, showing its spiritual side as a healing as well as percussive instrument.

Congotronics - Konono No 1 - 16.99
From the border between Congo and Angola comes Konono N°1, a thoroughly unique ensemble, traditional in the most elemental sense of the word: they made music from what they had on hand, rooted in their histopry be defiantly modern in its creation. Three likembe (mbira, or thumb pianos), electrified and amplified are at the core of the experience, accompanied by singers, percussionists, dancers a sound system that makes the average urban boombox experience seem a pale imitation. See also: Congotronics 2.

Congotronics Vol 2 (CD/DVD - PAL format) - Various - 22.99
Hot on the heels of the remarkable Congotronics 1 is a fresh selection of even more amazing sounds, courtesy of no less than seven electro-traditional bands from Kinshasa, all especially recorded and produced for this set and featuring Sobanza Mimanisa, Kasai Allstars, Kisanzi Congo, Masanka Sankayi, Bolia We Ndenge, Basokin, Konono N°1 and Tulu. Complete CD and video perforrmances on DVD (video disc is PAL format). Aptly subtitled 'Buzz'n'Rumble from the Urb'n'Jungle.' If you loved Konono No. 1, you will be equally enthralled by these other bands. See also: Congotronics 1

Traditional music from Uganda - Vol. I - Sarah Ndagire, Pedson Kasume and friends - 18.99
Sarah Ndagire: female voice, yodelling, ullulation, handclapping (engalo); Pedson Kasume: male voice, adungu (bow harp), adungu bass, endingidi (tube fiddle), amadinda (xylophone), engalabi (long drum), engoma (Uganda drum), ensaasi (shakers), akacenge (shakers), ebinyege (rattles), engalo

Traditional music of the Bantu women and folktales of the Baganda women from Uganda - Vol. I - East Africa - Sarah Ndagire, Pedson Kasume and friends - 18.99
Sarah Ndagire: female voice, yodelling, ullulation, handclapping (engalo); Pedson Kasume: male voice, adungu (bow harp), adungu bass, endingidi (tube fiddle), amadinda (xylophone), engalabi (long drum), engoma (Uganda drum), ensaasi (shakers), akacenge (shakers), ebinyege (rattles), engalo

Traditional music from Uganda - Vol. II - Ensemble Pearl - 18.99
Sarah Ndagire - voice and dance; Israel Kalungi - voice, traditional instruments and dance; Lawrence Lubega - voice, traditional instruments and dance. A presentation of Ugandan music, folktales, songs and dances presented in a traditional style.

Traditional music of the Bantu women from Uganda - Vol. II - Ensemble Pearl - 18.99
Sarah Ndagire - voice and dance; Israel Kalungi - voice, traditional instruments and dance; Lawrence Lubega - voice, traditional instruments and dance. Present the music of Bantu women of Uganda, recorded in the studio but in a traditional style.

Segu Blue - Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba - 15.99
The first solo album from the Malian ngoni player (orignally released in 2007). Ngoni is the Bambara name for an ancient traditional lute found throughout West Africa that is plucked with the thumb, much like a 5-stringed banjo.Ngoni Ba is Mali's first ngoni quartet and features artists Kassemady Diabate, Lobi Traore, Lassana Diabate and singer Zoumana Tereta.

Sidiba - Bako Dagnon - 16.99
One of Mali's premier Mande musicians and a respected female griot, born in the west of Mali. Bako sings with the authority, passion and wisdom born of having learned her craft the old way: not from recordings, as many young singers do nowadays, but at the feet of masters, deep in the countryside. As such, she may be one of the last griots to live according to the old ways, though she carries her message for the current age with a knowledge base that ranges from her native Biriko style, to the more lyrical Maninka music from Guinea to the Bambara style from Segou. Her songs sound deceptively simple; yet they are informed by a prodigious knowledge of Mande history and culture, with even Ali Farka Touré often consulting her and Banzoumana Sissoko, "the old lion" inviting her regularly to his house in the 1980s to sing famous old songs like "Janjon." She has the gift of bringing the old stories to life, making them sound utterly contemporary. She is the bridge between the old and the new.

Toba Seydou Traore - Toba Seydou Traore - 14.99
Lo-fi but immensely interesting recordings from Mali's Malinke hunters. Toba Seydou Traore is from Bougouni in southwest Mali, and his voice soars over rattles, shakers and the strings of a 'hunter's harp.' Listen

Abdoulaye Traore - Abdoulaye Traore - 14.99
Lo-fi but immensely interesting recordings from Mali. Abdoulaye Traore is accompanied by ngonis. karinye, calabash, and both solo and choral vocals in a rich, traditional exposition of hunter's music from southwest Mali. Listen

Abayudaya: Music From The Jewish People Of Uganda - Various Artists - 13.99
Choral, Afro-Pop And Traditional Drumming, Hebrew Prayers And Songs In Hbrew, English And Several Ugandan Languages.

Akoma - Adesa - 16.99
The musicians of Adesa bring the Ghanaian korlegorno (lute), horns, flutes, water kalebasses and the balafon to compositions that lean not only on rural traditions but also on ritual and courtly music and their own experiences from their tours in Europe. This is an elegant yet rough-hewn musical experience from western Africa.

Qeshm Island - Various - 17.99
The unique nature and culture of the fascinating Island of Qeshm (in the Persian Gulf), with its strong influences from Iranian, Arabic as well as East-African traditions is explored by an impressive groups of musicians including Mohammad Reza Alogholi, Saeed Ansari, Christophe Rezai, Peter Soleimanipour, Reza Asgarzadeh, Ali Boustan, Frahad Asadian and Karan Homayounfar. They offer personal interpretations on these cross-cultural roots.

Yobadi - Karim Ziad, Hamid El Kasri - 19.99
Yobadi is the fruit of a close collaboration between Karim Ziad and Hamid El Kasri. After playing together in Morocco numerous times as well as on the international stage, El Kasri voiced the desire to sing on Karim's arrangements. On Yobadi, these long-time companions create new rhythmic dynamics and harmonious colors, with their roots in traditional gnawa music.

The Aden Song - Mohammed Murshid Naji,Khalil Mohammed Khalil - 17.99
In the first half of the 20th century,the Yemeni port of Aden was a tremendous melting pot of cultures and influences.It was the meeting point of Arabic,African and Indian civilizations.This contributed to the relatively recent emergence of a special musical style,The Aden song ,a musical emblem of this unique cultural ferment.The style is essentially urban,i.e.singing with lute and percussion accompaniment.This record presents the Aden song from its earliest beginnings to its maturity, from 1948 right up to the present day.

Volume One, Two and Three (special price offer) - Golden Afrique - special order-129.99
Get all three volumes of this superb set for a special price

Golden Afrique Vol. 2 - various - 42.99
The critical acclaim that was heaped on Golden Afrique Vol.I was well deserved, and now there is a second edition (2005) devoted to Congolese dance music, from African rumba to the early forms of soukous music, the music that toppled highlife from its throne as the pan-African party sound. From the beginnings of the outstanding Ngoma label to Kabasele's 1960 hit 'Indépendance Cha Cha Cha' and featuring an early recording by Manu Dibango, plus Tabu Ley Rochereau, Franco, Sam Mangwana, Dr. Nico, Nyboma, plus an excellent collection of tracks from less famous artists, some of whom can be heard on CD for the very first time.

Golden Afrique Vol. 3 (1939-1988) - Various - special order
Two hours and 20 minutes of vibrant music from the townships of the African mineworkers, the copper mines of Zambia, the gold and diamond mines of South Africa and in the urban beer halls, night clubs and shebeens of South Africa and Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).

Berber Blues - Cherifa - 16.99
An Amazigh (Berber) poet and singer, Cherifa Kersith sings in her regional dialect from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. A stripped down, traditional approach is used, the call and repsonse of the lead and backing singers framed by lutar (lute) and frame drum, on 6 extended pieces (all but one about 10 minutes long).

The Call of the Oases - Compagnies Jellouli, Gdih, Meskaoui, El Hashemi Nhass, El Hamri - 17.99
Music from the Tafilalet oasis in the Sahara desert. The disc features four musical groups from Tafilalet who draw their inspiration from both the tradition and the modern world.

Langoni - Luhya music: from the countryside to the city - Ingosi Stars - 18.99
The Luhya people originate in the Western province of Kenya, but many of them have migrated to large towns, especially Nairobi. A distinct repertoire reserved for special occasions (births, circumcisions, weddings, funerals) or played for sheer entertainment is the essential ingredient. Playing on typical Luhya instruments, Mzee William Ingosi Mwoshi and his son, Jackson Amusala, are among today's best "neo-traditionalists" - a generation of Kenyan musicians who mastered the traditions of the rural areas and were able to transform them for a changing society, so that the old genres would still make sense for people both in the villages

Denke denke - Mamar Kassey - 17.99

Desert Blues 3: Entre Dunes et Savanes - VA - 39.99
Third volume of this wonderful series from Network Medien, 2 CDs and excellent book of notes and pictures. Featured artists include Khaled, Malouma, Dhafer Youssef, Gigi, Amadou and Mariam, Ali Farka Touré, Rokia Traoré, the Kronos Quartet and Tinariwen. All of this is complemented by new discoveries and first releases, plus a handsome long-box booklet full of photographs and intelligent text.

Rhapsody for Lute - Yousra Dhahbi - 18.99
Yousra Dhabi is a lute player from Tunisia and represents the first generation of solo women lutenists in the Arab world.

African Woodoo - Manu Dibango - 17.99
Unearthing the world music vaults, these tracks were recorded between 1971 and 1975 by Manu Dibango for cinema, television or advertising. They have never been released on disc. The official information is missing but Dibango recalls that his Parisian band then comprised Jacques Bolognesi, Ivan Julien, François Jeanneau and Slim Pezin. On the sides cut in New York, you will find prestigious guests like Buster Williams and Cedar Walton and Tony Williams.

The Drummers Of The Nile In Town: Cairosonic - Mahmoud Fadl - 17.99
oin Mahmoud Fadl on his walk down Cairo's Mohamed 'Ali Street, the notorious musicians' hang out, where he meets up with master drummers Mohammed Kallo Sobhi and Magdi Berbish, the Khalil family (flagship of Said musicianship) and the legendary Hasaballah Brass Band, the one and only brass band in Egypt.

The Father of Rai - Bellemou - 16.99
The Algerian classic is available again, with the master musican of rai in some of his best recordings.

Festival in the Desert (CD) - Various Artists - special order-17.99
A unique celebration of the music and culture of the Tuareg people, this live recording of performances from the three-day festival held in January, 2003, includes tracks by Lo'Jo, Oumou Sangaré, Ali Farka Touré, Blackfire, Tartit, Afel Boucoum, ballake Sissoko, Tinariwen, Robert Plant, Justin Adams and many others.

Festival in the Desert: the film (DVD) - Various Artists - 23.99
Lionel Brouet's documentary about the 2003 Festival in the Desert tells the story of the event, and does so in a uniquely compelling and atmospheric way. Bonus features include an interview with event organizer Issa Dicko about the Touaregs and a photo gallery. Live performance footage and interviews with participating artists offer a magical journey seen through the eyes of those who attended the festival. This 52-minute documentary on DVD is in French with English subtitles.

Ano Neko: Let's Create Together - Dobet Gnahoré - 17.99
Dobet Gnahoré is an up-and-coming young artist from Africa's Ivory Coast. She not only posesses a incredible voice but she also has a commanding presence on stage. Gnahoré inherited all the power of the bété traditions from her father Boni Gnahoré, drum-master and vocal lead of the Attungblan Choir. As part of her studies before becoming a professional singer, Gnahoré performed alongside her father in the Ki Yi Mbock theatre troupe in Abidjian. The album's title, Ano Neko, means let us create together in bété. Gnahoré's album is a mix of African folk traditions with modern sounds reminiscent of the work of to Zap Mama and Sally Nyolo and features songs in French, bété, fon, baoulé, lingala and malinké.

From Dance to Trance - Guem - 16.99
Born to Nigerian parents brought to Algeria, Guem grew up playing traditional music and trance rhythms from an early age. His family soon initiated him into the secrets of the diwan (ceremonies where many of the participants enter a state of trance). When he turned 16, Guem left Algeria for Paris to become a professional soccer player. But the young man promptly came to realize that his hands would take him further than his feet. After a brief stint at the American Cultural Centre in Paris, Guem went on to make his name playing with the cream of French and American jazzmen (including Michel Portal and Steve Lacy). However, the 'man with gold fingers' quickly grew bored of being considered an accompanist and decided to become a soloist. In 1973 Guem recorded his first album - Percussions africaines. Five years later he would score his first major hit with Guem et Zaka recorded in collaboration with his pupils from the American Cultural Centre. With more than 30 albums (recorded since the mid-70s), thousands of dance and percussion courses and many worldwide concerts, Guem still keeps the same goal: lift percussion out of its traditional role as a backing instrument and prove that drums can provide melody as well as rhythm.

Guitar Fö - Sekou Bembeya Diabate - 16.99
Sekou Bembeya Diabaté (aka Diamond Fingers) is a legend of West African guitar. As lead guitarist and co-founder of Bembeya Jazz, Diabaté and his band brought the Mandingo tradition onto the dancefloors and airwaves of West Africa. When dance bands went into decline in the 1980s, Diabaté began to work as a soloist. His guitar work has influenced and inspired many of the great guitarists on the African continent. For this album, Diabaté has put together re-readings of his solo favorites, along with some classics from Bembeya Jazz. Guitar Fö is a lesson in African swing.

Mali: The Fulani Hoddu - various - 13.99
Music of the hoddu (the Fulani lute known elsewhere in Mali as ngoni).

Arabo-Andalusian Sufi Songs - Ensemble Ibn Arabi - 17.98

The Key to Grenada/Le clef de Grenade - Said Chraibi - 19.99

Sacred Songs From Nubia And Kordofan - Ensembles Al-Mahi and al-Bura'i - 17.99
Two respected ensembles perform 'madih' (religous songs of praise) from Sudan.

The Art of Mawwal - Mohamed Bajeddoub, Abderrahim Souiri - 18.99
This album was recorded live at a concert originally conceived as a dialogue between two major Moroccan singers in the form of mawwal, vocal improvisation based on classical poetry. Vocalists Mohamed Bajeddoub and Abderrahim Souiri give outstanding solo and duo performances, based on excerpts from some of the most beautiful Arab poems on the theme of courtly and mystical love.

Heyma - Abir Nasraoui - 18.99
Heyma, or "Wanderings," is an album by Tunisian artists who have spent their lives traveling between several cultures. Leïla El Mekki Skander Guetari and Abir Nasraoui take the listener on a journey through a colorful musical universe, created by more than a dozen musicians from East and West.

Mekfoul District - Toubab All Stars - 14.99
They call it SkAfro! Mekfoul describes is both a Berber vegetarian cous-cous and the name given to the African/Arabic neighborhood of La Goutte d Or in Paris where the Toubab All Stars came together. Here the rhythms and origins of the group came together, from Paris, Dakar, Bamako, Yaounde, Kingston, and LA.

Verité d'Afrique - Pierre Akendengue - 18.99
The 19th album by one of Africa's most interesting artists (says Cliff), recorded in part, in a shanty town in Libreville, Gabon with the remaining tracks were finished up in Paris. While continuing to mine a traditional African vein, Akendengué also branches out in new musical directions, working with Cape Verdean producer Nado Andrade (best known for his role as pianist and musical director to Cesaria Evora), and even delving into reggae. However to please his fans, Akendengué also slips in an old favorite, "Considérable," amongst his new material. Originally written in 1972, the song's lyrics about pan-African unity remain as topical as ever.

Mali Denhou - Boubacar Traoré - 17.99
Malian guitarist and singer Boubacar Traoré is probably my favorite exponent of what folks like to call 'African blues.' Mali Denhou, his first new release in six years, shows the singer in all his gritty splendor.

Mali Blue - Lobi Traore - 16.99
A collection of tracks from Bambara singer Lobi Traoré's previous recordings, 14 tracks includes on live recording.

On the Rumba River - Wendo Kolosoy - 18.99
Along the Congo river sails a boat which never sank, a boat called Rumba. At the helm, Papa Wendo, 82 years young, continues to sing the irresistible music that brightens the eyes of dancers and conjures up soft and sad nostalgia. At the end of 2004 and perhaps for the last time, Wendo Kolosoy went back into the recording studio as the subject of the film "On the Rumba River," directed by Jacques Sarasin. Just like a return upstream to the river source, this CD features new recordings, as well as recordings made in 1950 and 1992.

Heritage - Mamadou Diabate - 17.99
Drawing from the music the Mande jeli, kora player Diabate highlights the flexibility and adaptability of this courtly tradition. The band includes balafonist Bala Kouyaté, Baye Kouyaté on calabash and talking drum, American jazz musician Noah Jarrett on bass, with a special guest cameo from the Guinean guitarist Djikorya Mory Kante. Mande music is usually centered around a singer, this all instrumental recording is unusal, This music is not typically accompanied by calabash or talking drum, so the percussive aspect of the group is also innovative. But the deepest innovation comes in the compositions and arrangements themselves.

Wijdan: The Mystery of Gnawa Trance Music (DVD) - Brahim El Belkani, Sibiri Samaké - special order
The Gnawa people were exiled from the Malian empire and brought as slaves to Morocco in the sixteenth century. In the last three decades the power of their trance music has come into the spotlight thanks to Western musicians and artists. In this documentary, filmmakers Bella Le Nestour and John Allen paint an intimate portrait of two men - Sibiri Samaké, a Bambarra musician from Mali, and Brahim El Belkani, a Gnawa musician from Morocco - who are seen during theirmusical meeting in 2000. In Arabic, Wijdan means "the meeting of souls." We are allowed to watch as these masters trace their common roots back in time and as they impart their knowledge to the next generation. (NTSC video format)

Mvet ai Mandzang - Music of the Beti in Cameroon - various - Cameroon - 12.99
From the series of the Museum Collection Berlin, a documentation of the music of the Beti in southern Cameroon. The mvet (a zither with notched bridge) and the mendzang (xylophone) are the most important musical instruments of the Beti of southern Cameroon. Traditional epic ballads and love songs are accompanied by the zither. The xylophone is played in groups at general on public and festive occasions. These recordings were made in 1984 in Cameroon, and in 1989 in Berlin with the group Mendzang M'ekum Adjap.

Down by the River - Musicians of the Nile - 17.99
For 30 years the Musicians of the Nile, from Luxor in upper Egypt, have traveled the world performing their traditional gypsy music, based on the sound of the rababah (horse-hair stringed fiddle) and testimony to an ancient Bedouin tradition. The group continues to act as guardians of their timeless tradition, continually renewing their art.

Desert Blues -- Ambiances du Sahara - Various artists - 39.99
a journey through the rich traditions of ballads from the Sahara, the Sahel and neighbouring African regions. Artists include Baaba Maal, Youssou N'Dour, Abou Djouba, Ali Farka Toure with Ry Cooder and Taj Mahal, Oumou Sangare, Sali Sidibe, Hassan Hakmoun, Dimi Mint Abba, Tata Dindin, Kante Manfila, Abdel Gadir Salim, Hamza El Din, Aster Aweke and Mahmoud Ahmed.

Double Check (2 CDs) - Stella Chiwese - 28.99
Something new, something old - two sides Of Zimbabwe's mbira queen. A completely new recording created in Zimbabwe, the unfortunately titled first CD 'Trance Hits,' is an album with references to spirits, a policeman possessed by the sounds of the m'bira, a singing fish and a song she dreamed her grandmother was singing to her. The second, 'Classic Hits,' features re-released tracks with her original band, The Earthquake and produced by a selection of Brit procuders int he 90s including John Peel, Hijaz Mustapha (aka Ben Mandelson) and Colin Bass (and a special guest appearance of the rhythm section of 3 Mustaphas 3). For old and new friends alike, this is a welcome and recommended recording.

Fuji Satisfaction - Bantu, featuring Ayuba - 11.99
Adé Bantu is one of the defining figures of German HipHop. Born and raised in Lagos,Nigeria, then relocated to Cologne, his AfroPean blend draws from his forefathers' heritage and his experience of the African diaspora alike. He uses urban styles and sounds from R'n'B through HipHop to Ragga to contribute to the soundtrack of a global Africa: rooted in Yoruba history yet ripe with Western production, deeply sensual yet utterly spiritual, thoroughly individual and highly political. He is joined by Adewale Ayuba, a master of Nigeria's next generation of Fuji music.

Diaspora Hi-Fi - A Mediterranean Caravan - Watcha Clan - 18.99
It's been ten years since Watcha Clan burst on to Europe's new world-beat scene. With a best-selling début CD to its credit (20,000 units worldwide), here the Clan whisks us on a wild ride from the dance fl oors of London to France's Provence, from the Balkan mountains to the Maghreb seaside, from roots to rebellion. North and South, Arabic and Hebrew are re-united on this album, which features the exuberant vocals of Marseilles-born Sista K. Diaspora Hi-Fi presents an intoxicating blend of new reggae, jungle and electronic club beats with traditional sounds. Includes a bonus live video version of the Clan's fave, "Eli."

Sarabah: Tales from the Flipside of Paradise - Sister Fa - special order
Senegal's 'Queen of hip-hop.' For a woman to break through in an almost exclusively male field within a male-dominated society was a long, hard journey. Struggle breeds compassion, and Sister Fa uses her international album debut to speak out against the injustices rampant in her native country. Warm and unmistakably African, her raps, in Wolof, Manding, Jola and French, roll elegantly over beats as well as traditional sounds (kora and djembe), delivering tracks far removed from rap clichés, and more influenced by 80s old school hip-hop than current rap trends.

Egypt Noir - Ali Hassan Kuban, Mahmoud Fadl - 19.99
In recent decades, Western archeologists unearthed the remains of Nubia - an advanced Black African civilization thousands of years older than Egypt's, but they could have just as easily discovered the funky echoes of this lost world at certain Cairo nightclubs today. This doubly lost and found culture shows its stuff on Egypt Noir, a collection featuring the icons and innovators of Nubian music. The album brings together decades of Nubian urban song, giving an unprecedented overview of the neglected musical achievements of this unsung people. Piranha's enhanced CD also offers a visual tour of the great "Orientalist" paintings of the nineteenth century - images reflecting European artists' sensual vision of Egypt and Nubia.

Red Soil in My Eyes - Somi - 17.99
Somi is of Rwandan and Ugandan heritage, and while she lives in NYC these days, she is a citizen of the world who has found a home in her music. Singing has been a journey of healing, says the young singer and writer. She tells stories of life, love, and liberation that incorporate jazz, classic soul, African folk, and urban grooves. Listen

Riyad al-hubb, musiques d'al-Andalus - Al Arabi, Lefeuvre, Delgado - 19.99
Available again: A collaboration of musicians from Spain, France and Morocco give new meaning to trans-Andalus, with a blend of orth African, Occitan and just pure non-geographic ingenuity.

Tales From The Earth - Mark Weinstein and Omar Sosa - 17.99
Flautist Weinstein and Sosa on marimba and vibraphone (with an occasional piano piece) are joined by the global ensemble of Jean Paul Bourelly (guitars) Aly Keita (balafon) Marque Gilmore (drums) and vocals and percussion by Aho Luc Nicaise and Mathias Agbokou. Deeply spiritual and moody, these two artists seem to have found new depth in each other's work. Highly recommended!

Amin Iman - Tinariwen - 17.99
The 2007 release by the Touareg 'desert blues' masters from Mali.

Togo: Kabiye Orchestras and Lithophones - various - 12.99

Vieux Farka Toure - Vieux Farka Touré - 17.99
Bouriema 'Vieux Farka' Touré is the son of the late, great Malian guitar master Ali Farka Touré. This is his first recording, made with his father and many of his musicial compadres.

Between the Desert and the Sea (special order) - El Tanbura - 17.99
El Tanbura is a collective of veteran Egyptian master musicians, singers, fishermen and philosophers. They hail from Port Said, the gateway to the Suez Canal and the world beyond. Like their hometown, El Tanbura boast influences from east and west (and north and south): Gallibiya, Levis and Gucci sunglasses, fez and Nike caps jostle for prominence. Their music is driven by the seductive call of the simsimiyya - an ancient lyre dating back to the Pharaohs, revered both for its mesmerizing properties and occult origins in ancient exorcism rituals. Founded in 1989, El Tanbura, and they have also collaborated with One Giant Leap on the forthcoming film 2sides2everything.

Muzikr - Carlou D - 17.99
Carlou D emerged from Senegal's hip-hop scene of the 90s, joined Senegal's first, and arguably most successful, hip-hop group, Positive Black Soul. In 2004 he left to start his solo career. Performing in traditional Muslim robes with his dreadlocks signaling asceticism, he wears the image of Cheikh Ibra Fall around his neck as a tribute to his spiritual guide. It is from the leader of this spiritual sect, the Baay Fall, that Carlou takes much of his musical inspiration, preserving and modernizing the chants, melodies and rhythms used in celebration of this man who has millions of followers around the world. With a pure voice and infectious sense of rhythm, and backed by a scintillating band, Carlou D makes electric, spiritual roots music, straight from Dakar. The album features Carlou's mentor Youssou N'Dour as special guest singer on one track. Listen!

Behmanka - Mamadou Diabate - 17.99
Mamadou Diabate's combination of fiery melodic improvisation, inexorable rhythmic precision, and ringing tone is a revelation. The eight solo performances tracks on Behmanka, which is named for very old dialect of the artist's native Mandinka language, reveal a virtuoso in his prime.

Muso Ko - Habib Koité and Bamada - 12.99
1990s classic from the Malian guitarist: 'Guitarist Habib Koite is from Mali, but this rising star represents the contemporary sound of African pop. His first album, which is now being re-released here, is mostly made up of upbeat songs that electrify a variety of regional styles. The accompanying translated lyrics show Koite to be a songwriter that takes on weightier subjects than the usual vacuous party fare. The songs don't translate easily, resembling fables at times, but there is no mistaking the message of his hit, "Cigarette A Bana (The Cigarette is Finished)." Koite's brisk, breezy songs layer call-and-response singing over a seamless mix of African percussion and Western instruments. His academic training shows up most notably in his sophisticated arrangements, which continually change textures, keeping his songs as appealing to the head as the feet.' - Marty Lipp, RootsWorld

Soul Science - Justin Adams, Juldeh Camara - 17.99
Buzzing bass lines, no-holds-barred guitar licks, tough but playful rhythms, searing fiddle riffs, percussive groundswells and ancient-rooted vocals, Soul Science is less of a cross-cultural collaboration than a fascinating dispatch from an entirely new nation.Evoking the blues from several continents, American rock 'n' roll, a hot Sahel afternoon and desert evenings, Justin Adams (electric and acoustic guitars, Tamashek lute, percussion, banjo, vocals) and Juldeh Camara (lead vocals, one-string fiddle, West African banjo, percussion) and the tight rhythm section of Salah Dawson Miller (percussion) and Billy Fuller (bass), have achieved a synthesis instigated by centuries of history refracted through the kaleidoscope of the information age. Already an international sensation, Soul Science was nominated for "best album" in the "Culture Crossing" category at the annual BBC World Music Awards, and was selected among the "top 100 albums of the year" by both fRoots and Songlines magazines. Highly Recommended

Imidiwan: Companions - Tinariwen - 17.99
Tuareg band's fourth CD release possesses all the elements that have made them so magnetic: raw simplicity, melodic beauty, songs ranging from the epic and universal to the intimate and personal. Listen!

Brakka System - So Kalmery - 17.99
So Kalmery is originally from the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country sadly so often in the headlines over the last years. His story is one marked by the rich history but also the misfortunes of this part of Africa. His father was assassinated because of his close ties to the independence leader Patrice Lumumba, and So Kalmery became an orphan and a refugee at the age of seven... He spent many years fleeing from the various wars that devastated the region and finally found asylum in Zambia. It was during this period that the humanism which permeates his songs was forged. Very young, he learned music and played in numerous local orchestras. He established himself in Europe following a tour with the great Congolese musician Franco. A prodigious musician, an insatiable traveller, a poet, singer and dancer in search of the roots and the values of humanity, So Kalmery is an atypical and mystical figure, who plays an unclassifiable music which is at the crossroads of blues, folk music, soul and pop: Brakka.

Niyo - Mamadou Barry - 17.99
The Guinean musician plays tenor, alto and soprano sax, flute and percussion. A connoisseur of all the sub-region's rhythms and music styles, Barry is open to all musical trends. Niyo was recorded with some of Conakry's best musicians, all generations included, both modern and traditional with three of the finest female voices in Guinea. he merges rootsy tradition, Afrobeat energy and Manding melodies into his own sound. Listen

Petite planete - Trio Ifriqiya - 17.99
Fayçal El Mezouar was trained at the music school El Kordobia in Tlemcen, Algeria. For this trio, he has gathered around him jazz pianist and improviser Didier Fréboeuf and drummer Emile Biayenda, founder of the band Les Tambours de Brazza. Their music blends many styles including Arab-Andalous, traditional, jazz and contemporary. It highlights a kind of common musical language where elements from the Orient, Africa and Europe cross paths.Listen!

Ashkelon - Emil Zrihan - 18.99
Emil Zrihan is a Sephardic singer from Rabat, Morocco and cantor of the synagogue in Ashkelon, Israel. On this recording, he is backed by an ensemble of ud, violin, accordion, darabouka, percussion, guitar and bass, in a selection of traditional Moroccan and Judeo-Moroccan works. Originally released in 1999.

Afrijazz - Kwaku Kwaakye Obeng - 15.99
Afrijazz is percussionist Kwaku Kwaakye Obeng's shout-out to the inspirational spirits of Monk, Randy Weston, Max Roach, Anthony Braxton, Chief Bey and a host of kindred others. Kwaku brings together the sounds of his native land with African-Brazilian, Jamaican and African American strains, in an imaginative recording whose genius reveals its embedded subtleties only gradually.' - RootsWorld

..in Concert - Bernard Woma - 15.99
Master Ghanaian xylophonist Bernard Woma captivates audiences through his performance of traditional Dagara Gyil music and inventive original compositions. A highly energetic and virtuosic live performance together with Mark Stone (percussion) and Kofi Ameyaw (xylophone, percussion).

Jump for George - Imaginary Homeland - 15.99
This is one of those 'what can you say?' sort of recordings. Composer, saxophonist, and percussionist David Rogers, percussionist Mark Stone, violinist Marlene Rice and funky bassist Matt Pavolka have found the non-existant link between Appalachian string bands, Ghanian percussion, downtown jazz and host of other unrelated ideas that miraculously fit together as if they had the deepest of ethnomusical roots.

New Destiny - Dallam-Dougou - 15.99
A unique ensemble of African and European-American musicians, who merge the dougou (place) of west African with the dallam (melody) of Hungary to create a new musical sound completely imaginary and completely original.

My Roots - Suzanna Owiyo - 18.99
The wonderful Kenyan singer and nyatiti (lyre) player brings together new songs, old traditions, and songwriting that is biting, passionate, warm and loving and always honest. She deals with corrupt politicians, good leaders, gratitude for being able to share in the beautiful gifts we all have been given by God, the dangers of alcohol abuse, with forgiveness, fathers who abandon their families. She is joined by a group of musicians from Nairobi on guitars, bass, percussion and other local instruments.

Women Care - Various - 18.99
Norwegian artists Unni Wilhelmsen, Anneli Drecker, Simone and Lynni Treekrem met four African artists - Chiwoniso from Zimbabwe, Marie Daulne (lead singer of Zap Mama) from the Congo Democratic Republic / Belgian Congo, Tigist Bekele from Ethiopia, and Talike from Madagascar - in their respective homelands to make music together, and build relationships and networks using music as the common language. In cooperation with Norway CARE, this is the record of those meetings.

Congo River - Coco Sukali - 12.99
Fernand Tchikounzi is a Congolese born New Yorker and lead vocalist for the group Coco Sukali. In addition to a brilliant band, the CD includes guests that would make any soukous king jealous: Lokassa Ya Mbongo, Daly Kimoko, and Nguma Lokito. This is the cool side of rumba from the old-school of Franco and Tabu Ley, sung in both English and Lingala.

Ngoma: Music from Uganda - Ndere Troupe and others - 10.99
Compiled by the acclaimed Ndere Troupe in 1995, the recordings from the Ngoma Project for Cultural Preservation present a wealth of traditional music from Uganda. This is the most comprehensive collection of traditional Ugandan music to date. Inspired performances by master musicians from the region's most important ethnic groups utilize a wide range of instruments including harps, mbiras, zithers, xylophones, and a wide array of African percussion. Fourteen tracks of music, digitally recorded and mastered.

Cape Town Songs (the very best of...) - Abdullah Ibrahim - 15.99
14 tracks by the South African pianist and composer known as Dollar Brand, includes 'African Marketplace,' 'Calypso Minor,' 'For Monk' among other favorites and a few surprises.

Cissokho System - Cissokho System - 17.99
West African roots meet Norwegian jazz and popular music in a vibrant take on the mbalax style. Led by the inimitible kora wizard Solo Cissokho

Western Sahara: Remixing Saharaui - Hugo Westerdahl - 14.99
CD includes the soundtrack of the film La Puerta Del Sahara as well as remixes and rarities of Saharaui music. Hugo Westerdahl: arrangements, keyboard, guitar Mariem Hassan: vocals Baba Salama: electric and acoustic guitar Nayim Alal: guitar, vocals Leyoad: percussion, vocals Hababa: vocals Alberto Gambino: accordion, keyboard Patxi Pascual: saxophone and flute Josete Ordoñez: flamenco guitar Pablo Salinas: piano

Kchaba - Hijas Del Sol - 12.99
The third album by the singing duo Hijas del Sol is a very cheerful and 'African' album, even though it has more songs in Spanish than any other. Exceptional musicians from Equatorial Guinea like Pablo Tarifa, David Owono, Alex Ikot and Chery Malé seek out the traditional musical base of their home region (Sibeba), then open up to others styles from the African continent and Europe. They run from roots to pop, never losing the core sound of two great voices in harmony.

Let Me Be - Rasha - 17.99
Rasha reflects on the situation of her people in Sudan - a mixture of homesickness and hope. Due to the civil unrest in her homeland, she moved to Cairo in 1991, and now lives in Spain. The life of the exile is at the center of her work, in 11 songs both political and controversial.

A María Teresa Vera - Various - 17.99
A tribute CD to one of the most influential woman of traditional Cuban music. Contemporary performances by Gema y Pável, Jacqueline Castellanos, Omara Portuondo, María Salgado, Argelia Fragoso, Martirio, Uxía, Caridad and Reinaldo Hierrezuelo.

Assusu - Famoro and Kike Kouyate - 19.99
Recorded in Conakry in 1992- Kouyate was bass player with Ballaet ses Balladins in the late sixties This recordings feat M mah Bangoura vocals, Souleyman Diallo peulh flute Famoro grumbling bass icl two balaphones , three more female voices, djembe and the m bote bass drum

Koffi Cola Na Yo - Mama Diabate - 18.99
Just listen to Mama's fantastic voice and her rap like singing style. The title track does not advertise a certain soft drink but strongly condemms polygamy. Rerelease of a guinean cassette that was recorded in Abidjan's jbz-studio in 1993.

Sopente - Super Cayor - 18.99
The band calls its style salsa-mbalax. They not only put the Senegalese style next to the latin-american one but effectively mix the two: a customized Senegalese percussion set effectively replaces the timbales. The result is a very danceable music.

Embouteillage - Super Cayor De Dakar - 18.99
super Cayor de Dakar's 2001 release features the tenorsaxophone of maestro Issa Cissokho (ex- bandleader of Orchestra Baobab). On top of the 6 songs on the original Senegalese cassette you can hear two live recordings of the band.

King Onyina's Guitar Highlife - Onyina, King - 18.99
This is the music that marked the times around ghanain independance: guitar band highlife, incorporating many Ghanaian traditions and many foreign influences (king onyina knows all the albums of barney kessel and wes montgomery). besides the excellent guitar work this album also features the typical highlife singing style: on top of onyina's tenor you hear male alto and treble singers. with extensive notes by koo nimo.

Simanje-Manje And Kwela - Donald Kachamba's Kwela Band - 18.99
Donald Kachamba, born in Blantyre, Malawi, is considered on of the outstanding musicians-composers of the middle generation in southeastern Africa. over the years he has developed compositional techniques and a very personal music with his group. the donald kachamba's kwela jazz band, liberating himself from the constraints of current african pop music styles. his music is deeply rooted in his childhood experience of kwela, sinjonjo, saba-saba, hauyani, simanje-manje and other southern african urban dance music genres of the 1950's and 1960's. this album , amply documented by prof. gerhard kubick, features his solo work where he overdubs himself on his nagra tape recorder.

Music In Ghana - Various - 18.99
a selection out of the archives of african music at the institute of african studies, university of ghana, legon. to document such an archive on one cd is impossible - so this album be seen as an appetizer that makes scholars and music lovers hungry for more: there are 21 tracks of traditional music from the various regions of ghana. additional spices are 3 highlife songs by the late e.k.nyame and a brass band tune, since the archive not only collected traditional music. some of the instruments featured are: one string fiddle, mouth bow, ivory and aseseben horns, benta, a Hawaiian guitar and all kinds of drums.

Madaris - Igd El Djilad - 18.99
a vocal group from sudan; eight singers are accompanied by two keyboards, percussion and bass. the band presents a variety of styles from the various regionss of africa's largest country - including love songs in arabic tradition and songs from the nuba mountains that show strong black african influence. singing almost acappella igd el djilad is rejuvenating old sudanese choral traditions.

Nuba al-maya - Ibn Baya - 17.99
Joined by Omar Metioui and Eduardo Paniagua, the Moroccan ensemble Ibn Báya (which also includes Spanish artist Luis Delgado) explores 'musica andalusi" from the 11th and 12th centuries on 'Núba al-maya.'

Sya - Amadou Kienou - 17.99
Griot Amadou Kiénou is from Burkina Faso. Trained from his youth through the rituals and ceremonies that still mark the life of his native village (baptisms, weddings, funerals, sacred rites etc), as a professional he has worked with such artists as Manu Dibango, Youssou N'Dour and Baba Maal. He is a virtuoso of the djembe and a fine traditional singer.

Romper El Baile - Manuel Luna y La Cuadrilla Maquisera - 11.99
Cantabrian singer and folk arranger.. click and listen!

Umbele - Jabu Khanyile - 17.99
The South African vocalist's 2001 release features a mix of roots and township jazz.

Homeland - A Collection of South African Music - various South African artists - 16.99
A collection of danceable South African township jive. Most of the tracks are drawn from South African albums that went gold there in the late 1980s. With the Boyoyo Boys, Mzikayifani Buthelezi, Elias Mathebula, Manka Le Phallang and others.

Homeland 2 - A Collection of South African Music - various South African artists - 12.99
The sequel to the first Homeland album, which was nominated for a Grammy. Sixteen tracks ofcontemporary sounds in South Africa. The rhythms and melodies of grass-roots Africa, from mbaqanga (township jazz) to choral music.

Pod (CD/DVD) - Afrocelts - 16.99
Interesting remixes of previous tracks include 'Johnny At Sea' (previously only on the band's website), and 'Full Moon Low Tide,' (with some dire sounding bagipes bits), as well as more familiar fare given radical rewrites. 2-disc package includes a DVD with some videos some moments from their 2001 appearance at WOMAD USA.

Assembly - Zawose and Brook - 12.99
Tanzania has a made-to-measure musical ambassador in the person of Dr Hukwe Zawose: educator, instrument builder, cultural conservationist and - most importantly - a charismatic singer and musician of singular abilities who has introduced the music of his people (the Wagogo, of central Tanzania's arid Dodoma region) to an international audience.

Diam - Daby Toure - 12.99
Daby Touré grew up in Mauitania, but moved to Paris at a young age, where he did service in Afropop bands like Touré Kunda (his cousins) and later Touré Touré. THis solo effort (which translates as 'peace') is a folky and experimental 'world music' recording that while strong on African roots, delves into a variety of other cultural influences for inspiration.

Dead Men Don't Smoke Marijuana - S E Rogie - 13.99
The inimitable Sierra Leonean 'palm wine' guitar master's Real World recording

Introducing Daby Balde - Daby Balde - 15.99
Subtitled "Senegalese star on the rise' and a lively exploration of the Fula tradition by a musician who, as the title implies, ought to be better known. A great acoustic sound is played out on fiddle, accordion, flute, kora percussion and acoustic guitar.

Na Afriki - Dobet Gnahore - 12.99
Ivory Coast singer addresses social and political issues in Africa: the struggles of women in African society, the exploitation of children, and the impact of greed and violence on the family. She calls upon Africa to seek solutions from within and draw upon its own vast resources to create a better future. She sings of love and loss, as well as joy and celebration, using a wide variety of rhythms and styles that reflect her pan-African approach.

Introducing Kenge Kenge - Kenge Kenge - 12.99
Subtitled 'African Living Traditions: Acoustic Roots Of Kenyan Benga' the record label calls them 'guardians and masters of an ancient but living tradition. They breathe new life into Kenya's Luo musical roots, continuing its evolution, from the handmade instruments of the past, through the popular guitar-based 'benga' and now returning both to re-explore the acoustic origins of benga and to embrace their Luo musical heritage.'

Sabou - Mory Kante - 12.99
The Guinean singer and kora player, veteren of some of western Africa's greatest bands (including the Rail Band in the early 70s) presents an all-acoustic tour-de-force in this 2004 release.

Seno - Ba Cissoko - 16.99
2009 release by Guinean kora player Ba Cissoko and his band. Born in Guinea Bissau, he moved to Guinea Conakry, eventually working with Kourou and Sékou Mbady, who now play bass, kora and electric kora in the ensemble. Hot, hard and defiantly modern. The Guardian writes "This third album takes a step back towards tradition, however. There are still bursts of sonic wizardry - wah wah kora, growling fuzz guitar - but the spirit of change is as much in the use of Latin, funk and reggae flavours."

No. 1 De No. 1 - Star Band No. 1 - special order
Star Band and Number One de Dakar were the main rivals to Orchestre Baobab in the 1970s, and the breeding gound for some of Senegal's greatest legends. Their basic Cuban groove is overlayed with some wicked electric guitar work. All three volumes of their recordings in the catalog come highly recomended

The Voice of Lightness 1961-77 (2 CDs) - Tabu Ley Rochereau - 14.99
This 2 CD set is comprehensive look at trhe legendary Congolese artist's career in recordings from the 60s and 70s. Beautifually packaged with excellent notes by Ken Braun. Essential work by a ground breaking singer and bandleader. Highly recommended.

The Syliphone Years (2 CDs) - Keletigui et ses Tambourinis - 19.99
A 2 CD retrospective of one of Guinea's most wonderful bands, recorded from 1968 to 1970. They were at the forefront of the movement to bring 'authenticite' to the popular music of Guinea, while bringing in jazz and Cuban roots in ways that were, at the time, thoroughly unique. Highly recommended

Francophonic (Vol 1, 1953-1980) - Franco and le TPOK Jazz - 17.99
Subtitled "The Greatest, A Retrospective" and Franco truly can be called one of the greatest musicians to hit sub-Saharan Africa in the 20th Century. From his very first session thru some of his monster hits, this 2 CD, 28 Track set has it all. Incoudes an excellent 48 page illustrated booklet written by Francophile Ken Braun.

World Defeats The Grandfathers - Issa Juma and Super Wanyika Stars - 16.99
Wanyika Stars was the defining sound of Kenyan Swahili rumba in the late 70s and early 80s, and Issa Juma was a pivotal figure in both creating and giving it new directions. His powerful baritone voice was indisputably the best of the Wanyika clan and, constantly experimenting, his style could change with each producer and session. Carefully re-mastered, full-length recordings that include bona fide hits alongside rare, never-before-released tracks, this album is a long-overdue homage to a brilliant vocalist and band-leader, an innovative and accomplished musician. Listen

The King of History - D.O. Misiani and Shirati Jazz - 13.99
Classic 1970s Benga Beats from Kenya - They did not invent benga, the energetic dance music of Kenya and Tanzania, but they defined its modern form, with its hypnotic electric guitars and fabulously active bass, and made it popular throughout East Africa. Their records, released internationally in the late 1980s and early 90s, introduced benga to the world. Because of benga, D.O. Misiani, who was born in Tanzania in 1940 and died in Kenya in 2006, is probably now the second-most famous Luo in the world.

The King of History - D.O. Misiani and Shirati Jazz - 16.99
Classic 1970s Benga Beats from Kenya - They did not invent benga, the energetic dance music of Kenya and Tanzania, but they defined its modern form, with its hypnotic electric guitars and fabulously active bass, and made it popular throughout East Africa. Their records, released internationally in the late 1980s and early 90s, introduced benga to the world. Because of benga, D.O. Misiani, who was born in Tanzania in 1940 and died in Kenya in 2006, is probably now the second-most famous Luo in the world.

Africa: 50 Years of Music - Various Artists (special order) - 140.99
The most comprehensive compilation of African music I have seen to date - 183 classic recordings by 183 important artists from 38 countries in North, South, East and West Africa.The artists include universal stars such as Miriam Makeba, Fela Kuti, Youssou N'Dour, Franco, Cheb Khaled, Cesaria Evora, Mulatu Astatke, Salif Keita, Manu Dibango and Oum Kalsoum. But the real treasure is in the lesser known and to many, unknown singers and musicians that abound here. The tracks, licensed from some of the world's most respected record companies, are all original studio recordings or, in a few cases, famous concert performances. Most of them were made in the 50 years from 1960 to 2010 - the era of African independence - but three landmark Egyptian classics date from the 1940s. Many of these songs are known and loved worldwide: "Pata Pata," "Soul Makossa," "Yeke Yeke," "Sweet Mother," "Mario," "Shakara," "Jive Soweto." Others will be revelations to even the most dedicated record collectors. The deluxe longbox 18 CD set (10½" x 5½" x 1¼") includes a 60-page book of photographs, record-cover reproductions, specially commissioned artwork and essays by experts on each of Africa's popular styles.

Africa: 50 Years of Music - Various Artists (non-US orders - special order) - 165.99
The most comprehensive compilation of African music I have seen to date - 183 classic recordings by 183 important artists from 38 countries in North, South, East and West Africa.The artists include universal stars such as Miriam Makeba, Fela Kuti, Youssou N'Dour, Franco, Cheb Khaled, Cesaria Evora, Mulatu Astatke, Salif Keita, Manu Dibango and Oum Kalsoum. But the real treasure is in the lesser known and to many, unknown singers and musicians that abound here. The tracks, licensed from some of the world's most respected record companies, are all original studio recordings or, in a few cases, famous concert performances. Most of them were made in the 50 years from 1960 to 2010 - the era of African independence - but three landmark Egyptian classics date from the 1940s. Many of these songs are known and loved worldwide: "Pata Pata," "Soul Makossa," "Yeke Yeke," "Sweet Mother," "Mario," "Shakara," "Jive Soweto." Others will be revelations to even the most dedicated record collectors. The deluxe longbox 18 CD set (10½" x 5½" x 1¼") includes a 60-page book of photographs, record-cover reproductions, specially commissioned artwork and essays by experts on each of Africa's popular styles.

Ketukuba - Africando - 16.99
The 2006 release by this now seminal Afro-Cuban band is a tribute to the late Gnonnas Pedro, Benin's favorite son, who sang with the band from 1996 until his death in 2004. The title song, 'Ketukuba' was his last recording.

Vol 1: Trovador - Africando - 12.99
The first recording by this African-Latin fusion supergroup

Tierra Tradicional - Africando - 17.99
The second recording by this African-Latin fusion supergroup

Martina - Africando - 12.99
Yes, they are back again and their 2003 release show why they are ever the quintessential Afro-Latin connection.

African Salsa - Various Artists - 17.99
Senegalese Salsa Fireworks' includes music by Pape Fall, Africando, Super Cayor de Dakar, Mapenda Seck and others. This Earthworks reocrding is one of the best collections of the Salsa-Senegal connection.

Afrobeast - Yaaba Funk - 16.99
This predominantly Ghanaian highlife and Afrobeat band is based in London, and have been making waves this year. A product of Brixton and influenced by 1970'S Ghanaian hi-life, funky sounds of James Brown and UK sounds like Roots Manuva and The Specials. This is their debut CD.

The Old Highlife - Roadmaster and Agyemang - 17.99
An album of easy-going but intoxicating palmwine guitar music, recorded on location in Ghana in 2001 (reissue 2007)

Authenticité: The Syliphone Years - Balla Et Ses Balladins - 22.99
2 CD collection by one of Guinea's most interesting and influencial bands. Listen

N'Wolof - Baobab - 17.99
classic sounds from Senegal

Bel Canto (2 CDs) - Mbilia Bel - 22.99
2 CDs of crucial recordings of Mbilia Bel, the queen of Congolese music and one of the most popular pan-African stars throughout the 1980s, selected from Tabu Ley's 'Genidia' label by Gerald Seligman with additional notes by Ken Braun. These recordings represent an artist at the peak of her career, and included is a bonus track, the hard-to-get single version of 'Mpeve Ya Longo' - the recording that started her career. Beautifully packaged with a full-color, 44-page booklet with detailed notes, lyric translations, a discography and rare photos. Highly recommended.

La Belle Epoque (2 CDs) - Orchestra Baobab - 25.99
A two-CD compilation of early Orchestra Baobab recordings, most of which have never before been available in this country in any format. They were recorded in Dakar between 1971 and 1977 - years when Orchestra Baobab was the most popular band in Senegal. In addition to some of the musicians who still perform with Baobab, such as guitarist Barthélemy Atisso, saxophonist Issa Cissoko and singer Rudy Gomis, these recordings feature two singers who became internationally famous after leaving Baobab: Medoune Diallo of Africando and Thione Seck of Orientation. Listen

Dakar Sound sampler 1 - various Artists - 14.99
A collection of tracks from the Dakar Sound sereis, including Horoya Band, Madiop Seck, Sekou Diabate, Etoile 3000, Number One, Baobab. 13 tracks.

Dakar Sound sampler 2 - various Artists - 14.99
A collection of tracks from the Dakar Sound sereis, inculding Dexter Johnson, Superstar de Dakar, Tondo, El Hadj Faye, Mac Group. 14 tracks, three never before released

Diarabi Donkili - Les Soeurs Diabate - 18.99
Gorgeous, straight-forward music from three of Guinea's finest vocalists, accompanied by balafons and guitar. Nicely recorded, simple with lots of depth.

Djiriyo - Abdoulaye Diabate - 17.99
This 1995 recording was the international debut of a champion of modern Bambara music and one of today's outstanding Malian voices, in a mix of high tech and traditional instruments.

Artisanat - Pape Fall and African Salsa - 17.99
From one of the Africando crew, a new recording of latin-Senegalese connections

Bayekeleye - Mose FanFan - 17.99
This is old school Congolese music, and that's the way I like it. Fan Fan returns with more of the same - rhythmic, throbbing and sweetly sung rumba-rooted African soul music of the highest order. Great horns, great guitars, fat bass and real human drums and percussion. Keep your high-powered electro-soukous machines - just give me the groove. Highly recommended.

Francophonic, Vol. 2: 1980-1989 - Franco and TPOK Jazz - 17.99
2 CDs - Volume 2 of the stunning Stern's collection of the Congolese master's work. Essential!

The Music in My Head 2: Guitars are from Mars, balafons are from Venus - Various African artists - 17.99
Classics, hits and unknown wonders from oft-mentioned 'the golden age of African music' from the late seventies into the early nineties, when bands like Etoile De Dakar and singers like Youssou N'Dour still ruled the African music scene, when groove was god. This set includes major artists like N'Dour and the Etolies, Thione Seck, The Rail Band and Baobab, but more important, some of the less- published but important artists of the time like Kelitigui et ses Tambourins, Aminata Fall and Balla et ses Balladins.

Longevity And Reclamation - Orlando Julius Ekemode - 17.99
Any fan of Afro-pop, juju, highlife or other 60s to 80s Nigerian sounds is sure to find something to like from this artist. Julius first came to the music via his uncle, the great IK Dairo. In the 70s he was regualrly going head-to-head with Fela for the attention of the Nigerian audience. The saxophonist and his band are living proof that the music lives on.

Kinavana - Kekele - 17.99
It traveled from Congo to Cuba to Congo.... some say from Cuba to Congo to Cuba. No matter the origins, the roots of rumba are too intertwined to separate anymore, and the music is as strong today as it was at its birth. On their 2006 recording, Kékélé have created a tribute to Cuban songwriter, singer and guitarist Guillermo Portabales with a solid set, joined by legendary saxman Manu Dibango, singer Madilu "System" Bialu, the grande dame of Congolese music Mbilia Bel and some of New York's finest including Nelson Hernandez and singer Isabel Martinez. Rock solid roots!

The Best of Kakai: Volume Two - Kakai Kilonzo And Les Kilimambogo Brothers - 17.99
This compilation offers a wider perspective on this Kenyan benga artist than Volume One did, both in style, time frame, and subject matter. Recordings range from 1976 to 1984. Most of the songs on Volume 2 were 4 to 5 minute pieces designed to fit on one side of the original 45 rpm discs they were issued on. A few of the songs from the later years were recorded in the extended two-part form common in the 1980s and one of those appears on this set as well.

Koulikoro - Sekou Kouyate - 17.99
I wrote this when the CD was published in the 1990s: "If you want African pop music, it doesn't get better than this disc... this recording is expansive and hypnotic in its use of music new and old. This album includes lush, full throttle pop sounds, rife with swirling layers of electric guitars and soaked in reverb and synths. These show off the rock guitar style that Kouyate incorporates into the melodies of Mali. At the other end of the spectrum is the equally charged acoustic sound he can develop on songs like 'Tikenou.' Here the voices and ngoni are up-front and clean in a call and response that can be mesmerizing. The bulk of the music on Koulikoro is decidedly on the pop side, but it is intelligent, multi-faceted and expertly played."

Kwaito: South African Hip Hop - Various South African - 17.99
Pop grooves from Soweto merge the local sounds with the hard edge of Hip Hop

Diawar - Lo, Ismael - 13.99
Selections from three albums the one-of-a-kind songwriter and singer made in the 1980s

Township of Idols, The Best of... - Mahotella Queens - 16.99
20 classic tracks from the 'queens' of township jive

Rumba Music - Sam Mangwana - 17.99
His acclaimed 1993 set supported by first-class African and New York Latin musicians

Sam Mangwana Sings Dinu Vangu - Sam Mangwana / Dino Vangu - 17.99
A return to the Golden age of Congolese rumba brings singer mangwana back together with guitarist Dino Vanguand create a rumba sound that harkens back to the days of Franco. With Nana Akumu (formerly with T.P.OK Jazz) and bassist Miguel Yamba (Zaiko Langa Langa) at the core of the band, Sam Sings Dino is unsweetened, mellow rumba without the pyrotechnics that begat speed soukous.

Songs of Exile (Chant D'exil) - Cheikh Raymond Leyris - 17.99
Historical recordings of the Jewish-Algerian musician Raymond Leyris made in 1956 in the town of Constantine, Raymond Leyris birthplace in Algiers. The CD consists of classical Andalusian music, performed by Leyris's orchestra which included both Jewish and Arab musicians ; and classical Arab texts describing the golden age in Spain. Among the players is a talented 14 years old guitar player named Gaston Ghrenassia, later to become famous as the popular singer Enrico Macias. In 1961, during the Algerian War of Liberation, Raymond Leyris was assassinated by a radical Muslim group. This brutal assassination prompted the massive immigration of the Algerian Jewish community from Algiers. To this day, the music of Raymond Leyris symbolizes fellowship and unity between Jews, Arabs and Christians.

Samai Andalou - Maurice El Medioni - 17.99
A fascinating encounter between Alegerian pianist Maurice El Medioni Israeli musicians - Yair Dalal, Eyal Sela, Avi Agababa, Sam Elfassi, Noam Topelberg. An eastern pianist, influenced by classical Algerian music, who took elements of the Latin rhythm (Cuban, Salsa, Rumba etc.) and integrated them into the Middle Eastern music into a jazz-like (but not jazz) fusion. Latin influences meed North African traditions and the results are thoroughly unique.

Oum Kolthoom - Anniversary Tribute - The Nazareth Orchestra / Lubna Salame - 17.99
The music of the great Egyptian diva Um Kalthoum performed by this well-respected Arab ensemble and singer Lubna Salame.

Ashod-Yam - Orchestre Andalou D'Israel - 17.99
Arab-Andalusian music as it might have been performed in Medieval Muslim Spain and then later in North Africa. The ensemble includes Jewish and North African musicians on percussion, 'ud, flutes, violin and other instruments.

Midnight in Mali - various - 16.99
It can't get much better than this: a live concert with some of Mali's best and most interesting performers: guitarist Djelimady Tounkara, balafonist Keletigui Diabaté, n'goni master Basekou Kouyaté and singer Dieneba Seck with Medina N'Diaye (kora, vocal), Samba Sissoko (percussion), Salif Sissoko (percussion), Mariam Tounkara (vocals), Alou dembele (bass), Zoumana Tereta (sokou-violin), Vieux Kanteall (kamalen n'goni) and all under the direction of guitarist Habib Koité.

Orientation: Egypt, India, Senegal - Thione Seck - 17.99
At the same time that Youssou N'Dour was formulating his Egypt project, former Star Band de Dakar and Orchestra Baobab star Thione Seck was creating an even more adventurous exploration of the relationship between south and east, Orientation. Recorded between 1999 and 2002, and produced by Ibrahima Sylla and François Breant, more than 40 Egyptian, Indian, French and Senegalese musicians were involved in this project. HIGHLY recommended!

Belle Epoque Volume 1: Soundiata - Rail Band - 19.99
These 2 CDs take you back to a time, as the liner notes put it, a penniless Salif Keita was 'still plucking his old Chinese guitar under a tree, forlorn and desperate, lamenting the human condition...' But the National Railways Of Mali had the Buffet Hotel by the railway station in the heart of Bamako and their house band was simly The Rail Band. Their first singer was Salif Keita, their second, Mory Kante. So here are first recordings of artists and a music that went on to help change the way that African music was perceived outside of Africa. It's historic, but more inportant, it's just plain great music. Includes full-color, 20-page booklet with notes detailing the history of the band plus full-page reproductions of the original albums covers.

Volume 2: Mansa - Rail Band w/Salif Keita and Mory Kanté - 18.99
The Malian National Railways formed the Rail Band du Buffet Hôtel de la Gare de Bamako to entertain guests at the hotel adjacent to the central train station in Bamako, but that unpromising origin belied how excellent a band it was and what an impact it made right from the get-go in 1970. The lead singer was a young man named Salif Keita. The band's dynamic fusion of jeliya and other traditional Malian forms with rock, blues and Latin music was audacious and brilliant. Salif Keita went on to start his own band, Les Ambassadeurs, in 1972, but by then another talented singer, Mory Kanté (who really was a jeli and not only sang but also played balafon) had joined the Rail Band. Around the same time the band hired a new guitarist, Djelimady Tounkara. Tounkara now leads the Super Rail Band. The three-volume Rail Band retrospective (compiled by Ibrahima Sylla) is not organized chronologically. Each 2-CD volume includes recordings from the 14-year span of 1970 to1983. Volume 2: Mansa includes five tracks with Salif Keita, five with Mory Kanté (including the title track, a 12-minute epic recorded in 1975), and eight others featuring singers Magan Ganessy or Djelimady Sissoko. Highly recommended!

Rai Rebels - Various Algerian Artists - 13.99
The classic Earthworks collection reissued at a prettty nice price! Include saCheb Khaled, Chaba Fadela and other founders of the rai movement in the 1980s.

Kita Mata ABC - Gaby Lita Bembo and Orchestre Stukas du Zaire - 18.99
Lita Bembo wasn't just one of Zaire's great showmen.In the late 60s and early 70s he was leader of the Stukas, one of the country's wildest bands in that wild era. Listen

Bon Voyage! 1963-1977 - Ry-Co Jazz - 18.99
13 great tracks of classic Congolese music. Founded in the late 50s in Congo, the band refined it's rumba sound, and then moved in 1967 to Antilles where they fused the local music into what would eventually morph into zouk. Listen

N'der Fouta Tooro Vol. 1 - Seck, Mansour - 17.99
The legendary guitarist of Dande Lenol, direct and untainted by technology (save for some electric bass), musician and singer Seck is joined by guitars, hoddu, kora, ngoni and percussion, and the guest vocalists Baaba Maal and Ousmane Hamady Diop on this set of deep roots from Senegal.

Ça va se savoir - Amadou Sodia - 18.99
Amadou Sodia is a central figure in the vibrant music-scene of modern Guinea. Son of a poet, Amadou was born in the town of Fadama, close to the centre of present-day Guinea. He was born Amadou Doumbouya and it was as a Doumbouya that he joined the Horoya-Band, one of the most popular groups in Guinea in the 70s and 80s. While in demand for his mastery of the bolon (a 4-string harp), it is as a singer and composer that he's really made his mark. And on this recording, you get a telented backing worthy of greatness: Kante Manfila and Ousmane Kouyate on guitar, Djeli Moussa Diawara on kora, and Kerfala Kante and Sekouba Bambino on additional vocals. With its multi-layered arrangements that sensitively balance the electric with the acoustic, it is the perfect vehicle for a singer who is rooted in the past, yet singing for the present while looking to the future. Highly recommended.

The Indestructible Beat of Soweto Vol 1 - Various South African Artists - 12.99
The original recording that broke down the barriers and brought the music of South Africa to the world... reissued.

Lesotho Calling: Lesiba and Sekhankula Music - various - 17.99
Producer and field recordist Michael Baird has found the lesiba, an odd but entrancing stringed instrument that is blown like a flute -- still played by cattle herders in southern Africa's mountain kingdom in 2006. These are raw, simple songs, pure folk music in the harshest sense, with no fusion or production.

Merveilles Du Passé, Vol. 3 (1966-1967) - Grand Kalle and L'african Jazz - 17.99
A later configuration of Kinshasa's seminal band, with Jean Bombenga singing alongside Kallé Kabasele.

Kaful Mayay 1973-75 - Tabu Ley Rochereau And Afrisa International - 17.99
Not only neo-traditional 'Kaful Mayay' but also gorgeous 'Nzale,' hypnotic 'Aon-Aon' and 5 other tracks from the early 70s, including two making their first appearance on CD.

Tanzanian Classics - Tondo - 12.99
New songs with a classic sound from Tanzania.

Tea in Marrakech - various - 17.99
Artists include Youcef, Orchestre National De Barbes, Nass Marrakech, Gnawa Diffusion, Hamid Baroudi, Freres Bouchenak, Chaba Zahouania, Orchestra Faical, Faouzi Ben Guamra, Salamat, Rasha and Sawt El Atlas

On The Edge of The Ituri Forest, 1952 - Hugh Tracey Recordings - 16.99
Mbuti pygmy singing; Mudumbu and Nande music for the likembe (thumb piano), Budu horns and drummers; and Mbuti pipers performing an unusual hocketed melody

Kalimba and Kalumbu Songs of Northern Rhodesia - Hugh Tracey Recordings - 19.99
Features the music of what is now modern Zambia and focuses on specific types of instruments.

Kanyok and Luba; So. Belgian Congo 1952 and 1957 - Hugh Tracey Recordings - 19.99
A musical portrait of the lesser known Kanyok people, their various direct and indirect Luba neighbours of southern Congo and the urbanizing Katanga mine culture.

Portuguese East Africa: So. Mozambique - Hugh Tracey Recordings - 19.99
Recordings made in 1943 through 1963

Secular Music from Uganda -1950 -52 - Hugh Tracey Recordings - 19.99
This CD features music by the people for the people, for their own enjoyment - secular, worldly music free of any court constraints. Likembes, harps, horn ensembles, flutes, etc. Become a convert to the lyrics of the opening track: 'All things in nature love each other, The lips love the teeth, The beard loves the chin, And all the little ants go br-r-r-r together!'

Mariama - Traore, Boubacar - 13.99
A nicely priced reissue of the classic acoustic guitar sound of Mali, by the grand old man of the music.

The Truth - Dieneba Seck - 17.99
A little heard but fantastic singer from Mali accompanied by an ensemble of voices, acoustic bass, percussion, ngoni, soukou (violin), flute and guitar. Simple, wonderful and simply wonderful.

African Typic Collection - various - 12.99
A classic collection of extended dancefloor hits in the pan-African style of the 80s by Sam Fan Thomas, Charlotte Mbango, Tam Tam 2000 and Koko Ateba, at a really nice price

The Classic Guinean Guitar Group - African Virtuosos - 17.99
instrumental recordings made in Conakry and Abidjan in the 70s and 80s. They were essentially a Diabate family band, the four Diabate brothers playing acoustic guitars along with another guitarist or two, a kora player and one or two percussionists. Their style was rooted in traditional Mande music for stringed instruments but displayed their knowledge and love of Arabic taqasim, Spanish flamenco and even French jazz manouche. Still brilliant after all these years.

Wamato - Les Amazones de Guinee - 17.99
Les Amazones de Guinée are a unique and quite amazing institution within African music. Since the early 60s they have criss-crossed the continent, with only occasional forays beyond, to help bring their particular brand of joy to the cause of women's emancipation. Yet this is only their 2nd album, tight yet fluid, with the loping rhythms so particular to Guinea, bitter-sweet harmonies and vocals full of conviction. As the cry of “Retour en force des Amazones!” at the beginning of this album attests, these women demand to be heard. The Amazones are back with a vengeance. This is the gold-standard for female (or any other) bands in Africa and an enduring symbol of African women's emancipation. Highly recommended. Listen

The Wassoulou Sound: Women of Mali - Various Malian singers - 16.99
One of the classics of the 1980s Malian music explosion features Sali Sidibe, Oumou Sangare, Coumba Sidibe, Dienaba Diaki, Dienaba Diakt and Kagbe Sidibe.

Chill-out Sessions - Ladysmith Black Mambazo - 17.99
A collection of the South African vocal group's more contemporary sounds.

Ya-Rayi - Khaled - 16.99
The acknowledged 'master of rai' returns to his roots in Oran for this 2004 release, produced by Philippe Edel.

Tekitoi - Rachid Taha - 16.99
Taha is often seen as the 'punk spirit' of Alergerian roots-pop music, and this 2004 release is thought provokinging and fascinating. It includes his version of 'Rock El Casbah', an homage to the late great Joe Strummer, whose spirit Taha often credits as being the real roots of rai.

Zambian Roadside - Various Zambian artists - 17.99
Zambia's Southern Province is vibrant with a large diversity of music - topical songs, unique guitar styles (often with home-made guitars), catchy tunes and rhythms, beautiful harmony singing, and interesting percussion. Field recorder Michael Baird calls it 'the roadside reality - the state of music as it is.'

Zambush Volume 1 - Zambian Hits of the 80s - Various - 14.99
The electric music from Zaire and Zimbabwe from the 80s may be well known in the West, the music from Zambia is not. Zambia's had always had a vibrant and diversified music scene has always been vibrant and diversified and during the eighties yet another new musical era emerged - the kalindula years, when rural dance music from all over Zambia went electric and these songs became the big hits of the time. Zambush offers 10 tracks in 70 minutes of rough and tumble electric roots.

Zambush Vol. 2 - Various Zambia Artists - 14.99
'Zambian Hits from the 60s and 70s' features three legends: the sophisticated group The Big Gold Six featuring the jazzy guitar of Bestin Mwanza, the sweet singer from the province Emmanuel Mulemena, and the cosmopolitan Nashil Pichen Kazembe. Three different vocal sounds and three great guitar sounds that could only have come from Zambia.

Ghana Soundz: Afro-Beat, Funk and Fusion in 70's Ghana - VA - 16.99
14 rare and unreleased tracks from Sweet Talks, African brothers, Black Star Sound, Ebo Taylor, and many others. Ghana Soundz is a painstakingly assembled collection of Afro-beat and Afro Funk, most of which has never been released outside of Africa and some of which is unreleased anywhere. This package will also appeal to collectors as it includes a full 16 page booklet highlighting the history of the Ghana recording industry and reproductions of original LP sleeves

Afro Baby The Evolution of the Afro Sound in Nigeria 1970-79 - VA - 17.99
2009 repress, first released in 2004. Nigeria in the 1970s had one the biggest recording industries on the continent as well as one of the most diverse. The fusion of African rhythms and culture with jazz, funk, soul, and rock was an Africa-wide phenomenon but nowhere was it more prolific and active than the cities and dancefloors of Nigeria. These twelve rarities highlight how the Afro-sound influenced all areas of the music scene and how it progressed throughout a very creative and energetic decade. From funky afro-jazz, soul and afro-highlife to big, dancefloor afro-beat Nigeria led the way in West Africa at the time. Following the success of the Ghana Soundz album released last year on Soundway we have diverted our attention to highlighting the Scene in Nigeria during the seventies. This album features only tracks that have never been released outside of Nigeria, and many of them were small underground releases there at the time appearing only on long deleted albums or 45's. All have been lovingly tracked

The Kings of Benin: Urban Groove 1972-80 - T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo - 16.99
Originally released 2005, reissued 2009. From the Republic of Benin, West Africa, T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo is one of Africa's least-known big-bands outside of their home country. Here is a collection that reflects their many poly-rhythmic moods. A mixture of hard Afro-Funk, driving Afrobeat, deep Afro-Latin and Cuban grooves all with a unique flavor that ruled the dance-floors of 70's urban Benin. Contained here are never before heard tracks re-mastered and available for the first time outside of Africa since being originally issued on small vinyl presses that have long become extinct.

The Kusum Beat - Sweet Talks - 16.99
Sweet Talks were amongst the top five most popular bands in Ghana during the 1970s having recorded a string of hit albums. 'The Kusum Beat' was originally released in 1974 and became a household favourite with heavy emphasis on the 'Afro' through its traditional rhythms and motifs, blended together into a modern mix that combined highlife, funk and Afrobeat Like a small handful of seminal Ghanaian albums, The Kusum Beat has stood the test of time and sounds as original and unique today as it did back in 1974.

Ghana Special: Modern Highlife, Afro Sounds, Ghanaian Blues 1968 - 1981 - various - 21.99
This 2 CD set contains 33 previously un-reissued tracks from Ghana, the result of en years of research in and around the cities of Accra, Tema, Cape Coast, Takoradi and Kumasi, knocking on musician's doors and visiting ex-distributors, DJs, collectors, manufacturers and shop owners who helped piece the story together. Alongside new artists and groups, some other works of the many musicians and producers compiler Cleret met whilst researching those records are also included here. Many of these tracks have remained only in people's memories or in collections of LPs that sit unplayed. Now there's a 2 CD treasure trove.

Nigeria Special Volume 2: Modern Highlife, Afro-Sounds and Nigerian Blues 1970-6 - VA - 16.99
Features tracks that have been forgotten or out of print for nearly 35 years, but have since been tracked down and documented, including highlife to Juju and Nigerian blues in the languages of Yoruba, Igbo, Bini and Ijaw and a peppering of "Afro" experimentation.

Nigeria Afrobeat Special: The New Explosive Sound in 1970s Nigeria - VA - 16.99
The fourth edition in the Soundway Nigeria Special series. It was Fela Kuti and his musical and political ideals that formed the core of afrobeat's message. Blending highlife, Yoruba music, funk and jazz, Fela dominated the musical tapestry of 1970s Nigeria and his influence in Nigeria and West Africa led to a craze where most of the bands of the day incorporated this new sound into their repertoires to satisfy the tastes of the audiences of the time. This compilation highlights some of those recordings that have, until now, not seen the light of day, including a never-on-CD 45 single by Fela.

Afro Tropical Soundz Vol. 1 - V.A. - 9.99
VERY nicely priced sampler featuring a selection from some of Soundway's releases, from the highlife, disco and rock sounds of '70s Nigeria to the golden age of Panamanian music, Benin's Afro-Latin grooves, Colombia's champeta and all other Afro sounds; an essential introduction for music fans who are new to African, Latin and tropical music and also a superb overview for fans of the label from both sides of the Atlantic - from the west coast of Africa to the Caribbean islands, the Isthmus of Panama and beyond. Presented in a brown manila CD digpack, it offers obscure A-sides, B-sides and album cuts that have been unavailable until now. Artists include: Ebo Taylor, Fruko Y Sus Tesos, Papi Brandao, Lito Barrientos, Oscar Sulley and The Uhuru Dance Band, Les Loups Noirs de Haiti, The Sweet Talks, The Action 13, Los Silvertones, Celestine Ukwu, and Orchestre Poly-Rythmo.

Sepia - Coco Mbassi - 16.99

Alliance - Afrissippi - 13.99
The second round for this allianceof Senegalese roots and Mississippi blues, and every bit as solid as the first. Guelel Kumba - guitar, vocals, Eric Deaton - electric guitar, Kinney Kimbrough - drums, Justin Showah - bass, Papa Assane M'baye - percussion, Jeff Callaway - trombones Listen

Music from Ethiopia: the central highlands, desert nomads and Eritrea - Topic World Series - 19.99
Re-edited for CD from three volumes of classic recordings by Tangent Records in 1970; fascinating and varied music by the Desert Nomads, and from the Central Highlands and Eritrea.

Zanzibar: Music Of Celebration - Topic World Series - 19.99
Taarab is the most common style of music performed at weddings on the island of Zanzibar - a unique blend of musical elements from the Middle East, India and the West, combined with, to varying degrees, local African musical practices. It is an essential ingredient of most celebrations. And when Zanzibaris are not playing taarab, they are playing maulidi. Although this is primarily a sober religious performance style (celebrating the birth of the Prophet Mohammed) it is also becoming common at wedding celebrations, albeit in a more extrovert guise.

Gumboot Guitar: Zulu Street Guitar Music From South Africa - Topic World Series - 19.99
Rootsy guitar from the streets of Durban. In the late 19th century, music previously played on Zulu musical bows was transferred in the new urban environment to the guitar and often concertina and violin too. Musicians often joined miners' gumboot dance teams to accompany this exhilarating genre, which mostly traditionally takes place on the streets of single-sex hostel compounds. These recordings from 1988 and 1996 feature musicians and gumboot players who live in one such hostel outside Durban.

Women Of Egypt 1924-1931: Pioneers Of Stardom And Fame - various - 19.99
Featuring: Umm Kulthumm, Fathiyyah Ahmed, Munira al-Mahdiyyah etc.... A CD compilation of Arab women, stars of Egyptian theatre and song who recorded in the nineteen twenties and early thirties. Taken from original 78rpm recordings of the time and remastered to the highest standards, this collection features among others the legendary Umm Kulthum. Between 1890 and 1920, theatres and European-style cabarets sprang up all over Egypt. Performers flocked there from all over the Arab world and from Europe. Isadora Duncan, Pavlova and Mistinguette included Cairo in their world tours. At their peak, the most famous female Arabic women singers were earning as much, if not more, than their male counterparts. The 1920s was the heyday of this music and its recordings and these performers can be seen as having struck a blow for the emancipation of women. The Wall Street crash and the associated economic downturn marked the end of the recording industries' boom years, leaving us a legacy of remarkable performances of imme

Poetry And Languid Charm - Swahili Music From Tanzania and Kenya From The Late 1920s - 1950s - Various - 19.99
As recorded music developed in the early part of the 20th century, there was more and more pressure on commercial record labels to capitalise on indigenous music in Africa, Asia, South America and the Caribbean. This was not some sort of altruistic exercise, rather a market that was open to exploitation. On the East African coast, site of the present day Tanzania and Kenya, there was a "gold rush" fever in the 1930s to record the local music stars. The music recorded was mostly "taarab", sung poetry accompanied by an ensemble that played with both traditional African rhythms with Arabic influences and used Arabic and Indian instruments. This exciting music is being here released on CD for the first time and has been remastered to produce outstanding sound quality from the original 78 rpm recordings.

Cafe Noir - Papa Noel / Bana Congo - 17.99
Guitarist Papa Noël enters his fifth decade as one of the most popular African musicians on today's scene. Following the success of Bana Congo's first album, Papa Noël is back with a new album, bringing all the creative energies of African music and Cuban rumba into the 21st century. Joined by Cuban singer Ernesto "El Gato" Gatel Coto and legendary Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango, Café Noir has already hit the world music charts in Europe.

Mandinka Drum Master - Mamadou Ly - 16.99
Tabala Wolof is the ritual drum music of a West African Sufi order, the Qadiriya of Senegal. Led by a bass drum during night time worship, the Qadiriya play interlocking rhythms on tuned drums to inspire ecstatic singing.

Drums of the Firdu Fula - Amadu Bamba - 16.99
Digitally recorded in the Gambia, Drums of the Firdu Fula presents the traditional drumming and singing of the Firdu Fula. The recording features the troupe led by Amadu Bamba. Amadu is a leading performer from Serekunda, the Gambia.

A Land of Drummers - Various African Drummers - 14.99
Village Pulse (VP) senegal africa drumming sabar wolof djembe

Keepers of the Talking Drum - Tama Walo - 16.99

Akom: The art of possession - Akan music from Ghana - 16.99
Ly is the lead drummer and a founder of the Ballet National de Senegal. While spectators take turns dancing, Mandinka drummers develop melodic conversations on three tuned drums. The drummers' interlocking rhythms combine to create music with a high-energy dance beat.

Mesk Elil - Souad Massi - 12.99
2005 release by the much-reviewed Algerian songwriter and singer. With a larger band including musicians from Europe and Africa (Djely Moussa Kouyate from Salif Keita's band and rising star Daby Touré), she is pulling for that international stardom so often sought after and rarely achieved.

Imagine Africa - various - temp out of stock-18.99
I do not go in for too many compilations, but this one stands out for its unique set of musicians and its collaborative spirit. East African artists from Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar offer music both traditional and modern, recordings made with care and respect for both the tradition and audio quality. Artistsinclude Witnesz, Bizmana Ntavoyo, Maryam Said Hamdun, Mahsein Ally, Anania Ngoriga, Nakite, and Bob Rudala from Tanzania, as well as Olith Ratego, Susana Owiyo, K'Odhialo, Ogoya Nengo, Katana Bin Kalama, Bismilahi Gargar, and Makadem from Kenya. Listen to Witnesz, Olith Batego and Suzanna Owiyo.