Search for music
Shipping and Other Questions?

New in 2006: Orhiko Xoria

cd cover Juan Mari Beltran
Arditurri
$16.99

Listen
Arditurri
Sigi-Sagan
Gorrotxategitarren Pandangoa

Helped by a number of musicians, Beltran weaves tradition with contemporary atitude, starting with the ancient txalaparta (wood-planks), alboka, txistu-ttunttuna (flute), trikitixa (accordion), panderoa and tamboril (drums), adding fiddle, accordion and other more contemporary instruments, wrapped with voices in solo and dramatic ensemble settings..

More music from Spain

Like a hip-hop alchemist, Juan Mari Beltran works with various Basque instruments, old melodies and dances and borrowed poems and lyrics to create something that, although being based in the past, is still potently contemporary. Like a traditional vernacular musician, he has an encyclopedic knowledge of the heritage and has apprenticed with the old masters, which allows him to mix and match and create sounds that are both modern and perpetual....

It is in praise of Beltran that the record, although related to ethnomusicological concerns, never fails to pay attention to the second part of that word, the music, while offering ample details about the traditional music of the region. The multitude of rhythms used, from marches to txalaparta solos, also manages to offer a varied and never tiresome feel to the record. Although this one is more of a record for the person who is already aware of the peculiarities of the Basque music, it can also act as an introduction to anyone who is interested in the musical traditions of this beguiling region. - Nondas Kitsos, RootsWorld

Credit card orders are placed on a secure server.

Please note!
Most 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. We 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.