I had my preconceived expectations about the Dominican Republic before setting off. I’d heard it was a place where privileged American college kids go to party at all-inclusive resorts and that there were huge hotel complexes where folk never left the grounds. So I was somewhat trepidatious about what was in store. Conversely: I had […]
Picture this scene: seated under a pergola on a crisp but sunny morning in late November, I’m enjoying freshly made harcha and msemmen (panfried semolina and flatbreads respectively) drizzled with honey and olive oil. Clearly in the distance, the sing-song call and response of local Berber villagers is clearly audible, as they are underway with […]
I’ve freshly returned from Havana where I spent time as an ordinary traveler. A trip on my own time, on my own dime, of my own curiosity. I boarded the plane wide-eyed, and with dance shoes and dusty Spanish in tow. I’ve been fascinated by the dance/music of Rumba, Son, Salsa, Casino Rueda for some […]
There is a morning each year when the winter starts to shift gears out of the cold and the barometric pressure starts to change: birds begin singing, and if you look closely, buds start to form on the end of the branches. It is the rebirth, the beginning, and after a two-year winter it is […]
Years ago, I was a recent college grad in Colorado when I took a decision that any sane individual with a degree in the Humanities and Spanish Comp Lit. would do: I moved to Spain. What was crazy, was that I moved to Jerez. “Where?” is usually the first question when the subject of where […]
“On most spare weekends for the past seven years, Mrs. Fowke has loaded a portable tape recorder and a bottle of whisky (an essential ice-breaker) into her battered Peugeot and driven through the farmlands of southern and central Ontario hunting for old singers and older songs. She’s found plenty. Since 1957 she’s taped about a […]
Anticipation – that mixture of stress and excitement, with a dash of trepidation. The rush that comes from thinking on what’s to come next. It’s that magic ingredient that keeps you watching a play performed, a sport in action. And it’s the sine qua non of electronic music. Today we are talking about anticipation, and […]
I am trying to recall my first introduction to Greek music. I was a teen when my parents took me on holidays to the island of Corfu. Was it during the taxi ride to the hotel – taxi drivers love their music, and they like it loud – or was it that night we signed […]
As I’ve been writing this post, Portugal has been commemorating a special anniversary: the 100th anniversary of Amália Rodrigues. Her name may not mean much outside Portuguese-speaking circles, but here she is revered as the “Queen of Fado”, and her birthday is an appropriate time for me to confess: I am a die-hard fan of this music. […]
Tyler gives us the low-down on the remote plains of Mongolia and the surprises therein…: The same year that “Ice Ice Baby,” “U Can’t Touch This,” and the eternal Jon Bon Jovi’s “Blaze of Glory” were all released, that same chunk of time gave birth to the modern state of Mongolia – with ‘modern’ being the […]
Lured by the call of the newly opened Elbphilharmonie concert hall, I decided to make my way to the Northern German metropolis of Hamburg to see for myself what all the fuss is about. With its striking architecture resembling a giant crystal, hoisted sail, or perhaps ocean waves, Elphi – as it has been affectionately nicknamed – […]
From the White House to UNESCO, the world of Flamenco has had quite a year. Here our Andalucian maestro, Sebastian Lapostol, explains how, where and when to get your fill. 2010 was Flamenco’s big brave year. First the Andalucian art form was nominated by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. […]
You’d never know it with a casual stroll through its charming streets, but Jerez de la Frontera, in Cadiz province, is home to perhaps the best flamenco scene in all of Spain, if not the world. If you are unfamiliar with this art form (i.e. if you think the Gypsy Kings or Ottmar Leibert are […]