Susheela Raman doesn’t think much of borders. Born in London to South Indian parents but raised in Australia, her musical career has been all about bringing together people, cultures, ideas, and sounds to create her own musical voice. She’s worked with musicians from South and South East Asia, Africa, Greece, Turkey, and North Africa on previous releases such as Music For Crocodiles and Vel. So it doesn’t seem at all odd that for her latest album, Ghost Gamelan, she has worked with gamelan musicians from Java.
Continue reading Susheela Raman: Ghost GamelanTag Archives: world music
Susheela Raman: Music For Crocodiles
Susheela Raman is one in a line of Indian performers who have sought to bring the traditional aspects of the music of their heritage into a satisfying mix with popular Western musical forms in a way that does not subjugate the exotic elements, making them into mere ornaments that only pay lip service to age old musical traditions. On Music for Crocodiles, her third album, Raman pushes a bit further out from her comfort zone, performing the majority of the songs in English.
Continue reading Susheela Raman: Music For CrocodilesDon Cherry: Musician of the World
by Marshall Bowden
Read about Don Cherry/Symphony for Improvisers

Don Cherry was born in Oklahoma City, OK in 1936 and raised in Los Angeles, where he first began to play the trumpet and later piano. According to Cherry, his upbringing had everything to do with his interest in music:
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Remain In Light: Full Circle with Angelique Kidjo
by Marshall Bowden
Continue reading Remain In Light: Full Circle with Angelique Kidjo