PRI’s The World presents the Global Hit, a daily spotlight on international musical artists or trends. Created by The World’s Marco Werman, the Global Hit features interviews with musicians, critics and deejays around the globe. He is also one of the curators of the South By Southwest Musical Festival (SXSW) – “All Music Is World Music.” Subscribe and follow:
Global Hit
Sa Dingding and Youn Sun Nah: Two DJ Picks from Tom Schnabel
Guest DJ Tom Schnabel recommends two new releases for us Tuesday. First, there’s the new album by Chinese singer Sa Dingding. Then, we play a track from Korean vocalist Youn Sun Nah.
Gezi Park’s Linguistic Legacy: Words, Chants and Song Lyrics
Istanbul’s Gezi Park protests have produced a new word, funny chants and songs with daringly rewritten lyrics. Even though they are being pushed out of public places, the protesters want to maintain the spirit of inventiveness and irony.
Western Classical Music Struggles to Find Audience in Turkey
At a fine arts high school in southeast Turkey, students are learning western classical music. But this type of music has often struggled to catch here. Matthew Brunnwasser pays a visit to a fine arts school where western classical music is taught.
Brazilian Rapper Criolo, Bard of the Favelas
São Paulo-based rapper Kleber Gomes is known throughout Brazil simply as Criolo. He started from humble beginnings, but these days he’s making hip-hop that’s reaching a whole generation of young Brazilians.
Turkish Musician Foreshadows Riots in Istanbul
Bedük is a musician who doesn’t see himself as a political person. But perhaps he anticipated something was in the air because he wrote the song, It’s a Riot, months before the current protests in Turkey.
Arab Rap on Khat Thaleth
Anchor Marco Werman features a few tracks by rappers from Egypt, Syria, and the Palestinian territories whose music is now inspired by the Arab Awakening.
Drone Jazz and Doomy Metal from Norway’s Splashgirl
For today’s European DJ pick, Marius Asp tells us about the fourth release from the Norwegian trio Splashgirl. He describes their music as a bit of drone jazz, doomy metal with a bit of folk and classical mixed in as well.
Swiss Trio, Mama Rosin, and the Geneva-Louisiana Connection
The Swiss trio Mama Rosin is influenced by bands like The Clash and the Velvet Underground, but their real love is music from Louisiana: Cajun, Creole, and Zydeco. Reporter Bruce Wallace met up with them on their first visit to Louisiana.
Spanish Crooner Alejandro Sanz and ‘Mi Marciana’
Spanish musician Alejandro Sanz has won more Grammy awards than any other Spanish-language singer. His sales top more than 20 million albums. He now lives in Miami and he’s hoping to gain more awards, sales and acclaim.
Colombia’s Bomba Estéreo Perform Acoustic Version of Sintiendo
Members of the Colombian band Bomba Estéreo performed an acoustic version of a track off their latest album, Elegancia Tropical.
The Late Ray Manzarek’s Influence Around the Globe
Ray Manzarek, keyboard player and founding member of the 60s rock band The Doors, has died aged 74. Marco Werman gives Manzarek a send-off with some of the sounds he helped influence from Togo, Nigeria and Cuba.
Brazilian Music Choices for the Novice
Every now and then, we like to send our reporters to local record shops in different parts of the world to find out what’s hot there. We sent The World’s Jason Margolis to a shop in São Paulo, Brazil, and he sent us this report.
Georgian Jazz Piano Prodigy Beka Gochiashvili
Beka Gochiashvili is a 17-year-old jazz pianist from Tblisi, Georgia, living in New York. He already plays with some of the biggest names in American jazz.
An Appreciation: Cuban Composer of Boleros, César Portillo de la Luz
Earlier this month, César Portillo de la Luz, one of the most important composers of Cuban song died in Havana at the age of 90.
US Navy Trombonist Composes Score for Viral Animated Movie ‘Maker vs Marker’
Brian Sadler plays trombone for the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet Band, based out of Yokosuka, Japan. Sadler’s also a prolific composer, and now he’s written music for an animated fim that’s going viral online, “Maker vs Marker.”
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