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
Summer in the Global Village: Brasil Summerfest – Part One
Brasil Summerfest 2012 kicked off with the NYC debut of São Paulo’s Criolo [...]
Afro-Funk & Soul From the 1970s and Today
Music review Tom Schnabel tells us about two recent CDs of African funk. BLO is a reissue of 1970s music from Nigeria, while the band KonKoma has its roots in Ghana.
Hafez Modirzadeh: Persian Classical Music Meets Bebop and Beyond
The music on Iranian-American jazz saxophonist Hafez Modirzadeh’s new album is the result of a decades-long effort to find ways of meshing Persian and Western musical scales together.
Tom Pang Plays Bluegrass with a Mongolian Twist
The World’s Mary Kay Magistad profiles a Mongolian musician who is bringing new sounds to Shanghai by playing the mandolin with American bluegrass players.
Ondatropica Bring New Approaches to Colombian Music
We’re in Colombia for our Geo Quiz on Tuesday, and we are looking for the name of the country’s second city.
Summer in the Global Village: Carnival Arrives Early in Brooklyn
On a raw and rainy July eve I headed to Celebrate Brooklyn to check out Trinidadian soca star Machel Montano [...]
LoCura Searches for Cultural Identity in their Music
LoCura is a San Francisco-based group that blends flamenco, Cuban son, reggae, cumbia, ska and more to make their own border-crossing brand of revolutionary party music. Correspondent Jen Chien spoke with lead singer and lyricist Kata Miletich.
Bibi Tanga: Son of a Diplomat Grooves with The Selenites
Bibi Tanga’s globetrotting youth now serves him well as a musician. He fuses African, European and American sounds into his music.
Caravan Palace: Electro-Swing from France
Bouncy, electro-swing from France caught the ear of KCRW’s Tom Schnabel recently. The band is Caravan Palace and their new album is called Panic.
Spanish Indie Bands Suffer with Economic Downturn
Spain’s worsening economy is putting a pinch on Spanish indie rock bands and many bands are struggling to make ends meet.
Alfredo Rodriguez: Cuban Pianist Produced by Quincy Jones
Alfredo Rodriguez was a relatively unknown jazz pianist when legendary producer Quincy Jones spotted him at a gig. A month later Rodriguez got a call and was told Quincy Jones would like to produce his first album. Reporter Betto Arcos tells the story.
The Tallest Man on Earth: Swedish Musician Kristian Matsson
Kristian Matsson is The Tallest Man on Earth. Not literally the tallest man, but that’s what this Swedish musician calls himself.
‘Searching for Sugarman’: Sixto Rodriguez’s Obscure to Icon Journey
A new documentary traces Rodriguez’s fascinating journey from being a forgotten star to an anti-Apartheid icon.
Ringmasters: A Swedish Barbershop Quartet
The latest winner of the Barbershop Harmony Society’s quartet competition is Swedish. The quartet are the first champions from outside North America. They won the competition in Portland earlier this month.
Summer in the Global Village: Latin Alternative Music Conference – Part Two
Back at the Latin Alternative Music Conference, day two’s showcases kicked off with a speed round of acoustic sets at SOB’s in SoHo [...]
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