May 5th, 2025
"A Memory of Our Future" Looks Back At Global Prog Rock didn't see this comingBy: Michael Fremer
Ever arrive at a party in progress where everyone knows everyone and you know no one? Leslie Mandoki's A Memory of Our Future an 80 minute double album arrived in a big box just before Munich High End 2024 along with multiple copies of a sumptuously produced promo booklet and an even bigger bound book touting the Mandoki Soulmates, drummer/producer Leslie Mandoki's all-star band that's been playing together in one form or another for thirty years. Ever... Read More
May 2nd, 2025
A 1997 Musical, Social and Political Landmark Surfaces Again on Vinyl and On Broadway Ry Cooder doesn't get a mention or credit on Broadway (ugh)By: Michael Fremer
Now's the time for another generation to discover the wonders of Buena Vista Social Club—the music, the artists, the history and the cultural phenom that made stars of some very old practitioners of musical genres and groupings referred to as Son, Danzón and other musical flavors and the unlikely story of how this record came to be, now being told in the Tony Award nominated Broadway show. Wim Wenders produced a same named documentary.It's difficult to... Read More
January 3rd, 2024
First New Shakti Album in 46 Years Is Truly A "World Music" Affair recorded in studios around the worldBy: Michael Fremer
The first Shakti album in 46 years is miraculous for a few reasons, the first being a "mind-body" cure for John McLaughlin's arthritic hand that had forced his 2017 retirement. The second is that though McLaughlin considers Shakti primarily a live band, this release was "phoned in" from various continents where the group members were living at the time. Not a problem for three of them—McLaughlin, percussionist Zakir Hussein and vocalist... Read More
December 28th, 2023
A Knockout LP From Mali Fatoumata Diawara's "London KO" released on vinylBy: Mark Dawes
Wassoulou music is generally performed by women and is a form originating in the cultural area of Wassoulou (incorporating areas of southern Mali, eastern Guinea and northern Côte d’Ivoire). While their names may not be so familiar in Europe and North America, performers such as Oumou Sangaré, Nahawa Doumbia and Fatoumata Diawara are superstars in west Africa. Mali is an especially rich source of incredible musical forms and even more incredible instrumental... Read More
August 28th, 2023
Ray Barretto’s "Que Viva La Música" Returns to Vinyl an AAA package of a classic release from the legendary congueroBy: Evan Toth
You’ve never seen a cleaner Cadillac in your life. My 1985 Eldorado was triple black and it proudly boasted the “Biarritz” package which upgraded it with a stainless steel roof and extra plush leather seats. Even though it was over a decade old by the time I took ownership of the vehicle, you wouldn’t know it because of how carefully I cleaned and detailed it almost each and every weekend. In the summer evenings, with the Eldorado in showroom condition, a buddy or two... Read More
February 24th, 2023
Sold Out But Still Worth Reviewing was this Bob Marley & The Wailers album worth buying as a costly UHQR release?By: Michael Fremer
How do you know a reissue is a sonic success? There's no checklist but I've been playing an original pressing since it was first released and occasionally the Mobile Fidelity Anadisc 200 reissue, so when the stylus dropped onto "Jamming" (I always first play side 2) I wasn't expecting any major surprises.The opening drum flourish indicated a new level of transparency and clarity, which was nice to hear but the percussive jingle after Marley... Read More