by Joel Dwek | Apr 24, 2022 | Reviews
The oud pioneer manages to create a soft and smooth album of intricately constructed genre-bending melodies… The oud has a long history in the music of North Africa and the Middle East. We have reviewed albums of oud music from Arabian Peninsula nations like...
by Danny Wiser | Feb 17, 2022 | Reviews
Not many albums can pull of an exclamation mark in their name, Yma Sumac’s breakthrough however most certainly deserves the attention it implies… The 1950s is a decade romanticised by some, seen as a simpler time by many, it is fair to say that the world...
by Joel Dwek | Nov 14, 2021 | Reviews
Guitar virtuoso Jukka Tolonen is at his best on this album which not only shows off his skills, but his ear for interesting combinations of sound… Finnish jazz guitarist Jukka Tolonen has had a life of ups and downs, to put it very mildly. Starting his career in...
by Danny Wiser | Oct 14, 2021 | Reviews
Via the The Touré-Raichel Collective, Africa meets the Middle East in a glorious symposium of creative exchange… Collaboration, although a beautiful notion in principle, is sometimes a tricky thing to get right. There is always a risk that ego gets in the way...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 2, 2021 | Reviews
Is Trigon’s music navel-gazing nonsense or experimental genius? You decide… Joel: Look. I have to get this out of the way. I hated this album. I truly, truly despised it from beginning to end. I’ll get into why later, but first, some background. We try not...
by Joel Dwek | Sep 17, 2021 | Reviews, Top Picks
Latin jazz with some infectious drumbeats, percussionist Cándido shows off his immense talent and flair for fusion music… When I first listened to the album Beautiful by Cuban percussionist Cándido, who passed away last year at the grand old age of 99, the...
by Danny Wiser | Aug 4, 2021 | Reviews
A remarkable talent whose music can be enjoyed passively and reveal itself actively, is the work of a master trumpeter takes you on a emotional journey, whilst honouring his South African roots… Hugh Masekela, the father of South African jazz is seen as an...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 20, 2021 | Reviews, Top Picks
The beloved Sudanese icon gives a masterclass in musical expression with an album that combines soulful vocals and musical fusion… Known affectionately as the King of Sudanese Jazz, Sharhabil Ahmed’s profile in his homeland of Sudan has been high ever since the...
by Danny Wiser | Jun 10, 2021 | Reviews
Cultural hero Aubrey Cummings leaves his mark on two nations, but doesn’t quite do it for me… NoiseNomad is a platform that was created to share and discover music that we love or find fascinating, whilst simultaneously learning about different cultures....
by Danny Wiser | May 15, 2021 | Reviews
Miriam Makeba shows herself to be multi-talented, not only leaving behind a legacy as a feminist icon who fought hard for racial equality but also a sublime music artist… Miriam Makeba’s moniker ‘Mama Africa’ secures her a place in the pantheon of great world...
by Danny Wiser | May 13, 2021 | Reviews
Michele Henderson’s debut album introduces the world to her impressive vocal talent… As an internationalist with a keen sense of global identity, from a young age I took great pride in my rather abnormal interest in countries other than my own. Whilst most...
by Joel Dwek | Mar 28, 2021 | Reviews
Combining their fearsome talents with New Orleans-based musicians, Lakou Mizik aim to highlight musical links to the US, while also challenging assumptions about Haiti and its culture… The nation of Haiti has a fascinating history that is compelling by turns...
by Joel Dwek | Jan 21, 2021 | Reviews
The subjective nature of music enjoyment is highlighted in this afro-jazz masterpiece… It is no exaggeration to say that Orchestra Baobab are icons of worldwide music. Established in 1970 as the house band of the Dakar-based Baobab Club, the band’s mix of...
by Danny Wiser | Jan 18, 2021 | Reviews, Top Picks
State-sponsored bands often are ‘middle-of-the-road’; however, this is far from the case for these experimental Turkmen extraordinaires… Home to the ‘Gates of Hell’ (the Darvaza gas crater which still burns nearly half a century later after a...
by Danny Wiser | Nov 22, 2020 | Reviews, Top Picks
Balla Et Ses Balladins’ bittersweet masterpiece celebrates liberation from colonialism… Whilst on the surface, this might seem a fun album with songs that were at the epicentre of Guinea’s “bar dancing music” scene, with simply not much more of a story to...
by Joel Dwek | Nov 21, 2020 | Reviews
Easy, relaxed vibes pulsate through this collection of upbeat, jazzy tunes… Two things set off warning signs within me when I was given this album to review. First off the bat was the fact that on the album cover of Infinite Rhythm, Abbos Kosimov himself is...
by Danny Wiser | Nov 17, 2020 | Reviews
A selection of varied tunes from the Mountain Kingdom, Sankomota entertain as well as serving as a reminder of the history of its larger neighbour, South Africa… Aside from being known for its comparatively cold climate compared to much of the rest of the...
by Joel Dwek | Oct 29, 2020 | Reviews
Easy, relaxed vibes pulsate through this collection of upbeat, jazzy tunes… The Caribbean islands have a myriad of musical styles associated with them, from reggae and calypso, to dancehall to dub, but one of the most popular styles of recent years has been soca...
by Danny Wiser | Oct 14, 2020 | Reviews
Released in the 70s, these adaptations by Brazilian musician Deodato of classical music pieces from centuries ago have an almost futuristic quality to them, making this a truly timeless record… Classical jazz fusion is perhaps a harder genre than most to get...
by Joel Dwek | Sep 14, 2020 | Reviews, Top Picks
Beautiful singing from Sammy Davis Jr and gorgeous acoustic guitar playing from Laurindo Almeida – what more do you need…? What do we mean when we pick an album as ‘album of the week’ on this site? It usually means that the album in question...
by Danny Wiser | Sep 11, 2020 | Reviews
Kick back and relax with this slow paced cover album that explores a wide range of genres all the way from blues to folk… When discussing records between the two of us that we review on NoiseNomad, we have on several occasions found ourselves discussing the...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 25, 2020 | Reviews
The King of Apocalyptical Cabaret serves up an interesting and entertaining album where he mixes Balkan music with wider influences… During this process of finding music from all around the world, Danny and I have come across some alternately brilliant and...
by Joel Dwek | Jul 15, 2020 | Reviews
Quirky Mexican musician Esquivel creates a soundscape with his album, a delightful mix of genres from around the globe… “Space Age Bachelor Pad Music” – that is how this album, by the Mexican musician Juan García Esquivel (better known simply as Esquivel!,...
by Danny Wiser | Jun 4, 2020 | Reviews
The Belgian jazz star proves that the harmonica is more than just a toy, it’s an instrument to be taken seriously… Where to begin when discussing the humble harmonica? Often seen as the butt of a joke within the world of musical instruments due to its...
