Seattle's own The Jefferson Rose Band entertains with a big urban sound and a global vision of rhythm. Their energetic stage show gets the audience out of their seats with a unique mix of world music, laid on the roots of funk and reggae.
Since forming in 2006, Debo Band has won raves for its groundbreaking take on Ethiopian pop music (think Ethiopiques), which incorporates traditional scales and vocal styles, American soul and funk rhythms, and instrumentation reminiscent of Eastern European brass bands. This summer marks the release of the Debo's debut album for Next Ambiance/Sub Pop.
Omara "Bombino" Moctar is a preternaturally talented, young Tuareg guitarist and songwriter raised during an era of armed struggles for independence and violent suppression by government forces. His electrifying jams capture the spirit of that resistance and rebellion while echoing with the work of fellow African artists Tinariwen and Ali Farka Toure, as well as stateside icons such as Jimi Hendrix and John Lee Hooker.
Since 1994, Omar Souleyman has been establishing himself as a standard-bearing craftsman of folk-pop throughout Syria. With more than 500 studio and live-recorded cassette albums released and a graceful capacity for fusing regional styles--from high-octane Syrian Dabke to classical Arabi mawal-style vocalizations--Souleyman's amalgamation is truly the sound of Syria.
French-born MC Ana Tijoux continues to bewitch and beguile with her new record, La Bala, the follow up to her Grammy-nominated album, 1977. Her shows are a whirlwind trip through hip-hop, jazz, and funk, augmented with a bit of politics and the playful sense of humor that has made audiences around the globe fall in love with her.
