Calabash Music & Mondomix

Marc Robillard - 'So Much More'

Canadian born, Los Angeles based singer songwriter Marc Robillard fuses together meaningful honest lyrics, with understated heartfelt melodies to create his own unique blend of sonic artistry. With his raspy humble voice, and interestingly textured pieces, Robillard is able to connect with his listeners on a highly personal level. Amidst the sullen tones of much of his work, Robillard still seems to connect a common thread of brightness and hope within his music.

Marc's song "So Much More" was featured in Frito Lay's new television commercial for a biodegradable Sunchips bag, has stirred up a lot of positive attention from viewers across North America. After the commercial aired only once on Earth Day, Robillard along with Frito Lay and Sunchips, was bombarded with requests for the full version of the song.

Alex Alvear interview on WMBR

Last night Alex Alvear was interviewed on WMBR's show 'What's Left?' for an hour long talk of Alex's music and his current artistfunding project with the Hector Fund. At the start of the program Alex was asked about his song "Immigrant Blues' in the context of how he had initially come to the U.S. In Alex's case he had been kidnapped by the government in Ecuador!! Fortunately he was released but this served as the catalist for his departure. Within ten days he was in Boston and began to study at Berklee College of Music.

Listen to  the full interview here: >>

Learn more about Alex's Artistfunding campaign here: >>

Alex Alvear & Mango Blue

Alex Alvear and his group Mango Blue are raising $10,000 for their new album: "Hello, I am Alex Alvear and I am asking for your support to help me record a new and very long-overdue album with my band Mango Blue.  By support I don’t mean a charitable donation but rather an advance, an investment that will give you something back at every level of contribution.  I have worked extremely hard to make this recording as cost-effective as possible without compromising the high quality of the end product.  However, because of the size of the band and the production needs, this project requires a significant expense that I am not able to foot on my own.  I am seeking $10,000 in Artistfunding to finance my new album. This music must be recorded, not only because it represents a body of work from the past 6 years but also because our fans have been requesting a new CD for a long time. I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked: “When is the new album coming out?” or “What’s next?” Therefore, I need you to help make this project a reality.

I could go on forever trying to make a case about how hard it is to be an independent musician and the challenges one faces when doing music that is completely original and does not fit into the mainstream -but I won’t. If you know me then you’re probably already a fan. If you don’t then I’ll just say that my music is a mix of many different styles - a big musical salad bringing together some of the musical styles I love most - including Funk, Jazz, R&B, Afro-Cuban Folklore, Caribbean Roots, Salsa, Songo, Merengue, Cha-Cha and many more.

Music is made to be shared.  We adore performing live because there’s nothing like that amazing short brush with eternity one feels when making music for people in front of you.  Music has the power of bringing people together.  Sometimes folks who otherwise would not interact with each other come together even for a moment, under the same roof, sharing a piece of their lives.  Nonetheless, the recording of an album is a very important part of the culmination of a body of work.  It allows the music to travel to places and connect to people the band could not reach in the live performance setting alone.  It also provides possibilities for developing new audiences, more gigs and a broader network.  But most importantly, it leaves a legacy of what has grown out of years of hard work, joy, sacrifice, many challenges and tons of fun.

Perhaps the best thing about this particular independent recording project is that there is no middle person, no broker, no record label and NO COMPROMISE!  Instead, it’s a simple and direct transaction between the artists and the people who love their work.

I sure hope you can be a part of this and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support.

Please invest in the campaign by going to:

http://www.thehectorfund.com/about/alex-alvear

If you cannot afford to contribute in any level YOU CAN STILL HELP. Just simply share the link above with your music-loving Facebook friends and post the link right on their FB wall, and ask them to do the same.

In just a week my Fan base has grown to almost 400 people. Imagine if everyone contributed at the minimum level. By now, the campaign would be completely covered... Please help in any way you can.

Get More Involved! If you still have not become a Facebook fan, please go to:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/pages/Alex-Alvear/73696537429

Ba Cissoko - New Album - 'Seno'!!

I first encountered Ba Cissoko in their home in Marseilles during a packed performance at Club de Sud. Guinean kora master Ba Cissoko and his troupe feature not one, but two kora players, a bassist, and a percussionist. They started out in a pretty standard Afropop groove and then one of the kora players would quick his effects box rack and start wailing out an improvisation kora lead like you might hear from Eric Clapton -- except he's playing with two fingers...his whole body would light up and lift off the stage. the crowd just went nuts!!

On their latest album, 'Seno', they manage to create a brand new sound which has rare cross-generational appeal back home in their native Guinea. The old people love it because it reveres the venerable tradtions of the griot and the kora. The youth love it because it twists and moulds that tradition into enticing new forms.

Check out the new album by these boys, you won't get dissapointed!

Get music from Ba Cissoko here!!

Guinea, Ba Cissoko, Seno, Mande Traditional,

Carmen Souza - Verdade

Capeverdean songstress Carmen Souza was born in Lisbon but was always surrounded by the tradition, music and costumes of Cape Verde. She has a sweet and versatile voice that glides effortlessly through a huge range with a jazzy sense of timing that reminds us of artists such as Rickie Lee Jones and Diana Krall.

Carmen Souza is carving her own little Afro-European jazz niche on her new album 'Verdade' (truth) -- the title is reflected in the incredible authenticity of her singing.

get the music...

Hungu - African Musical Instrument

The Canadian National Film Board has a long history of supporting and producing some remarkable independent film projects and the short film Hungu is no execption.

The filmmaker Nicolas Brault combines 2D animation on a graphics tablet with the warmth of sand animation, thus uniting modernity and tradition, Brazil and Africa, music and memory. Sparse in design and humanist in its outlook, Hungu exudes the elegance and suggestive power of a timeless story.

For those of you who already know the Brazilian berimbau -- the hungu is its African musical ancestor. Its origins are carried on in an ancient tradition. Inspired by the grace and raw beauty of African rock paintings, Nicolas Brault applies his narrative gifts to a world where humans and nature are subtly linked.

Under the African sun, a child walks in the desert with his kin. Death is prowling, but a mother's soul resurrected by music will return strength and life to the child when he becomes a man...

learn more about the film