Going Global in the New Year

From South Africa to Poland, plenty of musical talent seeks to soothe the ears

By JASON VICTOR SERINUS

As we begin another increasingly globally-interconnected year, world music continues to offer a greater variety of refreshing sounds. The following CDs are this critic’s menu for some of the most interesting offerings, even with some imperfections, for 2005.

MOTION TRIO
“Pictures from the Street”
Asphalt-Tango Records

Preconceptions of accordion music as trite or limited vanish upon playing this mind-opening disc.

Featuring original compositions by members of Poland’s Motion Trio, the music ranges from up-tempo, high-spirited affairs to others that bubble along in a manner reminiscent of Nino Rota’s music for Fellini. In keeping with South American accordion tradition, there are several original tangos. But there’s also a unique version of the classic folk dance “Aide Jano,” works that show the influence of jazz and rock, and a bonus “Stars” video playable on both PC and Mac.

The video is especially wild, with space music sounds and Philip Glass-like minimalist repetition accompanying equally outré, unabashedly self-promoting images.

The trio has won the Grand Prix at the Fourth Krzysztof Penderecki International Competition of Contemporary Chamber Music in Kraków. Each of its members, ranging in age from 26 to 34, has also won a handful of prizes as a soloist. The years they’ve spent honing their craft on the streets pays off in this stunning recorded début.