This was my third year in a row attending Globalfest, an eclectic collection of music from around the world, and for the third year in a row it will be one of my favorite shows of the year. Presented by The World Music Institute, World Music/CRASHarts, and The Public Theatre with support from The Cultural Services of the French Embassy, it's a massive undertaking presenting 13 acts from around the world performing on three stages. This year it was expanded to two nights giving people a chance to see more of the acts. The only problem for me is that some of the acts I saw on night one were so good that I wanted to see them again on night two! 

Heading that list was Lura, a singer from Portugal and the Cape Verde Islands off West Africa, depending on your source. Blending influences from both places, her melodic ballads were stunningly beautiful and her rhythmic up tempo numbers were completely infectious. She had by far the purist voice of any of the singers I heard. Some of the songs were reminiscent of Cesaria Evora, the musical icon from Sao Vicente in the Cape Verde Islands, although Lura's influences come more from her island of Santiago. Her amazing stage presence and style both vaguely reminded me of African singer Angelique Kidjo and Haitian singer Emeline Michel, both former participants of Globalfest, both favorites of mine and both reviewed on this site several times. Lura may be about to join them as another favorite of mine.

The above paragraph was written after the first evening, but after the second night some additional comments are necessary. As amazing a coincidence as this may seem, Angelique Kidjo and Emeline Michel were both at the performance on night two! I had short but sweet conversations with both and was amused by my own prescience. There is no longer any doubt about whether Lura will become one of my favorites, it's a done deal.

Daby Toure is originally from Mauritania in northwest Africa and now works out of Paris. His CD "Diam" was one of my favorites from last year. Backed by bass and drums, he's a beautiful guitarist and sings original songs that blend western pop music with the music of West Africa. His songs can be catchy or haunting or both. He had the crowd dancing, clapping, singing and generally having a great time. At the expense of time for certain other bands, I had no choice but to see his set again on night two.

If you imagine the exotic evocative wails and chants that many associate with Middle Eastern music, over a slow, sexy electronic dance groove, you get the idea of L.A. based Niyaz. Iranian vocalist Azam Ali, who was raised in India, translated the lyrics of each Persian spiritual and folk song before beautifully singing them. She was backed by Iranian born musician Loga Ramin Torkian playing guitar, Middle Eastern lutes and an electric version of a 14th century bowed lute called a guitarviol. The band also included an oud, tabla and a keyboard/programmer. The combination of traditional music and instruments with beautiful vocals and contemporary rhythm formed a bridge between east and west and old and new making the songs easily accessible to anyone. As I looked around the mostly mesmerized room I didn't see anyone who was a different color, different religion or spoke a different language than me. I only saw people just like me, people who are deeply moved by music. Sometimes music puts strange thoughts in my head. It's probably needless to say but I slipped in for more on day two.

Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys are a Cajun band from New Orleans. Playing acoustic guitar, bass, fiddle, drums and accordion, along with their beautiful three part harmonies in Cajun French, this was a surprisingly satisfying set. Surprising because I think of Cajun music as something to hear in a bar or at a picnic while drinking beer and dancing, but their performance was concert caliber.

One intriguing surprise was Roxane Butterfly's Worldbeats who combined jazzy North African sounding music composed by Graham Haynes, a flamenco/tap dance fusion, spoken word and projected images. It probably wouldn't be for everybody but I found it bold and engaging.  

Jaun Carmona of France is an exceptional Gypsy flamenco guitarist who was accompanied by two guitars, violin and three percussionist/clappers, one who occasionally danced and one who occasionally sang. A very stimulating set that wowed the audience.

Senegalese hip-hop group Daara J sing and rap an African hip-hop that fuses soul, pop and reggae into the mix with the social commentary which is part of the griot, or storytelling, tradition. They sang and harmonized beautifully but, and you can call me old fashioned, I would have liked if they had a band. All the music came from their deejay and it was way too loud.

Also loud was Balkan Beat Box, an Israeli band who do for the music of North Africa and Eastern Europe what The Beastie Boys did for rock, they turn it into irresistible club music. It was fun and energetic but, unlike Darra J, they had no good singers. If the two groups combined forces, they'd be the greatest party band of all time.

Frank London's Klezmer Brass All Stars opened the festival and brought out a marching drum troupe and a female Hasidic vocal group for what was an energetic kick start for the festival.

There were a few acts that, for various reasons, didn't get a fair share of my attention. Las Ondas Marteles is a French group that does Cuban Boleros. I saw them in the summer and loved them. You can see a detailed review of them by surfing back to summertime. I did poke my head into the room to briefly enjoy them for a few minutes.

Keren Ann is also from France and is quite successful there although she's just beginning to make inroads here. She's a singer/songwriter who I've heard perform live on WFUV and am familiar with her music, so didn't feel compelled to stay for all of her set (she had a late set and I was tired...that's a long story).  She played electric guitar and was backed by keyboard and trumpet. Maybe it's because I'm seeing "Threepenny Opera" in the near future, but I was struck by the Kurt Weill sensibility to some of her material.  DJ Delores from Brazil was on after Keren Ann but I was in bed by then.

I also caught a very short segment of Russian art-rock band Auktyon. I didn't hear enough for a fair evaluation as I was anxious not to miss Lura and had to go, but what I heard vaguely reminded me of the song "One Step Beyond" by Madness.

For the third year in a row I arrived at Globalfest not completely sure of what would happen and each time I left with expanded musical horizons. The sense of discovery is what makes the event so special for me. It's highly likely that I'll be seeing several of these acts again in the future. Or at least, as Azam Ali of Niyaz said to me at the end of the evening, "God willing".