By then, Julia Sarr and Patrice Larose were launching a set of intimate, stylized songs that fuse Sarr’s Senegalese vocals with Larose’s flamenco and related guitar styles.  The music is elegant, poised rather than fiery, closer at times to French chanson than to its rootsy influences.  From the brief taste I caught, Sarr seemed to be winning the crowd with her strong, supple voice and stage charisma.  But I was bound to the basement for more exuberant fare at the hands of Boom Pam, an Israeli quartet who blend Balkan and Mediterranean songs with surf rock aesthetics (surf seems to have been a leitmotif at this year’s globalFEST) with sometimes ecstatic results.  Yuval “Tuby” Zolotov puffs out tuba bass lines, providing both a sonic and visual anchor for the group’s fanciful outings, which alternately crank and drag, always with an air of nonchalant high drama.  The group’s vocals are minimal—sometimes as little as an occasional “Hey!”—so most of the melodic action goes down on the two guitars.  Luckily Uzi Feinerman and Uri Brauner are up to the task, whether picking out fierce, pointy melodies or thrashing into wall-of-sound passages.  As much fun to watch as to hear, Boom Pam has the stuff of a great future on the North American festival circuit.

Upstairs in the Ballroom, Lila Downs (from Mexico and Minneapolis) staged the grandest of the sets I caught, complete with video projections, rock show lighting and an expansive band lineup that included accordion and a full sized harp.  Downs has skillfully massaged Mexican (especially Oaxacan) folklore into a rocking presentation that could work equally well in a nightclub, a concert hall, or a stadium.  She has a gorgeous, powerful voice, and a restlessly engaging stage presence, whether strumming an acoustic guitar, wielding a shaker, or strapping on a transverse drum and cracking out rhythms on its wooden body.  Her interactions with her harp player proved particularly satisfying.  It was difficult to leave, but I was keen to catch Le Trio Joubran, three, oud-playing brothers from Nazareth, whose compositions blur the lines between Arabic classical music and small ensemble jazz.  Now some listeners may question the point of THREE ouds, but for a string-music geek like myself, it was heaven to watch these guys tossing around riffs with fraternal ease that matched their individual mastery.  I look forward to the chance to hear these brothers perform an entire set.

Alas, this is the anxious reality of globalFEST.  You simply must make choices, even when that means tearing yourself away from extraordinary beauty.  The payoff comes in what you find next, in this case, Lenine of Brazil, one of the most compelling singer guitarists of our time.  All alone on the stage Lila Downs had festooned with musicians and paraphernalia, Lenine delivered every bit as much spectacle.  His finger style guitar playing, complete with slaps, pops, glissandos and thrumming rhythm, can convey the force of a killer funk band.  His voice is masterful, whether whispering melodious or crying out the sort of pop refrains that bring a Brazilian crowd to their feet shouting.  Lenine’s set was so exhilarating that I completely missed the Carolina Chocolate Drops, whose Piedmont string sound with African overtones was reportedly a highlight of the evening (Ow!).

Now it was time for the night’s capper, Andy Palacio and the Garifuna Collective from Belize.  This group’s amalgam of young and old musicians has been in the works for years, and now that it’s rolling out (with a brilliant, debut CD, Watina, out in February 2007), it promises to be one of the sensations of African diaspora pop this year.  The Garifuna descend from Africans and Arawak Indians who came together centuries ago along the east coast of Central America.  Their songs combine trance-inducing drumming with folksy vocal harmonies, and there have been a number of wonderful Garifuna CD releases, mostly from Stonetree Records in Belize.  But never has the art of the Garifuna been presented at the level that Andy Palacio, a latter day “punta” rocker, has pulled together in this group.  Two Garifuna drummers form the spiritual and sonic core of the band, and three guitarist weave rich harmonic and melodic textures, all as a base for those great vocal hooks.  The early part of the set featured Palacio and a younger Garifuna singer, Adrian Martinez.  But the stops really came out when Palacio summoned 78-year-old Paul Nabor to the stage.  Nabor had apparently sworn off all Northern Hemisphere touring during winter, “But somehow,” mused Palacio, “you’ve convinced him to come to New York for globalFEST.”

A craggy old man ambling on stage in a loud shirt and a light grey suit, his pinched, deeply lined face framed by a woolen cap worn underneath his cowboy hat, was bound to win a sympathetic reception.  But when Nabor unleashed his sharp, keening voice, and his loose limbed dance moves, graciousness turned to utter glee.  Nabor’s leading the group through his signature, sing-along song “Naguya Nei,” proved the high point of the night for me.  I’m pleased to report that Afropop Worldwide recorded this set along with an intimate interview and solo performance with Palacio for a future radio program.  The price was missing Lucia Pulido and Palenque of Columbia, as well as Babylon Circus, a French ska band that apparently rocked the house.  For the Garifunas, it was worth it!

GlobalFEST’s new home in Webster Hall worked out well for the most part.  The event had clearly outgrown Joe’s Pub.  The difficulty of getting in and out of the Downtown Room was the only real problem.  Tip for attendees next year.  If there’s something you simply must see down there, be sure to arrive for the start of the set.  In all, kudos to Joe’s Pub and the Public Theater, World Music Institute, World Music and Crash Arts for an electrifying mid-winter evening. 

Editor’s Note: globalFEST is part of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) conference, the premiere annual gathering of arts presenters from across North America. 3,500 people attended APAP this year. So a strong performance at globalFEST can mean bookings for artists at a venue near you. Kudos also to APAP on celebrating its 50th year in 2007 and for its commitment to globalFEST, now in its fourth year. World music fans take note: I suggest you start planning now for a pilgrimage to New York City in January 2008 for globalFEST.