Strings Tradition
(The Weekend Planet: Sunday 18 May 2008)
URL: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/weekendplanet/stories/2008/2233119.htm
Strings Tradition is a beautiful, unforced meeting of two continents and three classical/erudite musical traditions. Its three co-leaders are from musical families/dynasties. Kora player Mamadou Diabate (who recently delighted WOMADelaide audiences) is a Mande musician, from Mali. Ustad Shujaat Khan is a Hindustani (North Indian) classical virtuoso. He has a lovely singing voice, but is most especially a master of the sitar. Violinist Vidwan Lalgudi G.J.R. Khrishnan’s background is in Carnatic (South Indian) classical music.

Uri Caine
(The Daily Planet: Monday 19 May 2008)
URL: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/dailyplanet/stories/2008/2243582.htm
Uri Caine’s CD, The Classical Variations, is a collection of 20 of the Philadelphia-born pianist’s edgy jazz interpretations of Mahler, Beethoven, Schumann, Mozart and Wagner, including 10 previously unreleased takes on Bach.

Adama Coulibaly
(The Daily Planet: Tuesday 20 May 2008)
URL: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/dailyplanet/stories/2008/2243584.htm
Baba is a powerful, hypnotic recording of Malian musician Adama Coulibaly, who plays the donso ngoni, the hunter’s harp, and sings with all acoustic accompaniment.

Otis Taylor
(The Daily Planet: Wednesday 21 May 2008)
URL: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/dailyplanet/stories/2008/2243587.htm
On his CD, Recapturing the Banjo, maverick bluesman Otis Taylor and a crew of fellow African-American musicians remind us that the instrument associated with bluegrass today had its origins in West Africa.

Shantel
(The Daily Planet: Thursday 22 May 2008)
URL: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/dailyplanet/stories/2008/2243589.htm
With his CD Disko Partizani, DJ Shantel has moved beyond producing electronica to producing a mostly acoustic CD featuring great Balkan musicians, trumpeter Marko Markovic, clarinettist Filip Simeonov and accordionist Francois Castiello.