Photo by Daniel Miksha on Unsplash
My latest Letter From Hong Kong has just be published in The Narrative Arc. “Figure Skating: Hate Turns to Love: Learning, evolving, growing from ice hockey to figure skating, from backyard rinks to Hong Kong malls”
Like a mojito laced with absinthe, the sweet mixture packs a kick, reflecting the understated sophistication of Maria Luiza Jobim’s latest album. Here is my review in PopMatters: “Brazil’s Maria Luiza Jobim Opens New Doors with Rosa No Céu “
Though Sounds of the Abbey documents the work of thirteen of Belgium’s most innovative ensembles, the real star is the Park Abbey located just outside Leuven and founded in 1129. Built and maintained for the purpose of quiet meditation, the abbey hosted the musicians who used the quiet surroundings to prepare and record their unique musical imaginings. The result is a mostly instrumental collection that mines the riches of Belgian folk and world music traditions, including Romani scales, La Pump rhythms, and accordion-based bal-musette flavors. My review appears in RootsWorld.
John Alan Urquhart 
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