Recently in Music Category

In this month's issue of Traveler, we excerpt contributing editor Carl Hoffman's upcoming book, The Lunatic Express. In the excerpt, Hoffman describes riding an Indonesian ferry that felt like "every man, woman, and child in Jakarta was swarming into her belly." But after several days on the boat, he writes, the passengers began to treat him like family, including him in their rituals, meals, and entertainment. Here's the video Carl shot of the moment he describes below.
Once I was known, grown used to, an endless stream of strangers approached me, waved me over, bought me coffee and tea, called out to me. In my space on my plank I was an old family member. Florinda fed me slices of fishy tempeh. Mrs. Nova made sure I was hydrated. Lena, I suspect, prayed for my soul. One evening I trudged back from up on deck, stepping gingerly past people's sarongs on the floor and hands and heads, and came upon nine ebony-colored men with muscular arms gathered around each other a few planks down from mine. Three of them held crude, homemade ukuleles constructed of fiberboard and nylon, thinly painted in whitewash. Clouds of cigarette smoke rose around them. Perspiration flew from their heads--it was 100 degrees at least, with not a wisp of fresh air. And for two hours they sang in rough, deep, and mad harmony, songs of Papua and work and Indonesian folk songs, other men keeping beat with empty water bottles. They were coming off five months on a gas well in Brunei, heading home to Sorong, a journey from start to finish of almost 12 days. "Sit! Sit!" cried Jacobus. "We want whiskey! Where are you going?" "Ambon," I said, and they broke into song, with a refrain of "Ambon Man" in English. Their singing was spontaneous, organic. The raw energy of lions roaring on the plain, the best of human beauty in the midst of the worst possible place. After two hours they wore themselves out; Jacobus's fingers were bloody, he'd played so long and so hard. I lay down to sleep, the lights bright, my body a series of bruised points on the hard plank.

You can read the rest of the excerpt here, read Carl's blog here, and order the book online here.

Today marks the 75th anniversary of Elvis's birth, and fans of the King are celebrating accordingly. The National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., unveils their newest exhibit, "Echoes of Elvis" today, which explores how the iconography of the legendary crooner continues to be relevant in contemporary culture. The exhibit features everything from portraits and golden busts of Presley to notebooks, lunch boxes, and other ephemera that was created to satiate the appetite of his adoring fans.

Across the country, the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles is the first to showcase the Smithsonian's traveling exhibit, "Elvis at 21: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer." Wertheimer, a photojournalist, was hired by RCA-Victor to shoot the young singer right after he was signed, and the images provide a intimate look at the artist's last few months of relative anonymity before he became a international superstar.

And at Graceland, the celebration started last night with an sold-out reception and tour for the elite squadron of uber-fans: the Elvis Insiders. Today, Priscilla and Lisa-Marie will gather with the throngs to kick off a weekend filled with gospel concerts, charity events, a Grizzlies' tribute basketball game, and a birthday bash on Beale Street in downtown Memphis. Be sure to remember your blue suede shoes.

[Echoes of Elvis]
[Elvis at 21: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer]
[The Elvis Presley Birthday Celebration]

Photo: Mark Stutzman designed this image for the commemorative Elvis postage stamp. It sold over 500 million copies, and to this day is the most popular stamp ever sold. U.S. Postal Service-Stamp Services, Rossyln, VA © U.S. Postal Service, via the National Portrait Gallery

Andrew Evans is busy packing his bags and getting ready to leave for the ultimate road trip. But he needs some help preparing his playlist...

Road trips are awesome, especially when they have a cool soundtrack to bring lyrics to the landscapes and capture each adventure along the way. Seeing as I'm about to embark on the ultimate road trip--10,000 miles to Antarctica--I am in search of the perfect playlist. Which is where you all come in.

Long distance calls for a nice long playlist, so I'm looking for help in compiling "Bus2Antarctica"-- the ultimate travel playlist that will keep me smiling well past the first hundred-mile marker. And so I need your help in finding one hundred perfect songs that capture the essence of my upcoming journey. That means anything travel-themed or having to do with Antarctica, busses, National Geographic, wanderlust, ships, penguins, snow and the like. Remember that I will be spending a significant amount of time in Central and South America, so a few Latin beats would be nice, too.

Now, as a music lover, I'm pretty versatile. Switch my iPod on to shuffle and you'll get a Beethoven symphony followed by The Clash followed by a Gwen Stefani remix followed by Spanish lessons. I like it all but I still have my favorites. To give you an idea, here are some of my favorite travel songs that I most definitely will be including in my playlist: 10,000 miles by Mary Chapin Carpenter, Let's Get Out of This Country by Camera Obscura, One Way Ticket by Mama Cass, Asleep on a Sunbeam by Belle & Sebastian, and Road by Nick Drake.

So start sending your ideas, please, I'd love to get at least one hundred cool tunes. Add your suggestions in the comments or Tweet them to me at @Bus2Antarctica. I will listen to your picks as they come in and start compiling from that. Once I've made my choices, I'll publish my final playlist here. I'm leaving on Friday, so hurry up!

Andrew Evans leaves for his trip from National Geographic headquarters on January 1, 2010. Bookmark his posts here to keep up with his trip.

To conclude Hispanic Heritage Month on a literal high note, PBS aired the first two hours of its engrossing and fact-packed four-hour series Latin Music USA last week, and the second half will air this evening, October 19th. The first two episodes are up in both Spanish and English on PBS's website.

The site also features a slew of ways to learn even more about the genres and songs--bachata, bolera, ranchera, salsa, cumbia, boogaloo, mambo, Latin jazz, plena--explored in sound, image, and through first-person interviews on the show. You can dissect the genres, their multifaceted origins and histories by genealogy, by instrument, by rhythm, and, important for us at Traveler, by place.

New York City shines the brightest in the creation of this music of the Americas; melting pot, salad bowl or whichever imperfect metaphor it may be. The story of salsa blew my mind. I had no idea how young the genre is. Influenced by boogaloo, Latin Jazz, and mambo, voiced by Puerto Rican (Hector Lavoe), Cuban (Celia Cruz), Panamanian (Ruben Blades) immigrants, accompanied by first-generation, South Bronx-born trombonists (Willie Colón) and many others, it's a complex genre like no other with moving, real-life lyrics and a rhythm that energizes and animates.

The Palladium Ballroom on 53rd and Broadway figured large in New York's Latin music scene from its debut in 1948 until its closing in 1966. People of all ages and ethnicities flocked to the second-floor dance floor to listen to the nonstop music and groove to new, syncretic sounds. Of course now, it's an NYU dorm.

Does the music of a place influence your decision to travel there?

In conjunction with his upcoming book, Here Is Where: In Search of America's Great Forgotten History, we're following historian and Legacy Project founder Andrew Carroll as he drives, flies, walks, boats, buses, bikes, and hikes to seek out little-known historic sites in all 50 states. Bookmark all of his posts here.

Bob Marley was...here??

Reggae probably isn't the first thing that comes to people's minds when they think of the state of Delaware. But thanks to my extraordinary young assistant this summer, Dima Kislovskiy, I just passed through Newark, Delaware, to photograph sites related to Bob Marley, who's done more than any other artist to popularize reggae music.

Marley's mother had been living in Wilmington since 1963 when Bob moved there in 1966, hoping to earn enough money to start his own record label. Under the alias Donald Marley, he worked as a DuPont lab assistant and at the Chrysler assembly plant just across the street from the University of Delaware campus.

The facility was opened in 1951 to build U.S. Army tanks, and then six years later it began manufacturing cars until management shut the whole place down last year. While the massive buildings don't appear to have deteriorated much, weeds now peek through cracks in the abandoned, football field-size parking lots and the lawns and grounds are showing the first hint of neglect.

Bob Marley returned to Jamaica with enough money to launch Wail'n Soul'm, but he didn't forget his time in Delaware; two songs, "It's Alright" (from the 1970 album Soul Rebels) and "Night Shift" (from Rastaman Vibration, released in 1976) allude to his experiences in America's first state.

Next week: The Marias River, Montana

National Geographic Magazine Editorial Researcher Brad Scriber took a recent trip to Barcelona and filled us in on how he chose his trip soundtrack.

About the only time my music collection grows is when I travel. Now, I'd love to say that's because I spend my vacation nights in low-lit, smoky clubs discovering emerging talent in cities across the globe. Nope, I just hit the web shortly before I head to the airport.

A child of the 1980s, part of my brain is still wired for making mix tapes, those painstakingly crafted personal soundtracks of years gone by. Twenty years later, instead of spending hours combing through a ransacked pile of cassettes, CDs, and liner notes, I rummage through digital inventories with my keyboard.

In addition to the authentic local samplings that experts on world music can provide, I like a mix that includes a few puns, allusions, or inside jokes. The beauty of search engines on iTunes or Rhapsody is that wordplay can lead to new music and a great vacation playlist -- just plug in some destination related language and pick through the results.

Take the selections from my recent trip to Barcelona, for example:

The second annual Capital Hip Hop Soul Festival is set for this Saturday, July 25th, in Marvin Gaye Park in Northeast DC. The free festival and community celebration features a full line up of local talent (16 acts) on two stages, over 20 vendors from community businesses and DC nonprofits, along with a booksigning and poetry slam. The family-friendly festival starts at 11 a.m. and the park is located between two Metro stops: Minnesota Avenue (orange line) and Capitol Heights (blue line). Check out the website where music from the festival is streamed.

To learn more about the festival, we caught up with Maceo Thomas, the festival's organizer.

How'd the festival get started last year?

I was introduced to the music of Kokayi and Afi Soul, two local artists--Kokayi lives in my neighborhood--that I never had heard of. Their music was fantastic. I realized I was clueless on the level of talent that exists here in DC around hip hop and soul music. I had to believe that there were more people like me who couldn't hang out on U St. until the wee hours of the morning to hear these folks. I woke up one morning and decided to put as many local talented hip hop soul artists together one day to introduce them to other folks like me who may have been equally clueless. And I say that totally with love.

Traveler photographer Bob Krist is just back from a visit to Chicago, where he toured some of the classic blues clubs in the city.

Every trip should have a soundtrack, so we've asked CJ Fahey with Nat Geo Music to select artists from their catalog whose songs will inspire you to get going.


It's no surprise that one of the sexiest videos we've got at Nat Geo Music is a tango-electronic song from the French-Argentine group Gotan Project; after all, tango got its start as a dance performed in brothels in Buenos Aires in the late 19th century and today is synonymous with romance.

"Diferente" by Gotan Project shows how you might find tango danced today in a Buenos Aires milonga. This video highlights two dances: the obvious one on the dance floor, and the implicit dance of stolen glances and budding romance between the featured (gorgeous) couple.

Tango has inspired poets and artists for generations. Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges has noted the passionate, almost combative interaction between dancers: "The tango is a direct expression of something that poets have often tried to state in words: the belief that a fight may be a celebration." And tango legend Enrique Santos Discépolo touches on tango's inherent melancholy: "The Argentine tango is a sad thought that you can dance."

A trip to Buenos Aires is a trip to the heart of tango. If you go to Argentina, or for that matter Uruguay, pick up some records by contemporary tango groups like Gotan Project and Bajofondo, or legends like Astor Piazzolla and Carlos Gardel. And don't forget your dancing shoes.

[Video, Free Buenos Aires]

The Duke Ellington Jazz Festival is in full swing here in D.C. this week, with over 100 performances in 35 venues around the city. This year's festival celebrates the music of New Orleans, and has a roster of artists -- Harry Connick Jr., Buckwheat Zydeco, Trombone Shorty -- that would make any jazz-hound swoon. While the huge, talent-packed event at the Kennedy Center this coming Monday is sold out, they'll be plenty of (free!) jazz performances on The Mall this weekend, and restaurants and clubs throughout D.C. are hosting acts as part of Jazz in the Hoods. I spoke with the festival's founder, Charles Fishman, yesterday about the events, and in the spirit of jazz, he riffed a bit with me about how it's come together.

"The first year we did three concerts and had programs in 11 different clubs, this year we have over 100 performances in 35 different venues in the city. Jazz in the Hood is going into restaurants, clubs, hotels, and galleries. Some of these places do jazz, but many of them don't. It's pretty overwhelming -- people keep calling us and saying they want to be involved. Working with all these clubs, it's very encouraging to see what the response has been.

"Jazz is the one of the only original American art forms. You need to expose people to jazz: They hardly hear it on the radio, they never see it on television, and the record studios aren't doing diddly squat. These festivals are becoming a force.

"To have two full days on the National Mall for such renowned musicians from New Orleans is an amazing opportunity. I think we're the first jazz festival to dedicate our festival to another city. With the exception of our artistic advisor - everybody is from New Orleans. Essentially we're offering a virtual microcosmic cornucopia of the diversity of the musical heritage of New Orleans, which has driven American culture. But unfortunately, many immortal jazz artists are more appreciated out of this country than in this country."

Fishman encourages anyone coming into D.C. this weekend to make their way to The Mall, and be sure to check out U Street, where much of the city's jazz history is found. As our interview/jam session ended, I thanked him for his time. "That's what we do, we jazz baby," he said with a laugh.

[Duke Ellington Jazz Festival; Schedule of Events]

Photo: Duke Ellington Jazz Festival

Need some music to inspire your next trip? In our April issue, writer Tom Pryor put together a list of some of the best songs that will transport you to London: from Britpop to The Clash. And now you can download the entire list on iTunes.

In our search for the authentic, we're always on the quest to highlight the homemade - Hungarian chimney cakes, New Zealand cocktails, even Virginia dumplings. But what about homemade music?

On June 13 and 14, Tampa will be hosting the second annual Homemade Music Symposium, a free festival featuring a quirky mix of homegrown musical talent and international business gurus. Originally created to give local musicians the chance to learn industry tips from business greats, the event combines workshops and performances, with an emphasis on public access. Any aspiring musician can meet with legends like Tony Michaelides, a record promoter who served David Bowie, U2, and The Pixies, among others, on the Manchester rock 'n roll scene.

Every trip should have a soundtrack, so we've asked CJ Fahey with Nat Geo Music to select artists from their catalog whose songs will inspire you to get going.



The Roma, also known as Gypsies (a politically incorrect moniker derived from the myth that the group migrated from Egypt), have a storied musical history. Virtuoso musicians like guitarist Django Reinhardt have captured world attention, and mainstream folk and rock musicians have celebrated "gypsy" spirit in their songs, i.e. "I want to rock your gypsy soul," from none other than Van Morrison.

If you've traveled through Europe it's likely you've come across Roma musicians performing in piazzas, restaurants, or on public transportation. Music might be a natural calling for a people who, by choice and sometimes by force, have lived on the fringes of mainstream society since their arrival in Europe over a half-millennium ago from northern India.

Shukar Collective is a Romani group from Romania that combines, I kid you not, the traditional music of bear handlers, or ursari, with electronic samples mixed by two Romanian DJs. The music video to their single "Malademna" shows scenes from rural Romania mixed together as though the video editor had spent all night partying in a club, and I mean that as a compliment!

[Nat Geo Music, Video]

On June 9, the Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma will present a free outdoor concert in New York City at the Guggenheim Bandshell in Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park. The concert will be broadcast live from New York over the PBS program Live from Lincoln Center. Traveler writer Randy B. Hecht interviewed Ma about his interest in music as a way to get to know the world.

Your recordings include music from Brazil to Mongolia. Do you have a natural appreciation of such a wide range of musical sounds and styles, or is that something you had to learn?

I don't tend to think in categories, so I've always been interested in a variety of different music. I think the best way to learn about a new style of music is to have a good guide, someone who can take me to the inside of the music. Daniel Barenboim says that the best way to learn something is to start from the inside and he's absolutely right.

The unfamiliar can be intimidating. How can the uninitiated gain appreciation of "exotic" instrumental and vocal sounds and styles?

One of the things we think about at the Silk Road Project when we program a concert is that we always want someone to hear something familiar to them and we also want that person to hear something for the very first time. Which music is new and which music is familiar will be different for each person, but we want every person in the audience to have both experiences.

Following on the heels of a great New Orleans Jazzfest weekend, I decided to check out the Ponderosa Stomp festival last night at the legendary House of Blues in New Orleans' French Quarter. Described as a tribute to the "unsung heroes of rock 'n roll," the Stomp is one of many smaller--but by no means less fun--music festivals that fill the days between the two weekends of Jazzfest. And it's not only music, but a series of panel discussions where historians, artists and industry bigwigs talk about "rock's secret history."

I'm standing next to a guy who tells me he's from "across the lake." (Pontchartrain, I gather.) "I barely go to Jazzfest anymore," he tells me. "It's all about the Ponderosa Stomp for me. This festival pays homage to the roots of rock n' roll." He's holding a freshly autographed book about the band that just performed, The Remains, who performed with the Beatles on their last U.S. tour. "It's great, because you can go to the conference during the day and hear these guys talk about their music, then come here at night to hear them play."  

Nick Spitzer of American Routes introduces the next artist, Howard Tate. About halfway through his set, Tate says he's going to sing a song he recorded back in 1967 on Verve Records. It turns out to be "Get It While You Can," an old favorite of mine which I'd mistakenly assumed to be a Janis Joplin original (and have sung in the shower myself more than a few times). I'm not the only one in the House who's singing along to Tate's soulful rendition, and the crowd erupts with cheers when he finishes.  

There's still one night left, so if you're in the Big Easy tonight, head down to the House of Blues to hear these unsung heroes sing.  And if you want some truly local color, be sure to check out today's Chazfest, a quirky, homegrown Jazzfest alternative named after local washboard player Chaz Leary.

Photo: Howard Tate performs at the House of Blues, by Krista Rossow 

Nat Geo Music is currently airing their Earth Day Concert LIVE from the Piazza del Popolo in Rome. Ben Harper is playing now! Check it out here. After the show, tune in HERE for the online premiere of an all-new Geo Session featuring Ben Harper & Relentless7.

The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (kicking off this weekend) isn't the only big spring show in town. The Ponderosa Stomp Festival and Concert may not have quite as high a profile, but for eight years the event, organized by anesthesiologist "Dr. Ike," has more than met its mission of "celebrating the unsung heroes of American music."

The 2009 edition, April 28 and 29 at the House of Blues and other venues, will feature the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, the horn section that backed up Al Green, Dan [he wrote "The Letter"] Penn, a tribute to the great piano man/singer Eddie Bo, who passed away this year, and the Jean Knight, whose 1970s hit, "Mr. Big Stuff," is part of the French Quarter soundtrack (you can listen to it here). Knight is hoping recent toe surgery won't keep her from climbing the steps to the stage this year. Marc Silver spoke with the singer about her plans for the show.

Your toe might keep you away?

I can't wear the shoes I want to wear.

What kind?

Oh, I like glitter shoes, I'll be glittering.

Is the Stomp a special kind of concert?

Oh yeah, it's fun. It'll be real packed, packed with people. They love it.

Is "Mr. Big Stuff" your favorite song to sing?

"Big Stuff" is my favorite. But let me tell you, when I came across that song, I didn't like the melody. It sounded like some kind of church song.

Every trip should have a soundtrack, so we've asked CJ Fahey with Nat Geo Music to select artists from their catalog whose songs will inspire you to get going.


If you happen to be in Italy this Wednesday, April 22nd, we've got plans for you: Thousands of people will convene on Rome's famous Piazza del Popolo for a free concert Nat Geo Music is hosting for Earth Day. The featured artist is Ben Harper & Relentless7, and we're also excited to present a band we just signed to the newly-created Nat Geo Music record label: Bibi Tanga & The Selenites. We're even keeping in theme with the day: to offset the carbon footprint of the concert, we'll be planting a thousand trees in a park in Rome as well as acres of trees in Costa Rica.
 
But this is the travel blog, so let me set the scene at Piazza del Popolo. The best way to appreciate the piazza is from above. At the piazza's east end you'll see a terraced path lined with trees that climbs to an overlook in the Villa Borghese gardens called Pincio. From there, Piazza del Popolo and all of Rome, most notably the dome of St. Peter's, spreads before you in a view that's like love at first sight.
 
I lived in Rome for three years and fell in love with the city many times, but most often from someplace high. Whether it's the view of the Garden of Oranges from the Aventine Hill or the front of the Fontana dell' Acqua Paola from the Janiculum Hill (which is actually not one of the original seven hills of Rome), everyone who's lucky enough to explore the views of Rome has a favorite. If you've been to the Eternal City, I'm curious to hear your favorite view, or any experience you had that made you fall in love.
 
Of course, this Wednesday's Earth Day concert will not be the time to catch the view from above the Piazza del Popolo. We hope the piazza is packed with people who love music, but also people who, like us, care about the planet and want to show their support for environmental awareness and action. But if you can't make it to Rome in time, watch the concert live online from 2-6p.m. EST at www.natgeomusic.net. Or at least go plant a tree!

[Nat Geo Music Earth Day Concert in Rome]

David Holmes probably needs no introduction. But just in case you haven't heard of him, he's the 40-year-old Southwest Airlines flight attendant whose in-flight safety announcement is making the rounds on YouTube. Traveler Contributing Editor Christopher Elliott asked him how he became the rapping flight attendant.


Q: Where did you come up with the idea of rapping an in-flight safety announcement?

Holmes: I did my first rap for our flight attendant graduation class. And I quickly realized, as I began flying, how many customers tune-out when we start demonstrating that very important information. I wanted a way to keep their attention. From there, it just took off.

Whose idea was it to tape your in-flight announcement and put it online?

The one that started all of this was recorded by a customer on her cell phone. We were having a great time and, at the end of the flight, she said "I'm going to put this on YouTube."

It sounded like you had a lot of practice with that particular song. Have you delivered that safety announcement before?

It's been an evolving performance. I have several versions to mix and match through any part of the flight.

In our new column, CJ Fahey of Nat Geo Music introduces new sounds from around the globe. We asked him to introduce himself and explain what Nat Geo Music is all about.

Many people are surprised to find out that National Geographic has gotten into the music business - only we're not focusing on traditional music, ambient recordings of nature, or animal sounds. A little over a year ago we started a music television channel in Europe and Latin America, we have a music website, and a brand new record label.  Our mission is to discover and share contemporary music from all over the world. We think music is the perfect fit for National Geographic because we've always been about understanding and celebrating diversity. What better way to do that than through the most popular and soulful expression of culture: music?

I've been working on the television channel and website from the beginning. My friends at the Intelligent Travel Blog asked me to share some music videos I've come across that might serve as another means to inspire people to pack their bags, head to the airport, and visit someplace new. Even if you're just interested in daydream traveling, let these videos be your soundtrack!

For videos with the spirit of travel, I don't think it gets any more obvious than this one (above) by Indian composer A.R. Rahman, the Academy Award-winning composer who took home awards for Best Song and Best Score for Slumdog Millionaire.

The video has the epic quality of a postcard come to life, which is understandable because the song is a remake of India's national song, not to be confused with the national anthem. (I guess it's similar to what America, The Beautiful is for us.) And yes, while some parts can be little much, you can't deny that the images are beautiful and the music entrancing.

Be sure to check out more videos at our music website: www.natgeomusic.net. I'll be back with more good stuff in the near future!