This week’s picks bring a French accent to the Arizona desert, a historic look at Jerusalem through music, and an accordion virtuoso from Argentina.
French-born, and living in the US since her teens, Marianne Dissard is a charter member of Calexico, the Tucson, Ariz., music clan. She stepped out from lyricwriting to singing on this debut album, L’Entredeux [Amazon]. The title literally means “the space between two” and it features Marianne's rich contralto. It's a smooth fit with the French Chanson style, but equally at home with American rock and folk. --picked by Irene Trudel
The troubled history of Jerusalem is reflected in almost 17 centuries’ worth of music in the new album by Jordi Savall and Hesperion XXI, Savall's early music band. Jerusalem: The City Of Two Peaces: Heavenly Peace and Earthly Peace [Amazon] is a handsome hardbound book in 8 languages with two CDs of music going back to the 3rd century. Psalms, crusade songs, poems in Hebrew and Arabic, the collection suggests that those who sing history are not doomed to repeat it. (And apparently, dancing is okay too.)--picked by John Schaefer
There is more to Argentina then tango. Accordionist Chango Spasiuk is a master of chamamé, a rhythm that mixes the local native Guarani with the Spanish guitar and the European accordion. His new album is called Pynandi, Los Descalzos [Amazon] -- or the barefoot. It’s a tribute to his country’s impoverished rural population that can sound a little melancholic and sad. But then -- it all ends in joy and dancing.--picked by Gisele Regatao
French-born, and living in the US since her teens, Marianne Dissard is a charter member of Calexico, the Tucson, Ariz., music clan. She stepped out from lyricwriting to singing on this debut album, L’Entredeux [Amazon]. The title literally means “the space between two” and it features Marianne's rich contralto. It's a smooth fit with the French Chanson style, but equally at home with American rock and folk. --picked by Irene Trudel
The troubled history of Jerusalem is reflected in almost 17 centuries’ worth of music in the new album by Jordi Savall and Hesperion XXI, Savall's early music band. Jerusalem: The City Of Two Peaces: Heavenly Peace and Earthly Peace [Amazon] is a handsome hardbound book in 8 languages with two CDs of music going back to the 3rd century. Psalms, crusade songs, poems in Hebrew and Arabic, the collection suggests that those who sing history are not doomed to repeat it. (And apparently, dancing is okay too.)--picked by John Schaefer
There is more to Argentina then tango. Accordionist Chango Spasiuk is a master of chamamé, a rhythm that mixes the local native Guarani with the Spanish guitar and the European accordion. His new album is called Pynandi, Los Descalzos [Amazon] -- or the barefoot. It’s a tribute to his country’s impoverished rural population that can sound a little melancholic and sad. But then -- it all ends in joy and dancing.--picked by Gisele Regatao