WorldBeat 26th July 2026
This week and next Katherine Gailer & Oscar Jimenez from Amaru Tribe ahead of the official release of their latest Golden Roots. Newbies from the Colombian in Canada Lido Pimienta with her latest Caribenya, reminiscent of Benny Moré and banda gigante of the 1940’s and 50’s & straight outta Havana and into America! – Orquesta Akaokan, after an absence of a few years Lila Downs with a new release Cambias Mi Mundo, UK/ Afghani Collaborators Kefaya & Elaha Soroor – Our Freedoms Must Be Won and much more
Garry filling in for Rick. A Spanish flavour to the show with the feature album being Historia by The Gipsy Kings featuring Tonino Baliardo. Also Ana Crisman Arpa Flamenco bring the harp to flamenco, more from La Combo Batanga and Radio Tarifa, and looking back to the earliest releases by Rosalia and Ojos de Brjuo. In addition, there's new music from Vesna (Czechia), Ladaniva (Armenia), Yuko Suzuhana (Japan) and an exciting collaboration between French and Mongolian musicians the Shubaio Quartet. Finally a new Songlines magazine has just come out, the August edition number 220.
The Gipsy Kings are billed as featuring lead guitarist and co-founder Tonino Baliardo to distinguish his official touring ensemble from the band's other original frontman, Nicolas Reyes. Both artists maintain their own separate, authorized touring lineups carrying the Gipsy Kings name.
New track from the forthcoming unnamed album by the musical collective from Belize
Jocelyn Balu's debut album is a Congolese artist. from The Prison District of Kinshasa & is rooted in the rumba of the 40s to 70s
Collaboration between musicians from Burkina Faso, Iran and France
First person to play flamenco on the harp
Sona Lara's music blends modern pop with traditional Armenian melodic sensibilities. Hayastan is what Armenians call Armenia
Colombian singer based in Barcelona
Collaboration between a Mongolian musician (Shubiao) and 3 French musicians, one of whom (Vincwnr Tournoud) had trained in Mongolia
from forthcoming album due for release 24 July
Collaboration between Croatian vocal group Lelek and Ukranian group Go_A, both Eurovision veterans
Latin funk group from Madrid
A journey into the heart of Traditional Wagogo music from Tanzania