John McDowell / Speaking the Mamma Tongue- produced and mixed by John McDowell and Daniel Baruch
" ...... checks in with a genre busting date that has grabbed the ears of anyone who comes in contact with it. Calling it world beat is just using a short hand way to describe it to you."
"A tasty, richly textured date that keeps coming and will probably be hailed as state of the art adult listening. The perfect record for when you're looking for that highly creative audio getaway that let's you slip behind it's audio curtain where nothing can get at you. Wild."
Chris Spector
Midwest Record Recap
Samples from John McDowell's latest album, "Speaking the Mamma Tongue"
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Saba Minea Ba MP3 Download Quicktime Stream Face the Wind MP3 Download Quicktime Stream Vanja Don't Go Away MP3 Download Quicktime Stream Maybe We Should Stand Back MP3 Download Quicktime Stream (Quicktime is available free at www.apple.com)
Personnel on John McDowell's "Speaking the Mamma Tongue":STAN STRICKLAND
A singer, saxophonist, and flutist, Strickland has toured extensively throughout the U.S., Europe, Scandinavia and the former Soviet Union performing in clubs and concert halls including Jordan and Symphony Halls in Boston, Carnegie Recital Hall and Town Hall in New York, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. He has been featured on recordings by Bob Moses, Morty Ehrlich, Mamma Tongue, Webster Lewis and Brute Force, and with his own band, Legacy. He has composed many original scores for television, video and dance productions. Strickland is Adjunct Professor of Music and Movement at Lesley College and teaches woodwinds at Longy School of Music, Boston College, and is Visiting Professor at Institutes in Finland, Holland and Israel.
MICHAEL WIMBERLY
Percussionist and vocalist Wimberly has performed, toured and/or recorded with jazz artists Steve Coleman, David Murray, Charles Gayle, Jean Paul Bourelly, Positive Knowledge Quartet, Thurman Barker's Strike Force Percussion Quintet, Jackson Blue, Onaje Allan Gumbs, Ivo Perelman, Kali Fasteau, Cooper Moore, William Parker and Bobby Few; as well as rock artists Henry Rollins, Mickey Hart and Vernon Reid; R&B artists D'Angelo, Alyson Williams and Angie Stone; funk legends Parliament Funkedelic; and New Age music pioneers Paul Winter's Consort and Paul Halley. Broadway performances include The Lion King, The Wiz and For Colored Girls who have Considered Suicide when the Rainbow was Enough. Wimberly has also performed with African drum and dance groups including Bambara, Forces of Nature, Kaissa, The National Song & Dance Company of Mozambique and Urban Bush Women.
DADON
Dadon is the most famous and respected singer from Tibet. She recorded and sold more than 6 million albums in Tibet, China and other Asian countries during the 1990's before fleeing from political persecution. Since then, Dadon has performed in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, at the Tibetan Freedom Concerts and other local, national and international locations. She starred in and composed songs for the critically acclaimed
film, Windhorse, and composed the title song for the critically-acclaimed film, Samsara. She has performed and recorded with Sheryl Crow, Natalie Merchant, Emmy Lou Harris, Philip Glass and Yo-Yo Ma.
PURA FE, of the group ULALI
A singer, composer, teacher, poet, dancer, actress, and lion tamer, Pura Fe has studied with the American Ballet Theatre and Martha Graham, sung with the Mercer Ellington Orchestra, and appeared on Broadway in several shows including "Me Nobody Knows," "Ari," and "Via Galactica." She is a guest instructor at the Native Theatre School in Toronto, Canada. Pura Fe is a Smoke Dance champion. She has won First Prize or placed in competitions at Kanatsiohareke Homecoming (Mohawk), Tuscarora Nation at Sandborn, NY, and Schemitzun at Mashantucket, CT (Mashantucket Pequot).
She does vocal workshops throughout the Americas. She has done studio work with numerous jazz bands, TV commercials and jingles. She made her national solo recording debut with the R&B inspired album Caution to the Wind (Shanachie Records). As a member of Ulali, Pura Fe made her national television debut when the group performed on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno in October, 2003. Singing about the Native struggle and prophecies in a variety of Native languages, the work of Ulali is a form of personal and historic expression. As the first, most progressive, and daring Native women's singing group, Ulali was formerly known under the name Pure Fe. This seven member group then became an a cappella women's trio featuring Soni Moreno, Jennifer Kreisberg and maternal cousin to Pura Fe. Ulali can be heard on dozens of albums, documentaries, movies and award-winning videos, including "Follow Your Heart's Desire" which recently won Best Music Video at the American Indian Film Festival. Ulali has been featured on VH-1, CNN, MTV, PBS and Much Music.
KAISSA
Kaissa's international career includes live and recording performances with Manu Dibango, Salif Keita, Papa Wemba, Cesaria Evora, Jean-Michel Jarre, Martha Wash and many others. Her first solo album Looking There has been released by Sony Music South Africa in March 2004.
AMIR PAISS
A musician, poet and healer who has studied natural healing in Nepal, Thailand, U.S, India and Israel, Paiss contributes vocals, ney (Middle Easten flute), acoustic guitar, and Persian santoor. He participates in the creation of meetings between artists and healers from around the world, and leads music and healing workshops. In 2000, Paiss served as musical producer for AHAVA, original Jewish music by Shavit Ravnitzky, and MERKAVAH, a musical ceremony that combines holy and ancient text with ancient and modern musical instruments. Both of the projects were produced by Lev Ha'olam.
KARAMO SABALLY
A resident of Amsterdam, Netherlands, Sabally was born in The Gambia, West Africa. At 18, he joined a salsa group led by fellow Gambian Labah Sosseh based in Dakar, Senegal. Karamo sang as well as played congas, maracas, and gueras, touring extensively throughout West Africa. In 1968, he formed his own group Casa Vedettes, and in 1971 he joined the Gambian-based group, Super Eagles, appearing at big African music festivals. In 1974 Super Eagles changed their name to Ifang Bondi and became an influence on Yousou N'Dour, Baba Maal, Toure Kunda and others. In 1982, the group toured Europe, playing at major festivals and clubs, leading Sabally to perform with Burton Green, Busi Milongo, Henny Vrienten, and Toure Kunda.
KEN RICH
Producer/Bassist Rich has recorded as a bassist with Lou Reed, David Byrne, Laurie Anderson, Shabba Ranks, and Deborah Harry. He was a 10-year member of Babatunde Olatunji's band (until Baba's passing last spring). He continues to do live shows with Hugh Pool, Julia Darling, Rene Lopez, William Hart Strecker, Mamma Tongue and his own band, Miami Relatives, and has toured throughout the United States, Europe, Scandinavia, and the Middle East. He has produced, arranged and engineered for Larry Coryell, Tracy Bonham, Julia Darling, Morley, Joseph Arthur, Mike Errico, Ivy Markaity, Jake Stigers, Bari Koral, Rene Lopez, and Harland, amongst many others.
MORRIS GOLDBERG
A New York-based saxophonist, flutist, and penny whistler, Goldberg recently completed recording an album with his group, OJOYO. He grew up in Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa, and nurtured musical roots that span classical music, jazz, bebop, and mbaqanga. He performed with Hugh Masekela in the 1960's, before leaving South Africa to broaden his musical horizons. Well known to jazz lovers, he won popular acclaim through his featured performances on Paul Simon's Graceland album.
In the United States, Goldberg attended the Manhattan School of Music and regularly recorded and performed with artists such as Miriam Makeba and Harry Belafonte; he also worked with exiled South African singer, Letta Mbulu. In 1974, he returned to Cape Town and participated in Abdullah Ibrahim's recording Mannenberg. In 1991, he joined Hugh Masekela's spectacular homecoming tour, Sekunjalo, a twenty-date road show that featured Masekela, Bayete, and Sankomota. He remains based in New York, but retains strong links with Cape Town and its musicians.
DANIEL BARUCH (Mixing and Co-producing on "Speaking the Mamma Tongue")
Musician and sound engineer Baruch has mixed over 3,000 live shows at all size venues, throughout Israel, Europe, Canada, and U.S. for artists such as Macy Gray, Beck, Nikka Costa, the Flaming Lips, Brad Mehldau Trio, Bustan Abraham, Mamma Tongue, Sheva, the Tel-Aviv Philharmonic Orchestra, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Jai Uttal, Yair Dalal, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Los Hombres Calienes and many others. Playing live electronic music and live mixing from stage, trombone, guitar, balloons and voice, Baruch has performed with Meira Asher, Jewish Fist, Masstool, Alkuds and Creature at: Les nuits Botaniques (Brussels), Crossing Border (the Hague), Sophiensaele & the Podewil (Berlin), Suoni Visioni (Milano), Paleo (Nyon), Trans Musicales (Rennes), Israel Festival (Jerusalem), Belluard Bollwerk International (Fribourg), Israel National TV, and contemporary music events.
Baruch has composed music for the IBM presentation Fast Track 2002 in Boston (a project that won a national award for a non-broadcast commercial video); "Arucha," music for a theatre play, Israel National Theatre Habima in 1998; In Fashion, a commercial fashion video in 2003; Felicia, an animation movie preformed at the Dumbo Digital Festival in NYC 2001; NaNaJa, a virtual ethnic music (CD issued on NMC 1999), and more. He produced and mixed the sound track by composer John McDowell for the movie Born into Brothels that won the Audience Award for a documentary movie at the Sun Dance Festival in 2004.
ERAN GLANTZ (Executive producer on "Speaking the Mamma Tongue")
Having lived in such places as Israel, India, and Thailand, Eran brings an array of colors, sounds and energies to the Mamma Tongue circle. He has played both here in New York and abroad in many diverse musical projects including the heavy metal band "Mahavatar", the modern dance soundtrack for "A Soul Descending, " and currently with Ananda Acoustic Roots. He has recorded on various albums ranging from jazz to world music. Eran also lends his talents as a producer. In September of 2000 he produced the largest music festival in Israel called "Beresheet." He has also produced and engineered sound tracks for Israeli television and film, as well as producing some of Israel's top bands.
ALEX ALEXANDER
Alexander is a session drummer/percussionist residing in New York City who has performed and recorded with Dido, Eminem, Chaka Kahn, Joy Askew, Ritchie Blackmore, Bernie Worell, The Association, Toots and the Maytalls, Sophie B. Hawkins, Julia Fordham, Lucy Woodward and many more. He has performed on the Tonight Show, Conan O'Brian, The Jon Stewart Show, MTV and Live at Five with many of today's pop artists such as Montel Jordan, Dougie Fresh, Adina Howard and The Barrio Boyzz. He has also worked on and written music for the off-Broadway play Gravity, and the underground cult film Whatever Happened to One Eyed Jimmy, starring Steve Buscemi, Ann Meara, John Turturro and Samuel Jackson. Alexander plays drum set as well as African and Latin percussion. His unique blend of hand percussion and guitar effects pedals can be heard on television and film soundtracks, which he composes through his company, Perpetual Motion Productions. He has also played and recorded with some top-notch musicians and producers among them: Nile Rodgers, Hiram Bullock, G. E. Smith, Phil Ramone, Andres Levine, Carmine Rojas, Larry Mitchell, David Morales, Bob Clearmountain, Brian Hardgroove, Phillip Hamilton, Paul Shaeffer, Gordon Gaines, Jim Campagnola and Leon Pendarvis.
TY BURHOE
A disciple of the great drumming virtuoso of India, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Burhoe is an outstanding percussionist focused mainly on tabla and frame drums. He has worked with Krishna Das and artists from all over the world as both a musician and producer. His passion for the classical music of North India inspires him to weave music of different traditions together. He is known for his unusual and creative collaborations, along with his explorations in finding new musical settings for the tabla drums.
IRIS BROOKS
Brooks is a flutist who specializes in contemporary and world music. Her musical adventures include folk drumming with untouchables on the roof of a mud hut in Benares, India; a pennywhistle serenade for penguins in Antarctica; and a sound safari concert with the birds of Zimbabwe while paddling down the Zambezi River. Her more formal concert appearances as a flutist include Carnegie Hall, the Smithsonian Institution, Metropolitan Museum of Art, American Museum of Natural History, and the Joyce Theater. Internationally, she has performed in China, Canada, Bali, Belgium, Java, Japan, Iceland, England, Holland, and Egypt. She has also served as the editor for EAR Magazine, the NY Philharmonic, and the Lincoln Center Festival. Her book, New Music Across America, was published by the California Institute of the Arts, and her CD liner notes for Jali Kunda: Griots of West Africa and Beyond (Ellipsis Arts) was nominated for a NAIRD award. Over 100 of her music and arts/travel articles have been published in a variety of magazines.
BIMA KHARMA
Kharma grew up playing Indian music in an ashram in America. He plays khol (an Indian drum used for chanting music) and has recorded with Krishna Das (Pilgrim Heart and Live On Earth) and Jai Uttal (Live Kirtan album).