Paris Black Night

Presents a musical journey through the area surrounding the Ganges. Focuses on Benares, Ustad Bismillah Khan, a musician influenced by Indian musical traditions, and the Shehnai, an oboe-type instrument. Other masters performing are Girja Devi, Lacchu Maharaj, Jotin Bhattacharya, N. Rajam.

Banaras - Music from the Ganges

Ali Farka Touré, the gifted musician and farmer, came from Timbuktu. Yes, there is a place called Timbuktu and it’s in Africa, in the loop of the Niger to be precise. As a child Ali never learned to read or write, but his early passion for a home-made one-string, violin-like instrument led him away from his humble roots to the music festivals of Europe in the 60’s. Critics and fans alike have compared his music to the Soul-Blues magic of greats like B.B. King, John Lee Hooker...even Eric Clapton. Ironically he had never heard their “sound” before creating his music. Amazingly, his sound is authentic Blues....and through it, we can hear the native roots, the origins of the Afro-centric rhythms found in Soul, Blues and Jazz! These Afro-centric sounds, which found their way across the seas to America during the era of slavery, preserved and transformed into modern Jazz, are the essence of Ali’s music.

Ali Farka Touré: Ça coule de source

A documentary on the amazing Brazilian music movement known as Tropicália.

Brésil: La Révolution Tropicaliste

About the spectacular explosion of rap in Cuba - more than 600 groups have emerged in less than 5 years. It's a musical phenomenon tolerated by the Castro regime.