4 Top of the World The E d ito r ’s to p ten CDs reviewed in th is issue

5 Soundtracks Senegalese m u s ic man Baaba Maal speaks o f h is p ro p h e t ic role; Ghalia Benali shares th e voice behind her d e bu t a lb um ; Portuguese o u t f i t Madredeus d is cuss th e i r fam e ; Martin Carthy re f le c ts on his past 6 0 years o f fo lk ; B r it is h -A s ia n com poser Nitin Sawhney ta lk s a b ou t h is m usica l ‘jo u rn e y ’ ; world m usic pioneers 3 Mustaphas 3 untangle th e i r w i ld past plus th e M y World in te rv ie w w ith f i lm p roducer Ismail Merchant, Cyberlines, Nascente CDs c om p e t i t io n , news and more

24 Cover feature: Manu Chao The European cha rt-to pp in g bad boy rem in isces about adventures past, success achieved and his expectations fo r his new a lbum and the fu tu re . Phil Sweeney reports

29 Compass Points A l ife w i th o u t m us ic : th is is re a l ity in A fg hanistan . John Baily e xp la in s how censorship o f everyday th in g s in fo rced by th e Taliban is pa rt of normal life

32 Postcard S im on B roughton sends us h is memories of a fo lk r i tu a l in Russia

34 The Songlines Guide to

Merengue and Bachata La tin feve r has s tru ck and London c lu b s are now th u m p in g w ith th e merengue and bachata rh y thm . Joan Shenton takes us to th e D om in ican R epublic to d iscover more about th is dance music craze

42 The Art of Music Andrew Means expores th e h is to ry o f a f lu te -p la y in g North American fo lk lo r ic em b lem

44 Tools of the Trade: the kora Lucy Duran explores th e m y th and mystery behind one of A f r ic a ’s most im p o r ta n t in s trum en ts

53 Reviews A fric a

North America

Page 54

Page 70

South, Central Am e r ic a and th e Caribbean Page 72 Asia Page 8 2 A u s tra lia & P a c if ic Is lands Page 8 6 Europe Page 8 9 Jewish Page 105 M id d le East Page 106 Fusion Page 1 0 8 Global c om p i la t io n s Page 116 Books Page 1 1 6

118 Label Traveller S im on B roughton p ro f i le s th e record labels Nascente, Tropical and Eagle

120 On the Road Dates and venues fo r some of the key fo r th com in g concerts and festivals, in c lu d in g Lady Smith Black Mambazo. Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson, Sidmouth Festival and WOMAD

126 UK Label Distributors A d ire c to ry o f UK sup p l ie rs o f record labels fe a tu re d in Songlines

128 Backpack Andy Kershaw tra ve ls to Iraq to meet fe l lo w DJs

Key to recording details

© indicates a full-price CD release (£ 1 0 .0 0 or more for a single disc, or the equivalent per disc in a multiple CD set)

® indicates a medium-price CD release (£7.00-£9.99, as above)

® indicates a bargain-price CD (£5.00-£6.99, as above)

In CD review headings, artist names are given first, followed by the title of the disc, the record label, record price range and catalogue number, and total timing of the disc

Autumn 2001 Songlines 3