Let's face it -- we all need to relax a little more and stress out a little less. Studies show that our stress is quite literally killing us and a little bit of chilling out goes a long way. Now, I'm pretty good at zoning out and calming down, so for me, it's about remembering to find the time and make the space. For a lot of people, though, it's hard to tune out the world, and music therapy, either self-guided or with a professional therapist, can be the ideal solution. I've put together a collection of CDs of world music for relaxation and meditation, which includes artists from around the world who play music that is either intended for meditation (such as Japanese Shakuhachi music, from the Zen Buddhist tradition) or music that is simply beautiful and relaxing (such as Hawaiian slack-key guitar music).
Load them into your MP3 player and meditate daily or weekly, or just use them to help you through a special occasion (perhaps to soothe you through your exam if you're afraid of the dentist, or even to help you relax and focus during labor and birth). Or heck, just have 'em on tap if your commute home gets too stressful.
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Image (c) Razor and Tie
Polka legend Eddie Blazonczyk, Sr. has passed away in Chicago at the age of 70. Blazonczyk, who led the band The Versatones, owned and ran the polka record label Bel-Aire Records, and recorded well over 60 full-length albums, retired from performing after a stroke in 2001. He was a Grammy-winner and was honored with an NEA National Heritage Fellowship, and he was truly a driving force for polka music, and by extension, all endangered American roots genres.
Read a full obituary at the Chicago Tribune Online.
Today marks the 31st anniversary of Bob Marley's death at age 36 from malignant melanoma. In his honor, let's get out the old turntable (or queue up your personal mp3 device; whatever floats your boat) and let the mellow mood get us.
Saturday was my final day at Festival International 2012. It was a grand way to end my weekend, though. Among my highlights were Irish traditionalists Teada, who wowed me with their lively and deeply-rooted, non-fusionist take on Irish music (and surprised me with the addition of a new member of the band, accordionist and sean-nos singer Seamus Begley, quite the living legend of the island).
I also loved seeing Debo Band, the Boston-based Ethiopiques revival band, live for the first time -- what a show! And, of course, there was Lindigo, the Reunion Island Maloya group who I'd been looking forward to for a long time. They did not let me down. Naturally, being a huge festival, I also caught several bits and pieces of other bands (and... ahem... meat pies and gelato) on the way to and from various stages, which is always great fun. I didn't have any big surprises or new finds this year, but I loved so much of what I saw anyway that it really didn't matter. Here's a round-up of the photo galleries that I've posted thus far; more are on the way!
To catch a few more exclusive photographs from Festival International, as well as regular updates and discussions from other world music fans, "like" World Music at About.com on Facebook. See you over there!
Khaira Arby Image (c) Megan Romer, 2012 -- Licensed to About.com
