African music, with its distinctive emphasis on polyrhythm and beats flowing from percussive instruments, was long treated as subordinate in the international music arena. Music from the continent contrasted the organized sound, instrumentation, and melody ...

Africa's music festival landscape has evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry, and as we sit here , it's impossible to deny how much the continent has become a powerhouse for live music experiences.

Randy Weston’s relentless advocacy for African music and culture has defined his storied jazz career. This weekend, the renowned jazz pianist, who first set foot on the continent nearly 40 years ago, brings his African Rhythms project to Newark for a ...

Traditional African musical sounds and songs are under threat today. More than 50 years after the end of official colonial rule, the legacy of colonialism continues to sideline many traditional musical practices as capitalism commodifies the art form as ...

With the massive cultural impacts of colonialism, technology, and commerce, African music has moved rapidly away from its centuries-old traditional roots. The influences of jazz and Caribbean music (particularly Cuban rhythms and calypso) were massive in ...

Joseph Kamaru, the performer who records under the name KMRU, admits that being a composer of ambient electronic music is not an obvious path to fame and fortune in his home country of Kenya. “It has not been easy to do what I do in Nairobi,” he ...

Boudina McConnachie is affiliated with Rhodes University and hosted Madosini at ILAM funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in 2021. Renowned African musician, songwriter and storyteller Latozi “Madosini” Mphahleni passed away late in 2022.

Selah Thompson (front) teaches how the skirt is used in Afro Cuban dance to mimic natural movements seen in nature at the Traditional Music Society dance class. Susan Pfannmuller Special to The Star Editor's Note: This interview is part of an ongoing Star ...

The country has a rich, original relationship to jazz, with American techniques layered into regional traditions and rhythms. Explore 50 years of recordings picked by musicians, poets and writers. By Giovanni Russonello We’ve spent five minutes each with ...