Exploring Turkish-Sephardic roots with Janet and Jak Esim

The existence of a Jewish community is maybe not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Turkey, but in fact Jewish populations were present in Anatolia way before the arrival of the Turkish populations from the East... The Jewish community in Istanbul still has deep roots and is well represented in all fields, from cultural activities to finance and industry... Since the late 80s, Janet and Jak Esim have intensively researched and represented Turkish Jewish traditions - especially Sefardi but also Askenazi - with their own complex story of differences and similarities. Their long-term commitment has produced half a dozen recordings. Francesco Martinelli explores the history of the music and the evolution of The Janet and Jak Esim Ensemble.

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Marcel Khalife's plea for peace

Marcel Khalife held a press conference at the UNESCO International Headquarters in Paris on August 3 and delivered a plea to his fellow artists around the world to take a stand on the Israeli war into Lebanon.

You can read the complete text of his message in this PDF file

Moacir Santos dies at 80

Moacir Santos, the Pernambuco-born Brazilian musical legend who influenced 2 generations of artists in his native country and beyond died last week at the age of 80.

He was recently enjoying a renewed interst in his work via a compliation of new recordings of his compositions by younger and better-known Brazilian musicians, including Milton Nascimento and Gilberto Gil titled "Ouro Negro'' and a reqworking of his classics by Mário Adnet (guitar) and Zé Nogueira called "Choros & Alegria."