Hailing from Toulouse in Southern France, this acoustic quartet has always proudly proclaimed its disorderly musical borrowing, blending, and appropriation of influences from other cultures. In 2001, Le Tigre [des Platanes] discovered the Ethiopiques series, and soon included some chosen Ethiopian pieces in their eclectic repertoire, interpreting them in their own personal fashion. During a trip to Addis Ababa, they met Eténèsh Wassie, a husky-voiced singer who is perhaps the Abyssinian sister of Edith Piaf and Billie Holiday. The five musicians undertook the challenge of playing beautiful Ethiopian standards together, really exploring new musical territories and making the result a true sum of their personalities.

The ultimate Bollywood compilation features fifteen original soundtrack songs by Asha Bhosle, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Lata Mangeshkar, and many more. Includes 75 minutes of music and a 16-page booklet with singer profiles and information about the films.

This recording is a manifesto: modernism, culture, temporality, style, and improvisation are all concepts that Joël Grare plays with, like a juggler. His group, falling somewhere between a chamber music ensemble and a traditional one, plays standards like jazzmen—except their standards are magnificent themes from Spain, Turkey, China, and more.

With a history of more than 2000 years, the Chinese pipa is one of that culture’s oldest and most elegant instruments. Jiang Ting won first prize in China’s national pipa performance contest in 1996 and graduated from the Beijing Conservatory 1997. This is her first recording outside China.