Win One Month of Spotify Premium and JamandaHalf Stickers! (Updated with a winner!)

Thanks to everyone who participated! The winner of our first raffle (picked by random), out of 135 total entries is...Miriam Psychas! Email us at Jamandahalf.com for your free month of Spotify Premium. Be on the lookout for more raffles coming soon. 

Spotify and other music streaming applications have changed the way people consume music as well as the face of this blog. Coming up with the playlists for our around-the-world trip posts would have been impossible even ten short years ago and would have likely involved digging through the cruddy back alleys of sites like Kazaa (shudder). With Spotify you have the world's music at your fingerprints, and although it still has a little while to go (especially when it comes to search and organization), it's safe to say that it's changed the way that Griff and I listen to and discover music. To celebrate the end of the "trip" and the beginning of a new era for JamandaHalf, we're running a little contest to give the best that Spotify has to offer: one month of Spotify Premium, a month of unlimited ad-free music, everywhere you go (with their mobile and desktop applications). To sweeten the deal, we'll send you three JamandaHalf stickers (wherever you may be). To enter this contest, you have various options below to get "raffle" tickets by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, tweeting about this contest, writing to us about who you think should appear in the next JamandaHalf post, and adding a comment to this post. This contests runs till 5/31 and we will announce the randomly picked winner then! Enter to win in the widget below and good luck!

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Fauré and Xzibit: A Classic Sample

A few weeks ago, I went with my lady friend to see the Basque National Orchestra at the Kursaal.  It was great to hear some quality live music in a city whose music scene consists of people playing the Txistu or Txalaparta and the occasional jazz band playing in a bar that looks like a cave.  That is not to say that there is not some cool music in the Basque Country because there most certainly is.[1]   Nonetheless, the show was much appreciated.

My favorite part of the show was when they played Pavane, Gabriel Fauré’s opus 50.  It lasted six minutes and I was bouncing and bobbing in my seat the whole time.  From the get-go until its end, the elderly couple sitting next to me must have thought I was having a sort of seizure.  I was in the groove and even busted out into a little rap from time to time.  The reason for my antics was that Pavane was sampled in the classic Xzibit song Paparazzi Live and Video.

Two great jams and one great moment for me, although I think that I creeped everyone else out. 

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[1] Future JamandaHalf post pending

JamandaHalf Does South Africa

Gator is one of the most potent DJs I have ever known.  Today, he graces JamandaHalf with an epic playlist as well as some knowledge about South African music and culture.  The Young Geezuz spent half of 2011 in his usual style, living like a king in Cape Town and studying African drum rhythms.  This is what he learned.  Thanks brother and much love!

  

If the United States is the melting pot of different cultures, than South Africa could be referred to as the pressure cooker.  With 11 different official languages recognized in the constitution (English being the 5^th most-spoken), the people of South Africa are truly an amalgamation of different cultures, each bringing its own values, beliefs, and music styles to the incredibly diverse modern state of South Africa. 

South African music reflects the country's muddled past, with artists combining different styles and techniques to create something new.  Many famous South African artists draw from the traditional techniques of the great native cultures of South Africa, such as the Xhosa, Zulu, and Sotho.  Other modern artists have been inspired by their European side, with house and techno vibes infused in their club thumping jams.  Most South African artists, however, have grown up listening to a wide variety of different genres and styles, and incorporate a bit of this and a bit of that to create something fresh.  This playlist ranges from Techno Pop songs to the traditional hymn that was used in The Lion King, so if you don’t like one jam, just go on to the next.  

Enjoy!

Ramblings on Dylan, Otis, Havens, Nina, Lennon, & Songwriting

Ten days ago, star JamandaHalf correspondent, Jeff Cairney sent Leks and I one of the most firey JamandaHalf posts ever.  The post was so potent that before we could make it public we needed to listen to Richie Havens nonstop for a week and a half.  Jeff has been blessing us with some of the most radical posts over the years and is one of the most soulful, intelligent, and good vibed dudes out there.  In his latest installment, Jeff gives us a little history lesson mixed with a splash of theory to sip on.  Many Thanks and Much Love. 

Richie Havens passed away a few weeks ago. I’ve thus been spending considering time recently with his repertoire and taking him in as he fades away. And I came across something...

Back in 1966, Bob Dylan wrote a “Just Like A Woman” for Otis Redding. It’s Dylan’s soul song (or one of them) and would have been incredible and at home if sung by the soulful Redding. Unfortunately, Otis passed away before he had the chance to record it (or before Dylan had a chance to convince Redding that he should record it). I've always thought of this as a missed opportunity…

So though we’ll never have Redding’s version of Dylan’s “Just Like A Woman”, perhaps what we do have is the next best thing. Richie Havens, in my opinion one of the most underrated and under-the-radar soul singers, did record “Just Like A Woman”. So in the end, this world is blessed with Dylan’s soul expressed by a great soul singer:

And it doesn’t stop there. Nina Simone, inspired by the style and lyrics of this Dylan song, decided to do her own soulful rendition (obviously not caring that the song was written for a man):

Then this got me thinking about Nina. And as Otis inspired Dylan who inspired Nina, Nina was also and continues to be an incredible inspiration for so many different people. Take even the Beatles, for example. Paul McCartney got stuck when writing the song “Michelle” and didn't know how to start the second verse. John Lennon, inspired by Nina Simone’s version of “I Put A Spell On You” that he had heard the night before, told Paul to use the phrase Nina skats out to amazingly weave the saxophone solo back into the song lyrics. This is the “I love you, I love you, I love you” that so simply sums up the meaning of “Michelle”.

Indeed, these are words that go together well.

JamandaHalfxVagabros: The End of a Journey

All good trips have to end sometime and this one was particularly memorable. Now that the Vagabrothers are in London, getting ready for whatever adventures and competitions may come (on their way to hopefully winning an around the world trip!!), our around the world musical journey has come to an end. But like all good adventures, the end of this one starts the beginning of another. Look out tomorrow for the start of a new chapter for JamandaHalf as we strive to bring you music that transcends boundaries. As well, to recap the 13 country journey we just took, check out our favorites from the many countries we "visited" over the last two weeks.

JamandaHalfxVagabrothers Destination 12: Romania

Romania’s music is good vibes.  Most of it can be roughly categorized as gypsy folk music, radical classical, crappy poppy club, or some sort of amalgamation.

The folk gypsy music is world renowned and characterized by traditional instruments such as the caboza and the tarogato  and reputed for its high energy. The country also produced many great classical composers during its time as part of the Ottoman Empire. However, today homegrown pop stars such as Alexandra Stan dominate the radio while artists like Nicolae Guta and the Mahala Rai Banda bridge the gap between old and new by fusing club and dance music with more traditional sounds. One thing's for sure Romanians must dance well! 

JamandaHalfxVagabrothers Destination 11: Turkey

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One of the most amazing experiences you can do for under $2 is crossing the Bosphorus river in Istanbul from the European side to the Asian side. Crossing the stretch of water is the best way to get a sense of the historical, physical, and cultural immenseness of the city. An amalgamation of East/West, Istanbul can perhaps best be defined by the "/". Turkish music, although less so, is also best described as a mix between the ancient and the modern, of strong musical roots based on thousands of years of civilization, and of swirling changes that puts it directly in 2013.

JamandaHalfxThe Vagabrothers Destination 10: Ecuador

Today, we accompany the light speed traveling Vagabros to Ecuador. Ecuadorian music is a representation of the country’s ethnic and regional diversity.  The country's African, Andean, Spanish and indigenous communities have influenced its radical music. In a typical song, light guitar picking and irie flutes might accompany lovesick lyrics or songs about condors. Ecuador's music, with a more Spanish vibe, features flamenco style guitar and percussion with vocals reminiscent of great Mexican ranchero ballads.  

¡Buenazo sabor andino!  ¡Que lo disfrutáis!

JamandaHalfxVagabrothers Destination 9: Cabo Verde

One day it would be amazing to replicate the type of trip Griff and I are taking, in "real" life of course, and visit perhaps 30 countries in 120 days or so. We would use those 96 hours to see live music and talk to as many locals as possible about what makes the music of that country special and how it relates to their culture, history, etc. But doing this virtual traveling, delving into the depths of Spotify, does have its benefits and one of those is being able to wake up and find ourselves not in dusty Rajasthan but in the tiny Atlantic island nation of Cabo Verde.

Cabo Verde's history has been a story of transit, immigration, and emigration. Cabo Verde was used as a stopover from Europe to the "new world" and Africa and was populated by the Portuguese and the African slaves they brought with them. The tiny archipelago therefore shares links to both Portuguese and Brazilian musical cultures, while its proximity to West Africa gives it even more flavor. However, behind the veneer of beaches and sun lies decades of stagnant economic growth (until recently) and many Cabo Verdians left, looking for a better life away (there are currently more Cabo Verdians living away from the islands than on the islands themselves). Cabo Verdian music reflects both this joy and melancholiness, and its national genre Morna birthed an international superstar in Cesária Évora. For such a tiny nation, Cabo Verde bursts with music and we did our best to capture a small panorama below. Tell us what you think!

JamandaHalfxVagabrothers Destination 8: Rajasthan

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When you're travelling, no amount of guidebooks nor internet forums can replace the wisdom of a local. Being able to see a city through the eyes of someone who lives there gives you a different perspective than being on your own, allowing you to live the city, not just see the sights.

While Griffdawg and I can scour the internet in search of the jams that begin to define a country's musical heritage, it can't come close to someone who has lived that heritage. Today's destination is brought to you by Mrinal, a good friend I met while interning in Hyderabad, India. Currently living and working in Bangalore, Mrinal's musical wisdom runs deep. A budding musician himself, Mrinal is the drummer of Divine Raaga (check out a song from them below and an interview coming soon!), a Bangalore-based band that recently made waves in the Hard Rock Cafe's global battle of the bands, playing in the top 50 out of thousands of bands worldwide. Presenting a best-of "Indian music" playlist is impossible, as is a best of "Indian food" dinner-India's cultural, linguistic, and musical landscape is so vast that it would be impossible to define in a few songs (or plates!). Mrinal writes, "I have tried to represent (albeit its impossible) the current modern soundscape that Indian music is," and shares with us a playlist that draws from many different backgrounds, some of them quite surprising to a non-local ear. Enjoy the YouTube playlist below (as many of the songs weren't on Spotify) and let us know what you think! Thanks again Mrinal.