Salsamuffin invades North America!

Bold and brassy as ever, the mestizo music heavyweight 
Sergent Garcia Announces the Una y Otra Vez Tour! 

Sergent Garcia, a massive star around the globe, is set to invade North America with a six-week concert tour starting this August. One of the pioneering figures in the global Latin Alternative movement, Bruno Garcia (a.k.a. Sergent Garcia) is bringing his uplifting and defiant sound to festivals and clubs across the US and Canada.

A revolutionary at heart, Sergent Garcia takes stabs at the status quo with hard-hitting lyrics blended with funky grooves spiked with salsa, reggae, cumbia, ska, rock and hip-hop. Sergent Garcia’s albums have sold hundreds of thousands of copies, and his latest, Una y Otra Vez (Time and Time Again) is now available on the Cumbancha label. A critically-acclaimed tour-de-force, Una y Otra Vez offers a musical journey to the heart of Colombia, currently the source for some of Latin America's hottest sounds. Having become enchanted with the country after a highly successful Latin American tour, Bruno returned to Colombia, deepening his friendships and musical connections through collaborations with the stars of the vital underground electrotropical scene, including Bomba Estéreo, La Mojarra Eléctrica, La-33, Sidestepper and others. About.com says of the album, "It's fresh, it's topical, it's relevant, and it's fun enough to blast from your car speakers ad infinitum until the warm weather subsides (and beyond)."

Grab a Free Track with Li Saumet of Bomba Estéreo on Sergent Garcia's Facebook Page

Sergent Garcia emerged out of the churning underground musique metisses movement of Paris in the 1990s where punk rock attitude, hip hop swagger, latin swing and reggae consciousness blended together to form a powerful sound. Having grown up in a house where Spanish, French, Algerian and West African culture overlapped, Bruno Garcia first earned fame with the French punk rock band Ludwig von 88. After falling in love with Latin and Caribbean music, Bruno created the Sergent Garcia persona and quickly became one of Europe and Latin America’s most successful artists. A stirring combination of grooving multicultural grooves and outspoken political expression continues to be the heart of the Sergent Garcia sound and the band’s live shows are renowned worldwide for their sense of celebration and conviction.

SERGENT GARCIA'S UNA Y OTRA VEZ TOUR

Aug, 12	Gaspe, Quebec	Musique Festival du Bout du Monde
Aug, 13	Caraquet, New Brunswick	Festival Acadien
Aug, 16	Toronto, Ontario	Lula Lounge
Aug, 17	London, Ontario	Aeolian Hall
Aug, 20	Salmon Arm, British Columbia	Salmon Arm Folk & Roots Festival
Aug, 21	Salmon Arm, British Columbia	Salmon Arm Folk & Roots Festival
Aug, 23	Seattle, WA	Nectar
Aug, 24	Portland, OR	Aladdin Theater
Aug, 26	Oakland, CA	New Parish
Aug, 27	San Francisco, CA	The Independent
Aug, 31	Los Angeles, CA	The Roxy Theater
Sept, 01	San Diego, CA	Belly Up Tavern
Sept, 02	Tucson, AZ	Rialto Theater
Sept, 03	Miami, FL	PAX Miami
Sept, 08	Washington D.C.	Black Cat
Sept, 10	New York, NY	SOBs
Sept, 13	Austin, TX	Flamingo Cantina
Sept, 16	Albuquerque, NM	Globalquerque
Sept, 17	Madison, WI	Madison World Music Festival
Sept, 18	Milwaukee, WI	Milwaukee World Music Festival
Sept, 18	Chicago, IL	Chicago World Music Festival
Sept, 20	Quebec City, Quebec	Palais Montcalm
Sept, 21	Montreal, Quebec	Le National

Luísa Maita wins Best New Artist at Brazilian Music Awards!

Cumbancha is very pleased to announce that Luísa Maita has won as Best New Artist at the Brazilian Music Awards, the Brazilian equivalent of the GRAMMY! This award continues the remarkable string of accolades and encouragement that she has received from music critics, industry insiders and most importantly, fans. Congratulations Luísa! 

Luísa will be embarking on her debut European tour on July 14th and then touring North America starting in August. View the tour dates here and check back frequently for more additions. 

Luísa Maita Tour Dates

Cumbancha Launches Summer Global Music Voyage!

Cumbancha, Putumayo & Music Voyager Present:

SUMMER GLOBAL MUSIC VOYAGE!

at

 HIGHER GROUND

Featuring Novalima (Peru), Freshlyground (South Africa), Bombino (Niger), 

and Rupa & the April Fishes (USA/France/India) 

This summer, Vermont is guaranteed to have one of the hottest summers on record. The Summer Global Music Voyage!, a live concert series taking place at Higher Ground in South Burlington, begins on June 30th and features some of the greatest music from around the world including Novalima (Peru), Freshlyground (South Africa), Rupa & the April Fishes (USA/France/India) and Bombino (Niger). 

Summer Global Music Voyage! is presented by Vermont’s own global music record label Cumbancha, Putumayo and Music Voyager in partnership with Higher Ground, Vermont Public Television, North Country Public Radio, 7 Days, and WNCS The Point.

• Thursday, June 30 – Novalima

Peru’s pioneering band blends soulful Afro-Peruvian roots music with cutting-edge electronic beats, dub, and rock to create and exciting, danceable new sound. 

• Saturday, July 9 – Freshlyground

South Africa’s most popular band, Freshlyground is world famous for their collaboration with Shakira on last year’s World Cup theme song.

• Wednesday, July 13 - Rupa & the April Fishes

With their hip and enchanting mix of French Latin, Gypsy, Indian sounds and more, this trend-setting band is redefining the sound of contemporary music.

• Friday, July 22 – Bombino

The new star of Desert Blues, Bombino's electrifying jams capture the spirit of resistance and rebellion while echoing with guitar riffs reminiscent of fellow Africans Tinariwen and Ali Farka Touré.

Each show is $16 in advance / $20 at the door, or a special “4 for 40 Passport” is available that includes all four concerts for $40. All shows at 8pm. Limited Passports are available so order yours now!

Buy a Passport at the Higher Ground website

From the contemporary Afro-Peruvian electronic grooves of Peru’s Novalima and the upbeat anthems of South African stars Freshlyground, to the entrancing desert blues of Tuareg guitar phenom Bombino and the boundary-crossing bouillabaisse of San Francisco’s multicultural collective Rupa & the April Fishes, the Summer Global Music Voyage! brings the best of the world to Vermont.

Tune into Vermont Public Television Saturdays at 10pm to watch the exciting second season of the music and travel television series Music Voyager hosted by Cumbancha’s founder Jacob Edgar. Join the Music Voyager team as they uncover the sights, tastes and sounds of our diverse and fascinating world.

Bombino's Agadez Continues to Astound Critics and Fans

Bombino's Cumbancha debut continues to blow away critics and fans while achieving strong sales along the way. Even before the album was officially released, Agadez had already reached #1 on the iTunes World Music Chart and after the true release date it dominated the chart for almost a week. On Amazon.com Agadez peaked at #2 on the World Music chart and #72 in Music over all, and even topped Rihanna's hit pop album Loud for a while landing at #8 on the R&B sales chart!  For the past three weeks, Agadez has been in the top ten on Billboard's World Music Charts, peaking at #6.

In the weeks following the album's release NPR continued to give Agadez praise with two reviews. The first was on Fresh Air with Terry Gross where critic Milo Miles called Bombino, "a young performer with the charisma and probing imagination to become the first Tuareg star." NPR's flagship news program All Things Considered followed with critic Banning Eyer asserting, "Bombino makes the suffering of an ancient people in a harsh and distant land sound both strangely contemporary and universally appealing." Canada's Exclaim raved a week later calling Agadez, "beautiful, passionate, refreshing music."

Bombino's album is generating incredible buzz in the UK and Europe as well. The UK's premier world music magazine, Songlines has made Agadez a "Top of the World" pick. Germany's Hessischer Rundfunk radio program in Frankfurt chose Agadez as the album of the week while Spain's World Music published an extensive feature noting, "This born fighter not only has a great technique on the guitar, but also has excellent qualities as a singer and composer" In France the raves keep coming with Vibrations publishing a beautiful 4 page spread on young Tuareg artists featuring Bombino, and the daily L'humanite writing that, "Bombino's music goes straight to the heart."

The buzz is also burning up the blogosphere where Bill Meyer the influential blog Dusted wrote of Bombino's "innate melodicism" and went on to say, "his tunes are equally winning whether led by his soulful voice or his tart guitar." Huffington Post called the album, "a spiritual and political masterpiece." Melophobe's 50 word review said Bombino has "a guitar tone lush as an oasis" and Vivoscene went so far as to say, "If you never buy another record in your life, buy Agadez."

Bombino is available at your favorite retailer and directly from Bombino's Bandcamp page where we have the Exclusive Digital Bonus Version available as a free download when you purchase the physical digipak CD. All full album downloads from the bandcamp page include full digital liner notes with song lyrics and translations.

A deluxe double-vinyl LP featuring three tracks not include on the CD version will be released in early July to correspond with Bombino’s first US tour. Click here for tour dates.

CREATE® TV Channel Adds Music Voyager to its Schedule

Starting May 23, the music and travel series will join Create® TV's respected lineup of lifestyle programming

Download the Press Release PDF

Music Voyager (www.musicvoyager.com), the acclaimed music and travel television series that takes viewers to the world's musical hotspots, has been added to the regular broadcast schedule of Create® TV (www.createtv.com), a nationwide channel delivered to public television stations across the United States. Starting May 23rd, Music Voyager can be seen on Mondays and Fridays at 9:30am, 3:30pm, 9:30pm and 3:30am Eastern Standard Time on over 236 channels nationwide.

View the Full Music Voyager Schedule on Create® TV

More often called “ do-it-yourself”, the program genres seen on Create® TV include viewers' favorite public television series and specials on cooking, travel, arts and crafts, gardening, home improvement and other lifestyle interests. Music Voyager will be featured alongside respected programs such as This Old House, Globe Trekker, America's Test Kitchen and dozens of other popular shows. Music Voyager host Jacob Edgar is joining an illustrious roster of Create® TV television personalities that include Jaques Pépin, Rick Steves, Julia Child, Lidia Bastianich, Eric Ripert  and other household names.

Create® TV is produced and distributed by American Public Television (APT), WNET and WGBH Boston in association with NETA and PBS. Create was designed for round-the-clock broadcast of the most popular lifestyle and how-to programming seen on public television – where lifestyle programming got its start!

Follow the Music Voyager team as they explore the globe in search of unexpected adventures and surprising discoveries that unveil the magic and mystery of music from near and far. With local musicians as his guide, host Jacob Edgar tastes exotic and occasionally ghastly food, visits off-the-beaten path attractions and parties the night away at amazing concerts in hidden venues that only the locals know. Along the way, viewers are rewarded with a VIP pass to nightclubs, festivals, recording studios and rehearsal rooms, experiencing an ear-opening journey along the world’s musical heartbeat.

Watch host Jacob Edgar take a marimba lesson with Grupo Bahia on location in Colombia

With 18 episodes completed and more in production, Music Voyager has traveled to India, Jamaica, Colombia, Louisiana, Los Angeles and other musical destinations in search of exceptional music and musicians. The program has featured 4x Grammy winner India.Arie, GRAMMY-winning producer Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck, reggae star Tarrus Riley, Colombian pop star Fonseca, Bollywood legend Kailash Kher, blues guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd and dozens of other renowned and up-and-coming musicians from across the planet.

The Music Voyager series is produced by Los Angeles-based Tantra (www.tantraww.com), whose credits include The Music Box, The Abraham Song, The RockStar Diaries, as well as numerous music videos and live music projects across four continents. Tantra specializes in leading edge multiple-platform productions that expand the role of traditional media to include broadband, interactive and other cutting edge experiences for its target audience. The production and filming of Music Voyager is led by Filament Productions (www.filamentproductions.com), a Colorado-based production company specializing in original content for television, commercials and documentaries. 

Music Voyager host Jacob Edgar is an ethnomusicologist and music producer whose travels as the music researcher for acclaimed label Putumayo World Music (www.putumayo.com) and president of successful indie label Cumbancha (www.cumbancha.com) have taken him to dozens of countries and hundreds of the world’s greatest international music festivals, showcases and performance venues in search of exceptional musical talents.

Connect with Music Voyager 

     

For more information, links to episode previews, a list of broadcasters and other material visit www.musicvoyager.com or contact:

Simeon Chapin @ Cumbancha / Tel: +1 (802) 425-2118 * Fax: +1 (866) 340-0054 / Email: simeon@cumbancha.com /  www.cumbancha.com

Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars Meet DJ Logic on the "Rise & Shine Remixes" EP

A long time fan of Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, DJ, turntablist and producer DJ Logic has taken five tracks from the band's acclaimed 2010 release Rise & Shine and reworked the original session files into a set of funky, dubbed out remixes. The album Rise & Shine Remixes is available direct from the All Stars at shows on their Positive Revolution Tour, on their bandcamp site, and will be released on iTunes and Amazon in the coming weeks.

As the founder of Project Logic and frequent collaborator with jazz and rock artists such as Vernon Reid, John Mayer, Medeski Martin & Wood, Jack Johnson, Christian McBride, Carley Simon and more, DJ Logic established himself as one of the go to DJs for live band collaboration. His improvisational approach to composition and production is captured on more than 8 albums under the Project Logic or DJ Logic name. 

"The ability of music to transcend borders and cultures is one of its most powerful characteristics.  The Sierra Leone Refugee All-Stars have literally survived through their struggles because of this, and I am honored to be part of this great remix." - DJ Logic

Download DJ Logic's "Muloma Remix" For Free

Sergent Garcia's Triumphant Return "Una y Otra Vez" Available Worldwide on May 17th

Critics in Europe rave about Una y Otra Vez

North American Tour Scheduled for August/September

"Fans of Manu Chao will find Sergent Garcia immediately recognizable: insistently catchy reggae and salsa rhythms, sing-song rap, horn riffs propelling the whole mix" - Financial Times (UK)

Sergent Garcia's triumphant return album Una Y Otra Vez (Time and Time Again) will be released on May 17th in North America. Sergent Garcia's Fans and critics in Europe have been raving about the album since it's European release earlier this month calling it, "massively danceable," and, "as powerful as ever."

A heavyweight in the European mestizo music scene, Sergent Garcia is a pioneer in blending the fiery Caribbean sounds of salsa, reggae, ska and dancehall with a punk attitude and continental style. Una y Otra Vez finds him traveling to Colombia to dive into what is currently the epicenter of some of the world's hottest sounds.

Download "Mi Son, Mi Friend" featuring Li Saumet from Bomba Estéreo

Sergent Garcia is currently in the midst of a massive European tour and will be bringing his signature salsamuffin sounds to North and South America this Summer.

View Sergent Garcia's Tour Dates