Art that evokes the Holocaust works best not when it shocks but when it enlightens. The melancholy music of Silent Tears may sound familiar—and its setting might be recognizable if its stage hadn’t gone dark in 1939. In the temporal bubble between World Wars I and II, Warsaw was one of the world centers of tango … More Payadora Tango Ensemble: Silent Tears – The Last Yiddish Tango
Air, time, energy, life, blood, words, water: They all flow and they all play roles in the trances, mysteries, ancient rituals, sharp insights, drama and delight of Siostry Rzeki (River Sisters), the third album by the Polish women’s trio Sutari. In eight songs, Basia Songin, Kasia Kapela and Zosia Zembrzuska explore nature, freedom and femininity while expressing themselves in endlessly creative … More Sutari: Siostry Rzeki / River Sisters
The grasslands of China’s Inner Mongolia region are far from any ocean, but Urna Chahar-Tugchi observes that her home turf is often called the “Sea of Songs”—a fitting metaphor for a rich musical culture and for Urna’s awe-inspiring voice, rising like a wave and sailing across a soundscape seemingly as expansive as her childhood horizon. She grew up in a family of herders … More Urna and Kroke: Ser
Poland’s first Muslim residents came by invitation when medieval rulers saw wisdom in welcoming Tatars, known for their military skills. A thriving community took root and there were Tatar units in the Polish army as late as 1939. Fewer than 5,000 Polish Tatars remain today; clustered mostly in the Bialystok region, they retain their faith, their cuisine and an affinity for archery, but not their language. In 2013, the Bialystok-born singer, composer … More Karolina Cicha & Bart Pałyga: Tatar Album
