Went to Timbutunes on Hawthorne, a completely amazing CD store that specializes in world music, jazz and contemporary classical. Exactly the kind of store I would run if I didn't need to make money
Bought a bunch of discs:
A 3 CD set of music from the Western Sahara, featuring a bunch of tracks by Nayim Allal, one of the most interesting guitarists I've heard lately. Does traditional Sahrouis music on highly processed electric guitar, very cool stuff.
A CD by Vreshki and Koreshki, I may have the name wrong, it's russian for Roots and Leaves, a truly strange quartet consisting of a Senegalese singer who also plays a traditional harp, a Tuvan throat singer who plays traditional tuvan fiddle also, a Russian acoustic bassist with a background in avant/free improv and a Russian classical pianist. Often these world fusion things don't work, but this disc really does. Vladimir Volkov , the bassist, kicks my ass.
The new Moondog compilation on Honest John's.
Terry Riley's music for the Gift, which features him doing tape edits and looping on the Chet Baker trio, very cool and more than a few decades ahead of its time.
A GS Sachdev disc of ragas on flute, with Zakir Hussein
Several discs of Jordi Savall doing medeival and renaissance music on Viole de Gamba
And other cool stuff...
