Ben Mandelson Ben Mandelson is a freelance record producer who has worked in all areas of world music. He is co-founder and A & R Manager / house producer for the 'GlobeStyle Records' label which has almost 100 releases to date from all over the world. And that's just one of a multitude of companies that benefit from his production talents. Ben has on-site recording experience in Africa, the Balkans and beyond. He was Director of WOMEX 1994-1997. His current musical activity 'on the other side of the glass' is as member of Billy Bragg's fabulous orchestra, "The Blokes".
Charlie Gillett Charlie Gillett is a pioneer of world music, having provided first UK airplay on his radio show for a host of African and Caribbean artists, among them Youssou N'Dour, Arrow and Salif Keita, in a broadcasting career that spans thirty years. Author of The Sound of the City (first published in 1970; third edition 1996), Charlie began his broadcasting career on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio London in March 1972. He moved to Capital Radio where he worked from 1980 to 1990. Since 1995, he's presented Saturday Night on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ London Live where he has been host to all the main figures of world music in Britain as well as visitors including David Byrne, Taj Mahal and Dan Storper from USA , Francis Falceto (France) and Stan Rijven (Holland). Charlie was Sony broadcaster of the Year in 1991 and compiled the CD sets, World 2000 (Hemisphere) and World 2001 (Virgin). He is also co-director of the Oval record label and publishing company, whose 'Would You...?' by Touch and Go was a worldwide hit, 1998-1999.
Fiona Talkington Fiona Talkington presents the award winning programme, "Late Junction", one of a wide range of programmes on which she's worked since joining Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3 in 1989. She describes her musical interests as 'global' but has a passion for Beethoven and Handel's Messiah, Jan Garbarek and the music of the Nordic countries. Unlikely as it may seem Fiona's interest in Nordic music stemmed from meeting a group of Norwegian musicians in a cowboy night-club in Missouri! Her travels this year have included trips to the Molde International Jazz festival in Norway and to the Kuhmo Festival in Finland where, in the interests of broadcasting, she sampled tar liquor while cycling round a lake! Fiona lives in Berkshire with her two children whose worst fear in life is the sound of the postman knocking on the door with yet more strange CDs for mum to listen to!
Jameela Siddiqi Jameela Siddiqi is a novelist, journalist and broadcaster who came to Britain as a refugee from Uganda in 1972. She studied English and History at Makerere University Kampala, and at the London School of Economics. She has worked as a television journalist, broadcaster and writer since 1976. She won a Sony Gold award for her series "Songs of the Sufi Mystics" on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Radio (1997) and was presenter of the acclaimed Radio 3 series "Nights of the Goddess" (2000) which featured music from Mumbai. She has compiled numerous albums and written liner notes for Indian classical, devotional film and folk music CDs. She is a regular contributor and reviewer for 'Songlines' and has authored chapters on Indian music for both 'Rough Guides to World Music' and a forthcoming Cambridge University volume. She has also written for a CD-Rom on the origins and evolution of Indian Classical music. Her first novel, "The Feast of the Nine Virgins" was published by Bogle L'Ouverture in London, (2001). She has just completed a second novel, "Bombay Gardens.
Juan Carlos Jaramillo Juan Carlos Jaramillo read Law and Music in his native Colombia. After graduating in 1986 he worked as a lawyer in the fields of music copyright and intellectual property. By then he had started writing on music in leading newspapers in Bogota. In 1989 he joined the national broadcasting corporation, Radio Nacional de Colombia, where he gathered experience in programming, recording live concerts and folk music festivals. In the early 90's he combined post graduate studies in Musicology at King's College, London with freelance work at the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Latin American Service. In 1993 he became a staff member where he has worked in Current Affairs and Features and eventually World Service Music since 1999. He has produced, among other things, series on Latin American music, both folk and Classical as well as produced and presented a series both in English and Spanish on Latin American folk music instruments. Juan Carlos plays the piano and sings, but he especially enjoys playing Colombia's folk music on the accordion.
Jamie Renton Jamie Renton is a freelance music journalist who writes about a broad range of global musical styles (African, Latin American, Asian, Blues, Jazz, Reggae etc etc). He started writing in 1997 when he acquired a family and a mortgage and needed to find a way to feed his musical addiction. He is now a regular contributor to fRoots and Straight No Chaser and has also written for Songlines, The Beat and The Encyclopaedia of Popular Music, as well as providing sleevenotes for albums on the Luaka Bop and Nascente labels. Jamie lives in East London with his family, his mortgage and his (still raging) musical addiction.
Lucy Duran Lucy Duran, presenter of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3's "World Routes", is an ethnomusicologist and lecturer in music at the School of Oriental and African Studies. She was born in New York into a musical family and lived also in Chile and Greece where her early years were filled with folk music. Though she specialised in Indian and Greek music, the music of West Africa and Cuba became the focus of her research after hearing a recording of the kora. She studied with a kora maestro in the Gambia and has worked with musicians like Youssou N'Dour, Ali Farka Toure and Mory Kante. In the eighties Lucy presented Radio 4's "Kaleidoscope" as well as many location features including "Talking Drum" and "Latins in the USA" (Sony silver award, 1994). She spent long periods in Mali researching the music and has produced several albums of kora music including Songhai 2 (NAIRD award-winner 1994) and Kulanjan (Folk Roots album-of-the-year, 1999). She received the Andy Kershaw Radio 2 Folk Award 2000.
Mark Ellingham Mark Ellingham is the Publisher of Rough Guides, which he set up 20 years ago. He edits, with Simon Broughton, the door-stopping, two volume reference book, The Rough Guide to World Music.
Rita Ray Rita Ray is a club dj whose repertoire spans the musical spectrum from dance hall vibes and Afro Cuban rhythms to cutting edge jazz and nu beats. As one of the DJ partners in the London club 'The Mambo Inn', she helped set the standard for Global music clubs. Rita runs an array of clubs combining dj sets and live music and poetry including the Club Space Race at London's Fridge Bar, The Mwalim Express, an Afro Chill Out Sunday afternoon club in South London and The Shrine which features live bands from Afro Beat to Rai. Rita guests at clubs all over the UK + Europe including The Big Chill, Future World Funk, The Limpopo Club at the Africa Centre, Dynamite - Dublin, Funkadelica - Turin and What's Up Bar in Paris as well as festival stints at Womad, Glastonbury and the Phoenix. Her Shrine Afrobeat and Shrine Future Sounds from the Motherland compilations have been released on Ocho records to rave reviews while her radio work includes co presenting The African Review programme for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service, regular reviewer on London Live and presenter of "The Bokor Beats Show" on Spectrum Radio's Talking Africa. You'll also hear Rita's global music shows on several transatlantic airlines.
Sam Farah Sam has spent the last twelve years exploring the heart and soul of the Arabic music world. As features & music producer/presenter for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service, he is responsible for the Arabic Service's output of Arabic, Western and World music, weaved together in his popular and long running weekly show "The Jukebox". In 2002, he set up SongEvent, a music production company based in the Middle East, specialising in Arabic instrumental music which marries the diverse rhythms of the east with a distinctive world beat. Born in Lebanon and raised on the hauntingly beautiful voices of Fairuz and Abdul Halim Hafez, he then discovered world music after living in the US in the early 80's and Cyprus in the late 80's, before finally settling down in the UK in 1990 and joining the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ. Married with 2 little boys, Sam now works full time for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Arabic, with regular forays into Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3 and contributions to various music publications in London.
Simon Broughton Simon Broughton is an experienced writer, broadcaster and filmmaker and an authority on World Music. He is editor of Songlines, the World Music magazine launched in Jan 1999 and he is co-editor of the Rough Guide to World Music (now in its second edition) which is the essential handbook to popular and traditional music around the globe. He also wrote 100 Essential World Music CDs (Rough Guides), a choice of top recordings for those taking their first steps into some of the fantastic sounds around the world. He has produced an array of radio and television programmes on world music and culture including "Gypsy in my Soul" for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4, a forthcoming pioneering series on music in Iran for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3 and 2 episodes of the groundbreaking Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ "Rhythms of the World" back in the early 90's.
Verity Sharp Verity Sharp joined Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3 in 1993 where she has worked at all levels of radio production. She currently presents "Late Junction" which features an eclectic mix of repertoire reflecting her love of everything from world music to contemporary classical. Last year she won the Silver Sony Music Broadcaster Award. Her education at Dartington College of Arts in Devon laid the foundation for her World Music credentials where she was introduced to African music by the expert, Frank Denyer, the Japanese shakuhachi by Yoshikazu Iwamoto and the Indian tabla by Sharda Sahai. She has a music degree from York University where she studied composition with John Paynter, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and Steve Martland. She recently anchored the live web cast and concert for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3's Africa Music Night from London's Jazz Cafe. Verity plays the cello and piano and enjoys travelling.
Ben Mandelson is a freelance record producer who has worked in all areas of world music. He is co-founder and A & R Manager / house producer for the 'GlobeStyle Records' label which has almost 100 releases to date from all over the world. And that's just one of a multitude of companies that benefit from his production talents. Ben has on-site recording experience in Africa, the Balkans and beyond. He was Director of WOMEX 1994-1997. His current musical activity 'on the other side of the glass' is as member of Billy Bragg's fabulous orchestra, "The Blokes".
Charlie Gillett is a pioneer of world music, having provided first UK airplay on his radio show for a host of African and Caribbean artists, among them Youssou N'Dour, Arrow and Salif Keita, in a broadcasting career that spans thirty years. Author of The Sound of the City (first published in 1970; third edition 1996), Charlie began his broadcasting career on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio London in March 1972. He moved to Capital Radio where he worked from 1980 to 1990. Since 1995, he's presented Saturday Night on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ London Live where he has been host to all the main figures of world music in Britain as well as visitors including David Byrne, Taj Mahal and Dan Storper from USA , Francis Falceto (France) and Stan Rijven (Holland). Charlie was Sony broadcaster of the Year in 1991 and compiled the CD sets, World 2000 (Hemisphere) and World 2001 (Virgin). He is also co-director of the Oval record label and publishing company, whose 'Would You...?' by Touch and Go was a worldwide hit, 1998-1999.
Fiona Talkington presents the award winning programme, "Late Junction", one of a wide range of programmes on which she's worked since joining Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3 in 1989. She describes her musical interests as 'global' but has a passion for Beethoven and Handel's Messiah, Jan Garbarek and the music of the Nordic countries. Unlikely as it may seem Fiona's interest in Nordic music stemmed from meeting a group of Norwegian musicians in a cowboy night-club in Missouri! Her travels this year have included trips to the Molde International Jazz festival in Norway and to the Kuhmo Festival in Finland where, in the interests of broadcasting, she sampled tar liquor while cycling round a lake! Fiona lives in Berkshire with her two children whose worst fear in life is the sound of the postman knocking on the door with yet more strange CDs for mum to listen to!
Jameela Siddiqi is a novelist, journalist and broadcaster who came to Britain as a refugee from Uganda in 1972. She studied English and History at Makerere University Kampala, and at the London School of Economics. She has worked as a television journalist, broadcaster and writer since 1976. She won a Sony Gold award for her series "Songs of the Sufi Mystics" on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Radio (1997) and was presenter of the acclaimed Radio 3 series "Nights of the Goddess" (2000) which featured music from Mumbai. She has compiled numerous albums and written liner notes for Indian classical, devotional film and folk music CDs. She is a regular contributor and reviewer for 'Songlines' and has authored chapters on Indian music for both 'Rough Guides to World Music' and a forthcoming Cambridge University volume. She has also written for a CD-Rom on the origins and evolution of Indian Classical music. Her first novel, "The Feast of the Nine Virgins" was published by Bogle L'Ouverture in London, (2001). She has just completed a second novel, "Bombay Gardens.
Juan Carlos Jaramillo read Law and Music in his native Colombia. After graduating in 1986 he worked as a lawyer in the fields of music copyright and intellectual property. By then he had started writing on music in leading newspapers in Bogota. In 1989 he joined the national broadcasting corporation, Radio Nacional de Colombia, where he gathered experience in programming, recording live concerts and folk music festivals. In the early 90's he combined post graduate studies in Musicology at King's College, London with freelance work at the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Latin American Service. In 1993 he became a staff member where he has worked in Current Affairs and Features and eventually World Service Music since 1999. He has produced, among other things, series on Latin American music, both folk and Classical as well as produced and presented a series both in English and Spanish on Latin American folk music instruments. Juan Carlos plays the piano and sings, but he especially enjoys playing Colombia's folk music on the accordion.
Jamie Renton is a freelance music journalist who writes about a broad range of global musical styles (African, Latin American, Asian, Blues, Jazz, Reggae etc etc). He started writing in 1997 when he acquired a family and a mortgage and needed to find a way to feed his musical addiction. He is now a regular contributor to fRoots and Straight No Chaser and has also written for Songlines, The Beat and The Encyclopaedia of Popular Music, as well as providing sleevenotes for albums on the Luaka Bop and Nascente labels. Jamie lives in East London with his family, his mortgage and his (still raging) musical addiction.
Lucy Duran, presenter of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3's "World Routes", is an ethnomusicologist and lecturer in music at the School of Oriental and African Studies. She was born in New York into a musical family and lived also in Chile and Greece where her early years were filled with folk music. Though she specialised in Indian and Greek music, the music of West Africa and Cuba became the focus of her research after hearing a recording of the kora. She studied with a kora maestro in the Gambia and has worked with musicians like Youssou N'Dour, Ali Farka Toure and Mory Kante. In the eighties Lucy presented Radio 4's "Kaleidoscope" as well as many location features including "Talking Drum" and "Latins in the USA" (Sony silver award, 1994). She spent long periods in Mali researching the music and has produced several albums of kora music including Songhai 2 (NAIRD award-winner 1994) and Kulanjan (Folk Roots album-of-the-year, 1999). She received the Andy Kershaw Radio 2 Folk Award 2000.
Mark Ellingham is the Publisher of Rough Guides, which he set up 20 years ago. He edits, with Simon Broughton, the door-stopping, two volume reference book, The Rough Guide to World Music.
Rita Ray is a club dj whose repertoire spans the musical spectrum from dance hall vibes and Afro Cuban rhythms to cutting edge jazz and nu beats. As one of the DJ partners in the London club 'The Mambo Inn', she helped set the standard for Global music clubs. Rita runs an array of clubs combining dj sets and live music and poetry including the Club Space Race at London's Fridge Bar, The Mwalim Express, an Afro Chill Out Sunday afternoon club in South London and The Shrine which features live bands from Afro Beat to Rai. Rita guests at clubs all over the UK + Europe including The Big Chill, Future World Funk, The Limpopo Club at the Africa Centre, Dynamite - Dublin, Funkadelica - Turin and What's Up Bar in Paris as well as festival stints at Womad, Glastonbury and the Phoenix. Her Shrine Afrobeat and Shrine Future Sounds from the Motherland compilations have been released on Ocho records to rave reviews while her radio work includes co presenting The African Review programme for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service, regular reviewer on London Live and presenter of "The Bokor Beats Show" on Spectrum Radio's Talking Africa. You'll also hear Rita's global music shows on several transatlantic airlines.
Sam has spent the last twelve years exploring the heart and soul of the Arabic music world. As features & music producer/presenter for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service, he is responsible for the Arabic Service's output of Arabic, Western and World music, weaved together in his popular and long running weekly show "The Jukebox". In 2002, he set up SongEvent, a music production company based in the Middle East, specialising in Arabic instrumental music which marries the diverse rhythms of the east with a distinctive world beat. Born in Lebanon and raised on the hauntingly beautiful voices of Fairuz and Abdul Halim Hafez, he then discovered world music after living in the US in the early 80's and Cyprus in the late 80's, before finally settling down in the UK in 1990 and joining the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ. Married with 2 little boys, Sam now works full time for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Arabic, with regular forays into Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3 and contributions to various music publications in London.
Simon Broughton is an experienced writer, broadcaster and filmmaker and an authority on World Music. He is editor of Songlines, the World Music magazine launched in Jan 1999 and he is co-editor of the Rough Guide to World Music (now in its second edition) which is the essential handbook to popular and traditional music around the globe. He also wrote 100 Essential World Music CDs (Rough Guides), a choice of top recordings for those taking their first steps into some of the fantastic sounds around the world. He has produced an array of radio and television programmes on world music and culture including "Gypsy in my Soul" for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4, a forthcoming pioneering series on music in Iran for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3 and 2 episodes of the groundbreaking Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ "Rhythms of the World" back in the early 90's.
Verity Sharp joined Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3 in 1993 where she has worked at all levels of radio production. She currently presents "Late Junction" which features an eclectic mix of repertoire reflecting her love of everything from world music to contemporary classical. Last year she won the Silver Sony Music Broadcaster Award. Her education at Dartington College of Arts in Devon laid the foundation for her World Music credentials where she was introduced to African music by the expert, Frank Denyer, the Japanese shakuhachi by Yoshikazu Iwamoto and the Indian tabla by Sharda Sahai. She has a music degree from York University where she studied composition with John Paynter, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and Steve Martland. She recently anchored the live web cast and concert for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3's Africa Music Night from London's Jazz Cafe. Verity plays the cello and piano and enjoys travelling.