With over 7 billion people, and many being an artist in some way, the world is a canvas for ideas in music, visual arts, cooking, dance, and countless other creative mediums. With each region offering its own distinct flare, the opportunity to discover something new is endless. We recently handpicked a selection of works from our catalog that reflect musical traditions from Cuba, China, Serbia, Ghana — just to name a few.
Ansonica Records began its life south of the US border with the 2015 ABRAZO sessions in Havana, Cuba. Since then, PARMA has released over a dozen albums on the Ansonica label to date from all around the globe. Returning to its Cuban roots, Ansonica presents some of its most recent works on this playlist: Conga Pa’ Tocar from the organic, energetic ESPONTÁNEO sessions by the Dayron Trio; and the unearthed archival recordings of the singers from Vocal Universo on MUSICA UNIVERSAL, with performances that move whether one knows the language or not.
The Danube River is Europe’s second-longest river, connecting 10 countries in Central and Eastern Europe — one of these being Croatia, the home country of composer Matej Meštrović. Meštrović’s Navona Records release 3 RHAPSODIES pays homage to this natural wonder with Danube Rhapsody, a four-movement masterpiece that uses traditional Croatian instruments and Eastern European styles.
East (and west) of the Danube, composer and pianist Zhen Chen connects Eastern and Western sensibilities with ON & BETWEEN, a story of a Chinese immigrant’s first experiences in New York City as told through traditional Chinese instruments and Western chamber styles. Featuring the pipa which takes the role of the story’s protagonist, the two cultural styles work to find synchronization. The story unfolds until it reaches the final piece, Harmony, show the two styles connected as the protagonist finds confidence in her sense of self in a new world.
These, traditional Serbian melodies flowing in Marta Brankovich’s War, Marty Regan’s Japanese-inspired Splash of Indigo with the Apollo Chamber Players, the tender classical guitar strains in Stuart Weber’s America the Beautiful, and more add depth, color, and complexity to the PARMA catalog. Open the doorway to the endless musical possibilities across every border and in every corner of the world.
