Monthly Archives: September 2010

By Jonathan Franzen

The new novel from the author of The Corrections. Patty and Walter Berglund were the new pioneers of old St. Paul – the gentrifiers, the hands-on parents, the avant-garde of the Whole Foods generation. Patty was the ideal sort of neighbour who could tell you where to recycle your batteries and how to get the local cops to actually do their job. She was an enviably perfect mother and the wife of Walter’s dreams. Together with Walter – environmental lawyer, commuter cyclist, family man – she was doing her small part to build a better world. But now, in the new millennium, the Berglunds have become a mystery. Why has their teenage son moved in with the aggressively Republican family next door? Why has Walter taken a job working with Big Coal? What exactly is Richard Katz – outre rocker and Walter’s old college friend and rival – still doing in the picture? Most of all, what has happened to poor Patty? Why has the bright star of Barrier Street become “a very different kind of neighbour,” an implacable Fury coming unhinged before the street’s attentive eyes? In his first novel since The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen has given us an epic of contemporary love and marriage. Freedom comically and tragically captures the temptations and burdens of too much liberty: the thrills of teenage lust, the shaken compromises of middle age, the wages of suburban sprawl, the heavy weight of empire. In charting the mistakes and joys of Freedom’s intensely realized characters, as they struggle to learn how to live in an ever more confusing world, Franzen has produced an indelible and deeply moving portrait of our time.

$39.99

Beautiful and lyrical songs for bedtime or relaxation from the rich traditions of Ireland, Scotland, Canada and beyond

Celtic music has long been known for both its danceable jigs and reels and its tranquil, beautiful melodies. For its latest release, Putumayo Kids focuses on the softer side of Celtic music, harvested from the rich musical traditions of Ireland, Scotland, eastern Canada and beyond. Celtic Dreamland features songs that are perfect for the slumbering child, meditating mom and dad or the weary worker desperate for a little quiet relaxation.

$35.99

French Café is a collection of classic and modern French music that will transport the listener to the romantic streets of Paris. The album features some of the greatest names in the history of French music as well as new artists who are inspired by classic chanson, gypsy jazz and musette.

French Café includes performances by renowned icons such as Serge Gainsbourg, Georges Brassens, Brigitte Bardot, Jane Birkin and Barbara alongside contemporary musicians who have been adding new energy to the classic French sound, such as Paris Combo, Sanseverino, Polo, Coralie Clement, Enzo Enzo, Mathieu Boogaerts and Baguette Quartette.

Paris has long been an epicenter for café culture, and its countless cafes have always been magnets for bohemians, artists, poets, revolutionaries, laborers and musicians. Indeed, the history of French music is inextricably linked to the cafes and music halls where popular music styles like musette and chanson were originally performed.

In the late 1950s and early ‘60s, French music was greatly impacted by American and British rock and roll and pop music. The sound of troubadours like Georges Brassens and dramatic divas like Barbara was subsumed by a new and vibrant movement that blended French attitude and lyricism with a youthful, counter-culture energy. Brigitte Bardot, the sultry film star who was France’s most widely recognized icon internationally in the ‘60s, was also a popular singer at home and a leading proponent of the so- called “yé-yé” style. Serge Gainsbourg, an innovative songwriter who used chanson as a springboard for a unique brand of avant-garde music, became an idol and inspiration for countless musicians in France and abroad.

In recent years, classic French styles that first became popular in the early part of the 20th Century have been experiencing a comeback. Some of the most popular musicians on the current French music scene have been drawing inspiration from chanson, musette, and gypsy jazz. Icons of French music like Django Reinhardt, Edith Piaf and Georges Brassens have been embraced by young French musicians who once disparaged their music as being of another era.

The music on French Café unites musicians of an earlier age with contemporary artists who draw on the sound of the past as inspirat ion to create a style that is both nostalgic and progressive.

$35.99

 Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote “Music and wine are one.” No matter where grapes are grown, wine is enjoyed, or songs are sung, it’s undeniable that one complements the other. Now, Putumayo World Music has brought the two together on a unique collection for the music lover and the wine drinker in everyone. Indulge your senses with Music from the Wine Lands, a full-bodied selection of songs from the world’s premier wine-producing regions and the 4th release in the Putumayo CD series that includes Music from the Coffee Lands, Music from the Chocolate Lands and Music from the Tea Lands.

$35.99

The fascinating global journey of jazz is one of music’s most remarkable stories. Putumayo’s newest release, Jazz Around the World, showcases the powerful influence of jazz on musicians across the globe. Featuring both well established and newer artists performing extraordinary covers and originals, this collection incorporates a wide range of rhythms, instruments and melodies into a constantly evolving genre. With ancestral roots in Africa, jazz flowered into a dynamic force in the United States throughout the 20th century. And, over the years, it has borrowed from, influenced and blended with musical traditions around the world.

$35.99

 It is impossible to deny the influence that Brazil has on today’s global culture. From music and film to fashion and dance, Brazil has become one of the world’s most important resources of popular art and entertainment. In appreciation of this extraordinary culture, Putumayo World Music will release Brazilian Lounge, a collection featuring the sultry voices and urban grooves of many of Brazil’s finest contemporary musicians. 

Opening the album is a track by Paula Morelenbaum, who is known as one of the rising stars of Brazil’s “new Bossa” movement. With this and other tracks from her self-titled CD, Morelenbaum has reinvented herself using subtle electronica. Her pristine voice and graceful approach to song earned her a spot in Antonio Carlos Jobim’s band. She later embarked on a successful solo career and received a Sharp Award (Brazilian Grammy) as the “Best New Female Rock/Pop Artist.”

The fusions of samba, soul and funk by alternative Brazilian musician and producer BiD, combined with the vocals of international music and film star, Seu Jorge, make “E Depois”one of the stand-out tracks on the collection. Seu Jorge is best known for his gripping role as Knockout Ned in the film City of God. He also appeared in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, starring Bill Murray. It was from Murray that Jorge first heard a Putumayo release and he has since become a fan of the label.

It’s easy to see why Bebel Gilberto, with her exquisite voice and retro style, is one of the world’s most popular Brazilian artists. With over a million albums sold since her debut album was released in 2000, Gilberto is on the “most wanted” lists of the world’s leading electronic producers. On the remixed “August Day Song,” Gilberto compares a rainstorm to being in love.

The soulful sounds of Marcos Valle may have first experienced popularity in the 1960’s, but his voice and the bossa nova melodies he has written transcend any period. Having achieved fame in the 60s and 70s, Valle was rediscovered by British dance labels who remixed and re-released his earlier work to enthusiastic audiences. In the midst of this renaissance, Valle returned to the studio to record a number of contemporary albums. “Agua de Coco” comes from his album, Contrasts, recorded in 2003.

Stop everything!!! That’s what we did when we first heard the track “Há Dias” from newcomer Luca Mundaca. Putumayo was putting the final touches on this collection when we received an unsolicited, self-produced CD from Mundaca. We knew that there was something very special in the simple beauty of her voice and stopped the presses to make room for this sensual track.

Brazilian Lounge will take the listener to the contemporary bars and lounges of Rio and Sao Paulo, where a new generation of musicians is reinvigorating the classic sounds of samba and bossa nova. Tri-lingual liner notes include a recipe for a caipirinha cocktail, provided by Sagatiba, enabling you to quench your thirst Brazilian style.

$35.99

 A portion of Putumayo’s proceeds from the sale of this CD will be donated to Rukha, a non-profit organization working to change the current condition of street children in Brazil.

 During carnival in Rio, the streets vibrate with the thunderous beats of the samba schools, their energetic rhythms persuading even the frail to dance. After the parties have ended, though, Brazilians start playing the softer, more introspective music for which they are also renowned. Just as the Brazilian carnival season is winding down, Putumayo presents Acoustic Brazil. While upbeat rhythms like samba, forró and axé have people dancing in the streets during carnival, Acoustic Brazil focuses on the more delicate Brazilian music that comes to life in the aftermath of the party. 

As the birthplace of Antonio Carlos Jobim and other masterful songwriters, Brazil has given the world some of its most entrancing melodies. Acoustic Brazil includes songs performed or written by some of these great figures, as well as others from the emerging young voices of popular Brazilian music. Legends such as Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque, Gal Costa and Paulinho da Viola are featured here alongside a new generation of singers who demonstrate the beauty of Brazil’s acoustic music traditions.

Acoustic Brazil is the latest addition to Putumayo’s popular series of Brazilian CDs (Brasileiro, Samba Bossa Nova and Brazilian Groove), which have sold half a million copies combined. From the gentle swing of bossa nova and samba canção, to the lyrical grace of contemporary singer-songwriters, Acoustic Brazil presents some of the most beautiful songs from Brazil’s unique musical legacy.

  $35.99

  A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Acoustic Brazil will be donated to AMENCAR, an organization dedicated to the struggle for civil rights of children of Brazil.

Putumayo invites listeners to turn down the lights and relax to the tranquil melodies of beautiful lullabies and soothing songs from Africa, Europe, North and South America and Asia. More than simply a bedtime album for children, Dreamland: World Lullabies and Soothing Songs, features beautiful, universally appealing songs that will create a calm ambiance for people of all ages. Dreamland is the fifth recording in the acclaimed World Playground series of music and multicultural activity kits from Putumayo Kids.

$35.99

Putumayo presents South Africa, a CD collection that celebrates the rich musical diversity of this unique country at the southern tip of Africa. With the soccer World Cup taking place for the first time on African soil from June 11 to July 11, international attention will be focused on South Africa and its postapartheid status as a democracy and economic powerhouse.

Over the course of its history, this “Rainbow Nation” with 11 official languages has nurtured many musical styles, including mbaqanga, kwela and township jive, among others. While South Africans have endured many struggles, they have often used music as a tool to protest and to express their hopes for a better future.

$35.99

A portion of Putumayo’s proceeds from the sale of this CD will be donated to Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA), a non-profit organization working in South Africa to combat HIV/AIDS and advance human rights.

On March 8,women all over the world celebrate International Women’s Day. A national holiday in many countries and commemorated by the United Nations, International Women’s Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history. Though often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences, this day allows women everywhere to look back on a tradition of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development. As a tribute to this tradition, Putumayo World Music presents an album that literally sings its praises. Women of the World: Acoustic is an exploration of acoustic music by some of the world’s leading female artists.  

$35.99

A portion of Putumayo’s proceeds from the sale of this album will be donated to the global fund for women in support of their efforts to promote and defend the human rights of women and girls around the world.