Few cultural forms are more associated with the Dominican Republic than merengue music and the brisk, shuffling, hip-wagging dance that goes with it (no one’s exactly sure where the name comes from – sweet, frothy beaten egg whit
The world´s premier song contest just completed its spectacular 68th edition with the usual lineup of singing, dancing, special effects, silliness and seriousness, pulling in a TV audience of hundreds of millions plus thousands of fans
Welcome to the town of Branson, set in the rolling Ozark Mountains of southwest Missouri some four hours from St. Louis. In contrast with the rather pastoral area that surrounds it, Branson is an island of fun and frivolity, exciting thrill rides,
Read more…Hundreds of people who were jammed into an amphitheater swayed and clapped their hands in time to music. Not far away, a much smaller crowd listened with rapt attention as a trio combined the sounds of mellow jazz with hip-hop.
Music fans gather in
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It’s baaaack! The 67th edition of the world’s largest and longest music competition, pulling in a worldwide television audience of some160 million and inspiring tens of thousands of fans to travel. For an exhaustive overview and a review of ea
Spring and summer are prime music festival season, and after being largely suspended for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, for the most part they've come roaring back in 2022. The United States being the huge country that it is, there are d
Travel and music festivals go hand in hand, of course! And though I haven't yet attended the annual Eurovision song contest in person, ever since I started traveling to Europe in 1977 – well before American Idol, The Voice, or The
Sure, going out for an intimate dinner à deux is pretty much everyone's default on this day for lovers. But to make Valentine's Day extra special, seek out an experience that will make it truly memorable for years to come. High and low, on land and
The Thornton Winery in Temecula, southern California is now hosting the 29th edition of its “Champagne Jazz Series,” and while I might seem like a relative “newcomer”, I have been fortunate to attend shows for the last seven years, enjoying jazz i
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We are planning a family trip for the next 45 days. Actually, this pandemic made all of our family members disturb. That's why as things are getting normal and we are willing to explore the world with our family. My sister and her teen
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Jazz in Kansas City is not like jazz in New Orleans or in any other great American music city. It’s a little more bluesy, a little heavier on the keyboards and bass, not so bold with the brass. They call it “cool jazz” here, jazz that’s a little gen
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Along with cumbia, the folk music form known as vallenato is a calling card of Colombian culture, and its Vallenata Legend Festival is a particularly momentous one, marking its 52nd edition this year April 26-30 in the city of Valledupar, in Colombi
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Croatia: a land of more than a thousand islands, splattered off the beautiful Adriatic coastline in Eastern Europe. Located at the crossroads of the Balkans and the Mediterranean, this European country is chock-full of intriguing history, Mediterrane
In the West these days, we rarely if ever spare a thought for North Africa's largest and second-most populous country, but as this blog has reported several times, Algeria is an underrated gem, from the history and culture of capital city
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Globalization has been a sometimes controversial mixed bag in different areas and different parts of the world, but I think we can all agree that on the plus side, one of its grooviest benefits has been to bring to spread many
With Christmas and New Year celebrations behind us and 2019 well on its way, some of us might find that we would like to go to an event that is more for those of us who love live music. In that respect, New York City concerts provide quite a variet
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When Iberia expanded its Colombia flights several years back to include the country’s third most populous city, just 100 kilometres (67 miles) from the central Pacific coast, they gave their passengers a wonderful opportunity indeed. For this is a ci
Solvang, two hours north of Los Angeles on the central coast, has been known as “California’s Denmark” since its founding in 1911, yet modern changes are churning like a windmill. Like a page from a Hans Christian Andersen story book, thatched roof b
Fabio Gismondi
As the summer begins, it’s heating up in Morocco not just temperature-wise but culture-wise, too. And one cultural landmark unique in all the world – its 21st edition just ran, June 21-24 – is the Gnaoua World Music Festival, one of No
Leaving home without a good pair of headset is as bad omen as seeing bla
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