I'm sure everyone else has been listening to him for a very long time but he was new to me and I've lately been spending a lot of time with the music of Hamza El Din, the Nubian oud player.
It's the most interesting mix of unaffected, intuitive musicality and sophistication I've run across in a long time. His album "A Wish" is the most accessible I have but all the others are wonderful, too.
I play Anouar Brahem a lot, as well. Definitely a modern mix of North African and European influences but good listening.
Quadro Nuevo did two CDs with Turkish and Middle Eastern flavorings when traveling there. They are 'Mocca Flor' and 'Antakya'. They run the gamut from whimsy to heartfelt and are outstanding musicians. Also, check out anything by Anouar Brahem. Anything by him is a treat for the ears. His latest, 'The Astounding Eyes of Rita' is probably his most accessible. I'll have to check out the aforementioned artists. Thanks for starting this thread.
Is Masekela north African, or south African? Anyway, I like him a a lot. Also, Dudu Pakwana. This makes me want to go through that stack of s. African jazz a friend gave me a while back.
Oh, yeah. Another one came to mind. Dollar Brand, who later became Abdullah Ibrahim.
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