TRANSGLOBAL WORLD MUSIC CHART: MARCH 2025

March’s winner of the Transglobal World Music Chart album chart was “Baarakelaw”, recorded by Malian legend Samba Touré.

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The legendary Malian desert blues artist Samba Touré, has returned with a new album Baarakelaw (The Workers) – the follow up to his highly-acclaimed 2021 album Binga. The album received ecstatic, career defining reviews and led to Samba being named the “Best Artist” of 2022 at Songlines  magazine.

Baarakelaw is a vivid mix of traditional northern Malian Songhoy music, blues-rock tracks with psychedelic overtones, ballads and love songs. It weaves the sounds and styles Samba has loved and mastered during his more than three-decade musical journey. The songs deal with a central theme: the trials and tribulations of those who work street jobs in a dusty, bustling West African city like Bamako.

Top albums March 2025:

1. Samba Touré · Baarakelaw · Glitterbeat [2]
2. Trio Da Kali · Bagola · One World [-]
3. Al Andaluz Project · The Songs of Iman Kandoussi: Traditional Arabic Andalusian · Galileo Music Communication [1]
4. Santrofi · Making Moves · Outhere [-]
5. Rizwan Muazzam Qawwali · At the Feet of the Beloved · Real World [-]
6. Kapela ze Wsi Warszawa / Warsaw Village Band & Bassałyki · Sploty / Twines · Karrot Kommando [3]
7. Aboubakar Traoré & Balima · Sababu · Zephyrus [4]
8. Christine Zayed · Kama Kuntu · T-Rec [6]
9. Jupiter & Okwess · Ekoya · Airfono [-]
10. Mostar Sevdah Reunion · Bosa Mara · Snail [21]

11. Frigg · Dreamscapes · Bafe’s Factory [-]
12. Mulatu Astatke & Hoodna Orchestra · Tension · Batov [17]
13. L’Alba · Grilli · Buda Musique [16]
14. Park Jiha · All Living Things · Tak:til / Glitterbeat [-]
15. Sauljaljui · Vaivaik · Wind Music [7]
16. Novalima · La Danza (Deluxe Version) · Six Degrees [-]
17. Ensemble Chakâm · Les Vents Brûlants / The Blazing Winds · Ensemble Chakâm [-]
18. Arat Kilo · Danama · Accords Croisés [-]
19. Rita Donte · Ritual · Ansonia [-]
20. Ablaye Cissoko & Cyrille Brotto · Djiyo · Ma Case [-]

21. Songhoy Blues · Héritage · Transgressive [-]
22. Okwy Osadebe and Highlife SoundMakers International · Music for Igbo Masquerade · Odogwu Entertainment / Palenque [-]
23. Áššu · Luohtenlegut · Nordic Notes / CPL-Musicgroup [-]
24. Gnonnas Pedro & His Dadjes Band · Roi de l’Agbadja Moderne 1974-1983 · Analog Africa [-]
25. Toranj Quartet · Kowli Var · Liburia [19]
26. Mario Lucio · Independance · Maremusica [-]
27. Flook · Sanju · Flatfish [-]
28. Sudeshna Bhattacharya & Mosin Khan Kawa · Mohini · Motvind [-]
29. Mircan Kaya · Hudey · UCM Productions [-]
30. The Baltic Sisters · Värav / Vārti / Vartai · CPL-Music / CPL-Musicgroup [11]

31. Anne-Mari Kivimäki · Kotiin · Rockadillo [-]
32. The Bongo Hop · La Pata Coja · Underdog [10]
33. Karolina Węgrzyn · Oy Vesna Krasna · Karolina Węgrzyn [25]
34. Fanoos Ensemble · Echoes of Afghanistan · Fanoos Ensemble [-]
35. Vaudou Game · Fintou · Hot Casa [-]
36. Trancexpress · Trancexpress · Muzyka Zakorzeniona [-]
37. Cserepes · The Beginning of the Beginning: Africa Remix · Fonó [14]
38. L. Shankar · Full Moon · X DOT 25 Music [-]
39. Matachindé · Morir Cantando · Palenque [23]
40. Meybahar · Meybahar · Fonó [-]

NMR (photo: Karim Diarra)

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Founder members and administrators Transglobal World Music Chart: 

Ángel Romero (US), Araceli Tzigane (ES), Juan Antonio Vázquez (ES)

Current active members:

Alexis Herrería (MX), Rosângela Britto (BR), Ula Nowak (PL), Liana Cisneros (PE), Banning Eyre (US), Magda Tejchma (PL), Seth Jordan (AU), Tony Hillier (AU), Charlie Crooijmans (NL), Nigel Wood (IE), Dore Stein (US), Roger Holdsworth (AU), Madan Rao (IN), Gil Medovoy (US), Chris Heim (US), Ciro De Rosa (IT), Scott Stevens (US), Hendrick T S Foh (MY), Cliff Furnald (US), Rob Weisberg (US), Toni Polo (FR/ES), Nicolás Falcoff (AR), Masakazu Kitanaka (JP), Jordi Demésenllà (ES), Rafael Mieses (DO/US), Luís Rei (PT), Jean Trouillet (DE), Evangeline Kim (US), Willi Klopottek (LU/DE), Alejandro López (ES), Jon Kertzer (US), Ken Stowar (CA), Jiří Moravčík (CZ), Mu Qian (CN), Carlos Ferreira (PT), Gil Rouvio (IL), Bouna Ndiaye (SN/US), Kutay Derin Kuğay (TR), Robert Gregor (SK), Yatrika Shah-Rais (IR/US), Armen Manukyan (AM), Rolf Beydemüller (DE), François Bensignor (FR), Eleni Ziliaskopoulou (GR), Marija Vitas (RS), Jaïr Tchong (BE), Enrique Blanc (MX), Tiago Lucas Garcia (BR), Zekeriya S. Şen (TR), Benjamín Muñiz (PR), Daryana Antipova (RU), Mika Kauhanen (FI), Luisa Piñeros (CO), Toni Pennacchia (US), Chen Hanzi (CN), Takuya “Salam” Unagami (JP), Janaína Ávila (BR), Roger Short (UK), Ankur Malhotra (IN)

More at: https://www.transglobalwmc.com/