Phases & Stages

All music is mood music waiting to happen, and new international releases offer round-the-clock listening. Early morning is ideal for Trio Medieaval's third ECM release, Stella Maris, on which the Norwegian-Swedish ladies sing sweet spirituals from the 12th and 13th centuries. Midmorning calls for vigor are answered by Amjad Ali Khan's Moksha (Real World) and eight new ragas. The Indian sarod sage distills the very soul of each melodic poem, rewarded with an early Grammy nod. Lunchtime is playtime, and Kronos Quartet & Asha Bhosle do so with You've Stolen My Heart (Nonesuch). The Bay area string quartet pays tribute to R.D. Burman, one of the best Bollywood film composers, featuring the silken vox of Burman's towering-in-her-own-right wife. Two Malian heavyweights, Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté, present a contemplative, pre-siesta change of pace. The brimming-with-soul In the Heart of the Moon (Nonesuch) features the one-take harmonic conversation between Touré's acoustic guitar and Diabaté's 21-string harp. The late afternoon thirst for energy is quenched by the blind duo Amadou & Mariam. Blending indigenous West African sounds with international pop, Manu Chao produced the lively, though sometimes dense Dimanche A Bamako (Nonesuch). Palate-cleanser time. Orphaned and homeless, Jamaican singer-songwriter Abdel Wright's eponymous Interscope debut arises from his razor-sharp eye, spiritual core, and help from Johnny Cash, Eurythmic Dave Stewart, and Bono. Street cred? Wright composed much of this potentially platinum work during a five-year jail stint. The clock chimes for DJ Cheb I Sabbah when the sun goes down – or is about to arise. The Algerian-born San Francisco resident has a successful Six Degrees track record of mixing disparate sonic elements into a danceable and deep chill whole. La Kahena is his finest. Drawing from North Africa and many gifted, mostly female singers, plus Bill Laswell's ambient bass, the ethnomixologist blends old world melody with sampled beats. Bonjour!