Episodes
Your Backstage Pass to the World's Music
INDIA
In this first segment of this ongoing series, our host Jacob Edgar travels to India, a country of extremes, where ancient history and tradition are colliding head on with the modern world.
BOLLYWOOD ADVENTURES
MUSIC VOYAGER visits Mumbai, the capital of India's entertainment industry, where he meets Kailash Kher and Sona, two of the country's biggest stars.
GYPSY JOURNEY
MUSIC VOYAGER travels to Rajasthan, where the music is as colorful and soulful as it's surroundings, treated to a performance by Gypsy band Musafir, and a blazing performance by Jaipur Kawa Brass Band.
DELHI UNDERGROUND
MUSIC VOYAGER explores Delhi's vibrant and inventive underground rock, pop and electronica scene, connecting with Rabbi Shergill, Indian Ocean, East India Company , and ending up with a DJ set featuring Midival Punditz and Karsh Kale in one of India's hippest nightclubs.
JAMAICA
Music Voyager travels to Jamaica, one of the world's greatest
music destinations. Our host, Jacob Edgar, goes beyond the tourist resorts and beaches to
explore the past, present and future of Jamaica's vibrant music.
BEYOND BOB MARLEY
MUSIC VOYAGER visits with some of today's most popular reggae artists. Jacob travels to St. Thomas for an intimate unplugged performance with Tarrus Riley, journeys to the hills outside Kingston for a tour of reggae star Richie Spice's family farm and is treated to an acoustic set on beautiful Goldeneye beach by Etana.
ROOTS, ROCK, REGGAE
MUSIC VOYAGER joins a drumming session with the Akwaaba Drummers, journeys to the town of Negril to meet Gilzene and the Blue Light Mento Band, heads back to Kingston for a studio session with guitar legend Ernest Ranglin and Sly Dunbar and ends with an intimate concert with musical icon Marcia Griffiths, a veteran of Bob Marley's band.
DANCEHALL MARATHON
MUSIC VOYAGER experiences the powerful dancehall scene first hand at the massive Reggae Sumfest festival. Jacob visits legendary producer King Jammy, gets a lesson on how to be a Jamaican DJ, tries out the latest dance moves, and meets two young dancehall talents, Chino and Steven MacGregor.
ROAD TO A GRAMMY®
MUSIC VOYAGER travels to one of the most exotic locations of all — Los Angeles — for the ROAD TO A GRAMMY special. Building up to the star-studded awards ceremony, Jacob journeys across the U.S. and beyond to visit nominees for the 52nd GRAMMY Awards, and invites them to give viewers an exclusive look at their personal background and inspirations.
BÉLA FLECK
Music Voyager kicks off the Road To A Grammy special with Béla Fleck in Denver, Colorado. We joined Béla's banjo instruction at Swallow Hill and his amazing Paramount Theater performance. Bela was nominated for and won both; Best Pop Instrumental Performance for "Throw Down Your Heart" (single) and Best Contemporary World Music Album for Throw Down Your Heart (album).
CEDRIC WATSON
Music Voyager heads down to Lafayette, Louisiana to visit Cedric Watson and the rest of the nominees for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album including, the Pine Leaf Boys, the Magnolia Sisters, and Buckwheat Zydeco. Taking advantage of a very rare opportunity, Music Voyager films all the nominees for a single category and it is Buckwheat Zydeco who ends up taking home the award.
INDIA.ARIE & DOBET GNAHORE
Washington D.C. welcomes Music Voyager over Martin Luther King Day weekend as we enjoyed an unplugged performance by India.Arie, Dobet Gnahore and special guests, Idan Raichel and Blue Miller. This was the first time India and Dobet had met and performed together in person. India and Dobet won for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for their song "Pearls".
TRICKY STEWART
Music Voyager hangs out with the acclaimed producer at his pre-GRAMMY bash and through GRAMMY weekend in Los Angeles. Tricky was nominated for his work on Beyonce's "Single Ladies" and ended up winning Song of the Year and Best R&B Song of the Year, while also being nominated for Album of the Year.
LOUISIANA
Music Voyager travels to Louisiana, one of America's most musical states, for an exciting visit through Creole & Cajun country, the music history-rich city of Shreveport and the madness of Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
CREOLE & CAJUN COUNTRY
MUSIC VOYAGER visits Lafayette, the epicenter of Cajun and Creole culture, where the infectious rhythms of zydeco and Cajun music echo proudly across the bayou. Roddie Romero performs at the picturesque Dockside Studios, Creole music star Terrence Simien takes us on a trail ride by horseback, The Lost Bayou Ramblers jam on the banks of the Vermillion River, and songwriter David Egan and singer Marc Broussard treat us to a moving duet.
THE OTHER SIDE OF LOUISIANA
MUSIC VOYAGER travels to Shreveport, a city with a rich musical history. Rock star and blues guitar virtuoso Kenny Wayne Shepherd is our host, and takes us to Leadbelly's grave for a jam with local icon Buddy Flett. Maggie Warwick performs on the stage where Elvis became a star, Music Voyager sits down with guitar legend James Burton for a demonstration of his pioneering guitar licks, and we party to the grumble boogie grooves of the band Dirtfoot.
CRESCENT CITY
MUSIC VOYAGER arrives in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, when people forget all of their worries and join together in crazy celebration. We explore the classic jazz at Preservation Hall, the inspiring sounds of trumpeter Irvin Mayfield, and Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews treats us to a searing demonstration of his talents. We meet crooner Jeremy Davenport, catch a funky jam with Cyril Neville and Galactic at the famed Tipitina's, then join local legend Kermit Ruffins at his annual Mardi Gras morning barbeque party.
COLOMBIA, PART I
MUSIC VOYAGER travels to Colombia, a country that has shaken off the troubles of the past and is thriving with renewed energy and optimism. Home to cosmopolitan urban centers, sparkling Caribbean beaches, stunning landscapes and beautifully preserved Spanish colonial architecture, Colombia also happens to be a global hot spot for music.
COLOMBIA ROCKS!
MUSIC VOYAGER heads to Bogota, Colombia's capital and biggest metropolis, to explore the city's thriving rock and pop music scene. We are treated to intimate. unplugged performance by Aterciopelados, Superlitio and Fonseca, one of Colombia's biggest pop stars, who brings us to Monserrate, a cathedral high in the mountains overlooking Bogotá.
THE CAPITAL OF SALSA
The Colombian city of Cali is known as the world capital of salsa, and its also the urban center of the country's Afro-Pacific culture. We meet up with salsa legends Grupo Niche, electronic duet No DJs, La-33, the hippest salsa band in Colombia, Grupo Bahia and Herencia de Timbiquí demonstrate their funky grooves in the streets of the old city.
THE NEW MEDELLIN
MUSIC VOYAGER discovers that the Medellín of today is a modern, thriving city. We are enjoy a virtuoso freestyle display by local hip-hop collective Crew Peligrosos. Reggaeton superstar J. Balvin gives a private performance of one of his hit songs and we visit El Cielo, one of Colombia's best and most inventive restaurants. Finally, we hear Puerto Candelaria, a quirky band that brings creative jazz arrangements to retro Colombian cumbia.
COLOMBIA, PART II
Drawing on a wealth of traditional music styles, as well as international, rock, hip hop, salsa, reggaeton and more, young Colombian musicians are creating exciting new fusions that bridge the past and the future. On the second part of our journey through Colombia, Music Voyager explores the roots and the branches of Colombia's vast and fertile musical family tree.
COLOMBIA'S ELECTRO TROPICAL BEATS
One of the latest and most exciting trends in Colombian music is the fusion of traditional rhythms and melodies with electronic beats and modern influences. The Music Voyager team explores this cutting-edge Bogotá scene starting with electrifying live performances by La Mojarra Eléctrica, Sidestepper, Systema Solar and Bomba Estéreo.
HEARTBEAT OF VALLENATO
MUSIC VOYAGER visits Valledupar, the cradle of vallenato, a rustic, folksy and distinctly Colombian music style. Next, Music Voyager travels to a small coastal village to meet with a former paramilitary soldier turned vallenato singer, who serenades us in a fishing boat in the picturesque harbor. Finally we end up in the port city of Barranquilla, where steamy, tropical Afro-Colombian beats dominate the music scene for performances by Erika Muñoz and salsa legend Joe Arroyo.
AFRO-COLOMBIAN GROOVES
From Cartagena's gorgeous old city to the rough and tumble streets and beaches of La Boquilla, Music Voyager experiences the beauty, rhythms and culture of this colorful city. Cumbia legend Totó la Momposina dances with local children on the beach, champeta star Louis Towers performs in the bustling Basurto market, and producer Lucas Silva gives us a tour of Cartagena's famous nightlife. Charles King takes us to check out the popular and extremely loud Rey de Rocha sound system.
Now Playing:
Meet Music Voyager
Sponsored by:
