Putumayo's “World Playground”
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Toure Kunda (TOUR-ray KOON-dah) / Senegal / Fatou Yo (I Am Fatou) sung in Mandingo. Fatou is a little girl who lives in Senegal, a country in Africa. She likes to dance with the other boys and girls in her village, and dreams about singing with baby elephants and giraffes. The song is a sikko (SEE-koh), a dance where people get in a line and hold their hands towards the sky or hold the waist of the person in front of them. Senegal is a country in Western Africa that borders the Atlantic Ocean. There are many different tribes and ethnic groups, each with a unique culture. Languages spoken include Wolof, Fulani, Serer and Mandingo, but the common language is French because Senegal used to be a colony of France.

Colibri Chile / USA / La Mariposa (The Butterfly) sung in Spanish. This song talks of the morenada (more-ey-NAH-dah), a traditional rhythm and dance from the South American country of Bolivia. It is played and danced in the carnival celebrations every February in the city of Oruro. When one dances the morenada, they move like a beautiful butterfly. Part of the huge Andes mountain region can be found in Bolivia. These impressive mountains are home to a wooly-haired animal called a llama which is a relative of the camel. The main language in Bolivia is Spanish, but many people still speak Native languages like Quechua and Aymara. The highland Indians wear colored hand-woven wool ponchos, skirts and other warm clothing. The music, food and other cultural expressions of Bolivia reflect a strong Native American influence. The instruments used in this song include the zampona (zahm-PONE-yah), a pan-pipe made of two rows of dried bamboo. In order to make music with the zampona you blow over the ends of the bamboo as you would the mouth of a bottle.

Cedella Marley Booker & Taj Mahal Jamaica / USA / Three Little Birds This is a reggae song about three birds who sing a song of hope. Cedella Marley Booker is Bob Marley's mother. Bob Marley is the most popular reggae artist of all time. When he was a child, Cedella used to sing to him and he practiced singing all the time. Reggae comes from Jamaica, an island in the Caribbean sea. It is one of the largest islands in the Caribbean and has many beautiful beaches and lush forests. In the mountains they grow some of the best coffee in the world.

Trevor Adamson / Australia / Nyanpi Matilda (Waltzing Matilda) sung in Pitjantjatjara (piddin-JAH-ra). Australia is a large island country between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. There are many unusual animals there, including kangaroos, platypuses, koalas and Tasmanian devils. Aborigines are the people who inhabited Australia before Europeans arrived in the 1700s. They are one of the oldest surviving cultures, tracing their origins back 40,000 years. Traditionally, Aborigines were hunters and fishermen who travelled from place to place like nomads. They used boomerangs (curved wood sticks) to hunt for food. Australian aborigines are also known for their beautiful drawings and their use of the didgeridoo, a hollow tree used to make music. This is a traditional folk song from Australia. Usually it is sung in English, but here it is in the Aboriginal language of Pitjantjatjara.

Teresa Doyle / Canada / Home by Barna This is a spooky song about walking home late at night with creatures like swooghs, fairies and banshees hiding in the dark. A swoogh is an imaginary spirit that looks like a headless sheep or a little cloud. It has the power to transport people from place to place, but it never hurts anyone. Legend has it that if you roll down the top of your boots you will be protected against the swoogh. The Celts (pronounced Kelts) are an ancient people whose culture and language spread through much of Western Europe, especially Ireland, Wales and Scotland. The Celts have a tradition of myths and stories that have lasted for generations. The misty hills and craggy rocks of the Irish landscape are the perfect setting for mysterious and magical tales. This is an old Celtic song that survives in Eastern Canada. Many Celtic people moved from Ireland and Scotland to Canada a long time ago. They brought their music with them, and people there still sing old Irish and Scottish songs. Songs like this have been passed down from generation to generation. Someday, you might sing it to your children! One of the traditional instruments used in this song is called a bodhran (BOW-rahn), a Celtic drum that you hold in one hand and hit with a stick.

Buckwheat Zydeco / USA / Mardi Gras Mambo Every February there is a big party in New Orleans, Louisiana called Mardis Gras (MAR-dee Graw). People dress in colorful costumes, pretend to be kings and queens, and play music in the streets. Mardi Gras literally means "Fat Tuesday" in French. The day is called "Fat Tuesday" because it is the last day before Lent, the season of prayer and fasting observed by Christians during the forty days before Easter Sunday. Louisiana is a state in the southern United States at the bottom of the Mississippi River. There is a lot of French influence on the local culture because the area was a French colony for many years until it was sold to America in the famous Louisiana Purchase of 1803. French is still spoken to this day, but in a unique way called creole (CREE-ole) that includes English and Caribbean dialects and words. This song is in a style called zydeco (ZY-deh-koh), a popular music of southern Louisiana that blends French, African, Caribbean, and blues music. Buckwheat Zydeco plays the accordion, an instrument that was invented in Europe but is used all over the world. When you squeeze it, wind blows through the reeds to make sounds. By pushing keys on the keyboard, the pitch changes to make music. Another instrument used in zydeco music is a rubboard, a piece of metal with ridges in it that you hang over your shoulders and rub with spoons to make a rhythmic, scratchy sound. Before the rubboard was invented, people would play on washboards that were usually used for scrubbing dirty laundry. People often make instruments out of everyday things. You should try it!

Glykeria (Glee-KEH-ree-ah) / Greece / Tik Tik Tak sung in Greek. Sometimes you like someone and just being around them makes you nervous. You see them and your heart beats like a drum, tik tik tak. This is a song about the nervousness you feel around people you like and upon whom you want to make a good impression. Greece is a European country that borders the Mediterranean Sea. Many great philosophers, scientists and writers came from Greece, including Socrates, Aristotle and Plato. There are many beautiful islands in Greece, and lots of famous, ancient buildings like the Parthenon. Rembetiko (rem-BEH-tee-ko) is a traditional style of music invented by people in the poor neighborhoods of Athens, Greece. It talks about having fun, love, and everyday life. One of the instruments used in this song is a bouzouki (bi-ZOO-kee), a stringed instrument like a guitar that is used very often in Greece.

Manu Chao / France / Bongo Bong Once there was a monkey who lived deep in the jungle. One day he started playing bongos. Soon he was such a good bongo player that he went to the city to become famous. People didn't know what to make of this bongo-playing monkey, but he was so happy playing music that he didn't care what people thought. Manu Chao comes from France, one of the biggest countries in Europe. Many people visit France to enjoy its beautiful countryside, delicious food, historical buildings and art museums. France is becoming more and more diverse as people from Africa and the Middle East move there and bring their music, food and culture. Modern French popular music has a lot of influences from around the world, as this song shows. It is even sung in English which is unusual for a song from France. Bongos are two little drums that are connected to each other. One drum makes a low tone, the other makes a high tone. They come from Cuba but have roots in Africa.

Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca / Congo & Latin America / Boom Boom Tarara sung in Spanish. Ricardo Lemvo comes from The Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa, but he loves the music of Latin America because in it he can hear echoes of his own culture. This song combines Puerto Rican bomba (BOM-bah), a traditional dance and song style from the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, with Congolese soukouss (SUE-kooce), a fast dance music that is very popular in Africa. The song also mentions rumba (ROOM-bah) and timba (TIM-bah), both styles of music from Cuba. The music of Puerto Rico, Cuba, Colombia and Venezuela has roots in Africa. This is because African slaves were brought to these countries to work on sugar and tobacco plantations. The slaves brought their music and traditions with them which blended with the culture of the Spanish rulers. Soon an entirely new music developed with bits and pieces of both Spanish and African melodies, rhythms and instruments.

Nazare Pereira (Nah-zah-RAY Pear-RAY-rah) / Brazil / Bonjour Pra Voce (Good Morning to You) sung in Portuguese & Patua. Brazil is the largest country in South America. The national language is Portuguese. Brazil is home to the world's largest rainforest and the Amazon river, the largest river in the world. People play a lot of music in Brazil and they also play a lot of soccer! Brazil and French Guiana are very close to each other, but they have different cultures and languages. Many Brazilians like to visit French Guiana, but in order to speak to their neighbors they have made up a mixed language that they both understand called Patua (pa-TWAH). This song is a carimbo (kah-reem-BOH), a dance and music style from the Amazon River basin that blends Indian, African and European music. It includes Brazilian instruments like the curibo, chocalho and caxixi. The curibo (koo-ree-BOH) is an Indian drum that is used a lot in music from the northeast of Brazil. The chocalho (show-KAL-yoh) is a metal tube with beads inside that make noise when you shake it. The caxixi (cah-SHEE-shee) is an instrument that comes from Africa. It is a basket with beads inside that you shake up and down.

Shlomo Gronich and the Sheba Choir / Ethiopia & Israel / Zichronot M'Africa (Memories of Africa) sung in Hebrew. Thousands of years ago, Ethiopian Jews separated from their people. In the 1980's, because of warfare and famine, life became difficult in Ethiopia. This song tells of the dramatic night of "Operation Solomon" in 1991 when Ethiopian Jews were flown in huge airlifts to Israel. For the kids singing this song, it was a scary trip, and they miss Ethiopia. But they are happy with their new life in Israel. This song was inspired by authentic Ethiopian music, which is based on unison vocal lines and five-note scales, as well as African rhythms and drum beats.

Eric Bibb & Needed Time with the Deacons / USA / Just Keep Goin¹ On When things don't look so bright, keep your chin up and think positively. Everything will work out in the long run. This song blends gospel music and the blues. Gospel and blues are popular music styles that came from the African-American tradition of worksongs and spirituals. Many Africans were brought to America as slaves. When they were working in the fields they would sing songs to help pass the time. They would also sing songs in church called spirituals. These songs were passed down from parents to their children, and they changed bit by bit over the years. This song uses instruments such as the harmonica and mandolin. The harmonica is a small instrument that has metal reeds that vibrate when you blow into it. A mandolin is similar to a guitar, but it has eight strings and is usually shaped like a pear.

Artists:
Toure Kunda is led by two brothers, Ismael and Sixu Toure. They come from Senegal and are one of the most popular African bands in the world. They sing in many different languages, because there are many languages spoken in Senegal, and blend African, Brazilian, Latin, reggae and pop music to create a unique sound.

Colibri are two women who present lively musical journeys through Latin America. Lichi Fuentes from Chile and Alisa Perez from the U.S.A. sing songs from Bolivia, Mexico, Chile and many other countries. Colibri is Spanish for "hummingbird."

Cedella Marley Booker is best known as the mother of Bob Marley. She is an expert in the traditional songs and stories of Jamaica. Taj Mahal is best known for blues, but he knows a lot about music from Africa, the Caribbean and more. Trevor Adamson is an Aborigine who lives on a large ranch in Southern Australia. He maintains many of the traditional ways of his aboriginal heritage.

Teresa Doyle lives on a small farm on Prince Edward Island and is part of Eastern Canada's thriving Celtic community. She has recorded many albums of traditional Celtic and Canadian music for adults and children.

Buckwheat Zydeco is one of the most famous zydeco musicians. He plays the accordion and travels around the world playing zydeco at dances, parties and festivals.

Glykeria is one of Greece's most popular singers. She performs both contemporary and traditional music and is loved by young and old alike.

Manu Chao comes from southern France, near the border of Spain. He is a rock & roll star in Europe who blends French and Spanish music with quirky pop songs. He usually plays with a band called Mano Negra.

Ricardo Lemvo is from the country The Democratic Republic of Congo in central Africa. He now lives in Los Angeles, California and plays a fun blend of African and Latin music with his band Makina Loca. Makina Loca means "Crazy Machine" in Spanish.

Nazare Pereira comes from the Amazon region of Brazil. She was born deep in the countryside, two hours by horseback from the nearest neighbor. She had eight brothers and sisters to keep her company, however, and they often played music together. She knows a lot about music from this part of Brazil and she has recorded many albums for adults and children.

The Sheba Choir consists of children from the Ethiopian Jewish community, who live in Israel. Shlomo Gronich, a well known Israeli musician founded the choir in 1991. Their repertoire includes original music composed by Gronich, based on the inspiring rhythms and melodies of Ethiopian music.

Eric Bibb had a childhood filled with great music. His father, Leon Bibb, is a well-known folk singer, who introduced Eric to folk legends Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Odetta, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins and many others. Today, Eric lives in Sweden and performs with the band Needed Time. The Deacons is a vocal group carrying on the gospel tradition.

"With this globe-trotting musical tour, kids can experience a fun-filled cultural immersion program without leaving home. An eye-catching 36-page booklet.... contains background information on each song and performer, as well as lyrics in both the song's native language and English."
-Publishers Weekly

"Here's a great earful for kids and doting parents: 12 songs from all over the planet that amount to cheerful ear-candy in the best sense. Great liner notes are the final touch to a great gift album. Buy it."
-Toronto Star

"A little girl in Senegal dreams of singing with the little elephants and giraffes in "Fatou Yo," sung in Mandingo. Bob Marley's mom, Cedella Marley Booker, and Taj Mahal perform a sunny reggae song, "Three Little Birds." And that Australia classic, "Waltzing Matilda" is sung in the Aboriginal language, Pitjantjatjara. Celtic singer Teresa Doyle's "Home by Barna," Buckwheat Zydeco's "Mardi Gras Mambo" and Eric Bibb's "Just Keep Goin' On," with words to live by, are a few other terrific cuts."
-Los Angeles Times