The 65th edition of the Grammy Awards will take place in Los Angeles on Sunday, and among those up for prizes are classical musicians from Palestine and Iraq, as well artists with MENA roots in the diaspora. The New Arab takes a look at the nominees.
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LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST: For over a decade, arts journalist Betto Arcos has been a familiar voice to public radio listeners, bringing us sounds of the world from a samba school in Rio.
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BETTO ARCOS, BYLINE: Here at Mangueira, what looks like about a hundred drummers pound out and parade rhythm.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: .To an amphitheater in Colombia.
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ARCOS: It s high noon in Valledupar, the capital of vallenato.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Stories about unusual instruments.
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Music journalist Betto Arcos gathers his favorite reports from prolific career in em Music Stories from the Cosmic Barrio. /em
For over a decade, arts journalist Betto Arcos has been a familiar voice to public radio listeners, bringing them the sounds of the world be it from a samba school in Rio or an amphitheater in Colombia, profiling artists who play unusual instruments or create cross-cultural mashups. More than 140 of those reports are collected in his new book,
Music Stories from the Cosmic Barrio. Arcos spoke with NPR s Lulu Garcia-Navarro about learning in his travels how music creates community, and vice versa. Hear the radio version at the audio link, and read on for an edited transcript.