Being a
piano teacher and having 2 wonderful grandsons and another
grandchild on the way keeps me ever in the loop of listening for more quality
children's music. I have a wonderful collection of children's songs from around the world and I thought I would take the time to share some with you. Perhaps you also have many of them in your music
library. Do you have a favorite Putumayo Cd? Mine would be
Africa and Mali. For more information, please visit their
website:
http://putumayo.com/
About Reggae Playground
This joyous collection for kids and their families from
Putumayo Kids features a festive selection of tunes that reflect the crossover appeal and worldwide influence of
reggae – a genre that is beloved all over the globe.
As Jacob Edgar, Putumayo’s resident ethnomusicologist notes,“Reggae is one of the most adaptable and influential styles. People can really blend the reggae vibe with their local music to create something that is influenced by reggae but has its own unique flavor.”
Reggae Playground presents renowned artists from reggae’s birthplace of
Jamaica.
Judy Mowatt, a former
backing vocalist for Bob Marley and respected solo artist, invites listeners to get moving with her rousing “Let’s Dance.” We hear about the importance of respecting our differences and the need to work together in
Rita Marley’s classic anthem “Harambe.” The Jamaican reggae arrangements of “
Take Me Home, Country Roads” by the legendary
Toots & the Maytals and the
Burning Souls’ rendition of “Here Comes the Sun” demonstrate the adaptability of this infectious beat to almost any tune.
Other artists from diverse musical traditions who have adopted the reggae style and made it their own are also featured on
Reggae Playground. For example,
Johnny Dread, an artist of Cuban heritage who now lives in Miami, sings about “Rootsman Dread,” a colorful figure beloved by children.
Marty Dread represents the huge popularity of reggae music in Hawaii, and
Jessica, from the
Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, displays the popular blending of traditional
sega music with reggae.The popularity of reggae in places as diverse as the
United States (
Eric Bibb),
Brazil (
Kal dos Santos), Morocco (
Mousta Largo), and even Indonesia (
Tony Q Rastafara) is also demonstrated here.
Asheba, an artist who hails from Trinidad and is known for his
Caribbean songs for young children, performs a soothing “Reggae Lullaby.” Even parents will be lulled by the refrains of “Oooh Baby,Don’t Cry / Rest now and wipe your weeping eye.” Asheba will tour US, Canadian and Caribbean retailers and festivals as a Putumayo Kids representative during the spring and summer of 2006. “Reggae had a huge influence on my childhood days and shaped my musical career,” Asheba says.“To me, reggae is a comfort food.”
Reggae Playground is the sixth release in the award-winning Playground series from Putumayo Kids. A division of
Putumayo World Music, Putumayo Kids is committed to introducing children to other cultures through fun, upbeat international music. Since the 1999 release of
World Playground, Putumayo Kids has become one of the premiere children’s music labels in the world. Aside from the Playground CDs, Putumayo Kids offers multicultural activity kits used in thousands of elementary school classrooms.
Putumayo invites listeners to turn down the lights and relax to the tranquil melodies of beautiful lullabies and soothing songs from Africa, Europe, North and South America and Asia. More than simply a bedtime album for children, Dreamland: World Lullabies and Soothing Songs, features beautiful, universally appealing songs that will create a calm ambiance for people of all ages. Dreamland is the fifth recording in the acclaimed World Playground series of music and multicultural activity kits from Putumayo Kids.
Awards:
2004 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award
2004 ALA/ALSC Notable Recordings for Children Award
2004 Parents’ Choice Recommended Award
"DiscoverySchool.com" 5-star Award of Excellence
NAPPA Gold Award 2003
About African Playground
Download a free African Playground Teaching Guide, the African Playground Map, and a Fun Craft Activity that relates to Song 12, "Barco di Papel" by Tété Alhinho!
Download song lyrics
Putumayo's award-winning Playground series of world music CDs for children travels to Africa, a continent that is exuberantly rich in music and culture.
African Playground is filled with great songs by artists from Senegal to South Africa, including a previously unreleased track by world music superstar
Angelique Kidjo. Children and their families will love the upbeat rhythms and appealing melodies on this musical tour. Parents and educators will appreciate the accessibly presented cultural information and musical fun facts.
African Playground includes entertaining and informative multi-lingual liner notes, song lyrics, cultural information, a music glossary and colorful illustrations.
Awards:
2004 ALA/ALSC Notable Recordings for Children Award
2003 Parents’ Choice Gold Award
"DiscoverySchool.com" 5-star Award of Excellence
NAPPA Gold Award 2003
In response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti, we will be donating 100% of our proceeds from the sale of this CD to The Red Cross throughout 2010.
Download Song Lyrics (PDF)
Putumayo Kids invites children and families on a fun musical cruise to the Caribbean with
Caribbean Playground, part of the label’s award-winning
Playground series. Filled with upbeat songs, informative liner notes and colorful artwork,
Caribbean Playground is a festive carnival.
Caribbean Playground features diverse music such as
zouk from the French Caribbean,
soca from Trinidad, reggae from Jamaica,
bomba from Puerto Rico and more. International stars
Taj Mahal, Desmond Dekker and the
Wailers are featured alongside some of the Caribbean’s most popular artists such as
Kali, Atlantik and
Luc Leandry, as well as other exciting new discoveries.
Caribbean Playground includes full-color liner notes in English, Spanish and French with song descriptions and cultural information.
The
Playground series has won
Parents’ Choice Awards, NAPPA Gold and
‘Best of’ from
Scholastic publications.
Awards:
2004 NAPPA Gold Award
These wonderful cds are available for purchase at
My Market Place
I'm thinking of purchasing their new one Jazz Playground. I recently read a good review on this one:
New York Kids
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