Support the new series "Sound Tracks - Music Without Borders"

For members in the United States, there is potentially a new TV series on PBS called "Sound Tracks - Music Without Borders". The pilot aired at the end of January and is available on the program's website for viewing. You can also check out the Video section here for the trailers of some of the segments, including "Oh Kazakhstan", "Black President", and "A Man Like Putin".

This is a terrific program- each story is fresh and informative and focuses on a specific song or person to reveal some of the cultural realities of the places the reporters visit, in this case Kazakhstan, Nigeria and Russia. There is no attempt to thread together the segments- which I enjoyed. What makes this a great program in my opinion is a combination of the innovative stories (a pop song for Putin, Borat's brother composing for the Kazakhstan symphony, and the work on Seun Kuti, Fela's son, whose interview is interrupted by gun fire), the behind-the-scenes approach and the respectful reporting. The lead reporter and host is Marco Werman, who also hosts "The World" on Public Radio International.

Check out the full pilot here and if you enjoy it post a comment on their site to support the series airing for a full season.

Nico-

Tags: borat, fela kuti, kazakhstan, nigeria, pbs, putin, russia, werman