So, multiple excitements are headed down the television pipeline. First off, the Grammy Awards are coming right up: January 31, 2010. Though the World Music Categories aren't shown during the live show (in fact, most of the categories aren't), I still always enjoy watching. The train wrecks, the "wardrobe malfunctions," and the occasional pleasant surprises -- not to mention the latest installment of "What Will Kanye Do?" -- it's an entertaining evening. No, it's not always the best music, but it's better than Sunday Night Football. Mostly because I understand the rules.

Then, sometime in early February, PBS stations across the nation will begin broadcasting a new TV show called Music Voyager. Hosted by Cumbancha Records and Putumayo World Music exec Jacob Edgar, it's sort of an Anthony Bourdain-meets-Great Performances scenario... Edgar trots the globe, meeting up with world music stars on their home turf, and finding some new great music along the way. In my never-humble opinion, a TV show like this one is a long time coming (seriously, how many food travel shows are there, and we're just now getting a music travel show?) and Jacob Edgar is the perfect guy to host it. He's got the street cred to impress die-hards like you and me, but he's the friendly, "bring home to mama" kind of chap that will keep newbies from being scared off.

So what do these two things have in common? They're both on TV, doy. Oh, and also, Music Voyager is presenting a series of short videos called Road to a Grammy, highlighting Grammy nominees from all sorts of different categories. Check out the video where Edgar visits with the nominees in the Cajun and Zydeco categories for a miniaturized sense of what the full-length show is going to be like (and to watch Michael Doucet of Beausoleil and young Creole fiddler Cedric Watson play a fantastic duet of "Cochon de Lait," Doucet's Cajun-style reworking of the traditional old-time tune "Sail Away Ladies"), or just poke around the Music Voyager's YouTube channel for a few minutes and see what else you find.

Though it's hard (futile, in fact -- ask any world music marketer) to lump world music listeners into a group, one constant among them seems to be a real love for live music. There's something really special about seeing international and ethnic music live and in person, but every once in awhile, there's a little something extra that makes it a particularly special night. Whatever it is -- the artist, the venue, or just the proper alignment of the stars -- there are certain performances that just burn a hole in your memory.

My absolute favorite performances of all time often include artists whose names I don't know -- musette accordion players in the Tinariwen (on a big stage at a festival with thousands of people), Balkan Beat Box (crammed onto a tiny stage in a tiny club), and LadysmithBlack Mambazo (at Carnegie Hall) all stand out.

What's the best concert you've ever seen? Or the one that has the most meaning to you? Share your experiences with your fellow readers (and if you took one, post a picture!) -- it's always so much fun to read other people's stories, so go ahead and tell us!

As we slowly but surely count down to the Grammy Awards of 2010, it's worth catching up on who (and what) got nominated in some of our favorite categories. First up, Malian songstress Oumou Sangare, with her darn-near-flawless 2009 release Seya. If you missed this one, do yourself a favor and pick it up. It's really quite stunning, and has remained in heavy rotation on my personal system since I first heard it over the summer. Have you heard it? How do you think it stacks up to the other nominees in that category (Best Contemporary World Music Album)?

It's that time of year when jolly families around the world gather joyfully around ye olde piano and, in perfect harmony, belt out some of Christmas's most beloved tunes. Then there's my family: too many musicians is like the proverbial too many cooks, who spoil the soup. Heaven forbid we just blurt out our obligatory "fa-la-la-la-las" and "pa-rum-pum-pum-pums" like normal humans... no, no. We have to do on-the-spot arrangements, usually involving multiple key changes and wistful violin solos. We argue over who gets to sing which of the complex 8-part harmonies we've set up, and then further argue over which lucky devil gets to choose the starting key.

One shared bit of pride, though, is creativity and obscurity in our choral selections. "Joy to the World" is clearly for amateurs; we're more into barely-known Breton carols and, whenever possible, singing in the original Latin. (On a side note, every few years, one of us miraculously convinces an outsider to marry into the family. How that happens is a mystery to both us and them.) One of our favorites is the Wexford Carol. It's not totally obscure, but it is lesser-known than, say, "Rudolph," and it's really quite beautiful. It's an old Irish number, though the lyrics are traditionally sung in English, and it's worth your attention, if you're looking to add a few carols to your repertoire.

What are your favorite international (or simply obscure) Christmas songs? It's very important that you let me know; it gets harder and harder to impress my family... you could be doing me a real favor here!