It's clearly not an easy task – each group plays almost simultaneously on three different stages at the same time, so many did their best to keep audiences in the room for the entire set while also playing for the many promoters, bookers and journalists who were there to discover the music of each performer.

Among the hig hlights was Spain's La Troba Kung Fu, who played a mix of traditional and rock music (think Los Lobos with a European vibe). Their music is quite infectious – it is highly danceable, and the musicians are highly competent. They have great energy on stage, and that was felt by the crowd, who responded with loud applause and appreciation.

In the meantime, France's L & O did a quieter, very acoustic set comprised mostly of love songs. The musicians showed great versatility by playing a variety of instruments, including ukulele, saxophone and violin. Lead vocalist Laurie Slabiak demonstrated good sense of humor in between songs, joking that she was the only woman in the group, and that meant constantly waiting for her bandmates to get ready. The music goes into various directions, drawing inspiration from both jazz and folk music.

L & O closed with Leonard Cohen's “Dance Me To End of Love,” which was marred by a curious incident. At the end of the bass solo, the bridge under the bass strings collapsed and could not be put back in place. The band didn't flinch and kept on playing, and at the end the bassist showed the broken
piece and jokingly said, “Eh, made in America!”

We huffed up the stairs again to catch some of Kailash Kher's Kailasa's set. A beloved singer in his native India, he flew in specially to play at GlobalFest, and demonstrated why people like him so much – his songs have stupendous energy, getting us on our feet immediately, not letting go until the final chord was played.

After that, it was time to check out Rio de Janeiro's Marcio Local, who hit the stage with his blend of samba, rock and funk inspired by the ’70s Brazilian pioneers who fused the sounds of George Clinton and Sly & Family Stone with their own home-grown beats. With a tight band behind him, he quickly got the audience to dance as he went through mostly original material.

Though Local's music has a very up-tempo beat, that doesn't mean that they are all about partying - in one of the tunes, the lyrics criticize the Americanization of Brazil and also the country's risk losing their roots and cultural values. His songs have a strong samba foundation, but it is clear that he borrows from several other genres, running the gamut from mangue beat (a fusion of rap with Northeastern Brazilian beats), early hip-hop and other sounds.

It was then time to head further downstairs, where Brooklyn's Chicha Libre played their take on Chicha, a psychedelic musical genre discovered almost by chance while French-born Olivier Conan was traveling
in South America. Enjoying near-perfect sound equipment, they tore through originals and covers (mostly in Spanish), receiving in return warm applause from the crowd. We finally climbed up the stairs one more time to check out Calypso Rose, a Trinidad-born singer (born McMartha Lewis) who is dubbed “The Queen of Calypso.”

There were many other acts that played during the festival, including New Orleans' Hot 8 Brass Band, Brooklyn Qawwali Party (a last-minute addition replacing Femi Kuti, who was unable to attend), Occidental Brothers Dance Band International, Shanbehzadeh Ensemble and Tanya Tagaq --- with all these talented musicians playing at the same time, it is impossible to hear it all. But we loved every moment that we had.

words & photos by Ernest Barteldes