May 26, 2023

Future of a 1000 years

I have to admit, I thought the great crate-digging wave had already unearthed all of the notable Afro-funk records that had ever been pressed.  But it missed Son Of Africa by Remi Kabaka.  Now, there's a good reason for this: Son Of Africa wasn't made in Africa at all.  It was recorded in England and released in 1976 by Island Records, who were doubling down on Black international artists following the success of Bob Marley.
 
But the album sank like a stone and has been mostly forgotten until now, when it has been reissued by BBE Records.  This week on Global A Go-Go you'll hear a track from Son Of Africa, which as it turns out is one of the very best Afro-funk albums of the 1970s, plus like-minded African peers Gerardo Pino and Rob, who, oddly, I and other African music enthusiasts know more about than we do of Remi Kabaka, who actually played with the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney & Wings, Steve Winwood and many others.  The world works in mysterious ways.

Also this week (Sunday May 28, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): new Ethio-jazz from the Netherlands by Entoto Band, guembri three ways, new cumbia from Pahua and Son Rompe Pera, the speedy salsa of Cali Colombia, and throat singers do rock 'n' roll.

May 23, 2023

Charts May 15-21, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten
1 BOMBINO | "Tazidert" [Single] | Partisan
2 TINARIWEN | Amatssou | Wedge
3 ALI FARKA TOURE | Voyageur | World Circuit
4 ENTOTO BAND | Entoto Band | Guitar Globetrotter
5 DELE SOSIMI | You No Fit Touch Am (Deluxe Edition) | Wah Wah 45s
6 KILTRO | "All The Time In The World" | ONErpm
7 CECILIA NOEL | "El Nino En La Frontera" [Single] | Wild Clam
8 LARRY AND JOE | Nuevo South Train | SideHustle
9 CUMBIAS EN MOOG | "Cumbia De Sal" b/w "Cumbia Sobre El Mar" [Single] | Vampisoul
10 MARIAA SIGA | "Ni Mama" [Single] | Made In Africa

May 19, 2023

They left me naught to dig his grave

Sunday is the 82nd birthday of Martin Carthy, the English singer and guitarist who has done as much as anyone alive today to perpetuate and advance the folk and traditional music of Great Britain.  And he's still going strong, with a gig coming up in Birmingham (England, not Alabama) this week and a tour planned for the fall and winter.  This week on Global A Go-Go we celebrate Martin Carthy by playing two of my favorite songs of his.  Yeah, they're long songs.
 
Also this week (Sunday May 21, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): The unlikely duo of Venezuelan Larry Bellorín on llanera harp and American Joe Troop on banjo, another new single from Denver Latin-folk-psych combo Kiltro, a set of Afro-reggae and ska, the latest Sahara desert blues from Tinariwen and Bombino, and one more song by Baba Commandant & The Mandingo Band who will be at the Get Tight Lounge on Wednesday May 24.

May 16, 2023

Charts May 8-14, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten
1 BABA COMMANDANT AND THE MANDINGO BAND | Sonbonbela | Sublime Frequencies
2 REMI KABAKA | Son Of Africa | BBE
3 SIA TOLNO | Baya [EP] | Kingsland/Slow Walk
4 PAHUA | "Espantapajaros" [Single] | Nacional
5 CHEO | "Macumba" [Single] | Nacional
6 CUMBIAS EN MOOG | "Cumbia De Sal" b/w "Cumbia Sobre El Mar" [Single] | Vampisoul
7 ALTIN GUN | Ask | ATO
8 WITCH | "Avalanche Of Love" feat. Sampa The Great [Single] | Desert Daze/Partisan
9 LOS BITCHOS | Pah! [EP] | City Slang
10 FRUKO Y SUS TESOS | Fruko Power Vol. 1: Rarities & Deep Album Cuts 1970-1974 | Vampisoul

May 12, 2023

The opposite of auto-tune

It's not often that Richmonders get a chance to see one of the most original, electric, mind-blowing bands in all of Africa, playing in a venue that resembles the tight, steamy open-air nightclubs of their home town, Ouagadougou in the small West African nation of Burkina Faso.
 
That opportunity comes your way on Wednesday May 24 when Baba Commandant & The Mandingo Band play at the Get Tight Lounge.  If you're considering taking the plunge, tune in to Global A Go-Go this week (Sunday May 14, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site) and hear my choice of three Baba Commandant songs, plus an explanation of why they're my favorite African band right now.
 
Also this week: We celebrate David Byrne's 71st birthday with a set of his most outernational music plus selections from his globalist Luaka Bop record label, new music from sometimes David Byrne associate and former labelmate Cheo, new Afro-funk coming out of Barcelona by Sia Tolno, and a set of electro-cumbia.

May 8, 2023

Charts May 1-7, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten
1 EASY STAR ALL-STARS | Ziggy Stardub | Easy Star
2 NUSANTARA BEAT | "Djanger" b/w "Borondong Garing" [Single] | Bongo Joe/Lamunai
3 EBO TAYLOR | Ebo Taylor & The Pelikans | Comet
4 EAST AFRICAN HIGHWAY: MORE GEMS FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF BENGA AND RUMBA | various artists | No Wahala Sounds
5 CHEO | "Macumba" [Single] | Nacional
6 MAHLATHINI AND THE MAHOTELLA QUEENS | Music Inferno: The Indestructible Beat Tour 1988-89 | Umsakazo
7 NAMIAN SIDIBE | Namian Sidibe | Sahel Sounds
8 INNA BABA COULIBALY | Djilly Kawral | Remote
9 LAMINE SONKO | "Taamo" [Single] | Hopestreet
10 PLENA LIBRE | Cuatro Esquinas | GN Musica

May 5, 2023

Nusantara beat

Here's something you probably haven't heard yet: A Dutch band, all members first, second or third generation Indonesians, playing trippy rock 'n' roll that's based on Indonesian traditional and popular music.  The band in question is Nusantara Beat, their debut single will be released on May 19, and you'll hear both the A and B sides on this week's edition of Global A Go-Go.
 
Also this week (Sunday May 7, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): Reggae covers of an artist you've definitely already heard, new traditional sounds from Mali and Senegal, and an hour of African dusties: Ghanaian and Nigerian highlife, mbaqanga from South Africa, and east African Swahili rumba and benga.

May 3, 2023

Charts April 17-30, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten
1 ALTIN GUN | Ask | ATO
2 PLENA LIBRE | Cuatro Esquinas | GN Musica
3 WITCH | "Avalanche Of Love" feat. Sampa The Great [Single] | Desert Daze/Partisan
4 FRUKO Y SUS TESOS | Fruko Power Vol. 1: Rarities & Deep Album Cuts 1970-1974 | Vampisoul
5 SAMMY MASSAMBA | Propriete Privee | Secousse
6 CHEZIDEK | Never Stop | Irie Ites
7 BARIS MANCO | Dunden Bugune | Turkofon
8 DELE SOSIMI AND THE ESTUARY 21 | The Confluence | Wah Wah 45s
9 MAHLATHINI AND THE MAHOTELLA QUEENS | Music Inferno: The Indestructible Beat Tour 1988-89 | Umsakazo
10 DAWIT YIFRU | Dawit Yifru | Muzikawi

April 28, 2023

Doktor civanım

It's a mostly rock 'n' roll edition of Global A Go-Go this week (Sunday April 30, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site), with the first hour and then some focusing on rock from all over the planet.
 
The Turkish-Dutch psych-funk band Altın Gün (pictured above) are featured with two songs from their wonderful new album Aşk.  You'll also hear Afro-rock from Ghana, Zambia and Kenya, new progressive Latin sounds by Kiltro and Monstruos del Mañana, and some Latin rock from the 70s including a request from faithful Global A Go-Go listener Dee.

Away from the rock 'n' roll tip, I have some Ethio-jazz cued up for you, including a new album by Fendika & K-Sanchis and a new reissue of Dawit Yifru, and we'll wrap things up with plena and bomba including the latest from Puerto Rico's Plena Libre.

April 24, 2023

Sun Ra and me

From L to R: Sun Ra, Walt Dickerson & yours truly

Nobody has ever asked me to write liner notes for an album, until now.  The album in question is Haverford College, Jan. 25, 1980 by Sun Ra.  It was released in physical form last weekend for Record Store Day 2023 (discogs.com/release/26666099-Sun-Ra-Haverford-College-1980-Solo-Piano) and previously as Bandcamp download in 2019 (sunramusic.bandcamp.com/album/haverford-college-1980-solo-piano).

So why am I writing liner notes for a Sun Ra album?  Well, it's because I was one of the promoters of the concert on the recording.  The album and the concert make a pretty good story, and you can read about it in the liner notes below.  My notes follow those of Irwin Chusid, the administrator of Sun Ra's estate and the person who asked to publish my reminiscences.  Thank you, Irwin!
 
For a 3-minute summary, here's an interview about the album that I did as a Record Store Day promotion with my long-time friend Jim Bland, owner of Plan 9 Music in Richmond: facebook.com/watch/?v=932921114422140.

April 21, 2023

Free speech isn't free

WRIR's Spring 2023 Fund Drive is currently underway -- we're working to raise $42,000 by Saturday April 29 to power "the tower of low power" in Richmond for another six months. Thank you for your previous donations to Richmond Independent Radio; I'm writing to encourage you to make a contribution once again this spring, if you can. You can make that donation in two minutes by clicking this link: wrir.org/donating.

April 19, 2023

Charts April 10-16, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten
1 ALEX FIGUEIRA | Mentallogenic | Music With Soul
2 FRUKO Y SUS TESOS | Fruko Power Vol. 1: Rarities & Deep Album Cuts 1970-1974 | Vampisoul
3 IMMY OWUSU | "Flashback" [Single] | Hopestreet
4 ANTIDOPING | "No Te Desamines" [Single] | FaroLatino
5 LOS BITCHOS | Pah! [EP] | City Slang
6 DJ BLACK LOW | Impumelelo | Awesome Tapes From Africa
7 DIANA BURCO | "Mal Amores" [Single] | Codiscos
8 LES ABRANIS | Amazigh Freedom Rock 1973-1983 | Bongo Joe
9 BORGA REVOLUTION, VOLUME 2: GHANAIAN DANCE MUSIC IN THE DIGITAL AGE, 1983-1996 | various artists | Kalita
10 MOUSSA TCHINGOU | Tamiditime [EP] | Sahel Sounds

April 14, 2023

Global A Go-Go Classico: Ukraine with Vlad Cuiujuclu

I’m coming to you from my home studio since I’m currently laying low with a virus.  Rather than coming in to Studio A this week and infecting everyone in my path, I stayed home and dug into the vaults for a Classico edition of Global A Go-Go.
 
The last time I did a Classico program, it was a show I co-hosted with Vlad Cuiujuclu for the independence day of Moldova, the country where Vlad was born.  Today I’m presenting another one of Vlad’s co-productions, this one going back to August 29, 2014.
 
That was the month when Russia sent troops, tanks and artillery into eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region.  Arguably this was the precursor of Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022, a war that continues today.
 
And that’s the backdrop for the show Vlad and I did about the music of Ukraine, which is as timely now as it’s ever been.  I hope you enjoy this week (Sunday April 16, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site)’s presentation of Global A Go-Go.

April 12, 2023

Charts Mar 27 - Apr 9, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten
1 ALTIN GUN | Ask | ATO
2 SON ROMPE PERA | Chimborazo | AYA
3 PLU CON PLA | Pura Actitud | self-released
4 FRUKO Y SUS TESOS | Fruko Power Vol. 1: Rarities & Deep Album Cuts 1970-1974 | Vampisoul
5 KALA JULA AND GANGBE BRASS BAND | Asro | Buda
6 REGGADICTION | Ganja Harvest | NuFunk
7 ELIO VILLAFRANCA | Standing By The Crossroads | ArtistShare
8 AHL NANA | L'Orchestre National Mauritanien | Radio Martiko
9 ELIDA ALMEIDA | Di Lonji | Lusafrica
10 MILPA | Soulaso | Tropicalifas

April 7, 2023

Calling England home

I don't follow poetry nearly as closely as I follow music, but I know enough to realize the T.S. Eliot Prize is a big deal.  It's given annually to the author of the best new poetry collection published in the UK or Ireland.  And this year it was awarded to Anthony Joseph, who you've heard on Global A Go-Go many times, for his collection Sonnets For Albert.
 
Joseph is a poet and novelist, lecturer in English at King's College London and a recording artist with ten albums to his name where his voice interacts with the melodies and rhythms of calypso, soca, jazz, Afrobeat and funk.  On this episode of Global A Go-Go you'll hear three selections from those albums, going back as far as 2011 and up to his most recent release, 2021's The Rich Are Only Defeated When Running For Their Lives.

Also this week (Sunday April 9, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): Immy Owusu's "Afrodelik lo-fi highlife"; Benin's Gangbé Brass Band, the world's most valuable collaborators; the funky sounds of Somalia; what's new in reggae; and cumbia, gradually then suddenly.