Program March 20, 2019

My friend and long-time WRIR supporter Stacie Birchett recently asked me to put together a dinner music playlist for the Better Housing Coalition (BHC)'s Stay Home RVA "non-event gala."  I was happy to do so and to help support the Richmond area's largest nonprofit community development corporation.

On today's show, I'm going to play the selections I chose for Stay Home RVA, and I've added on to them as well.  Since it's a dinner music playlist, you might describe it as a polite version of Global A Go-Go.  But it ain't background music -- no, it's some of my favorite non-dance tracks from around the world and across the decades, kind of a best of Global A Go-Go in its own right.

And since no Global A Go-Go program is complete without some dance tracks, I've added some on to the playlist.  For folks who'll be supporting BHC at Stay Home RVA, you can think of them as a lagniappe, an extra gift, and maybe the way to start the dance party you want to host after your dinner is over.

If you'd like to know more about supporting the Better Housing Coalition through Stay Home RVA April 29 through May 5, here are a couple of links for you to check out:

https://www.betterhousingcoalition.org/what-were-doing/stay-home-rva
https://www.stayhomerva.org

Charts March 15, 2019

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten
1 VAUDOU GAME | Otodi | Hot Casa
2 IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE | Doko Mien | Merge
3 ROCKY DAWUNI | Beats Of Zion | Aquarian / Six Degrees
4 LEYLA MCCALLA | The Capitalist Blues | Jazz Village
5 DEXTER STORY | Bahir | Soundway
6 DJ PANKO | Panko Pa' Palenque | Palenque
7 DAKTARIS, THE | Soul Explosion [Remastered] | Desco / Daptone
8 COCOA TEA | Music Is Our Business | VP
9 HELADO NEGRO | This Is How You Smile | RVNG Intl.
10 SON PALENQUE | "Adios Batata (Cerrero Dub Mix)" [Single] | Llorona / Palenque

Program March 13, 2019

Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist Dexter Story (pictured above) overlays his background in soul, funk and jazz with his more recent interest in East African music.  His second album in this direction, Bahir, will be released on Friday, and it's a gem.  You'll hear a track from it on this week's show, surrounded by recordings by other American artists who are mining the rich vein of sound from Ethiopia and Sudan.

Also this week: vintage salsa Senegalaise; new Afro-funk from Rocky Dawuni and Ibibio Sound Machine; and the return of the Batusi.

Charts March 8, 2019

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten
1 FREDERICO7 | Exotico Americano | self-released
2 LOBO MARINO | At Appalachian South Folklife Center | self-released
3 MDOU MOCTAR | Ilana (The Creator) [Advance Tracks] | Sahel Sounds
4 JUANECO Y SU COMBO | El Gran Cacique | Infopesa
5 HELADO NEGRO | This Is How You Smile | RVNG International
6 DAWDA JOBARTEH | I Met Her By The River | Sterns Africa
7 UMUT ADAN | Bahar | Riverboat
8 LE VENT DU NORD | Territoires | Borealis
9 BRANKO | Nosso | Enchufada
10 COMBO CHIMBITA | Ahomale [Advance Tracks] | ANTI-

Charts February 24, 2019

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten
1 UMUT ADAN | Bahar | Riverboat
2 CUMBIA BEAT, VOL. 3 | various artists | Vampisoul
3 VAUDOU GAME | Otodi | Hot Casa
4 FOKN BOIS | Afrobeats LOL | FOKN Inc.
5 TARTIT | Amankor/The Exile | Riverboat
6 SALIF KEITA | Un Autre Blanc | Naive
7 JUANECO Y SU COMBO | El Gran Cacique | Infopesa
8 BABA COMMANDANT AND THE MANDINGO BAND | Siri Ba Kele | Sublime Frequencies
9 IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE | Doko Mien [Advance Tracks] | Merge
10 MDOU MOCTAR | Ilana (The Creator) [Advance Tracks] | Sahel Sounds

Program February 20, 2019

What's in the water in Nana (tildes over both N's, please), Peru?  I dunno, but that small city about 20 kilometers east of Lima along PE-22 (La Carretera Central or Central Highway, the main road connecting Lima to the high Andes and the rainforest) produced several outstanding bands playing chicha or Peruvian cumbia.  They all had the town's name in them, and they all featured Teo Laura (pictured above) on guitar.

You'll hear three bands from Nana on this week's program, in a set of chicha from that unlikely music capital and from the selva.  Also this week: folk-rock from Turkey and the former Yugoslavia; Le Super Djata Band Du Mali and its acolytes; and the sound of Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, who are playing in DC tonight.

Cumbia Beat, Vol. 3

ARTIST: various artists
TITLE: Cumbia Beat, Vol. 3
LABEL: Vampisoul
The uniquely Peruvian version of cumbia called chicha is now 50 years old. Vampisoul has been documenting the genre since 2010 with its Cumbia Beat series; Volume 3 suggests that there’s plenty more to be anthologized.

Frederico7 | Exotico Americano

ARTIST: Frederico7
TITLE: Exotico Americano
LABEL: self-released
Frederico7 (Frederico Geib to his friends and family) is a Brazilian-born musician now based in Austin TX.

Dawda Jobarteh | I Met Her By The River

ARTIST: Dawda Jobarteh
TITLE: I Met Her By The River
LABEL: Sterns
Here’s the third album from Gambian kora player Dawda Jobarteh, who now lives in Denmark.

Lobo Marino | At Appalachian South Folklife Center

ARTIST: Lobo Marino
TITLE: At Appalachian South Folklife Center
LABEL: self-released
Lobo Marino, the Richmond-based duo of Laney Sullivan and Jameson Price, has been making music for ten years.

Charts February 17, 2019

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten
1 LOBO MARINO | At Appalachian South Folklife Center | self-released
2 DAWDA JOBARTEH | I Met Her By The River | Sterns Africa
3 FREDERICO7 | Exotico Americano | self-released
4 LE VENT DU NORD | Territoires | Borealis
5 BASSEKOU KOUYATE AND NGONI BA | Miri | Out Here
6 DAKTARIS, THE | Soul Explosion [Remastered] | Desco / Daptone
7 SALIF KEITA | Un Autre Blanc | Naive
8 BARRO | Somos | self-released
9 BUDOS BAND, THE | "Old Engine Oil" [Single] | Daptone
10 LEYLA MCCALLA | The Capitalist Blues | Jazz Village

Program February 13, 2019

I have a bunch of new releases and new reissues from West Africa in hand this week, and I'll feature them in this week's first two sets.  You'll hear kora players Dawda Jobarteh (illustrated above) from The Gambia and Senegal's Sourakata Koite, vintage salsa Senegalaise by Star Band De Dakar, juju from Nigeria's Sir Shina Peters and more.

You'll also hear a track from Lobo Marino's wonderful new live album set among related artists working in Indo-Pakistani devotional music, and we'll finish up with a set of what Brazilians call MPB: musica popular brasileira or Brazilian pop music.

Charts February 10, 2019

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten
1 LE VENT DU NORD | Territoires | Borealis
2 DAKTARIS, THE | Soul Explosion [Remastered] | Desco / Daptone
3 SALIF KEITA | Un Autre Blanc | Naive
4 COMBO CHIMBITA | "Testigo" [Single] | ANTI-
5 BERES HAMMOND | Never Ending | VP
6 THIRD WORLD | "Loving You Is Easy" [Single] | Ghetto Youths International
7 CLAUDE FONTAINE | "Cry For Another" [Single] | Innovative Leisure
8 STEP FORWARD YOUTH | various artists | Greensleeves
9 JAAKKO LAITINEN AND VAARA RAHA | "I Taget Finns En Restaurangvagn" [Single] | self-released
10 LEYLA MCCALLA | The Capitalist Blues | Jazz Village

Le Vent Du Nord | Territoires

ARTIST: Le Vent Du Nord
TITLE: Territoires
LABEL: Borealis
Le Vent Du Nord (The North Wind), arguably the finest Quebecois trad group currently working, blows back in with their tenth album.

Program February 6, 2019

Bob Marley (left, with Wailers Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston) would have been 74 years old today, and it's fitting that we pay him tribute here on Global A Go-Go.

I'll do so by spinning a set from my favorite Marley era: the years between 1970 and 1973 when roots reggae was in ascendance, the Wailers were beginning to break out internationally, and the core trio (they started as a vocal harmony group) was still intact.  Everyone has their own Marley favorites -- you'll hear mine on this week's program.

Also this week: a visit to The Great White North, eh?; lovers rock by the ladies; and the Daktaris -- it is all a big hustle.