April 29, 2012

Charts April 29, 2012

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 LE SUPER BORGOU DE PARAKOU | The Bariba Sound | Analog Africa
2 VARIOUS ARTISTS | For Whom The Cowbell Tolls | Electric Cowbell
3 BLACK BAZAR | Black Bazar | Lusafrica
4 JOAN SORIANO | La Familia Soriano | iASO
5 BOLA | Volume 7 | Awesome Tapes From Africa
6 QUANTIC AND ALICE RUSSELL WITH THE COMBO BARBARO | Look Around The Corner | Tru Thoughts
7 CHICHA LIBRE | Canibalismo | Barbes
8 ELJURI | Fuerte | self-released
9 BLACK SEEDS | Dust And Dirt | Easy Star
10 MARIEM HASSAN | El Aaiun Egdat (El Aaiun On Fire) | Nubenegra

April 26, 2012

Program April 27, 2012

"Everybody get ready / It's time to rocksteady / It's ba ba boom time, yes it is"
This week on Global A Go-Go, seven tracks (count 'em) from Jamaica circa 1966-1968, the glory years of the rocksteady style and the heyday of some of Jamaica's greatest singers: Alton Ellis, Desmond Dekker and John Holt.

April 23, 2012

Charts April 22, 2012

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 VARIOUS ARTISTS | For Whom The Cowbell Tolls | Electric Cowbell
2 BLACK BAZAR | Black Bazar | Lusafrica
3 JOAN SORIANO | La Familia Soriano | iASO
4 QUANTIC AND ALICE RUSSELL WITH THE COMBO BARBARO | Look Around The Corner | Tru Thoughts
5 FUNKEES | Dancing Time: The Best Of Eastern Nigeria's Afro Rock Exponents 1973-77 | Soundway
6 MARIEM HASSAN | El Aaiun Egdat (El Aaiun On Fire) | Nubenegra
7 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Africa | World Music Network
8 AMADOU AND MARIAM | Folila | Nonesuch
9 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Original Sound Of Cumbia | Soundway
10 MOUSSU T E LEI JOVENTS | Empeche-Nous! | Le Chant Du Monde

April 19, 2012

Program April 20, 2012

Moussu T E Lei Jovents, from Marseille France (pictured above) is, to my ear, one of the world's best rock bands.  Their new live album, Empeche-Nous!, has just been released.  It's another opportunity for the rest of the world to discover the pleasures of this multicultural, political, rootsy, studiously casual, swinging group.

For Whom The Cowbell Tolls

ARTIST:  various artists
TITLE:  For Whom The Cowbell Tolls
LABEL:  Electric Cowbell 
Here’s the second commercially released compilation of 45s issued by Brooklyn-based, vinyl-only (except for these compilations, that is) Electric Cowbell Records, run by ex-Richmonder Jim Thomson.

Moussu T E Lei Jovents | Empeche-Nous!

ARTIST:  Moussu T E Lei Jovents
TITLE:  Empeche-Nous!
LABEL:  Le Chant Du Monde
After four top-shelf studio albums, French roots-rock band Moussu T E Lei Jovents recaps its first seven years on this superb live recording.

Joan Soriano | La Familia Soriano

ARTIST:  Joan Soriano 
TITLE:  La Familia Soriano 
LABEL:  iASO
39 year old Joan (pronounced YO-ahn) Soriano is rapidly becoming the face and voice of the new generation of traditional bachata.

April 16, 2012

Charts April 15, 2012

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 FUNKEES | Dancing Time: The Best Of Eastern Nigeria's Afro Rock Exponents 1973-77 | Soundway
2 FUNK ARK | High Noon | ESL
3 GALACTIC | Carnivale Electricos | Anti-
4 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Istanbul 70: Psych, Disco, Folk Classics | Nublu
5 JIM MORAY | Skulk | NIAG
6 BLACK BAZAR | Black Bazar | Lusafrica
7 DERDIYOKLAR IKILISI | Disco Folk | Guerssen
8 LE SUPER BORGOU DE PARAKOU | The Bariba Sound | Analog Africa
9 LOS JHARIS DE NANA | Los Creadores Del Sonido De La Carretera Central | Masstropicas
10 QUANTIC AND ALICE RUSSELL WITH THE COMBO BARBARO | Look Around The Corner | Tru Thoughts

April 12, 2012

Program April 13, 2012

The latest and greatest in Congolese music is an album inspired by a novel.  Black Bazar, a story by Alain Mabanckou (center) about Africans in France, has been turned into a fabulous recording by singers Modogo Abarambwa (left) and Sam Tshintu (right) with an all-star cast of musicians.  You'll hear a track this week on Global A Go-Go, along with more contemporary Congolese sounds.

Black Bazar

ARTIST:  Black Bazar
TITLE:  Black Bazar
LABEL:  Lusafrica 
Alain Mabanckou is a French-Congolese writer (currently a professor at UCLA) whose novel Black Bazar deals with the African immigrant experience in France.  The book is the base of a trilogy that includes both a planned film adaptation and this album, whose goal is “to revive a genre (rumba Congolaise) that was originally intended as dance music, but is also a delight to listen to.”

Derdiyoklar Ikilisi | Disko Folk

ARTIST:  Derdiyoklar Ikilisi 
TITLE:  Disko Folk 
LABEL:  Guerssen
The wave of 1970’s Anatolian rock reissues continues with this little gem from Catalan psych reissue specialist Guerssen Records.    Don’t be misled by “Disko” in the title -- there’s no Saturday Night Fever influence here at all.  Rather, Derdiyoklar was a German-based Turkish duo who played updated folk-rooted material -- in other words, folk-rock.

Los Jharis Del Nana & Sensacion Shipibo

ARTIST / TITLE:  Los Jharis De Nana / Los Creadores Del Sonido De La Carretera 
ARTIST / TITLE:  Sensacion Shipibo / single 
LABEL:  Masstropicas
The ultra-indie, vinyl-only Masstropicas label is back from Peru with another find.

Le Super Borgou De Parakou | The Bariba Sound

ARTIST:  Le Super Borgou De Parakou 
TITLE:  The Bariba Sound 1970-1976 
LABEL:  Analog Africa
Following in the footsteps of Analog Africa’s archival work on Benin’s Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou, here’s a band with some striking similarities from northern Benin, part of the territory that label head Samy Ben Redjeb has begun referring to as the “Islamic Funk Belt” (a region that also includes northern Ghana, Togo and Nigeria).

April 9, 2012

Charts April 8, 2012

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 BOLA | Volume 7 | Awesome Tapes From Africa
2 SIDI TOURE | Koima | Thrill Jockey
3 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Africa | World Music Network
4 BLACK BAZAR | Black Bazar | Lusafrica
5 QUANTIC AND ALICE RUSSELLWITH THE COMBO BARBARO | Look Around The Corner | Tru Thoughts
6 FUNKEES | Dancing Time: The Best Of Eastern Nigeria's Afro Rock Exponents 1973-77 | Soundway
7 MARIEM HASSAN | El Aaiun Egdat (El Aaiun On Fire) | Nubenegra
8 FUNK ARK | High Noon | ESL Music
9 AMADOU AND MARIAM | "Oh Amadou" / "Dougou Badia" [Single] | Because
10 NOVALIMA | Karimba | ESL Music

April 5, 2012

Program April 6, 2012

Soul man deluxe Charles Bradley (pictured above) and Staten Island's number one Afrobeat band, The Budos Band, share billing Friday night at the Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville.  You'll hear a track from each, along with some like-minded soulsters, on this week's edition of Global A Go-Go.

Bola | Volume 7

ARTIST:  Bola
TITLE:  Volume 7
LABEL:  Awesome Tapes From Africa
There’s no doubt about it: drum machines and synthesizers are radically changing African music.

Quantic & Alice Russell with the Combo Barbaro | Look Around The Corner

ARTIST:  Quantic & Alice Russell With The Combo Barbaro
TITLE:  Look Around The Corner
LABEL:  Tru Thoughts
Will (Quantic) Holland, the British producer-musician who moved to Colombia in 2007, brings together his interests in soul and Latin music on this delightful project. His co-star is Alice Russell, probably England’s finest soul singer, whose powerful gospel-inflected voice shines throughout.

Sidi Toure | Koima

ARTIST:  Sidi Toure 
TITLE:  Koima 
LABEL:  Thrill Jockey
Guitarist-singer Toure released a set of duets last year on Thrill Jockey; now he’s back with a full-fledged band recording.

April 1, 2012

Charts April 1, 2012

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 RAYA BRASS BAND | Dancing On Roses, Dancing On Cinders | self-released
2 FUNKEES | Dancing Time: The Best Of Eastern Nigeria's Afro Rock Exponents 1973-77 | Soundway
3 MARIEM HASSAN | El Aaiun Egdat (El Aaiun On Fire) | Nubenegra
4 BONGA | Hora Kota | Lusafrica
5 FUNK ARK | High Noon | ESL Music
6 LENI STERN | Sabani | self-released
7 NOVALIMA | Karimba | ESL Music
8 CEU | Caravana Sereia Bloom | Six Degrees
9 CAETANO VELOSO AND DAVID BYRNE | Live At Carnegie Hall | Nonesuch
10 RAY LUGO | We Walk Around Like This | Jazz & Milk