June 30, 2013

Charts June 30, 2013

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 THE GARIFUNA COLLECTIVE | Ayo | Cumbancha
2 KOBO TOWN | Jumbie In The Jukebox | Cumbancha
3 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Ladies At Joe Gibbs | 17 North Parade
4 ORCHESTRE POLY-RYTHMO DE COTONOU | Volume 3: The Skeletal Essences Of Afro Funk 1969-1980 | Analog Africa
5 BASSEKOU KOUYATE AND NGONI BA | Jama Ko | Out|Here
6 DANNY MICHEL AND THE GARIFUNA COLLECTIVE | Black Birds Are Dancing Over Me | Cumbancha
7 MAGIC SYSTEM | "Mamadou" [Single] | EMI France
8 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Rough Guide To African Disco | World Music Network
9 BARRINGTON LEVY | Sweet Reggae Music 1979-84 | 17 North Parade
10 LES BOUKAKES | Punky Halal | Jules Sonic Prods

June 28, 2013

The Garifuna Collective | Ayo

ARTIST: The Garifuna Collective
TITLE: Ayo
LABEL: Cumbancha
In 2007 Watina, credited to Andy Palacio & The Garifuna Collective, introduced listeners around the world to the music of the Garifuna people of Caribbean Central America, descendants of shipwrecked Nigerian slaves whose culture and language were close to extinct.

Program June 28, 2013

The Garifuna Project (a few of whose members are pictured above) are responsible for one of the most memorable recordings that's been produced since this radio program has been on the air -- Watina, featuring the late Andy Palacio, from 2007.

Now the Garifuna Project is back with a wonderful new album, to be released on July 2.  I'll feature two songs from it on this week's program, along with songs from two other artists backed up by the Project (Danny Michel and Kobo Town) and three songs from other Project members.  It's a Garifuna music-fest this week on Global A Go-Go.

June 24, 2013

Charts June 23, 2013

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Daora: Underground Sounds Of Urban Brasil - Hip-Hop, Beats, Afro & Dub | Mais Um Discos
2 FEMI KUTI | No Place For My Dream | Knitting Factory
3 NOEL MCLOUGHLIN | Home Is The Rover | ARC
4 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Rough Guide To Psychedelic Bollywood | World Music Network
5 LES BOUKAKES | Punky Halal | Jules Sonic Prods
6 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Ladies At Joe Gibbs | 17 North Parade
7 LORD MOUSE AND THE KALYPSO KATZ | Go Calypsonian | Piranha
8 PIERRE AKENDENGUE | Destinée | Lusafrica
9 ORCHESTRE POLY-RYTHMO DE COTONOU | Volume 3: The Skeletal Essences Of Afro Funk 1969-1980 | Analog Africa
10 DIEUF-DIEUL DE THIES | Aw Sa Yone Vol. 1 | Teranga Beat

June 20, 2013

Les Boukakes | Punky Halal

ARTIST: Les Boukakes
TITLE: Punky Halal
LABEL: Jules Sonic Prods

This is the fourth album in 14 years from the Montpellier, France-based band that aptly describes their sound as “rock ‘n’ rai” or “Oriental rock.”

Daora: Underground Sounds Of Urban Brasil - Hip-Hop, Beats, Afro & Dub

ARTIST: various artists
TITLE: Daora: Underground Sounds Of Urban Brasil – Hip-Hop, Beats, Afro & Dub
LABEL: Mais Um Discos
Here’s another valuable release from Mais Um, who specialize in bringing the latest uncategorizable Brazilian recordings to the north’s attention. Daora is Paulistano slang that means just what an urban American means by “dope”: cool and generally awesome.

The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Bollywood

ARTIST: various artists
TITLE: The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Bollywood
LABEL: World Music Network
WMN’s new “Psychedelic” series is adding an extra twist of hipness to the venerable Rough Guide template. Here the focus is on Bollywood music of the 1970’s, a period where American and British rock and funk, legitimized by Ravi Shankar’s collaborations and borne by “hippy trail” tourists in Goa and elsewhere, became yet another influence incorporated by the all-devouring Indian movie-music industry.

Program June 21, 2013

Tuesday marks the 15th anniversary of the assassination of Lounes Matoub (pictured above), whose lyrics, music and performances made him the Kabylie (Algerian Berber) Bob Dylan or, perhaps more appropriately in light of his murder, the Kabyile Victor Jara.  I'll play one of Matoub's most haunting songs alongside three other contemporary Imazighen (Berber) singers, including one who now makes his home right here in Virginia.

Also this week: Marseille looks across the Mediterranean, Brazilian Afrobeat, and Bollywood madness.

Podcast: http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/69326
All the podcasts: http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Global+A+Go-Go

June 16, 2013

Charts June 16, 2013

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 FEMI KUTI | No Place For My Dream | Knitting Factory
2 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Ladies At Joe Gibbs | 17 North Parade
3 LORD MOUSE AND THE KALYPSO KATZ | Go Calypsonian | Piranha
4 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Stand Up, People: Gypsy Pop Songs From Tito's Yugoslavia 1964-1980 | Vlax
5 DIEUF-DIEUL DE THIES | Aw Sa Yone Vol. 1 | Teranga Beat
6 BOMBINO | Nomad | Nonesuch
7 WAYNE WALLACE LATIN JAZZ QUINTET | Latin Jazz-Jazz Latin | Patois
8 JAIMEO BROWN | Transcendence | Motema
9 TEO LAURA | El Sonido De La Carretera Central | Masstropicas
10 ORCHESTRE POLY-RYTHMO DE COTONOU | Volume 3: The Skeletal Essences Of Afro Funk 1969-1980 | Analog Africa

June 13, 2013

Program June 14, 2013

I'll be joined this week by a special guest co-host.  Vlad Cuiujuclu is one of my go-to sources for Balkan and Eastern European music.  His listening lately has been veering in a jazzy, proggy direction, and he'll bring some of the stuff he's currently digging -- the Russian avant-rock band Auktyon, guitarist Enver Ismailov from Ukraine, and the folk-jazz Trigon ensemble from Vlad's birthplace, Moldova.

And of course I'll add a few items to the proceedings: Dieuf-Dieul De Thies from Senegal, Bombino from Niger, and Chris Vasi from right here in Richmond.  Should be a fun show, you'll definitely hear something different on this one.

June 9, 2013

Charts June 9, 2013

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Ladies At Joe Gibbs | 17 North Parade
2 FEMI KUTI | No Place For My Dream | Knitting Factory
3 ORCHESTRE POLY-RYTHMO DE COTONOU | Volume 3: The Skeletal Essences Of Voodoo Funk | Analog Africa
4 CARBON LEAF | Ghost Dragon Attacks Castle | Constant Ivy
5 PIERRE AKENDENGUE | Destinée | Lusafrica
6 LORD MOUSE AND THE KALYPSO KATZ | Go Calypsonian | Piranha
7 VIEUX FARKA TOURE | Mon Pays | Six Degrees
8 DUBMATIX | Rebel Massive | Echo Beach
9 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Stand Up, People: Gypsy Pop Songs From Tito's Yugoslavia 1964-1980 | Vlax
10 ORQUESTA EL MACABEO | Salsa Bestial | Vampisoul

June 6, 2013

Program June 7, 2013

Femi Kuti's new album, No Place For My Dream, gets its USA release on June 25.  We've got it right now, and yes it is smoking -- you'll hear the title cut on this week's show.  Also on the new music tip: Fat Freddy's Drop's new single, Chicago Afrobeat Project's Fela-Radiohead mashup, and a beautiful posthumous release from Cesaria Evora.

And if you're craving something vintage, how about a track from Heart Of The Congos, hands down one of reggae's greatest albums?  Or perhaps the father of Anatolian rock, Yugoslavia's all-time most popular rock band, or some 1960's gypsy pop?  Yep, all that and more this week on Global A Go-Go.

Femi Kuti | No Place For My Dream

ARTIST: Femi Kuti
TITLE: No Place For My Dream
LABEL: Knitting Factory
Femi Kuti, Fela’s eldest son, isn’t the keeper of the flame: that’s the role of youngest son Seun, who fronts his late father’s still-awesome Egypt 80 band. Rather, Femi is the trailblazer – he left Fela’s band in the 80’s, fused Afrobeat with house music and collaborated with rappers in the 90’s and reemerged with a jazzier sound on 2008’s Day By Day and a fast, almost punk-like attack on 2011’s Africa For Africa.

June 5, 2013

June 2013 Concert Calendar

June's Global A Go-Go picks:
  1. A stellar African double bill: Mali's Amadou & Mariam (pictured above) and Niger's Bombino at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC on Tuesday June 18
  2. The Anderson Gallery's summer Wednesday Happy Hour series welcomes Richmond's one-and-only Balinese gamelan ensemble, Gamelan Raga Kusuma, on Wednesday June 19
  3. Bio Ritmo has a Wednesday night residency at Emilio's, in preparation for their forthcoming European tour -- residency dates are June 19 & 26 and July 3 & 10
Have an event you'd like me to include, or a suggestion for the concert calendar?  Just drop me a line at globalagogoradio [at] gmail [dot] com, or leave me a message right here.

Click "Read more" to see the entire June calendar.

June 2, 2013

Charts June 2, 2013

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Ladies At Joe Gibbs | 17 North Parade
2 LORD MOUSE & THE KALYPSO KATZ | Go Calypsonian | Piranha
3 ORCHESTRE POLY-RYTHMO DE COTONOU | Volume 3: The Skeletal Essences Of Voodoo Funk | Analog Africa
4 BASSEKOU KOUYATE AND NGONI BA | Jama Ko | Out|Here
5 PIERRE AKENDENGUE | Destinée | Lusafrica
6 TEO LAURA | El Sonido De La Carretera Central | Masstropicas
7 ORCHESTRA SUPER MAZEMBE | Mazembe @ 45 RPM Vol. 1 | Sterns
8 BOMBINO | Nomad | Nonesuch
9 CARBON LEAF | Ghost Dragon Attacks Castle | Constant Ivy
10 KOBO TOWN | Jumbie In The Jukebox | Cumbancha

Pierre Akendengue | Destinee

ARTIST: Pierre Akendengue
TITLE: Destinee
LABEL: Lusafrica
Pierre Akendengue’s new album, DESTINEE is, in a word, wonderful. The songs feature rumba, folklore, and European elements all presented in Akendengue’s distinctive style.