December 28, 2015

Program December 30, 2015: Best of the Rest of 2015

Global A Go-Go closes the books on 2015 with another look at the year in review.  This week, the focus is on individual songs: my favorite singles of the year, top tracks from albums that didn't quite make my best-of lists, and great songs hidden on otherwise forgettable long-players.

I've said it before, I'll say it again: we're once again living in a singles era.  So folks like me who recap their favorite recordings by focusing solely on albums (as I did on my last two shows) are missing some big pieces.  This week's show is designed to remedy that flaw -- I think you'll hear just as much great music this week as you did on my previous two best-of-2015 recaps.

Bonne annee et bonne sante!

December 20, 2015

Charts December 20, 2015

Here are my last charts of the year.  No CMJs until the first week of January, so in their place are my favorite compilations, reissues and historic recordings of 2015 (don't forget to click through if you want to see my reviews of each item).  I'll be back with you on January 4; bonne annee et bonne sante to all!


Global A Go-Go's Top Ten Compilations, Reissues and Historic Recordings of 2015
1.  Thomas Mapfumo | Lion Songs: Essential Tracks In The Making Of Zimbabwe | Lion Songs
2.  various artists | Senegal 70: Sonic Gems & Previously Unreleased Recordings From The 70s | Analog Africa
3.  various artists | The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Cumbia | World Music Network
4.  Letta Mbulu | In The Music The Village Never Ends | Be With
5.  various artists | Next Stop Soweto, Vol. 4: Zulu Rock, Afro-Disco And Mbaqanga 1975-1985 | Strut
6.  Dieuf-Dieul De Thies | Aw Sa Yone Vol. 2 | Teranga Beat
7.  Zdob Si Zdub | 20 De Veri | MediaPro Music
8.  E.T. Mensah & The Tempos | King Of Highlife Anthology | RetroAfric
9.  various artists | Big Box Of Afrosound | Vampisoul
10. Amara Toure | 1973-1980 | Analog Africa


Honorable Mention
various artists | The Brasileiro Treasure Box Of Funk & Soul | Cultures Of Soul
Os Brazoes | Os Brazoes | Mr Bongo
Buena Vista Social Club | Lost And Found | World Circuit
various artists | Chicas! Vol. 2:  Spanish Female Singers 1963-1978 | Vampisoul
Roger Damawuzan & Les As Du Benin | Wait For Me | Hot Casa
various artists | Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock And Roll | Dust-To-Digital
various artists | Highlife On The Move: Selected Nigerian & Ghanaian Recordings From London & Lagos, 1954-66 | Soundway
Ginger Johnson & His African Messengers | African Party | Freestyle
Mazhar Ve Fuat | Turkuz Turku Cagiririz! | Shadoks Music
Youssou N'Dour & Le Super Etoile De Dakar | Fatteliku (Live In Athens 1987) | Real World

December 15, 2015

Program December 16, 2015: Top Ten Compilations of 2015

This week, it's my annual tribute to the cratediggers of the world: the folks who unearth the forgotten, the obscure and in some cases the never-before-heard.  And a shout out as well to the curators: the people who put music we might already know into a new, enlightening context.

I'm referring here to the people responsible for the world music compilations, reissues and historic recordings that I enjoyed in 2015.  I'll highlight 20 of them on this week's program, including music from 18 different countries covering seven decades of recorded music.

Click "Read More" to see my 2015 Top Ten (compilations, reissues and historic recordings division).

December 7, 2015

Program December 9, 2015: Top Ten New Releases Of 2015

This week, I'll run down my picks for the top new releases of 2015: a Top Ten plus ten more honorable mentions.  Then next week (Dec 16), it's on to the best compilations, reissues and historic recordings of 2015.  After a week off, I'll be back on Dec 30 with the best of the rest -- all the great songs that didn't fit onto the previous two programs.

Isn't that overkill?  Not really, at least I don't think so.  WRIR received 548 new world music releases in 2015; then there's all the new stuff that was never sent to the station that I bought or streamed during the year.  Add them all up, and you'll see that my top-lists are just six or so percent of all the new music I heard in 2015.  Far from overkill, I'd say it's actually pretty selective company.

Of course, the proof of the pudding is in the eating -- tune in to Global A Go-Go in December and hear for yourself just how good a year in world music 2015 was.  I'd say it was very good, in fact one of the best recent vintages.

Click "Read More" to see my 2015 Top Ten (new releases division).

Charts December 6, 2015

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 BIO RITMO | "Oriza" [Single] | Peace And Rhythm
2 GRUPO FANTASMA | Problemas | Blue Corn Music
3 ELIKEH | Kondona | Ropeadope
4 FAT FREDDY'S DROP | Bays | The Drop
5 BIXIGA 70 | III | Glitterbeat
6 ROGER DAMAWUZAN AND LES AS DU BENIN | Wait For Me | Hot Casa
7 CEU | Live | Six Degrees
8 QWANQWA | Volume Two | FPE
9 SOULJAZZ ORCHESTRA | Resistance | Strut
10 BOOGARINS | Manual | Other Music

December 1, 2015

Program December 2, 2015

It's old-school soul school this week on Global A Go-Go -- lots of soul-influenced material from all over sprinkled throughout this week's program, some from back in the 70s and some from today.

For example: Latin soul from Ralfi Pagan and Grupo Fantasma, Afro-funk by Prince D'gibs and Roger Damawuzan, Brazilian samba-soul (Los Incriveis) and Afrobeat (Bixiga 70).  And three very distinct versions of an Ethiopian song called "I Like Your Afro" (pictured above).  For real.

November 30, 2015

Charts November 29, 2015

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 BIO RITMO | "Oriza" [Single] | Peace And Rhythm
2 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Senegal 70: Sonic Gems And Previously Unreleased Recordings From The 70's | Analog Africa
3 M'TORO CHAMOU | "Umani" [Single] | Le Cri De L'Ocean Indien
4 TIKEN JAH FAKOLY | Racines | Barclay
5 PROTOJE | Ancient Future | Mr Bongo
6 ELIKEH | Kondona | Ropeadope
7 DIEUF-DIEUL DE THIES | Aw Sa Yone Vol. 2 | Teranga Beat
8 BLACK MASALA | I Love You Madly | self-released
9 GRUPO FANTASMA | Problemas | Blue Corn Music
10 KANDIA KOUYATE | Renascence | Sterns

November 27, 2015

December 2015 Concert Calendar

December's Global A Go-Go picks:
  1. From Morocco via New York City, Innov Gnawa (pictured above) makes three appearances in Washington DC this month: Friday Dec 4 at the Hill Center, an early show Sunday Dec 20 at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage, and then a late gig that night at Bossa Bistro
  2. Bio Ritmo celebrates the release of their latest single "Oriza" with a performance at the Broadberry on Friday Dec 18
  3. East African retro-pop act Alsarah & The Nubatones, just back from touring Europe and Morocco, play Tropicalia in DC on Friday Dec 18
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 December calendar.

November 24, 2015

Bio Ritmo | Oriza

ARTIST: Bio Ritmo
TITLE: Oriza
LABEL: Peace & Rhythm
Richmond’s aces of indie-salsa throw a curveball on their new single: it’s a cumbia.

Elikeh | Kondona

ARTIST: Elikeh
TITLE: Kondona
LABEL: Ropeadope
Elikeh is a Washington DC-based sextet led by singer-guitarist Massama Dogo, an immigrant from Togo.

Protoje | Ancient Future

ARTIST: Protoje
TITLE: Ancient Future
LABEL: Mr Bongo
Protoje is part of the current generation of artists leading a reggae revival in Jamaica. And it’s badly needed, since most of the music I hear coming off the island sounds like it’s made for New York’s Hot 97.

Senegal 70: Sonic Gems & Previously Unreleased Recordings From The 70's

ARTIST: various artists
TITLE: Senegal 70: Sonic Gems & Previously Unreleased Recordings From The 70’s
LABEL: Analog Africa
Analog Africa and Teranga Beat, two superb crate-digging operations, team up for this set of Senegalese music just before and during the development of mbalax.

November 23, 2015

Program November 25, 2015

On Wednesday at 3 PM you might be on your way to visit relatives for Thanksgiving, but I'll be in WRIR's studios bringing you two hours of music that will make sitting in traffic a little bit more tolerable.

This week you'll hear a track from Analog Africa and Teranga Beat's fabulous new Senegal 70 compilation, a song recorded in 1976 and unreleased until this Friday.  Also on the new music tip there's singer-songwriter M'Toro Chamou from Ile De Mayotte; French soul-reggae band Soul Sugar; Jamaican dancehall toaster Protoje; and XIXA, a chicha band from Tucson -- all artists being played for the first time ever on Global A Go-Go.

Oh, and a new record from an artist that I've played more than a few times -- Bio Ritmo's brand new single, which goes on sale December 1.

Charts November 22, 2015

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 KANDIA KOUYATE | Renascence | Sterns
2 SOULJAZZ ORCHESTRA | Resistance | Strut
3 LURA | Heranca | Lusafrica
4 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Cumbia | World Music Network
5 DOUG BEAVERS | Titanes Del Trombon | ArtistShare
6 JOAN SORIANO | Me Decidi | iASO
7 MARIEM HASSAN AND VADIYA MINT EL HANEVI | Baila Sahara Baila | Nubenegra
8 BIXIGA 70 | III | Glitterbeat
9 CEU | Live | Six Degrees
10 TERAKAFT | Alone (Ténére) | Out|Here

November 18, 2015

Charts November 15, 2015

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 DIEUF-DIEUL DE THIES | Aw Sa Yone Vol. 2 | Teranga Beat
2 GRUPO FANTASMA | Problemas | Blue Corn Music
3 BLACK MASALA | I Love You Madly | self-released
4 FAT FREDDY'S DROP | Bays | The Drop
5 ST. GERMAIN | St. Germain | Nonesuch
6 ADAMA YALOMBA | Waati Sera | Mesa/Bluemoon
7 BIXIGA 70 | III | Glitterbeat
8 QWANQWA | Volume Two | FPE
9 TROMBORANGA | Golpe Con Melodia | self-released
10 BRIAN CHILALA AND NGOMA ZASU | Vangaza! | SWP

November 10, 2015

Program November 11, 2015

How good could a band who never released a recording during their original life be?  In the case of Dieuf-Dieul De Thies (pictured above), the answer is "on par with the best-known Senegalese artists of their day: Orchestra Baobab and Etoile De Dakar."

Volume 2 of Dieuf-Dieul's original 1981-82 sessions has just been issued by Teranga Beat Records; you'll hear a nice long, spacious selection from it on this week's program.  By the way, the band's original members are so excited about their 30-year-delayed career as recording artists that they've reunited to gig in Senegal and are hoping to tour Europe and the USA next year.  More power to them!

Also this week: dub and blues, two great tastes that taste great together; the newest Balkan beats from Germany, Bosnia, Moldova and Washington DC; and 21st century Afrobeat.

Dieuf-Dieul De Thies | Aw Sa Yone Vol. 2

ARTIST: Dieuf-Dieul De Thies
TITLE: Aw Sa Yone Vol. 2
LABEL: Teranga Beat
Two and a half years ago, I raved about the first-ever album from Senegalese band Dieuf-Dieul De Thies: recorded in 1982, the session somehow went unreleased for 31 years and was one of my favorites of 2013.

November 9, 2015

Charts November 8, 2015

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Brasileiro Treasure Box Of Funk And Soul | Cultures of Soul
2 ADAMA YALOMBA | Waati Sera | Mesa/Bluemoon
3 KANDIA KOUYATE | Renascence | Sterns
4 ROGER DAMAWUZAN AND LES AS DU BENIN | Wait For Me | Hot Casa
5 TERAKAFT | Alone | Out|Here
6 ELIKEH | Kondona | Ropeadope
7 DOUG BEAVERS | Titanes Del Trombon | self-released
8 MACKA B | Neva Played A 45 | Peckings
9 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Biggest Reggae One Drop Anthems 2015 | Greensleeves
10 KUKU | Ballads And Blasphemy | Buda Musique

November 3, 2015

Program November 4, 2015

By popular demand I'll play some roots reggae this week, including a request to hear The Mighty Diamonds plus the new album by Cote D'Ivoire's Tiken Jah Fakoly (pictured above), probably my favorite reggae release of the year.

Also this week: the oriental sound in West African music, another trip to the Islamic funk belt, and guitar heroes of the Sahel.

November 2, 2015

Charts November 1, 2015

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 FAT FREDDY'S DROP | Bays | The Drop
2 BLACK MASALA | I Love You Madly | self-released
3 ADAMA YALOMBA | Waati Sera | Mesa/Bluemoon
4 GRUPO FANTASMA | Problemas | Blue Corn Music
5 BIXIGA 70 | III | Glitterbeat
6 CEU | Live | Six Degrees
7 PAT THOMAS AND THE KWASHIBU AREA BAND | Pat Thomas And Kwashibu Area Band | Strut
8 CHUCHO VALDES | Tribute To Irakere: Live At Marciac | Jazz Village
9 BOOGAT | Neo-Reconquista | Maisonette
10 DR. ED CALLE | Presents Mamblue | Mojito

November 1, 2015

November 2015 Concert Calendar

November's Global A Go-Go picks:
    1. Richmond's No BS! Brass celebrates the release of their new album Brass Knuckles with a full weekend of performances at Balliceaux, Thursday November 12 through Saturday November 14
    2. Youssou N'Dour (pictured above), African superstar and the man who almost became president of Senegal, makes an appearance at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium on Tuesday November 17
    3. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts' Best Cafe is a perfect venue for the Afro-Zen Allstars' take on Ethio-jazz, Thursday November 19
    4.  The legendary Eddie Palmieri and his Salsa Orchestra take over DC's Howard Theatre on Friday November 27
        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 November calendar.

        October 30, 2015

        Black Masala | I Love You Madly

        ARTIST: Black Masala
        TITLE: I Love You Madly
        LABEL: self-released
        If you haven’t seen them yet, DC’s Black Masala is one of the most exciting live acts anywhere in the USA right now.

        Fat Freddy's Drop | Bays

        ARTIST: Fat Freddy’s Drop
        TITLE: Bays
        LABEL: The Drop
        The best-selling band at home in New Zealand (their debut album is 9X platinum there) is back with their fourth studio album, and it’s a beauty.

        Grupo Fantasma | Problemas

        ARTIST: Grupo Fantasma
        TITLE: Problemas
        LABEL: Blue Corn Music
        The fifth studio album by this 15-year-old nine-piece band from Austin is their best yet.

        October 26, 2015

        Program October 28, 2015

        Amother successful WRIR fund drive, our 22nd, is now in the books.  Here's a big Global A Go-Go thank you to the over 480 donors who contributed more than $38,000 in our Fall 2015 Fund Drive.  And a special thanks to the 42 folks who named Global A Go-Go as one of their favorite programs -- I'm truly honored.

        Remember, it's not too late to donate -- we still have the special Fall 2015 Fund Drive premiums available if you donate online here: http://bitly.com/Donate2Wrir.

        Now that we've wrapped up another successful fund drive that will keep WRIR in the black for another six months, it's time to celebrate the best way I know how: with two hours of killer music from around the world.

        I have lots of new October releases to share with you this week: Austin's Latin funk killers Grupo Fantasma (pictured above); ace Malian sideman Adama Yalomba stepping out in front of his own band; deep reggae grooves from Jamaica's Luciano, Akae Beka of St. Croix and New Zealand's Fat Freddy's Drop; and DC Balkan blasters Black Masala.

        October 20, 2015

        Program October 21, 2015

        Art by Lynn Murphy for the Go Bike! project
        Richmond Independent Radio's Fall 2015 Fund Drive is currently underway; it continues through Tuesday October 27.  We're intending to raise $35,000 in this fall's drive, which will keep WRIR doing everything it does for Richmond and for our listener base, 24/7 for the next six months.

        We'd really appreciate your support in keeping community radio radio strong in Richmond -- WRIR is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, and we're building to make the next ten years even better.  You can make a donation in one of three ways:
        1. By visiting our secure online donation site at http://bitly.com/Donate2Wrir
        2. By calling 804-622-9747
        3. Or by visiting us in person at 1621-B W. Broad Street (2nd floor)
        As always, I have something special lined up for my listeners during the fund drive.  Capoeira Resistencia will be performing live on Global A Go-Go on Wednesday October 21.  Capoeira Resistencia was founded in 1992 by Mestre Panao (Robson Alexandre Pedro) in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  Mestre Panao moved to Richmond in 2006, where he operates his studio on Buford Road in Bon Air.

        Capoeira is an over 400 year old Brazilian martial art developed by West African slaves and escaped slaves; it incorporates dance, acrobatics and music along with self-defense.  After soccer, it's believed to be the second most popular sport in Brazil, and it's developed a strong following of participants in the USA and all over the world.  The music of capoeira, performed by voices and percussion instruments, is an integral part of the practice of the sport -- games, exercises and performances are always accompanied by music.

        Here's a special incentive to get you to donate.  There will be a $500 challenge during Global A Go-Go -- the first $500 that's donated during my program, starting on Wednesday at 3 PM, will be matched by a pair of generous contributors.  So get some extra bang for your buck -- donate during Global A Go-Go and your contribution will be doubled.  And don't forget to tune in, on the airwaves at 97.3 FM or online at http://wrir.org/listen.

        Thank you for your support in the past, and thank you for considering making a donation during WRIR's Fall 2015 Fund Drive!

        Follow me below the fold, if you'd like, for a little more inspiration ...

        October 19, 2015

        Charts October 18, 2015

        WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
        1 ROGER DAMAWUZAN AND LES AS DU BENIN | Wait For Me | Hot Casa
        2 FRANCESCA BLANCHARD | Deux Visions | Vis-A-Vis
        3 KANDIA KOUYATE | Renascence | Sterns
        4 AMADOU BALAKE | In Conclusion | Sterns
        5 PAT THOMAS AND THE KWASHIBU AREA BAND | Pat Thomas And Kwashibu Area Band | Strut
        6 OMAR | "Simplify" [Single] | Freestyle
        7 ST GERMAIN | St Germain | Nonesuch
        8 BIXIGA 70 | III | Glitterbeat
        9 QWANQWA | Volume Two | FPE
        10 SOULJAZZ ORCHESTRA | Resistance | Strut

        October 15, 2015

        Kandia Kouyate | Renascence

        ARTIST: Kandia Kouyate
        TITLE: Renascence
        LABEL: Stern’s
        Kandia Kouyate is perhaps the greatest living jelimuso (female singer of Mande traditional material). For most of her career, she has flown under the first world’s radar.

        St Germain

        ARTIST: St Germain
        TITLE: St Germain
        LABEL: Nonesuch
        Ludovic Navarre, who performs and records as St Germain, is a key creator of the cool French style of electronica that made stars of Air and Daft Punk.

        October 13, 2015

        Program October 14, 2015

        You'll hear two very different approaches to Malian music on this week's program.

        Kandia Kouyate (pictured above), "La Dangereuse," one of Mali's greatest jelimusolu (female singers), has released her first new recordings in 13 years.  That's inspired me to play a set of the divas of Mali.

        And St Germain, pioneer of the "French touch" in electronica, has released his first album in fifteen years, and this time he's prominently featuring Malian sounds.  So you'll hear some deep house, Malian style as well.

        Also this week: some French singer-songwriters and more of salsa's new wave.

        October 6, 2015

        Program October 7, 2015

        This week, Global A Go-Go presents a special in-studio performance by Zedashe (pictured above) from the Republic of Georgia.

        Their seventh album, Our Earth And Water, is currently on WRIR's New & Recommended list; they are finishing up their fifth USA tour here in Richmond at the Folk Festival, where you can see them on Saturday at 3:45 and on Sunday at 2:45 and 4:00.  But before that, you can hear them Wednesday in WRIR's Studio C.

        Zedashe's specialty is the polyphonic vocal music of Georgia, which is literally millenia old: it predates the introduction of Christianity to the region, which happened in the fourth century AD.  In addition, the ensemble performs music from all the regions of their home country, and they accompany themselves on a variety of instruments: hand drums, lutes, accordion and goat-skin bagpipes.

        I hope you can join me for this unique Richmond radio experience.

        October 5, 2015

        Charts October 4, 2015

        WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
        1 CEU | Live | Six Degrees
        2 SOULJAZZ ORCHESTRA | Resistance | Strut
        3 AMADOU BALAKE | In Conclusion | Sterns
        4 WESTERN STANDARD TIME | A Big Band Tribute To The Skatalites, Vol. 2 | self-released
        5 GRUPO FANTASMA | "Solo Un Sueno" [Single] | Blue Corn Music
        6 MACKA B | Neva Played A 45 | Peckings
        7 VIEUX FARKA TOURE AND JULIA EASTERLIN | Touristes | Six Degrees
        8 FLAVIA COELHO | Mundo Meu | Mr Bongo
        9 ZEDASHE | Our Earth And Water | Living Roots Music
        10 QWANQWA | Volume Two | FPE

        October 4, 2015

        Bixiga 70 | III

        ARTIST: Bixiga 70
        TITLE: III
        LABEL: Glitterbeat
        Bixiga 70 is a five-year-old, leaderless 10-piece Brazilian instrumental collective. Their name refers to the street address and neighborhood in Sao Paulo where they formed.

        Roger Damawuzan & Les As Du Benin | Wait For Me

        ARTIST: Roger Damawuzan & Les As Du Benin
        TITLE: Wait For Me
        LABEL: Hot Casa
        American funk and R&B swept like the Harmattan across West Africa in the late 1960’s, covering almost all popular music in a gritty 4/4 groove. The front men of the hottest bands would inevitably be described as the “James Brown of [your country’s name here].”

        September 29, 2015

        Program September 30, 2015

        Ceu (pictured above) is a Brazilian singer-songwriter whose first three albums have earned her four Grammy nominations and a slew of fans, both at home and around the world.

        Her new live album is the rock 'n' roll record I've been waiting for her to make.  You'll hear a cut from it, and music from some of her Brazilian peers, this week on Global A Go-Go.

        Also this week: crazy rhythms of West Africa; dancehall and ska, including a great new track from Macka B; and Grupo Fantasma's new single plus more Latin rock.

        September 28, 2015

        Ceu | Live

        ARTIST: Ceu
        TITLE: Live
        LABEL: Six Degrees
        After three well-received studio albums, here’s a live set from this popular young Brazilian singer-songwriter. Those three albums earned Ceu four Grammy nominations, but they didn’t quite do it for me – a little too mannered and precious for my taste. This one is just the opposite.

        October 2015 Concert Calendar

        October's Global A Go-Go picks:
        1. The big one in October is always the Richmond Folk Festival, free to all Friday October 9 through Sunday October 11 on Richmond's historic downtown waterfront; world music artists to watch this year include Georgian chorus Zedashe (pictured above), Afro-Colombian ensemble Grupo Rebolu and DC-based Ethio-jazz combo Feedel Band
        2. There's a big Folk Festival after-party at Capital Ale House on Sunday October 11 featuring Bio Ritmo, the aforementioned Zedashe, Capoeira Resistencia and possibly some special guests
        3. The amazing Czech singer-violinist Iva Bittova plays DC's Atlas Performing Arts Center on Thursday October 22
        4. A cool world music double-bill at the Camel on Monday October 26, with Richmond's one-of-a-kind Indo-Appalachian string band Rumput and Fado Nosso, RVA's homegrown fado combo
        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 October calendar.

        Charts September 27, 2015

        WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
        1 TERAKAFT | Alone (Ténére) | Out|Here
        2 LURA | Heranca | Lusafrica
        3 VIEUX FARKA TOURE AND JULIA EASTERLIN | Touristes | Six Degrees
        4 RIM KWAKU OBENG | Rim Arrives / International Funk | BBE
        5 SOULJAZZ ORCHESTRA | Resistance | Strut
        6 ZEDASHE | Our Earth And Water | Living Roots
        7 BRIAN CHILALA AND NGOMA ZASU | Vangaza! | SWP
        8 QUARTER STREET | Quarter Street | HopeStreet
        9 DABY TOURE | Amonafi | Cumbancha
        10 EZZA | "Alkher" [Single] | Ma Case

        September 22, 2015

        Program September 23, 2015

        Richmond has a lot of visitors this week, and maybe a few of them will be tuning in to WRIR and checking out Global A Go-Go.  So I've been thinking about what I'd want to tell them about my home town.

        We've got a pretty great music scene here for all sorts of sounds: punk and metal, bluegrass and old-time, indie rock and indie hip-hop, jazz and classical, roots rock and singer-songwriters.  If you live here and you don't know have at least one friend who's a musician, you're probably just lame.  Or lying.

        Of course, my thing is world music, and we've got some amazing, imaginative, skilled and experienced world music acts here in Richmond.  (None more experienced than Hotel X, pictured above in their original 1992 incarnation.)  I'll feature four of them on this week's program.

        Also this week: some songs from behind the former Iron Curtain, that rockin' Central African guitar sound, and what's new in desert blues.

        September 21, 2015

        Charts September 20, 2015

        Photo by Philippe Lafreniere
        WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
        1 SOULJAZZ ORCHESTRA | Resistance | Strut
        2 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Cumbia | World Music Network
        3 BOMBA ESTEREO | Amanecer | Sony Music Latin
        4 QWANQWA | Volume Two | FPE
        5 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Big Box Of Afrosound | Vampisoul
        6 DENGUE FEVER | The Deepest Lake | Tuk Tuk
        7 BRIAN CHILALA AND NGOMA ZASU | Vangaza! | SWP
        8 HECTOR GUERRA | Gracias Por Existir | Pachamama Dreams
        9 HAILU MERGIA | "Hailu" / "Yegle Nesh" [Single] | Philophon
        10 AMARA TOURE | 1973-1980 | Analog Africa

        September 15, 2015

        Program September 16, 2015

        Photo by Jean-Claude Batista
        Well, it was a great music weekend for yours truly last weekend. I got to see legendary singer Mahmoud Ahmed play to an adoring nearly-all-Ethiopian audience, plus one of my favorite contemporary bands, Cambodian-American rockers Dengue Fever, on the next night.

        And somewhere in between I heard two of the best albums I've come across so far in 2015: Resistance by Ottawa, Canada's Souljazz Orchestra (pictured above) and Volume Two by Qwanqwa, a remarkable Ethiopian-American quartet.

        You'll hear The Souljazz Orchestra play Afrobeat and Caribbean cadence on this week's show, and Qwanqwa will anchor an Ethiopian set that'll also feature Mahmoud Ahmed, naturally.  And I'll work in some chicha and cumbia as well, just for good measure.

        Qwanqwa | Volume 2

        ARTIST: Qwanqwa
        TITLE: Volume 2
        LABEL: FPE
        “Ethio-jazz” usually refers to the music of Mulatu Astatke, Getetachew Mekurya and the other innovators of 1970’s Ethiopia who combined their country’s pentatonic scales with Western instruments, harmonies and improvisational strategies. The Addis Ababa-based quartet Qwanqwa (Amharic for “language”), on their second album, provide a new angle on Ethio-jazz.

        The Souljazz Orchestra | Resistance

        ARTIST: The Souljazz Orchestra
        TITLE: Resistance
        LABEL: Strut
        If there’s one band in the world that best captures the Global A Go-Go esthetic, it might be The Souljazz Orchestra. The sextet from Ottawa, Canada has its roots in Afrobeat, incorporates an ever-increasing assortment of global influences, improvises like a jazz band, wears its left-wing politics on its sleeve, and never fails to make you wanna dance.

        September 14, 2015

        Charts September 13, 2015

        WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
        1 LURA | Heranca | Lusafrica
        2 ORQUESTA EL MACABEO | "Eutanasia" / "En La Luna" | Vampisoul
        3 SK KAKRABA | Songs Of Paapieye | Awesome Tapes From Africa
        4 QUARTER STREET | Quarter Street | HopeStreet
        5 TROMBORANGA | Golpe Con Melodia | self-released
        6 AMADOU BALAKE | In Conclusion | Sterns
        7 BRIAN CHILALA AND NGOMA ZASU | Vangaza! | SWP
        8 WESTERN STANDARD TIME | A Big Band Tribute To The Skatalites, Vol. 2 | self-released
        9 LES AMBASSADEURS | Rebirth | World Village
        10 BASSEKOU KOUYATE AND NGONI BA | Ba Power | Glitterbeat

        September 8, 2015

        Program September 9, 2015

        Cabo Verde is a nation of 500,000 people (with a disapora of equal size) where it seems like every fifth person is a musician.  You'll hear three of those musicians, all women, on this week's program.  That includes Lura (pictured above), whose wonderful new album will be released on October 16.

        Also this week: the sound of the balafon; ska, rocksteady and Afro-reggae; and the new wave of indie-salsa.

        September 7, 2015

        Lura | Heranca

        ARTIST: Lura
        TITLE: Heranca
        LABEL: Lusafrica
        Cabo Verde is an island nation off the coast of Senegal with a population of about half a million that has long punched way above its weight in the music world.

        Orquesta El Macabeo | "Eutanasia" b/w "En La Luna"

        ARTIST: Orquesta El Macabeo
        TITLE: “Eutanasia” / “En La Luna”
        LABEL: Vampisoul
        Orquesta El Macabeo is a young 12-piece Puerto Rican salsa ensemble. They’re a key piece of the modern indie-salsa movement – Richmond’s Bio Ritmo is right there with them.

        Charts September 6, 2015

        These charts cover the two-week period August 24-September 6

        WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
        1 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Cumbia | World Music Network
        2 BIG MEAN SOUND MACHINE / SUPER HI-FI | "Wolfpack" / "Q Street" [Single] | Peace & Rhythm
        3 TERAKAFT | Alone | Out|Here
        4 PAT THOMAS AND THE KWASHIBU AREA BAND | Pat Thomas And Kwashibu Area Band | Strut
        5 SK KAKRABA | Songs Of Paapieye | Awesome Tapes From Africa
        6 WESTERN STANDARD TIME | A Big Band Tribute To The Skatalites, Vol. 2 | self-released
        7 BOMBA ESTEREO | Amanecer | Sony Music Latin
        8 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Big Box Of Afrosound | Vampisoul
        9 CHICO TRUJILLO | Reina De Todas Las Fiestas | Barbes
        10 OLA FRESCA | Elixir | PiPiKi

        September 1, 2015

        Program September 2, 2015

        Orquesta El Macabeo (pictured above) is a 12-piece salsa band from Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico.  Their members' backgrounds are in punk, metal, ska, reggae and hip hop -- pretty much everything but salsa.  That back-story may remind you of Richmond's Bio Ritmo.

        On Wednesday night, Bio Ritmo and Orquesta El Macabeo will share the stage at the Broadberry, along with Miramar and the Peace & Rhythm DJ Crew.  But before that happens, Orquesta El Macabeo will play a live set on Global A Go-Go, direct from WRIR's new Studio C, the Community's Studio.

        And I'll also interview DJ Bongohead and DJ Andujar from Peace & Rhythm, a new record label specializing in funk, world and jazz 45s.  They'll soon be releasing a new Bio Ritmo single, and we're planning to give it a world premiere on this week's program.