GLOBAL A GO-GO: May 2016

May 30, 2016

Program June 1, 2016

El Gran Lobo Pico in Barranquilla, Colombia; photo by Taliesin Gilkes-Bower

It's unofficially summer, time to take your music outdoors. So I've tuned up the Global A Go-Go pico (it looks a little bit like the one in the picture above) -- replaced a couple of vacuum tubes, touched up the airbrush on my speaker grills, made sure the amps crank clean at 10.

And I've cued up a set of cumbiatronica to spin for you on my first summer show of the year. Crank it up and share it with your neighbors.

Also this week: tradi-mods from Sierra Leone, Ghana and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; what is Balkan reggae?; and the modern sound of Ethio-jazz.

Space Echo: The Mystery Behind The Cosmic Sound Of Cabo Verde Revealed

ARTIST: various artists
TITLE: Space Echo: The Mystery Behind The Cosmic Sound Of Cabo Verde Finally Revealed
LABEL: Analog Africa
The archipelago nation of Cabo Verde is best known musically for the mournful morna of Cesaria Evora, but don’t sleep on its more danceable funana and coladeira styles.

Marlysse Simmons and Rei Alvarez (left and center above) of Bio Ritmo are unabashed lovers of boleros, the old-fashioned, archly romantic ballads that their mothers grew up listening to. "There were only so many boleros we could do with a salsa band," says Simmons -- hence Miramar, their project with Laura Ann Singh (right above).

Miramar's debut album, Dedication To Sylvia Rexach, will be released June 17 by Barbes Records. This week on Global A Go-Go, I'll start the program with a track from this wonderful new album.

Also this week: jazz with an African flavor, a set of Jamaican dub (so wear your headphones), and the Cabo Verde-Haiti connection.

Charts May 22, 2016

The Lickshots | The Lickshots

ARTIST: The Lickshots
TITLE: The Lickshots
LABEL: Rockers International
Coming out of deep left field, here’s one of the most interesting new reggae recordings I’ve heard in some time.

ARTIST: Miramar
TITLE: Dedication To Sylvia Rexach
LABEL: Barbes
Singer Rei Alvarez and pianist Marlysse Simmons Argandona are two of the key members of Bio Ritmo, a remarkable modern salsa band that’s dynamic, multi-cultural and progressive.

Program May 18, 2016

Cuba Music Week (http://cubamusicweek.org) is a project highlighting the importance and beauty of Cuban music. It's an effort of the ARChive of Contemporary Music (http://arcmusic.org), a not-for-profit music library that collects, preserves and provides information about popular music from around the world.

This week's program is Global A Go-Go's little contribution to Cuba Music Week. It's a great opportunity for me to sift through my and WRIR's collections of Cuban music, pulling out two hours of chestnuts that represent Cuba at its finest, and will keep you dancing as well. Ahi nama!

Augustus Pablo | Original Rockers

ARTIST: Augustus Pablo
TITLE: Original Rockers
LABEL: Greensleeves
If you’re making a short list of the best dub albums of all time, Original Rockers has to be near the top.

ARTIST: various artists
TITLE: Dubble Attack: The Original Pantomine Dee-Jay Collection 1972-74
LABEL: Greensleeves
Glen Brown is one of the unsung heroes who made reggae great. A singer who doubled on guitar and melodica, Brown made his mark as a producer of a series of small-pressing singles featuring some of the best musicians in 1970s Jamaica.

Program May 11, 2016

In Jamaican lingo, the "deejay" is the person who talks over records; the "selector" is the person who spins the records. This week on Global A Go-Go, we'll feature 1970s deejays like Prince Jazzbo (produced by Glen Brown, whose best material has just been reissued by Greensleeves, and who is pictured brilliantly above), King Stitt (aka The Ugly One) and Sister Nancy (not all deejays were male).

Also this week: languid Latin American rhythms, another installment in our continuing series on Afro-tronica, and 50 years of Afrobeat.

Charts May 8, 2016

Imarhan | Imarhan

ARTIST: Imarhan
TITLE: Imarhan
LABEL: City Slang
Imarhan (“The Ones I Care About” in Tamasheq) is part of the second generation of desert blues artists. Based in Tamanrasset, Algeria, this six-piece band is led by Sadam, the cousin of Tinariwen’s Eyadou Ag Leche.

ARTIST: Konono No. 1
TITLE: Konono No. 1 Meets Batida
LABEL: Crammed Discs
Konono No. 1, founded in Kinshasa by the late Mingiedi Mawangu in 1966, is the most famous practitioner of the Congotronics sound. The band features two electric likembes (thumb pianos or mbiras) and percussion instruments made from junkyard salvage, played through a homemade PA system.

First of all, a big Global A Go-Go thank you to the more than 360 people who donated over $33,000 during WRIR's Spring 2016 fund drive -- you're the folks who make possible this remarkable experiment in community media access. And an extra thank you to the 25 donors who named Global A Go-Go as one of their favorite programs -- I'm honored and flattered.

I've got a great new record here from Konono No. 1, the kings and queens of Congotronics, collaborating with Angolan-Portuguese producer Batida (pictured above). You'll hear a track from it on this week's program, along with some of the other Congotronics stars.

Also this week: singer-songwriters from France, Mali and Brazil; the real mofos of Afro-Colombian champeta criolla; and what's new this spring in Saharan desert blues.

Charts May 1, 2016

GLOBAL A GO-GO

May 30, 2016

Program June 1, 2016

Charts May 29, 2016

May 24, 2016

Space Echo: The Mystery Behind The Cosmic Sound Of Cabo Verde Revealed

Program May 25, 2016

May 23, 2016

Charts May 22, 2016

May 17, 2016

The Lickshots | The Lickshots

Miramar | Dedication To Sylvia Rexach

Charts May 15, 2016

May 16, 2016

Program May 18, 2016

May 10, 2016

Augustus Pablo | Original Rockers

Dubble Attack: The Original Pantomine Dee-Jay Collection

May 9, 2016

Program May 11, 2016

May 8, 2016

Charts May 8, 2016

May 3, 2016

Imarhan | Imarhan

Konono No. 1 | Konono No. 1 Meets Batida

Program May 4, 2016

May 2, 2016

Charts May 1, 2016

GLOBAL A GO-GO'S HOST