December 27, 2019

Top ten singles & EPs of 2019

This week on the December 30th edition of Global A Go-Go, I'll unwrap my favorite singles and EPs of 2019.

I've been doing top ten album lists since WRIR went on the air in 2005, but this is the first time I've ever done a singles chart.  It's an acknowledgement of changing times.  I became an adult in the album era: we listened to LPs front to back and valued them for their sequencing and artwork as much as for the individual songs.  Today we're living in a world of streaming and Spotify; the individual song is king again, much as it was when I bought my first 45 way back in 1969.

Everything I'm playing this week was initially released as a single or EP.  Some would be on albums later in the year, but none of the tracks are merely album cuts that I think would make good singles.  They're all the actual item.

Without further ado, simply click "Read more" for my top ten singles and EPs of 2019, plus ten honorable mentions:

December 20, 2019

Top ten new releases of 2019

It's the most wonderful time of the year ....  That's right, it's the time of the year when Global A Go-Go unwraps its favorite albums of the last 12 months.

On the December 23rd edition of Global A Go-Go, it's my top ten new releases of 2019, plus ten honorable mentions.  On December 30th, you'll hear my favorite singles and EPs of the year.  And on January 6th it's my favorite compilations, reissues and historic recordings of the prior 12 months.

Without further ado, simply click "Read more" for my top ten new releases of 2019:

December 14, 2019

Tougher than tough

"Rougher than rough / Tougher than tough / Strong like lion / We are iron."  Rude boys take over Global A Go-Go on December 16: classic tracks from the 1960's and a new one inna rudee stylee by The Aggrolites.

Also this week: Afro sounds from coastal Colombia and northeast Brazil, West Africa's neo-garage bands, more Peruvian chicha, three from southern Africa, and Fat Freddy's Drop's new album.

December 8, 2019

Charts Nov 30 - Dec 6, 2019

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten
1 STRICTLY THE BEST, VOL. 60 | various artists | VP
2 ONIPA | "Onipa / Makoma" [Single] | Strut
3 CHRIS DE WISE SHEPHERD | "Nera Wo'o Soke" [Single] | Lokalophon
4 KEITH AND TEX | Greatest Hits 1966-1970 | Rebel Sound
5 ADNAN OTHMAN | Bershukor: A Retrospective Of Hits By A Malaysian Pop Yeh Yeh Legend | Sublime Frequencies
6 KALETA AND SUPER YAMBA BAND | Medaho | Ubiquity
7 TINARIWEN | Amadjar | Anti-
8 ALTIN GUN | Gece | ATO
9 ANTOINETTE KONAN | Antoinette Konan | Awesome Tapes From Africa
10 DOWN IN JAMAICA: 40 YEARS OF VP RECORDS | various artists | VP

December 7, 2019

A little dabke'll do ya

Omar Souleyman is back!  Syria's king of dabke (living in Turkey right now for safety's sake), the best thing to happen to electronic dance music since the drum machine, has a new album.  You'll hear a track on the December 9 edition of Global A Go-Go.

Also this week: Trinidad & Tobago's musical poetry called rapso, Latin soul with a rock 'n' roll beat, the Richmond group that's bringing together the sounds of Moroccan gnawa and jam bands, konpa from Haiti and beyond, and Malian remixes.

December 2, 2019

Charts November 23-29, 2019

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten
1 KOKOLO AFROBEAT ORCHESTRA | 100 Fevers | Peace & Rhythm
2 LONDON AFROBEAT COLLECTIVE | Humans | self-released
3 LAKOU MIZIK | HaitiaNola | Cumbancha
4 OTAVA YO | Do You Love | ARC
5 HOPE MASIKE | The Exorcism Of A Spinster | Riverboat
6 XENIA RUBINOS | "Diosa vs Bugeisha" [Single] | Anti-
7 THIRD WORLD | "You're Not The Only One (feat Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley)" [Single] | Ghetto Youth International
8 JAY DOUGLAS | "Jah Children (feat General Trees)" [Single] | Slammin Media
9 ROOTS RADICS | 12 Inches Of Dub [Advance Tracks] | VP
10 RICHIE SPICE | "Together We Stand" [Single] | VP

December 1, 2019

Change at Jamaica for Babylon

In 1979, Vincent (Randy) Chin and his wife Patricia of Randy's Record Shop in Kingston, Jamaica started the VP Records imprint in Jamaica, Queens.  Forty years on, VP is the world's largest independent reggae label and the genre's biggest distributor as well.

Global A Go-Go is getting in on the 40th birthday celebration on December 2nd by spinning two sets of reggae and dancehall, most of it released or distributed by VP.  And we'll be giving away a pair of copies of VP's last release, Strictly The Best, Vol. 60.  Call in and win.

Also this week: unique rhythms from the Islamic funk belt; Tinariwen recorded in a desert camp-out; Southeast Asian rock of the 60s and 70s; and new and old Anatolian rock.

November 25, 2019

Charts November 16-22, 2019

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten
1 JUANA MOLINA | Forfun [EP] | Crammed
2 POUR ME A GROG: THE FUNANA REVOLT IN 1990S CABO VERDE | various artists | Ostinato
3 ADOLFO ECHEVERRIA Y SU ORQUESTA|  Sabroso Bacalao | Vampisoul
4 FARAFI | Calico Soul | Piranha
5 KEITH AND TEX | Greatest Hits 1966-1970 | Rebel Sound
6 FLYING ORKESTAR | Les Yeux Qui Pleurent | Eben Productions
7 LOS AFROINS | A Gozar Salsomanos | Vampisoul
8 TINARIWEN | Amadjar | Anti-
9 GARIFUNA COLLECTIVE, THE | Aban | Stonetree
10 JAH9 | "Ma'at (Each Man)" [Single] | VP

November 23, 2019

Well-behaved women seldom make history

On the November 25 edition of Global A Go-Go, I'll feature two African women making waves right now by playing instruments that had been reserved solely for men.

Asmaa Hamzaoui plays the Moroccan guembri (bass lute) and leads the band Bnat Timbouktou (pictured above), which may be the first all-female gnawa group.  Hope Masike isn't the first Zimbabwean woman to play mbira (thumb piano); in fact, you'll also hear two of her predecessors on this week's show as well, Stella Chiweshe and Chiwoniso Maraire.

Also this week: mizik rasin (roots music) from Haiti, a throat singing version of Motorhead, Japanese minyo turned into Colombian cumbia, and new Afrobeat from London and New York.

November 18, 2019

Charts November 9-15, 2019

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten
1 JUANA MOLINA | Forfun [EP] | Crammed
2 IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE | Doko Mien | Merge
3 LOCOBEACH | Psychedelic Disco Cumbia | Dorsal Fin/Peace & Rhythm
4 ADNAN OTHMAN | Bershukor: A Retrospective Of Hits By A Malaysian Pop Yeh Yeh Legend | Sublime Frequencies
5 KALETA AND SUPER YAMBA BAND | Medaho | Ubiquity
6 PHONOSONICS FEAT LEROY SIBBLES | "Me And Mrs. Jones" [Single] | self-released
7 NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHAN AND PARTY | Live At WOMAD 1985 | Real World
8 LOS SHAIN'S | El Ritmo De Los Shain's | Munster
9 RACHID TAHA | Je Suis Africain | Believe
10 DOWN IN JAMAICA: 40 YEARS OF VP RECORDS | various artists [Advance Tracks] | VP

November 17, 2019

Funana for all

Funana is the accordion-based dance music of the badius, the escaped enslaved people who populate Santiago Island in Cabo Verde.  It's fast-paced and exciting, and dangerous enough that it was essentially illegal until the Portuguese left in 1975.  On the November 18 edition of Global A Go-Go, you'll hear three funana classics from the 80s and 90s that will get you some serious aerobic exercise.

Also this week: West African highlife, salsa dura from the USA and Colombia, a Balkan brassive attack, four songs the Garifuna Collective played during their visit to the Richmond Folk Festival, and a cool new female global-fusion duo from Berlin via Goa, India.

November 10, 2019

Charts November 2-8, 2019

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten
1 LOS SHAIN'S | El Ritmo De Los Shain's | Munster
2 KOKOLO AFROBEAT ORCHESTRA | 100 Fevers | Peace & Rhythm
3 KEITH AND TEX | Greatest Hits 1966-1970 | Rebel Sound
4 LONDON AFROBEAT COLLECTIVE | Humans | self-released
5 POUR ME A GROG: THE FUNANA REVOLT IN 1990S CABO VERDE | various artists | Ostinato
6 LAKOU MIZIK | HaitiaNola | Cumbancha
7 RACHID TAHA | Je Suis Africain | Believe
8 HOPE MASIKE | The Exorcism Of A Spinster | Riverboat
9 OUMAR KONATE | I Love You Inna | Clermont
10 CONJUNTO GUANTANAMO | "El Son Convidando" [Single] | Nganga

November 9, 2019

Back in the saddle again

It's great to be in Studio A after a six month absence, feeling good and with a satchel full of music I've haven't yet played on the radio.

A prime example is Poetic Trance by Aziz Sahmaoui & University Of Gnawa (pictured above), linking the sounds of the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa.  And there's plenty of room for long-time Global A Go-Go favorites like Gogol Bordello and Bembeya Jazz National, plus vintage finds like Stephen Cheng's 1967 reggae in Chinese.

Join me on November 11 in my new time slot, Mondays 3 to 5 PM, or catch the podcast later.

November 3, 2019

Charts Oct 26 - Nov 1, 2019

I'm back in the saddle again!  I'm pleased to announce that Global A Go-Go is returning to WRIR's airwaves.  The program will air on Mondays from 3 to 5 PM Eastern time beginning on November 11.  You can hear the show in Richmond on 97.3 FM, or anywhere that you have an internet connection at wrir.org.  Podcasts will also return at www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Global+A+Go-Go.


WRIR's NACC World Top Ten
1 EARLY CONGO MUSIC 1946-1962: FIRST RUMBA TO THE REAL RUMBA | various artists | El Sur
2 POUR ME A GROG: THE FUNANA REVOLT IN 1990S CABO VERDE | various artists | Ostinato
3 AFROINS, LOS | A Gozar Salsomanos | Vampisoul
4 GARIFUNA COLLECTIVE, THE | Aban | Stonetree
5 CANALON DE TIMBIQUI | De Mar Y Rio | Llorona
6 ADNAN OTHMAN | Bershukor: A Retrospective Of Hits By A Malaysian Pop Yeh Yeh Legend | Sublime Frequencies
7 LOCOBEACH | Psychedelic Disco Cumbia | Dorsal Fin/Peace & Rhythm
8 KEITH AND TEX | Greatest Hits 1966-1970 | Rebel Sound
9 FARAFI | Calico Soul | Piranha
10 ADOLFO ECHEVERRIA Y SU ORQUESTA | Sabroso Bacalao | Vampisoul

October 28, 2019

Charts October 12-25, 2019

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten
1 ORIENTALES DE PARAMONGA, LOS | Fiesta En Oriente | Infopesa
2 BUDOS BAND, THE | V | Daptone
3 Y LA BAMBA | Entre Los Dos [EP] | Tender Loving Empire
4 BONGO HOP, THE | Satingarona Pt. 2 | Underdog
5 POUR ME A GROG: THE FUNANA REVOLT IN 1990S CABO VERDE | various artists | Ostinato
6 LAKOU MIZIK | HaitiaNola | Cumbancha
7 AFROINS, LOS | A Gozar Salsomanos | Vampisoul
8 HOPE MASIKE | The Exorcism Of A Spinster | Riverboat
9 RACHID TAHA | Je Suis Africain | Believe
10 LONDON AFROBEAT COLLECTIVE | Humans | self-released

October 15, 2019

Charts October 5-11, 2019

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten
1 GARIFUNA COLLECTIVE, THE | Aban | Stonetree
2 BUDOS BAND, THE | V | Daptone
3 Y LA BAMBA | Entre Los Dos [EP] | Tender Loving Empire
4 NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHAN AND PARTY | Live At WOMAD 1985 | Real World
5 HOPE MASIKE | The Exorcism Of A Spinster | Riverboat
6 ZENOBIA | Zenobia [EP] | Crammed
7 ALMA AFROBEAT ENSEMBLE | Monkey See, Monkey Do | Slow Walk
8 BLASSICS, THE | Togetherings | Odd Funk
9 LUKA PRODUCTIONS | Falaw | Sahel Sounds
10 RACHID TAHA | Je Suis Africain | Believe

October 8, 2019

Charts Sep 21 - Oct 4, 2019

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten
1 JUANA MOLINA | "Paraguaya Punk" [Single] | Crammed
2 JULIAN Y SU COMBO | Noche De Fiesta | Vampisoul
3 ORIENTALES DE PARAMONGA, LOS | Fiesta En Oriente | Infopesa
4 BUDOS BAND, THE |  V | Daptone
5 AFROSIDERAL | El Olimpo De Los Orishas | Wonderwheel
6 CHE APALACHE | Rearrange My Heart | Free Dirt
7 GARIFUNA COLLECTIVE, THE | Aban | Stonetree
8 LOS SHAIN'S | El Ritmo De Los Shain's | Munster
9 ROBERT Y SU BANDA | Soy La Lea | Vampisoul
10 OUMAR KONATE | I Love You Inna | Clermont Music

September 23, 2019

Charts September 14-20, 2019

I'll be on vacation next week, so my next charts will come in two weeks, covering the period September 21 - October 4.


WRIR's NACC World Top Ten
1 RACHID TAHA | Je Suis Africain | Believe
2 EARLY CONGO MUSIC 1946-1962: FIRST RUMBA TO THE REAL RUMBA | various artists | El Sur
3 VITTO MEIRELLES | Da Hora | Cooking Vinyl
4 LUCIBELA | Laco Umbilical | Lusafrica
5 AFROINS, LOS | A Gozar Salsomanos | Vampisoul
6 KALETA AND SUPER YAMBA BAND | Medaho | Ubiquity
7 OTAVA YO | Do You Love | ARC
8 TINARIWEN | Amadjar | Anti-
9 AGGROLITES, THE | Reggae Now! | Pirates Press
10 GARIFUNA COLLECTIVE, THE | Aban | Stonetree

September 16, 2019

Charts September 7-13, 2019

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten
1 TINARIWEN | Amadjar | Anti-
2 RACHID TAHA | Je Suis Africaine | Believe
3 KALETA AND SUPER YAMBA BAND | Medaho | Ubiquity
4 GOOD ONES, THE | "The Farmer" [Single] | Anti-
5 WEMBLER'S DE IQUITOS, LOS | Vision Del Ayahuasca | Barbes
6 DANIELA SOLEDADE | A Moment Of You | Blue Line
7 AHMEDOU AHMED LOWLA | Terrouzi | Sahel Sounds
8 DAYME AROCENA | Sonocardiogram | Brownswood
9 KANAZOE ORKESTRA | Tolonso | Buda Musique
10 GILI YALO | Made In Amharica [EP] | Dead Sea

September 9, 2019

Charts Aug 31 - Sep 6, 2019

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten
1 ALTIN GUN | Gece | ATO
2 BUDOS BAND, THE | The Budos Band V | Daptone
3 MIRAMAR | "Salida/Urgencia" [Single] | Daptone
4 NICOLA CONTE AND GIANLUCA PETRELLA | Free Your Mind [EP] | Schema
5 MARCIA GRIFFITHS | "Ska Medley" [Single] | Tad's
6 AYMEE NUVIOLA | A Journey Through Cuban Music | Top Stop
7 MOSQUITO CABARET | The Modern Life Of Insects | self-released
8 AWARENESS ART ENSEMBLE | "Awful Situation" [Single] | Love City
9 WUTA MAYI | La Face Cachee | Sterns
10 KARINE POLWART | Scottish Songbook | Hegri

September 2, 2019

Charts August 24-30, 2019

I'm back after a lengthy health-related absence, feeling much better now.  I've resumed my music director activities and I'm looking forward to bringing Global A Go-Go back to the airwaves as soon as a slot is available at WRIR.  Look for WRIR's world music charts every week in this space.

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten
1 RACHID TAHA | Je Suis Africain | Believe
2 BUDOS BAND, THE | V | Daptone
3 YOUSSOU N'DOUR | History | Naive
4 COMBO CHIMBITA | Ahomale | Anti-
5 ROBERTO LOPEZ | Kaleido Stropico | Curura Musique
6 LAGARTIJEANDO | Jallalla | Wonderwheel
7 ALEX CUBA | Sublime | Caracol
8 CHE APALACHE | Rearrange My Heart | Free Dirt
9 IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE | Doko Mien | Merge
10 MINYO CRUSADERS | Echoes Of Japan | Mais Um

April 23, 2019

Program April 24, 2019

April is usually one of the big months for new releases in the music world (September and October are the others).  For a variety of reasons (WRIR's Spring 2019 Fund Drive, personal matters), I haven't had much opportunity to feature new music this month.

So I've got some catching up to do, and that's the focus of this week's program.  The whole first hour is dedicated to new releases and new reissues in the Afro-funk and Latin bags, including the great new Carnaval single from two of my favorites Colombian bands, Bomba Estereo and Systema Solar (pictured above).

The second hour has more new sounds from Mali and Niger, a look at the Balkan-Caribbean connection, and we finish up with some particularly crazed Balkan vocalists.  Should be fun.

April 21, 2019

Charts Mar 30 - Apr 19, 2019

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten
1 IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE | Doko Mien | Merge
2 DEXTER STORY | Bahir | Soundway
3 BONGO HOP, THE | Satingarona Pt 2 | Underdog
4 COCHEMEA | All My Relations | Daptone
5 MIRAMAR | "Salida/Urgencia" [Single] | Daptone
6 BUDOS BAND, THE | V | Daptone
7 GRUPO FANTASMA | American Music: Vol. VII | Blue Corn
8 MDOU MOCTAR | Ilana: The Creator | Sahel Sounds
9 HAMA SANKARE | Niafunke | Clermont
10 DJ PANKO | Panko Pa' Palenque | Palenque

April 10, 2019

Mdou Moctar | Ilana: The Creator

ARTIST: Mdou Moctar
TITLE: Ilana: The Creator
LABEL: Sahel Sounds
Here’s the album I, and a lot of Moctar’s fans, have been waiting for him to make. The left-handed guitarist from Agadez, Niger has worn a path through Europe and the USA in the last several years, leaving audiences with mouths agape at his technique and energy and at the forward propulsion of his band.

Hama Sankare | Niafunke

ARTIST: Hama Sankare
TITLE: Niafunke
LABEL: Clermont Music
Veteran singer-percussionist Sankare, a former member of Ali Farka Toure’s Groupe ASKO, is a native of Niafunke, Mali, best known as Ali Farka Toure’s home town.

April 9, 2019

Program April 10, 2019

WRIR's Spring 2019 Fund Drive wraps up on Wednesday April 10 at 11 PM. Many of the folks receiving this message have already donated during this drive or are monthly sustaining members -- thank you to all of you for keeping 97.3 FM, Richmond's tower of low power, on the radio and internet airwaves for another six months. We can't do it without you!

April 2, 2019

Program April 3, 2019

WRIR's Spring 2019 Fund Drive starts on Wednesday April 3 at 3:00 PM -- we're working to raise $40,000 by Wednesday April 10 to power "the tower of low power" in Richmond for another six months.  I'm writing to encourage you to make a donation once again this spring.

You can make that donation in two minutes by clicking this link: http://wrir.org/donating.  Or you can call or visit us between 9 AM and 9 PM during the drive, April 3 through April 10.  Our phone number is 804-622-9747; our address is 1621 W. Broad Street, 2nd floor.  If you'd like to know about the cool premiums we're offering to donors this drive, just click here: http://www.wrir.org/donate.

April 1, 2019

Charts March 23-29, 2019

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten
1 MIRAMAR | "Salida / Urgencia" [Single] | Daptone
2 COCHEMEA | All My Relations | Daptone
3 MDOU MOCTAR | Ilana: The Creator | Sahel Sounds
4 BONGO HOP, THE | Satingarona Pt 2 | Underdog
5 GLOAMING, THE | 3 | Real World
6 IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE | Doko Mien | Merge
7 AHMED AG KAEDY | Akaline Kidal | Sahel Sounds
8 DEXTER STORY | Bahir | Soundway
9 LOBO MARINO | At Appalachian South Folklife Center | self-released
10 DAKTARIS, THE | Soul Explosion [Remastered] | Desco/Daptone

March 26, 2019

Program March 27, 2019

Daptone Records, home of soul stars like the late Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley, has started dipping their toes into Latin music.  Their first effort was a beauty: the debut album by Orquesta Akokan (one of my favorites of 2018), recorded in Havana.

For their first Latin project in their own Brooklyn studio, what band did Daptone choose?  None other than Richmond's Miramar (pictured above at Daptone headquarters).  The single that resulted from that session will be released on Friday, and Global A Go-Go will premiere it this week.

You'll also hear two tracks from Inner Mongolia's Anda Union, who will perform live on Global A Go-Go next week to kick off WRIR's Spring 2019 Fund Drive.  I'll also be giving away a pair of tickets to see Anda Union's April 4 show at the University of Richmond.

Also this week: news from the Tamasheq bush telegraph; a whole set of throat singing; and the Haiti-Cabo Verde connection.

March 24, 2019

The Bongo Hop | Satingarona Pt. 2

ARTIST: The Bongo Hop
TITLE: Satingarona Pt. 2
LABEL: Underdog
Here’s the second release from trumpeter Etienne Sevet as The Bongo Hop; his first was one of my favorites of 2017.

DJ Panko | Panko Pa' Palenque

ARTIST: DJ Panko
TITLE: Panko Pa’ Palenque
LABEL: Palenque
Here’s the latest project from Lucas Silva, the man who’s done more than anyone to get Colombian champeta music in front of the masses. This time he’s engaged Barcelona-based DJ Panko to remix nine Silva-produced tracks.

Ibibio Sound Machine | Doko Mien

ARTIST: Ibibio Sound Machine
TITLE: Doko Mien
LABEL: Merge
The first two albums by Ibibio Sound Machine have been sensational in parts but inconsistent as a whole. On their third release, the band seems to have found the precise blend of African and first-world elements they’ve been searching for.

Ahmed Ag Kaedy | Akaline Kidal

ARTIST: Ahmed Ag Kaedy
TITLE: Akaline Kidal
LABEL: Sahel Sound
Guitarist-singer-songwriter Ahmed Ag Kaedy leads Amanar, one of the top bands in desert blues. He also had a key role in the development of Sahel Sounds, probably the most influential record label for Tamasheq music – Chris Kirkley, who runs Sahel Sounds, lived at Ahmed’s compound in Kidal, Mali for six months while he was building his label.

Miramar | Salida / Urgencia

ARTIST: Miramar
TITLE: “Salida” / “Urgencia”
LABEL: Daptone
Richmond’s Miramar, led by keyboardist Marlysse Simmons (Bio Ritmo) and fronted by singers Rei Alvarez (Bio Ritmo) and Laura Ann Singh (Quatro Na Bossa), specializes in boleros, the romantic ballads that were popular across the Americas in the 1940s and 50s.

Dexter Story | Bahir

ARTIST: Dexter Story
TITLE: Bahir
LABEL: Soundway
Dexter Story has worked all sides of the music business in his career: he’s done marketing and artist management, been a talent buyer and event producer, he’s produced and music-directed major events, and he’s a working musician as well.

Charts March 16-22, 2019

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten
1 IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE | Doko Mien | Merge
2 DAKTARIS, THE | Soul Explosion [Remastered] | Desco / Daptone
3 COCHEMEA | All My Relations | Daptone
4 DEXTER STORY | Bahir | Soundway
5 BASSEKOU KOUYATE AND NGONI BA | Miri | OutHere
6 LEYLA MCCALLA | The Capitalist Blues | Jazz Village
7 MISTER KALI | Step Fast | Rebel Sound
8 AHMED AG KAEDY | Akaline Kidal | Sahel Sounds
9 DAWDA JOBARTEH | I Met Her By The River | Sterns Africa
10 LOBO MARINO | At Appalachian South Folklife Center | self-released

March 19, 2019

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

March 18, 2019

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

March 12, 2019

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.

March 10, 2019

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-

February 24, 2019

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

February 18, 2019

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.

February 17, 2019

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

February 12, 2019

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.

February 10, 2019

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

February 5, 2019

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.