Super complex sounds

Alhaji Kwame Frimpong is one of African music's all-time greats, a Ghanaian bandleader whose work is equal parts vintage palm-wine highlife and modern Afrofunk-Afrobeat.  His second album Ahyewa Special (pictured above) was out of print forever, changing hands for as much as $1,000.

Paris' Hot Casa Records has licensed it from Frimpong's family and reissued it, so now we can all enjoy the glory and the family can earn some royalties.  I'll play you a side-long jam from Ahyewa Special this week on Global A Go-Go.

Also this week (Monday June 15, 3:00-5:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): a sampler of Tucson AZ's Orkesta Mendoza; African tradi-mod (traditional meets electronic) music; Malian garage rock; when American and Asian folk traditions collide; and ndombolo straight outta Cartagena.

Podcast: radio4all.net/index.php/program/105936
All the podcasts: radio4all.net/index.php/series/Global+A+Go-Go


Artist | Country | Song | Recording | Label | Year

Oliver Lake | USA | Separation | Matador Of 1st & 1st | Passin' Thru | 1997
Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros | England UK | Global A Go-Go | Global A Go-Go | Hellcat | 2001

Orkesta Mendoza | USA-Mexico | Little Space | Curandero | Glitterbeat | 2020
Orkesta Mendoza | USA-Mexico | Tusk | La Caminadora | Glitterbeat | 2018
Orkesta Mendoza | USA-Mexico | Shadows Of The Mind | Vamos A Guarachar! | Glitterbeat | 2016
Orkesta Mendoza | USA-Mexico | Paleta | Curandero | Glitterbeat | 2020

Falle Nioke & Ghost Culture | Guinee Conakry-England UK | Barke | Youkounkoun | PRAH | 2020
Foster Manganyi Na Tintsumo Ta Tilo | South Africa | Ndzi Teke Riendzo | Ndzi Teke Riendzo | Honest Jons | 2010
DJ Bamanan | Mali | Gnoukobala | Balani Show Super Hits: Electronic Street Parties From Mali | Sahel Sounds | 2014

Idrissa Soumaoro Et L'Eclipse De L'Ija | Mali | Nissodia (Joie De L'Optimisme) | Le Tioko-Tioko | Eterna | 1978
Orchestra Gold | Mali-USA | Lemuru | Lemuru - single | self-released | 2020
Amadou & Mariam | Mali | Batoma | Welcome To Mali | Because | 2008

Shadow Ballads | Indonesia-USA | I Fell In Love When You Parted | Live on WRIR April 13, 2016 | unreleased | 2016
Wu Fei & Abigail Washburn | China-USA | The Roving Cowboy / Avarguli | Wu Fei & Abigail Washburn | Smithsonian Folkways | 2020
Hanggai | China | Xiger Xiger | He Who Travels Far | Four Quarters | 2011

K. Frimpong & Super Complex Sounds | Ghana | Side 2: Susuansu, Nana Bue Me, Yewo Adaagye, Krokrohinko, M'anoma, Moma Yen Sore | Ahyewa Special | Hot Casa | 1975

Lucien Bokilo | RD Congo | Welcome To Colombia | Welcome To Colombia - single | Palenque | 2020
Black Bazar | RD Congo | Face B | Black Bazar | Lusafrica | 2012
Kevin Florez & The Busy Twist | Colombia-England UK | Champetizate | Champetizate - single | Palenque / Farra Rap | 2020