Charts October 13-26, 2020

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten

1 BUDOS BAND, THE | Long In The Tooth | Daptone

2 MADE KUTI | "Free Your Mind" [Single] | Partisan

3 LA LOCURA DE MACHUCA 1975-1980 | various artists | Analog Africa

4 BAB L'BLUZ | Nayda! | Real World

5 RICARDO LEMVO AND MAKINA LOCA | N'Dona Ponte | Mopiato

6 NAHAWA DOUMBIA | Kanawa | Awesome Tapes From Africa

7 ALHOUSSEINI ANIVOLLA AND GIRUM MEZMUR | Afropentatonism | Piranha

8 JUANA MOLINA | ANRMAL (Live In Mexico) | Crammed

9 SONGHOY BLUES | Optimisme | Fat Possum

10 LINGO SEINI ET SON GROUPE | Musique Hauka | Sahel Sounds

WRIR's fall 2020 fund drive

WRIR's Fall 2020 Fund Drive is currently underway -- we're working to raise $40,000 by Wednesday October 28 to make sure Richmond's  "sound of surprise" continues to inform, inspire, delight and surprise you for a second 16 years (our first broadcast day was January 1, 2005 so we'll be turning 16 soon) and more beyond that.

 

Thank you for your previous donations to Richmond Independent Radio; I'm writing to encourage you to contribute once again this fall, if you can.  You can make that donation in less than two minutes by clicking this link: wrir.org/donating.

Global A Go-Go Classic: Tony Allen

I'm on vacation this week, so I'm presenting a rebroadcast of the program that was originally aired on WRIR on June 1, 2020.  It's a tribute to the great Nigerian drummer Tony Allen, who passed away on April 30.  He's one of my favorite musicians of all time in any genre: a drummer whose effortlessly cool style both defined and transcended Afrobeat, the genre of music he essentially co-invented alongside Fela Kuti.

 

On this week's program (Monday October 19, 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) you'll hear two hours of Tony Allen's drumming from all seven decades of his career. We'll range from his early days with Fela in the Koola Lobitos and the legendary Afrika 70, to his solo career, his electronica experiments, his many collaborations and the new album he released in March with Hugh Masakela.

Charts October 6-12, 2020

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten

1 MUKAMBO PRESENTS GLOBAL AFROBEAT MOVEMENT | various artists | NYP

2 RICARDO LEMVO AND MAKINA LOCA | N'Dona Ponte | Mopiato

3 LEYLA MCCALLA | "Mesi Bondye" [Single] | Smithsonian Folkways

4 HIP HOP HOODIOS | "Mexican Miller (The Stephen Miller Song)" [Single] | self-released

5 CLINT EASTWOOD AND GENERAL SAINT | "Stop That Train/Talk About Run" [Single] | Greensleeves

6 LOS MOCOSOS | All Grown Up | Hip Spanic

7 ANDAL SUKABE | Music From Saharan WhatsApp 07 [EP] | Sahel Sounds

8 NOBLEZZA | "Coletera" [Single] | Codiscos

9 JUAN PINA CON LA REVELACION | Juan Pina Con La Revelacion | Vampisoul

10 BUDOS BAND, THE | Long In The Tooth | Daptone

Paging Dr. Freude ... Dr. Schaden Freude

Merriam-Webster reports that on October 2, "schadenfreude" was the most looked-up word on their dictionary's website.  So a set of related music seems timely, including a brand-new single from Hip Hop Hoodios about one of the many COVID-positive White House staffers, Stephen Miller.

 

Also this week (Monday October 12, 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): Haitian twobadou and Jamaican mento, salsa made for Africa, soulful dub and Afrobeat, the amazing dance music of South Africa's Tsonga people, and remixers who've moved to Colombia for inspiration and great cratedigging.

Charts Sep 29 - Oct 5, 2020

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten

1 RICARDO LEMVO AND MAKINA LOCA | N'Dona Ponte | Mopiato

2 CLINT EASTWOOD AND GENERAL SAINT | "Stop That Train/Talk About Run" [Single] | Greensleeves

3 CONTENTO | "Paso Palante" [Single] | El Palmas

4 GOOD ONES, THE | "Soccer (Summer 1988)" [Single] | Anti-

5 CAMPOS | Shake Up The World: Live In The Studio, Volume 1 | Peace & Rhythm

6 JUANA MOLINA | "Eras (ANRMAL)" [Single] | Crammed

7 ROUGH GUIDE TO URBAN MALI, THE | various artists | World Music Network

8 KELEKETLA | Keleketla! | Ahead Of Our Time

9 BLACK MARKET BRASS | Undying Thirst | Colemine

10 OK JAZZ | Pas Un Pas Sans ... The Boleros Of OK Jazz | Planet Ilunga

Non-Violence, Peace & Rhythm

Ex-Richmonder Joshua Camp kept himself busy in his Brooklyn home studio during the lockdown: he recorded a one-man live-in-the-studio album and made videos to accompany each song for when he finally gets to perform them for an audience.  You'll hear one of those songs, plus three more from the Peace & Rhythm record label, on this week's program.

 

Also this week (Monday October 5, 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 new single from Rwanda's The Good Ones for the U.N.'s International Day of Non-Violence; sounds of the lamellaphone (thumb piano); the wide influence of Congolese soukous; calypso, dancehall and roots reggae from the Caribbean; and the music of Bamako's balani shows.