Top 10 compilations & reissues of 2023

The reissue label Analog Africa Records has a slogan: "The future of music happened decades ago."  They make a good point: If you didn't hear it decades ago, it's all new to you.

 

So every year when I put together lists of my favorite recordings of the year, I save a special place for the best reissues and compilations I heard.  These albums introduce me to music I didn't hear back when they were made (in the case of compilations of current songs, music I wouldn't have heard right now either), or maybe get me deeper into music I already know a little bit about.

Unlike Ted Gioia, I'm not worried that old music is killing new music.  (According to music economist Will Page, less than 10 percent of all streamed music was produced before 2000.)  And I just devoted two whole programs earlier this month to my favorite new albums and singles of the year.  So two hours of oldies following four hours of 2023-vintage material seems like a reasonable balance to me.

 

Tune in this week (Sunday December 31, 1:00-3:00 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) for two hours of my new favorite oldies: Music from 1959 forward, all of it released again (or in some cases, for the very first time) in 2023, and all of it excellent.

 

Without further ado, here are my favorite compilations and reissues of 2023:

Global A Go-Go Classico: Irie Christmas Spectacular

Breadfruit roasting on an open fire / Mongrels nipping at your toes / Dancehall songs being sung by a choir / An' we dress up in we bashment clothes

 

Yes, nothing says "Deck the halls with lots of collie" quite like two hours of Christmas songs from the Caribbean.  Reggae, ska, dancehall, calypso, soca, steelpan -- you'll hear them all on this special Christmas Day edition of Global A Go-Go: Sunday December 24, 1:00-3:00 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.

 

Bill's guest co-host is an even bigger reggae fan, Eric Walters of Wide Ear Folk (alternate Tuesdays at 5 PM on WRIR).  Together they'll be putting the pum-pum back in rum-pa-pum-pum.  Fun for the whole family, if you're that kind of family.

Top 10 new singles & EPs of 2023

I've been recapping my favorite singles and EPs of the year for each of the last five years, and there's one simple reason why I do so: We're living in a singles era today, so neglecting new releases just because they aren't full albums is musical malpractice.

 

I'm not going to rehash all the reasons why it's once again a singles era (as it was before, say, 1967).  Instead I'll just hit you with this one factoid: Among all the new recordings WRIR received from promoters, labels and artists in 2023, more than 50 percent of the ones I put on our New & Recommended list were singles or EPs.

Singles aren't just for the pop and dance music markets any more -- tune in this week (Sunday December 17, 1:00-3:00 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) and hear for yourself.

 

Without further ado, here are my favorite singles and EPs of 2023:

Charts December 4-10, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 SANTROFI | Deep Into Highlife | Out Here

2 DASOM BAEK | Mirror City | Metron

3 ALOGTE OHO AND HIS SOUNDS OF JOY | O Yinne! | Philophon

4 DIEUF-DIEUL DE THIES | Dieuf-Dieul De Thies | Buda

5 DIEPKLOOF UNITED VOICES | Harmonizing Soweto: Golden City Gospel & Kasi Soul | Ostinato

6 SUPER BITON DE SEGOU | Afro Jazz Folk Collection Vol. 2 | Mieruba

7 ALPACAS COLLECTIVE | Big Words | Catalpas

8 NEGARIT BAND | Origins | Ethiosonic/Buda Musique

9 BOMBINO | Sahel | Partisan

10 EPARAPO | Take To The Streets | Wah Wah 45s

Top 10 new albums of 2023

It's the most wonderful time of the year, the time to find out who's been naughty and who's been nice.  No, I'm not talking about the holiday season; I'm talking about when everyone's Best Of The Year lists come out.

 

I'll be rolling out my own lists over the next three weeks on Global A Go-Go.  On this week's program (Sunday December 10, 1:00-3:00 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) I'll present my top ten new albums of 2023 plus ten honorable mentions.

 

Next week on December 17 you'll hear my favorite singles and EPs of the departing year.  On Christmas Eve, once again it will be Global A Go-Go's Irie Christmas Spectacular: all reggae, calypso and soca Christmas songs with myself and special guest selector Eric Walters (host of Wide Ear Folk, heard alternate Tuesdays at 5 PM on WRIR) at the controls.  And then on New Year's Eve it will be selections from my favorite compilations, reissues and historic recordings of 2023.

 

Without further ado, here are my favorite new albums of 2023:

Charts Nov 27 - Dec 3, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 FERRE GOLA | Dynastie 2 Vol. 2 | Sony East Africa

2 TSHALA MUANA | Mutuashi | Stern's Africa

3 FERRE GOLA | Dynastie 2 Vol. 1 | Sony East Africa

4 KAVITA SHAH | Cape Verdean Blues | Folkalist

5 DENGUE FEVER | Ting Mong | Tuk Tuk

6 LUAMBO MAKIADI FRANCO | OK Jazz 66 Ans | Air Monde Culture

7 JB MPIANA | Balle De Match (Vol. 2) | Universal Africa

8 BLASSICS, THE | Sounding Times | Odd Funk

9 BOMBINO | Sahel | Partisan

10 STEPHEN MARLEY | Old Soul | Tuff Gong Collective/UMe/Ghetto Youths

A library has burned

In the countries that make up the former Malian empire, the death of a wise elder is often acknowledged by saying that "a library has burned."  Mamadou Sanou was merely 49 years old when he passed away on November 25 from complications of malaria, right in what seemed like the middle of a musical career that was building a new wing on the West African musical library.

 

Madou was the founder, front man, singer and chief songwriter of Baba Commandant & The Mandingo Band, who brought their unique take on Mandé cultural heritage to listeners around the world over the last eight years through a series of three albums for Sublime Frequencies Records and tours of Europe and the USA.  Their epic 2023 American tour brought the band to Richmond's Get Tight Lounge in May and back to the Richmond Folk Festival in October.  If you saw any of those shows, you know how mind-meltingly great this band could be.

This week (Sunday December 3, 1:00-3:00 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) Global A Go-Go pays tribute to Baba Commandant with a two-hour special.  You'll hear his musical origins, some of the traditional and popular music that influenced him, a few of his band's peers and of course selections from those three albums that we'll always have to remember him by.

Charts November 20-26, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 DIEUF-DIEUL DE THIES | Dieuf-Dieul De Thies | Buda

2 SAMORY I | Strength | Overstand Entertainment/Easy Star

3 ERIC AGYEMANG AND HIS KOKROKO BAND | Nananom | BBE

4 AK YEBOAH AND KK'S NO. 2 BAND | Nde Yen Da | BBE

5 DIEPKLOOF UNITED VOICE | Harmonizing Soweto: Golden City Gospel & Kasi Soul | Ostinato

6 IF YOU ASK ME TO: VICTOR AXELROD PRODUCTIONS FOR DAPTONE RECORDS | various artists | Daptone

7 IDRISSA SOUMAORO | Diré | Mieruba

8 BOMBINO | Sahel | Partisan

9 BATSUKH DORJ | Ogbelerim: Music For My Ancestors | Buda

10 LENGAIA SALSA BRAVA | Estetica De Un Rumbero | Lulaworld

One night on earth

Derek Gripper is a guitarist from Cape Town, South Africa who has made a specialty of playing the kora music of West Africa on the classical guitar.  To give you an idea of how good he is at it: Producer Lucy Durán played Gripper's recording of Toumani Diabaté's song "Jarabi" for Toumani (who's probably the world's most famous kora player).   His response, paraphrased: "Did you actually see him play this music on one guitar?"  Yeah, he's that good.

Anyway, Derek Gripper is visiting Richmond this week to play at the Robinson Theater in Church Hill on Thursday.  He calls this concert "Music from the Strings of Mali" and he's joined by Irish guitarist Redmond O'Toole; more details can be found here: concerts.derekgripper.com.  You'll hear Derek Gripper's music this week on Global A Go-Go, and Toumani Diabaté's as well.

Also this week (Sunday November 26, 1:00-3:00 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): New throat singing from Mongolia by Batsükh Dorj, rocksteady from the mid 60s and the current Jamaican sounds of Samory I and Stephen Marley, after 44 years finally the first studio album by Senegal's Dieuf Dieul de Thiès, and more Ghanaian burger highlife.

Charts November 13-19, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 DIEPKLOOF UNITED VOICE | Harmonizing Soweto: Golden City Gospel & Kasi Soul | Ostinato

2 SUPER BITON DE SEGOU | Afro Jazz Folk Collection Vol. 2 | Mieruba

3 BOUNALY | Dimanche A Bamako | Sahel Sounds

4 PROTOJE | In Search Of Zion | In.Digg.Nation Collective/RCA

5 NOVALIMA | La Danza, Pt. 2 [EP] | Six Degrees

6 ALPACAS COLLECTIVE | Big Words | Catalpas

7 LONDON AFROBEAT COLLECTIVE | "Topesa Esengo Na Motema" [Single] | Canopy

8 SANTROFI | Deep Into Highlife | Out Here

9 FERRE GOLA | Dynastie 2 Vol. 1 | Sony East Africa

10 MUKAMBO PRESENTS GLOBAL AFROBEAT MOVEMENT VOL. 4 | various artists | NYP

Harmonizing Soweto

Choral singing has long been a major thing in South Africa.

 

For example, Solomon Linda's "Mbube" (also known as "The Lion Sleeps Tonight") is an international standard that children around the globe learn in their first music classes.  Urban vocal "hep harmony" groups like the female Skylarks (featuring Miriam Makeba) and the male Manhattan Brothers, and musical theater productions like King Kong and Wait A Minim! brought South African singing to the world in the mid-20th century.  More recently, Ladysmith Black Mambazo's a cappella style called isicathamiya became and remains popular all over the planet.

 

Kasi soul and Diepkloof United Voice (DUV) are South Africa's latest contribution to choral singing.  DUV is a nine-member vocal group from the Diepkloof neighborhood in Johannesburg's Soweto suburb who rehearse in an abandoned elementary school classroom with broken windows.  Their debut album, recorded in their rehearsal room and released on November 10, is one of the most exhilarating pieces of music I've heard all year.

The first hour of Global A Go-Go this week is focused on South African choral music.  You'll hear a set of historic recordings from the 1930s through the 80s, three selections from Diepkloof United Voice and examples of how vocal choirs are used in contemporary South African dance music.

In the second hour this week (Sunday November 19, 1:00-3:00 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 previously unreleased recording of one of Mali's greatest post-independence orchestras, Super Biton de Ségou, and new Afrobeat from Eparapo, Alpacas Collective, London Afrobeat Collective and The Blassics.

Charts November 6-12, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 SUPER BITON DE SEGOU | Afro Jazz Folk Collection Vol. 2 | Mieruba

2 IPHUPHO L'KA BIKO | Azania [EP] | We Are Busy Bodies

3 JEWEL ACKAH | Electric Hi-Life | BBE

4 THOMAS FREMPONG | Anansi Shuffle | BBE

5 HAILU MERGIA | Pioneer Works Swing (Live) | Awesome Tapes From Africa

6 EL CLAN ANTILLANO | El Clan Antillano | Vampisoul

7 CHICOCHICA | "Dame De Ese Amor" [Single] | Negromayo

8 SANTROFI | Deep Into Highlife | Out Here

9 PAT KALLA ET LE SUPER MOJO | Belle Terre | Heavenly Sweetness

10 SUPER DJATA BAND DU MALI | Zani Diabate Et Le Super Djata Band Du Mali, Volume 2 | Numero Group

Biko's dream, Fruko's bands

South Africa jazz musicians have a long tradition of blending improvisation, their own folkloric and popular music, and political expression.  From the Jazz Epistles and the Blue Notes to Abdullah Ibrahim and Hugh Masakela, the best of South African jazz has always been simultaneously cutting edge, deeply in the tradition and politically charged, either implicitly or directly.

 

The band iPhupho L'ka Biko ("Biko's Dream" in Zulu) are following in the footsteps of these artists.  Now in their eighth year, this flexible cooperative centered around founder, composer and bassist Nhlanhla Ngqaqu released their first EP earlier this year.  It is now being internationally distributed so listeners worldwide can hear this exciting, dynamic band.  I'll play you a track from this album, one of my favorite songs of the year in fact, on this week's edition of Global A Go-Go.

Also this week (Sunday November 12, 1:00-3:00 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): groovy electro-cumbia from Chicochica, Fruko's four salsa bands (and he had some other bands at the same time!), BBE Records' new series of burger highlife reissues, the sound of cadence from Guadeloupe, and the Super Djata Band rocks out.

Charts Oct 30 - Nov 5, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 SANTROFI | Deep Into Highlife | Out Here

2 DENGUE FEVER | Ting Mong | Tuk Tuk

3 HAILU MERGIA | Pioneer Works Swing (Live) | Awesome Tapes From Africa

4 LO POLOKO | Living La Covida Loca | AudioMaze

5 NANA BUDJEI | Afrikaman | BBE

6 TOOFAN | Stamina | Universal Africa

7 LOS GAITEROS DE SAN JACINTO | Fanny Rosa [EP] | Llorona

8 CHICOCHICA | "Dame De Ese Amor" [Single] | Negromayo

9 DORIAN | "El Temblor En El Liceu De Barcelona" [Single] | Nacional

10 ALPACAS COLLECTIVE | "Movefeze" [Single] | Catalpas

Deep into highlife

If you listen to Global A Go-Go, you may have figured out that there's nothing I like better than a large ensemble.  The interplay between real musicians is one of the things I love most in music, so for me the bigger the band the better.  You don't hear a lot of laptop bands on this program.

 

Unsurprisingly, the new album by Deep Into Highlife by Santrofi, the young band from Accra that's updating Ghanaian highlife music for the 21st century, is right up my alley.  They went on tour in 2021 and 2022 with the 14 piece Berlin group Omniversal Earkestra backing them up, which means they were more than 25 strong when they recorded this live album.  You'll hear two selections from this excellent new recording on this week's show.

Also this week (Sunday November 5, 1:00-3:00 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): Lo Poloko's tropical big bang, the sound of the Colombian gaita, new rock en español from Barcelona's Dorian, Nusantara Beat's hipster Dutch-Indonesian rock and a slice of creole Afrobeat from Alpacas Collective.

Charts October 16-29, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 KULTUR SHOCK | Acoustic Live | Old Age

2 LADANIVA | Ladaniva | Le Label/PIAS

3 PAT KALLA ET LE SUPER MOJO | Belle Terre | Heavenly Sweetness

4 FERRE GOLA | Dynastie 2 Vol. 1 | Sony East Africa

5 CREATION REBEL | Hostile Environment | On-U Sound

6 CANTARES DEL PACIFICO | Aguajes De Mar Y Manglar | Chaco World

7 SUPER DJATA BAND DU MALI | Zani Diabate Et Le Super Djata Band Du Mali, Volume 2 | Numero Group

8 IF YOU ASK ME TO: VICTOR AXELROD PRODUCTIONS FOR DAPTONE RECORDS | various artists | Daptone

9 MUKAMBO PRESENTS GLOBAL AFROBEAT MOVEMENT VOL. 4 | various artists | NYP

10 DELE SOSIMI AND THE ESTUARY 21 | "For The Love Of It" [Single] | Wah Wah 45s

God is busy, may I help you?

Kultur Shock is the "other" pioneering American gypsy punk band, the one you might not have heard of yet.  They were founded three years earlier than Gogol Bordello, in Seattle in 1996 by Bosnian immigrant Gino Yevdjevich.  They've released eleven albums so far plus a boatload of singles; their latest 45 is for the Alternative Tentacles label, whose founder Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys said "Kultur Shock is what punk rock should sound like."

 

Kultur Shock's brand new album is called Acoustic Live, recorded at Seattle's Town Hall.  Even unplugged, this band rocks harder than just about anybody, which you'll hear this week when I play two songs from the new album on Global A Go-Go.

Also this week (Sunday October 29nd, 1:00-3:00 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): New Brazilian samba-soul from Rogê and Toco; Ladaniva's Balkan beats via Armenia, Belarus and France; Victor Axelrod's rocksteady has soul; the East African jazz and funk of Nègarit Band and The Scorpions; and the My Sahel Initiative brings six of that region's top musical acts together to raise awareness and funding.

Musical chairs

WRIR's Fall 2023 Fund Drive is now underway -- we're working to raise $45,000 by Saturday October 28th to power "the tower of low power" in Richmond for another six months.  Thank you for your previous donations to Richmond Independent Radio and for your continuing support if you're a monthly donor!  I'm writing to encourage you to make a contribution once again this fall, if you can.  Become a monthly donor by clicking this link: https://bit.ly/3QnrP5H.  Or make a one-time donation to WRIR here: https://bit.ly/3FnagN1.

Charts October 9-15, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 PACHYMAN | Switched-On | ATO

2 LEON KEITA | Dance Edition No. 16 | Analog Africa

3 ALOGTE OHO AND HIS SOUNDS OF JOY | O Yinne! | Philophon

4 MAHLATHINI AND THE MAHOTELLA QUEENS | Music Inferno: The Indestructible Beat Tour 1988-89 | Umsakazo

5 KING AYISOBA | Work Hard | Glitterbeat

6 SHIKAMOO JAZZ | East African Legends Live | RetroTan

7 RUUT | Kirikuut | Nordic Notes

8 INNA KOVTUN | Burning Fires | Alchemy

9 PRINCE FAR I | Under Heavy Manners | 17 North Parade

10 TONY ALLEN AND ADRIAN YOUNGE | Tony Allen JID018 | Jazz Is Dead

Global A Go-Go Classico: Felabration

I'm out at the Richmond Folk Festival today (Sunday October 15, 1:00-3:00 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), so this week you'll hear a Classico edition of Global A Go-Go.

 

Today would have been the 85th birthday of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the man who carried death in his pouch (and played ping-pong in his briefs), the Nigerian troublemaker, superstar and founder of Afrobeat, a style of music that's guaranteed to live for as long as people are rebelling against something.

Global A Go-Go joins the annual worldwide Felabration with a 2-hour look at the life and music of Fela Kuti.  This episode was originally broadcast way back on January 1, 2010, but it has stood the test of time and still sounds good to me.  I hope you feel the same way about it.

Charts October 2-8, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 LARRY AND JOE | Nuevo South Train | SideHustle

2 VICTOR AXELROD | If You Ask Me To: Victor Axelrod Productions For Daptone Records | Daptone

3 MLDVA AND CINAR TIMUR | MLDVA & Cinar Timur | Shapes Of Rhythm

4 IBRAHIM HESNAWI | The Father Of Libyan Reggae | Habibi Funk

5 FRANDER | Frander II | Nordic Notes

6 VENEZONIX | "Ponsigue (feat. Carlos Talez)" [Single] | Nacional

7 GENTICORUM | Au Coeur De L'Aube | self-released

8 KAVITA SHAH | Cape Verdean Blues | Folkalist

9 STEPHEN MARLEY | Old Soul | Tuff Gong Collective/UMe/Ghetto Youths

10 SOUL OF CONGO, THE: TREASURES OF THE NGOMA LABEL | various artists | Planet Ilunga

My favorite weekend of the year

Every year, it's my favorite weekend of the year.  It's the first thing I put on my calendar.  You know I'm talking about the weekend of the Richmond Folk Festival, which this year is next weekend, October 13-15.

 

The Festival seems to get more international with each passing year, and this week on Global A Go-Go (Sunday October 8, 1:00-3:00 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) I'll highlight a number of global artists that I'm looking forward to seeing at the 2023 Richmond Folk Festival.

You'll hear Stanley & The Ten Sleepless Knights from St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Grupo Mono Blanco from Veracruz Mexico, Lutchinha from Cabo Verde (via Massachusetts) and the amazing Baba Commandant & The Mandingo Band from Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso.

 

And let me put two others on your list: Genticorum from Quebec Canada and Bio Ritmo from right here in the RVA.  Both were played on this show within the last two weeks, so I'm skipping them today but you shouldn't skip them at the Festival.

Also on this week's program: New Scandinavian folk-rock by Rüüt and Fränder, new Anatolian rock from Poland (no lie) by MLDVA and a reissue of one of West Africa's finest: Léon Keïta & Les Ambassadeurs Internationaux.

Charts Sep 25 - Oct 1, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 IDRISSA SOUMAORO | Diré | Mieruba

2 BLASSICS, THE | Sounding Times | Odd Funk

3 IDRIS ACKAMOOR AND THE PYRAMIDS | Afro Futuristic Dreams | Strut

4 VUMBI DEKULA | Congo Guitar | Hive Mind/Sing-A-Song Fighter

5 LURA | Multicolor | Produtores Associados

6 FRUKO Y SUS TESOS | El Violento | Vampisoul

7 ALPACAS COLLECTIVE | "Gunkali" [Single] | Catalpas

8 MARIA RAQUEL | "Cumbia Del Presente" [Single] | Chulo

9 BATSUKH DORJ | Ogbelerim: Music For My Ancestors | Buda

10 LOS ASES DE LA TIMBA | Mano A Mano | Envidia

Joie de l'optimisme

Idrissa Soumaoro is one of the least heralded yet most valuable of Malian musicians.  He was chef d'orchestre and keyboard player for one of Mali's legendary bands, Les Ambassadeurs Du Motel De Bamako, the band that made Salif Keita famous.

 

When he left Les Ambassadeurs, he became an innovator in the education of the visually impaired, teaching music for 18 years at IJA, the Institute for Blind Youth, where his star pupils were a guitarist named Amadou Bagayoko and a singer named Mariam Doumbia.  You know them now as Amadou & Mariam.

Now 74 years old, Idrissa has released his first solo album in 13 years, called Diré, and it's a beauty.  You'll hear a track from it this week on Global A Go-Go, plus one from a rare, now reissued, recording of Idrissa's band at the IJA that included Amadou & Mariam.

Also this week (Sunday October 1, 1:00-3:00 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): New throat singing from Mongolia's Batsükh Dorj, María Raquel revives Colombia's big band porro sound of the 50s, the unadorned Congolese guitar of Vumbi Dekula, and the latest in Afrobeat from Alpacas Collective, The Blassics and Eparapo.

Charts September 18-24, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 GENTICORUM | Au Coeur De L'Aube | self-released

2 COLOMBIAN MUSICAL POWERHOUSES VOL. 4 | various artists | Alianza de Sellos Independientes de Colombia

3 CUMBIA CUMBIA CUMBIA!!! VOL. 1 | various artists | Vampisoul

4 NEGARIT BAND | Origins | Ethiosonic/Buda Musique

5 BOMBINO | Sahel | Partisan

6 YARONY MONTERO | El Principio | 829 Mundial

7 PETE PERIGNON | 10 | self-released

8 SOEMA MONTENEGRO | "Caminante" [Single] | Mais Um

9 PAHUA | "No Hui" feat. El Individuo [Single] | Nacional

10 SOUL OF CONGO, THE: TREASURES OF THE NGOMA LABEL | various artists | Planet Ilunga

Unidade, Luta, Progresso

The little West African nation of Guiné-Bissau (about the size of Massachusetts and Connecticut combined, with a population of just 2 million) celebrates its 50th Independence Day on Sunday September 24.

 

Independence hasn't been a walk in the park: Revolutionary leader Amílcar Cabral, one of Africa's greatest anti-colonialists, was assassinated nine months before independence and since then instability has been a constant, with the most recent unsuccessful coup d'etat taking place just last year.

Nonetheless, 50 years of self-government after a century of colonial rule and two centuries of the slave trade is an achievement to be celebrated, and Global A Go-Go offers its congratulations this week with a set of some of the best music Guiné-Bissau has produced, including songs from bands who were there at the country's birth: Le Cobiana Djazz and Super Mama Djombo.

Also this week (Sunday September 24, 1:00-3:00 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): New Latin folktronica by Soema Montenegro and Pahua, a set of accordion-driven Colombian cumbia, new music from Quebecois stars Genticorum who will be featured at this year's Richmond Folk Festival, Bombino's best desert blues recording yet, and the cutting-edge Ethio-jazz of Nègarit Band.

Charts September 4-17, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 PICONEMA: EAST AFRICAN HITS ON THE COLOMBIAN COAST | various artists | Rocafort

2 TABACO | Tabaco | El Palmas

3 ERKIN KORAY | Mechul: Singles & Rarities | Sublime Frequencies

4 BOMBINO | Sahel | Partisan

5 THE SOUL OF CONGO: TREASURES OF THE NGOMA LABEL | various artists | Planet Ilunga

6 LOS ASES DE LA TIMBA | Mano A Mano | Envidia

7 LENGAIA SALSA BRAVA | Estetica De Un Rumbero | Lulaworld

8 LAS MEJORES CUMBIAS, VOL. 1 | various artists | Pipila

9 LALALAR | En Kotu Iyi Olur | Bongo Joe

10 MOKOOMBA | Tusona: Tracings In The Sand | Out Here

We are Turks, we sing Turkish folk songs

In July, listener and friend Ceci asked me a question about Turkish rock bands.  She had just seen Altın Gün at Thalia Hall in Chicago and loved them; she wanted to know what other bands she should listen to since she enjoyed them so much.

 

I too am a big fan of Altın Gün; their album Aşk is one of my favorites of 2023 so far.  So I put together a list for Ceci of my ten favorite Anatolian rock albums.  Some of them are by current artists either from Turkey or from around the world, others are from the 1970s when the Anatolian rock genre was being invented, and a couple are compilations of songs by a variety of historic Turkish artists.  This list is in no way a summary of the best, or the best known, or the most important Anatolian rock albums -- it's entirely based on my eccentric personal taste.

 

I liked the list so much that I thought, "This would be a great subject for an episode of Global A Go-Go."  So that's what I'm doing this week (Sunday September 17, 1:00-3:00 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).

 

Those top ten Anatolian rock albums will make up the first hour and a half of the program.  After that you'll hear my favorite new Turkish rock releases from Lalalar, Gaye Su Akyol and the aforementioned Altın Gün.  And we'll finish with a tribute to Erkin Koray, one of the founders of Anatolian rock, who passed away in August.

Mis amigos del rock

The four members of The Guapos are all major figures in the rock en español world: Adán Jodorowsky leads the band Adanowsky when he isn't directing or acting in films; Jay de la Cueva was featured in Molotov and Titán before starting Moderatto and is also in Mexrrissey, the deadpan Mexican all-Morrissey cover band; El David Aguilar is a solo singer-songwriter; and Leiva (José Miguel Conejo Torres) co-founded the Spanish band Pereza.

 

The Guapos (not Los Guapos, which seems like an important distinction) is a busman's holiday for the four of them, where they write and play all original material in the manner of early rock 'n' roll.  Think the Beatles at the Cavern Club, or Jerry Lee Lewis, or garage rock circa 1965 -- sounds like fun for them and it's definitely fun for the listener.  Find out for yourself this week on Global A Go-Go.

Also this week (Sunday September 10, 1:00-3:00 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): Some dubby and jazzy reggae, 1970s salsa dura from four countries, new Afropop by Kavita Shah and Idrissa Soumaoro, Johan Hugo's very best African productions, and Swahili and Lingala rumba from Kenya.

Charts Aug 28 - Sep 3, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top 10

1 JANTRA | Synthesized Sudan: Astro-Nubian Electronic Jaglara Sounds From The Fashaga Underground | Ostinato

2 ALTIN GUN | Ask | ATO

3 LALALAR | En Kotu Iyi Olur | Bongo Joe

4 IDRISSA SOUMAORO | "Sababou" [Single] | Mieruba

5 SINTAYEHU BELAY | Tsedey [EP] | Muzikawi

6 ETHIOCOLOR | Ethiocolor | Muzikawi

7 CONJUNTO GUANTANAMO | "Loma De Belen" [Single] | Nganga

8 ETRAN DE L'AIR | Live In Seattle [EP] | Sahel Sounds

9 YORUBA SINGERS | Ojinga's Own | Soundway

10 LUAMBO MAKIADI FRANCO | OK Jazz 66 Ans | Air Monde Culture

Can you feel my love buzz?

Gaye Su Akyol, the Patti Smith of Turkey, launches her first tour of the USA this month, including a stop on September 12 at Jammin Java, a coffee shop and listening room in a Vienna VA strip shopping center, right between a mattress store and a Walgreens.  It seems like an ideal venue for Akyol's surreal Anatolian rock -- this is, after all, the woman who titled her 2018 album Consistent Fantasy Is Reality.

 

Unfortunately I can't be there for what should be a mind-blowing presentation.  But if you're considering a road trip (and you should), give a listen to Akyol's new single this week on Global A Go-Go.  It's a cover of Nirvana (and Shocking Blue too), in English and Turkish, released by Nirvana's old label Sub Pop.

Also this week (Sunday September 3, 1:00-3:00 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): Ethiopia's contemporary Azmari bards, more East African sounds from Somaliland and Sudan, Niger's Etran De L'Aïr caught live, Cuban son montuno, and a Colombian champeta dance party.

Charts August 14-27, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 EPARAPO | Take To The Streets | Wah Wah 45s

2 NANA BENZ DU TOGO | Ago | Komos

3 FRUKO Y SUS TESOS | Fruko Power Vol. 1: Rarities & Deep Album Cuts 1970-1974 | Vampisoul

4 ARSENIO RODRIGUEZ | Swing Y Son | PT Jegeg

5 WEGDAYIT | Asalafi | Meedo

6 ASTER AWEKE | Soba | Sewasew

7 GIBRALTAR DRAKUS | Hommage A Zanzibar | Awesome Tapes From Africa

8 GUTS | Straight From The Decks Vol. 3 | Heavenly Sweetness

9 ROGER BEKONO | Roger Bekono | Awesome Tapes From Africa

10 PEPE SOLO SITA | Mbongo | Thoam

100% recycled electro-voodoo-soul

They sing feminist songs accompanied by microKorg synthesizer, their vodoun funk rhythms are played on recycled percussion including a bass instrument made out of PVC pipes whacked with a sandal, and they're named after the Togolese women who dominated West Africa's textile trade.  They are NBT: Nana Benz du Togo and they must be heard and seen to be believed.  We'll take care of the latter this week on Global A Go-Go.

 

Also this week (Sunday August 27, 1:00-3:00 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): Amazigh banjo music from Morocco, Prince Fatty covers Richmond's own Lonnie Liston Smith, happy 32nd birthday to the Republic of Moldova, new Afrobeat by Eparapo, and more bikutsi guitars from Cameroon.

Charts August 7-13, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 IMMY OWUSU | Lo-Life! | Hopestreet

2 AHEMAA NWOMKRO | "Yebre Ma Owuo" [Single] | Philophon

3 EPARAPO | Take To The Streets | Wah Wah 45s

4 HOLLIE COOK | Happy Hour in Dub | Merge

5 GRUPO CELESTE | ... El Fabuloso! | Discos Fantastico

6 GIBRALTAR DRAKUS | Hommage A Zanzibar | Awesome Tapes From Africa

7 ISAAC BIRITURO AND THE RAIL ABANDON FEAT. WIYAALA | Kontonbili [EP] | Wah Wah 45s

8 LEON KEITA | Dance Edition No. 16 | Analog Africa

9 MO' HORIZONS AND GYEDU-BLAY AMBOLLEY | "Mango Woman" [Single] | Agogo

10 AFROSOUND | "Cumbia De E.T. El Extraterrestre" [Single] | Vampisoul

Soy provinciano

Fronting his chicha band La Nueva Crema, singer Lorenzo Palacios Quispe, better known as "Chacalón" (The Big Jackal), became much more than a rock star -- he was the voice of Perú's voiceless peasants, more a saint than a celebrity.  (The photo above is of a votive offering to Chacalón at the Cholo Bar in Lima's Barranco neighborhood; the photographer is Ximena Ellito Mori.)

 

But before he was canonized, and before he started La Nueva Crema in 1977, Chacalón was hired as the lead singer of Grupo Celeste in 1974.  That band's debut album has just been reissued for the first time; it's a lost classic of chicha history.  You'll hear Chacalón with both bands on this week's edition of Global A Go-Go, plus La Nueva Crema's guitarist José Luis Carballo playing in three different bands.

Also this week (Sunday August 13, 1:00-3:00 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 Balkan ballad from Ladaniva, some trippy cumbia, four new releases from Ghana via the world, Léon Keïta's psychedelic Mandingue groove, and music from the Central African Republic on that country's 63rd Independence Day.

Charts Jul 31 - Aug 6, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 LEON KEITA | Dance Edition No. 16 | Analog Africa

2 MOKOOMBA | Tusona: Tracings In The Sand | Out Here

3 RICHIE SPICE | "Rasta Man" [Single] | Tad's

4 CUMBIA CUMBIA CUMBIA!!! VOL. 1 | various artists | Vampisoul

5 LOS BITCHOS | Pah! [EP] | City Slang

6 SON ROMPE PERA | Chimborazo | AYA

7 JACOBO VELEZ Y LA MAMBANEGRA | Radio Mambo Internacionale AM [EP] | Tambora

8 NAMIAN SIDIBE | Namian Sidibe | Sahel Sounds

9 FRUKO Y SUS TESOS | Fruko Power Vol. 1: Rarities & Deep Album Cuts 1970-1974 | Vampisoul

10 PLU CON PLA | Pura Actitud | self-released

Jamaica 61

Sunday August 6 is the 61st anniversary of Jamaica's independence from its British colonial rulers.  (Relations with the United Kingdom remain close: Jamaica is officially a constitutional monarchy with King Charles III as head of state, and it is one of 56 members of the Commonwealth.)

 

Jamaica is the size of Connecticut with the population of Chicago.  Despite its small size, Jamaica's culture punches way above its weight, especially through the music it has been exporting since independence.  The list of Jamaican musical genres that have been popular worldwide is extensive: Mento, ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub, dancehall, ragga and the list goes on.  You might say that Jamaica is the world's smallest cultural superpower.

This week (Sunday August 6, 1:00-3:00 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) Global A Go-Go pays tribute to "the Rock" (as Jamaicans call their home island) with a very personal look at some of my favorite Jamaican musical exports: All Jamaican artists, all recorded in Jamaica over the last 61 years.

Charts July 24-30, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top 10

1 ALOGTE OHO AND HIS SOUNDS OF JOY | O Yinne! | Philophon

2 MOKOOMBA | Tusona: Tracings In The Sand | Out Here

3 CRIES FROM THE YOUTH | various artists | Greensleeves

4 CHARIF MEGARBANE | Marzipan | Habibi Funk

5 YORUBA SINGERS | Ojinga's Own | Soundway

6 SHEIKHS SHIKHATS AND B'NET CHAABI | Sheikhs Shikhats & B'net Chaabi | Zephyrus

7 SARAMACCAN SOUND | "One Mother, Two Hearts" [Single] | Glitterbeat

8 KAVITA SHAH | "Angola" [Single] | Folkalist

9 LUAMBO MAKIADI FRANCO | OK Jazz 66 Ans | Air Monde Culture

10 IDRISSA SOUMAORO | "N'den Tedi" [Single] | Mieruba

Follow me

Is it gospel or highlife or reggae or jazz?  Even on a single song, Alogte Oho & His Sounds of Joy, produced by Max Weissenfeldt at Joy Sound Studios in Kumasi, Ghana, can be all of the above and then some.  Hear for yourself when I play three songs from Oho's new album O Yinne! (O Creator!), maybe my favorite album of 2023 so far, on this week's edition of Global A Go-Go.

 

Also this week (Sunday July 30, 1:00-3:00 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): Saramaccan Sound is Suriname's answer to the Louvin Brothers, Mokoomba makes Zimbabwean Afropop, Indian-American singer Kavita Shah takes on Cesária Evora, Jacobo Vélez pays homage to his grandmother and her radio, and Etienne Tron revives a forgotten Senegalese reggae classic by Max Adioa.

Charts July 17-23, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 MOKOOMBA | Tusona: Tracings In The Sand | Out Here

2 IMMY OWUSU | Lo-Life! | Hopestreet

3 GUTS | Straight From The Decks Vol. 3 | Heavenly Sweetness

4 EBO TAYLOR | Twer Nyame | Comet

5 PACHYMAN | "Trago Coqueto" [Single] | ATO

6 PICONEMA: EAST AFRICAN HITS ON THE COLOMBIAN COAST | various artists | Rocafort

7 AFRICAN HEAD CHARGE | A Trip To Bolgatanga | On-U Sound

8 BANTU | What Is Your Breaking Point? | Soledad

9 FRANKLIN BOUKAKA | L'Immortel: The 60s Rumba Revolution In Congo | Fremeaux & Associes

10 EAST AFRICA HIGHWAY | various artists | No Wahala Sounds

One million

Global A Go-Go's blog globalagogo.com has been around for 13 years now and it just hit a milestone: It has now had over one million page views.  So a big thank you goes out to everyone who supports this program by listening to the broadcasts and podcasts, and by reading the blog and also my posts at wrir.org.  One hundred billion views, here we come!

I have another all-African show for you this week (Sunday July 23, 1:00-3:00 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), inspired by an excellent and varied group of new releases of music from and inspired by that continent.

They include an unexpected trip to northern Ghana by Adrian Sherwood's dub-inspired African Head Charge project; Immy Owusu's new Afrodelik sound; another great reissue of highlife master Ebo Taylor; current Nigerian Afrobeat from Lagos Thugs and BANTU; the third Straight From The Decks compilation from one of my favorite global selectors, the French DJ named Guts; and an awesome compilation of Kenyan music that's been adopted by the DJs of Colombia's picó sound systems.

Charts July 10-16, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 CONJUNTO MEDIA LUNA | Noches De Media Luna | Little Beat More

2 MOKOOMBA | Tusona: Tracings In The Sand | Out Here

3 GUAPOS, THE | Hey! | One Little Blue

4 PICONEMA: EAST AFRICAN HITS ON THE COLOMBIAN COAST | various artists | Rocafort

5 CUMBIA CUMBIA CUMBIA!!! VOL. 1 | various artists | Vampisoul

6 AFRICAN HEAD CHARGE | A Trip To Bolgatanga | On-U Sound

7 YAMAYA | Senegal | Funkiwala

8 FELIX MANUEL | Mi Historia, Vol. 1 | La Oreja

9 LALALAR | "Hem Evimsin Hem Cehennemim" [Single] | Bongo Joe

10 LUAMBO MAKIADI FRANCO |  OK Jazz 66 Ans | Air Monde Culture

Crossover dreams

Rubén Blades, the Panamanian singer, songwriter, actor, lawyer and politician who is one of the central figures in the development of salsa music, turns 75 years old on Sunday and fortunately for us he's still very much active today.  Global A Go-Go marks the occasion with a set of Blades tunes and also celebrates the Jamaican hitmaker Desmond Dekker, who would have been 82 on Sunday.

 

Also this week (Sunday July 16, 1:00-3:00 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): cumbia from classic to post-modern, gently psychedelic Brazilian sounds, Global A Go-Go's occasional feature Get In The Garage returns with new music from The Guapos, and the Anatolian darkwave of Istanbul's Lalalar.

Charts Jun 26 - Jul 9, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 YEBO! RARE MZANSI PARTY BEATS FROM APARTHEID'S DYING YEARS | various artists | BBE

2 NANA BENZ DU TOGO | Ago | Komos

3 LES SYMPATHICS DE PORTO NOVO BENIN | Vol. 2 | Albarika Store

4 ROGER BEKONO | Roger Bekono | Awesome Tapes From Africa

5 PLENA LIBRE | Cuatro Esquinas | GN Musica

6 KUMBIA QUEERS/NACHO VEGAS | "Cuando Hablas Asi" [Single] | Faro Latino

7 Y LA BAMBA | Lucha | Tender Loving Empire

8 ETRAN DE L'AIR | Live In Seattle [EP] | Sahel Sounds

9 MOKOOMBA | Tusona: Tracings In The Sand | Out Here

10 LUAMBO MAKIADI FRANCO | OK Jazz 66 Ans | Air Monde Culture

Flash a flashlight

I will confess that I'm not the biggest disco fan.  Now, I do like me some house music, especially in the right room on the right sound system, and David Mancuso is certainly one of my DJing heroes.  But the stuff that was on the radio in the 70s, and the thousands of reissues over the last few years?  That's a big "No" from me, dawg.

 

Here's what does do it for me in the world of disco: Bubblegum, the South African version of the genre that's a predecessor to all that country's subsequent electronic dance styles: kwaito, gqom and now amapiano.  It's immediately recognizable as South African with direct links to earlier styles like mbaqanga, marabi and kwela, but it has disco's relentless four-on-the-floor rhythm and devil-may-care ethos.

 

Inspired by a terrific new bubblegum compilation called Yebo! Rare Mzansi Beats From Apartheid's Dying Years, the whole second hour this week is ten or so of my favorite bubblegum tracks in a more platter, less chatter dance mix that you might want to crank up and share with your neighbors.  Just sayin' ....

Also this week (Sunday July 9, 1:00-3:00 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): it's an all-African episode this time featuring a trip to Mali, two of today's best desert blues bands in brand new live recordings, and the irresistible dance sounds of Congolese soukous.

Two aimless leaves the wind blew away

The rise of Mexican regional music is one of the industry's big stories of 2023: Styles like ranchera, corrido and of course cumbia have moved beyond the barrios and pueblos onto the global charts.  When Bad Bunny is releasing norteño backed by Grupo Frontera, you know something is up.

 

One of the Mexican regional styles that's earning new listeners is banda, the brass and percussion music from Mexico's west coast that can be heard now even at Coachella.  This week Global A Go-Go dives into banda with tracks from current hitmaker Marco Flores Y La Jerez, genre standard-setter Banda El Recodo, and even hipster Grupo Kual? remixing ranchera and banda.

Also this week (Sunday July 2, 1:00-3:00 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): The low-tech voodoo funk of Nana Benz Du Togo, bikutsi from Cameroon is back, Les Sympathics De Porto Novo Benin, more Mexican madness and some bomba and plena to finish things up.