September 26, 2023

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

September 22, 2023

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.

September 19, 2023

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

September 15, 2023

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.

September 8, 2023

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.

September 5, 2023

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

September 1, 2023

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.

August 30, 2023

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

August 25, 2023

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.

August 14, 2023

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

August 10, 2023

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.

August 8, 2023

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

August 4, 2023

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.

August 1, 2023

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

July 28, 2023

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.

July 25, 2023

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

July 21, 2023

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.

July 18, 2023

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

July 14, 2023

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.

July 10, 2023

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

July 7, 2023

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.

June 30, 2023

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.

June 28, 2023

Charts June 19-25, 2023


WRIR World's NACC Top Ten
1 KILTRO | Underbelly | ONErpm
2 JANTRA | Synthesized Sudan: Astro-Nubian Electronic Jaglara Dance Sounds from the Fashaga Underground | Ostinato
3 BANTU | What Is Your Breaking Point? | Soledad
4 HUMAZAPAS | Sara Mama | AYA
5 GAMELAN MERDU KUMALA | Mujo | self-released
6 IDRISSA SOUMAORO | "N'den Tedi" [Single] | Mieruba
7 SAOCO! THE BOMBA AND PLENA EXPLOSION IN PUERTO RICO 1954-1966 | various artists | Vampisoul
8 KUMBIA QUEERS/NACHO VEGAS | "Cuando Hablas Asi" [Single] | Faro Latino
9 FRANKLIN BOUKAKA | L'Immortel: The 60s Rumba Revolution In Congo | Fremeaux & Associes
10 ALOGTE OHO AND HIS SOUNDS OF JOY | O Yinne! | Philophon

June 24, 2023

Creatures of habit

Kiltro is a band from Denver that has the most diverse set of influences I think I've ever seen.  Leader Chris Bowers Castillo is part Chilean, has lived in the Andes and his songs evoke Chilean folk artists like Victor Jara and Inti-Illimani.  But you can also hear elements of shoegaze, noisy post-rock, ambient and minimalist music, Manu Chao and even Calexico in their unique sound.
 
This is a band that's really onto something -- it's not fully formed, you're listening to them work it out in real time.  Kiltro's second album Underbelly was just released on June 2, and they'll be at Richmond Music Hall on June 30.  This week on Global A Go-Go you'll hear a full set of their music from the new album and from their 2019 debut Creatures Of Habit.

Also this week (Sunday June 25, 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): More new Andean music from the Ecuadorian Kichwa band Humazapas, the Andean side of Peruvian chicha, desert blues from both the Tamasheq and Wodaabe ethnic groups, more from the brilliant new album by Ghana's Alogte Oho & His Sounds Of Joy, and Jantra's astro-Nubian electronica.

June 21, 2023

Charts June 12-18, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten
1 FRANKLIN BOUKAKA | L'Immortel: The 60s Rumba Revolution In Congo | Fremeaux & Associes
2 ALTIN GUN | Ask | ATO
3 ANSAMBL MILETA PETROVICA | Veseli Romi | Radio Martiko
4 ALOGTE OHO AND HIS SOUNDS OF JOY | O Yinne! | Philophon
5 CHEO | Musica Para Verse Bien | Nacional
6 EBO TAYLOR | Ebo Taylor & The Pelikans | Comet
7 SIA TOLNO | Baya [EP] | Kingsland/Slow Walk
8 PLENA LIBRE | Cuatro Esquinas | GN Musica
9 LES ABRANIS | Amazigh Freedom Rock 1973-1983 | Bongo Joe
10 JANTRA | Synthesized Sudan: Astro-Nubian Electronic Jaglara Dance Sounds from the Fashaga Underground | Ostinato

June 16, 2023

I'm a gypsy, I'm a musician

This week (Sunday June 18, 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) on Global A Go-Go, we'll spend most of our two hours in south-eastern Europe.  You'll hear the "wedding music" of Macedonian saxophonist Ferus Mustafov, who passed away on May 22, and of Bulgarian clarinestist Ivo Papasov, who's still very much with us.
 
And we'll cover almost the whole region: music from Romania (Fanfare Ciocărlia), Moldova (Zdob și Zdub, pictured above), Serbia (Šaban Bajramović), Montenegro (Ansambl Montenegro, natch), Bosnia & Herzegovina (Goran Bregović), Turkey (Altın Gün) and more, if you can believe that.

And not from south-eastern Europe: This week is the 75th anniversary of the landing of the HMT Empire Windrush in the Port of Tilbury, carrying 693 Caribbean British subjects who intended to resettle in the United Kingdom.  The Windrush's arrival marked the beginning of the mass migration of people of color from the outskirts of the British Empire to its center, an event that would reshape Great Britain.  We commemorate the occasion with a set of songs by and about the Windrush generation.

June 13, 2023

Charts June 5-11, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten
1 CONJUNTO MEDIA LUNA | Noches De Media Luna | Little Beat More
2 WITCH | Zango | Desert Daze/Partisan
3 FRANKLIN BOUKAKA | L'Immortel: The 60s Rumba Revolution In Congo | Fremeaux & Associes
4 TELMARY | "Fuerza Arara (feat. Kumar)" [Single] | Unfit
5 ROGE | Curyman | Diamond West
6 TABACO | Tabaco | El Palmas
7 DIP IN THE DUB | "La Cumbia Del Sufi Que No Sabia Bailar" [Single] | Bongo Joe
8 SUNBORN | Sunborn | Tramp
9 PLU CON PLA | Pura Actitud | self-released
10 FRUKO Y SUS TESOS | Fruko Power Vol. 1: Rarities & Deep Album Cuts 1970-1974 | Vampisoul

June 9, 2023

Noches de media luna

Conjunto Media Luna from Bogotá Colombia describe themselves as anachronistic.  Yes, they play cumbia in Andrés Landero's traditional format of accordion, bass guitar and two percussionists.  But they grew up listening to metal, punk and hip-hop, and they also incorporate synthesizer, sampler and drum machine.  They're not anachronistic; they're post-modern.  Hear for yourself this week on Global A Go-Go.
 
Also on this week's nearly all-Latin show (Sunday June 11, 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): Free hop, Cuba's alternative rap scene; some smoking 70s salsa; Cienfue's tropical psychedelia; Brazilian samba-soul from 1970 (Juca Chaves) to today (Rogê); and Persian cumbia from Peru's Dip In The Dub.

June 6, 2023

Charts May 29 - Jun 4, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten
1 WITCH | Zango | Desert Daze/Partisan
2 ALOGTE OHO AND HIS SOUNDS OF JOY | O Yinne! | Philophon
3 BELA FLECK, EDGAR MEYER, ZAKIR HUSSAIN | As We Speak (feat. Rakesh Chaurasia) | Bela Fleck/Thirty Tigers
4 ROGE | Curyman | Diamond West
5 TRU TONES | Power Struggle | Cultures Of Soul
6 MOKOOMBA | "Nzara Hapana" b/w "Makisi" [Single] | Out Here
7 TINARIWEN | Amatssou | Wedge
8 LARRY AND JOE | Nuevo South Train | SideHustle
9 EASY STAR ALL-STARS | Ziggy Stardub | Easy Star
10 PLENA LIBRE | Cuatro Esquinas | GN Musica

June 1, 2023

Wasted days and wasted nights

Baldemar Huerta decolonized music fans' ears for six decades.  As El Bebop Kid he was one of the first Latino rock stars in the 1950s, as Freddy Fender he was the first person to top the American pop and country charts bilingually, and as a member of the Texas Tornados and Los Super Seven he was one of the chefs of a stew of rock, folk, country and Mexican rancheras and boleros that could only be summarized as "American music."
 
He's the quintessential American success story: The son of migrant farm workers, kicked out of the Marines, jailed in Angola State Prison for three years for possession of two marijuana joints, yet somehow he ended up with his name and likeness on his home town's water tower.  This week Global A Go-Go celebrates what would have been Freddy Fender's 86th birthday with music from the full breadth of his career.

Also this week (Sunday June 4, 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 sounds from southern Africa, Alogte Oho and Max Weissenfeldt's Frafra gospel, feminist Afrobeat, what's new in reggae, and north African rock 'n' roll.

May 30, 2023

Charts May 22-28, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten
1 SON ROMPE PERA | Chimborazo | AYA
2 SHONO | Kolkhozoy Traktor | CPL
3 JACOBO VELEZ Y LA MAMBANEGRA | Radio Mambo Internacionale AM [EP] | Tambora
4 ENTOTO BAND | Entoto Band | Guitar Globetrotter
5 BOKANTE | "Adjoni" [Single] | Real World
6 PAHUA | "Pa'lante" (feat Acid Coco) [Single] | Nacional
7 REMI KABAKA | Son Of Africa | BBE
8 SIA TOLNO | Baya [EP] | Kingsland/Slow Walk
9 LARRY AND JOE | Nuevo South Train | SideHustle
10 MAHLATHINI AND THE MAHOTELLA QUEENS | Music Inferno: The Indestructible Beat Tour 1988-89 | Umsakazo

May 26, 2023

Future of a 1000 years

I have to admit, I thought the great crate-digging wave had already unearthed all of the notable Afro-funk records that had ever been pressed.  But it missed Son Of Africa by Remi Kabaka.  Now, there's a good reason for this: Son Of Africa wasn't made in Africa at all.  It was recorded in England and released in 1976 by Island Records, who were doubling down on Black international artists following the success of Bob Marley.
 
But the album sank like a stone and has been mostly forgotten until now, when it has been reissued by BBE Records.  This week on Global A Go-Go you'll hear a track from Son Of Africa, which as it turns out is one of the very best Afro-funk albums of the 1970s, plus like-minded African peers Gerardo Pino and Rob, who, oddly, I and other African music enthusiasts know more about than we do of Remi Kabaka, who actually played with the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney & Wings, Steve Winwood and many others.  The world works in mysterious ways.

Also this week (Sunday May 28, 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 Ethio-jazz from the Netherlands by Entoto Band, guembri three ways, new cumbia from Pahua and Son Rompe Pera, the speedy salsa of Cali Colombia, and throat singers do rock 'n' roll.

May 23, 2023

Charts May 15-21, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten
1 BOMBINO | "Tazidert" [Single] | Partisan
2 TINARIWEN | Amatssou | Wedge
3 ALI FARKA TOURE | Voyageur | World Circuit
4 ENTOTO BAND | Entoto Band | Guitar Globetrotter
5 DELE SOSIMI | You No Fit Touch Am (Deluxe Edition) | Wah Wah 45s
6 KILTRO | "All The Time In The World" | ONErpm
7 CECILIA NOEL | "El Nino En La Frontera" [Single] | Wild Clam
8 LARRY AND JOE | Nuevo South Train | SideHustle
9 CUMBIAS EN MOOG | "Cumbia De Sal" b/w "Cumbia Sobre El Mar" [Single] | Vampisoul
10 MARIAA SIGA | "Ni Mama" [Single] | Made In Africa

May 19, 2023

They left me naught to dig his grave

Sunday is the 82nd birthday of Martin Carthy, the English singer and guitarist who has done as much as anyone alive today to perpetuate and advance the folk and traditional music of Great Britain.  And he's still going strong, with a gig coming up in Birmingham (England, not Alabama) this week and a tour planned for the fall and winter.  This week on Global A Go-Go we celebrate Martin Carthy by playing two of my favorite songs of his.  Yeah, they're long songs.
 
Also this week (Sunday May 21, 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 unlikely duo of Venezuelan Larry Bellorín on llanera harp and American Joe Troop on banjo, another new single from Denver Latin-folk-psych combo Kiltro, a set of Afro-reggae and ska, the latest Sahara desert blues from Tinariwen and Bombino, and one more song by Baba Commandant & The Mandingo Band who will be at the Get Tight Lounge on Wednesday May 24.

May 16, 2023

Charts May 8-14, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten
1 BABA COMMANDANT AND THE MANDINGO BAND | Sonbonbela | Sublime Frequencies
2 REMI KABAKA | Son Of Africa | BBE
3 SIA TOLNO | Baya [EP] | Kingsland/Slow Walk
4 PAHUA | "Espantapajaros" [Single] | Nacional
5 CHEO | "Macumba" [Single] | Nacional
6 CUMBIAS EN MOOG | "Cumbia De Sal" b/w "Cumbia Sobre El Mar" [Single] | Vampisoul
7 ALTIN GUN | Ask | ATO
8 WITCH | "Avalanche Of Love" feat. Sampa The Great [Single] | Desert Daze/Partisan
9 LOS BITCHOS | Pah! [EP] | City Slang
10 FRUKO Y SUS TESOS | Fruko Power Vol. 1: Rarities & Deep Album Cuts 1970-1974 | Vampisoul

May 12, 2023

The opposite of auto-tune

It's not often that Richmonders get a chance to see one of the most original, electric, mind-blowing bands in all of Africa, playing in a venue that resembles the tight, steamy open-air nightclubs of their home town, Ouagadougou in the small West African nation of Burkina Faso.
 
That opportunity comes your way on Wednesday May 24 when Baba Commandant & The Mandingo Band play at the Get Tight Lounge.  If you're considering taking the plunge, tune in to Global A Go-Go this week (Sunday May 14, 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 my choice of three Baba Commandant songs, plus an explanation of why they're my favorite African band right now.
 
Also this week: We celebrate David Byrne's 71st birthday with a set of his most outernational music plus selections from his globalist Luaka Bop record label, new music from sometimes David Byrne associate and former labelmate Cheo, new Afro-funk coming out of Barcelona by Sia Tolno, and a set of electro-cumbia.

May 8, 2023

Charts May 1-7, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten
1 EASY STAR ALL-STARS | Ziggy Stardub | Easy Star
2 NUSANTARA BEAT | "Djanger" b/w "Borondong Garing" [Single] | Bongo Joe/Lamunai
3 EBO TAYLOR | Ebo Taylor & The Pelikans | Comet
4 EAST AFRICAN HIGHWAY: MORE GEMS FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF BENGA AND RUMBA | various artists | No Wahala Sounds
5 CHEO | "Macumba" [Single] | Nacional
6 MAHLATHINI AND THE MAHOTELLA QUEENS | Music Inferno: The Indestructible Beat Tour 1988-89 | Umsakazo
7 NAMIAN SIDIBE | Namian Sidibe | Sahel Sounds
8 INNA BABA COULIBALY | Djilly Kawral | Remote
9 LAMINE SONKO | "Taamo" [Single] | Hopestreet
10 PLENA LIBRE | Cuatro Esquinas | GN Musica

May 5, 2023

Nusantara beat

Here's something you probably haven't heard yet: A Dutch band, all members first, second or third generation Indonesians, playing trippy rock 'n' roll that's based on Indonesian traditional and popular music.  The band in question is Nusantara Beat, their debut single will be released on May 19, and you'll hear both the A and B sides on this week's edition of Global A Go-Go.
 
Also this week (Sunday May 7, 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): Reggae covers of an artist you've definitely already heard, new traditional sounds from Mali and Senegal, and an hour of African dusties: Ghanaian and Nigerian highlife, mbaqanga from South Africa, and east African Swahili rumba and benga.

May 3, 2023

Charts April 17-30, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten
1 ALTIN GUN | Ask | ATO
2 PLENA LIBRE | Cuatro Esquinas | GN Musica
3 WITCH | "Avalanche Of Love" feat. Sampa The Great [Single] | Desert Daze/Partisan
4 FRUKO Y SUS TESOS | Fruko Power Vol. 1: Rarities & Deep Album Cuts 1970-1974 | Vampisoul
5 SAMMY MASSAMBA | Propriete Privee | Secousse
6 CHEZIDEK | Never Stop | Irie Ites
7 BARIS MANCO | Dunden Bugune | Turkofon
8 DELE SOSIMI AND THE ESTUARY 21 | The Confluence | Wah Wah 45s
9 MAHLATHINI AND THE MAHOTELLA QUEENS | Music Inferno: The Indestructible Beat Tour 1988-89 | Umsakazo
10 DAWIT YIFRU | Dawit Yifru | Muzikawi

April 28, 2023

Doktor civanım

It's a mostly rock 'n' roll edition of Global A Go-Go this week (Sunday April 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), with the first hour and then some focusing on rock from all over the planet.
 
The Turkish-Dutch psych-funk band Altın Gün (pictured above) are featured with two songs from their wonderful new album Aşk.  You'll also hear Afro-rock from Ghana, Zambia and Kenya, new progressive Latin sounds by Kiltro and Monstruos del Mañana, and some Latin rock from the 70s including a request from faithful Global A Go-Go listener Dee.

Away from the rock 'n' roll tip, I have some Ethio-jazz cued up for you, including a new album by Fendika & K-Sanchis and a new reissue of Dawit Yifru, and we'll wrap things up with plena and bomba including the latest from Puerto Rico's Plena Libre.

April 24, 2023

Sun Ra and me

From L to R: Sun Ra, Walt Dickerson & yours truly

Nobody has ever asked me to write liner notes for an album, until now.  The album in question is Haverford College, Jan. 25, 1980 by Sun Ra.  It was released in physical form last weekend for Record Store Day 2023 (discogs.com/release/26666099-Sun-Ra-Haverford-College-1980-Solo-Piano) and previously as Bandcamp download in 2019 (sunramusic.bandcamp.com/album/haverford-college-1980-solo-piano).

So why am I writing liner notes for a Sun Ra album?  Well, it's because I was one of the promoters of the concert on the recording.  The album and the concert make a pretty good story, and you can read about it in the liner notes below.  My notes follow those of Irwin Chusid, the administrator of Sun Ra's estate and the person who asked to publish my reminiscences.  Thank you, Irwin!
 
For a 3-minute summary, here's an interview about the album that I did as a Record Store Day promotion with my long-time friend Jim Bland, owner of Plan 9 Music in Richmond: facebook.com/watch/?v=932921114422140.

April 21, 2023

Free speech isn't free

WRIR's Spring 2023 Fund Drive is currently underway -- we're working to raise $42,000 by Saturday April 29 to power "the tower of low power" in Richmond for another six months. Thank you for your previous donations to Richmond Independent Radio; I'm writing to encourage you to make a contribution once again this spring, if you can. You can make that donation in two minutes by clicking this link: wrir.org/donating.

April 19, 2023

Charts April 10-16, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten
1 ALEX FIGUEIRA | Mentallogenic | Music With Soul
2 FRUKO Y SUS TESOS | Fruko Power Vol. 1: Rarities & Deep Album Cuts 1970-1974 | Vampisoul
3 IMMY OWUSU | "Flashback" [Single] | Hopestreet
4 ANTIDOPING | "No Te Desamines" [Single] | FaroLatino
5 LOS BITCHOS | Pah! [EP] | City Slang
6 DJ BLACK LOW | Impumelelo | Awesome Tapes From Africa
7 DIANA BURCO | "Mal Amores" [Single] | Codiscos
8 LES ABRANIS | Amazigh Freedom Rock 1973-1983 | Bongo Joe
9 BORGA REVOLUTION, VOLUME 2: GHANAIAN DANCE MUSIC IN THE DIGITAL AGE, 1983-1996 | various artists | Kalita
10 MOUSSA TCHINGOU | Tamiditime [EP] | Sahel Sounds

April 14, 2023

Global A Go-Go Classico: Ukraine with Vlad Cuiujuclu

I’m coming to you from my home studio since I’m currently laying low with a virus.  Rather than coming in to Studio A this week and infecting everyone in my path, I stayed home and dug into the vaults for a Classico edition of Global A Go-Go.
 
The last time I did a Classico program, it was a show I co-hosted with Vlad Cuiujuclu for the independence day of Moldova, the country where Vlad was born.  Today I’m presenting another one of Vlad’s co-productions, this one going back to August 29, 2014.
 
That was the month when Russia sent troops, tanks and artillery into eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region.  Arguably this was the precursor of Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022, a war that continues today.
 
And that’s the backdrop for the show Vlad and I did about the music of Ukraine, which is as timely now as it’s ever been.  I hope you enjoy this week (Sunday April 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)’s presentation of Global A Go-Go.

April 12, 2023

Charts Mar 27 - Apr 9, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten
1 ALTIN GUN | Ask | ATO
2 SON ROMPE PERA | Chimborazo | AYA
3 PLU CON PLA | Pura Actitud | self-released
4 FRUKO Y SUS TESOS | Fruko Power Vol. 1: Rarities & Deep Album Cuts 1970-1974 | Vampisoul
5 KALA JULA AND GANGBE BRASS BAND | Asro | Buda
6 REGGADICTION | Ganja Harvest | NuFunk
7 ELIO VILLAFRANCA | Standing By The Crossroads | ArtistShare
8 AHL NANA | L'Orchestre National Mauritanien | Radio Martiko
9 ELIDA ALMEIDA | Di Lonji | Lusafrica
10 MILPA | Soulaso | Tropicalifas

April 7, 2023

Calling England home

I don't follow poetry nearly as closely as I follow music, but I know enough to realize the T.S. Eliot Prize is a big deal.  It's given annually to the author of the best new poetry collection published in the UK or Ireland.  And this year it was awarded to Anthony Joseph, who you've heard on Global A Go-Go many times, for his collection Sonnets For Albert.
 
Joseph is a poet and novelist, lecturer in English at King's College London and a recording artist with ten albums to his name where his voice interacts with the melodies and rhythms of calypso, soca, jazz, Afrobeat and funk.  On this episode of Global A Go-Go you'll hear three selections from those albums, going back as far as 2011 and up to his most recent release, 2021's The Rich Are Only Defeated When Running For Their Lives.

Also this week (Sunday April 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): Immy Owusu's "Afrodelik lo-fi highlife"; Benin's Gangbé Brass Band, the world's most valuable collaborators; the funky sounds of Somalia; what's new in reggae; and cumbia, gradually then suddenly.

March 28, 2023

Charts March 20-26, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten
1 SOLOMANE DOUMBIA |  Segou To Lagos | Mieruba
2 SONA JOBARTEH | Badinyaa Kumoo | Africa Guild
3 MERIDIAN BROTHERS AND EL GRUPO RENACIMIENTO | Meridian Brothers And El Grupo Renacimiento | Ansonia
4 FRUKO Y SUS TESOS | Fruko Power Vol. 1: Rarities & Deep Album Cuts 1970-1974 | Vampisoul
5 DJ BLACK LOW | Impumelelo | Awesome Tapes From Africa
6 BALI GAMELAN SOUND | Gong Kebyar, Vol. 1 | self-released
7 DIANA BURCO | "Mal Amores" [Single] | Codiscos
8 MOREIRA CHONGUICA | Sounds Of Peace | Morestar Entertainment
9 MDOU MOCTAR | Niger EP Vol 2 | Matador
10 KALA JULA AND GANGBE BRASS BAND | Asro | Buda

March 24, 2023

Big Ears, Simon Emmerson

I'm making my first trip ever to the Big Ears Festival next weekend (Albert Green will sit in for me then) -- now I'm just trying to figure out how much left-of-center music I can cram into a four day visit.  They have an outstanding international lineup this year, and I'll preview that part of the festival this week on Global A Go-Go (Sunday March 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).
 
Included will be a couple of tracks from Bogotá's Meridian Brothers, who will go directly from Big Ears to Richmond and perform Monday April 3 at Richmond Music Hall with Miramar opening (more info here: thebroadberry.com/event/meridian-brothers-miramar/richmond-music-hall/richmond-virginia).  I saw the Meridian Brothers in New York in January and they are a fabulous live act -- I don't know if I'll be back in time from Knoxville to catch this show, but you certainly should.

Also this week Global A Go-Go pays tribute to Simon Emmerson, the British musician, producer and pioneer of world music, who passed away on March 13 at age 67.  You'll hear from his Afro Celt Sound System and Imagined Village projects, plus one of his amazing productions for Malian singer Baaba Maal.