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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.