Hold your lover tight

It's highlife time once again on Global A Go-Go.  We'll dig into more than a half-hour of the genre on this week's program, starting with a new single from Berlin's Jembaa Groove that quotes Kwame Nkrumah, the first prime minister and first president of Ghana.  You'll also hear a track from Soundway's forthcoming Ghana Special 2 compilation and one from a new reissue of the African Brothers Band led by a great friend of WRIR, the late Nana Kwame Ampadu.

 

Also this week (Sunday March 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): New Sahrawi music by Aziza Brahim, some unlikely ska versions, the French Caribbean roots-rock of Delgrès and new Arabic electronic dance music by Sami Galbi and Omar Souleyman.

Charts March 11-17, 2024

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 ABDALLAH OUMBADOUGOU | Amghar: The Godfather Of Tuareg Music, Vol. 1 | Petaluma

2 BACAO RHYTHM AND STEEL BAND | BRSB | Big Crown

3 BIDAIDE | "Batua" b/w "Love Me And Give Me Up" [Single] | Matasuna

4 MARCO FLORES Y LA JEREZ | "El Botecito" [Single] | Nacional

5 MARK LEGGETT | "Road To Mali" [Single] | Earthsonix

6 BARIS MANCO | Sakla Samani Gelir Zamani | Turkishvinyl

7 CEM KARACA | Nem Kaldi? | Turkishvinyl

8 MEXICAN INSTITUTE OF SOUND | Algo-Ritmo: Mexican Institute Of Sound Hits 2004-2024 | Soy Sauce

9 ANA TIJOUX | Vida | Victoria Producciones

10 OKAVANGO AFRICAN ORCHESTRA | Migration | self-released

Introducing La Perla

La Perla is a voice-and-percussion trio from Bogotá Colombia, home of one of the most organically interesting music scenes in the world right now.  Their music is rooted in traditional Afro-Colombian rhythms like cumbia, chalupa and mapalé, but it's written and performed by 21st century women who also have their ears on punk, rap and EDM.

 

La Perla is coming to Richmond this spring: They'll be performing at the Get Tight Lounge on Saturday May 4 (I recommend putting that on your calendar right now), and earlier that afternoon they'll be playing live in WRIR's Studio C during our Cause & Effect radio program.  This week on Global A Go-Go I'm going to introduce you to La Perla's music, with two songs from their 2022 debut album Callejera and some related sounds.

Also this week (Sunday March 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): Anatolian rock chestnuts from the 70s, a set of cumbia that will get you moving, guitarist Mark Leggett channels Ali Farka Touré and Baaba Maal, rockin' desert blues including the wonderful new compilation of Abdallah Oumbadougou, and the cinematic psychedelic soul of Barcelona's Bidaide.

Charts March 4-10, 2024

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 MEKLIT | Ethio Blue [EP] | self-released

2 ARY LOBO | 1958-1966 (Limited Dance Edition No. 19) | Analog Africa

3 DAYME AROCENA | Alkemi | Brownswood

4 NGWAKA SON SYSTEME | Iboto Ngenge | Eck Echo

5 FOREST LAW | "Ooo, I" [Single] | Bongo Joe/Total Refreshment Centre

6 KOKOKO | "Mokili" [Single] | Transgressive

7 FRANCO LUAMBI MAKIADI | Presents Les Editions Populaires | Planet Ilunga

8 AZIZA BRAHIM | Mawja | Glitterbeat

9 LES AMAZONES D'AFRIQUE | Musow Danse | Real World

10 CONJUNTO GUANTANAMO | "Guitarra, Tabaco Y Ron" [Single] | Nganga

Music for maids & taxi drivers

Forró is the country music of Brazil's northeast region; it's been called "music for maids and taxi drivers."  It's classically played in the trio format: Sanfona (diatonic button accordion), zabumba (bass drum) and triangle (yeah, triangle).  If this reminds you of a Louisiana Cajun or zydeco band -- yes, the styles of music are closely related.  To urbanize your forró, maybe add a horn or two.

This week on Global A Go-Go (Sunday March 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) you'll hear a whole set of forró, including a couple of tracks from the terrific recent Analog Africa compilation of the recordings of Ary Lobo.

Also this week: Currulao from Colombia's Pacific coast including the debut recording of De Mar Y Rio, new Cuban son montuno from Conjunto Guantánamo, the Brazilian psychedelic groove of London's Forest Law, and new Afro-dance music from Kokoko! and Ngwaka Son Système from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Charts Feb 19 - Mar 3, 2024

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 TIKEN JAH FAKOLY | Acoustic | Chapter Two

2 LONDON AFROBEAT COLLECTIVE | Esengo | Canopy

3 BLACK TRUTH RHYTHM BAND | Ifetayo | Soundway

4 ABDALLAH OUMBADOUGOU | Amghar: The Godfather Of Tuareg Music, Vol. 1 | Petaluma

5 SHAZALKAZOO | Chorba | Asphalt Tango

6 DELGRES | Promis Le Ciel | Discograph

7 AKAE BEKA | Living Testament | Before Zero/Trinity Farm

8 SORCERERS, THE | I Too Am A Stranger | ATA

9 FRANCK BIYONG | "Oladipo (feat. Chief Udoh Essiet & Tony Allen)" [Single] | Afrolectric

10 MARCO FLORES Y LA JEREZ | "Mi Jerez" [Single] | Nacional

Fakoly koumba, Fakoly daaba

The new releases are coming fast and furious in the first quarter of 2024, and I've been out of the office a lot so far this year for travel.  So it's time to catch you (and me) up on some of the best new music of the young year.

 

This week on Global A Go-Go (Sunday March 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), it's nothing but new releases: I've got reggae, Caribbean and Latin groovers, international brass bands, Mande music from West Africa (including two songs from Tiken Jah Fakoly's new unplugged album Acoustic), new sounds from East and North Africa, and Afrobeat lined up for your listening pleasure.