Meet La Sonora Mazurén

Richmond has hosted three Colombian bands in the last six months: La Perla, Meridian Brothers and Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto.  And now add a fourth, the biggest and maybe the most exciting of all of them: La Sonora Mazurén (LSM), who will play the Get Tight Lounge on Wednesday September 25.

 

LSM is a seven-piece rhythm machine from Bogotá with four percussionists (including two of the women from La Perla) and a bass guitar laying down the grooves, plus electric guitar, keyboards, accordion and lots of voices on top.  They're a sort of pan-American psychedelic dance band who take traditional rhythms from all over South and Central America in unexpectedly lysergic directions.

I'll introduce you to LSM this week on Global A Go-Go by playing a couple of tracks from their marvelous forthcoming third album Magnetismo Animal which will be released on October 4 (I think this will be an American radio premiere) and a couple of older ones as well.

Also this week (Sunday September 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): Some dubby reggae to get things started, Central African guitar hits, acoustic Mande music from Mali, West African funk and hip hop, and soulful house music from South Africa.

Charts August 19-25, 2024

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 CHAKRAVYUH | various artists | Qilla

2 CIMAFUNK | Pa' Tu Cuerpa | Terapia Productions

3 K.O.G | "Don't Take My Soul" [Single] | Pura Vida/Heavenly Sweetness

4 SISTER NANCY | "Bam Bam b/w Stalag" [Single] | VP

5 PRISCILLA FRADE | "Baiao De Quatro Toques" [Single] | Mills

6 SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR X GROOVE TERMINATOR | History Of House | Music Is Fun/House Of Latroit/Gallo

7 LA LOM | The Los Angeles League Of Musicians | Verve

8 THIAGO FRANCA AND A ESPETACULAR CHARANGA DO FRANCA | "Toxic" [Single] | Mais Um

9 PENI CANDRA RINI | Wulansih | New Amsterdam

10 COMBO DAGUERRE | Fracassines | Barbes

Charts August 12-18, 2024

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR AND GROOVE TERMINATOR | History Of House | Music Is Fun/House Of Latroit/Gallo

2 MILTON NASCIMENTO AND ESPERANZA SPALDING | Milton + esperanza | Concord

3 KIT SEBASTIAN | "Metropolis" [Single] | Brainfeeder

4 PAULA MAYA | Rio De Janeiro | Yellow House

5 GIRL ULTRA | blush [EP] | Big Dada

6 AFRICA NEGRA | Antologia Vol. 2 | Bongo Joe

7 HERMANOS GUTIERREZ | Sonido Cósmico | Easy Eye Sound/Concord

8 ANGELICA GARCIA | Gemelo | Partisan

9 ROLANDO BRUNO Y EL GRUPO AREVALO | Cosas Raras | Peace & Rhythm/Electric Cowbell/DJ Cajon

10 MIGHTY JOSHUA | Dreaducation | Mighty Music

Charts Jul 29 - Aug 11, 2024

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten, Jul 29-Aug 4

1 ANGELICA GARCIA |  Gemelo | Partisan

2 THIAGO FRANCA & A ESPETACULAR CHARANGA DO FRANCA | "Toxic" [Single] | Mais Um

3 FANFARE CIOCARLIA | "Me Sem Rom" [Single] | Asphalt Tango

4 WAILERS, THE | The Best Of The Wailers | Jamwax

5 HERMANOS GUTIERREZ | Sonido Cósmico | Easy Eye Sound/Concord

6 ZANJA ALL STARS | Cuban Jam Session, Vol. 1 | Zanja

7 NATION BEAT | Archaic Humans | Ropeadope

8 BRUNA BLACK AND JOHN FINBURY | Va Revelacao | Green Flash

9 GHANA SPECIAL 2: ELECTRONIC HIGHLIFE AND AFRO SOUNDS IN THE DIASPORA, 1980-93 | various artists | Soundway

10 CONGO FUNK! SOUND MADNESS FROM THE SHORES OF THE MIGHTY CONGO RIVER | various artists | Analog Africa

 

 

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten, August 5-11

1 ANGELICA GARCIA | Gemelo | Partisan

2 JABULA | Afrika Awake | Strut

3 KIT SEBASTIAN | "Metropolis" [Single] | Brainfeeder

4 LAIZ AND THE NEW LOVE EXPERIENCE | Carcaru [EP] | Besser-Samstag

5 SIA TOLNO | Manene | Kingsland/Slow Walk

6 BONGO HOP, THE | "La Pata Coja" [Single] | Underdog

7 AWA KHIWE | "Zizobuya" [Single] | Outhere

8 GENTLEMAN AND SHAMS THE PRODUCER | "Watch Ova The City" [Single] | B-Rich

9 WAILERS, THE | The Best Of The Wailers | Jamwax

10 NANCY VIEIRA | Gente | Galileo

We will send them back

They call Awa Khiwe "The Village Girl" because she's from a rural area of Zimbabwe's Bulawayo province.  She raps in Ndebele, her hometown language which is closely related to Zulu, including all the click sounds.  This week on Global A Go-Go you'll hear the first single from her forthcoming debut album, "Zizobuya" (We will send them back), about the southern African custom of lobola or bride-price.

 

Also this week (Sunday August 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): In the first hour, new reggae from Gentleman and H.L.R, a reissue of the first Wailers album from 1971, and current Afro releases by Afla Sackey, The Bongo Hop and Sia Tolno; in the second hour sounds from across southern Africa including Malawi's Madalitso Band, Sebongile Kgaila from Botswana, Brian Chilala of Zambia and South Africa's Penny Penny.

The undisputed master of the kora

Toumani Diabaté, the undisputed master of the kora, the most important classical instrument of West Africa, passed away on July 19 at age 58.  A 72nd generation griot whose ancestors have been poets, musicians and storytellers since the time of the Mande empire, Toumani introduced listeners from all parts of the globe to the ancient harmonies of the 21-stringed harp.

 

He brought his instrument decisively into the 21st century, recording the first solo kora album ever, working with musicians from across West Africa to build a new Mande musical vocabulary, and creating new traditions by jamming with artists from around the world.  The second hour of today's show is devoted exclusively to the music of Toumani Diabaté: his kora solos and duos, his West African ensembles and his cross-continental collaborations.

In Global A Go-Go's first hour this week (Sunday August 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), I'm joined in the studio by Brian Jones: drummer, educator and organizer of the Mingus Awareness Project.  We'll talk about the three Mingus concerts happening in Richmond next weekend, listen to music from several of the participating ensembles and hear some related brass band sounds from across the map.