Global A Go-Go Classico: Serge Bulat in the house

This week (Sunday October 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) I have a Classico edition of Global A Go-Go lined up for you.  It features my conversation with Serge Bulat, a multidisciplinary artist originally from Moldova who spends a lot of time nowadays here in Central Virginia when he's not traveling the globe working on those art projects.

I interviewed Serge on April 6th of this year, and on that program he also did a live in-studio mix that featured selections from his most recent album, Phonomundi: Selected Recordings of Heritage Sites and Traditions 2017-2024.

Serge also talks about his time studying with the legendary singer, dancer and performance artist Meredith Monk, and he and I have teamed up to help bring the new documentary film about Meredith, Monk in Pieces, to Richmond.  It's going to be presented by Cinema Niche at Studio Two Three on Saturday November 15th.

Charts Sep 29 - Oct 5, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 ALICK NKHATA | Radio Lusaka | Mississippi

2 EJE EJE | Primordial Soup | Batov

3 EL BAILADOR DE LA ESQUINA | various artists | Vampisoul

4 MEKLIT | A Piece Of Infinity | Smithsonian Folkways

5 LA SONORA DINAMITA | Cumbia Sin Fronteras | Altafonte

6 YASMINE HAMDAN | I Remember I Forget | Crammed

7 ORQUESTA LA MURALLA | Como Me La Pida | Hyperopia

8 ABA DIOP AND THE YERMANDE FAMILY | Family | Dal Diam Fall

9 LOS ZHEROS | Psychedelic Cumbia Party | Vampisoul/Rey

10 STAR FEMININE BAND | Jusqu'au Bout du Monde | Born Bad

To sing is to listen

My favorite weekend of the year, the one that includes the Richmond Folk Festival, is coming up shortly: It's Friday October 10th through Sunday October 12th.  And that means it's also time for Global A Go-Go's annual Folk Festival preview show, where I fill you in on the international artists I'm excited about seeing there.

 

This year that list starts with Ustad Naseeruddin Saami & the Saami Brothers from Karachi, Pakistan.  The Saamis are probably the very last singers in the world of the 49-note surti microtonal octave scale (FYI, conventional Western notation has 12 tones per octave), which they employ in the performance of qawwali music and its predecessor, khayal.  They'll presents programs of both styles of music at the Folk Festival.

 

I'm also stoked to see one of my favorite reggae singers active today, Meta Dia, originally from Senegal and now living in New York City, with his band the Cornerstones.  And one of the most interesting new African acts anywhere, Dogo du Togo & the Alagaa Beat Band, led by Serge Massama Dogo, who lived for 20 years in Washington DC but is now based back in his hometown of Lomé, Togo.

 

Also on the Folk Festival schedule and on this week's program (Sunday October 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): Richard Hagopian, America's foremost oud player, who will be accompanied at the Festival by two additional generations of his family; Raiatea Helm who will introduce you to Hawaiian leo ki'eki'e (falsetto singing); Villa 5, a young all-siblings música norteña band from southern California; and Son Qba, Cuban son specialists from Miami.

Charts September 22-28, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 MEKLIT | A Piece Of Infinity | Smithsonian Folkways

2 BONGO DISTRICT | Motelito Flores [EP] | 90DB

3 COCHEMEA | Vol. III: Ancestros Futuros | Daptone

4 MULATU ASTATKE | Mulatu Plays Mulatu | Strut

5 IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE | Anyone Like You [EP] | Merge

6 UMUT ADAN AND ZEBANIS | "Bogota" [Single] | Six Degrees

7 ME AND MY FRIENDS | "Tell Me" [Single] | Split Shift

8 ANTIBALAS | "La Ceiba" [Single] | Daptone

9 AFRICAN STEEL | various artists  | Olvido

10 AMADOU AND MARIAM | "Sonfo" feat. Fally Ipupa [Single] | Because