In remembrance 2021

It sure seems to me as though a lot of my favorite musicians died in 2021.  Maybe it's just that I'm getting older.  Maybe it's that I've been thinking more about my own mortality lately.

 

Mostly it's that we're living through a golden era of death -- a (hopefully) once-in-a-century pandemic.  Just in 2021, about 13,000,000 more people died worldwide than would have been expected had there not been a COVID pandemic.  (My source for this number is The Economist's excess deaths model.)  More than a few of the unfortunate have been great musicians.

 

This week on Global A Go-Go (Sunday January 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), we'll celebrate the lives and times of 21 musicians from around the world who passed away last year, leaving us to safeguard the evidence of their genius.  And I do mean genius -- just about every track on this show is a stone-cold classic.

Top ten compilations, reissues & historic recordings of 2021

This week on Global A Go-Go (Sunday December 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), I'm wrapping up a 3-week-long look at my favorite recordings of 2021 by playing my favorite compilations, reissues and historic recordings of the year.

 

I love finding out about music of the past that I missed out on back then.  And I'm a sucker for the lengths that the producers of sets like the ones featured in this week's program are willing to go to in order to bring this forgotten music back into the daylight.

 

For example, this year's #5 is the result of a multi-year negotiation between the album's producer and the government of Djibouti, with all royalties paid directly to that country's Ministry of Culture.  And #6 got its start in a Vietnamese-American woman's curiosity about her mother's singing career; it turns out that her mother was an early Vietnamese rock 'n' roll icon who hadn't heard her own recordings in 55 years.

Without further ado, here's are my top compilations, reissues and historic recordings of 2021:

Top ten new singles & EPs of 2021

In the current era of home studios, direct-to-consumer distribution, mobile listening and streaming, the single is no longer just for Top 40 music.  If you're not following singles and EPs in whatever genres you listen to, much of today's most compelling music is breezing right past you.

 

I've made a concerted effort in recent years to play singles and EPs on Global A Go-Go, and for the past 3 years I've done a year-end recap of the best singles and EPs of the year.  This year's recap (Sunday December 19, 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) once again has some killer material, just as good if not better than what I played on last week's top albums of 2021 episode.  Tune in and hear for yourself.

Without further ado, here are my top singles and EPs of 2021:

Charts December 6-12, 2021

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten

1 HAMDI BENANI, MEDHI HADDAB AND SPEED CARAVAN | Nuba Nova | Buda Musique

2 BALKAN TAKSIM | Disko Telegraf | Buda Musique

3 DELGRES | 4:00 AM | PIAS

4 LA MAMBANEGRA | Los Ultimos Buses De Colores | Tambora

5 ORQUESTA AKOKAN | 16 Rayos | Daptone

6 A ESPETACULAR CHARANGA DO FRANCA | The Importance Of Being Espetacular | Mais Um

7 MONEY CHICHA | Chicha Summit | Vampisoul

8 LOS CHAPILLACS | Lo Bueno, Lo Malo, Lo Feo Y Los Alarcosos Chapillacs | Vampisoul

9 ADRIAN QUESADA | Look At My Soul: The Latin Shade Of Texas Soul | Nacional

10 TOKYO GLOW: JAPANESE CITY POP, FUNK AND BOOGIE SELECTED BY DJ NOTOYA | various artists | Wewantsounds

Top ten new albums of 2021

It's the most wonderful time of the year, the time to find out who's been naughty and nice.  No, I'm not talking about the holiday season; I'm talking about when everyone's Best Of The Year lists come out.

 

I'll be rolling out my own lists over the next three weeks on Global A Go-Go.  On this week's program (Sunday December 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'll present my top ten new albums of 2021 plus ten honorable mentions.

 

Next week you'll hear my favorite singles and EPs of the year gone by, and in two weeks it will be selections from my favorite compilations, reissues and historic recordings of 2021.

 

In terms of themes for 2021's best new albums, I thought it was a great year for Latin music and in particular for music from Colombia, a country that's rapidly gaining attention for its broad and deep music scenes.  And an unusual number of my favorite new albums this year could be classified as rock 'n' roll, a genre that's widely viewed in the USA as past its sell-by date.

 

Without further ado, here are my top new albums of 2021:

Charts Nov 29 - Dec 5, 2021

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten

1 QUANTIC AND NIDIA GONGORA | Almas Conectadas | Tru Thoughts

2 MUKAMBO PRESENTS GLOBAL AFROBEAT MOVEMENT 2 | various artists | NYP

3 PHUONG TAM | Magical Nights: Saigon Surf, Twist & Soul 1964-1966 | Sublime Frequencies

4 LOS BITCHOS | "Las Panteras" [Single] | City Slang

5 ELIA Y ELIZABETH | Elia Y Elizabeth | Vampisoul

6 CONTENTO | En Lancha Pal Futuro | El Palmas

7 JUCARA MARCAL | Delta Estacio Blues | QTV Selo/Mais Um

8 SHAGGY AND RAYVON | "Drive Me Insane" [Single] | Mr. Doo

9 META AND THE CORNERSTONES | Dia | Metarize

10 THEON CROSS | Intra-I | New Soil/Marathon

Chicken no dey fly

I have a whole lot of new African and African-inspired music in this week's (Sunday December 5, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards on the wrir.org archive player, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site) first hour: the legendary Omar Pene of Senegal, the Scorpios bringing Sudan through a current London filter, Femi Koya with Nigerian Afrobeat made in South Africa, and the Afro-futurist sounds of Onipa.

 

In this week's second hour you'll hear new Latin favorites from Quantic & Nidia Gongora, Grupo Pernil, Contento and Malamanya, reggae meets boogie featuring a long-lost single by Desmond Chambers, and we'll finish up with jit and kalindula from Zimbabwe and Zambia including great new reissue of Robson Banda & The New Black Eagles.

Charts November 22-28, 2021

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten

1 ETRAN DE L'AIR | "Adounia" [Single] | Sahel Sounds

2 DELI TELI | Tsifteteli Club | Rebel Up-Catapulte

3 ORQUESTA AKOKAN | 16 Rayos | Daptone

4 CONTENTO | En Lancha Pal Futuro | El Palmas

5 SARAH AROESTE | Hanuka! | self-released

6 JUSTIN ADAMS AND MAURO DURANTE | Still Moving | Ponderosa

7 TRUDII HARRISON | True Story | CKM Infinity Studio

8 IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE | "Electricity" [Single] | Merge

9 JAGUAR | Madremonte | El Palmas

10 VAUDOU GAME | Noussin | Hot Casa

When Hanukkah comes around

Global A Go-Go has been a Christmas-song-free zone since 2005, just because (as Geoff Berner sings) "The Christians irritate us with their Christmas-ness / It seems like every year."  Not like there will be a shortage of Christmas music from now until the day in question, amirite?

But Hanukkah?  Heck yeah I'll play Hanukkah songs.  Irreverent songs perhaps, like one by the aforementioned Geoff Berner, or a new one in the nearly-extinct Ladino (Sephardi) language by Sarah Aroeste, or how about Katey Red giving her dreidel a sissy bounce spin?

Also this week on the eve of Hanukkah's first night (Sunday November 28, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards on the wrir.org archive player, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): another reissue from K. Frimpong's back catalog, Cuban big bands, and that's life (adounia in Tamasheq).

 

Plus sets themed around two events happening in Richmond next week: the Fania Forever party at the Hotel Greene's Crown Room on Thursday (more info here: facebook.com/events/672418733738581) and Yeni Nostalji's first post-lockdown performance on Friday (more info here: facebook.com/photo?fbid=566034447978053&set=a.395309925050507)

Charts November 15-21, 2021

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten

1 ATAKORA MANU | Omintiminim/Afro Highlife | BBE

2 LOS POPS | No, No, No [EP] | Munster

3 MAXADO | Upon A Smile [EP] | Badasonic

4 PROFESSOR WOUASSA | "Thiebou Djaga" [Single] | Matasuna

5 MUKAMBO PRESENTS GLOBAL AFROBEAT MOVEMENT 2 | various artists | NYP

6 MONEY CHICHA | Chicha Summit | Vampisoul

7 BATILA | Tatamana | Galileo

8 FRANK Y SUS INQUIETOS | Frank Y Sus Inquietos | El Palmas

9 SONIA AIMY | Reconnect | Slammin Media

10 KADIALY KOUYATE | Aado | Naxos World

Like Eric Clapton but not a douche canoe

José Luis Carballo is one of the greatest rock 'n' roll guitarists you've never heard of.  His compressed, piercing, fuzzed-out sound will be familiar to any fan of 60s and 70s classic rock, and his long, endlessly imaginative lead lines call to mind players like Duane Allman and Eric Clapton.

 

Carballo is from Lima, Peru and is one the people who shaped the sound known as chicha, or Peruvian psychedelic cumbia.   The first of his bands to make an impact was Los Hijos Del Sol; he went on to form La Mermelada and Chacalón Y La Nueva Crema (the latter named for Clapton's old band).

This week on Global A Go-Go (Sunday November 21, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards on the wrir.org archive player, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site) you'll hear music from throughout Carballo's career, including a wonderful featured appearance on the new album by Money Chicha where he shows that he's still got his chops.

Also this week: Jamaica's rocksteady sound, Get In The Garage presents more of los nuggets (Spanish-language garage rock hits), Moonlight Benjamin's new single, Afrobeat from Belgium and Switzerland, and new Igbo highlife by Oliver Nayoka.

Charts November 8-14, 2021

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten

1 DELI TELI | Tsifteteli Club | Rebel Up-Catapulte

2 CEU | Um Gosto De Sol | Urban Jungle

3 ORQUESTA AKOKAN | 16 Rayos | Daptone

4 A ESPETACULAR CHARANGA DO FRANCA | The Importance Of Being Espetacular | Mais Um

5 ETRAN DE L'AIR | "Toubouk Ine Chihoussay" [Single] | Sahel Sounds

6 KHOOMEI BEAT | Changys Baglaash | ARC

7 JAGUAR | Madremonte | El Palmas

8 BONGA JEAN-BAPTISTE | Boula | Buda Musique

9 JOANA ROCHAEL | "Blues Para Luiza" [Single] | Brasil Calling

10 ELIA Y ELIZABETH | Elia Y Elizabeth | Vampisoul

Enhanced actual reality

Hi, and welcome to this very natural setting.  Today I want to talk about a revolutionary approach to connect our world without being super weird.  Some said it's not possible.  Some said it's out of reach.  To them we say: it's already here.

 

And what do we call this not so new chapter in human connectivity?  We call it listening to the music of people who aren't the same as you.  Enhanced actual reality without silly looking headsets.  Also without Facebook, or should I say Meta?

[Apologies to this fabulous video for my direct theft: bit.ly/30pNhje]

This week (Sunday November 14, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards on the wrir.org archive player, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site)'s enhanced actual reality includes music from Brazil that goes in a few unexpected directions, multiphonic voices of Tuva and Mongolia, psychedelic saz and bouzouki from Turkey and Greece, Haitian mizik rasin, guitar heroes of the Sahel, and the record label that traded the reality of Berlin for the enhanced actual reality of Kumasi Ghana.

Charts November 1-7, 2021

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten

1 QUANTIC AND NIDIA GONGORA | Almas Conectadas | Tru Thoughts

2 LAGARTIJEANDO | La Tercera Vision | Wonderwheel

3 PHUONG TAM | Magical Nights: Saigon Surf, Twist & Soul 1964-1966 | Sublime Frequencies

4 ORQUESTA AKOKAN | 16 Rayos | Daptone

5 LPT | Se Quema El Mundo | self-released

6 MUKAMBO PRESENTS GLOBAL AFROBEAT MOVEMENT 2 | various artists | NYP

7 LOCOS POR JUANA | "Mundo En Llamas" [Single] | Rock The Moon Productions

8 LOS BITCHOS | "Las Panteras" [Single] | City Slang

9 DOGO DU TOGO | "Soke Wo" [Single] | self-released

10 MOKTAR GANIA AND GNAWA SOUL | "Alla A Soudane" [Single] | Musjomusic

New this fall on Global A Go-Go

Well, it's been a busy last month here on Global A Go-Go.  Over the past five weeks we've had a Halloween special, a special fund drive program and an hour-long interview with Taj Weekes during the Richmond Folk Festival.  Oh, and two weeks off.

As a result, I'm way behind in bringing you the excellent new releases that have been piling up in my inbox.  To remedy the situation, I'm going to do something I pretty much never do: an all new music program.  Almost everything I'm playing has come out this fall (a handful of items go back to the summer) and a couple are new reissues, but everything else is brand new and none of the songs have been played yet on this show.

So tune in this week (Sunday November 7, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards on the wrir.org archive player, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site) and find some new music to love.