Charts January 8-21, 2024

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 SOFIA KOURTESIS | Madres | Ninja Tune

2 ADAMA YALOMBA | Tanou | Remote/Studio Mali

3 MITO Y COMADRE | Guajirando | ZZK

4 EL BUHO | Ton Ton [EP] | Shika Shika

5 CHICAS! VOLUME 3 1963-1982 | various artists | Vampisoul

6 MAMA SISSOKO | Live | Mieruba

7 KOSMO SOUND | "Yomala (feat. Imane Geumssy)" [Single] | Zephyrus

8 MARVIN GAYE AND KIM WESTON | "It Takes Two (Boomrush Backup remix)" [Single] | Boomrush

9 FRANK LONDON'S KLEZMER BRASS ALLSTARS | Chronika | Borscht Beat

10 ANTONIO GAVRILA | Tango Suite Buenos Aires | Zoho

Tango can not exist without fantasy

Antonio Gavrila is a 27-year-old pianist from Romania who is obsessed with the music of Astor Piazzolla, the person who invented nuevo tango in the 1950s by bringing improvisation, counterpoint and dissonance to the Argentine tango tradition.  Gavrila went to Buenos Aires to record his first band album Tango Suite Buenos Aires with the members of Pablo Ziegler's combo; Ziegler was Piazzolla's long-time pianist.

 

You'll hear the spectacular results on this week's edition of Global A Go-Go, along with music by Piazzolla, Ziegler and Evan Lurie, the last of whom will be performing his nuevo tango compositions for the first time in 30 years at the Big Ears Festival this March.

 

Also this week (Sunday January 21, 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): A whole lot of new music, including gnawa-rock from Kosmo Sound and Shay Hazan, the Afro sounds of Newen Afrobeat, Oliver Nayoka, Afriquoi and Adama Yalomba, a reggae remix of Marvin Gaye, Locobeach's cumbia, Toco's samba-soul and the Balkan and klezmer brass of Džambo Aguševi and Frank London.

Charts Dec 11, 2023 - Jan 7, 2024

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 NUSANTARA BEAT | "Kota Bandung" b/w "Layung" [Single] | Bongo Joe/Lamunai

2 SOUL OF CONGO, THE: TREASURES OF THE NGOMA LABEL | various artists | Planet Ilunga

3 NUSANTARA BEAT | "Djanger" b/w "Borondong Garing" [Single] | Bongo Joe/Lamunai

4 EXTRA MUSICA NOUVEL HORIZON | Conduite A Tenir | Universal Africa

5 GENERAL DEFAO MATUMONA | Hommage Au General Defao | Le Monde Des Artistes

6 ARY LOBO | 1958 - 1966 | Analog Africa

7 SAMI GALBI | "Dakchi Hani" [Single] | Bongo Joe

8 BOUNALY | Dimanche A Bamako | Sahel Sounds

9 IPHUPHO L'KA BIKO | Azania [EP] | We Are Busy Bodies

10 LONDON AFROBEAT COLLECTIVE | "Topesa Esengo Na Motema" [Single] | Canopy

In memoriam 2023

I have one more program looking back at the year 2023, then it's full speed ahead into the future on Global A Go-Go.  I'd be remiss, though, if I didn't take a couple of hours to remember some of the great musicians from around the world who passed away last year.

 

Some of them received tributes on this show when they passed, like Baba Commandant, Stella Chiweshe and Ferus Mustafov.  Others, like Shane MacGowan and Sara Tavares, I meant to recognize but just ran out of time to do so at year end.  And others I didn't hear about until I sat down to research the subject.

Every song on today's show (Sunday January 7, 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) is performed by or otherwise directly associated with someone who died in 2023.  All of these people made a lifetime's worth of brilliant music that the rest of us can enjoy in perpetuity, so let's enjoy the memory of their rich lives together this week.

Top 10 compilations & reissues of 2023

The reissue label Analog Africa Records has a slogan: "The future of music happened decades ago."  They make a good point: If you didn't hear it decades ago, it's all new to you.

 

So every year when I put together lists of my favorite recordings of the year, I save a special place for the best reissues and compilations I heard.  These albums introduce me to music I didn't hear back when they were made (in the case of compilations of current songs, music I wouldn't have heard right now either), or maybe get me deeper into music I already know a little bit about.

Unlike Ted Gioia, I'm not worried that old music is killing new music.  (According to music economist Will Page, less than 10 percent of all streamed music was produced before 2000.)  And I just devoted two whole programs earlier this month to my favorite new albums and singles of the year.  So two hours of oldies following four hours of 2023-vintage material seems like a reasonable balance to me.

 

Tune in this week (Sunday December 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) for two hours of my new favorite oldies: Music from 1959 forward, all of it released again (or in some cases, for the very first time) in 2023, and all of it excellent.

 

Without further ado, here are my favorite compilations and reissues of 2023:

Global A Go-Go Classico: Irie Christmas Spectacular

Breadfruit roasting on an open fire / Mongrels nipping at your toes / Dancehall songs being sung by a choir / An' we dress up in we bashment clothes

 

Yes, nothing says "Deck the halls with lots of collie" quite like two hours of Christmas songs from the Caribbean.  Reggae, ska, dancehall, calypso, soca, steelpan -- you'll hear them all on this special Christmas Day edition of Global A Go-Go: Sunday December 24, 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.

 

Bill's guest co-host is an even bigger reggae fan, Eric Walters of Wide Ear Folk (alternate Tuesdays at 5 PM on WRIR).  Together they'll be putting the pum-pum back in rum-pa-pum-pum.  Fun for the whole family, if you're that kind of family.

Top 10 new singles & EPs of 2023

I've been recapping my favorite singles and EPs of the year for each of the last five years, and there's one simple reason why I do so: We're living in a singles era today, so neglecting new releases just because they aren't full albums is musical malpractice.

 

I'm not going to rehash all the reasons why it's once again a singles era (as it was before, say, 1967).  Instead I'll just hit you with this one factoid: Among all the new recordings WRIR received from promoters, labels and artists in 2023, more than 50 percent of the ones I put on our New & Recommended list were singles or EPs.

Singles aren't just for the pop and dance music markets any more -- tune in this week (Sunday December 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) and hear for yourself.

 

Without further ado, here are my favorite singles and EPs of 2023:

Charts December 4-10, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 SANTROFI | Deep Into Highlife | Out Here

2 DASOM BAEK | Mirror City | Metron

3 ALOGTE OHO AND HIS SOUNDS OF JOY | O Yinne! | Philophon

4 DIEUF-DIEUL DE THIES | Dieuf-Dieul De Thies | Buda

5 DIEPKLOOF UNITED VOICES | Harmonizing Soweto: Golden City Gospel & Kasi Soul | Ostinato

6 SUPER BITON DE SEGOU | Afro Jazz Folk Collection Vol. 2 | Mieruba

7 ALPACAS COLLECTIVE | Big Words | Catalpas

8 NEGARIT BAND | Origins | Ethiosonic/Buda Musique

9 BOMBINO | Sahel | Partisan

10 EPARAPO | Take To The Streets | Wah Wah 45s

Top 10 new albums of 2023

It's the most wonderful time of the year, the time to find out who's been naughty and who's been 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 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) I'll present my top ten new albums of 2023 plus ten honorable mentions.

 

Next week on December 17 you'll hear my favorite singles and EPs of the departing year.  On Christmas Eve, once again it will be Global A Go-Go's Irie Christmas Spectacular: all reggae, calypso and soca Christmas songs with myself and special guest selector Eric Walters (host of Wide Ear Folk, heard alternate Tuesdays at 5 PM on WRIR) at the controls.  And then on New Year's Eve it will be selections from my favorite compilations, reissues and historic recordings of 2023.

 

Without further ado, here are my favorite new albums of 2023:

Charts Nov 27 - Dec 3, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 FERRE GOLA | Dynastie 2 Vol. 2 | Sony East Africa

2 TSHALA MUANA | Mutuashi | Stern's Africa

3 FERRE GOLA | Dynastie 2 Vol. 1 | Sony East Africa

4 KAVITA SHAH | Cape Verdean Blues | Folkalist

5 DENGUE FEVER | Ting Mong | Tuk Tuk

6 LUAMBO MAKIADI FRANCO | OK Jazz 66 Ans | Air Monde Culture

7 JB MPIANA | Balle De Match (Vol. 2) | Universal Africa

8 BLASSICS, THE | Sounding Times | Odd Funk

9 BOMBINO | Sahel | Partisan

10 STEPHEN MARLEY | Old Soul | Tuff Gong Collective/UMe/Ghetto Youths

A library has burned

In the countries that make up the former Malian empire, the death of a wise elder is often acknowledged by saying that "a library has burned."  Mamadou Sanou was merely 49 years old when he passed away on November 25 from complications of malaria, right in what seemed like the middle of a musical career that was building a new wing on the West African musical library.

 

Madou was the founder, front man, singer and chief songwriter of Baba Commandant & The Mandingo Band, who brought their unique take on Mandé cultural heritage to listeners around the world over the last eight years through a series of three albums for Sublime Frequencies Records and tours of Europe and the USA.  Their epic 2023 American tour brought the band to Richmond's Get Tight Lounge in May and back to the Richmond Folk Festival in October.  If you saw any of those shows, you know how mind-meltingly great this band could be.

This week (Sunday December 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) Global A Go-Go pays tribute to Baba Commandant with a two-hour special.  You'll hear his musical origins, some of the traditional and popular music that influenced him, a few of his band's peers and of course selections from those three albums that we'll always have to remember him by.

Charts November 20-26, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 DIEUF-DIEUL DE THIES | Dieuf-Dieul De Thies | Buda

2 SAMORY I | Strength | Overstand Entertainment/Easy Star

3 ERIC AGYEMANG AND HIS KOKROKO BAND | Nananom | BBE

4 AK YEBOAH AND KK'S NO. 2 BAND | Nde Yen Da | BBE

5 DIEPKLOOF UNITED VOICE | Harmonizing Soweto: Golden City Gospel & Kasi Soul | Ostinato

6 IF YOU ASK ME TO: VICTOR AXELROD PRODUCTIONS FOR DAPTONE RECORDS | various artists | Daptone

7 IDRISSA SOUMAORO | Diré | Mieruba

8 BOMBINO | Sahel | Partisan

9 BATSUKH DORJ | Ogbelerim: Music For My Ancestors | Buda

10 LENGAIA SALSA BRAVA | Estetica De Un Rumbero | Lulaworld

One night on earth

Derek Gripper is a guitarist from Cape Town, South Africa who has made a specialty of playing the kora music of West Africa on the classical guitar.  To give you an idea of how good he is at it: Producer Lucy Durán played Gripper's recording of Toumani Diabaté's song "Jarabi" for Toumani (who's probably the world's most famous kora player).   His response, paraphrased: "Did you actually see him play this music on one guitar?"  Yeah, he's that good.

Anyway, Derek Gripper is visiting Richmond this week to play at the Robinson Theater in Church Hill on Thursday.  He calls this concert "Music from the Strings of Mali" and he's joined by Irish guitarist Redmond O'Toole; more details can be found here: concerts.derekgripper.com.  You'll hear Derek Gripper's music this week on Global A Go-Go, and Toumani Diabaté's as well.

Also this week (Sunday November 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): New throat singing from Mongolia by Batsükh Dorj, rocksteady from the mid 60s and the current Jamaican sounds of Samory I and Stephen Marley, after 44 years finally the first studio album by Senegal's Dieuf Dieul de Thiès, and more Ghanaian burger highlife.

Charts November 13-19, 2023

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 DIEPKLOOF UNITED VOICE | Harmonizing Soweto: Golden City Gospel & Kasi Soul | Ostinato

2 SUPER BITON DE SEGOU | Afro Jazz Folk Collection Vol. 2 | Mieruba

3 BOUNALY | Dimanche A Bamako | Sahel Sounds

4 PROTOJE | In Search Of Zion | In.Digg.Nation Collective/RCA

5 NOVALIMA | La Danza, Pt. 2 [EP] | Six Degrees

6 ALPACAS COLLECTIVE | Big Words | Catalpas

7 LONDON AFROBEAT COLLECTIVE | "Topesa Esengo Na Motema" [Single] | Canopy

8 SANTROFI | Deep Into Highlife | Out Here

9 FERRE GOLA | Dynastie 2 Vol. 1 | Sony East Africa

10 MUKAMBO PRESENTS GLOBAL AFROBEAT MOVEMENT VOL. 4 | various artists | NYP

Harmonizing Soweto

Choral singing has long been a major thing in South Africa.

 

For example, Solomon Linda's "Mbube" (also known as "The Lion Sleeps Tonight") is an international standard that children around the globe learn in their first music classes.  Urban vocal "hep harmony" groups like the female Skylarks (featuring Miriam Makeba) and the male Manhattan Brothers, and musical theater productions like King Kong and Wait A Minim! brought South African singing to the world in the mid-20th century.  More recently, Ladysmith Black Mambazo's a cappella style called isicathamiya became and remains popular all over the planet.

 

Kasi soul and Diepkloof United Voice (DUV) are South Africa's latest contribution to choral singing.  DUV is a nine-member vocal group from the Diepkloof neighborhood in Johannesburg's Soweto suburb who rehearse in an abandoned elementary school classroom with broken windows.  Their debut album, recorded in their rehearsal room and released on November 10, is one of the most exhilarating pieces of music I've heard all year.

The first hour of Global A Go-Go this week is focused on South African choral music.  You'll hear a set of historic recordings from the 1930s through the 80s, three selections from Diepkloof United Voice and examples of how vocal choirs are used in contemporary South African dance music.

In the second hour this week (Sunday November 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): A previously unreleased recording of one of Mali's greatest post-independence orchestras, Super Biton de Ségou, and new Afrobeat from Eparapo, Alpacas Collective, London Afrobeat Collective and The Blassics.