Reviews and charts September 26, 2010

Brand-New Reviews
ARTIST:  Balkanize!
TITLE:  Balkan Eyes
LABEL:  self-released
REVIEW:  Balkanize! describe themselves as “Richmond, Virginia’s only ensemble of old world Turko-Balkan folk music.”  This is their first recording, and it’s an excellent debut.  Performing other peoples’ folk music is fraught with issues, and this band navigates them quite effectively.  For starters, they’re quite facile on many of the exotic instruments that you typically hear in the region, like darbuka (the hand drum commonly used in this kind of music), saz and oud (two different styles of lutes, relatives of the guitar and mandolin).  Vocals can really be a challenge in this type of ensemble, especially when you’re singing in foreign languages.  But vocals turn out to be one of Balkanize!’s strengths: both Nancy Smith and Julie Bright are strong singers, and their harmonies (very much in the style of Hungarian bands like Muzikas) are truly superb.  Eight songs from eight different countries (perhaps in eight different languages?), all related but distinctly different, all performed with skill, energy and obvious pleasure and totally accessible to a general audience.
REVIEWER:  Bill Lupoletti
RECOMMENDED TRACKS:    1    2    7    8

Inside, there's a review of the new album by Argentina's Axel Krygier, and WRIR's world music charts for the last week.  Just click "Read More" ...

Program September 24, 2010

First of all, Siemon Allen's appearance as my guest co-host, where we'll be playing music from his remarkable South African collection, has been postponed until next week's program on October 1.  Before that happens, you'll be able to hear Siemon, WRIR's own David Noyes and yours truly discuss collecting African music on Wednesday at 6 PM at the Anderson Gallery here in Richmond:

http://www.globalagogo.com/2010/09/panel-discussion-on-september-29-2010.html

Today's program starts with a new recording from Balkanize! (pictured above), who describe themselves as "Richmond, Virginia's only ensemble of old world Turko-Balkan folk music."  For now, anyway.  They're playing on Monday night at The Camel along with two other Richmond-based world music bands in what promises to be a major ear-opener of a show.

Also this week: son habanero, the Cuban root of today's salsa; cumbia from Mexico and Colombia (claro que si), Argentina and Germany (que?); a few of my favorite groovin' new releases.

Click "Read More" for today's tracklist; click here for a podcast of today's program:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/45778

The complete catalog of Global A Go-Go podcasts is here:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Global+A+Go-Go

My brand-new website is under construction

Welcome to the brand-new Global A Go-Go website. Not all of the content from my old site is here yet; I'll be moving it over as soon as I can. In the meantime, if you're looking for an older post you can find it here:

http://wrir.org/x/modules/news/index.php?storytopic=9

Reviews and charts September 19, 2010

ARTIST:  Bostich + Fussible
TITLE:  Bulevar 2000
LABEL:  Nacional
REVIEW:  Bostich and Fussible are two of the four members of the Tijuana-based band Nortec Collective, whose mash-up of Mexican popular music (like norteno) with urban club beats (like techno, hence the band name) has virtually become its own musical genre.  Working as a duo, they’re more focused on songcraft and less on dancefloor impact, so what they have here is kind of a Mexican-American intelligent-dance-music project that could just as easily be filed in RPM or rock as in world.  Their club-oriented sound is in effect in places (track 3, for example), but the highlights here are their collaborations with other songwriters (2 features Kylie Swenson of the band Loquat, 10 features Bryce Kushnier aka Vitamins For You).  9 is a lovely atmospheric track that’s really quite different from both Nortec and B+F’s previous work; 10 is terrific all around, one of the best new Halloween (well, El Dia De Los Muertos, to be precise) songs I’ve heard.  Good stuff.
REVIEWER:  Bill Lupoletti
RECOMMENDED TRACKS:    2    3    9    10

Click "Read More" for a review of Debo Band's debut recording, and WRIR's world music charts for the week.

Program September 17, 2010

Debo Band (pictured above) may be headquartered in Boston, but they channel the sound of 1970's Addis Ababa as well as any band I've heard.  They're coming to Richmond to perform at Balliceaux on Saturday night in collaboration with Fendika, an Addis-based music and dance troupe (trust me, you haven't lived until you've seen Ethiopian traditional dance in action -- you'll get a backache just watching them).  I just received a copy of Debo Band's forthcoming EP -- you'll hear a track from it along with a bunch of songs from Ethiopia in the 70's on this week's program.

Also on tap: a set of bachata from the Dominican Republic including the USA debut release of Joan Soriano, Latin music from the psychedelic era and some current artists who are updating that sound; a quick sample of four African bands with direct USA connections.

Click "Read More" for today's tracklist; click here for a podcast of today's program:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/45609

The complete catalog of Global A Go-Go podcasts is here:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Global+A+Go-Go

Reviews and charts September 12, 2010

ARTIST:  Septeto Nacional Ignacio Pineiro
TITLE:  Sin Rumba No Hay Son!
LABEL:  World Village
REVIEW:  Continuity with the tradition is a prized value in Cuban music.  And few bands offer more continuity than Septeto Nacional, founded by namesake Ignacio Pineiro in 1927 and now on its fourth generation of members.  Pineiro is the guy who added trumpet to rural son music, infused folkloric rumba rhythms and produced the urbanized sound called son Habanero, the direct predecessor of today’s salsa explosion.  Although this group plays a number of Pineiro’s compositions (tracks 4, 9 and 13) and carries his name, it’s not merely a revival or tribute ensemble.  This is a living musical tradition with elements being added and changed all the time.  USA audiences got a taste of Septeto Nacional’s sound earlier this year on their first American tour since 1933 (!!), and now here’s a fine new recording that adds to their legend.  Check out the terrific guest vocal by Bertha Portuondo (Omara’s younger sister) on track 9.
REVIEWER:  Bill Lupoletti
RECOMMENDED TRACKS:    1   9   11   13

Click "Read More" for another review and lists of WRIR's new recommendations and most-played recordings from the world of world music.

Program September 10, 2010

There's a small group of very noisy Americans (like the guy pictured above, and a fleet of Republican demagogues) who all of a sudden, nine years after the World Trade Center attack, have decided that Islam is engaged in a holy war with the USA (and that the Burlington Coat Factory outlet in lower Manhattan is a sacred site, but I digress).

Well, about 1.5 billion Muslims call B.S. on that notion -- they loathe their fundamentalist extremists the same way that I loathe the guy pictured above.  You'll hear from a few of those Muslims on today's program, because it's time for the first-ever all-Islamic edition of Global A Go-Go.

You'll hear great contemporary music from Iran and Afghanistan, some hot North African rock, Sufi and Baul music from the Indian subcontinent, Bosnian sevdah, and much more.  Oh, and one song at the end of the program from a non-Islamic artist that speaks directly to "Rev." Terry Jones and his ilk.

Click "Read More" for today's tracklist; click here for a podcast of today's program:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/45468

The complete catalog of Global A Go-Go podcasts is here:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Global+A+Go-Go

P.S.  That can't be a real mustache, can it?

Reviews and charts August 29, 2010

ARTIST:  Matorralman
TITLE:  Guateque Estelar (Stellar Party)
LABEL:  Nacional
REVIEW:  I recently compared the Budos Band’s sound to blaxsploitation soundtracks.  This album makes a good complement – it could be the soundtrack to another Austin Powers movie.  This Mexico City band channels the classic space-age bachelor pad sound of Esquivel (also a Mexican native) but gives it more of a muscular rock framework with pounding 4/4 drums (well, sampled drums anyway) and lots of twangy guitar a la Linc Wray or Duane Eddy.  All the tracks are instrumentals (many have sampled spoken word intros) and they’d work great as bed music for the right kind of DJ or board operator.  It’s a fun listen all the way through, stylistically very consistent with no bad tracks gumming up the works.  And I predict these guys will be able to license the hell out of this material for commercials and movies, natch.  WRIR has a bunch of DJs who like this kind of knowingly loungey thing – this one is definitely for them.  Oh, behave!
REVIEWER:  Bill Lupoletti
RECOMMENDED TRACKS:    1    2    5    7

A whole lot more reviews, plus this week's WRIR world music charts, await inside.  Just click "Read More" ...

Program August 27, 2010

Here in Richmond, we have three really interesting South Africa-themed art exhibitions in museums right now.  Darkroom: Photography And New Media In South Africa Since 1950 opened at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts last week and opens at the Visual Arts Center Of Richmond Friday evening, and Imaging South Africa: Collection Projects Of Siemon Allen also opens Friday evening at Virginia Commonwealth University's Anderson Gallery.  Here are links for all three venues:

http://www.vmfa.museum/Exhibitions/Darkroom
http://visarts.org/exhibitions
http://www.vcu.edu/arts/gallery

With all this South African activity, I thought I'd pitch in with a set covering over 50 years of South African recording history, from Miriam Makeba (pictured above with the Manhattan Brothers) to the Tshetsha Boys (you gotta see this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyBVh48zS4I).

Also this week:  a couple of sampler/samplee pairs, the early years of Franco & Le TPOK Jazz, and some wild Balkan tunes.

Click "Read More" for today's tracklist; click here for a podcast of today's program:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/45218

The complete catalog of Global A Go-Go podcasts is here:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Global+A+Go-Go

Reviews and charts August 22, 2010

ARTIST:  The Apples
TITLE:  Kings
LABEL:  Freestyle
REVIEW:  The Apples are a nine-piece band from Tel Aviv, Israel playing a unique style of global funk, soul and instrumental hip hop that’s equally influenced by middle eastern music, James Brown, dub and J Dilla.  Cool instrumentation: four horns, bass violin, drum kit, two turntablists and live effects at the soundboard (no digital samplers or digital anything) is a great configuration for their clever writing (for example, track 2 is a composition that grows out of a sample from the Meters-Toussaint-Lee Dorsey classic “Occapella”) and groove-based improvisations.  On this release (their second for Freestyle), they collaborate with two disparate musical giants: trombonist Fred Wesley (tracks 1-4), famous for his work with both James Brown and George Clinton, and vocalist Shlomo Bar (tracks 5-8), whose band HaBrera HaTeevit was a pioneer of world music in Israel.  This band is new to me and I’m totally impressed – big ideas plus funky grooves plus killer horn lines and solos equals a totally Global A Go-Go concept.  Bravo!
REVIEWER:  Bill Lupoletti
RECOMMENDED TRACKS:    2    4    6    7

To see the charts, click "Read More."

Program August 20, 2010

It's great to be back after a one-week absence; thanks to Albert Green for sitting in for me.

Well, I haven't played much reggae lately, so how about a set of the hard stuff?  No pop, no style, just strictly roots, all from the 70s and 80s including a stone classic with Lee "Scratch" Perry (tanktop) at the controls, Max Romeo (white) behind the mic and the Upsetters (the rest of 'em) laying down the riddims.

And plenty more good stuff this week -- African singer-songwriters like Omar Pene and Nuru Kane, a great new band from Israel called The Apples, some electronic dance music from Africa and much more.

Click "Read More" for today's tracklist; click here for a podcast of today's program:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/45096

The complete catalog of Global A Go-Go podcasts is here:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Global+A+Go-Go

Reviews and charts August 15, 2010

No reviews this week (they'll be back next week), but plenty of charts to look at if you click "Read More."  WRIR's two most-played world music recordings this week (The Budos Band III and Afro-Beat Airways) have already been pictured here recently, so here's a look at our number 3 recording.  If you haven't heard it yet, then (a) you haven't been listening to my show or to WRIR enough, and (b) you should.

Reviews and charts August 8, 2010

Another great release from Analog Africa is reviewed this week, plus a peek at all of WRIR's world music charts.  Just click "Read More" ...

Program August 6, 2010

The Budos Band (pictured above) is without a doubt Staten Island's number one instrumental Afro-soul collective.  Not much of an endorsement?  How about this: they're one of the hottest, funkiest bands in the world today.

Their third album is in stores next week; you'll hear a track from it on today's edition of Global A Go-Go, plus one each from their first two discs.  After that, you'll be prepared to write your own Budos Band hype.

Also on this week's program: soul music from the subcontinent, the funky 1970's in Ghana (including a preview of the new Analog Africa compilation, Afro-Beat Airways), and new desert blues by Tamikrest and Khaira Arby.

Click "Read More" for today's tracklist; click here for a podcast of today's program:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/44738

The complete catalog of Global A Go-Go podcasts is here:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Global+A+Go-Go

Reviews and charts August 1, 2010

Here's WRIR's world music charts (our most-played recordings, new arrivals, and what we're recommending) for the week of August 1.  Plus reviews of two outstanding new releases: III by The Budos Band (pictured above) and Timbuktu Tarab by Khaira Arby.