Orchestre National De Mauritanie | Orchestre National De Mauritanie

ARTIST: Orchestre National De Mauritanie
TITLE: Orchestre National De Mauritanie
LABEL: Sahelsounds
Sahelsounds’ Christopher Kirkley is best known for his Music From Saharan Cellphones series, which captures up-to-the-minute trends in West African music. Kirkley has an interest in historic recordings as well, and he’s uncovered a beauty here.

Tamikrest | Chatma

ARTIST: Tamikrest
TITLE: Chatma
LABEL: Glitterbeat
Tamikrest, from Kidal in northeastern Mali, is one of the most significant bands in the genre world music fans call “desert blues” and Tamasheq themselves frequently refer to simply as “la guitare.”

Charts September 1, 2013

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 ALPHA BLONDY | Mystic Power | VP
2 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Ladies At Joe Gibbs | 17 North Parade
3 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Soca Gold 2013 | VP
4 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Amharic Music Collection 2013: 25 Hits | Ethio EMD
5 BIO RITMO | "Picaresca" [Single] | Paris DJs
6 GOGOL BORDELLO | Pura Vida Conspiracy | ATO
7 THE GARIFUNA COLLECTIVE | Ayo | Cumbancha
8 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Rough Guide To Psychedelic Bollywood | World Music Network
9 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Daora: Underground Sounds Of Urban Brasil - Hip-Hop, Beats, Afro & Dub | Mais Um Discos
10 YELLOWMAN | Young, Gifted & Yellow | 17 North Parade

Charts August 25, 2013

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Saoco! Vol. 2: Bomba, Plena And The Roots Of Salsa In Puerto Rico 1955-1967 | Vampisoul
2 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Daora: Underground Sounds Of Urban Brasil - Hip-Hop, Beats, Afro & Dub | Mais Um Discos
3 FALLY IPUPA | Power (Kosa Leka) | Obouo Music / Because Music
4 MULATU ASTATKE | Sketches Of Ethiopia | Jazz Village
5 ALPHA BLONDY | Mystic Power | VP
6 BIO RITMO | "Picaresca" [Single] | Paris DJs
7 JIMMY CLIFF | The KCRW Session | Universal
8 GOGOL BORDELLO | Pura Vida Conspiracy | ATO
9 THE GARIFUNA COLLECTIVE | Ayo | Cumbancha
10 LES BOUKAKES | Punky Halal | Jules Sonic Prods

Program August 23, 2013

Summer 2013 brought with it a strong crop of reggae releases from all points of the globe: Cote D'Ivoire's Alpha Blondy, Soraia Drummond from Brazil, England's Soothsayers, and the pride of the Bronx, Tarrus Riley.  I'll spin seven of my recent favorites on this week's program, starting with an intimate live acoustic recording by reggae legend Jimmy Cliff (pictured above).

Also this week: African "tradi-mod," where folkloric music meets electonica; salsa under construction in the 1950's; the bluesy sounds of North Africa.

Charts August 18, 2013

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 CHICO TRUJILLO | Gran Pecador | Barbes
2 GOGOL BORDELLO | Pura Vida Conspiracy | ATO
3 MULATU ASTATKE | Sketches Of Ethiopia | Jazz Village
4 FAT FREDDY'S DROP | Blackbird | The Drop
5 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Saoco! Vol. 2: Bomba, Plena And The Roots Of Salsa In Puerto Rico 1955-1967 | Vampisoul
6 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Ladies At Joe Gibbs | 17 North Parade
7 THE GARIFUNA COLLECTIVE | Ayo | Cumbancha
8 DUBMATIX | Rebel Massive | Echo Beach
9 GEKO JONES AND ATROPOLIS | Palenque Records Remixed | Dutty Artz
10 ORQUESTA EL MACABEO | Salsa Bestial | Vampisoul

Program August 16, 2013

Ever heard a guy scat-sing Miles Davis in the Akan language?  (Ever been in a cockpit before?  Ever seen a grown man naked?  But I digress: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfgO90yGusI.)

Well this is your lucky week, because I'm in possession of a record by Ghana's Gyedu-Blay Ambolley (pictured above shilling for Google Plus -- don't be evil, Gyedu-Blay) on which he does just that -- it's quite surprising and fabulous.  On a related jazzy tip, you'll also hear a nice long piece from Mulatu Astatke's brand-new album and a beautiful unreleased Hotel X jam.

Also featured this week: global deep soul, mo' cumbia and some Balkan blasters to kick off your weekend -- wash 'em down with slivovitz.

Charts August 11, 2013

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 MULATU ASTATKE | Sketches Of Ethiopia | Jazz Village
2 GOGOL BORDELLO | Pura Vida Conspiracy | ATO
3 FAT FREDDY'S DROP | Blackbird | The Drop
4 SEAN TYRRELL | Walker Of The Snow | The Vital Record
5 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Daora: Underground Sounds Of Urban Brasil - Hip-Hop, Beats, Afro & Dub | Mais Um Discos
6 FEMI KUTI | No Place For My Dream | Knitting Factory
7 ORCHESTRE POLY-RYTHMO DE COTONOU | Volume 3: The Skeletal Essences Of Afro Funk 1969-1980 | Analog Africa
8 ALPHA BLONDY | Mystic Power | VP
9 BIO RITMO | "Picaresca" [Single] | Paris DJs
10 CHICO TRUJILLO | Gran Pecador | Barbes

Mulatu Astatke | Sketches Of Ethiopia

ARTIST: Mulatu Astatke
TITLE: Sketches Of Ethiopia
LABEL: Jazz Village
Mulatu Astatke, the father of Ethio-jazz, is best known for his seminal 1970s recordings that were introduced to the rest of the world on the Ethiopiques series, and then made famous in Jim Jarmusch’s film Broken Flowers.

Program August 2, 2013

70-year-old Mulatu Astatke (pictured above) is the father of Ethio-jazz; his 1970's recordings were famously reissued on Francis Falceto's Ethiopiques series and were brought to the (art-house) masses in Jim Jarmusch's film Broken Flowers.

Astatke is far from resting on his laurels -- he's still writing and recording new music, and his forthcoming Sketches Of Ethiopia (August 27 release date) is one of the highlights of his career.  You'll hear a track from it this week on Global A Go-Go.

Charts July 28, 2013

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 GOGOL BORDELLO | Pura Vida Conspiracy | ATO
2 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Stand Up, People: Gypsy Pop Songs From Tito's Yugoslavia 1964-1980 | Vlax
3 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Delicious Peace: Coffee, Music, And Interfaith Harmony In Uganda | Smithsonian Folkways
4 CHICO TRUJILLO | Gran Pecador | Barbes
5 BIO RITMO | "Picaresca" [Single] | Paris DJs
6 ALPHA BLONDY | Mystic Power | VP
7 JIMMY CLIFF | The KCRW Session | Universal
8 FAT FREDDY'S DROP | Blackbird | The Drop
9 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Saoco! Vol. 2: Bomba, Plena And The Roots Of Salsa In Puerto Rico 1955-1967 | Vampisoul
10 PIERRE AKENDENGUE | Destinée | Lusafrica

August 2013 Concert Calendar

 August's Global A Go-Go picks:

1. Crossroads Coffee has five of Richmond's finest world music aggregations (all of whom have performed live on Global A Go-Go, incidentally) on their August weekend calendar: My Son The Doctor on Saturday the 3rd, Happy Lucky Combo on Friday the 9th, Rattlemouth (pictured above) on Saturday the 10th, Hotel X on Friday the 16th, and Quatro Na Bossa on Friday the 23rd
2. The Krayolas, a San Antonio-based band that will remind you of the Sir Douglas Quintet and Joe "King" Carrasco & The Crowns, visit the Virginia Museum on Friday August 2 and DC's Tropicalia on Sunday August 4
3. The Richmond Jazz Festival at Maymont has a few international acts on its extensive roster: Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval on Saturday August 10, and Cuban combo Tiempo Libre along with reggae greats The Wailers on Sunday August 11

Have an event you'd like me to include, or a suggestion for the concert calendar?  Just drop me a line at globalagogoradio [at] gmail [dot] com, or leave me a message right here.

Click "Read more" to see the entire August calendar.

Program July 26, 2013

A week after recapping my favorite releases of 2013's first half, I'm back to get you caught up on some of the cool stuff I'm hearing already in the second half of the year.  The selection is anchored by a track from the outstanding new album Blackbird by Fat Freddy's Drop (pictured above) -- another killer disc by Wellington, New Zealand's kings of reggae, soul and improvisation.

This week's program also features new releases from Gogol Bordello, Jimmy Cliff, Alpha Blondy and Richmond's own Bio Ritmo, With plenty of vintage selections in the mix as usual, including one from the new Saoco! Vol. 2 collection of historic Puerto Rican salsa.

Alpha Blondy | Mystic Power

ARTIST: Alpha Blondy
TITLE: Mystic Power
LABEL: VP
Reggae has been popular in Africa since the mid 70’s, when the roots rhythms and conscious lyrics of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Jimmy Cliff resonated across the continent. Africa has since developed its own crop of reggae stars; none shines brighter than Cote D’Ivoire’s Alpha Blondy, whose new album is a fine African reggae primer for the uninitiated.

Chico Trujillo | Gran Pecador

ARTIST: Chico Trujillo
TITLE: Gran Pecador
LABEL: Barbes
Cumbia is the current common language for South and Central American popular music -- this rural, retro rhythm is being retrofitted in various ways by urban hipsters across the continent and isthmus. In Chile, Chico Trujillo are the kings of nueva cumbia and perhaps the country’s most popular band right now.