Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba | Ba Power

ARTIST: Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba
TITLE: Ba Power
LABEL: Glitterbeat
If you’ve seen Mali’s Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba in concert (they’ve toured the USA extensively and have played in Richmond twice), you know they’re one of the most powerful, electric bands on any continent.

Thomas Mapfumo | Lion Songs: Essential Tracks In The Making Of Zimbabwe

ARTIST: Thomas Mapfumo
TITLE: Lion Songs: Essential Tracks In The Making Of Zimbabwe
LABEL: Lion Songs
For his revolutionary music and importance to his nation’s culture and politics, Zimbabwe’s Thomas Mapfumo sits in the pantheon of modern African musical heroes. Afropop Worldwide’s Banning Eyre has written what will probably be Mapfumo’s definitive biography; this recording is that book’s audio companion.

Mazhar Ve Fuat | Turkuz Turku Cagiririz!

ARTIST: Mazhar Ve Fuat
TITLE: Turkuz Turku Cagiririz!
LABEL: Shadoks Music
The continuing crate-dive into all things Turkish from the 1960s and 1970s has surfaced this folk-rock gem.

Titi Robin & Mehdi Nassouli | Taziri

ARTIST: Titi Robin & Mehdi Nassouli
TITLE: Taziri
LABEL: World Village
French guitarist Thierry “Titi” Robin is virtually unknown in the USA; hopefully this new album will go a little way toward righting that injustice.

Charts May 4, 2015

Photo by John Bosch

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 BASSEKOU KOUYATE AND NGONI BA | Ba Power | Glitterbeat
2 KHAIRA ARBY | Gossip | Clermont Music
3 THOMAS MAPFUMO | Lion Songs: Essential Tracks In The Making Of Zimbabwe | Lion Songs
4 MAZHAR VE FUAT | Turkuz Turku Cagiririz! | Shadoks Music
5 TITI ROBIN AND MEHDI NASSOULI | Taziri | World Village
6 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Next Stop Soweto, Vol. 4: Zulu Rock, Afro-Disco And Mbaqanga 1975-1985 | Strut
7 DENGUE FEVER | The Deepest Lake | Tuk Tuk
8 RED BARAAT | Gaadi Of Truth | Sinj
9 TAL NATIONAL | Zoy Zoy | FatCat
10 MELISANDE (ELECTROTRAD) | Les Metamorphoses | self-released

May 2015 Concert Calendar

Photo by Ricardo Trabulsi

May's Global A Go-Go picks:

1. The one-of-a-kind singer Lila Downs (pictured above), who makes indigenous Mexican music and culture larger than life, appears at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium on Friday May 1
2. New York's Easy Star All Stars and London's The Skints, two of my current favorite reggae bands, share the bill at the Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville on Wednesday May 6 and at Gypsy Sally's in DC on Saturday May 9
3. Bio Ritmo appropriately headlines Friday Cheers' RVA Music Night, Friday May 22 on Brown's Island
4. An unlikely double bill at an unlikely venue: DC Balkan brass powerhouse Black Masala and Richmond Ethio-jazz combo Afro-Zen Allstars at the Cary Street Cafe on Saturday May 23

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 May calendar.

Program April 29, 2015

Photo at University of Richmond's Booker Hall by WRIR's own DJ Carlito

I'm back and I'm bearing plenty of new music -- that's the focus of this week's program.  Journalist/musician Banning Eyre's new biography of Thomas Mapfumo (pictured above in colorful shoes) is about to be published by Duke University Press; Eyre has curated a best-of CD to complement his book, so you'll hear the words and music of the Lion of Zimbabwe.

Also new to Global A Go-Go this week: smoking Malian sounds from Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba and Khaira Arby, a beautiful new collaboration between French guitarist Titi Robin and Moroccan sintir player Mehdi Nassouli, and the reissue of a 1970's Turkish folk-rock nugget by Mazhar Ve Fuat.  And plenty of great older music to go along with it.

Charts April 27, 2015

These charts cover the two week period April 14-27

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB | Lost And Found | World Circuit
2 LE VENT DU NORD | Tetu | Borealis
3 BLUEBEATERS | Everybody Knows | Record Kicks
4 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Chicas! Vol. 2: Spanish Female Singers 1963-1978 | Vampisoul
5 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Next Stop Soweto, Vol. 4: Zulu Rock, Afro-Disco And Mbaqanga 1975-1985 | Strut
6 OS BRAZOES | Os Brazoes | Mr Bongo
7 DENGUE FEVER | The Deepest Lake | Tuk Tuk
8 BABA COMMANDANT AND THE MANDINGO BAND | Juguya | Sublime Frequencies
9 REBEL TUMBAO | Rebel Tumbao | Sacred Rhythm
10 AZIZ SAHMAOUI AND UNIVERSITY OF GNAWA | Mazal | World Village

Program April 15, 2015

Photo by Alyssa C. Salomon

Richmond Independent Radio's Spring 2015 Fund Drive is currently underway; it continues through Tuesday April 21.  We're intending to raise $35,000 in this spring's drive, which will keep WRIR doing all the great things it does 24/7 for the next six months.

We'd really appreciate your support in keeping community radio radio strong in Richmond -- WRIR is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, and we're building to make the next ten years even better.  You can make a donation in one of three ways:

1. By visiting our secure online donation site at http://bitly.com/Donate2Wrir
2. By calling 804-622-9747
3. Or by visiting us in person at 1621-B W. Broad Street (2nd floor)

As always, I have something special lined up for my listeners during the fund drive.  The Afro-Zen Allstars, one of Richmond's most exciting new bands, will be performing live on Global A Go-Go on Wednesday April 15; the band is scheduled to hit the airwaves at 3:15 PM.

Afro-Zen is an octet led by George Lowe, formerly of Rattlemouth; the band plays George's arrangements of classic African material by Mulatu Astatke, Thomas Mapfumo, Bembeya Jazz and others.  And it's a true all star ensemble, featuring members of some of Richmond's most illustrious groups: Bio Rimo, No BS! Brass, Hotel X and many more.

As a special incentive to get you to donate, I will personally match the first $500 that is donated during my program, starting on Wednesday at 3 PM.  So put my money where my mouth is -- donate during Global A Go-Go and your contribution will be doubled.  And don't forget to tune in, on the airwaves at 97.3 FM or online at http://wrir.org/tunein.

Thank you for your support in the past, and thank you for considering making a donation during WRIR's Spring 2015 Fund Drive!

Follow me below the fold, if you'd like, for a little more inspiration ...

Charts April 13, 2015

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Next Stop Soweto, Vol. 4: Zulu Rock, Afro-Disco And Mbaqanga 1975-1985 | Strut
2 LE VENT DU NORD | Tetu | Borealis
3 BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB | Lost And Found | World Circuit
4 VERY BEST | Makes A King | Moshi Moshi
5 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Chicas! Vol. 2: Spanish Female Singers 1963-1978 | Vampisoul
6 FATOUMATA DIAWARA AND ROBERTO FONSECA | At Home: Live In Marciac | Jazz Village
7 OS BRAZOES | Os Brazoes | Mr Bongo
8 DENGUE FEVER | The Deepest Lake | Tuk Tuk
9 ABELARDO BARROSO Y LA ORQUESTA SENSACION | Cha Cha Cha | World Circuit
10 BKO QUINTET | Bamako Today | Buda Musique

Program April 8, 2015

electricjive.blogspot.com

We'll dig deep into Zulu music this week on Global A Go-Go, with a set of maskanda (the music of Zulu troubadors) and another of mbaqanga (which is basically what happened when maskanda met American R&B and funk).

You'll hear South African superstars like Mahlathini & The Girls Of Mgqashiyo (pictured above) and Busi Mhlongo plus a host of deep, deep cuts, all very suitable for dancing.

Also this week: Cuban classics, and folk-rock from around the world.

Charts April 6, 2015

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 KUF KNOTZ | A Positive Light | Ropeadope
2 BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB | Lost And Found | World Circuit
3 SKINTS | FM | Easy Star
4 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Chicas! Vol. 2: Spanish Female Singers 1963-1978 | Vampisoul
5 BLUEBEATERS | Everybody Knows | Record Kicks
6 DENGUE FEVER | The Deepest Lake | Tuk Tuk
7 VARIOUS ARTISTS | 25 Years Of Mr Bongo: 1989-2014 | Mr Bongo
8 MANUEL DIOGO | Music Of Angola | ARC
9 DOM LA NENA | Soyo | Six Degrees
10 LOVE STAR | Espectro: Capitulo Uno | self-released

Buena Vista Social Club | Lost And Found

ARTIST: Buena Vista Social Club
TITLE: Lost And Found
LABEL: World Circuit
Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club (BVSC) is on a farewell world tour, so World Circuit has gone to its archives to find previously unreleased tracks from the artists who made old-fashioned Cuban music an unexpected worldwide sensation. To no one’s surprise, there’s plenty of good stuff in the vaults.

Le Vent Du Nord | Tetu

ARTIST: Le Vent Du Nord
TITLE: Tetu
LABEL: Borealis
Richmond music fans might be well acquainted with Le Vent Du Nord (The North Wind): the French-Canadian folk quartet has highlighted two editions of the Richmond Folk Festival, most recently last year’s.

The Very Best | Makes A King

ARTIST: The Very Best
TITLE: Makes A King
LABEL: Moshi Moshi
The Very Best is a London-based duo of Malawian singer Esau Mwamwaya and Swedish producer Johan Hugo; they recorded their third album (they also have two full-length mixtapes to their credit) on the shores of Lake Malawi.