September 2015 Concert Calendar

September's Global A Go-Go picks:

1. Bio Ritmo and Miramar play Richmond's Broadberry on Wednesday September 2 along with Orquesta El Macabeo, one of Puerto Rico's hottest salsa combos, and the Peace & Rhythm DJ Crew
2. Two ways to celebrate the Ethiopian New Year: on Thursday September 10 here in Richmond with the Afro-Zen Allstars at Crossroads Coffee & Ice Cream, or in DC on Friday September 11 with the legendary singer Mahmoud Ahmed at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium
3. The outstanding Cambodian-American band Dengue Fever (pictured above) makes a rare East Coast appearance at the Rock & Roll Hotel in Washington on Saturday September 12
4. Tuareg desert blues rockers Terakaft, touring behind their brand-new album, play DC's intimate Bossa Bistro on Tuesday September 15, along with Cheick Hamala's Griot Street

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 September calendar.

Terakaft | Alone

ARTIST: Terakaft
TITLE: Alone
LABEL: Out|Here
The musical style from the Sahara Desert region commonly called desert blues (the Tamasheq locals themselves simply call it la guitare) has been around long enough now to have sub-genres and trends.

Program August 26, 2015

Moldova is one of the newest (formed in 1991), smallest (population of 3 million) and poorest (per capita GDP of $5,000) countries in Europe.  Squeezed between Romania and Ukraine in eastern Europe, it's where Russian and Romanian cultures collide.

My friend Vlad Cuiujuclu is a native of Moldova, which celebrates its 24th birthday on August 27 (the country's only a little bit older than Vlad is).  On this week's program, Vlad and I will play two hours of music from Moldova for your entertainment and edification.  You'll hear Roma-influenced sounds, jazz, punk rock and all things in between.  Plus a viral sensation you'll certainly know.

Charts August 23, 2015

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 SPANGLISH FLY | New York Boogaloo | Chaco World
2 ZEDASHE | Our Earth And Water | Living Roots Music
3 TROMBORANGA | Golpe Con Melodia | self-released
4 QUARTER STREET | Quarter Street | HopeStreet
5 AMADOU BALAKE | In Conclusion | Sterns
6 PAT THOMAS AND THE KWASHIBU AREA BAND | Pat Thomas And Kwashibu Area Band | Strut
7 BRIAN CHILALA AND NGOMA ZASU | Vangaza! | SWP
8 AMARA TOURE | 1973-1980 | Analog Africa
9 LES AMBASSADEURS | Rebirth | World Village
10 FLAVIA COELHO | Mundo Meu | Mr Bongo

Program August 19, 2015

We'll get started this week with full-throated singing from Western Asia and Eastern Europe, from the former Soviet Union. Zedashe (pictured above) is nine-person vocal and dance ensemble from the republic of Georgia.  They have a bit of a Richmond connection, they'll be playing here in October at the Folk Festival and live on Global A Go-Go, and their eighth album will be released on September 18.

Zedashe | Our Earth And Water

ARTIST: Zedashe
TITLE: Our Earth And Water
LABEL: Living Roots Music
Zedashe is a nine-person vocal and dance ensemble from the republic of Georgia, between the Black and Caspian Seas in western Asia.

Charts August 16, 2015

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 CHICO TRUJILLO | Reina De Todas Las Fiestas | Barbes
2 NOZINJA | Lodge | Warp
3 AMADOU BALAKE | In Conclusion | Sterns
4 WESTERN STANDARD TIME | A Big Band Tribute To The Skatalites, Vol. 2 | self-released
5 BOMBA ESTEREO | Amanecer | Sony Music Latin
6 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Cumbia | World Music Network
7 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Big Box Of Afrosound | Vampisoul
8 LETTA MBULU | In The Music The Village Never Ends | Be With
9 MORGAN HERITAGE | Strictly Roots | CTBC
10 MAZHAR VE FUAT | Turkuz Turku Cagiririz | Shadoks Music

Program August 12, 2015

Shangaan electro is the traditional sound of Limpopo in northeastern South Africa, given a 21st century, Afro-futurist Soweto twist.  It's an urban dance music that's fast, funny, funky and folkloric all at the same time -- you'll hear a set of it on this week's program.

Also this week: it's cumbia time again, this time from WRIR's new music shelf; rocksteady and roots reggae; and an excursion into Cosmic Slop territory.

Charts August 9, 2015

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 LILA DOWNS | Balas Y Chocolate | Sony Music Latin
2 MAZHAR VE FUAT | Turkuz Turku Cagiririz | Shadoks Music
3 QUARTER STREET | Quarter Street | HopeStreet
4 TROMBORANGA | Golpe Con Melodia | self-released
5 SK KAKRABA | Songs Of Paapieye | Awesome Tapes From Africa
6 RANA SANTACRUZ | Por Ahi | Chicavasco
7 CHICO TRUJILLO | Reina De Todas Las Fiestas | Barbes
8 LETTA MBULU | In The Music The Village Never Ends | Be With
9 OLA FRESCA | Elixir | PiPiKi
10 MORGAN HERITAGE | Strictly Roots | CTBC

August 2015 Concert Calendar

August's Global A Go-Go picks:

1. The legendary Los Van Van of Cuba (pictured above) celebrate their 45th anniversary and a new era of USA-Cuban relations with an American tour that stops at DC's Howard Theatre on Friday August 7
2. Fado Nosso, Richmond's only Portuguese fado combo, continues their summer residency at Crossroads Coffee & Ice Cream on Thursday August 20

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.

SK Kakraba | Songs Of Paapieye

ARTIST: SK Kakraba
TITLE: Songs Of Paapieye
LABEL: Awesome Tapes From Africa
SK Kakraba is a young virtuoso of the gyil, a tuned percussion instrument related to balafon and marimba that’s native to northern Ghana.

Quarter Street | Quarter Street

ARTIST: Quarter Street
TITLE: Quarter Street
LABEL: HopeStreet
Salsa is one of New York City’s contributions to world music, but it stopped being a New York-only thing a long time ago. Nowadays the global capital of salsa is undoubtedly Cali, Colombia, and you can find world-class orquestas in the most unlikely locales.

Tromboranga | Golpe Con Melodia

ARTIST: Tromboranga
TITLE: Golpe Con Melodia
LABEL: self-released
Speaking of salsa expatriates (see my review of Quarter Street above), here’s the fifth album by Tromboranga, the Barcelona-based orchestra whose members hail from far and wide: Venezuela, Cuba, Peru, Spain, Colombia, England and Catalonia are all represented in this UN General Assembly of a band.

Program August 5, 2015

Photo by Jim Newberry

Here's a musical instrument you haven't heard before on Global A Go-Go: the gyil is a 14-keyed tuned percussion instrument mounted on calabash resonators, which themselves are lined with the silk from spiders' eggs.  The resulting sound is woody with strong sustains and a buzzing decay.

It's built and played by members of Ghana's Lobi ethnic group like SK Kakraba (pictured above), who now lives in Los Angeles and has a new solo album coming out in October on the Awesome Tapes From Africa label.  You'll hear the earthy, trippy sound of SK Kakraba's gyil on this week's program.

Also this week: Richard Thompson's Turkish connection; new salsa from Australia and Spain; and singer-songwriters en espanol.

Charts August 2, 2015

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 AMADOU BALAKE | In Conclusion | Sterns
2 PAT THOMAS AND THE KWASHIBU AREA BAND | Pat Thomas And Kwashibu Area Band | Strut
3 BRIAN CHILALA AND NGOMA ZASU | Vangaza! | SWP
4 QUARTER STREET | Quarter Street | Hope Street
5 WESTERN STANDARD TIME | A Big Band Tribute To The Skatalites, Vol. 2 | self-released
6 BOMBA ESTEREO | Amanecer | Sony Music Latin
7 AMARA TOURE | 1973-1980 | Analog Africa
8 NOZINJA | Lodge | Warp
9 LILA DOWNS | Balas Y Chocolate | Sony Music Latin
10 RANA SANTACRUZ | Por Ahi | Chicavasco