What I did on my summer vacation

I'm psyched to be back in the studio for the first time since early July, after a big vacation followed by a brief but annoying case of traveler's disease.  Big ups to Albert Green, Enzo Adimari and Josh Bearman for holding down Global A Go-Go in my absence.

 

One of the things I did on my summer vacation was see two great concerts in Paris: Fat Freddy's Drop at the legendary L'Olympia and Goran Bregović's Wedding & Funeral Band at Cabaret Sauvage.  I'll regale you with stories of the shows and music by both bands.  Sunday night brings The Budos Band and Brazilian samba-soul star Rogê to Richmond's Broadberry, and you'll hear both of them as well on this week's show.

Also this week (Sunday July 31, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards on the wrir.org archive player, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): João Selva sings "get out Bolsonaro," Cumbiamuffin revives the sound of Colombian big band porro cumbia, and a new compilation of Pedro Lima's music brings the puxa fire from São Tomé.

Charts Jun 27 - Jul 24, 2022

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 NOORI AND HIS DORPA BAND | Beja Power! Electric Soul & Brass From Sudan's Red Sea Coast | Ostinato

2 LOS BITCHOS | Let The Festivities Begin! | City Slang

3 HOLLIE COOK | Happy Hour | Merge

4 DELGRES | "Mwen Vlé Maché" [Single] | Le Label/PIAS

5 AFRODELIC | Dusunkun Hakili | self-released

6 SHAOLIN AFRONAUTS, THE | "The Simien Fox b/w Rumba Cyclique" [Single] | Freestyle

7 SALTPOND CITY BAND | Boko A Ko | Meet Me There

8 IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE | Electricity | Merge

9 AFRIGO BAND | Ensi Eno | Olila

10 OLIVER NAYOKA | Oka Mmadu | Odogwu/Palenque

Dead men don't smoke marijuana

I'm leaving for a summer vacation later this week, will be back to Global A Go-Go on July 24.  In my absence, you'll enjoy two of my favorite WRIR selectors: Albert Green returns on July 10, and Enzo of Pop Goes The World takes the chair on July 17.  Before I hit the road, I wanted to make sure you get to hear some of the new releases I've been digging lately while they're still new.

 

So this week (Sunday July 3, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards on the wrir.org archive player, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site) tune in for Delgres' Caribbean creole; Son Rompe Pera, the band everyone will be talking about at this fall's Richmond Folk Festival; highlife from Oliver Nayoka and Saltpond City Band; a reissue of S.E. Rogie (pictured above), the king of palm wine; Shaolin Afronauts' spiritual jazz; Afrodelic from Mali via Lithuania; and of course much more.

Charts June 20-26, 2022

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 SOOTHSAYERS | "Last Days" [Single] | Red Earth

2 NOORI AND HIS DORPA BAND | Beja Power! Electric Soul & Brass From Sudan's Red Sea Coast | Ostinato

3 TIKEN JAH FAKOLY | "Ou Est-Ce Que Tu Vas?" [Single] | Chapter Two/Wagram

4 LOS CALVOS | Estos Son Los Calvos | El Palmas

5 DERYA YILDIRIM AND GRUP SIMSEK | "Bal" [Single] | Bongo Joe/Catapulte

6 PEDRO LIMA | Recordar E Vivir: Antogolia Vol. 1 | Bongo Joe

7 BKO | Djine Bora | Bongo Joe

8 MADALISTO BAND | Musakayike | Bongo Joe

9 SOMI | Zenzile: The Reimagination Of Miriam Makeba | Salon Africana

10 SATELLITES | Satellites | Batov

A world out of time

June 26 is Independence Day in Madagascar, the world's second largest island nation (surpassed only by Indonesia) and one of its greatest biodiversity hot spots.  It's also a hot spot for indigenous music, with influences flowing in from East, Central and Southern Africa, Oceania, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Arab world, France and of course the USA.

 

But Malagasy music sounds like nothing else in the world.  Hear for yourself this week (Sunday June 26, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards on the wrir.org archive player, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site) when I'll play an hour of music from Madagascar.  Also this week: new reggae from Soothsayers and Tiken Jah Fakoly, some Anatolian psych-rock and sounds of Sudan.

Charts June 13-19, 2022

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 EZRA COLLECTIVE | "Victory Dance" [Single] | Partisan

2 LOS BITCHOS | Let The Festivities Begin! | City Slang

3 VIEUX FARKA TOURE | Les Racines | World Circuit

4 ORIENTAL BROTHERS INTERNATIONAL BAND | Oku Ngwo - Di Ochi | Palenque

5 SHAOLIN AFRONAUTS, THE | "The Simien Fox b/w Rumba Cyclique" [Single] | Freestyle

6 NOORI AND HIS DORPA BAND | Beja Power! Electric Soul and Brass from Sudan's Red Sea Coast | Ostinato

7 JESUS PAGAN Y SU ORQUESTA | Salsa De La Mata 'From The Roots' | Peace & Rhythm

8 DA CRUZ | "Serpentes" Feat Magogo [Single] | Horus

9 BORGA REVOLUTION!: GHANAIAN DANCE MUSIC IN THE DIGITAL AGE, 1983-1992 (VOLUME 1) | various artists | Kalita

10 MOKTAR GANIA AND GNAWA SOUL | Masterisé | Musjomusic/Nuits d'Afrique

Charts June 6-12, 2022

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 LUCIBELA | Amdjer | Lusafrica

2 IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE | Electricity | Merge

3 AFRODELIC | Dusunkun Hakili | self-released

4 ORIENTAL BROTHERS INTERNATIONAL BAND | Oku Ngwo - Di Ochi | Palenque

5 BKO | Djine Bora | Bongo Joe

6 JESUS PAGAN Y SU ORQUESTA | Salsa De La Mata 'From The Roots' | Peace & Rhythm

7 SALTPOND CITY BAND | Boko A Ko | Meet Me There

8 DA CRUZ | "Serpentes feat. Magugu" [Single] | Horus

9 LEYLA MCCALLA | Breaking The Thermometer | Anti-

10 BRASIL NOVO | various artists | Musica Macondo

En super forme

I wouldn't say that I'm personally en super forme this week -- more like just managing to get by.  But the music on this week's program certainly is en super forme.  And especially this reissue of a 1982 album by one of Africa's greatest and most underappreciated bands, Super Djata of Mali.  You'll hear a track from them, and one from a current Malian band who are definitely influenced by them: BKO.

 

Also this week (Sunday June 12, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards on the wrir.org archive player, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): a continuation of the Congolese jams that ended last week's show, Afro-rap that most certainly isn't Afrobeats, the barefoot diva and her heirs, and an assortment of new and old salsa.

Charts May 30 - Jun 5, 2022

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 EBIRAC ALL STARS | various artists | Numero Group

2 LUCIANA DEMINGONGO AND DESOUZA SANTU MONGONGO ELENGI | Let's Go! | Une Plume Une Voix Une Guitare

3 SALTPOND CITY BAND | Boko A Ko | Meet Me There

4 FANFARE CIOCARLIA | "First Aid Klezmer (Dunkelbunt remix)" [Single] | Asphalt Tango

5 NOORI AND HIS DORPA BAND | "Saagama" [Single] | Ostinato

6 LINDA AYUPUKA | "Annebooy" [Single] | Mais Um

7 CAPTAIN PLANET | "Moqueca" [Single] | Bastard Jazz

8 MARCO FLORES Y LA JEREZ | "Dos Hojas Sin Rumbo feat. Julio Preciado" [Single] | Nacional

9 SATURNO 2000 - LA REBAJADA DE LOS SONIDEROS 1962-1983 | various artists | Analog Africa

10 ORCHESTRE MASSAKO | Orchestre Massako [EP] | Analog Africa

God created everything

Linda Ayupuka is a gospel singer from Bolgatanga, the largest town in Ghana's Upper East region, right on that country's borders with Burkina Faso and Togo.  It's a hot spot for music right now with artists like King Ayisoba, Guy One and Alostmen gaining international recognition, and Ayupuka might be the next to break out.  You'll hear a song from her forthcoming album God Created Everything on this week's program, alongside other sui generis Afro-electronica from across the continent.

 

Also this week (Sunday June 5, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards on the wrir.org archive player, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): a tribute to Jerry Gonzalez on what would have been his 73rd birthday; some trippy cumbia; brass bands from Mexico, Romania, India and the USA; smooth Brazilian samba-funk; and a little bit of soukous leading into Ambiance Congo at 3:00.

Charts May 23-29, 2022

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten

1 IDRISSA SOUMAORO ET L'ECLIPSE DE L'IJA | Le Tioko-Tioko | Mr Bongo

2 ALHAJI K. FRIMPONG | Abrabo | Hot Casa

3 ALPACAS COLLECTIVE | Seven Wisdoms Of Plutonia | Catalpas

4 MOKTAR GANIA AND GNAWA SOUL | Masterisé | Musjomusic/Nuits d'Afrique

5 NOORI AND HIS DORPA BAND | "Al Amal" [Single] | Ostinato

6 SOMI | Zenzile: The Reimagination Of Miriam Makeba | Salon Africana

7 CALEXICO | El Mirador | Anti-

8 KANDY GUIRA | Nagtaba | Vlad Production

9 FATOUMATA DIAWARA | Maliba | 3eme Bureau/Wagram

10 BONGO HOP, THE | La Napa [EP] | Underdog

Le couple aveugle du Mali

Early in their career as a duo, Amadou & Mariam were billed as le couple aveugle du Mali, the blind couple from Mali.  But they were in a band together before that: L'Eclipse, the student ensemble of Le Institut Des Jeunes Aveugles, the school for blind youth in Bamako.

 

L'Eclipse, under the direction of Idrissa Soumaoro, keyboard player for Salif Keita's Les Ambassadeurs (who would later recruit Amadou into that combo), made a terrific recording in 1978 that foreshadowed the now recognizable Amadou & Mariam sound.  The album has just been reissued, and you'll hear a track from it this week on Global A Go-Go.

It's an all-African program this week (Sunday May 29, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards on the wrir.org archive player, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site), featuring new music from eastern Sudan by Noori & His Dorpa Band, Ethio jazz via Belgium by Alpacas Collective, Moktar Gania's Moroccan gnawa soul, West African divas Fatoumata Diawara and Kandy Guira, plus much more music.

Charts May 16-22, 2022

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten

1 OUMOU SANGARE | Timbuktu | World Circuit

2 LEYLA MCCALLA | Breaking The Thermometer | Anti-

3 EL COMBO BATANGA | "Aji Gua Guo" b/w "El Barrio En La Mirada" [Single] | Lovemonk

4 CALEXICO | El Mirador | Anti-

5 CALYPSO ROSE | "Watina" feat. Carlos Santana & The Garifuna Collective [Single] | Because

6 ALPACAS COLLECTIVE | Seven Wisdoms Of Plutonia | Catalpas

7 BORGA REVOLUTION!: GHANAIAN DANCE MUSIC IN THE DIGITAL AGE, 1983-1992 (VOLUME 1) | various artists | Kalita

8 PAPE NZIENGUI | Kadi Yombo | Awesome Tapes From Africa

9 LISA LEBLANC | Chiac Disco | Bonsound

10 LOS BITCHOS | Let The Festivities Begin! | City Slang

Charts May 9-15, 2022

 

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten

1 MADALISTO BAND | Musakayike | Bongo Joe

2 CONGOTRONICS INTERNATIONAL | Where's The One? | Crammed

3 SELDA BAGCAN | Nem Kaldi | Turkofon

4 LOS CALVOS | Y Que Calvos! | El Palmas

5 MINI TRIO | "Hare Krishna" b/w "E O Que Ela Quer" [Single] | Munster

6 EL COMBO BATANGA | "Aji Gua Guo" b/w "El Barrio En La Mirada" [Single] | Lovemonk

7 LEYLA MCCALLA | Breaking The Thermometer | Anti-

8 PAPE NZIENGUI | Kadi Yombo | Awesome Tapes From Africa

9 LA PAMBELE | La Pambele | Names You Can Trust

10 SATELLITES | Satellites | Batov

What have I done wrongly?

Malawi's Madalitso Band built their own instruments (a 4-stringed guitar and the giant 1-stringed slide bass called the Babatone) and busked on the streets of Lilongwe for about 15 years before they got their first opportunity to play outside their home country in 2017.  Since then, they've been on the road as much as possible, with their fifth European tour now in process and their first trip to the USA coming up this fall.

 

Madalitso's second international album will be released in June, and it's a beauty.  This week, you'll hear a couple of tracks from it and a couple from previous releases as Global A Go-Go brings your attention to a band that most certainly deserves wider recognition.

 

Also this week (Sunday May 15, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards on the wrir.org archive player, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): some swinging samba-soul from Brazil, Turkish psych-folk, Afrobeat with a Jewish accent, Cuban funk and salsa dura from around the world.