Irie Christmas Spectacular

Breadfruit roasting on an open fire / Mongrels nipping at your toes / Dancehall songs being sung by a choir / An' we dress up in we bashment clothes

 

Yes, nothing says "Deck the halls with lots of collie" quite like two hours of Christmas songs from the Caribbean.  Reggae, ska, dancehall, calypso, soca, steelpan -- you'll hear them all on this special Christmas Day edition of Global A Go-Go: Sunday December 25, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site.

 

Bill's guest co-host is an even bigger reggae fan, Eric Walters of Wide Ear Folk (alternate Tuesdays at 5 PM on WRIR).  Together they'll be putting the pum-pum back in rum-pa-pum-pum.  Fun for the whole family, if you're that kind of family.

Top 10 new albums of 2022

It's the most wonderful time of the year, the time to find out who's been naughty and nice.  No, I'm not talking about the holiday season; I'm talking about when everyone's Best Of The Year lists come out.

 

I'll be rolling out my own lists over the next three weeks on Global A Go-Go.  On this week's program (Sunday December 18, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site) I'll present my top ten new albums of 2022 plus ten honorable mentions.

 

Next week on Christmas Day it will be Global A Go-Go's Irie Christmas Spectacular: all reggae, calypso and soca Christmas songs with myself and special guest selector Eric Walters (host of Wide Ear Folk, heard alternate Tuesdays at 5 PM on WRIR) at the controls.

 

In two weeks on New Year's Day, you'll hear my favorite singles and EPs of the year gone by, and in three weeks it will be selections from my favorite compilations, reissues and historic recordings of 2022.

 

Without further ado, here are my top new albums of 2022:

Charts December 5-11, 2022

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 PERU SELVATICO: SONIC EXPEDITION INTO THE PERUVIAN AMAZON 1972-1986 | various artists | Analog Africa

2 SUPERFONICOS | "Primera Luz" [Single] | self-released

3 OLIVER NAYOKA | Oka Mmadu | Odogwu/Palenque

4 BABA COMMANDANT AND THE MANDINGO BAND | Sonbonbela | Sublime Frequencies

5 PABLO MOSES | Revolutionary Dream | Baco

6 LA SONORA MAZUREN | "Charanga Mazuren" b/w "Cachicha" [Single] | Names You Can Trust

7 T.P. ORCHESTRE POLY-RYTHMO | Afro-Funk | Albarika Store

8 SHURWAYNE WINCHESTER AND DAVID RUDDER | "Bacchanal Come" [Single] | SW Limited

9 JULIVERT | A Tamarit! | Microscopi

10 AL-QASAR | Who Are We? | Glitterbeat

Land of the honest men

December 11, 2022 is Burkina Faso's 64th Independence Day.  This small (roughly the size of Colorado), densely populated (about 22 million people), landlocked West African nation formerly known as Upper Volta has had its struggles: eight coups d'etat including two in 2022 and a current bout of Islamic fundamentalist terrorism among them.

 

No Burkinabè musician has yet become a pan-African or worldwide star, but the music that has been produced in Burkina Faso since independence is superb in quality and variety.  This week on Global A Go-Go, you'll hear an hour of some of my Voltaic favorites, and I assure you that I'll only be scratching the surface of what's out there.

Also this week (Sunday December 11, 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): Latin soul and a new single from Austin's Superfónicos, and birthday tributes to Cuban bandleader Pérez Prado and Yugoslavian mischief-maker Dr. Nele Karajlić.

Charts Nov 28 - Dec 4, 2022

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 CABRUERA | Sol A Pino | Polen

2 SONA JOBARTEH | Badinyaa Kumoo | African Guild

3 FILA BASELE | La Kumba Music | Une Plume Une Voix Une Guitare

4 ZINA GASRINIA | Ya Ammi El Khateb | Star Voice

5 IFTIN BAND | Mogadishu’s Finest: The Al-Aruba Sessions | Ostinato

6 MOONLIGHT BENJAMIN | "Haut La Haut" [Single] | Ma Case

7 JOAO SELVA | "Passarinho" [Single] | Underdog

8 LUCIANA DEMINGONGO | Rando Une Plume | Une Voix Une Guitare

9 EL COMBO BATANGA | "Toca La Campana" [Single] | Lovemonk

10 LIRAZ | Roya | Glitterbeat

Album of the year?

Sona Jobarteh is the world's first female virtuoso of the kora, the West African harp-lute which is the characteristic instrument of the Mande musical tradition.  She and her band were a highlight of 2018's Richmond Folk Festival, but her performances in Richmond in no way prepared me for her new album Badinyaa Kumoo, which might be my favorite new record of 2022.

 

I still have a couple of weeks to make up my mind about that -- the December 18 edition of Global A Go-Go will feature my top 10 new releases for the last year.  But on this week's show (Sunday December 4, 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) you'll hear a track from Badinyaa Kumoo for yourself.

 

Also this week: new Brazilian sounds from João Selva and Cabruêra, salsa con sabor cubano, electro-cumbia since last week's cumbia wasn't enough, Moonlight Benjamin's brand new single, and the amazing sounds of Somalia.

Charts November 21-27, 2022

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 C.A.M.P.O.S. | The 8th Door | Peace & Rhythm

2 BALKA SOUND | Balka Sound | Strut

3 18TH PARALLEL, THE | Downtown Sessions | Fruits

4 TINARIWEN | Kel Tinariwen | Wedge

5 SYSTEMA SOLAR | "Comer De Verdad" [Single] | self-released

6 SONIDO VERDE DE MOYOBAMBA | Limited Dance Edition Nr. 17 | Analog Africa

7 LOS SANDER'S DE ÑAÑA | Tú Y Yo | Discos Fantastico

8 SINERGIA | "S.O.S." [Single] | Guspira

9 ROGER DAMAWUZAN | Seda | Hot Casa

10 WGANDA KENYA | Africa 5000 | Vampisoul

Los twangüeros de la selva

Welcome to the Sunday-after-Thanksgiving edition of Global A Go-Go (Sunday November 27, 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), also known as the "Sitting In Traffic on I-95 Show."  Hopefully you're comfortable wherever you are and have good radio or internet reception, because this program will be a lot of fun.

 

The first hour features desert blues out of the Sahara including a track from the very first Tinariwen studio album from back in 1991, high energy African-style reggae with a new song by Catalunya's Sinergia, and more folky and rocking sounds from across Spain's autonomous communities.

 

In the second hour we'll dig deep into the twangy jungle psychedelia of chicha and guitar-driven cumbia with an assortment of oldies from Perú plus new tracks by ex-Richmonder Joshua Camp aka C.A.M.P.O.S., Colombia's La Sonora Mazurén, plus Sonido Gallo Negro and Los Pao Paos from México.

Charts November 14-20, 2022

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 WAU WAU COLLECTIF | Mariage | Sahel Sounds

2 ADEDEJI | Yoruba Odyssey | One World

3 LUCIANA DEMINGONGO | Rando | Une Plume Une Voix Une Guitare

4 IZIS LA ENFERMA DE LA SALSA | La Enfermera Llego | self-released

5 LADY AICHA AND PISKO CRANE'S ORIGINAL FULU MIZIKI OF KINSHASA | N'Djila Wa Mudujimu | Nyege Nyege Tapes

6 EL COMBO BATANGA | "Toca La Campana" [Single] | Lovemonk

7 JOE BATAAN | "Call My Name" [Single] | Vampisoul

8 LIRAZ | Roya | Glitterbeat

9 ROGER DAMAWUZAN | Seda | Hot Casa

10 ORCHESTRA GOLD | "Keleya" [Single] | self-released

The James Brown of Lomé

Back in the 1970s and early 80s when he was performing 5 nights a week at the beachfront Hotel Tropicana with his killer Togolese band Les As Du Bénin, Roger Damawuzan was known as "the James Brown of Lomé."  At age 70, he has just released Seda ("Listen" in the Mina language), his first album in 40 years, and Roger feels good -- he feels better than James Brown.

 

Part of the reason why Roger feels good is that he's being backed up by one of the best funk bands in the world: Vaudou Game from Lyon France led by Roger's nephew Peter Solo.  They recorded the album at the OTODI studio in Lomé, where Roger cut his early 45s and which has been reclaimed from the jungle by Peter and his friends.

 

Seda is one of the feel-good albums of 2022 -- you'll hear a track from it this week on Global A Go-Go.  Also this week (Sunday November 20, 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): vintage and new Nigerian highlife, more Wassoulou rock, deep roots reggae featuring a terrific Pablo Moses reissue, the bacchanal sounds of soca from Trinidad, and Joe Bataan's Latin soul.

Charts November 7-13, 2022

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 SLAVO RICAN ASSEMBLY |  Intercosmic | Riverboat

2 LIRAZ | Roya | Glitterbeat

3 T.P. ORCHESTRE POLY-RYTHMO | Afro-Funk | Albarika Store

4 KIMI DJABATE | "Alidonke" [Single] | Cumbancha

5 STAR FEMININE BAND | Star Feminine Band In Paris | Born Bad

6 WESLI | Tradisyon | Cumbancha

7 LORRAINE KLAASEN AND MONGEZI NTAKA | Ukubonga (Gratitude) | Justin Time

8 EL COMBO BATANGA | "El Que La Rompe La Paga" [Single] | Lovemonk

9 REDDY AMISI | Bailo Canto | Casa Do Canto

10 NACIONAL RECORDS CLASSICS VOL. 1 | various artists | Nacional

Language

I'm excited to welcome the Ethiopian band Qwanqwa to WRIR's studio this week.  The band, whose name means "language" in Amharic, embodies one of the most radical ideas in music: they play traditional music in a brand new way.

 

Using indigenous instruments like masinko (one-stringed fiddle), krar (harp), kebero (barrel drum) and of course the human voice, they expand Ethiopia's broad musical heritage, especially the music of the azmari bards (Ethiopia's version of griots), with improvisational strategies drawn from jazz, contemporary and experimental music.

 

The result is a new strain of Ethio-jazz that takes off in directions only imagined by Mulatu Astatke or Hailu Mergia.  They're a dance band and a jam band at the same time, and for me one of the most exciting musical acts anywhere in the world right now.  They totally speak Global A Go-Go's language.

Members of Qwanqwa will visit WRIR's studio this week (Sunday November 13, 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) for an interview, before they head over to Capital Ale House's Richmond Music Hall for their 6:00 PM (doors open) performance alongside Richmond's own Ethio-jazz masters, the Afro-Zen Allstars.

You'll hear the music of both of those bands on the show this week, along with tributes to Brazilian singer Gal Costa, who passed away this week, and to Congolese superstar Tabu Ley Rochereau, born on this broadcast date in 1940.

Charts Oct 31 - Nov 6, 2022

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 WESLI | Tradisyon | Cumbancha

2 LIRAZ | Roya | Glitterbeat

3 BIO RITMO | Salsa System [EP] | Electric Cowbell

4 TOUMANI DIABATE | Toumani, Family & Friends | Universal Africa

5 KANDA BONGO MAN | Kekete Bue | No Wahala Sounds

6 LA SONORA MAZUREN | "Charanga Mazuren" b/w "Cachicha" [Single] | Names You Can Trust

7 ROGE | "Pra Vida" [Single] | Diamond West

8 KOTTARASHKY AND THE RAIN DOGS | Doghouse | Asphalt Tango

9 ROGER DAMAWUZAN | Seda | Hot Casa

10 DERYA YILDIRIM AND GRUP SIMSEK | Dost 2 | Bongo Joe/Catapulte

Fantasy

Israeli singer Liraz Charhi's 2018 debut album Naz, a set of pre-revolutionary Iranian songs sung in Farsi, was a sensation in her parents' birth country, and needless to say was banned there as well.  She followed with Zan in 2020, which features Iranian musicians illegally collaborating with her via encrypted file sharing.

 

On her brand new album Roya (fantasy in Farsi), Liraz and her death-defying Iranian collaborators actually worked face to face for ten days in a secure underground recording studio in Istanbul.  The result is one of the most timely and urgent albums of 2022.  You'll hear Roya's title track this week on Global A Go-Go.

Also this week (Sunday November 6, 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): new music from Haiti via Canada by Wesli, the return of Balkan bangers, cumbias and champetas (primarily) from Colombia, and some soukous leading into Ambiance Congo.

Charts October 17-30, 2022

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 SHAOLIN AFRONAUTS, THE | The Fundamental Nature Of Being | Freestyle

2 DUNGEN | En År För Mycket Och Tusen Aldrig Nog | Mexican Summer

3 MUKAMBO PRESENTS GLOBAL AFROBEAT MOVEMENT VOL. 3 | various artists | NYP

4 TP ORCHESTRE POLY-RYTHMO | Afro-Funk | Albarika Store

5 GYEDU-BLAY AMBOLLEY | Gyedu-Blay Ambolley And Hi Life Jazz | Agogo

6 KIMI DJABATE | "Alidonke" [Single] | Cumbancha

7 STAR FEMININE BAND | Star Feminine Band In Paris | Born Bad

8 LATIN BROTHERS, THE | El Picotero | Vampisoul

9 VIEUX FARKA TOURE AND KHRUANGBIN | Ali | Dead Oceans

10 NACIONAL RECORDS CLASSICS VOL. 1 | various artists | Nacional