Charts June 17-23, 2024

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 HERMANOS GUTIERREZ | Sonido Cósmico | Easy Eye Sound/Concord

2 AFRICA NEGRA | Antologia Vol. 2 | Bongo Joe

3 JOY, THE | The Joy | Transgressive/PIAS

4 ATSE TEWODROS PROJECT | Maqeda | Galileo

5 NEW REGENCY ORCHESTRA | New Regency Orchestra | Mr Bongo

6 ZAWOSE QUEENS, THE | Maisha | Real World

7 ANGELICA GARCIA | Gemelo | Partisan

8 BEAUTIFUL NUBIA AND THE ROOTS RENAISSANCE BAND | Sonso | EniObanke

9 BONBON VODOU | Afrodiziak [EP] | Heavenly Sweetness

10 FRANCK BIYONG | Radio Masoda | Tangential

Hard-to-pronounce Turkish banjos

 

It's a very special edition of Global A Go-Go this week because I'm doing something I haven't done on my show since 2017: I'm hosting a live band in WRIR's Studio C.  The band in question is Zarove from right here in Richmond.  It's the new project of Pippin Barnett and Gary Kalar who have been playing together for years, and they've invited Steve Williams into the mix to make it a trio.

 

Pippin Barnett is the legendary Richmond drummer who's a founding member of Idio Savant, The Orthotonics, Famous Actors From Out Of Town, The Ululating Mummies, Boom, Ruckus Watusi, The Richmond Indigenous Gourd Orchestra and Happy Lucky Combo (I'm sure I'm forgetting something), and has toured the world playing in the bands Curlew, Nimal and No Safety with stars of the avant-garde like Fred Frith, Tom Cora, George Cartwright, Zeena Parkins, Wayne Horvitz and Amy Denio.

Gary Kalar is a Minneapolitan and Chicagoan who lives for several months a year in Bulgaria, which has made his playing more deeply enmeshed than ever in the sounds of the former Ottoman Empire and the Balkans.  He's a guitarist by trade and is fluent on a wide number of what he refers to as "hard-to-pronounce Turkish banjos."  Gary's Chicago bands Lamajamal and Mucca Pazza recorded and toured widely, and here in Richmond he's currently a member of the bolero supergroup Miramar and plays with composer/keyboardist Curt Sydnor.  And Steve Williams is best known to Richmond music fans as the guitarist in the Ululating Mummies; in Zarove he shifts over to bass guitar.

 

Zarove's first public performance was at Plan 9 Music a couple of weeks ago; I was there and was dazzled.  They play long, deeply psychedelic jams based on Turkish, Balkan and Middle Eastern motifs, with Gary's electrified banjos snaking their way in and around Pippin's complex driving rhythms while Steve propels the whole thing forward and ties the low end down, at least to the extent that you can tie down an 11/4 meter.  I can assure you that you haven't heard anything quite like Zarove.

Their first venue gig will be on June 29 at Reveler, and you'll get a full length preview of what they'll be doing on stage if you tune in to Global A Go-Go this week (Sunday June 23, 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).

Charts June 10-16, 2024

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 ANGELICA GARCIA | Gemelo | Partisan

2 ZAWOSE QUEENS, THE | Maisha | Real World

3 LOS GAITEROS DE SAN JACINTO | Orgullo Colombiano | OM Producciones/Bad Vibes Good Friends

4 JACOB F. DESVARIEUX AND GEORGES DECIMUS (KASSAV') | Yelele | Heavenly Sweetness

5 SEXTETO FANTASIA | Estamos En Algo | El Palmas

6 SUPERFONICOS | "La Semilla" [Single] | Spaceflight

7 LA LOM | "Danza De LA LOM" [Single] | Verve

8 FRANCK BIYONG | Radio Masoda | Tangential

9 ROLANDO BRUNO Y EL GRUPO AREVALO | Cosas Raras | Peace & Rhythm/Electric Cowbell/DJ Cajon

10 MERIDIAN BROTHERS | Mi Latinoamerica Sufre | Ansonia/Bongo Joe

Wagogo a go-go

Leah and Pendo Zawose have been making Wagogo music in Tanzania all their lives.  But always in the background -- women's jobs in Wagogo music has always been drumming and harmony singing, not songwriting or lead singing or playing the crucial tuned instruments illimba (thumb piano), chizeze (spike fiddle) and marimba (same as in English).

 

With the release of Maisha by the Zawose Queens, Wagogo women are finally out in front of the band.  Leah and Pendo's eleven original songs, backed by traditional instruments and unusually sensitive electronics and production from Englishmen Tom Excell and Oli Barton-Wood, are going to turn a lot of people on to a sound they've never heard before.  You'll hear three of them this week on Global A Go-Go.

Also this week (Sunday June 16, 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): Classic zouk béton from the French Antilles in the 80s; LA LOM takes on Peruvian chicha; the original sound of cumbia from Colombia's Los Gaiteros De San Jacinto, who will be performing in Richmond on July 19; the latest from Austin's Superfónicos; and two sets of Colombian champeta featuring a new track from Meridian Brothers and some unlikely covers.

Charts June 3-9, 2024

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 KUMBIA BORUKA | Santa Suerte | self-released

2 MDOU MOCTAR | Funeral For Justice | Matador

3 FRANCK BIYONG | Radio Masoda | Tangential

4 KIKI VALERA | Vacilon Santiaguero | Circle 9

5 BASSEKOU KOUYATE AND AMY SACKO | Djudjon: L'Oiseau De Garana | One World

6 LOS DAYS | Dusty Dreams | Too Good

7 MIGHTY JOSHUA | Dreaducation | self-released

8 IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE | Pull The Rope | Merge

9 DELROY WILSON | The Cool Operator | Gorgon

10 MERCI YAYA BONGO: LES GROUPES D'ANIMATION FEMININS DU GABON, 1982-1989 | VARIOUS ARTISTS | Secousse

To be enjoyed without moderation

How is it possible that one of the best cumbia bands in the world is based in Lyon, France?  Well, that's where Hernán Cortés landed after touring the world with Monterrey, Mexico's el rebelde del acordeón Celso Piña and his band Su Ronda Bogotá.

 

Cortés' ensemble Kumbia Boruka is a well-oiled 8-person party machine with over 400 gigs under their belt.  As their booking agent says, Kumbia Boruka is "to be enjoyed without moderation!"  The band's latest album Santa Suerte is their best calling card to date -- I'll feature it this week on Global A Go-Go.

Also this week (Sunday June 9, 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): Richmond reggae by Mighty Joshua with guest James "Plunky" Branch, Kiki Valera's son cubano, Malian standard-bearers Bassekou Kouyaté & Amy Sacko, Franck Biyong brings the pan-African dance party, and les groupes d'animation feminins du Gabon.

Charts May 27 - Jun 2, 2024

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 ROLANDO BRUNO Y EL GRUPO AREVALO | Cosas Raras | Peace & Rhythm/Electric Cowbell/DJ Cajon

2 DIZZY MANDJEKU AND ODEMBA OK ALLSTARS | Odemba Nostalgie [EP] | Zephyrus

3 FANIA ALL-STARS | Latin-Soul-Rock | Fania/Craft

4 BOBBY VALENTIN | Young Man With A Horn | Fania/Craft

5 NORTEC: BOSTICH Y FUSSIBLE | "TSM 2024" [Single] | Nacional

6 OKWY OSADEBE AND HIGHLIFE SOUNDMAKERS INTERNATIONAL | Ifunanya | Odogwu/Palenque

7 MASTER PLUS | Va En Serio | Nacional

8 LES BELGICAINS: NA TANGO YA COVADIA 1964-1970 | various artists | Covadia

9 EMEL | MRA | Little Human

10 RAIL BAND | Rail Band | Mississippi

Cumbia trash

What would have happened if The Cramps played cumbia instead of rockabilly?  Something like Rolando Bruno Y El Grupo Arévalo from Buenos Aires, Argentina, I think.

 

Bruno's previous band, Los Peyotes, played punk and garage rock, and of course cumbia is extremely popular throughout South America, so for him putting those things together are like combining peanut butter and chocolate.  This week on Global A Go-Go, you'll hear two tracks from Grupo Arévalo's forthcoming album Cosas Raras, and a few other Latin American bands working with similar ingredients.

Also this week (Sunday June 2, 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): Dizzy Mandjeku plays Franco, two generations of Igbo highlife with Stephen and Okwy Osadebe, funk and rapso from Trinidad & Tobago, Mexitronica by Bostich + Fussible and MIS, and the world's fastest salsa is made in Colombia.

Charts May 20-26, 2024

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 TIDIANE THIAM | Africa Yontii | Sahel Sounds

2 AJATE | Dala Toni | 180g

3 ORQUESTA AKOKAN | "Con Licencia" [Single] | Daptone

4 COMBO DAGUERRE | "Les Assassins" [Single] | Barbes

5 GHANA SPECIAL 2: ELECTRONIC HIGHLIFE AND AFRO SOUNDS IN THE DIASPORA, 1980-93 | various artists | Soundway

6 SAIGON SOUL REVIVAL | Moi Luong Duyen | Saigon Supersound

7 ASMAA HAMZAOUI AND BNAT TIMBOUKTOU | L'bnat | Ajabu

8 BAB L'BLUZ | Swaken | Real World

9 KIKI VALERA | Vacilon Santiaguero | Circle 9

10 SAHRA HALGAN | Hiddo Dhawr | Danaya

Afro-hayashi

What happens when you take Japanese traditional ohayashi festival music, add African grooves to it and play it on homemade bamboo instruments?  You get the band Ajate, whose superb new album Dala Toni is the latest in global music made in Japan.  Hear it for yourself this week on Global A Go-Go.

Also this week (Sunday May 26, 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): Olivier Conan's new Combo Daguerre project, great new music from Sahra Halgan and Delgrès, Orquesta Akokán's modern mambo, Tidiane Thiam says "Africa, it's time" and the latest from female gnawa pioneers Asmâa Hamzaoui & Bnat Timbouktou.

Charts May 13-19, 2024

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 MERIDIAN BROTHERS | Mi Latinoamerica Sufre | Ansonia/Bongo Joe

2 OKWY OSADEBE AND HIGHLIFE SOUNDMAKERS INTERNATIONAL | Ifunanya | Odogwu Entertainment/Palenque

3 QWANQWA | Live | self-released

4 ASMAA HAMZAOUI AND BNAT TIMBOUKTOU | L'bnat | Ajabu

5 GHANA SPECIAL 2: ELECTRONIC HIGHLIFE AND AFRO SOUNDS IN THE DIASPORA, 1980-93 | various artists | Soundway

6 MYRIAM GENDRON | Mayday | Thrill Jockey

7 BAB L'BLUZ | Swaken | Real World

8 MIGHTY JOSHUA | Dreaducation | Mighty

9 LES BELGICAINS: NA TANGO YA COVADIA 1964-1970 | various artists | Covadia

10 FRANCK BIYONG | "Lipanda (feat. Mary May)" [Single] | Tangential

Beyond Bogotá

I've been playing a lot of Colombian music lately.  La Perla played live in WRIR's Studio C on May 4 before their performance at Get Tight Lounge; when they were here I spun another 40 minutes of music by other current Bogotá bands.  Then Meridian Brothers, also from Bogotá, played Get Tight on May 13 and you heard their music on Global A Go-Go as well.

 

But the Colombian musical scene extends way beyond Bogotá.  This week on Global A Go-Go you'll hear four more current Colombian bands from across that big country, including Rancho Aparte from Cali who will be headlining the Richmond Folk Festival this fall.

 

Also this week (Sunday May 19, 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): The unique Ethio-jazz of Qwanqwa; the latest from Dutch-Indonesian hipsters Nusantara Beat; probably the two best American Congolese bands right now: Occidental Brothers Dance Band and Loboko; a great new juju single from Franck Biyong; and burger highlife, the sound of the Ghanaian diaspora.

Charts May 6-12, 2024

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 MIGHTY JOSHUA | Dreaducation | Mighty Music

2 MDOU MOCTAR | Funeral For Justice | Matador

3 MYRIAM GENDRON | Mayday | Thrill Jockey

4 MERIDIAN BROTHERS | "En El Caribe Estoy Triste" [Single] | Ansonia/Bongo Joe

5 IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE | Pull The Rope | Merge

6 AMADOU AND MARIAM | "Mogolu" [Single] | Because

7 YELLOWMAN | Zungguzungguguzungguzeng | Greensleeves

8 LOS BITCHOS | "La Bomba" [Single] | City Slang

9 BONGO HOP, THE | Satingarona Pt. 1 | Underdog

10 RAIL BAND | Rail Band | Mississippi

Those confusing nooks & crannies of self-improvement

It was great to meet so many Global A Go-Go listeners at the La Perla show at Get Tight Lounge last Saturday night!  And the Colombian takeover of Richmond continues on Monday May 13, once again at Get Tight (Richmond's Colombian embassy, I guess?), with a performance by another one of Bogotá's hottest bands, Meridian Brothers.

 

I've seen them before and they're not to be missed.  Meridian Brothers' forthcoming album Mi Latinoamérica Sufre takes a characteristically off-center approach to champeta, the uniquely Colombian mixture of traditional rhythms with African highlife, soukous and Afrobeat.  If you want to get an idea of what they sound like, I'll play Meridian Brothers' brand new single this week on Global A Go-Go alongside other Colombian artists past and present working in the champeta groove.

Also this week (Sunday May 12, 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): The new album from Richmond's own Mighty Joshua; new Afro sounds by Amadou & Mariam, Aboubacar Traoré and Afla Sackey; Eastern European roots music including the latest from Russia's Otava Yo; Get in the Garage presents current garage rock from Yiddishland, Turkey via Israel, London and Brooklyn; and the latest guitar heroics of Mdou Moctar, who will be playing Richmond's Friday Cheers on June 7.

Charts Apr 29 - May 5, 2024

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 LOS BITCHOS | "La Bomba" [Single] | City Slang

2 LES BELGICAINS: NA TANGO YA COVADIA 1964-70 | various artists | Covadia

3 MDOU MOCTAR | Funeral For Justice | Matador

4 CEU | Novela | Urban Jungle

5 LINDIGO | Oye Maloya | Helico

6 YEMAYA LA BANDA | Asimetricas | Cultur'el

7 MEKLIT | Ethio Blue [EP] | self-released

8 BROOKLYN SOUNDS | Brooklyn Sounds! | Vampisoul

9 BLACK ROOTS | Roots | Nubian

10 LUCIANA DEMINGONGO | Une Plume Une Voix Une Guitare | Une Plume Une Voix Une Guitare