France-based Cameroonian singer/guitarist Blick Bassy is back with a new album and is going to be touring Europe and North America in July and August. He got some attention here back in 2019 I think for his 1958 album
Bandcamp bio -
singer and composer Blick Bassy is back with a fifth album, again sung in the Baasa language of Cameroon. Madíbá brings together twelve songs in the form of fables, dedicated to the theme of water, in which his high and angelic voice dominates, carried by delicate guitar, synthesizer melodies, and sober brass arrangements. The cuts are diaphanous and nevertheless, modernist songs, which testify to a contemporary and poetic Africanity at the crossroads of soul, folk, and electro.creditsreleased May 26, 2023
https://blickbassy.bandcamp.com/album/m-dib
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 8 June 2023 23:41 (eleven months ago) link
trying to decide if I should buy tickets for the Montreal date or not. I liked 1958 a lot but found the new one a little shapeless, though I don't think I got too far into it
― rob, Friday, 9 June 2023 12:22 (eleven months ago) link
Despite the shapelessness, I like his voice and guitar sound and may go see the Washington DC date anyway. I don't hear that type of old-school rooted but modern afropop live very often
― curmudgeon, Friday, 9 June 2023 17:17 (eleven months ago) link
yeah it does feel like a rare opportunity here too, I should probably go on principle
― rob, Friday, 9 June 2023 17:39 (eleven months ago) link
Was impressed with Instagram story video clips I saw of NY based band Habbina Habbina who were playing some sort of Middle Eastern surf music
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 22 June 2023 14:33 (eleven months ago) link
Fatoumata Diawara is touring Europe all summer and then doing a few US dates in September in support of her Damon Albarn produced album. Plus I am getting pr emails about remixes of individual songs . I still need to listen to it more
― curmudgeon, Friday, 23 June 2023 14:08 (eleven months ago) link
Tamikrest, North African desert band is doing a July 19 Kennedy Center gig that will also be streamed. Jupiter and Okwess doing the same on July 27
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 28 June 2023 16:36 (eleven months ago) link
recommendations after catching some good stuff at Roskilde Festival
Siti Muharam, taarab tunes from Zanzibar, on a small Europe tour atm, album is from 2020 thoughhttps://sitimuharam.bandcamp.com/album/siti-of-unguja-romance-revolution-on-zanzibar
dal:um, Korean duo playing traditional (somewhat harplike but more wood-y) string instruments gayageum and geomungo in a contemporary style, 2023 single called "dot"https://dalum.bandcamp.com/track/dot
also had a chance to see Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek mentioned upthread and they are playing very well, great singer too, and Tinariwen too, always a joy
― corrs unplugged, Sunday, 2 July 2023 20:46 (ten months ago) link
tabou combo are playing a free show at long island's eisenhower park tonight.
― Thus Sang Freud, Monday, 3 July 2023 15:24 (ten months ago) link
Wow, Tabou Combo still at it . They were great when I saw them live many years ago. I like their old-school Haitian konpa sound better than the more polished and more American r’n’b influenced current Haitian music I have heard ( says old guy me!)
― curmudgeon, Monday, 3 July 2023 20:13 (ten months ago) link
they were good! it was listed in the brochure just as "creole-american night," without any band name, so i'm glad i looked into it further. 55 years in the biz, so they said.
― Thus Sang Freud, Tuesday, 4 July 2023 02:42 (ten months ago) link
Cool you saw them and they still sound good; sad how it was marketed
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 5 July 2023 20:13 (ten months ago) link
A Tamikrest 6 to 7 pm US eastern time gig will be streaming live tonight Wednesday July 19 from 6 to 7 pm on the Kennedy Center Youtube and Facebook pages. It will also be archived on the Youttube page. The band has North and West African musicians plus French ones.
https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/millennium-stage/2023/07-july/tamikrest/
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 20:42 (ten months ago) link
They sound pretty good there, except for some Western style solos
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 23 July 2023 04:07 (ten months ago) link
Jupiter and Okwess live at Kennedy Center on YouTube and Facebook now
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 27 July 2023 22:34 (ten months ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uO0FlR5wdY
Jupiter & Okwess 1 hour Kennedy Center gig archived
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 27 July 2023 23:02 (ten months ago) link
I'm listening to the King Ayisoba album that came out in Feb and it's awesome: https://ayisoba.bandcamp.com/album/work-hard
― rob, Friday, 28 July 2023 14:47 (ten months ago) link
this mix of Senegalese street soul music from the 80s and 90s is truly excellenthttps://www.nts.live/shows/total-stasis/episodes/total-stasis-11th-july-2023
― butt dumb tight my boners got boners (the table is the table), Saturday, 29 July 2023 01:15 (nine months ago) link
oooh ty
― Daniel_Rf, Monday, 31 July 2023 09:16 (nine months ago) link
This past week’s military takeover in the West African nation of Niger toppled the final domino in a band across the girth of Africa, from Guinea in the west to Sudan in the east, now controlled by juntas that came to power in a coup — all but one in the past two years.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/29/world/africa/africa-coups-niger.html
Not good for musicians or anyone
― curmudgeon, Monday, 31 July 2023 17:45 (nine months ago) link
Keyboardist Jantra, unknown in Khartoum, doesn't even know his album is out. Without a telephone, he continues his search for inspiration in Sudan, combining traditional music and celestial melodies. The latest craziness from the Ostinato label. https://t.co/SzQ7nCuacn— Pan African Music (@panafricanmusic) August 1, 2023
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 1 August 2023 18:18 (nine months ago) link
the wording of that tweet made me think this was going to be a bad story about a non-African label ripping people off, but it's not! https://pan-african-music.com/en/synthesized-sudan-jantra/
also this album is amazing based on the first full track
― rob, Tuesday, 1 August 2023 18:27 (nine months ago) link
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-mdou-moctar-while-they-cannot-return-home
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 3 August 2023 16:03 (nine months ago) link
Was just coming here to post that Mdou Moctar go fund me re their inability to get back to Niger due to the coup
― curmudgeon, Friday, 4 August 2023 13:39 (nine months ago) link
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2023/08/07/bobi-wine-the-peoples-president-movie-review/
A review of movie doc “Bobi Wine: the People’s President “ which is about a reggae singer who ran for president in Uganda in 2021
I haven’t seen it yet
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 16 August 2023 01:24 (nine months ago) link
Listening to Rophnan now. A young Ethiopian guy who sold out 2,500 capacity Echostage in DC last night. They usually have Anglo techno there. Rophnan melds some old school Ethiopian sounds with electro and hiphop.
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 20 August 2023 14:23 (nine months ago) link
Senegalese singer Baaba Maal has a new album out called Being
― curmudgeon, Monday, 21 August 2023 15:33 (nine months ago) link
and Afro-funky Zimbabwe band Mokoomba out a new album out a month agohttps://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jul/01/mokoomba-tusona-tracings-in-the-sand-review-stirring-pan-african-sounds-flowing-from-the-zambezi
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 24 August 2023 01:49 (nine months ago) link
Also a good reissue on Bandcamp. A guitarist from Cameroon’s Les Tet Brûlées, who were together in late 80s pays tribute to the band’s late leader Zanzibar
https://gibraltardrakus.bandcamp.com/album/hommage-a-zanzibar
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 24 August 2023 01:59 (nine months ago) link
I am kinda liking all of the last 4 efforts I posted about -- by Rophnan, Baaba Maal, Mokoomba, Gibraltar Drakus
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 24 August 2023 15:16 (nine months ago) link
Listened again to Mokoomba last night. Strong rhythms , and powerful lead vocals and harmonies. Some might hear it as retro but hopefully afrobeats and amapiano listeners might still like it
― curmudgeon, Friday, 25 August 2023 15:09 (nine months ago) link
Liked a song I just heard on WfMU from Roger Bekono who is from Cameroon and has a reissue out via Awesome Tapes from Africa
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 26 August 2023 23:49 (nine months ago) link
hey curmudgeon have u heard new blick bassy? not as jaw-dropping as 1958 maybe in part for not being as thematically focused? but quite beautiful and imo still one of the major vocal talents recording today.
― Mordy, Sunday, 27 August 2023 18:04 (nine months ago) link
No, will have to give a listen
― curmudgeon, Monday, 28 August 2023 16:32 (nine months ago) link
Like Blick Bassy's voice on new one which feels like it is melding a bit of an indie rock & pop electronic feel to his tuneful Cameroonian one. Just saw an article about him that says he's been listening to James Blake and Bon Iver lately and I can hear that a little
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 30 August 2023 05:17 (eight months ago) link
Big Senegalese African Ball event in NYC tonight and I think Brooklyn Carnival this weekend. But I am in DC
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 2 September 2023 19:01 (eight months ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJMugtcTVvw
Ethiocolor music and dance troupe fromAddis, Ethiopia at Kennedy Center last night Sometimes traditional and folkloric sometimes pop
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 7 September 2023 20:48 (eight months ago) link
https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/makeba-a-viral-tiktok-trend-pays-homage-to-mama-africa/
Long long article/ post about M Makeba and a tiktok trend
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 12 September 2023 23:06 (eight months ago) link
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-66568081
Salif Keita supports military coup in Mali
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 12 September 2023 23:12 (eight months ago) link
https://www.theafricareport.com/321727/in-mali-timbuktu-grapples-with-resurgent-jihadist-threat/
Jihadists blocking Timbuktu. No matter who is currently in charge in Mali, life is hard .
Lots of tough times now in Libya, Niger, and parts of Morocco also
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 13 September 2023 13:56 (eight months ago) link
https://africasacountry.com/2023/07/false-progress
Article suggests that just as there is a Latin Grammys and awards for Latin music at other Grammys, the same is needed for African music ( as opposed to what was recently done )
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 14 September 2023 19:20 (eight months ago) link
Article is from July 2023 but I just came across it
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 14 September 2023 19:22 (eight months ago) link
Madalisto 6 to 7 pm ET Fri Sept 15 free @ Kenn. Ctr Mill. Stage (& streamed on K. Ctr FB & Youtube) (Malawi duo)
― curmudgeon, Friday, 15 September 2023 15:18 (eight months ago) link
The Alogte Oho & His Sounds Of Joy album posted up thread is so good
― bbq, Friday, 15 September 2023 23:44 (eight months ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLVVO9cSkDY
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 16 September 2023 00:04 (eight months ago) link
That’s the Madalisto guitar duo fromKennedy Center.
X post- yeah the Alogte Oho gospel highlife is good
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 16 September 2023 00:14 (eight months ago) link
More Frafra Gospel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKPi_HQJH1ohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0w8x4CI91whttps://lindaayupuka.bandcamp.com/album/god-created-everything
― bbq, Saturday, 16 September 2023 07:31 (eight months ago) link
Saw Alogte Oho & His Sounds at the End of the Road festival, insanely good. I'm no expert on the genre or Ghanaian music, but seemed like a really fluid, virtuosic collective, huge grooves, great at working the crowd. Maybe the best thing I saw (along with the not at all similar Nina Nastasia).
― woof, Sunday, 17 September 2023 12:19 (eight months ago) link
Ted Gioia is praising Jantra: Synthesized Sudan: Astro-Nubian Electronic Jaglara Dance Sounds from the Fashaga Underground
― curmudgeon, Monday, 18 September 2023 19:51 (eight months ago) link
Really enjoyed the Kayhan Kalhor / Toumanié Diabaté album (The Sky is the Same Colour Everywhere), very pleasant autumn album of glistening strings, the Iranian (cello-like) Kamancheh especially shines.
Also the BCUC (Millions of Us) from South Africa was good fun, hypnotic jams constructed on percussion and slapping bass with a variety of vocals on top.
― Nabozo, Friday, 22 September 2023 08:12 (eight months ago) link