Rolling Global Outernational Non-West Non-English (Some Exceptions) 2017 Thread Once Known as World Music

At least you tried. "All that we ask is that you try," as my dickheaded high school gym teacher used to say.

I still think it's very good, but I need to listen to more. There is maybe a quarter of it that I'm not so fond of. I think I am just bored right now and need something to be enthusiastic about, so I'm having trouble letting it come into focus and arriving at a real opinion. I like the vibraphonist best, to be honest.

Enjoyed Tinariwen live last night. Have seen 'em a number of times now. Despite the similarity of the arrangements of some of their songs, there were enough subtle differences (plus different lead vocalists on different cuts) to keep it interesting.

Jonathan Bogart has been writing for Medium and elsewhere a bit about Angolan pop. Here's his latest talk at the Pop Conference

https://medium.com/@jonathanbogart/look-at-the-boy-doll-look-at-the-girl-doll-the-radical-wit-transgressive-populism-of-dce66fb6461d

I think I posted his Pop Angola 2016 last year

My review of the Tinariwen and Dengue Fever show in Philly last week.

http://agitreader.com/wp2/tinariwen-and-dengue-feverunion-transfer-philadelphia-april-18

This kind of music is outside of what I usually listen to so I hope I did the band's justice.

really enjoying this today
https://nyegenyegetapes.bandcamp.com/album/gulu-city-anthems

"Nyege Nyege Tapes proudly announces the first international release of electro acholi pioneer Otim Alpha's incredible body of work recorded over a period of 11 years. Otim Alpha together with his early producer Leo Palayeng began in 2001 taking traditional Acholi 'Larakaraka' wedding songs and reinterpreting them with music software on computers. The results are a fast paced poly-rhythmic music ready for dance floor madness."

A bunch of things on bandcamp I need to catch up with, including that

http://www.afropop.org/34186/fresh-cuts-vol-three/

a selection of newly released tracks and videos from across Africa and the diaspora, featuring established and up-and-coming artists and everything in between. Today we’ve got, among other things, rhymes and beats from London, Ghana, Dominican Republic and Cameroon, some entrancing electrified Ugandan folk music and slick electro-pop from Namibia

http://www.wnyc.org/story/angelique-kidjo-reimagines-remain-light-in-studio/

I missed the live airing of Kidjo doing Talking Heads Remain in Light. Still want to hear it.

Been listening to Cameroonian Petit Pays, who sounds a bit a old-school Congolese rumba/soukous. Also checking out some Sam Fan Thomas top tracks. Still need to get to that stuff highlighted on bandcamp above.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/01/arts/music/new-orleans-jazz-heritage-festival-best-performances.html?_r=0

Jon Pareles faves at the first weekend of Jazzfest in New Orleans include group I like a lot, Makoomba from Zimbabwe--

MOKOOMBA This band from Zimbabwe sings in the language its members grew up with, Tonga. But its guitar grooves are a Pan-African blend, drawing on the thumb-pianolike guitar picking of older Zimbabwean pop, on the lilting rumba of Congolese soukous and on hints of rock. It was topped with the chameleonic vocals of Mathias Muzaza, who moved from a smooth croon to rasping, riveting incantations.

He also liked, among others --TELMARY Y HABANA SANA The Cuban poet, rapper and songwriter Telmary Diaz didn’t rely on her words alone to get across her socially conscious messages. She had a full Latin band, playing the sinuous rhythms of son and speedy, percussive rumba, surrounding her with melodic refrains.

Saw Mokoomba on their first tour and am looking forward to seeing them again this weekend. The new album is a little less potent then they are live, but still worth checking out (streaming, download , however)

Mokoomba were so good live last night. Choreographed dancing, singer with wide vocal range, harmonies from the band, tight rhythm section, great guitar...

Mokoomba singer was sweating heavily under the lights and working hard. Not sure if the ballad he sang about his deceased parents, accompanied by just the keyboard player is on either of their albums.

All Mokoomba, all of the time--

They just added more summer North America dates. Philly folks, the closest gigs to you will be in NYC and an Erie PA festival. Also a free show at the Kennedy Center in DC that will also be live-streamed August 1 (just a special hour only gig)

Finally listened to Otim Alpha from Uganda's Gulu City Anthems on Nyege Nyege Tapes via Bandcamp. I like some of it, but I think I like Janka Nabay's brand of afro-folk vocals over Afro-electro beats better.

I want to hear the new Vieux Farka Toure. Plus Angelique Kidjo's live take on Talking Heads Remain in Light. Need to get those. I'd like to see great Cameroonian vocalist Petit Pays Friday night near Washington DC, in Maryland, but I'm heading out of town for a family thing.

Listened to some of the new Vieux Farka Toure album "Samba" yesterday. Good if you like him, and I do. Solid aggressive Malian electric guitar lead and rhythm with a small band

Cameroon's Petit Pays brings his makossa sound to Maryland on the 19th and Massachusetts on the 20th. Old-schooler Sam Fan Thomas is coming in June. On the 10th in Maryland, other dates tba.

http://www.frootsmag.com/content/issue/charts/

Transglobal Top 15 April 2017 chart

1.ORCHESTRA BAOBAB Tribute To Ndiouga Dieng (World Circuit)
2.BARGOU 08 Targ (Glitterbeat)
3.OMAR SOSA & SECKOU KEITA Transparent Water (Otá)
4.MOKOOMBA Luyando (OutHere)
5.TAMIKREST Kidal (Glitterbeat)
6.DAYMÉ AROCENA Cubafonía (Brownswood Recordings)
7.MARA ARANDA Sefarad En El Corazón De Marruecos (Mara Aranda)
8.AMINE & HAMZA Fertile Paradoxes (ARC Music)
9.LES AMAZONES D’AFRIQUE République Amazone (Real World)
10.YASMINE HAMDAN Al Jamilat (Crammed)
11.DANYÈL WARO Monmon (Cobalt/Buda)
12.TINARIWEN Elwan (Wedge)
13.DHAFER YOUSSEF Diwan Of Beauty And Odd (Okeh)
14.ELIDA ALMEIDA Djunta Kudjer (Lusafrica)
15.SERENDOU Zinder (Hirustica)

love this elida almeida album. she was featured on the most recent afropop worldwide ep "THE ATLANTIC SOUND OF CAPE VERDE"

Still need to check that Almeida album out. I've been listening to the raw, chanted vocals and funky, galloping rhythms of Ghana's Ayisoba

http://thequietus.com/articles/22127-king-ayisoba-1000-can-die-album-review

King Ayisoba that is

Malian Oumou Sangare's first album in awhile sounded good on first listen. The backing to her fine singing is a mix of French producers using tech and some traditional Malian instrument players

http://www.resident-music.com/image/cache/data/proper/ifr-500x500.jpg

This new Ifriqiyya Electrique blows shit up. Ritualistic post-punk Tunisian trance music?

Still listening to new Oumou Sangare & have to get to other non-Malian ones

https://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2017/05/23/at-long-last-the-african-music-from-ali-and-foremans-rumble-in-the-jungle-sees-release

The performances were filmed and recorded on a state-of-the-art mobile studio, but most of the tapes sat in storage for decades thanks to a dispute with the fight's notorious promoter, Don King. Now, the organizers of the music festival—South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela and producer Stewart Levine—have finally gained control of the music, and on Friday a stunning new double CD called Zaire 74: the African Performers (Wrasse) will at long last let us hear it all. The set features beautifully recorded, highly charged, and sublimely elegant performances by Franco & O.K. Jazz, Orchestre Stukas, Abeti Masikini, and Tabu Ley Rochereau & Afrisa, as well as a set from South African great Miriam Makeba. It's mind-boggling that this material has been buried all these years. The discs are packaged in a lovely hardbound book with liner-note essays by Masekela, Levine, and British music journalist Robin Denselow. I wish there were more still images from the film footage—Makeba is the only artist

Chicago Reader's Margasak also likes this East African comp of 70s to 80s music (he likes it more than Christgau does, as explained)

https://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2017/05/02/urgent-jumping-collects-east-african-dance-classics-including-the-frantic-benga-of-the-golden-kings-band

Zaire 74 is a bit uneven but has some great Tabu ley cuts and Franco ones

I need to listen to the Makeba cuts again on that long Zaire 74 cd. The Abeti Masikini tracks didn't wow me-- her voice is too ragged, folkloric at times.

Still need to check out Mordy fave Elida Almeida. My Zimbabwe fave Mokoomba are gonna be in London Sunday (for anyone over there)

fwiw i've kinda cooled on that album. mostly listening to the zaire 74 atm.

NPR ATC had an interview with Hugh Masekela and the other guy who he worked with on putting together the Zaire 74 album. Kinda interesting. All of the African stars from that show are now deceased-- Tabu ley; Franco; Makeba etc.

The documentary about that concert, <i>Soul Power</i>, has some short excerpts of African artists performing, plus James Brown, BB King, Bill Withers, etc. Also features a truly detestable British a&r man.

Has anyone seen Les Filles de Illighadad in concert? They're visiting Montreal next week, exciting.

Nope, but would like to.

x-post-- in addition to that Soul Power doc about the Zaire 74 concert, there is now a movie doc about the Latino acts-- “Fania All-Stars: Live in Africa"

new songhoy blues album out today

Friend just linked me to this. Beautiful Electro Pop:

https://open.spotify.com/album/0RWibDzGRDMx7PhC8koIHh?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open&play=true

Dizzy Mandjeku & Odemba OK All Stars

Was reading about this former guitarist for Franco and other Congolese rumba and soukous artists, who is based in Belgium now and just appeared over the weekend at a festival in Liverpool, England

Mdou Moctar, the guitarist from that Malian Prple Rain movie is doing some US tour dates, and the booker (whom I know) says he needs more Midwest dates between festivals

None of the dates booked so far are listed here, but I think the contact info is

http://multifloraproductions.com/booking/mdou-moctar-north-america-2017/#.WUvXD9IUmpo

any chance he's coming to philly? if not he should book world cafe live or crossroads (http://www.crossroadsconcerts.org) both of which have smaller venues and host a bunch of international acts.

I will check

Crossroads can't do it he says (brief text without explanation -- maybe the only date that will work is booked). No response back from the booking agent in the text re World Café Live. He is still hoping to do a Philly show he says.

this is another possibility and a really nice venue:
http://www.ardmoremusic.com

I let him know.

Was just reading about a Moroccan men's choir that could not get their visas approved to perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

I dunno I love this Awa Poulo album, the crazy flute is what makes it for me

Trying to remember what about that Malian Awa Poulo instrumentation I wasn't crazy about back in March. I forgot, which means maybe I should give it another listen.

Been listening to Colombia's Tribu Baharu, whose champeta sound draws heavily from Congolese soukous and rumba high-pitched guitar.

Also been listening to old-school Cameroon singer Coco Argentee, who is going to be at Lee's Lounge in MD outside Washington DC late Friday night (early Saturday morning). I'd like to see her, but think it's gonna be a 1 am or so starting time and I'm not sure if she'll have a band or be singing over tracks.