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

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.

I didn't go. She's still on her US tour. Did see a DC-based Palestinian oud player/singer last night who is very good.

Need to catch up on Afropop Worldwide podcasts plus various albums....

The flute, ngoni & calabash gourd don't always seem together on Awa Poulo's track "Djulau," but when they do it works nice with her voice.

That Ifriqiyya Electrique mentioned above is pretty wild--North African rock, postpunk industrial

So many afropop worldwide podcasts I need to hear

otm

Bakwamagazine.com has a history of Nigerian juju music piece I need to read.

New Amadou & Mariam full album won't be out till September, but they're touring North America now

some of their upcoming dates

July 20—Washington, DC—9:30 Club

July 21— Brooklyn, NY— Celebrate Brooklyn
July 22—Philadelphia, PA—World Café Live
July 24—Chicago, IL—Millennium Park
July 27—Minneapolis, MN—Cedar Cultural Center

bah sat night show not gonna happen too bad :(

(i mean not gonna happen for me - i'm sure it'll go on as planned)

speaking of afropop worldwide new ep looks super promising:

Proving the Bubu Myth: Janka Nabay, War, and Witchcraft in Sierra Leone

Saw Amadou & Mariam in DC last night. The arena rock flashes from the keyboardist & Trap drummer annoyed me at times. I'm not a purist but the hybrid has to work in a satisfying way. Plus Amadou 's guitar was sometimes too low in the mix. Some songs worked great though. The backup singer/dancer from Mali was impressive & Mariam's voice also.

Still haven't caught up on those podcasts.

I have been listening to Yemi Alade who is touring the US in a week or so. She's afropop/afrobeats and has probably been mentioned on that other thread. I like the songs "Koffi Anan" (it's a dance one can do) and "Johnny," a lot. Not a great voice but good enough (with clever enunciation) over those catchy, programmed Nigerian rhythms

On a few songs on her Mama Africa album, Yemi Alade goes beyond the afrobeats rhythm template a bit.

Her "Johnny" video has been viewed 72 million times. Alade is a superstar in Africa. She has recorded songs in French and Swahili to reach out to audiences too.

sorry to sort of hijack, but what's the best place to write about "world music" these days? print would be cool, but web only is fine, too.

Songlines? Are there better options than that?

Not much out there....Bandcamp; Pitchfork seems to have dropped coverage of this stuff;Folk Roots aka FRoots; the Afropop Worldwide website ; if its got programmed beats - Fader;

ouch

otoh i find music listening much more pleasant when i'm not expected to write about it

I think that bland site Paste sometime has African music coverage

http://kronosquartet.org/news/article/out-this-fall-collaborative-album-with-malian-super-group-trio-da-kali

Back in 2014 I think, I saw Malian group Trio Da Kali do a live collaboration gig with the Kronos Quartet. An album is now due in September, and the link has an advance stream of one song

Great Zimbabwe band Mokoomba who were in the UK recently, are now touring the US again. Their one hour free gig on Tuesday August 1st from 6 to 7pm at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage in Washington DC will be videostreamed on the Millennium Stage website and on Facebook. It will also be video-archived.

Mokoomba did a few too many instrumental solos at that gig, but it was still enjoyable.

http://sahelsounds.com/2017/08/mdou-moctar-usa-tour-2017/

Includes NY, DC, and Philly shows plus more (no Ohio tho )

Latin Arabia! Check out excerpt and or full article below

https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/music/from-south-america-to-a-dance-floor-near-you-looking-at-the-rise-of-reggaeton-1.614324

Marshall says all this points to the fact that popular music is drawing more of its inspiration from Africa and across the Caribbean.

“It’s that same Afro-Caribbean rhythm that underpins reggaeton,” he says, mentioning the recent success of Drizzy and RiRi.

“The rise of these Afro-Diasporic polyrhythms over the last 10 to 15 years across the global pop and dance landscape is the bigger story here. Reggaeton is playing the role of one crucial vector for that spread.”

Also paying close attention to the trend is Taymoor Marmarchi. As head of one of the Arab world’s most powerful music labels, Dubai-based Platinum Records, Marmarchi has this week launched a sub-branch of the label, called Latin Arabia.

With the aim of fusing Latin sounds with Arabic pop, the initiative was launched with a pair of tracks featuring Arab stars who have collaborated with one of the world’s leading reggaeton acts, Cuban duo Gente De Zona.

While young Moroccan stars Grini and Jamila’s La Gozadera is an Arabic remix of last year’s hit by De Zona, it is the original composed collaboration featuring Palestinian star Mohammed Assaf that hints at Latin Arabia’s promise.

Released last week as part of Assaf’s second album Ma Wahashnak, Baddek Enayah is a monster hit in the making with its seamless blend of Arabic folk and reggaeton beat with bright splashes of horns and flamenco guitars.

An accompanying music video featuring both artists is in the works, and Assaf says he is particularly proud of the song because it proves that Arab artists can keep up with the latest trends and can release work relevant to their fan base at any particular time.

“I think it has that nice modern touch that my Arabic fans want now from their music,” he told The National in an exclusive interview last week.

“They hear these western styles every day – I mean, just look at how big Despacito is around the world, I want to tap into that and prove that I, as an Arab artist, can do that, too.”