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

This is exquisite

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxDsn-8eymk

Full-length version (Spotify) stretches it out a bit more

heads up for 2018 for NYC folks, Brooklyn Bowl is doing an April Festival of Mali:

April 13 – Toumani Diabate and Sidiki Diabate
http://www.brooklynbowl.com/event/1527525-toumani-diabate-sidiki-brooklyn/

April 14 – Sidi Touré
http://www.brooklynbowl.com/event/1528493-sidi-toure-brooklyn/

April 15 – Trio da Kali and Derek Gripper
http://www.brooklynbowl.com/event/1528524-trio-da-kali-derek-gripper-brooklyn/

April 16 – Fatoumata Diawara
http://www.brooklynbowl.com/event/1528532-fatoumata-diawara-brooklyn/

April 28 – Ibibio Sound Machine
http://www.brooklynbowl.com/event/1528534-ibibio-sound-machine-brooklyn/

Trio da Kali & Kronos were awesome playing together live several years ago, and I liked the advance I heard of their album

Mdou Moctar US tour underway. Los Angeles folks, free show Thursday September 7th at 6 pm at Amoeba in Hollywood.

and free nyc show on the 28
http://www.lincolncenter.org/show/mdou-moctar

is Moctar actually *in* the U.S.? is this confirmed?

he had to cancel UK/EU which made me nervous

he's got a few ny dates so there's some trust he's on the way

Do you think NY dates indicate more trust that he's on the way than Oakland or Cedar Rapids or Louisville?

I know how tours work ... he also just canceled a bunch of announced dates in Europe because of visa issues.

not trying to be coy or naive here, but i think multiple NY dates (as opposed to Louisville) means that more than one east coast promoter are working to make sure he gets into the country which a) helps his case with the visa office and b)suggests that people with money think he can jump through the necessary hoops else they wouldn't be actively promoting

that said i did not know he just canceled EU dates... I will reach out to a venue friend and ask

in portland he's playing at the same venue which booked khun narin. frankly i'm amazed that anybody can get in the country these days, things being how they are.

sorry, i didn't mean to be snarky w/ my last post. came out wrong.

i guess i just don't have the view that multiple east coast promoters who've booked shows w/ him have that much more pull w/ the visa office than dozens across the country. i know east coasters think east coast shows are a big deal (no shots, just saying) but i can't imagine the visa office cares more about a promoter in NYC than Louisville or L.A. but maybe i'm wrong.

he had EU dates announced for 8/19-9/2 but they announced cancellations on 8/31 ... not sure if the shows before that were canceled or not?

and this is why - as is the case with a lot of overseas acts these days - i will feel better when i see Moctar on U.S. soil.

he is supposed to play L.A. tomorrow night:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DG0NSzIV0AAqcy-.jpg

Eruv Sukkot in philly sadly or I'd go

i'm certainly no expert but having spoken with a lawyer who specializes in artist visa issues more or less exclusively, i think having the backing of folks with money, power and specific dates/programs to bring you into the country (and maybe moreso in a venue immediately adjacent to the airport where an artist touches down) makes for a stronger case. it's less about NYC I'M WALKIN' OVAH HEAH culture politics and more about being in a port city with heavy trade in artist transportation and people in power on the side of the angels (like lincoln center as a for instance) who have systems in place to better help mitigate than, say, Macon GA. that said, with the current administration in power, who knows anything about anything? i hope he don't run into any bullshit as i'd like to see him play.

let me know if that LA show does/doesn't come off please?

ooh, ok, that all makes me feel better. thanks for the insight. that's what i get for worrying out loud about something i don't know much about. :)

will do, re: LA

just called the hollywood amoeba (yay living in the future), they said it's a go

My source says he's due to arrive in US today and do the Amoeba gig tomorrow. So hopefully things run smoothly today!

Successful Moctar entry into US, first gig tonight at Amoeba in Los Angeles area

woohoo!

as long as we're in Moctar mode, he's playing live (and Sahel Sounds dude is DJing) from Noon to 2 Pacific today here: http://dublab.com/events/27840/live-broadcast-slayron-analogue-players-club/

https://www.musicinafrica.net/directory/yehunie-belay

Had never heard of this guy, but he's doing an Ethiopian New Year's gig near me this weekend. I like his voice on the first few cuts I have heard.

Ethiopian New Year is on the 11th this year.

Just got back from a screening of Akounak... followed by a Moctar concert and can confirm that he's in the states, has a warm smile and absolutely slays live.

Yes! Have seen some clips on Instagram of Moctar and band out west.

Oh, saw Senegalese group Bideew Bou Bess for free at Kennedy Center Millennium Stage last night. 3 vocalists, including one who played some guitar, plus 2 more folks- a drummer and a percussionist. A but uneven but impressive at times. They sing N'Dour style mbalax but also rap and add some r'n'b bits. Rapping was impressive in an oldschool golden era meets backpacker way-- verbose and polished inflection-wise(I don't speak Wolof) . They were in NYC the night before. Not sure where they play next.

The gig should be available soon on the K. Ctr M. Stage site's video archive.

Returned to K. Center last night and saw Cambodian Space Project do their psych/garage rock/Khmer pop thing. I liked it. They're doing a free NYC gig Friday night at the Cutting Room

https://daily.bandcamp.com/2017/09/20/africa-seven-feature/

Sonodisc African reissues

2nd Songhoy Blues album is a tad uneven but not bad

Songhoy Blues are touring the US right now. IN DC Thursday the 28th

TRANSGLOBAL WORLD MUSIC CHART TOP 15
August’s favourite albums compiled from a worldwide panel of broadcasters and writers.

1.TRIO DA KALI & KRONOS QUARTET Ladilikan (World Circuit)
2.TOKO TELO Toy Raha Toy (Anio)
3.BOKANTÉ Strange Circles (Groundup)
4.OUMOU SANGARE Mogoya (No Format!)
5.MAGÍN DIAZ El Orisha De La Rosa (Noname)
6.SABÎL Zabad (Harmonia Mundi)
7.TRIO TEKKE & DAVE DE ROSE Zivo (Trio Tekke)
8.RAHIM ALHAJ Letters From Iraq (Smithsonian Folkways)
9.FRIGG Frost On Fiddles (Frigg)
10.DIMITRIS MYSTAKIDIS Amerika (Fishbowl)
11.LILA DOWNS Salón, Lágrimas y Deseo (Sony)
12.MEÏKHÂNEH La Silenceuse (Buda)
13.SONGHOY BLUES Résistance (Transgressive)
14.DANYÈL WARO Monmon (Cobalt/Buda)
15.RANK LONDON Glass House Orchestra (Piranha)

The Oumou Sangare record is nice. What a great voice. Wish she would tour the US. Last time I think she came to my neck of the woods was at the Smithsonian Folklife Fest in like 2004 or 2005 (and I missed the show as I was busy coaching my son's baseball team or something...).

Songhoy Blues did a a 1 1/2 hour set in DC last night. Fun and lively, though their songwriting is a bit uneven and sometimes the guitarist goes from that cool North African sound to less interesting to me blues-rock power chords.

Also saw more Mdou Moctar footage on Youtube of him live on this US tour. Looking forward to seeing him for free Sunday night at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. That 6 to 7 pm est gig will be streamed live on FB & at the K Ctr M. St. website too I think.

Then seeing Sun Ra Arkestra open for Solange there (paid ticket) at 8 that night in another Kennedy Center theatre.

Moctar was great last night; they had a lot of technical issues though. Line to the free show around the block!

Moctar's show in DC was fairly mellow for the first 40 minutes, then the tempo picked up and he got flashier on guitar and the last 20 minutes were great. First 40 weren't bad, just not as dazzling. Maybe because of the way the free show was marketed, or because of the movie Moctar was in, but I saw folks there who I don't often see at North African music gigs-- rockers Ian S (of Makeup & Chain & the Gang), all of Priests, drummer and bass player from Fugazi (now in Messthetics together, they'll be doing a gig opening for Moctar in DC on the 12th)

Kennedy Center video of that show-- http://www.kennedy-center.org/video/index/M64066

Alas I missed the late-night Nigerian Independence celebration gig in DC Sunday night with 4 afrobeats/afropop acts. There were also dj events for Nigeria independence day on Friday and Saturday

I interviewed Mdou Moctar when he was in Brussels a few weeks ago, and was able to aired it last Friday: https://www.mixcloud.com/Sterrenplaten/sterrenplaten-29-september-2017-mdou-moctar-the-dwarfs-of-east-agouza/

On how Christopher from Sahel Sounds traced him, on the bond with his parents and his religion, on nature and the desert. In French though.

The show also contains a sprawling improv set excerpt (15 min) by The Dwarfs Of East Agouza and a short talk with Maurice Louca, Sam Shalabi and Alan Bishop on a Brussels' rooftop.

Merci.

Group Doueh (Western Sahara band) coming next to DC on the 6th

Missed Group Doueh last night but saw an impressive video clip with Doueh playing guitar behind his head. Wfmu is I think associated with their gig with 75 Dollar Bill tonight

bit of a long shot but does anyone have any recommended reading or anything on the history of the guitar in west africa or africa more generally? particularly interested in anything pre-C20th

issue of The World of Music from 1994 on the topic looks interesting:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/i40141633

some talk about the slide guitar + west africa here:
http://www.afropop.org/8638/africa-and-the-blues-an-interview-with-gerhard-kubik/

I keep falling in love w/ these field recordings on Afropop Worldwide for artists that I cannot otherwise find any recordings of online. First it was Timmy Wonder and the Creative Crew on the Fuji-Juju episode and now it's Ambassador Joker on the new Fela Kuti ep.

Still behind on catching up on Afropop episodes. Speaking of Fela, watched a bit of Anthony Bourdain's show on CNN --the episode with him in Lagos. He goes to the Shrine, and talks with Seun, Femi and Yeni Kuti.

http://www.foodandwine.com/news/anthony-bourdain-parts-unknown-lagos-preview

Wife and I drove down to the Richmond, VA Folk Fest on Saturday(its a Friday through Sunday event). Saw soul and blues acts; black frat and sorority step dancers; plus Peru's Los Wemblers (chicha/psych cumbia ) and Betsayda Machado Y La Parranda El Clavo (The Voice of Venezuela and her afro-percussive band). Good stuff.

Also saw Mdou Moctar again in DC. A more rocking set than the one I saw earlier at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage.

x-post to bit of a long shot but does anyone have any recommended reading or anything on the history of the guitar in west africa or africa more generally? particularly interested in anything pre-C20th

― ogmor, Sunday, October 8, 2017

I vaguely recall that Ned Sublette's book "Cuba and its Music" traces that island's music back to its roots including Africa.

not much on guitar but lots on pre-20th century african music
https://www.amazon.com/Music-Africa-J-Kwabeha-Nketia/dp/0393092496

this boxset also relevant:
https://www.discogs.com/Various-The-African-Guitar-Box/release/3716875

thanks for all these recommendations, I'll start to dip in. you sometimes hear that a certain bit of early modern guitar music or flamenco or w/e is african, or based on an african tune, or a rhythm or whatever, and that sort of thing is v curious to me

http://www.forcedexposure.com/Artists/BLO.html

Just learning about 70s psych rock band from Nigeria Blo who later apparently got more danceable as Disco arrived

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/konono-no-1-bandleader-augustin-mawangu-mingiedi-dead-at-56-w509710

Oh no. Saw this on ILE obit thread

The band will continue with a 3rd generation

digging this https://nyegenyegetapes.bandcamp.com/album/afromutations

whole label is cool

― Mordy, Monday, 23 October 2017 01:02

oops posted it to the wrong thread

I saw Innov Gnawa, a Moroccan group that is based in the NYC area(and has a number of Sufi members and one Moroccan Jew) do a special program of the type of songs that would be supposed be played for Moroccan Jewish audiences long ago. This show too place at a historic Baltimore synagogue. Call and response chanting vocals (in Berber, Arabic & Hebrew???), lots of castanet percussion, a lead vocalist also playing the sintir (a lute like instrument) on most songs and a big drum on the encore.