Opening act singer Abeba Desalegn was good too.
― curmudgeon, Monday, 13 January 2020 15:11 (four years ago) link
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/13/arts/music/globalfest.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_200115?campaign_id=2&instance_id=15087&segment_id=20334&user_id=062566bcd9872d3bfa0c4b1ac1e046b4®i_id=373557720115
Global Fest in NYC this past Sunday take by Jon Pareles. Sounds fun
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 15 January 2020 11:42 (four years ago) link
Fado singer Lina Rodrigues and producer Raül Refree (who's worked with Rosalía and Lee Ranaldo, among others) have collaborated on an album that takes traditional fado songs and brings them into an almost Portishead-ish zone. I interviewed them both for Bandcamp.
― shared unit of analysis (unperson), Wednesday, 15 January 2020 15:20 (four years ago) link
Songlines 12 five-star African albums from last year:https://www.songlines.co.uk/explore/guides-and-lists/the-12-five-star-african-albums-of-2019
Dawda Jobarteh - I Met Her By the RiverVaudou Game - OtodiAli Hassan Kuban - From Nubia to CairoBlick Bassy - 1958Baba Commandant and the Mandigo Band - Siri Ba KeleMdou Moctar - Ilana: The CreatorBenin International Musical - BIM#1Africa Express - EgoliVA - Mlouk: Gnawa and World Music FestivalKOKOKO! - FongolaTinariwen - AmadjarVA - Early Congo Music 1946-1962
cool list!
― Mordy, Wednesday, 15 January 2020 18:04 (four years ago) link
Good stuff, Phil – the music and interview both. Thanks for the heads up.
xp
― pomenitul, Wednesday, 15 January 2020 19:25 (four years ago) link
Xp— that Songlines list is good, I agree
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 16 January 2020 05:17 (four years ago) link
Loving this!!! If you have been fortunate enough to see either Fendika or PNL’s Large Unit, you know that them together??! Perfection imo. https://paalnilssen-love.bandcamp.com/album/ethiobraz
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Friday, 17 January 2020 18:32 (four years ago) link
Yeah, I'm including that ^^^ in my upcoming Stereogum column. It rips.
― shared unit of analysis (unperson), Friday, 17 January 2020 18:41 (four years ago) link
I interviewed Korean artist Eunhye Jeong, who combines traditional pansori music with free jazz, for Bandcamp. The album is wild.
― shared unit of analysis (unperson), Friday, 17 January 2020 22:16 (four years ago) link
Tony Allen and Hugh Masekela recorded an album together before the latter died; it's coming out in March. This is the first track:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMOJg16oHdI
Also note that this is the first release on the relaunched World Circuit label.
― shared unit of analysis (unperson), Wednesday, 22 January 2020 13:12 (four years ago) link
Saw Tony Allen with a band live once and he was great. Hopefully that recording with Masekela will be great.
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 23 January 2020 04:03 (four years ago) link
finally got a hold of that early congo music comp from that songlines list and if congolese rumba in yr jam (it's v much mine) it's really a fantastic document and i don't know a lot of these artists!
also enjoyed this MOGADISCO: Dancing Mogadishu (Somalia 1972-1991) comp - not sure we've mentioned it in any of these threads
― Mordy, Thursday, 23 January 2020 19:34 (four years ago) link
That early Congo music release is from a Japanese label. Is any US distributor handling it?
― curmudgeon, Friday, 24 January 2020 04:51 (four years ago) link
https://www.farsidemusic.com/acatalog/Early-Congo-Music-1946-1962--First-Rumba-to-the-Real-Rumba-FSD7558.html
― Mordy, Friday, 24 January 2020 04:57 (four years ago) link
Listened to the reissue of an Issam Hajali album today - Lebanese Acid Folk from the 70's with touches of orchestral pop, prog, bossa nova. Killer album, Habibi Funk is such a great label.
― Daniel_Rf, Friday, 24 January 2020 13:11 (four years ago) link
ooo good stuff thx for the tip
― Mordy, Friday, 24 January 2020 13:51 (four years ago) link
The major keepers from globalFest imo were:
San Salvador: South France polyphony with drums... fucking volcanic live - https://soundcloud.com/lostintraditions/sets/san-salvador-livehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt1Ok0Kvcsg
La Chica: Venezuelan French woman doing dope electro-pop - https://remezcla.com/features/music/la-chica-profile/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00Q0YmCRa1Y
Ak Dan Gwang Chil: sprawling South Korean band with three lead female singers and killer style - http://sori.nyc/adgchttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krIHTd-7PGY
And, of course, Cheikh Lo was lovely as always
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Friday, 24 January 2020 15:28 (four years ago) link
Heard good things about Ak Dan Gwang Chil. They were in DC at Kennedy Center too, but just billed as a folkloric trad group and I missed them. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage 1 hour gigs are videotaped and archived -- will check that out as well.
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 26 January 2020 15:43 (four years ago) link
Gregory Maqoma’s Vuyani Dance Theatre from South Africa did an intense performance last night @ Kennedy Center entitled “Cion: Requiem of Ravel’s Bolero.” Set in a graveyard , the singers/dancers combined mournful South African Isicathamiya a capella singing w/ beatbox rap & hiphop dance (both modern and popping and locking). A touch of Malathini in vocals via use of froggy voice megaphone, also traditional tongue clicking at one point. No video allowed last night. Too bad as the video trailers on Youtube are much more tame than what I saw. The NY Times profiled Maqoma and gave a fave review to their performance last weekend in NYC. South African composer Nhlanhla Mahlangu cleverly transposed Ravel's Bolero to a marching snare drum beat and via other ways as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGcOE7LamP0
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 26 January 2020 15:53 (four years ago) link
i'm enjoying this this morning (on spotify) - sorta Anglo-Scots/Indian folk fusion:https://www.dominomusic.com/releases/yorkston-thorne-khan/navarasa-nine-emotions/cd
― Mordy, Sunday, 26 January 2020 16:00 (four years ago) link
x-post
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/14/arts/dance/gregory-maqoma.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/19/arts/music/prototype-festival-opera.html
Maqoma's South African dance and song gets love from NY Times
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 26 January 2020 16:05 (four years ago) link
Looks like Maqoma’s Vuyani Dance Theatre from South Africa have only 1 more US appearance - February 1 at Mass Moca
― curmudgeon, Monday, 27 January 2020 16:38 (four years ago) link
Shows in New York:
Sat., Feb 1:3MA, comprising Malian kora master Ballaké Sissoko, Moroccan oud expert Driss El Maloumi, and Malagasy valiha extraordinaire Rajery plays a FREE show at Public Records. Don't forget to RSVP!
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 1 February 2020 00:10 (four years ago) link
Ulysses and Unperson should go to that.
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 1 February 2020 20:29 (four years ago) link
Unfortunately, I'm gonna be at the Jazz Gallery tonight.
― but also fuck you (unperson), Saturday, 1 February 2020 22:04 (four years ago) link
i've had the flu for about a week - mildly unpleasant. more unpleasant has been taking care of 3 sick kids who also are sick and being mostly cooped inside. today i was feeling better but w/ some cabin fever so i took reggie for a long walk outside. it had rained in the morning and was still cold and the air was sharp but there were lots of birds and small mammals about. i listened to the new afropop worldwide episode about the field recordings of High Tracey who did a lot of fieldwork in traditional communities in Africa in the 1950s particularly in Malawi. i had not heard these before but many are extraordinary + strange lots of inventive vocal and instrumental sounds, some things that reminded me of reading feld's sound and sentiment, really some wonderful things to listen to and especially on a chilly, somewhat wet walk after spending all week ill and indoors.
― Mordy, Sunday, 2 February 2020 20:16 (four years ago) link
Hugh* Tracey but i guess that's a little easter egg there
― Mordy, Sunday, 2 February 2020 20:20 (four years ago) link
Mordy, did you study ethnomusicology? Not doing so has always been a minor regret of mine. I did take an intro anthropology course and the prof would start each class by playing music and asking us to guess where it was from
― rob, Monday, 3 February 2020 14:50 (four years ago) link
Sorta - I did a Performance Studies grad degree but worked with ethnomusicologists and on topics that had a lot of crossover so I ended up studying + reading a lot of ethnomusicology and took a few classes in the discipline. I was mostly interested in religious + liturgical music and wrote about Jewish music primarily but I also wrote about other things. I also did a course in Sound Studies that was very interesting.
― Mordy, Monday, 3 February 2020 15:08 (four years ago) link
Ah that's interesting. A good friend of mine is doing a PhD in performance studies at CUNY right now and all his classes sound great--he's a playwright & director but is also taking a lot of music-related courses. When I worked in academic publishing I promoted ethnomusicology books but never had time to do much more than skim them (I wish I'd kept copies of them all now!). Sound studies is closer to my own academic field (media/comms) but I haven't had a chance to get seriously into yet.
― rob, Monday, 3 February 2020 15:26 (four years ago) link
Shakira At Super Bowl halftime used the the Congo instrumental song Icha by Syran Mbenza. The guitar solo is by Lokassa Ya Mbongo I am reading on twitter. Colombian champeta is drawn from Congolese rumba in part.
She also drew a bit from her Lebanese heritage. Zaghrouta is the tongue thing she did.
― curmudgeon, Monday, 3 February 2020 16:16 (four years ago) link
Maybe some university classes are discussing that today!
― curmudgeon, Monday, 3 February 2020 16:18 (four years ago) link
Plus the myriad other elements and the guests Bad Bunny & J Balvin
― curmudgeon, Monday, 3 February 2020 16:19 (four years ago) link
I didn't see it, but that does sound like a rich text!
― rob, Monday, 3 February 2020 16:24 (four years ago) link
can't wait to talk about this w my students! they love bad bunny
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Monday, 3 February 2020 16:40 (four years ago) link
Others on twitter are saying Shakira’s tongue ululations are part of traditional carnival roots in Barranquilla in Colombia.
On Facebook the discussion is more re whether the dancing was too raunchy, and is it or not empowering for 43 & 50 years old women to dance like that ( and for children to see it)
― curmudgeon, Monday, 3 February 2020 18:01 (four years ago) link
ugh! put down your pearls, folks
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Monday, 3 February 2020 18:06 (four years ago) link
the NFL still has cheerleaders, no?
― rob, Monday, 3 February 2020 18:07 (four years ago) link
this looks great - i don't know much about Apala music but acc to the description "Apala: Apala Groups in Nigeria 1967-70 is the first ever collection of Apala music to be released outside of Nigeria. The album focusses on a wide selection of recordings made in Nigeria in the 1960s, a time when Apala music was at the height of its popularity. Apala is a deeply rhythmical, hypnotic and powerful musical style that combines the striking nasal-style vocals and traditions of Islamic music, the Agidigbo (thumb piano), and the equally powerful drumming and percussion rhythms and techniques of the Yoruba of Nigeria."
https://www.strandedrecords.com/collections/soul-jazz/products/various-apala-apala-groups-in-nigeria-1967-70-2xlp
release 2/21
― Mordy, Monday, 3 February 2020 21:13 (four years ago) link
interesting!
― breastcrawl, Monday, 3 February 2020 21:38 (four years ago) link
cheerleaders are young though
― maura, Tuesday, 4 February 2020 15:58 (four years ago) link
and they know their place.
(i'm being sarcastic. i trust you realize this but i feel like i have to clarify.)
Christopher Kirkley's Sahel Sounds imprint (Mdou Moctar, Les Filles de Illighadad, Ahmedou Ahmed Lowla) jumpstarts 2020 with its catchy new "Music from Saharan WhatsApp" series: "Every month, we'll be releasing an EP from a musical group in the Sahel. Every album will be recorded on a cellphone, and transmitted over WhatsApp, and uploaded to Bandcamp - where it will live for one month only. Available for pay as you want, 100% of the sales will go directly to the artist or group. After one month, the album will be replaced by another one, until the end of the year."
First off is Etran de L'Aïr (which translates to 'Stars of the Aïr', a mountainous region in Northern Niger), a group hailing from Agadez that established itself as a wedding band, playing three guitars simultaneously, "pushing their instruments to the extreme, soloing over one another and creating a dreamy cacophony of sound." Originally the band formed back in 1995...
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 4 February 2020 19:55 (four years ago) link
X-post - NY Times editorial by Jennifer Weiner re pearl clutchers vs butt shakers takes on Super Bowl
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/04/opinion/jlo-superbowl-performance.html
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 4 February 2020 22:27 (four years ago) link
Now I'm sorry I skipped that Ballaké Sissoko show. This is totally fucked:
Malian musician & renowned Kora player Ballaké Sissoko says USA Customs have destroyed his custom-made Kora.Statement reads ‘In Mali the jihadists threaten to destroy musical instruments - yet ironically US customs have managed to do this’ pic.twitter.com/4uwvkhoHPa— Samira Sawlani (@samirasawlani) February 5, 2020
― but also fuck you (unperson), Thursday, 6 February 2020 01:39 (four years ago) link
Terrible how they pulled it apart
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 6 February 2020 17:00 (four years ago) link
The destruction of Ballaké Sissoko's kora by TSA agents of 'Homeland Security' is a reminder that cultural barbarism flows from political barbarism. They are not worthy of him, of his instrument, or of the beautiful sound he produces on his kora. https://t.co/vFwD3j1Zhr— Adam Shatz (@adamshatz) February 7, 2020
shatz otm
― calzino, Friday, 7 February 2020 15:04 (four years ago) link
Burna Boy and Koffee at least made ilm top 77 albums, but not Mdou Moctar or others discussed here. :(
― curmudgeon, Friday, 7 February 2020 16:14 (four years ago) link
No mention anywhere on ILM of djeuhdjoah & lt nicholson. Liked that album more than African-ish that made the top 77, except Samthing prob.
― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Friday, 7 February 2020 18:21 (four years ago) link
Nyege Nyege is doing an online festival today and tomorrow, it seems. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyegeNyegeM
― healthy cocaine off perfect butts (the table is the table), Friday, 4 December 2020 21:31 (three years ago) link
OOF, so embarrassing. Here's a better link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=featured
― healthy cocaine off perfect butts (the table is the table), Friday, 4 December 2020 21:32 (three years ago) link
fuck my life
― healthy cocaine off perfect butts (the table is the table), Friday, 4 December 2020 21:33 (three years ago) link
December 3 through 6 is Nyege Nyege fest and those YouTube links don’t seem to work
― curmudgeon, Friday, 4 December 2020 22:59 (three years ago) link
all the links are here on the Nyege Nyege Music YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UClyGfHMQNG
this one's live right now:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c0gWTviskQ
― fat ass deep state operative (breastcrawl), Friday, 4 December 2020 23:40 (three years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyegeNyegeM
― fat ass deep state operative (breastcrawl), Friday, 4 December 2020 23:44 (three years ago) link
“it” doesn’t do channel links apparently
― fat ass deep state operative (breastcrawl), Friday, 4 December 2020 23:45 (three years ago) link
the live link works tho
― fat ass deep state operative (breastcrawl), Friday, 4 December 2020 23:52 (three years ago) link
Alas, most music critics included in year end polls discussed in that other thread aren’t listening to music on this thread
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 9 December 2020 17:28 (three years ago) link
:-(
Notable that Duma, among some other Nyege Nyege-related artists, have made it onto many lists.
― healthy cocaine off perfect butts (the table is the table), Wednesday, 9 December 2020 17:41 (three years ago) link
That’s good . It’s beat driven and noisy enough. But others on this thread are ignored as they’re considered too traditional or too old ; or just ignored by folks just listening to only age 20-something artists from the genres of country, rap, chart pop, and rock .
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 9 December 2020 19:37 (three years ago) link
...but not afropop
― fat ass deep state operative (breastcrawl), Wednesday, 9 December 2020 19:39 (three years ago) link
so it’s probably not so much age-related as geographical
― fat ass deep state operative (breastcrawl), Wednesday, 9 December 2020 19:41 (three years ago) link
Or maybe both. I see Jon Pareles of NY Times included Burna Boy in his album list, and a Tiwa Savage song in his song list. He has Bad Bunny and Lido Pimienta too. Other Times critics had no African music. NY Times jazz list had 2 South African releases though
LA Times song list I glanced at was largely US pop, rap, country with some token reggaeton
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 9 December 2020 22:05 (three years ago) link
they are some of the exceptions that prove the rule unfortunately (I’ve been moaning about it on the 2020 end of year music lists thread)
― fat ass deep state operative (breastcrawl), Thursday, 10 December 2020 07:52 (three years ago) link
I wasn’t clear enough. I agree with you that those are the exceptions.
Los Angeles Times top 10 album list with 10 more honorable mentions includes no African based acts. It does include Los Angeles resident ( via DC area) Kali Uchis new Spanish language release as its one exception to the rule.
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 10 December 2020 14:10 (three years ago) link
this list includes some thread-worthy selections:
https://thevinylfactory.com/features/best-albums-of-2020/
(apart from two Nyege Nyege Tapes releases, I glanced Groupe RTD -The Dancing Devils of Djibouti at 41, Benin's Star Feminine Band - s/t at 36, and Siti Muharam - Siti of Unguja (Romance Revolution On Zanzibar) at 25)
― im-polite-post-post-post-pomo (breastcrawl), Friday, 11 December 2020 16:26 (three years ago) link
I finally listened to some of Siti Muharam - Siti of Unguja (Romance Revolution On Zanzibar). Hand slapped percussion with some traditional high-pitched female vocals, some jazzy horns, and high-pitched strings that all together evokes a mid-eastern, north African, and South Asian whirling Islamic feel
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 12 December 2020 00:37 (three years ago) link
Still more to catch up on here and on Afro Thread, dancehall, soca , Brazilian ones too
― curmudgeon, Monday, 14 December 2020 14:47 (three years ago) link
Majid Bekkas' Magic Spirit Quartet is goodhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTFoqHJtap8
― corrs unplugged, Tuesday, 15 December 2020 15:44 (three years ago) link
oh wow, the Siti Muharam albums RULES
― loose Orwellian mobs (rob), Tuesday, 15 December 2020 21:33 (three years ago) link
X-post - have only heard a little of Moroccan stringed instruments player Bekkas with his Scandanavian based band but I like it so far.
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 16 December 2020 17:40 (three years ago) link
I need to dig through that Ted Gioia critic’s list
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 22 December 2020 20:02 (three years ago) link
Nomcebo Zikode - Xola Moya Wami [Feat. Master KG]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPDyF04DyOQ
― justfanoe (Greg Fanoe), Tuesday, 22 December 2020 22:21 (three years ago) link
wow, what's that language? those qh like aspirations remind me of Greenlandic
― corrs unplugged, Wednesday, 23 December 2020 11:42 (three years ago) link
it’s Zulu (and she’s South African). the same people made one of the big global hits of this year:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCZVL_8D048Master KG ft. Nomcebo Zikode • Jerusalema
― obsessed with quality over quantity or the need to produce tracks (breastcrawl), Wednesday, 23 December 2020 12:03 (three years ago) link
excellent, thanks
Skeleton Move is one of my all time faves, but that's light on lyrics (although maybe that first phrase "uaneetamos"? is Zulu)
really like his/their melancholy/inspirational/banger vibe
― corrs unplugged, Wednesday, 23 December 2020 12:12 (three years ago) link
In fairness, it's very hard to keep up with the ridiculously high volume of great music coming out of South Africa right now.
― justfanoe (Greg Fanoe), Wednesday, 23 December 2020 13:20 (three years ago) link
we’ve got threads for that!
― obsessed with quality over quantity or the need to produce tracks (breastcrawl), Wednesday, 23 December 2020 14:09 (three years ago) link
Albums from Ted Gioia list I am curious about (with his little descriptions; artist name is listed on top):
Bab L’ Bluz Nayda! If Motown Had Existed in North Africa...
Chouk Bwa & The Ångstromers Vodou Alé Haitian Drumming and Singing with Touches of Electronica and Dancehall Music
Contours Balafon Sketches Gamelan, Percussion and Traditional Instruments Meet Synthesizers, Software and Pedal Effects
André Mehmari and Danilo Brito Nosso Brazil Mandolin and Piano Duet Performances of the Works of Brazilian Choro Composers
Penya (with Msafiri Zawose) Penya Safari East African EDM/Call-and-Response Tanzanian Pop
Various Artists Apala Groups In Nigeria 1967-70 First Collection of Apala Music Released Outside Nigeria
― curmudgeon, Friday, 25 December 2020 16:15 (three years ago) link
more from Ted's honorable mentions:
Caixa Cubo: AngelaElectric Brazilian Jazz-Rock-Pop
Dumama + Kechou: Buffering JujuAfrican Traditional Song Meets Synthpop
Seu Jorge & Rogê: Night Dreamer Direct-To-Disc Sessions Acoustic Brazilian Popular Music
Matthew Joseph: Mood MasalaFunk Influenced by Indian Music and Fingerstyle Guitar
― curmudgeon, Friday, 25 December 2020 16:19 (three years ago) link
the Bab L’Bluz is great, not sure what Motown has to do with it tho
― obsessed with quality over quantity or the need to produce tracks (breastcrawl), Friday, 25 December 2020 17:23 (three years ago) link
I wish the movie doc Elder’s Corner was available for streaming. It is now only visible via certain movie festivals. It’s about a NYC based Nigerian who goes back home to find the old school musicians he heard as a kid
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 31 December 2020 06:42 (three years ago) link
Gonna start a 2021 thread
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 3 January 2021 01:53 (three years ago) link
Here's to 2021
Rolling Global Outernational Non-West Non-English (Some Exceptions) 2021 Thread (Often African bands)
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 3 January 2021 02:04 (three years ago) link