Rolling Global Outernational Non-West Non-English (Some Exceptions) 2021 Thread (Often African bands)

Sorry not much of Brownsville fan, although I am curious about how Songhoy Blues sound changed into this more boogie rock one

Paul Bowles, author & musician, went to Morocco in 1959 and recorded music there. It was released as a 1972 lp, and now his tapes are on YouTube

https://moroccantapestash.blogspot.com/2021/02/paul-bowles-library-of-congress.html?fbclid=IwAR0Uz6KRvZrIwsF8CjEI7M6KpTgLKmb22ORzXsFFb3Ga7YYKZaAl_O_hnuE&m=1

https://brazilbeatblog.wordpress.com/2021/02/15/favorite-brazilian-albums-of-2020/?fbclid=IwAR2RgmndUV6_OrRNlJfpSIlVwB-fWSPS1PVYhLKodT0zx-1VhS-mBrTIolc

A Brazilian top 20 for 2020

Oduor Nyagweno, solo nyatiti & vocals, worth reading the backstory here:
https://petelarson.bandcamp.com/album/where-i-go-i-am-there

At 14 years of age he had a dream about the nyatiti and when he awoke the following day, he was magically able to play it, or so the legend goes. Nyagweno started entering nyatiti competitions and quickly moved up the ranks to become one of the best nyatiti players in the area

Here’s part of backstory but there’s more.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-02-23/guy-chookoorian-armenian-american-novelty-records-dies

Longtime Armenian singer/ instrumentalist and occasional Hollywood bit actor Guy Chookoorian has died. Lots of Armenians who fled their homes after Turkish genocide end up in Southern California

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/sardool-sikander-1961-2021-roadways-di-laari-comes-to-a-grinding-halt-101614194628380.html

Punjabi / India singer Sardool Sikander dead at 60 from Covid

Not 100 percent sure this is the right thread for this, but Buscabulla was discussed on last year's thread. This is a lovely, languorous dream-pop cover. I wasn't familiar with the original, but I gather it's a Puerto Rican karaoke staple. I've gone back and listened to earlier recordings (Lissette Alvarez, Umberto Tozzi) and they're good but I like the chill vibe of this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3U_V46IonM

With the recent Spotify launches in several more African countries, I've been generating playlists to show what the new listeners in each country were disproportionately playing in their first few days. If you're interested:

Nigeria: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4RVekSXvQYyHrF6XyxEdwH?si=bPCTg3hlR5iERR1Z-j5z3g
Ghana: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0i3gO0KVgrTahrMziABjzi?si=qo64HhfaRgCDQqQO7k2J-g
Kenya: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4qTwmED83dqkVGNY9W76Jx?si=wePsV8afS0-Mw_0rL_B7pw
Tanzania: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5Z0dnLnskhYb1aCHmreyP7?si=azB7nRvISeKQ0NY6ElLgzw
Uganda: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1JY0Esk4iU4vvCvxM6WOH9?si=H7hM1lCUR1O-awDgdO-_IA
Botswana: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1vAV9s9KXwLCD7knb4TrDX?si=SJKH7Xb6TqeUJBBumbTrCA
Senegal: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1uV3spPPFM8rbTjQm5R0U8?si=ijx0CwytSEaKU51c8M3x3Q
Zimbabwe: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6jz4ew4EjyoQEc93QXItMa?si=_nbg2izzScGPqgF8pdpWgQ
Rwanda: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6vqW1BNtJLAtrDNv5l0abc?si=oY1K1PFnRh2tTsziEpa2WQ
Burundi: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1mRpE6qCP9aKMqrkzoUTto?si=YnoYpakIRVy6OJKNXYBj0w
Malawi: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/44WtZOWm90wMMiaeFQauGw?si=VK8hLFhvQiKSXBAX12iyJA

I was happily skimming through those but got stuck on Eli Njuchi (Malawi) for a while!

https://open.spotify.com/album/0KCzZIFaZ7BHdTHcLSM14x?si=TuFxj7SmQES1J_5Or6vXpg

without having checked those links yet: that’s very cool, thanx!

these playlists would actually be at least as appropriate for the Rolling Afropop. feel free to post them there as well!

am I correct in assuming you rid these lists of “international” hits, like in one of your earlier projects?

can also report a sham upload in the Nigeria list: “High Way” is a big hit by DJ Kaywise featuring (famous rapper) Phyno, but some sneaky person re-uploaded it with the non-existing ‘Phynoo’ as the artist name.

More about Eli Njuchi: https://massplugmag.com/article/eli-has-taken-us-on-a-journey-people-from-all-walks-of-life-are-able-to-resonate-with-his-lyrics

have to say, that song "Phone" of his shares *a lot* of dna with a five-year-old Nigerian hit, Nonso Amadi's "Tonight" - up and including the actual "phone me, I am here for you" message:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcfOIfa5kvE

Thanks Glenn for those posts. Lots to go through

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/mar/11/the-grammys-have-a-major-problem-with-global-diversity-lip-service-isnt-going-to-solve-it?fbclid=IwAR1tmzxswloH5Szdz_W1ZV44Xuo8fnuoYqIeqMlLRQZMPmsJ8C8gG8pVXH0

Re the former Grammy world music category now called global music

“It seems the surest way to win in the category is to have won before. Some 23 of 37 winners have won a Grammy previously, including each winner of the past eight years during which time Angélique Kidjo won three times.”

RIp Josky Kiambukuta of Tpok Jazz from the Congo. The 72-year-old singer, songwriter and performer had been ill for several years.

Josky was one of the last stars of Tout Puissant Ok Jazz (TPOK Jazz), founded by Luambo Luanzo Makiadi, better known as Franco

https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/magazine/tpok-jazz-josky-kiambukuta-dies-3315198

TPOK were great. I need to dig into Josky cuts with them

yeah I don't recognize the name tbh, but TPOK are all-time

Someone who follows me on twitter swears by this Josky & TPOK song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZPtwopRML0

It’s “Limbisa Ngai”

This reminds me that some years back I used to be on an Old school African music chatboard dominated by Congolese diaspora members who confidently stated their music was the best in the world and who knew all the details. I wonder if that forum is still happening

A posthumous Tony Allen album is coming in late April. He had lots of guests on it- Danny Brown, Skepta, Sampa and more. Damon Albarn one of the 3 producers

First song from this late Tony Allen effort is called “Cosmosis “ and features Skepta and Ben Okiri. Nice relaxed polyrhythmic groove with some laidback grimey rapping/ talking

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnM8foG4Vuc

Nice. I loved the Tony Allen/Hugh Masekela album from last year, that was a nice parting gift from him.

“Limbisa Ngai” unsurprisingly rules, those Congolese diaspora posters are pretty much otm!

Definitely a good one.

Listening to music from elsewhere though tonight. Wau Wau Collectif is a collaboration via What’s App with Senegalese musicians and Swedes led by a Swedish musician/musicologist who had visited Senegal. Not bad.. Need to listen some more.

Witch Camp from Ghana is worth hearing but sad. It features older Ghanaian women who have been labeled witches ( by people who want to steal their land and property ) chanting over hand pounded percussion. Song titles include “Hunted,” “Only God can Judge Me,” “ I have lost all that I love”, “ Left to live like an animal “

RIP Senegalese singer Thione Seck at 66. He was in Orchestre Baobab and later had his own band. He also put out an album in 2005 called Orientation that blended middle eastern and Asian Islamic aspects into his sound ( kinda like that Youssou N’Dour Egypt album). Doing an ilx search I see that Thione Seck album got some attention here from more than me. As I said back then, I saw him live in DC before a 99% Senegalese crowd years ago and that Orientation cd like Youssou's Egypt one is a great hybrid effort.

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210314-senegalese-music-legend-thione-seck-dies-aged-66

Spotify is calling the 2005 Thione Seck cd Orientissime .

Syllart Records are responsible for that release, and that's how they titled it...

https://syllart.com/senegal/

RIP Seck, that's a bummer.

Glenn, thanks. Orientissime is the correct name I have discovered. I initially found one article that had the wrong title Orientation.

Apologies if this has been posted already, but I've never seen anything like it (and can't figure out a way to post it without Facebook, sorry):

https://www.facebook.com/100004043210594/videos/2338254156319335/

What is it?

riveting stuff, I love it!

it’s Chinese opera, of the Shanxi kind: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanxi_opera

but it’s not at all like what most people would probably expect that to look and sound like

(can’t tell if that’s one like too many or not, but whatever)

xpost Oh, sorry, it's "Zhang Tong 張桐, suona master, performs *all three roles* in the Shanxi Jin Opera version of the classic “Two Enter the Palace 二進宮”. " He's got some sort of reed inserted into his mouth/throat, so that it looks like he's singing but this whistle sound is coming out instead.

it had me dancing around in my living room

wow

Great find!

BC, on the off chance you are unfamiliar with Wang Li, I think you would dig him! Here's a fun duet project with Wu Wei:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_gl7IKjc_w

...but I am playing the Wang Li x Wu Wei album now...

#onethread

(so far it’s very different from what JiC posted, bar a few wilder episodes, but I’m enjoying it all the same)

? maybe i'm misunderstanding your post but that's not wang li in the chinese opera video, different artists altogether.
Just thought if you like one you might like the other.

I got that! it’s just that beside the fact that they’re both Chinese musicians they don’t seem to have all that much in common (talking about the album here)

I do like it, like I said, so it’s all good and xiexie!

(but what does JiC have to say about all this?)

(currently digging “Sun and Snow” off that Overtones album)

the similarities in my mind were the mouth reed stuff

Wang Li is worth exploring; all his albums are great.

I honestly don't know much about Chinese opera, let alone this approach to it. It's definitely wild, though, since the clips are sometimes like watching an avant band like, say, the Ex but hearing totally different sounds come out.

I just learned about this South Korean band Jambinai:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB1k7CDVWVk

I've seen them described as post rock, which makes sense, but I also think it sometimes sounds weirdly like Nine Inch Nails.

nice piece on Ballaké Sissoko here: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/apr/07/ballake-sissoko-picking-up-the-pieces-after-us-customs-broke-his-kora

great pandemic profile of a wonderful musician practicing and parenting

RIP Gash Ayele Mamo, Ethiopian mandolin player and songwriter who played a big role in classic Ethiopiques music

Vieux Farka Toure stream concert April 15 . Tickets start at $7
https://sessionslive.com/VFT/tickets?fbclid=IwAR1zTC1eaUapuWPRXd9IWud6KpIahoi6KEh29prjhvIpDkUawAcZkmrZ6q4&ad_id=23847191289370755&publisher_id=Facebook_Mobile_Feed

A fantastic South African record — Philip Tabane's _The Indigenous Afro-Jazz Sounds Of..._, from 1969 — is being reissued on LP only (boo, hiss) next month. Bandcamp link🕸

It's a duo disc, just guitar and percussion for most of it, but Tabane occasionally plays flute and the percussionist, Gabriel "Sonnyboy" Thobejane, plays thumb piano. Tabane's guitar style is somewhere between Grant Green and John Lee Hooker, really raw-sounding but technically quite skilled. If you can find a digital version, or own a turntable, snap this one up.

yeah that is a gem

Listening to Femi Kuti & his 25 year old son Made on their album Legacy + , that came out earlier this year. Good not great

None of the Kuti kids has ever done anything that's impressed me. Most of it just slides in one ear and out the other.

Same

Seun has made some great records imo, Many Things is my fave

For me a lot of it is the production/engineering, and that holds true for nearly all modern afrobeat. It's too clean-sounding, the drums in particular.

I've had a blast seeing Femi live, as a substitute for Fela who I'll never get to see. But have never had much use for his albums

New 2022 thread-

Rolling Global Outernational Non-West Non-English (Some Exceptions) 2022 Thread (Often African bands)