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

I recommend "Stories From Another Time 1982-1988" compilation of Angolan samba by Mário Rui Silva that came out last year.

Thanks, this is really great, though I don't know how much of it I would categorize as samba. Reminded me of this Fausto album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlTh95tUNOs

Angélique Kidjo stars in Yemandja, a new music theater work that is at once family drama and historical thriller, redolent of Greek tragedy and infused with themes of love, betrayal, honor, free will, and the horror and injustice of slavery. Named for a Yoruban deity, this MASS MoCA co-commission is a panoramic work of magical realism, a parable about gods and humans that illuminates through song what can happen when people are robbed of their culture.

This is coming to Kennedy Center in DC for 2 performances

Yemandja is featuring a cast of eight performers and four musicians

Conceived by Angélique Kidjo, Jean Hebrail, and
Naïma Hebrail Kidjo
Book and Lyrics by Naïma Hebrail Kidjo
Music by Angélique Kidjo and Jean Hebrail

very old news of course, but:

just chanced upon Samba Touré’s Albala album, a 2013 Glitterbeat release. fantastic stuff, just beautiful.

also the 2015 follow-up, Gandadiko

Oh yeah, Toure with that Mali north African desert guitar sound and his warm vocals

Nice Haitian folky voice --Nathalie Joachim w/ Spektral Quartet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-Cclla3k2w

I missed the Kidjo theatrical show in DC but someone who I know saw it and said it was as bad as this reviewer in San Francisco thought

https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/theater/review-marquee-name-grand-venue-host-amateur-hour-in-angelique-kidjos-yemandja

https://robertchristgau.substack.com/p/the-big-lookback-dakar-diary

Christgau diary of 2010 visit to Dakar

Awesome Tapes From Africa just released Kadi Yombo by Papé Nziengui. Impressive percussion and call & response chants from Gabon

https://papenziengui.bandcamp.com/album/kadi-yombo

― curmudgeon, Friday, April 8, 2022 7:29 AM (one month ago)

I'm finally getting to this: it's really good! manages to remind me of an impressive range of other acts (Sunny Ade, Thomas Mapfumo) while remaining unique

Visitors to this thread might like Haitian American Leyla McCalla's new album: https://leylamccalla.bandcamp.com/album/breaking-the-thermometer

I've only listened to it once, but I thought it was excellent. Among other good things, she does a great cover of Veloso's "You Don't Know Me"

This is a bewitching mixture of traditional music and experimental, sub-testing leftfield bass music from Kinshasa. Truly rad.

https://nyegenyegetapes.bandcamp.com/album/liye-liye

yes! posted before but maybe not on this thread, amazing album

silvana estrada album is incredibly beautiful, wow

yes yes to Silvana Estrada

Listening to Somi album now (seeing what I think. Some I like and some of her vocalizing is too afro-jazzy melodramatic and overwrought for me). Her Off-broadway production "Zenzile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba" is @ The NY Theatre Workshop through June 26. She's been researching Makeba. Seun Kuti has a co-writing credit on one song; Gregory Porter also; Angelique Kidjo & Ladysmith Black Mambazo too

Washington Post article on her (not sure if it's paywalled)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/music/2022/05/19/somi-miriam-makeba/

A journalist friend of mine who likes some of Kidjo's music said he saw her musical/show/play I referenced above a short while back and he thought it was not good and poorly written. He said the story lacked subtlety

https://www.songlines.co.uk/best-new-albums/the-10-best-new-albums-from-around-the-world-june-2022

Some of these (out now or upcoming) releases look worth checking out

I missed Reyna Tropical (afro-Mexican tropical pop) live in DC last night, but the little I have heard I have liked. In an IG story I saw, there was a bit of guitar playing that sounded like Congolese soukous/rumba

https://pan-african-music.com/categorie/articles/?fs=e&s=cl

French website with some interesting articles

Just heard a late night radio dj play this year-plus old song “Jerusalema” by Master KG ft. Nomcebo Zikode and it still sounds great (as many ilxors have noted on various threads in recent years)

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3036461062_10.jpg

A soundtrack of Sudan's revolution and the first ever international release of the Beja sound, performed by Noori and his Dorpa Band, an unheard outfit from Port Sudan, a city on the Red Sea coast in eastern Sudan and the heart of Beja culture.

Electric soul, blues, jazz, rock, surf, even hints of country, speak fluently to styles and chords that could be Tuareg, Ethiopian, Peruvian or Thai—all grounded by hypnotic Sudanese grooves, Naji's impeccable, haunting tenor sax, and of course, Noori's tambo-guitar, a self-made unique hybrid of an electric guitar and an electric tambour, a four-string instrument found across East Africa.

A truly ancient community, Beja trace their ancestry back millennia. Some say they are among the living descendants of Ancient Egypt and the Kingdom of Kush. Beja melodies—nostalgic, hopeful and sweet, ambiguous and honest—are thousands of years old.

The Beja community has been on the forefront of political change in Sudan for decades because successive Sudanese governments have turned a blind eye to their calls for recognition and access to the gold wealth of their own soil. Noori believes an unleashing of Beja music would form the most potent act of resistance in their quest for equity and justice.

Read the full story and finer details: www.okayafrica.com/sudan-music-noori-dorpa-band/

In a way, "Jabana" is my fave because in striking contrast to their usual, faster (though equally reflective) groove approach, and a helluva ballad anyway--but also "Al Amal" and "Wondeeb" and then "Daleb" kind of melds the slower and faster, without seeming nearly its official playing time, which is nearly twice the usual. Really the whole album, of course. (Will also have to check out that other Ostinato Records 2022 release, The Strings of Santo Domingos, and the earlier sets.

Haven't listened to "Jabana" yet, but groove songs sound good

I recommend "Stories From Another Time 1982-1988" compilation of Angolan samba by Mário Rui Silva that came out last year.

Very much enjoying this, thanks for the recommendation. Quite an eclectic mix of stuff on there - semba, into clattery marimba stuff, into some random Roots horns, into almost sophistipop territory by the end.

Smithsonian Folklife Fest in DC will be live on National mall and on Youtube starting this week Wednesday June 22 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm with cellist Yo Yo Ma playing with a largely Afghan band . Details and Youtube link on the below

https://festival.si.edu/schedule?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D159951024

Folklife fest evening concerts will be broadcast, not daytime events.

https://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/album/vieux-farka-toure-les-racines-138796/

I really need to give latest Vieux Farka Toure a listen. Lyrics about Mali's politicial situation and music that hearkens back a bit to his Dad , say the reviews

Feli Colina turning cumbia into a dark nocturnal affair on "Diabla" with percussive piano and spirited vocals alla Rosalía. It's on her 2022 album which is half influenced by industrial (Chakatrunka), the other remaining rather delicate and sparse. She's from Argentina.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDSjhlqC0fQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iodtNBYsv2Q

Just saw Femi Kuti and Positive Force tonight. I don't know their catalogue that well but it was a great show, very tight and energetic, really had the crowd moving.

Have enjoyed Femi Kuti live also when I have seen him in the past

Femi's in DC Thursday

https://pan-african-music.com/en/orchestre-massako-analog-africa/

Nice reissued old-school Gabon 70s afropop

I need to listen to Orchestre Massoko again and read more about 'em. Impressive on initial listen

Enjoyed that thanks, warm music, strong Soukous influence but sung by a singer from Guinea. The closer Temedy is as good as anything from the heyday.

I saw the play “The Band’s Visit” and the Israeli woman cafe owner sang a song called “Oum Kalthoum and Omar Sharif” and she and the Alexandria, Egypt Band leader quoted Sharif movie lines. The cafe owner mentioned growing up and hearing Kalthoum songs on the radio.

The play/ musical is a bit corny and feel good about this Egyptian band arriving in the wrong town in Israel, a dull nothing small location for a night. But the music including oud and clarinet playing is wonderful. References to Chet Baker also. It’s a Tony theatre award winner, for what that’s worth, that has been in NY for awhile, but just opened a short DC run where I saw it at Kennedy Center.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/13/arts/music/afghan-national-institute-of-music-lisbon.html?campaign_id=2&emc=edit_th_20220717&instance_id=66875&nl=todaysheadlines®i_id=37355772&segment_id=98762&user_id=062566bcd9872d3bfa0c4b1ac1e046b4

Afghan National Institute of music members fled to Lisbon Portugal. Article has music links and covers both how the musicians are doing in Portugal as well as what is still happening in Afghanistan where Taliban are taking actions against music

https://www.passionweiss.com/2022/07/12/afro-jams-of-the-week-july-13-2022/

thanks for reminding me of the existence of that column, curmudge! if you ignore its pompous blurb it’s a useful source of recommendations outside of the Nigeria/Ghana-South Africa axis.

anyway, it alerted me to Tonton Pal, who together with fellow Malian Binguini Bakhaga appears to be responsible for what might be the best commercial ever - for the Reaktor energy drink, what else?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU1o0gR9Lgw

also loving this Tonton Pal track from 2019: “Ne Diarabi”:

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

(perhaps better at home in the Afropop thread, but since we’re here…)

Reaktor partner Binguini Bakhaga also has a “Diarabi” song (or “Ne Diarabiledo”, according to the video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cR3h4tuh8c

this one is from 2020. it’s very pretty.

ah, I see: https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaraby

That Tonton Pal Reaktor Energy drink commercial is awesome

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/27/world/asia/27phyo-zeya-thaw-dead.html

Phyo Zeya Thaw, Burmese Pro-democracy Rapper, 41, Is Executed
A hip-hop star, he was a democracy activist in Myanmar and then a lawmaker. After a military coup, he joined the resistance and was hanged for it.

Mr. Phyo Zeya Thaw, who was commonly known as Zayar Thaw (pronounced zay-yahr thaw), was adept at career makeovers.

Toward the end of the military’s first round of iron-fisted rule, in the early 2000s, he fronted one of Myanmar’s first hip-hop groups and co-founded Generation Wave, a collective of rappers, activists and other young people who used music as a medium of dissent.

“With hip-hop, we can express ourselves without fear,” Mr. Phyo Zeya Thaw said in a 2011 interview, shortly after he was released from his first stint in prison. “Music can make us brave.”

A friend saw 86-year old Ghanaian Ebo Taylor and band in NYC. Said Taylor's band played a bunch to open and close the set with Taylor singing 5 songs in the middle portion but not playing his guitar. He said Taylor's voice was too low in the mix as well. He said the band's closing portion was strong. The show was promoted by Jazz is Dead, a label/group/promotion entity spearheaded by producer Adrian Younge. Taylor will be doing a Chicago gig and some US west coast ones as well. He and his band didn't go south or north of NYC for more East Coast shows

family stuff meant I missed 2 movies on Sunday at a DC African Diaspora Film Fest:

"Dancing the Twist in Bamako" @ 2:10 pm ; "The Mali-Cuba Connection" @ 7:30

Haven't checked yet to see whether they are available online. Movie doc I saw about old-school Nigerian musicians "Elders Corner" came back to DC for 2 different one off showings recently.

this record is fantastic: http://siromband.si/sl/portfolio-items/the-liquified-throne-of-simplicity/

[googles name Sirom Band sees description avante folk ....ok will give it a listen ]

saw another person write that they felt sorry for 86 year old Ebo Taylor on a tour gig when they hoped to be enthused.

https://pan-african-music.com/en/music-from-saharan-whatsapp/

Need to listen to this some more