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

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

https://www.qwanqwa.net/live

Ethiopian band Qwangwa is touring the US of A from September through late November . Former ilxor H in Addis emailed me and encouraged people to go see them

That is Qwanqwa

Short Oumou Sangare tour of North America

October 23—Vancouver, BC—Chan Centre
October 25—Berkeley, CA—Freight & Salvage
October 26—Berkeley, CA—Freight & Salvage
October 28—Princeton, NJ—McCarter Theater
October 29—New York, NY—Apollo Theater

Not coming my way. I think the last time she was in DC was when the Smithsonian Folklife Fest brought a bunch of Malian musicians to town somewhere around 2004 I think. I was home with my kid who was young then. I did see Ali Farka Toure and some others though.

Speaking of Mali

singer-songwriter and guitarist Vieux Farka Touré’s brand new album ‘Les Racines’ is available to buy and stream now via World Circuit.

Is anyone familiar with Mdou Moctar? A buddy just offered me a free ticket. Do I go?

Yes.

I’s happily accept that ticket if I were you

I’d

Yes see Mdou Moctar and his band.

Upthread I mentioned that Ethiopian band Qwanqwa are on a long US tour. When I listened to a few cuts online they were instrumental and a few had a violin sound added that didn't quite sound Ethiopian. Decent but didn't wow me. Turns out the violinist is from the US but has spent lots of time in Ethiopia I think. More importantly when I saw them live they used a singer on many cuts and wow is she powerful .Vocalist Selamnesh Zemene Taye was the highlight of the gig tonight, although the bass krar player and the one string masinko musician were also impressive.

Tinariwen, the Tuareg band from North Mali which has been to the US a number of times just had to cancel their North American tour because of US Immigration slowness on visa issues. Also Malawi duo Madalitso has had to cancel dates for same reasons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sl5HR4a8W0

Maki KB on Nahom
New Ethiopian music

Maybe I will post that on the Ethiopiques thread

❗It is very sad to hear the passing away of Madingo Afework.

Madingo, the Melvin Franklin of #Ethiopia singing many melodious songs with his deep voice had many popular ballads that made him star for decades.

Rest In Peace! pic.twitter.com/xG9WCiCsL5

— Naty Yifru (@NatyYifru) September 27, 2022

RIP Ethiopian singer Madingo Afework

All of the Ethiopian folks I am friends with on FB are mourning Madingo Afework who died too young

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/09/28/arts/how-ata-kaks-long-forgotten-awesome-tape-turned-into-an-awesome-tour-30-years-later/?fbclid=IwAR2xi66-8YWbOOQBR3f-79pLR6If2NmnRWRTUjCAeb7quxOsY2KBEzGwM-0

Recent ata kak interview that also includes comments from Brian of awesome tapes who found an ata kak tape and tracked him down. Article is in relation to ATA kak Boston gig on us tour

thanks for this, enjoyed the read

https://chicagoreader.com/music/the-readers-guide-to-world-music-festival-chicago-2022/

Going on in Chicago now. Posting here to look at and see if it will give me us some ideas re who to listen to

Movie docs in DC area

Oct. 9- "Omara" film doc at 2:45 @ AFI Silver (a one time showing of doc on Cuban singer Omara Portuondo, who came to fame for many via her role in the Buena Vista Social Club. Showing as part of AFI Latin American Film Festival. There will be a Q&A with filmmaker Hugo Perez)

Oct 30-Movie doc "Em and Trinh" North American premiere @ 1 pm @ Asian Art Freer Gallery about late Vietnamese singer-songwriter Trịnh Công Sơn (1939–2001) known to some as “Vietnam’s Bob Dylan”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u682Fp4HWk

Nobuntu female Zimbabwe a cappella quintet

Isokratisses free on October 13 from 6 to 7 @ Kennedy Center Millennium Stage ( vocal ensemble of eight women who carry the ancient tradition of polyphonic songs from Epirus—a region in northern Greece and southern Albania)

Their approach sounds cool to me in small doses, then I get bored. Their gig tonight can be seen on the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage youtube page and maybe Facebook too