All of the Ethiopian folks I am friends with on FB are mourning Madingo Afework who died too young
― curmudgeon, Friday, 30 September 2022 04:45 (one year ago) link
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
― curmudgeon, Friday, 30 September 2022 16:57 (one year ago) link
thanks for this, enjoyed the read
― nxd, Friday, 30 September 2022 19:05 (one year ago) link
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
― curmudgeon, Monday, 3 October 2022 16:35 (one year ago) link
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”
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 6 October 2022 13:15 (one year ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u682Fp4HWk
Nobuntu female Zimbabwe a cappella quintet
― curmudgeon, Friday, 7 October 2022 22:12 (one year ago) link
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
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 13 October 2022 13:54 (one year ago) link
Of some of the groups who were in Chicago at that fest there, I intend to check out Kaleta & Super Yamba Band , who have played in DC as well
La Dame Blanche (Cuba by way of France) pairs her fierce rhymes and dramatic flute with colossal beats from across the African diaspora; Paolo Angeli (Italy) turns his cleverly modified Sardinian guitar into a percussion engine; Gili Yalo (Ethiopia by way of Israel) honors the jazzy, funky grooves that his homeland made immortal in the 60s and 70s; and Kaleta & Super Yamba Band (Benin and Nigeria by way of New York City) fuse Afrobeat and juju for a driving, danceable sound that’s as cheerful as it is aggressive.
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 13 October 2022 13:58 (one year ago) link
I wonder if there are any young Congolese musicians playing rumba/soukous ? Similarly are there young Senegalese mbalax musicians? And are veterans in these genres doing anything interesting still?
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 20 October 2022 20:14 (one year ago) link
What genres did everyone start getting into this year? For me the big ones were pagode romântico (Brazil), campus folk (Taiwan), cumbia villera (Argentina), and I also had a blast finally listening through as much as I could from Lance Scott Walker's "Houston Rap Tapes" book.— Joshua Minsoo Kim (@misterminsoo) October 25, 2022
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 25 October 2022 21:08 (one year ago) link
Looking fwd to this---so far, most of my favorite tracks are on their early albs:
Last month, Touareg collective Tinariwen announced the reissue of Kel Tinariwen, marking the project's first-ever official release since it appeared in 1992 locally in Mali on cassette, out November 4th via Wedge. Kel Tinariwen will see release alongside two additional Tinariwen reissues, Aman Iman: Water Is Life and Imidiwan: Companion, out for the first time on vinyl the same day via Craft Recordings. Today, the group is thrilled to share Kel Tinariwen’s opening track, “À L’Histoire,” following lead single “Arghane Manin.” There’s a waltzing, whimsical edge to “À L’Histoire,” as voices call back to each other over springy percussion and guitar.
A revelatory discovery in the Tinariwen archives, Kel Tinariwen is an early cassette tape recorded in the early 90s that never received a wider release, and sheds new light on the band's already rich history. Not having yet developed the fuller band sound that they became internationally established with, Kel Tinariwen features their trademark hypnotic guitar lines and call-and-response vocals weaving in between raw drum machine rhythms and keyboard melodies that almost evoke an Arabic take on 80s synth-pop. Alongside this record, Tinariwen are also reissuing Aman Iman and Imidiwan: Companions - their third and fourth studio albums respectively. A blend of West African traditional music and electrified rock’n’roll – a sound that critics have called “desert blues”. Aman Iman: Water Is Life was Tinariwen’s third studio album, originally released in 2007, and recorded in Mali’s capital, Bamako. Produced by Justin Adams (Robert Plant’s guitarist and producer of the Tinariwen’s debut album The Radio Tisdas Sessions), and recording engineer Ben Findlay. The whole Tinariwen story breathes through its twelve songs, beginning with the first Touareg rebellion of 1963, which lies at the root of so much pain and trauma in the Malian Touareg mindset and which is vividly recalled by Ibrahim in his brooding song ‘Soixante Trois’. Imidiwan: Companions was the band's fourth album, and it possesses all the elements that have made them so alluring; raw simplicity, melodic beauty, songs ranging from the epic and universal to the intimate and personal. The 13-track album, produced by Jean-Paul Romann, was recorded in Tessalit, the Malian desert village home of band members Ibrahim Ag Alhabib & Hassan Ag Touhami.
Kel Tinariwen Tracklist:1. À L'Histoire2. Khedou Khedou3. Adounia Tarha4. Matadjem Yinmexan5. Awa Idjan War Infa Iman6. Sendad Eghlalan7. Sendad Eghlalan8. Arghane Manine Aman Iman: Water Is Life Tracklist:1. Cler Achel2. Mano Dayak3. Matadjem Yinmixan4. Ahimana5. Soixante Trois6. Toumast7. Imidiwan WinakaliN8. Awa Didjen9. Ikyadarh Dim10. Tamatant Tilay11. Assouf12. Izarharh Tenere Imidiwan: Companions Tracklist:1. Imidiwan Afrik Tendam2. Lulla3. Tenhert4. Enseqi Ehad Didagh5. Tahult In6. Tamodjerazt Assis7. Intitlayaghen8. Imazighen N Adagh9. Tenalle Chegret10. Kel Tamashek11. Assuf Ag Assuf12. Chabiba13. Ere Tasfata Adounia
https://www.tinariwen.com/For more information, contact:Sam McAllister | Pitch Perfect PR - sam at pitchperfectpr dot com
― dow, Thursday, 27 October 2022 02:09 (one year ago) link
That old Tinariwen stuff does look like its worth checking out
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 27 October 2022 14:48 (one year ago) link
https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/01/22/beneath-the-rhythm-congolese-rumba-is-a-link-to-the-past?utm_medium=cpc.adword.pd&utm_source=google&ppccampaignID=17210591673&ppcadID=&utm_campaign=a.22brand_pmax&utm_content=conversion.direct-response.anonymous&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuem45dOA-wIVfsmUCR0AZAgqEAMYASAAEgLNJPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
paywalled and I don't have access to this Economist mag article on Congolese rumba and politics
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 27 October 2022 14:50 (one year ago) link
https://therumbakings.com/
Rumba Kings doc on Congo music still at festivals worldwide
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 27 October 2022 14:53 (one year ago) link
Did any New Yorkers here catch any of these October 2022 events?
http://congoinharlem.org/lineup2022
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 27 October 2022 14:57 (one year ago) link
Lagos, Abidjan, and more
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/27/megalopolis-how-coastal-west-africa-will-shape-the-coming-century
― curmudgeon, Friday, 28 October 2022 11:47 (one year ago) link
x-post- Some of the films about Congo musicians, art, etc on the Congo in Harlem link are streaming through October 31 . Rumba Kings, a Congolese rap one and more
― curmudgeon, Friday, 28 October 2022 16:45 (one year ago) link
Speaking of Congo musicians
https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a1370979743_16.jpg
ALBUM OF THE DAY Lady Aicha & Pisko Crane’s Original Fulu Miziki of Kinshasa, “N’Djila Wa Mudujimu”By James Gui · October 25, 2022
― dow, Friday, 28 October 2022 18:37 (one year ago) link
yes, it sounded very good on first encounter. Chris L mentioned it on the 2022 AOTY So Far thread and I forgot to otm them.
― big movers, hot steppers + long shaker intros (breastcrawl), Friday, 28 October 2022 19:20 (one year ago) link
(otm them for it being a vg album - way too early for me to make any aoty announcements)
― big movers, hot steppers + long shaker intros (breastcrawl), Friday, 28 October 2022 19:27 (one year ago) link
I liked it a lot; I was already in a mood to trust the label because they put out the Phelimuncasi album, which is definitely an AOTY candidate for me. I can definitely tell they're using home-built electronics, junk percussion, and even some power drills and stuff (like a West African Einstürzende Neubauten). This video really lets you see what they do:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri2oK4gApMU
― but also fuck you (unperson), Friday, 28 October 2022 19:43 (one year ago) link
Nyege Nyege doesn’t put out bad stuff afaic— it’s all interesting if not really great. Their companion label, Hakuna Kulala, does more dance oriented stuff, and is also excellent
― poppin' debussy (the table is the table), Saturday, 29 October 2022 01:21 (one year ago) link
do we not have a Nyege Nyege thread? I could've sworn dog latin started one
― rob, Saturday, 29 October 2022 14:49 (one year ago) link
Maybe .
For those interested in the history of Congolese music (that laid the groundwork for the experimental methods of the musicians on Nyege Nyege), the documentary Rumba Kings that I mentioned above is definitely worth seeing. It's available just through Monday for free. It covers the roots of Congolese rumba and covers the period of 1940 through 1980, with a focus on musicians Grand Kalle, Dr Nico, and Franco with lots of old footage mixed in with newer interviews with musicians from the bands as well as African music historians. It also covers the ugly colonialist history , the segregation, and the exploitation. The doc shows shows how a small but star-filled Congolese Orchestra flew to Belgium in 1960 the night when Congolese and Belgians were negotiating independence there, and how the music helped the transition to independence. Someone in the film says about the Grand Kalle and African Jazz song "Independence Cha Cha " that it even made the colonizer dance.
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 30 October 2022 01:52 (one year ago) link
that twitter thread on genres you got into this year had some interesting recommendations, was not familiar with freebeat / cruise but it's nice:https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/nigerian-cruise-freebeat-feature
― corrs unplugged, Monday, 31 October 2022 08:20 (one year ago) link
Yep, didn’t know that Nigerian one either
― curmudgeon, Monday, 31 October 2022 15:23 (one year ago) link
I should pay a lot more attention to this thread.
Few things I've been enjoying:
CRRDR - DAMNBOWI don't understand this but I love it. Dembow and Reggaeton tunes sped up and gabba'd-up
Anti-GeneralIf you liked that Birdy Island by Howie Lee, check this out
― Urbandn hope all ye who enter here (dog latin), Monday, 31 October 2022 15:31 (one year ago) link
xpost
McQuaid points to the success of the track “Zazoo Zehh” by Portable—which features established singer/rapper Olamide, and which is now approaching 10 million streams—as a sign that vocalists are becoming more willing to jump on the uptempo beats, bringing the music further into Nigeria’s mainstream.
this song was the first post on rolling afropop this year! not that I claim to know much about the genre in general
― rob, Monday, 31 October 2022 16:05 (one year ago) link
Cool.
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 1 November 2022 15:45 (one year ago) link
http://davidbyrne.com/radio/the-heart-of-arabia
David Byrne list of songs in Arabic, Farsi, & some African languages that he is listening to now. Says most are within last 10 years.
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 1 November 2022 15:47 (one year ago) link
if you’re going to include artists from places like Senegal, Iran, Pakistan and… the Netherlands (by way of Iran), why call your playlist From the Heart of Arabia for crying out loud? given his age and experience Byrne *really* should know better than that
― big movers, hot steppers + long shaker intros (breastcrawl), Tuesday, 1 November 2022 16:10 (one year ago) link
The Heart of Arabia, sorry. but this kind of stuff just pisses me off
― big movers, hot steppers + long shaker intros (breastcrawl), Tuesday, 1 November 2022 16:12 (one year ago) link
https://ethiopianstoday.com/2022/11/06/legendary-ethiopian-artist-ali-birra-passed-away/
RIP Ali Birra, Ethiopian Oromo vocalist. Ethiopian twitter and Facebook and elsewhere is seriously mourning his passing
― curmudgeon, Monday, 7 November 2022 13:29 (one year ago) link
Ali Birra was on an Ethiopiques comp and last year was on a duet song that got attention from younger Folks who listen to Ethiopian music
― curmudgeon, Monday, 7 November 2022 20:14 (one year ago) link
On the heels of his already critically acclaimed (yes, already!) forthcoming retrospective, World Spirituality Classics 3: The Muslim Highlife of Alhaji Waziri Oshomah, Alhaji Waziri Oshomah — the Oyoyo King, the Godfather of Afemai Music, the Etsako Super Star, Mr. Please Please Please, Mr. Dynamite — returns with his complete Volume Series, compiled for the first time in a 5 LP box set.Waziri hails from a small part of Edo State in southern Nigeria called Afemailand, known for being a harmonious region where Muslims and Christians live — and dance — together. And there, as a devout Muslim and an exemplar of religious piety, Waziri fuses Etsako/Afemai folk styles with pan-Nigerian highlife and pop to create a sublime vehicle for his Islamic philosophy that gets everyone — Muslims, Christians, whoever — on the dancefloor.This 5 LP set, Vol. 1-5 (1978-1984), focuses on Waziri’s illustrious mid-career output — the music he created during the years leading up to and after he performed his first hajj (you might recognize some of the hits from The Muslim Highlife) — and includes a copy of The Journey So Far, a limited-edition book written and designed by his children, to celebrate Waziri’s remarkable life and career.
Waziri hails from a small part of Edo State in southern Nigeria called Afemailand, known for being a harmonious region where Muslims and Christians live — and dance — together. And there, as a devout Muslim and an exemplar of religious piety, Waziri fuses Etsako/Afemai folk styles with pan-Nigerian highlife and pop to create a sublime vehicle for his Islamic philosophy that gets everyone — Muslims, Christians, whoever — on the dancefloor.
This 5 LP set, Vol. 1-5 (1978-1984), focuses on Waziri’s illustrious mid-career output — the music he created during the years leading up to and after he performed his first hajj (you might recognize some of the hits from The Muslim Highlife) — and includes a copy of The Journey So Far, a limited-edition book written and designed by his children, to celebrate Waziri’s remarkable life and career.
lots of streaming etc. options here:https://linktr.ee/luakabop
― dow, Monday, 7 November 2022 23:11 (one year ago) link
New Wau Wau Collectif: https://wauwaucollectif.bandcamp.com/album/mariage
Not quite as mesmerising as Yaral Sa Doom (so far anyway) but it's good!
― TWELVE Michelob stars?!? (seandalai), Sunday, 13 November 2022 23:33 (one year ago) link
ha I had the exact same reaction. It is very good though, just not quite as magical, possibly because now I know what to expect
― rob, Monday, 14 November 2022 13:46 (one year ago) link
Another quality Natalia Lafourcade release (De todas las flores). It's not fully out of the demonstrative homage territory (which she was acing tbh), it's probably a little bit too impeccably in place, the backing band is definitely very comfortable behind a singer so in command, but she's so good at it. And it's closer to a songwriter album, with plenty of latin jazz arrangements and more thrown in.
― Nabozo, Monday, 14 November 2022 16:20 (one year ago) link
I like Natalia Lafourcade a lot, but the presence of Marc Ribot on guitar is about the only thing keeping me awake. It's just so...gentle. It doesn't get revved up until about 3/4 of the way in.
― but also fuck you (unperson), Monday, 14 November 2022 16:22 (one year ago) link
Thanks for heads up on Lafourcade latest.
I am listening to the more pop 2022 effort by Jorge Drexler who with his band impressed me last Friday night in Washington DC. Uruguayan born, and living in Spain for over 2 decades, he has some lilting melodies that sound Brazilian, folky pop numbers with various Latin influences, and some polyrhythmic cuts with dashes of Brazil, Spain, rock en espanol from Mexico, & Talking Heads .
― curmudgeon, Monday, 14 November 2022 17:48 (one year ago) link
only learning of Lafourcade today
world sure is full of music
― corrs unplugged, Tuesday, 15 November 2022 13:39 (one year ago) link
ty curmudgeon for alerting me to the new Jorge Drexler, very excited to check it out
― TWELVE Michelob stars?!? (seandalai), Wednesday, 16 November 2022 05:03 (one year ago) link
Just read that Jorge Drexler was on a song with Gal Costa on her final album before she passed
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 16 November 2022 15:45 (one year ago) link
Drexler won song of the year at Latin Grammys for “Tocarte”.
― curmudgeon, Monday, 28 November 2022 21:27 (one year ago) link
Saw Oumou Sangare on a best of 2022 list
So much to listen to , so little time
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 29 November 2022 20:26 (one year ago) link
Caramanica NY Times list has Nigerian Asake and Pareles list of additional top albums has Malian Rokia Kone ( w/ Jackknife Lee) And Jorge Drexler
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 1 December 2022 16:23 (one year ago) link
Brad Luen (stumbled on a retweet of his) posting on various intenational things he is listening to including South African
https://bradluen.substack.com/p/odds-and-ends-125?r=2ck1y&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
― curmudgeon, Friday, 2 December 2022 19:10 (one year ago) link
not sure Etran de L'Aïr have been mentioned here? found on ted gioia's honourable mentions, very nice on first listen
https://etrandelair.bandcamp.com/album/agadez
― corrs unplugged, Saturday, 3 December 2022 10:22 (one year ago) link
I feel like they were once mentioned but maybe in a prior year. I recall liking Etran de L'air
― curmudgeon, Monday, 5 December 2022 06:27 (one year ago) link