Was impressed with Instagram story video clips I saw of NY based band Habbina Habbina who were playing some sort of Middle Eastern surf music
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 22 June 2023 14:33 (ten months ago) link
Fatoumata Diawara is touring Europe all summer and then doing a few US dates in September in support of her Damon Albarn produced album. Plus I am getting pr emails about remixes of individual songs . I still need to listen to it more
― curmudgeon, Friday, 23 June 2023 14:08 (ten months ago) link
Tamikrest, North African desert band is doing a July 19 Kennedy Center gig that will also be streamed. Jupiter and Okwess doing the same on July 27
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 28 June 2023 16:36 (ten months ago) link
recommendations after catching some good stuff at Roskilde Festival
Siti Muharam, taarab tunes from Zanzibar, on a small Europe tour atm, album is from 2020 thoughhttps://sitimuharam.bandcamp.com/album/siti-of-unguja-romance-revolution-on-zanzibar
dal:um, Korean duo playing traditional (somewhat harplike but more wood-y) string instruments gayageum and geomungo in a contemporary style, 2023 single called "dot"https://dalum.bandcamp.com/track/dot
also had a chance to see Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek mentioned upthread and they are playing very well, great singer too, and Tinariwen too, always a joy
― corrs unplugged, Sunday, 2 July 2023 20:46 (ten months ago) link
tabou combo are playing a free show at long island's eisenhower park tonight.
― Thus Sang Freud, Monday, 3 July 2023 15:24 (ten months ago) link
Wow, Tabou Combo still at it . They were great when I saw them live many years ago. I like their old-school Haitian konpa sound better than the more polished and more American r’n’b influenced current Haitian music I have heard ( says old guy me!)
― curmudgeon, Monday, 3 July 2023 20:13 (ten months ago) link
they were good! it was listed in the brochure just as "creole-american night," without any band name, so i'm glad i looked into it further. 55 years in the biz, so they said.
― Thus Sang Freud, Tuesday, 4 July 2023 02:42 (ten months ago) link
Cool you saw them and they still sound good; sad how it was marketed
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 5 July 2023 20:13 (ten months ago) link
A Tamikrest 6 to 7 pm US eastern time gig will be streaming live tonight Wednesday July 19 from 6 to 7 pm on the Kennedy Center Youtube and Facebook pages. It will also be archived on the Youttube page. The band has North and West African musicians plus French ones.
https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/millennium-stage/2023/07-july/tamikrest/
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 20:42 (nine months ago) link
They sound pretty good there, except for some Western style solos
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 23 July 2023 04:07 (nine months ago) link
Jupiter and Okwess live at Kennedy Center on YouTube and Facebook now
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 27 July 2023 22:34 (nine months ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uO0FlR5wdY
Jupiter & Okwess 1 hour Kennedy Center gig archived
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 27 July 2023 23:02 (nine months ago) link
I'm listening to the King Ayisoba album that came out in Feb and it's awesome: https://ayisoba.bandcamp.com/album/work-hard
― rob, Friday, 28 July 2023 14:47 (nine months ago) link
this mix of Senegalese street soul music from the 80s and 90s is truly excellenthttps://www.nts.live/shows/total-stasis/episodes/total-stasis-11th-july-2023
― butt dumb tight my boners got boners (the table is the table), Saturday, 29 July 2023 01:15 (nine months ago) link
oooh ty
― Daniel_Rf, Monday, 31 July 2023 09:16 (nine months ago) link
This past week’s military takeover in the West African nation of Niger toppled the final domino in a band across the girth of Africa, from Guinea in the west to Sudan in the east, now controlled by juntas that came to power in a coup — all but one in the past two years.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/29/world/africa/africa-coups-niger.html
Not good for musicians or anyone
― curmudgeon, Monday, 31 July 2023 17:45 (nine months ago) link
Keyboardist Jantra, unknown in Khartoum, doesn't even know his album is out. Without a telephone, he continues his search for inspiration in Sudan, combining traditional music and celestial melodies. The latest craziness from the Ostinato label. https://t.co/SzQ7nCuacn— Pan African Music (@panafricanmusic) August 1, 2023
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 1 August 2023 18:18 (nine months ago) link
the wording of that tweet made me think this was going to be a bad story about a non-African label ripping people off, but it's not! https://pan-african-music.com/en/synthesized-sudan-jantra/
also this album is amazing based on the first full track
― rob, Tuesday, 1 August 2023 18:27 (nine months ago) link
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-mdou-moctar-while-they-cannot-return-home
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 3 August 2023 16:03 (nine months ago) link
Was just coming here to post that Mdou Moctar go fund me re their inability to get back to Niger due to the coup
― curmudgeon, Friday, 4 August 2023 13:39 (nine months ago) link
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2023/08/07/bobi-wine-the-peoples-president-movie-review/
A review of movie doc “Bobi Wine: the People’s President “ which is about a reggae singer who ran for president in Uganda in 2021
I haven’t seen it yet
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 16 August 2023 01:24 (eight months ago) link
Listening to Rophnan now. A young Ethiopian guy who sold out 2,500 capacity Echostage in DC last night. They usually have Anglo techno there. Rophnan melds some old school Ethiopian sounds with electro and hiphop.
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 20 August 2023 14:23 (eight months ago) link
Senegalese singer Baaba Maal has a new album out called Being
― curmudgeon, Monday, 21 August 2023 15:33 (eight months ago) link
and Afro-funky Zimbabwe band Mokoomba out a new album out a month agohttps://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jul/01/mokoomba-tusona-tracings-in-the-sand-review-stirring-pan-african-sounds-flowing-from-the-zambezi
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 24 August 2023 01:49 (eight months ago) link
Also a good reissue on Bandcamp. A guitarist from Cameroon’s Les Tet Brûlées, who were together in late 80s pays tribute to the band’s late leader Zanzibar
https://gibraltardrakus.bandcamp.com/album/hommage-a-zanzibar
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 24 August 2023 01:59 (eight months ago) link
I am kinda liking all of the last 4 efforts I posted about -- by Rophnan, Baaba Maal, Mokoomba, Gibraltar Drakus
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 24 August 2023 15:16 (eight months ago) link
Listened again to Mokoomba last night. Strong rhythms , and powerful lead vocals and harmonies. Some might hear it as retro but hopefully afrobeats and amapiano listeners might still like it
― curmudgeon, Friday, 25 August 2023 15:09 (eight months ago) link
Liked a song I just heard on WfMU from Roger Bekono who is from Cameroon and has a reissue out via Awesome Tapes from Africa
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 26 August 2023 23:49 (eight months ago) link
hey curmudgeon have u heard new blick bassy? not as jaw-dropping as 1958 maybe in part for not being as thematically focused? but quite beautiful and imo still one of the major vocal talents recording today.
― Mordy, Sunday, 27 August 2023 18:04 (eight months ago) link
No, will have to give a listen
― curmudgeon, Monday, 28 August 2023 16:32 (eight months ago) link
Like Blick Bassy's voice on new one which feels like it is melding a bit of an indie rock & pop electronic feel to his tuneful Cameroonian one. Just saw an article about him that says he's been listening to James Blake and Bon Iver lately and I can hear that a little
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 30 August 2023 05:17 (eight months ago) link
Big Senegalese African Ball event in NYC tonight and I think Brooklyn Carnival this weekend. But I am in DC
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 2 September 2023 19:01 (eight months ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJMugtcTVvw
Ethiocolor music and dance troupe fromAddis, Ethiopia at Kennedy Center last night Sometimes traditional and folkloric sometimes pop
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 7 September 2023 20:48 (eight months ago) link
https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/makeba-a-viral-tiktok-trend-pays-homage-to-mama-africa/
Long long article/ post about M Makeba and a tiktok trend
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 12 September 2023 23:06 (eight months ago) link
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-66568081
Salif Keita supports military coup in Mali
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 12 September 2023 23:12 (eight months ago) link
https://www.theafricareport.com/321727/in-mali-timbuktu-grapples-with-resurgent-jihadist-threat/
Jihadists blocking Timbuktu. No matter who is currently in charge in Mali, life is hard .
Lots of tough times now in Libya, Niger, and parts of Morocco also
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 13 September 2023 13:56 (eight months ago) link
https://africasacountry.com/2023/07/false-progress
Article suggests that just as there is a Latin Grammys and awards for Latin music at other Grammys, the same is needed for African music ( as opposed to what was recently done )
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 14 September 2023 19:20 (seven months ago) link
Article is from July 2023 but I just came across it
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 14 September 2023 19:22 (seven months ago) link
Madalisto 6 to 7 pm ET Fri Sept 15 free @ Kenn. Ctr Mill. Stage (& streamed on K. Ctr FB & Youtube) (Malawi duo)
― curmudgeon, Friday, 15 September 2023 15:18 (seven months ago) link
The Alogte Oho & His Sounds Of Joy album posted up thread is so good
― bbq, Friday, 15 September 2023 23:44 (seven months ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLVVO9cSkDY
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 16 September 2023 00:04 (seven months ago) link
That’s the Madalisto guitar duo fromKennedy Center.
X post- yeah the Alogte Oho gospel highlife is good
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 16 September 2023 00:14 (seven months ago) link
More Frafra Gospel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKPi_HQJH1ohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0w8x4CI91whttps://lindaayupuka.bandcamp.com/album/god-created-everything
― bbq, Saturday, 16 September 2023 07:31 (seven months ago) link
Saw Alogte Oho & His Sounds at the End of the Road festival, insanely good. I'm no expert on the genre or Ghanaian music, but seemed like a really fluid, virtuosic collective, huge grooves, great at working the crowd. Maybe the best thing I saw (along with the not at all similar Nina Nastasia).
― woof, Sunday, 17 September 2023 12:19 (seven months ago) link
Ted Gioia is praising Jantra: Synthesized Sudan: Astro-Nubian Electronic Jaglara Dance Sounds from the Fashaga Underground
― curmudgeon, Monday, 18 September 2023 19:51 (seven months ago) link
Really enjoyed the Kayhan Kalhor / Toumanié Diabaté album (The Sky is the Same Colour Everywhere), very pleasant autumn album of glistening strings, the Iranian (cello-like) Kamancheh especially shines.
Also the BCUC (Millions of Us) from South Africa was good fun, hypnotic jams constructed on percussion and slapping bass with a variety of vocals on top.
― Nabozo, Friday, 22 September 2023 08:12 (seven months ago) link
https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/amp/news/south-africa/2023-10-01-political-activist-and-musician-julian-sebothane-bahula-has-died/
Julian S Bahula RIP. Was Malombo Jazz founder and activist who organized the first Free Nelson Mandela concert
A Malombo Jazz comp on Strut got some love on ilx some years back
― curmudgeon, Monday, 2 October 2023 23:37 (seven months ago) link
Baba Commandant and Mandingo band (Burkina Faso afrobeat on Sublime Frequencies label) are on their second big US tour now . They're not bad (although didn't wow me when I saw them).
― curmudgeon, Monday, 9 October 2023 22:32 (seven months ago) link
Friday October 13--Alan Bishop as Alvarius B (Sun City Girls guitarist plays outsider folk w/ Egyptian influences) solo and does a Q & a before movie doc “Invisible Hands” a documentary film about Bishop & his band, Invisible Hands, one of two of his Egypt based groups) @ 7:30 @ Lost Origins Gallery in Washington DC
Saturday October 14- Dwarves of East Agouza ( Cairo based w/ Alan Bishop from Sun City Girls & Maurice Louca & Sam Shalabi) , Deakin & Geologist ( of Animal Collective), Jenny Moon Tucker @ Rhizome in DC
Mon. Oct 16- Baba Commandant and Mandingo band (Sublime Frequencies label band) @ 6 pm @ the Mt Pleasant Library (Burkina Faso afrobeat) in Washington DC
“Musical Brotherhoods of the Trans-Saharan Highway” 2005 film about street musicians in Marrakesh, Morocco plaza by Hisham Mayet w/ a q & a w/Sublime Frequencies label head & director Mayet and musician Alan Bishop @ 7:30 @ Lost Origins
Fri. October 20-Dwarfs of East Agouza (Alan Bishop from Sun City Girls) with Deakin + Geologist, @, and Androgynous Bulge @ The Compound, 2239 Kirk Avenue in Baltimore
― curmudgeon, Monday, 9 October 2023 22:33 (seven months ago) link
https://x.com/nyegenyegefest/status/1707757121733853412?s=46&t=u2ZSlsY3trRV36IPP6jNDQNyege Nyege fest in Uganda in November with acts from all over the world
― curmudgeon, Friday, 13 October 2023 18:30 (seven months ago) link