SoundRoots World Music & Global Culture

Tribute to Bob Marley: Spin the Globe playlist for 5 February 2010

2010-02-05T13:43:00.000-08:00

An hour of global cover songs started off the show, celebrating the musicianship and life of reggae icon Bob Marley, who would have turned 65 tomorrow. Not your regular reggae show...one listener even described it as "trippy." Plus new releases and more in the second hour. Congrats to the listeners who won the CD and ticket giveaways this week.

Global Reggae-Tribute to Bob Marley: Spin The Globe playlist for 5 February 2010
as heard on radio KAOS, 89.3 FM

Listen/download for a limited time at: soundroots.podomatic.com
More show info at spintheglobe.earball.net

Hour 1
Dhol Foundation - Colours of Punjab (theme) - Big Drum Small World
Ojos de Brujo - Get Up Stand Up - Backspin
Yeshe - No Woman No Cry - World CitiZen
Yat-Kha - Exodus - Re-Covers
African Showboyz - Three Little Birds - Spiritual Song
Ruia & Ranea - Maakona Tamaroto (Satisfy My Soul) - Waiata of Bob Marley
Nenes - No Woman, No Cry - Cover the World
Liam Teague - Jammin’ - Impressions
Joshua Lebofsky - Redemption Song - Play a Little Prayer
Karamelo Santo - So Much Trouble in the World - El Baile Oficial
Wyclef Jean - No Woman No Cry - The Score OST
Ruia - Koingo Atu Nei Kia Koe (Waiting in Vain) - Nehenehe Nui

Hour 2
Them Mushrooms - Tribute to Bob Marley - Kazi Ni Kazi
Bob Marley - One Love/People Get Ready - Legend
Tommy T - East-West Express - The Prester John Sessions
SambaDa - Sangue African - Gente
Soweto Gospel Choir - O’Nkosi Yam - Grace
Jerry Leake - Geo - Cubist
The Erev Ravs - Naphtaly’s Freylach - advance single
Farafina - Nening - Kanou
Rag Dharma - Rag Jog (excerpt) - Live at the Mark
Mahotella Queens & Ulali - Ma’ Africa - 1 Giant Leap
Bakithi Kumalo - African Mountain - In Front of My Eyes
Buena Vista Social Club - Chan Chan - World Circuit Presents…

Free trip to see FELA!

2010-02-04T14:18:00.000-08:00

No, SoundRoots isn't setting you up with a journey to the Great Beyond to converse with the late great father of Afrobeat. But Afropop Worldwide has the next best thing: a contest that will result in two people receiving airfare to New York, a hotel stay, and tickets to the Broadway musical FELA!

Is it a good show? I haven't seen it, but Ben Brantley's review in the NYT begins thusly:

There should be dancing in the streets. When you leave the Eugene O’Neill Theater after a performance of “Fela!,” it comes as a shock that the people on the sidewalks are merely walking. Why aren’t they gyrating, swaying, vibrating, in thrall to the force field that you have been living in so ecstatically for the past couple of hours?

And since the contest is free to enter, you should head over to Afropop.org where you can get more details and enter right up through Valentine's Day.

Seun Kuti talks about FELA!

And a little glimpse of the show itself:

Ali & Toumani, part 2

2010-02-03T17:01:00.000-08:00

While his son Vieux pioneers on with great West African guitar music, Ali Farka Touré is gone, and we won't be hearing much new music from him. That's what makes the anticipation of the forthcoming album Ali & Toumani such a delicious agony. The second album of guitar-kora collaboration with Toumani Diabaté after 2005's Grammy-winning In the Heart of the Moon, Ali &Toumani promises more of the intricate fingerpicking we've come to expect from these two African masters.

Recorded over three afternoons at London's Livingston Studios in 2005, the album includes contributions from Orlando 'Cachaíto' López on bass, and was also his last album recorded before his death one year ago. I've heard two cuts from the album so far: On the instrumental "Kala Djula" Touré sets the pace with his swaying guitar and then he and Diabaté alternate and intertwine melodic runs, while on "Sabu Yerkoy" Touré sings in his low-key manner between amazing kora riffs.

[mp3]: Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté: Sabu Yerkoy

from the album Ali & Toumani

The lyrics of this song concern Mali's independence and its effect on the people and the title means "thanks to God." The liner notes by producer Nick Gold explain how "Ali had been playing this song since the '60s. It's his take on Cuban salsa with lyrics in Songhai. ... This is the only time Ali recorded the piece. Maybe it was a gesture to Cachaito."

In an interview about the project, Diabaté praised his late musical partner.

Ali had a gift. He was a musical phenomenon, a pioneer of music, a trainer. I think he was created by God for that purpose. His mission was to promote African culture, particularly Malian culture, and he worked at it all his life. He didn't make music only for Mali. He made music for Mali, Africa and the entire world. He was unique in his field. He was a historian. He was a marabout. He was a healer.

More Ali & Toumani:
Buy the CD (street date 23 February)
Get the song "Kenouna" free by signing up on the World Circuit website
Win tickets to the 12 February album launch party in London -- details on Toumani Diabate's facebook blog
Ali Farka Toure myspace

Monday's mp3: The AFRO Souljazz Orchestra

2010-02-01T05:25:00.000-08:00

CD REVIEW
Souljazz Orchestra: Rising Sun (Strut)

I have to admit a dismissive attitude toward this album when it arrived in my mailbox. I expected perhaps some faux-retro 1970s soul tracks, perhaps with a James Brown cover tossed in for good measure. I mean, these guys are from Ottawa, for heaven's sake, not a particular hub of funkiness in my experience. But I popped it in, and the lethargic horns of the 3-minute opening track "Awakening" did little to shift my position. But then, oh then my friends, then the fun starts. "Agbara" kicks in with a percussive shout and a blast of Afrobeat-style horns. And suddenly the album has my interest, particularly with the unusual contribution of marimbas in the heavy mix. Sweet!

The third track takes another turn, starting as a heavy dirge before whipping into a killer version of Ethiopian jazz (inspired by Strut label-mate Mulatu Astatke, who I'm told has a new album coming soon). Again the marimbas play a key role, giving the song an otherworldly Ethio-gamelan feel. A few of the tracks -- "Lotus Flower," "Serenity," "Consecration" --are more what I was expecting from the orchestra's name -- particularly the "jazz" part. But the African influence re-emerges on "Mamaya," which the band says is based on traditional rhythms from Guinea. For my money, the three Afro tracks are worth the price of admission, and the quieter songs give a nice breather from their frenetic energy.

[mp3]: The Souljazz Orchestra: Negus Negast

from Rising Sun

I was curious enough about the band to track down their previous album Manifesto and found that it's even more heavily Afro-centric. The band tours during 2010, and I'm guessing they put on one killer show, so keep an eye out on your local venues.

More Souljazz Orchestra:
Buy CD
website
tour schedule
myspace
facebook

Tunisia Meets Sweden: Spin The Globe playlist for 29 January 2010

2010-01-29T13:52:00.000-08:00

Is the accordion the common denominator between Sweden and Tunisia? That's one of the themes you may hear in this week's show ping-ponging between the music of the two nations. We also had a set of music from Haiti, some concert previews, and an exclusive preview of music from the Erev Ravs.

Tunisia Meets Sweden: Spin The Globe playlist for 29 January 2010
as heard on radio KAOS, 89.3 FM

Listen/download for a limited time at: soundroots.podomatic.com
More show info at spintheglobe.earball.net

Artist - Song - Album

Hour 1
Dhol Foundation - Colours of Punjab (theme) - Big Drum Small World
DuOud - Zanzibar - Wild Serenade
Vasen - Squirrel - Gront
Ghalia Benali & Bert Cornelis - Hayamatni - Al Palna
Urban Turban - Persian Night - Overtime
Julie Marsellaise - Yama N’Chauf Haja Tegennen - Hot Women
Ellika & Solo - Mambore Tradgardsvalsen - World 2003
Chiha - I Was in Love - Mystic Bridges
Hoven Droven - Skogspolska - Groove
Zarzis - Na’ama - Tunisie:Chants & Rhythmes
Smadj - Fatwords w/Rokia Traore - Take It And Drive
Beata Soderberg & Justango - Tangogo - Bailata
Anouar Brahem - Zarabanda - Le Voyage de Sahar
Mynta - Ten Years Ago - Teabreak
Amina - Ederlezi - Nomad:Best of Amina

Hour 2
The Souljazz Orchestra - Negus Negast - Rising Sun
West Philadelphia Orchestra - What Innocence - West Philadelphia Orchestra
Orkestar Zirkonium - A New Light - Orkestar Zirkonium
Lataye - M Viv Ave Yo - Tu Manbre
Lole Lolay - Shada - Klasik Twoubadou
Sosyete Djouba - Viv o m rele gouvene - Alan Lomax in Haiti Vol.9
Les Loups Noirs D’Haiti - Jet Biguine - Tumbele! Biguine, afro & latin sounds from the French Caribbean 1963-74
Mahlathini & the Queens - Umkhovu - Next Stop…Soweto
Vusi Mahlasela - Silang Mabela - The Voice
Polokwane Choral Society - Sebakanyana - We Keep Singing
Jerry Leake - Nu Atsia - Cubist
Erev Ravs - Varshaver Please, Skotshne mix 2 - advance single
Angelique Kidjo - Senamou feat. Amadou & Mariam - Djin Djin

Monday's mp3: Haiti Now, Haiti Then

2010-01-25T16:35:00.000-08:00

CD REVIEW
various artists: Alan Lomax in Haiti (Harte Recordings)

I recently hung out with a friend who isn't insensitive to others' suffering, but he changed the channel every time something about Haiti came on the TV. I understand, and even sympathize: TV news has a way of turning tragedy into sappy, heart-wrenching drama while ignoring the big picture. We hear about a woman pulled from the rubble, or a child orphaned in the earthquake. We don't hear about the geopolitical, social, economic, and environmental problems that contributed to the tragedy or resulted from it. It's an odd kind of zen "nowness," this isolated view one gets from TV news.

Getting into that isn't really the place of this global-culture blog. But instead of getting compassion fatigue, I suggest digging a little deeper. Check out the Christian Science Monitor's Haiti diary, or articles on commondreams.org. Or post your own resources in the comments.

There really is music at the heart of this post, and it starts back in March 2004 when the Library of Congress's American Folklife Center obtained the Alan Lomax Collection. You probably know that Lomax was a tremendous collector/recorder of sounds and other cultural information from all over the planet. The collection includes more than 5,000 hours of sound recordings, 400,000 feet of motion picture film, 2,450 videotapes, 2,000 scholarly books and journals, hundreds of photographic prints and negatives, and more.

Alan Lomax in Haiti makes a wealth of music and information available for the first time to the general public. The box set includes 10 CDs and rich liner notes on various types of music, including Mardi Gras songs, Meringues and Urban music, Troubador music, the sounds of Vodou, romantic songs, children's songs, labor songs, and worship songs. Lomax recorded all of these songs during a four-month tour of Haiti in 1936-1937, and we have to note that the sound quality sounds like what you'd expect from 75-year old field recordings: scratchy, noisy, thin -- yet still fascinating.

This song was recorded on March 19, 1937, and relates a chilling tale of murder, made more poignant in light of post-earthquake looting and violence:

I heard a shout behind the hill
Let's go see what's going on
Brother Lombri killed a woman
for kongo pea soup

[mp3] students of L'Ecole Normal, Port-au-Prince: "Deyè mòn-la, ann prale wè" (Behind the hill, let's go see)

from Alan Lomax in Haiti

The collection includes plenty of more-lighthearted material, including the mutual-aid society songs on Volume 9: Konbit and Banbock: Songs of Labor and Leisure. The music doesn't have the upbeat swing of calypso, versions of which were popular elsewhere in the Caribbean at the same time, and probably will be less engaging to the casual listener. For the culturally thirsty listener who can afford the three-digit price tag of this set, however, a world of learning far removed from the TV news awaits.

More:
Buy Box Set of 10 CDs
The Haiti Box blog (selling the box set for $115, with $15 going directly to local disaster relief organizations in Haiti)
Alan Lomax at wikipedia
Alan Lomax on Facebook
The Alan Lomax Collection

Music from the Hottest Lands on Earth: Spin The Globe playlist for 22 January 2010

2010-01-22T16:03:00.000-08:00

As a mid-winter break for those of us in the northern climes, we took a musical visit to the hottest places on the planet this week. You can find a list complete with temperatures here. What did we learn? That no matter how cold it gets here in the Pacific Northwest, I'm not planning a summer vacation to Al 'Aziziyah, Libya (136 degrees F!).

Music from the Hottest Places on Earth: Spin The Globe playlist for 22 January 2010
as heard on radio KAOS, 89.3 FM

Listen/download for a limited time at: soundroots.podomatic.com
More show info at spintheglobe.earball.net

Artist - Song - Album

Hour 1
Dhol Foundation - Colours of Punjab (theme) - Big Drum Small World
Caceres - Triste Febrero - Rough Guide to Argentina
Los de Abajo - Pepepez - Los de Abajo
Musafir - Moria Badnawa - Dhola Maru
Ganga Giri - Bertie Beatle - Beats Around the Bush
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan - Kainda-e-Qalandar - Nazrana-e-Aqeedat
Mohammad Abdu - Ya Keif - Inti El Hawa
Brenda Fassie - Sum’ Bulala - Memeza
Mulatu Astatke - Mulatu - Mulatu of Ethiopia
Boom Pam - Gross - Boom Pam
Delta Nove - Tororo - The Future Is When
Dalinda - Maahboubi Khanni / My Beloved Deceived Me - Turquoise

Hour 2
[dunkelbunt] & Cloud Tissa - Kebab Connection - Balkan Grooves
The Spy from Cairo - Ala Shan - Secretly Famous
Sauti Sol - Asante Sana Baba - Mwanzo
SambaDa - Sangue Africano Remix - Gente!
Umalali - The Sun Has Set - The Garifuna Women’s Project
Soweto Gospel Choir - Ingoma - Grace
Lhasa - Con Toda Palabra - The Living Road
Siora - Vaynikehu - Vision of the Dry Bones
Zingaros - Sher - Cirkari
The Sahel Band - Yarabi - The Sahel Band
Ojos de Brujo - Bailaores - Techari
Masters of Haiti - Ti Chans (Pou Ayiti) - Rough Guide to Haiti

David Does Haiti (and other lands): Spin The Globe playlist for 15 January 2010

2010-01-19T17:51:00.000-08:00

David "The Xenophiliac" Moseley spun the globe last Friday while I was out of town, and did a fine job of it, particularly highlighting music from Haiti. I'm glad to be home, and will be spinning music from the hottest lands on earth this Friday. Here's what I missed, and what you (hopefully) heard.

David Does Haiti (and other lands): Spin The Globe playlist for 15 January 2010
as heard on radio KAOS, 89.3 FM

Listen/download for a limited time at: soundroots.podomatic.com
More show info at spintheglobe.earball.net

Artist - Song - Album
Caetano Veloso - Haiti - The Best of Caetano Veloso
Beethova Obas - Lina - Caribe! Caribe!
Mizik Mizik - Blakawout - rough guide to the music of Haiti
Zin - Kanpe Sou Yon Bit - French Carribean
Boukman Eksperyans - Peye Loa Yo - revolution
Fishner Augustin and la troupe Makandal - Rara Processional - New York City, Global Beat of the Boroughs
Boukman Eksperyans - Baron - revolution
Wyclef Jean - Sang Fez - New World Party
King Posse - Retounen - Carnival
Ram - Marassa Elu - rough guide to the music of Haiti
Orchestre Tropicana D'Haiti - Gason Total - Putumayo World Party
Oro Solido - Verano Solido - The Rough Guide to Merengue
Kiala - Batumwindu - Afrobeat no go die
Michael Franti & Spearhead - Hello Bonjour - Global Lingo
Peter King - Shango - Nigeria 70
Nomo - Discontinued - Nomo
The Sahel Band with Kane Mathis - North Mali - The Sahel Band with Kane Mathis

Monday's mp3: Groovy Old Soweto

2010-01-18T06:41:00.000-08:00

CD REVIEW
various artists: Next Stop ... Soweto: Township sounds from the Golden Age of Mbaqanga (Strut)

Even under the thumb of apartheid, Soweto was blossoming as a hub for black culture and music in South Africa. Today one doesn't hear as much about the townships (particularly as the coming World Cup dominates news from the nation), but this musical legacy has spawned another compilation of energetic township jive.

Following in the footsteps of The Indestructible Beat of Soweto series (were they really released nearly a quarter century ago?), Next Stop ... Soweto includes the well-known Mahlathini and Mohatella Queens (on separate tracks) alongside 18 tracks from less well-known artists. Many of these songs appeared only on limited-distribution 45s made for the local market, so it's a boon that compilers Duncan Brooker and Francis Gooding have tracked them down for this compilation. You'll hear many influences in the varied tracks, including gospel, funk, traditional mining songs, and jazz. And always, that Soweto swing.

Following on the heels of releases of classic Nigerian and Ethiopian music, Strut has another winner that will entice African music fans everywhere.

[mp3] African Swingsters: Emuva
from Next Stop ... Soweto: Township sounds from the Golden Age of Mbaqanga

More:
Buy CD
Get another free song and hear more tracks at www.nextstopsoweto.com

Haiti

2010-01-14T11:23:00.000-08:00

Haiti. Already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, plagued by poor governing, over-exploitation of resources, and ignorant comments by religious figures, now this earthquake. Help them out a bit, whether it's by sending money, sending prayers, buying Haitian music, or denouncing bigotry that labels Haitians as devil-worshipers or worse. If voodoo is a sticking point for you, read more about it at wikipedia (you might be surprised to learn that it's monotheistic, for instance).

To help directly and immediately, text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti. You can read more about the effects of the earthquake and ways to help here.

Boukman Eksperyans

World Music Top 10, January 2010

2010-01-13T05:23:00.000-08:00

The delightful sounds of globalized Malagasy singer Seheno top our first monthly Top 10 list of 2010. Notable newcomers to the chart include Jewish singer Siora, gypsy/dance group !Dela Dap, and the modern kora sounds of the Sahel Band featuring Kane Mathis. Browse through some of these sounds, and you'll undoubtedly hear something new and appealing.

SoundRoots / Spin The Globe Top 10 Global Albums, January 2010

(click on album title for sound samples / more info)

1. Seheno: Ka
2. Mahala Rai Banda: Ghetto Blasters
3. Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba: I Speak Fula
4. Mulatu Astatke: New York - Addis - London: The Story of Ethio Jazz 1965-1975
5. various artists: Next Stop...Soweto
6. Siora: Vision of the Dry Bones
7. Yasmin Levy: Mano Suave
8. !Dela Dap: Sara La Kali
9. Sahel Band feat. Kane Mathis: Sahel Band
10. The Shin: Black Sea Fire

SEHENO new morning

If You Can't Get to Fez...

2010-01-12T20:57:00.000-08:00

DVD REVIEW
Sound of the Soul: The Fez Festival of World Sacred Music (Alive Mind)

For eight days each June for the past 16 years, the city of Fez, Morocco, has teemed with musicians, dancers, and music lovers gathered for a unique celebration of sacred traditions. It's the World Sacred Music Festival, the granddaddy of a number of smaller sacred music festivals that have sprouted up all over the world.

For some years, compilations CDs of music from the festival have been available. Now, filmmaker Stephen Olsson makes it possible for those of us who have yet to make a musical pilgrimage to Fez to get see images, hear sounds, and learn a little of position of Morocco in world and religious culture that makes it the perfect location for this amazing festival.

"We wanted something to enhance the peace in the world, and understanding in the world," says festival president Mohamned Kabbaj. "And the main language is the musical language, because everybody understands this language. The music goes directly to the heart."

While the film includes generous views of performances, the many artist and organizer interviews superimposed over the music will inform some viewers, and leave others frustrated at the interruption of the music. Perhaps to make up for this, the DVD extras include 17 minutes of uncut performances, from Moroccan groups Samaa Sahraoui and Nass El Ghiwane, and Afghanistan's Garida Mahwash & the Kabul Ensemble. There's another 90-second extra answering the question "What Is World Music?" -- I won't spoil the surprise by revealing their answer.

To be honest, I've heard mixed reviews of both Fez and the festival from some who've attended. Some of the venues apparently lack a sacred atmosphere, and the huge influx of visitors during the festival can tax the city's infrastructure. Still, those complaints don't deter my determination to someday attend the festival in person.

This DVD and the 10-song companion CD offer a compelling glimpse into this unique festival, which in 2010 is expected to feature performers as diverse as gospel the Sizero Tabla Experience, The Royal Ballet of Cambodia, poets from Afghanistan, and either Ben Harper or Al Greene. Other performers will gather from the world over from 4-12 June, and while I won't be there this year, this glimpse of the festival has drawn me ever closer.

More:
Buy CD/DVD
More DVD info
Fez Festival 2010 lineup
review of the 2007 Fez Festival

Monday's mp3: A Binaural Tour of East Africa

2010-01-11T18:51:00.000-08:00

various artists: Ensigo-East Africa in Binaural (Ensigo)

A compilation of binaural field recordings by Aaron Appleton, this album runs the gamut from vocal polyphonies and polyrhythmic drumming to a group spoken word piece on AIDS and one track evocatively entitled "Drunk, & Playing Guitar in Kigali's Streets."

The songs -- from Uganda and Rwanda -- were recorded in a variety of locations including churches, mud huts, bedrooms, town halls, and out in the open air. The recordings are generally good quality, and the whole experience feels like driving through cities and rural areas stopping occasionally to listen to local sounds.

Notes on the artists, locations, and songs would be most welcome, but in general this is a promising album from an aspiring young Alan Lomax. Set your own price for downloading the album at the link below.

[mp3]: Baptism Party in Rwanda

More:
Buy/preview album
Compiler profile
Ensigo site

New Releases & Old Faves: Spin The Globe playlist for 08 January 2010

2010-01-08T17:34:00.000-08:00

This week: new world music releases, and some of our favorite older tunes. Sorry I wasn't able to fulfill the request of the caller asking for Inuit women's throat singing--there wasn't any to be found in the KAOS music library (but there's a nice explanatory video here). Will get to that in a future show.
Also, please note that I'll be on vacation next week and the show will be hosted by David Moseley, the regular host of KAOS's Xenophilia show. If possible, I'll post the archive of that show after I return from my journey. And I'll be back with you on January 22 for a show featuring music from hot lands.

New Releases & Old Faves: Spin The Globe playlist for 08 January 2010
as heard on radio KAOS, 89.3 FM

Listen/download for a limited time at: soundroots.podomatic.com
More show info at spintheglobe.earball.net

Artist - Song - Album

Hour 1
Lo’Jo - C’est La Vie - Bazar Savant
Ipercussonici - Ula - Tuttipari
Seheno - Teo - Ka
La Otrabanda - Viene Temporal - Pueblo Vivo / Vibrant People
Tierra Negra & Muriel Anderson - Fantasia de Fuego - New World Flamenco
Chambao - Comeme - En El Fin del Mundo

Cover via Amazon

Siora - Shney Shoshanim - Vision of the Dry Bones
Varttina - Fanfaari - Seleniko
Vocal Baobab - Orula - Afro-Cuban Chants
Either/Orchestra - Antchim Endelela - Live in Addis: Ethiopiques 20
Jerry Leake - Chrysalis - Cubist
Daniel Kahn, Psoy Korolenko, Oy Division - Ekh lyuli lyuli - The Unternationale
!Dela Dap - Shukar Dijes - Sara La Kali
Balval - Loli Rokla - Blizzard Boheme

Hour 2
Les Amazones de Guinee - Zawi - Wamato
Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate - Kala Djula - single from Ali & Toumani
Susana Baca - Siempre - Travesias
Susheela Raman - Mamavatu - Salt Rain
Fourth Ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra - O Se Shalom - East Atlanta Passover Stomp
Deniz Gezmis Oynicam! Feat. Yuzzuf Kenan Billy G. - Sultan Tunc - Beyond Istanbul 2 - Urban Sounds Of Turkey
Zed Nkabinde - Inkonjane Jive - Next Stop…Soweto
L’Orchestre Jeunesse de Paul-Emile Haliar - La Vie Critique - Tumbele
Mamar Kassey - Foulbe Gari - Alatoumi
Mulatu Astatke - Mulatu - Mulatu of Ethiopia
Mounira Mitchala - Assamony - Talou Lena
Sahel Band - Thierno Diop - Sahel Band
Mahmoud Fadl - Ya Beer Zamzam - Cairosonic
Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba - Amy feat. Zoumana Tereta - I Speak Fula

Monday's mp3: Tunesian Eyes

2010-01-04T08:38:00.000-08:00

CD REVIEW
Anouar Brahem: The Astounding Eyes of Rita (ECM)

Something there is about Palestinan poet Mahmoud Darwish that inspires musicians. And not just to set his words to music, as was done by Reem Kelani with the song "Mawwaal" on her album Sprinting Gazelle. Just as interesting is that he inspires instrumentalists to somehow emulate the rhythm or melody or mood of his poems through strictly instrumental music. That's what Marcel Khalife did on his Taqasim, and the poet's words also inspired the latest album by Tunesian oud master Anouar Brahem.

Playing with bass clarinetist Klaus Gesing, bassist Bjorn Meyer, and percussionist Khaled Yassine, Brahem has created an astonishingly engaging album of..what to call it?... world-jazz fusion? Tunesian neo-folk? Don't label, just listen (try "Galilee Mon Amour" for starters), and the beauty of the music and the quality of the recording will point the way to sonic bliss.

[mp3] Anouar Brahem: Galilee Mon Amour

from The Astounding Eyes of Rita

More Anouar Brahem:
Buy CD
website
facebook

Best Global Music of 2009: Spin The Globe playlist for 01 January 2010

2010-01-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

Selections from our favorite world music CDs of 2009. Happy new year!

Best Global Music of 2009: Spin The Globe playlist for 01 January 2010
as heard on radio KAOS, 89.3 FM

Listen/download for a limited time at: soundroots.podomatic.com
More show info at spintheglobe.earball.net

Hour 1
Dhol Foundation - Colours of Punjab (theme) - Big Drum Small World
Salsa Celtica - Auld Lang Syne - El Camino
Madera Limpia - Boca Floja - La Corona
Moana & the Tribe - Whaura - Wha
Oreka TX - Jai Adivasi - Nomadak TX
Seheno - Omeko Anao - KA
Mahala Rai Banda - Ding Deng Dong - Ghetto Blasters
Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara - Kele Kele (No Passport No Visa) - Tell No Lies
Khaled - Hiya Ansadou - Liberte
Forro in the Dark - Bandinha - Light a Candle
Staff Benda Bilili - Je T’aime - Tres Tres Fort
Boban I Marko Markovic - Kazi Baba - Devla
Ziggy Marley - Hold Him Joe - Family Time
Kitka - Kakhur Nana - Cradle Songs
The Shin - Potato Story - Black Sea Fire

Hour 2
Bela Fleck - Ah Ndiya feat. Oumou Sangare - Throw Down Your Heart
Larry McDonald - Brother Man w/ Shaza & Terri Lion - Drumquestra
Cacique’97 - Eu Quero Tudo - Cacique’97
Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba - Jamana Be Diya (feat. Kasse Mady Diabate, Toumani Diabate) - I Speak Fula
Michael Franti & Spearhead - Hello Bonjour - Global Lingo
KAL - Romozom - Radio Romanista
Oumou Sangare - Wele Wele Wintou - Seya
Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou - Agnon Dekpe - Echos Hypnotiques
Dengue Fever - Tip My Canoe - Sleepwalking through the Mekong
Ba Cissoko - Nina - Sena
Fanfare Ciocarlia - So Te Kerau - Live
Mulatu Astatke - Emnete - New York, Addis, London

Monday's mp3: Sparkling Oldies from the French Caribbean

2009-12-28T08:49:00.000-08:00

CD REVIEW
various artists: Tumbélé! Biguine, Afro & Latin Sounds from the French Caribbean, 1963-74 (Soundway)

2009 has seen a number of African retrospective albums, but this is the only one I know of from the French Caribbean. Indeed, one is hard-pressed to find much music at all from Guadeloupe and Martinique, which makes this CD welcome indeed. Afro-Latin is the general theme here and listeners may recognized rhythms and other styles similar to English-language music from the region, though none of these French-speaking artists are familiar to me.

These are not the dry, dusty recordings of some forgotten ethnomusicologist exploring the music of primitives on a desert island. The very urban sounds of jazz, calypso, rumba, and biguine blend with gwo-ka drumming and call-and-response vocals in fascinating combinations. Apparently this blending was somewhat scandalous at the time, and today it still sounds unique and fresh. Just check out the electric guitar and horn solos on "Jojo," or the odd, frantic combination of surf guitar, organ, and sax driving "Jet Biguine." You'll have a hard time listening to this music and not wishing you were there in the islands, experiencing it live back in the day. Another winner from Soundway!

[mp3] Les Loups Noirs D'Haiti: ~~Jet Biguine~~

from Tumbélé! Biguine, Afro & Latin Sounds from the French Caribbean, 1963-74

Buy/sample CD
More CD info

Complete Tracklist:
1. Jeunesse Vauclin – Barel Coppet et Mister Lof
2. Jet Biguine – Les Loups Noirs D’Haïti
3. Pas O Soué La – Abel Zénon
4. Manzè Mona – Raphaël Zachille
5. Henri Te Vlé Mayé – Robert Mavounsy Quartet
6. La Vie Critique – L’Orchestre Jeunesse de Paul-Emile Haliar
7. Mussieu A Têt’a Poisson La – Orchestre Combo Zombi et Michel Yéyé
8. Oriza – Les Kings
9. Colas-la – Claude Rolcin et Le West Indian Combo
10. Ti Fi La Ou Té Madam’ – Anzala, Dolor, Vélo
11. D’Leau Coco – Les Leopards
12. Jojo – Ensemble La Perfecta
13. Dima Bolane – Le Ry-co Jazz
14. Edamise Oh! – Lola Martin
15. Chombo Meringue – Les Aiglons de Basse Terre
16. Son Tambou La – Les Gentlemens
17. Chonga – L’Ensemble Abricot
18. Fileo – Francisco
19. Panty – Monsieur Dolor et Les Guitar Boys
20. Jean Fouillé, Pie Fouillé – Robert Loison

Global Christmas - Spin The Globe Playlist 25 December 2009

2009-12-26T07:49:00.000-08:00

Holiday and Christmas songs to round out our month of sacred holiday music celebrations. Plus new releases and other global sounds. Hope you had a great Christmas/holiday season, and I'll be back next week (which is next year!). Until then, live locally and groove globally.

Global Christmas: Spin The Globe playlist for 25 December 2009
as heard on radio KAOS, 89.3 FM

Listen/download* for a limited time at: soundroots.podomatic.com
More show info at spintheglobe.earball.net

Artist - Song - Album
Hour 1
Dhol Foundation - Colours of Punjab (theme) - Big Drum Small World
The Blue Hawaiians - Jungle Bells - Christmas on Big Island
Mbaraka Mwinshehe - Happy Christmas - Siku Ya Christmas
African Guitar Summit - Afe Hyia Pa - Think Global World Christmas
Brothers of the Baladi - Away in a Manger - A Time of Peace
Rim Banna - Christmas Feast - April Blossoms
Kitka - Zamuchi Se Bozha Majka - Think Global World Christmas
Joseph Spence - Santa Claus Is Coming to Town - The Rounder Christmas Album
Luis Villegas - Feliz Navidad - Guitarras de Navidad
Ancient Cultures - Bolivian Carol - Milagros de Navidad
Klezmonauts - Oy to the World - Oy to the World
Desert Wind - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Christmas: Rhythms of the Holy Land
Milly & Silly - Getting Down for Xmas - In the Christmas Groove
El Vez - Poncho Claus - Merry MeX-mas
Hapa - Kanaka Wai Wai - Holidays
John Holt - Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Reggae Pulse 4 Christmas Songs
The Blue Hawaiians - Mele Kalikimaka - Christmas on Big Island

Hour 2
James Whetzel - God Rest Ye Funky Bhangra - Holidays with the Whetzel
Seheno - Blue Joy - KA
Los Reyes - Christo el Rico - Gipsy Christmas
The Shin - Pearl by the Sea (Wow Odessa!) - Black Sea Fire
Three Weissmen - Jingle Bells of the Ages - Blame It on Christmas!
Vieux Farka Toure - FaFa - Other Roads: Fondo Remixed
New York Twoubadou - Joyeux Noel - Christmas Around the World
Yasmin Levy - Una Noche Mas - Mano Suave
Shirim - March of the Macabees - Klezmer Nutcracker
Yeh Dede - Salaam - Freedom
Jayram Acharya - Sante Claus Is Coming - ?
Mulatu Astatke - Ene Alantchie Alantchie Alnoren - The Story of Ethio Jazz
The Sahel Band - Serifu Sidi - The Sahel Band
!DelaDap - Kaj Tu Salas - Sara La Kali
Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba - Bambugu Blues feat. Vieux Farka Toure, Andra Kouyate - I Speak Fula

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

Free Vieux

2009-12-22T10:06:00.000-08:00

Maybe it was the excitement of Avatar or my efforts to ignore the holiday shopping frenzy all around, but somehow, last week's release of Vieux Farka Toure's Other Roads: Fondo Remixed slipped under my radar. Until I ran across a free track from the album being offered up free by my friends at KCRW, that is. They've posted to the song "FaFa (J-Boogie Remix)" for free download on yesterday's Today's Top Tune page.

For comparison, here's the original track:
Vieux Farka Touré - Fafa

I've since listened to more song samples from the album at trackitdown.net (another new discovery!) and I like what I hear. In fact, the subtle remixes I'm hearing appeal to me more than the remixes from Vieux's previous album collected on the album Remixed: UFOs Over Bamako. I'm looking forward to hearing the full album soon...

More Vieux Farka Toure:
Buy album
website
myspace

Monday's mp3: Siora's Meaty 'Dry Bones'

2009-12-21T20:44:00.000-08:00

CD REVIEW
Siora: Vision of the Dry Bones (Miowan)

With a few days to go until Christmas, a dozen global holiday CDs wait in a stack while my attentions turn to an unexpected pleasure: the Jewish folk-jazz-world music of Siora. Led by vocalist Phyllis Chapell and keyboardist/arranger Dan Kleiman, Siora has a unique approach to music that is distinctly Jewish yet unconstricted to any particular style.

The group's treatment of Herman Yablokoff's Yiddish classic "Papirossen (Cigarettes)" is a case in point. The five-minute piece starts with a flowing niggun over a composition of jazzy bass and percussion with a string section chiming in percussively. Add guitar, then a swinging piano solo, and a clever, effective double-tracking of Chapell's niggun line. And finally, a riff from Negro spiritual "Motherless Child," echoing the despair of the song's starving cigarette-selling boy and several songs from the Jewish diaspora.

Elsewhere, Siora fuses dobro to Jewish wedding music on "Ki Tinam," and infuses the Israeli peace song "Ma Navu" with Arabic zills and dumbek and the word for peace in several languages. Chapell and Kleiman (and other contributors including the Flecktones' Howard Levy) have a special chemistry that makes this modern genre-bending Jewish music deeply satisfying and highly recommended. And a great alternative to another refrain of "Frosty the Snowman."

[mp3] Siora: ~~Ma Navu~~

from the album Vision of the Dry Bones

more Siora:
Buy CD
website
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Here's Siora doing something a bit less Jewish:

Music from Muslim Lands - Spin the Globe Playlist for 18 December 2009

2009-12-19T12:21:00.000-08:00

Sacred and other music from Muslim nations to ring in the Muslim New Year; 11 Dec. is the first day of the month Muharram in the year 1431. Happy New Year! Plus new releases and more in hour 2.

Music from Muslim Lands: Spin The Globe playlist for 18 December 2009
as heard on radio KAOS, 89.3 FM

Listen/download* for a limited time at: soundroots.podomatic.com
More show info at spintheglobe.earball.net

(*our technical problems continue; we salvaged the audio from last week's Jewish/Hanukkah and that's now available to listen/download. But this week's audio went walkabout, and we don't expect to see it again. Sorry.)

Hour 1
Dhol Foundation - Colours of Punjab (theme) - Big Drum Small World
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Mustt Mustt - Mustt Mustt
Debu - Ancak Ask - International Sampler
Youssou N’Dour - Baay Niasse - Egypt
Rim Banna - Beit Allah - Seasons of Violet
Ali Khan - Damadam - Taswir
Houssaine Kili - Salamoualeikoum - Mountain to Mohamed
El-Funoun - Initiation of Ecstasy - Saghareed
Omar Faruk Tekbilek - Red Skies - One Truth
Mercan Dede - Book of Wings - 800
Wafir - Toomi - Nilo Azul
Hassan Hakmoun - Ma’Bud Allah - Gift of the Gnawa

Hour 2
Seheno - Gaga - KA
Manooghi Hi - Humm - Manooghi Hi
Dengue Fever - Integration - Venus on Earth
Tommy T - Tribute to a King - The Prester John Sessions
Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba - Saro feat. Vieux Farka Toure - I Speak Fula
!Dela Dap - Shukar Dijes / A Great Day - Sara La Kali
Correo Aereo - Cuatrapeado - Lo Que Me Dijo El Viento
Marlene Dorcena - Yoyo - Mesy
Rahim Alhaj - Taqsim Maqam Hijaz - When the Soul Is Settled: Music of Iraq
Electric Kulintang - Dialects I - Dialects
Markus James - I Won’t Let It - Snakeskin Violin
Orchestre PolyRythmo de Dotonou - Se Ba Ho - Echos Hypnotiques

A peek into Nusrat's qawwali world:

SoundRoots/Spin The Globe Favorite Global Music of 2009

2009-12-18T08:27:00.000-08:00

Trying something a little different this year. Rather than a simple list, herewith a few details about our favorite global music of the year. These are albums that had more than a couple songs we liked, and that we returned to week after week for airplay or our own enjoyment. We think they'll bring you enjoyment too.

You'll hear selections from many of these albums on the 1 January 2010 edition of Spin The Globe.
(Click on any album name for more info/song samples.)

EUROPE
I'll start with one of the best party albums of the year, Mahala Rai Banda's Ghetto Blasters. Giving us perhaps the best party album of the year, the group's name literally means "Noble Band from the Ghetto," but their ghetto music isn't like our ghetto music. Blistering Balkan speed brass that'll get your heart pumping and your feet dancing. A very different offering with roots in Eastern Europe comes from Georgian-rooted group The Shin. The album Black Sea Fire shows off their instrumental and melodic prowess, a sophisticated music that contains elements of both jazz and Gypsy music, but nothing like Django Reinhardt. Moving farther west, we get to Basque group Oreka Tx and their little known instrument the txalaparta. As the album name Nomadak Tx implies, this is a traveling, nomadic album (and companion DVD) in which they travel to remote lands and make new txalaparta from materials at hand -- including wood, stone, and ice -- and then collaborate with local musicians.

AFRICA
Bela Fleck isn't African, but he created one of the best African albums of the year in Throw Down Your Heart. A collaboration with African artists ranging from Tanzanian musical legend Hukwe Zawose to Afel Bocoum, Vusi Mahlasela, D'Gary, and Oumou Sangare. Bela contributes modestly on this album, which in its own modest way is as interesting and exploratory as Paul Simon's Graceland. From Congo, I'm adding Staff Benda Bilili for their album Tres Tres Fort. This is no sympathy vote: The group's members may be disabled musicians who roam the area around Kinshasha's zoo in improvised tricycles, but they're fully able in the area of musical skills. And the one-stringed "guitar" solos have to be heard to be believed. Malagasy singer Seheno was the very latest addition to this list with her stunning debut album KA, a sparkling blend of Malagasy rhythms and singing with jazz, blues, Indian instruments, and more -- all fronted by a woman with a voice to rival Angelique Kidjo. Finally, we have to add Ba Cissoko's album Sena to this list. I initially struggled to accept Kouyate's effects-laden kora sound as authentically African. But in their decade together, the core quartet of Cissoko (kora), Sekou Kouyate (electric kora), Ibrahima Kourou Kouyate (bass), and Ibrahim "Kounkoure" Bah (percussion) have incorporated influences both old and new and in doing so they've created something of a new genre that is distinctly African, and distinctly modern. Whether you call it kora-rock, or Afro-rock, or electric griot, it's fantastic.

ASIA & OCEANIA
Is Dengue Fever a rock band or a world-music band? Does it matter? Their music is infectious, and the documentary film following the 2005 trip to Cambodia from which the songs on their album Sleepwalking Through the Mekong are taken shows musicians interacting humbly, playfully, and respectfully with various Cambodian musicians and others they encounter. The album includes Dengue Fever tracks, collaborations with Cambodian musicians, and some classic Ethiopian recordings that show the roots of their modern sound. South in New Zealand, Moana & The Tribe brought us another album of empowering Maori music on Wha. The famous Maori haka makes several virile appearances on the album, most notably on "Te Apo," which addresses the greed at the heart of many global trade agreements and includes sounds from the street protests at the 2006 WTO conference in Hong Kong. Great conscious music and songwriting that shows a more mature side of bandleader Moana Maniapoto.

THE AMERICAS
Representing both the north and the south, the Brazilian-NYC group Forro in the Dark brightened things up with Light a Candle, featuring tunes based (at least loosely) on Brazilian forro dance music, great music, including breathless flute and incessant triangle paired with electric guitar. A couple of songs in quirky but endearing English are included alongside the great retro rocker, "Perro Loco" and some other more forro-flavored tunes.

Okay, now I'll give you a list. Following are some other great albums that didn't quite make the cut to be included above (some by the slightest of margins. These round out our Top 20 favorites of 2009:
KAL: Radio Romanista
Larry McDonald: Drumquestra
Madera Limpia: La Corona
Khaled: Liberte
Ye Dede: Freedom
Fanfare Ciocarlia: Live
Oumou Sangare: Seya
Boban i Marko Markovic: Devla
Cacique'97: Cacique'97
Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba: I Speak Fula
Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara: Tell No Lies

And a few more favorite selections in various categories:

Favorite Retrospectives/Reissues
Mulatu Astatke: New York - Addis - London: The story of Ethio Jazz 1965-1975
Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou: The Vodoun Effect-Funk & Sato From Benin's Obscure Labels 1972-1975

Favorite Compilations
Global Lingo
The Revolution Present Revolution

Favorite Children's Albums
Ziggy Marley: Family Time
Kitka: Cradle Songs

All of these selections are based on our own fickle tastes, airplay, listener and reader response, and other criteria even less easily explained. If you find glaring omissions, feel free to leave a comment (heck, comment your own global top 10 list, if you like!). Thanks for reading SoundRoots and/or listening to Spin The Globe. You're an adventurous listener, and that's good for the planet.

Speaking Fula, Hearing Fula

2009-12-16T15:49:00.000-08:00

CD REVIEW
Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba: I Speak Fula (Sub Pop/Next Ambiance)
USA release date: 2 February 2010

Seems these days you can't read a 2009 top 10 list without tripping over this album. To be sure, I Speak Fula is a superb offering of West African music, centered around the bajno-like hunter's harp known as ngoni. Great percussion, great energy, and guest artists including Vieux Farka Toure, Kassy Mady Diabate, and Toumani Diabate.

The string work is intricate and masterful, and the overall sound generally more lively than Kouyate's Afro-blues-oriented 2007 debut album Segu Blue. All that said, I suspect there's extra hype for this one because it's been picked up by grunge pioneers Sub Pop on their new Next Ambiance sub-label. Perhaps Kouyate will further win me over when the group tours the USA in early 2010, but for now I'm bucking the hype and putting this on my list of great albums that almost made my 2009 top 10 list.

More Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba:
Buy CD
label website
interview
facebook
myspace

Seheno's Mezmerizing KA

2009-12-15T21:39:00.000-08:00

CD REVIEW
Seheno: KA (LokAnga)

The timing of this album's arrival shortly before Christmas was certainly a coincidence, but that makes it no less of a wonderful gift. A late but solid entry onto my list of best new music of the year, KA is a sparkling blend of Malagasy rhythms and singing with jazz, blues, Indian instruments, and more. Vocalist Seheno has assembled an excellent backing group including precise and spirited percussion from Parbhu Edouard. And the recording is so crisp that one can hear and relish every nuance.

If you're familiar with Malagasy music from artists such as Tarika, D'Gary, Rajery, or Jaojoby, you'll recognize some common elements: rhythms here and there, the accordion on "Teo." But I can safely say you've never heard Malagasy music quite like this. I wouldn't call it fusion in any sense, just the sound of a Madagascar-born woman who integrates the music of her tradition with that of other places she's lived and traveled, including Europe and India.

Vocally, Seheno nears the vocal presence of Angelique Kidjo or Zap Mama's Marie Daulne, with the depth of Comoran singer Nawal. It's a heady combination, right from the a capella start of the title track that leads off the album. On that song, the instrumentation builds to a full Malagasy-infused dance frenzy, then fades back to voices. And voice is the thing -- as great as the music is, it's Seheno's voice that makes this such a compelling album. From the lilting love song "Falyfaly" to the Indian sargam (vocal percussion language) inspired "Gaga," I'm hanging on every syllable. If this is her debut album, what's she going to sound like when she gets better? The icing on the cake is the packaging; the round paper/cardboard CD cover is handmade by artisans in Calcutta with "sensual and eco-friendly materials." From the music to the medium, Seheno's KA is a class act, and this album is sure to launch her to greater recognition from global music fans. Highly recommended!

More Seheno:
website (where you can buy the CD)
myspace
facebook

Monday's mp3: Tommy T Makes the Case for Ethio-Dub

2009-12-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

CD REVIEW
Tommy T: The Prester John Sessions
(Easy Star Records)

You'd never guess from the music that this album comes from the mind of the man who creates the driving bass lines for gypsy punkers Gogol Bordello. Perhaps, instead, from a friend of Bill Laswell's who has spent time in both Jamaica and Ethiopia. Just as Mulatu Astatke's recent retrospective gives us the roots of Ethio-jazz, Tommy T digs into his Ethiopian roots (he was born and raised in Addis Ababa), blends them with his experiences in Western music, and emerges with a fantastic album of Ethiopian-tinged jazz, dub, and reggae.

In this interview video -- at which SoundRoots is excited to give you an exclusive first look -- Tommy explains his concept for the album, how he's been thinking about and working on it for years, and why it will appeal even to people who have never heard Ethiopian music before.

In an interview at Tadias.com, Tommy T (born Thomas T. Gobena) describes his new project as “an aural travelogue that rages freely through the music and culture of Ethiopia.” And he's not alone on this journey. Ethiopian singer Gigi (who you may know from her work alongside husband Laswell with Tabla Beat Science) does vocal duties on the tracks "Eden" and "The Response," both highlights of the album.

[mp3] Tommy T: ~~The Response feat. Gigi~~

from The Prester John Sessions

Gogol Bordello bandmates Pedro Erazo and Eugene Hutz contribute to the "Lifers" remix. And elsewhere, Ethiopian melodies emerge from the horn section and through the distinctive Ethiopian violin known as masinko. It's a delicate act of production work to keep these traditional bits balanced with all the modern elements (electric guitar, bass, drum kit, organ) and to my ear, it all works. Fans of the Ethiopiques series of reissued recordings will know already that these elements aren't actually new to Ethiopian music.

"In the 70s, funk, wah-wah pedals, and jazz had a huge impact on Ethiopian music," Tommy explains. "The Prester John Sessions will give people an idea about the musical diversity of Ethiopia, which includes influences and ideas borrowed from the sounds of the 70’s with the added bonus of up-to-date production values."

If you've enjoyed your way through the Ethiopiques series, this album will take you the next step to truly modern Ethiopian sounds, alongside Gigi and Bole 2 Harlem (a group featuring Gigi's sister Tigist). It's essential listening for the adventurous ear, and a great gateway to the wonders of Ethiopian music.

"I believe in music without boundaries," Tommy says. "Music should be inclusive, not exclusive. People who love music know the best music is created without boundaries and limitations. The Prester John Sessions take that idea to the next level."

More Tommy T:
Buy CD
website
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myspace