GLOBAL A GO-GO

ARTIST: various artists
TITLE: Golden Afrique, Vol. 1
LABEL: Network
What a pleasant surprise: the reissue of one of my favorite African music compilations of all time. Germany’s Network Records put this one out in 2005, and at the time it was one of the most comprehensive collections of “golden age” (the years of and immediately following independence) Francophone West African music. Ten years later, it’s still among the best in its class. There are too many essential, can’t-miss tracks to summarize, so I’ll just highlight a few, starting with disc 1’s first three tracks, as good a recap of late 70s/early 80s Afropop as you’ll hear. 1-8, 9 and 10 are an excellent summary of Malian authenticite, 2-4 and 5 are perfect bookends for Senegal’s sound of the era, and 2-7 is sui generis, a Gambian psych-rock band that’s still ahead of the times. The packaging (40-page booklet with notes in three languages) is worthy of the subject – it can’t top the original longbox, but this one will actually fit on your shelf. It’s a perfect gift item for your favorite African music lover.
TOP TRACKS: Disc 1 – 1 2 3 4 6 8 9 10 Disc 2 – 1 4 5 7
ALSO RECOMMENDED: Disc 1 – 5 7 Disc 2 – 2 3 6 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

ARTIST: various artists
TITLE: Feedback Madagascar
LABEL: ARC
Madagascar was the subject of several excellent world music releases back in the 80s and 90s. More recently the outside world has heard little from the island nation, which has been wracked by political crises and economic stagnation, so this new compilation is a welcome addition to the all-too-small Malagasy catalog. The good news is that there’s plenty of excellent music to be heard on the island. If you like South African sounds, you’re in luck: many Malagasy styles are closely related. For example, track 6 in the tsapiky genre and 3 (mangaliba) are both reminiscent of speedy mbaqanga, the remarkable, equally fast 15 is as catchy as the best maskanda, and 2 is a clever blend of maskanda and rap. Congolese music is influential all across Africa, and that’s certainly the case here: 12 could be a current ndombolo release, 11 is anchored by an immediately recognizable soukous drum figure, and even local superstar Jaojoby introduces his song here (4) with a Congolese guitar riff. Kudos to the Feedback Madagascar organization for dedicating 50% of all album proceeds to reforestation and community projects, and to Josh Coppersmith Heaven for excellent curation.
TOP TRACKS: 2 3 4 6 11 12 15
ALSO RECOMMENDED: 1 5 7 8 9 10 13 14 16

ARTIST: Verckys & L’Orchestre Veve
TITLE: Congolese Funk, Afrobeat & Psychedelic Rumba 1969-1978
LABEL: Analog Africa
In the 1970s, Congolese music was in transition from one golden age to another, already gearing up for yet another and another. People were listening to and appreciating Congolese music almost everywhere in Africa. “Franco”, Francois Luambo Makiadi of OK Jazz, was a household name. Verckys, born Georges Kiamnguangana Mateta, started with OK Jazz at age 18, but left to for his own Orchestre Veve in 1968. Along with Franco and Tabu Ley, Verckys was a major player in the transition. His music and that of the bands he recorded and produced at his Veve Centre studio would pave the way for the next generation, most notably Zaiko Langa-Langa and l’Empire Bakuba. In the early 70s, the first FESTAC had occurred in tandem with the infamous “Rumble in the Jungle” , the heavyweight boxing match between Foreman and Clay, in Nigeria…where Fela was already a major musical presence. And James Brown was there. James Brown, whose music was played both openly and clandestinely almost everywhere in Africa, dubbed Verckys “Mister Dynamite” after seeing him perform. This CD contains a variety of songs from Verckys and Le Veve. There are solid Congolese rumbas with Verckys’ signature saxophone (tracks 2, 5, 7, 9 and 10). There are songs, heavily influenced by James Brown, that were made for the Kenyan market when Verckys and others recorded there due to piracy issues in Zaire (1,3,8). There’s an Afro-Latin track that shows great affinity with Afro-Latin tracks from Senegal and Mali (11). And more. Good CD from Analog Africa that puts previously unavailable songs from Verckys and Le Veve on CD.
TOP TRACKS: 2 3 7 8 10
ALSO RECOMMENDED: 1 4 11
REVIEWER: David Noyes

ARTIST: Hailu Mergia & The Walias
TITLE: Tche Belew
LABEL: Awesome Tapes From Africa
Here’s a classic recording from 1977, the very end of Ethiopia’s golden age. Hailu Mergia is a keyboard player, arranger and bandleader working in a similar Ethio-jazz mode as the better known Mulatu Astatke – the music is simultaneously thoroughly Ethiopian (those pentatonic modes) and also heavily influenced by the soul jazz and spiritual jazz of the 60’s and 70’s. The most famous track here is 4, possibly the most-covered Ethiopian instrumental of all time, certainly one of the greatest. 6 could be a Pharoah Sanders alternate take – that’s a young Aster Aweke, now a superstar, in the vocal chorus. The whole album is a keyboard player’s delight, with Mergia’s organ joined by Girma Beyena on piano and Astatke on vibraphone; check out the organ playing on 8. 5 has a moody, crime jazz kind of feel, and the title track (1) is an Ethio-jazz masterpiece, on the same level as Astatke’s best work. Half of the Walias Band defected to the USA in 1980 (the post-Haile Selassie, Derg dictatorship killed music and much else in Ethiopia) – Mergia, Aweke and sax player Moges Habte all live and work now in DC. They’re still going strong, but this music is why they’re legends.
TOP TRACKS: 1 4 5 6 8
ALSO RECOMMENDED: 2 3 7 9

ARTIST: various artists
TITLE: The Afrosound Of Colombia, Vol. 2
LABEL: Vampisoul
DJ Bongohead, aka Pablo Yglesias, your go-to guy for all sounds Latin, has curated a gem in this collection of dusties from the archives of Discos Fuentes, Colombia’s largest record label. The first volume was more tightly focused on psych-influenced sounds (and there’s another great example on this set, track 22). Here the net is cast wider and the catch is much more varied. It’s Colombia, so of course there’s cumbia: 2 is tipica, 19 is a swinging big band. Also on the big band tip, 21 is straight brass band with clarinet, 14 is Afro-influenced, and 8 is just killer, one of Michi Sarmiento’s very best. Colombian salsa is a worldwide force: here we get salsa-fied flamenco by Fruko Y Sus Tesos (11), Willie Colon’s trombanga style via the Latin Brothers (17), and an early example of Joe Arroyo’s genre-crossing “joeson” sound (23). And for the cratediggers, Bongohead has unearthed one of Mexican Institute Of Sound’s best samples (20), and a thoroughly inexplicable chicha-like cover of the Bee Gee’s “Stayin’ Alive” (24). For depth of digging, breadth of genres, consistent quality and sheer overall pleasure, this is one of 2014’s best compilations.
TOP TRACKS: 2 8 11 14 17 19 20 21 22 23 24
ALSO RECOMMENDED: all of the rest of them

Have an event you'd like me to include, or a suggestion for the concert calendar? Just drop me a line at globalagogoradio [at] gmail [dot] com, or leave me a message right here.

Click "Read more" to see the entire February calendar.

Friday Feb 6
Third World and Jesse Royal at the 9:30 Club (DC)
http://www.930.com/concerts

Saturday Feb 7
Rattlemouth at Crossroads Coffee & Ice Cream (Richmond)
http://www.crossroadsrva.com/calendar.html

Simon Shaheen at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue (DC)
http://www.sixthandi.org/events/category/arts-entertainment/music

Tuesday Feb 10
Music From Japan 40th Anniversary Concert at Meyer Auditorium (DC)
http://www.asia.si.edu/events/performances.asp

Friday Feb 13
Dub City Renegades at Jammin Java (Vienna)
https://jamminjava.com/calendar

Thursday Feb 19
Occidental Gypsy at Williamsburg Regional Library (Williamsburg)
http://www.wrl.org/events/concerts

Friday Feb 20
Hotel X at Crossroads Coffee & Ice Cream (Richmond)
http://www.crossroadsrva.com/calendar.html

SOJA at the Jefferson Theater (Charlottesville)
http://www.jeffersontheater.com/events

William & Mary Middle Eastern Ensemble with Kareem Roustom at Williamsburg Regional Library (Williamsburg)
https://events.wm.edu/calendar/upcoming/arts

Saturday Feb 21
SOJA at the National (Richmond)
http://www.thenationalva.com/events

Sunday Feb 22
Hugh Masakela and Vusi Mahlasela at Lisner Auditorium (DC)
http://lisner.gwu.edu/events

Saturday Feb 28
Elite 8 Bhangra Invitational 2015 at Lisner Auditorium (DC)
http://lisner.gwu.edu/events

Have an event you'd like me to include, or a suggestion for the concert calendar? Just drop me a line at globalagogoradio [at] gmail [dot] com, or leave me a message right here.

Click "Read more" to see the entire March calendar.

Tuesday Mar 3
Coral Cantigas at Millennium Stage (DC)
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/schedule.html

Wednesday Mar 4
Metales M5 at Millennium Stage (DC)
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/schedule.html

The Chieftains at Strathmore (Bethesda)
http://www.strathmore.org/eventstickets/calendar.asp

Thursday Mar 5
Red Baraat's Festival Of Colors at the Howard Theatre (DC)
http://thehowardtheatre.com/calendar

Claudia Acuna at Millennium Stage (DC)
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/schedule.html

Friday March 6
Mulatu Astatke at Lisner Auditorium (DC)
http://lisner.gwu.edu/events

Papo Vasquez's Pirates Troubadours at Millennium Stage (DC)
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/schedule.html

Dropkick Murphys, The Mahones and Blood Or Whiskey at the Fillmore (Silver Spring)
http://www.fillmoresilverspring.com

Saturday Mar 7
Rattlemouth at Crossroads Coffee & Ice Cream (Richmond)
http://www.crossroadsrva.com/calendar.html

Classic Persian Pop: Mitra Sumara at Meyer Auditorium (DC)
http://www.asia.si.edu/events/performances.asp

Moreira Chonguica at Millennium Stage (DC)
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/schedule.html

Sunday Mar 8
Jorge Luis Pacheco, Harold Lopez-Nussa and Aldo Lopez-Gavilan at Millennium Stage (DC)
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/schedule.html

Monday Mar 9
Silvia Perez Cruz and Raul Fernandez Miro at Millennium Stage (DC)
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/schedule.html

Tuesday Mar 10
Romero Lubambo and Hernan Romero at Millennium Stage (DC)
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/schedule.html

Wednesday Mar 11
Hadi Eldebek at Millennium Stage (DC)
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/schedule.html

Thursday Mar 12
Ramajay Intercoastal at Ashland Coffee & Tea (Ashland)
http://ashlandcoffeeandtea.com/events

Nathalie Handal and Hanna Khoury at Millennium Stage (DC)
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/schedule.html

Friday Mar 13
Gerardo Contino Y Los Habaneros at Artisphere (Arlington)
http://www.artisphere.com/calendar/music.aspx

Saturday Mar 14
Cristina Pato at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue (DC)
http://www.sixthandi.org/events/category/arts-entertainment/music

Monday Mar 16
The Gift at Millennium Stage (DC)
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/schedule.html

Quantic and Sinkane at Tropicalia (DC)
http://tropicaliadc.com/index.php/calendar

Tuesday Mar 17
Zakir Hussein's Celtic Connections at Lisner Auditorium (DC)
http://lisner.gwu.edu/events

Carlos Nunez at Strathmore (Bethesda)
http://www.strathmore.org/eventstickets/calendar.asp

Sofia Ribiero and Luisa Sobral at Millennium Stage (DC)
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/schedule.html

Wednesday Mar 18
Lunasa at Reston Community Center (Reston)
http://www.restoncommunitycenter.com/attend-shows-events-exhibits/centerstage-schedule

Jose Andre at Millennium Stage (DC)
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/schedule.html

Thursday Mar 19
Ghazal: Indian and Persian Improvisations at Meyer Auditorium (DC)
http://www.asia.si.edu/events/performances.asp

Antonio Zambujo at Millennium Stage (DC)
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/schedule.html

Friday Mar 20
Hotel X at Crossroads Coffee & Ice Cream (Richmond)
http://www.crossroadsrva.com/calendar.html

Torcuato Zamora at Singleton Center (Richmond)
http://arts.vcu.edu/music/events

Raul Romero at the Howard Theatre (DC)
http://thehowardtheatre.com/calendar

Rodrigo Leao at Millennium Stage (DC)
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/schedule.html

Saturday Mar 21
Miguelito at Singleton Center (Richmond)
http://arts.vcu.edu/music/events

Brass Ensemble Sao Paolo at Millennium Stage (DC)
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/schedule.html

Sunday Mar 22
Leah Kruszewski at Singleton Center (Richmond)
http://arts.vcu.edu/music/events

Thursday Mar 26
Lobo Marino at Crossroads Coffee & Ice Cream (Richmond)
http://www.crossroadsrva.com/calendar.html

ARTIST: Boubacar Traore
TITLE: Mbalimaou
LABEL: Lusafrica
Before Ali Farka Toure, Tinariwen and the desert blues explosion, there was Boubacar Traore. Arguably the original Malian bluesman, his unique fusion of American blues, North African and Mande music was popular at the end of the era of colonial occupation; his song “Kar Kar Madison” was virtually the soundtrack of Malian independence. Somehow he went unrecorded until 1990, but he’s been making up for lost time since then. He’s in fine voice here for a 72-year-old; he sounds much more robust than on 2011’s Mali Denhou. Start with track 6, an excellent remake of one of his most famous songs, greatly augmented by Vincent Bucher’s harmonica playing which is superb throughout. 11 is another classic from Boubacar’s catalog; it’s his usual set-ender in concert with plenty of solo space for his band. 10 is a beautiful new composition arranged for Boubacar’s standard minimalist accompaniment: acoustic guitar, calabash and scraper. And on 4 (and several other songs here), the band expands to include ngoni, apparently for the first time in Boubacar’s recorded career. This album is an enjoyable little gem of Malian blues.
TOP TRACKS: 4 6 10 11
ALSO RECOMMENDED: 1 2 3 5 7 8 9

ARTIST: Samba Toure
TITLE: Gandadiko
LABEL: Glitterbeat
This is the fourth solo album by Samba Toure, a guitarist, singer and songwriter from near Tombouctou who is best known for his work with Ali Farka Toure (no relation) and for standing in for the late Farka on Toumani Diabate’s Ali Farka Toure Variations tour. None of his previous work fully prepared me for this album, which ranks with the very best desert blues records so far. Samba is a disciple of Farka’s Songhai blues sound; what’s most exciting here is how Samba is moving that style forward. Rather than taking a field recording approach (which is typical in this genre), Samba and his producer Philippe Sanmiguel have made full use of the studio as an instrument: guitars are multi-tracked and mostly electric, and there’s liberal use of effects and stereo imaging. The result is a recording that deeply traditional and totally modern at the same time. Track 5 is an obvious place to start: a totally catchy song with a great groove. 2 and especially 9 are in the overdriven North Mississippi mode of Junior Kimbrough or R.L. Burnside. And 1, 3 and 4 sound like they’re right out of the Ali Farka Toure songbook. This is the first great African album of 2015.
TOP TRACKS: 1 2 3 4 5 9
ALSO RECOMMENDED: 6 7 8 10

ARTIST: Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band
TITLE: 21st Century Molam
LABEL: Studio Lam
Chris Menist and Maft Sai are best known for their Thai pop music compilations The Sound Of Siam and Thai? Dai! Now they’ve put together a band to play north-eastern Thai molam music. The combo is fronted by two local virtuosos: Sawai Kaewsombat is on khaen, a giant bamboo mouth organ, and Kammao Perdtanon plays phin, the traditional Thai lute. Phin sounds like twangy surf guitar on many vintage molam songs (and in the wonderful Khun Narin’s Electric Phin Band, my favorite new release of 2014); Paradise Bangkok uses it similarly on the invigorating tracks 4 and 10, which could easily be confused with an early Dengue Fever recording. Khaen takes the lead position on 3, with the phin strummed chicken-scratch style a la Shaft and the rhythm section (which includes Menist on percussion) laying down a disco-like groove. And the two instruments play in counterpoint on the slower, funky track 2. Now that the rest of the world knows the glories of 60s and 70s Thai pop, it’s great to have some new bands updating that sound.
TOP TRACKS: 2 3 4 10
ALSO RECOMMENDED: 1 6 11

ARTIST: Kasse Mady Diabate
TITLE: Kirike
LABEL: Six Degrees
Kasse Mady Diabate is probably Mali’s greatest living traditional singer, justly famous for his griot praise-song repertoire. Here’s he’s placed in an intimate setting devised by kora player Ballake Sissoko and cellist and producer Vincent Segal, whose duo collaborations have won wide acclaim. It prominently features balafon (played by Lansine Kouyate) and ngoni (Badje Tounkara); so, three instruments central to the Mande tradition but rarely heard all in the same band, and one outright ringer. Rather than the soaring improvisations of the griot traditions, here Kasse Mady primarily emphasizes his lower register and works up close to the mic like a pop singer. The overall effect is more like chamber music compared to the Mande tradition’s orchestral sweep. It’s a brilliant decision, and stunningly well executed. Track 3 is one of Kasse Mady’s greatest vocal performances ever, the sound of a lion in winter (hopefully Indian summer, in his case). 7 is set to a funky Wassoulou rhythm that leaves plenty of room for balafon and ngoni improvisations. And the arrangement for 5 suggests Western minimalism as much as West African classicism. Bravo, gentlemen.
TOP TRACKS: 3 5 7
ALSO RECOMMENDED: 1 2 4 6 8

Program November 21, 2014

Golden Afrique, Vol. 1

Feedback Madagascar

Charts November 23, 2014

Verckys & L'Orchestre Veve | Congolese Funk, Afrobeat & Psychedelic Rumba 1969-1978

Hailu Mergia & The Walias | Tche Belew

The Afrosound Of Colombia, Vol. 2

Charts November 30, 2014

February 2015 Concert Calendar

Program December 5, 2014

Charts December 7, 2014

Program December 12, 2014: Top Ten New Releases Of 2014

Program December 19, 2014: Top Ten Compilations of 2014

Program January 2, 2015: Best of the Rest of 2014

Charts January 4, 2015

March 2015 Concert Calendar

Boubacar Traore | Mbalimaou

Samba Toure | Gandadiko

Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band | 21st Century Molam

Kasse Mady Diabate | Kirike