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October 2014 Concert Calendar
October's Global A Go-Go picks:Of course, the big event in October is the Richmond Folk Festival (Friday October 10 to Sunday October 12). No official word on the artists yet; I'll keep you...
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Program August 1, 2014
I'm back after two weeks on vacation -- thank you to Otto Konrad and Eric Walters for holding down the fort in my absense. And that's my back above, perusing the miles of "Weltmusik" (German for...
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Charts August 3, 2014
WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten1 RICARDO LEMVO AND MAKINA LOCA | La Rumba SoYo | Cumbancha2 SONIDO GALLO NEGRO | Sendero Mistico | Glitterbeat3 SIA TOLNO | African Woman | Lusafrica4 BIO RITMO | Puerta...
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Charts August 10, 2014
WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten1 BIO RITMO | Puerta Del Sur | Vampisoul2 RICARDO LEMVO AND MAKINA LOCA | La Rumba SoYo | Cumbancha3 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Salsa De Hoy: An Independent Salsa Caliente...
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Program August 15, 2014
This week on Global A Go-Go, you'll hear Afrobeat in all its varieties: a 1969 Fela Kuti classic reissued; the jazzy influences of Shaolin Afronauts, Zongo Junction and Somi; and an Afro-Latin burner...
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The Shaolin Afronauts | Follow The Path
ARTIST: The Shaolin AfronautsTITLE: Follow The PathLABEL: FreestyleThe Adelaide, Australia-based Shaolin Afronauts straddle two worlds – they have one foot planted in soulful, funky Afrobeat and the...
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Mestre Cupijo E Seu Ritmo | Siria
ARTIST: Mestre Cupijo E Seu RitmoTITLE: SiriaLABEL: Analog AfricaAnalog Africa branched out to a second continent in 2010 when it started reissuing Colombian music; now it’s moved into Brazil with a...
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Edip Akbayram | Edip Akbayram
ARTIST: Edip AkbayramTITLE: Edip AkbayramLABEL: Pharaway SoundsMore from the wonderful world of Turkish psychedelia. Edip Akbayram is a singer who reached popular consciousness by recording traditional...
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Charts August 17, 2014
WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten1 MESTRE CUPIJO E SEU RITMO | Siria | Analog Africa2 SHAOLIN AFRONAUTS | Follow The Path | Freestyle3 EDIP AKBAYRAM | Edip Akbayram | Pharaway Sounds4 VARIOUS ARTISTS |...
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Program August 22, 2014
My colleague David Noyes of The Motherland Influence (Sundays at 5 PM on WRIR) has been raving all year about the compilation of music from Burkina Faso that's pictured above. I finally bought a copy,...
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Zongo Junction | No Discount
ARTIST: Zongo JunctionTITLE: No DiscountLABEL: Electric CowbellThe second album from this Brooklyn-based ensemble, which ranges from 8 to 11 players, is a superb example of progressive Afrobeat. The...
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Finding Fela: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
ARTIST: various artistsTITLE: Finding Fela: Original Motion Picture SoundtrackLABEL: Knitting FactoryThis two-disc soundtrack to the new Fela Kuti biopic (in theaters right now) is a worthwhile...
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Charts August 24, 2014
WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten1 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Brazil! The Birth Of Bossa Nova | Le Chant Du Monde2 CUMBIA ALL STARS | Tigres En Fuga | Harmonia Mundi3 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Salsa De Hoy: An Independent...
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Program August 29, 2014
With Ukraine (in dark blue above, graphic courtesy of the Canadian Joint Delegation to NATO, @CanadaNATO) in the news every day, I thought this would be a good time to feature that country's music on...
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Cecilia Noel | Havana Rocks
ARTIST: Cecilia NoelTITLE: Havana RocksLABEL: CompassLima-born, LA-based singer Cecilia Noel has been working on her personal mix of Latin, jazz and pop for more than 20 years now. For her latest...
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Les Ambassadeurs | Les Ambassadeurs Du Motel De Bamako
ARTIST: Les AmbassadeursTITLE: Les Ambassadeurs Du Motel De BamakoLABEL: SternsMali’s Les Ambassadeurs recently reunited for a brief European tour; that makes this 2-disc compilation of their original...
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Charts August 31, 2014
WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten1 CECILIA NOEL | Havana Rocks | Compass2 LES AMBASSADEURS | Les Ambassadeurs Du Motel De Bamako | Sterns3 EDIP AKBAYRAM | Edip Akbayram | Pharaway Sounds4 MESTRE CUPIJO E...
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November 2014 Concert Calendar
November's Global A Go-Go picks:The Budos Band (pictured above), Staten Island's best Afrobeat band and so much more, visits DC's 9:30 Club in support of their new album Burnt Offering on Friday...
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Program September 5, 2014
Les Ambassadeurs (pictured above in front of their headquarters, Le Motel De Bamako), one of West Africa's greatest bands, reunited this summer for a series of ten concerts, none unfortunately in the...
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Jungle Fire | Tropicoso
ARTIST: Jungle FireTITLE: TropicosoLABEL: NacionalHere’s the debut album from Jungle Fire, a full-sized (8 to 12 players) Afro-Latin funk band from Los Angeles. They introduced themselves to the world...
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