Tomorrow night at 7p Central, I’m throwing a party for friends and fans of world music with African roots and more…bring your dancing shoes, a cool beverage of your choice and get ready for a full night of global sounds by: Septeto Haberno, Kiran Ahluwalia, Madagascar’s Razia Said, Trinidad’s Jab Jab, Natacha Atlas, Miriam Makeba, Gipsy Kings, Clifton Chenier, Paul Robeson, Mali’s Oumou Sangaré, Louis Armstrong, Femi Kuti, Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, The Old Blind Dogs, the Amsterdam Klezmer Band and more. Follow me on twitter: #jloverbyWorMus1
#1077 February 21, 2015 No. 1
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PLAYLIST
1. Blick Bassy ‘Hèmlè’ Alb Tk 7 2.51
A tiny village in central Cameroon, is where musician Blick Bassy discovered and fashioned his signature sound. Today he resides in Paris and continues to sing in the Bassa language of his homeland. Bassa is one of the 250 or so languages spoken in Cameroon, and Bassy fears it is dying out. The song Hémlé is about the slave trade route launching from Africa’s Cameroon, Benin, Senegal and Cape Verde – destined for Brazil. Bassy sing faith helped sustain the human cargo.
Café Del Mundo, Putumayo Records, 2014
2. Septeto Habanero ‘Desde el Día En Que Te VI’ CD 1 Tk 7 3.08
The breezy texture of Cuba’s son styled music lives on today and though fashioned after early groups like the famed Septeto Habanero, founded in 1920 who played an important part in the early development of the Cuban musical style, son with charts like this one called Days-day el Dee-ah En Kay Tay Vee. Notice the presence of maracas, an instrument vital to Cuban music. 90 Años, Septeto Habanero, 2009
3. Kiran Ahluwalia ‘Merey Mathay’ Alb Tk 9 4.42
Kiran Ahluwalia is an Indo-Canadian singer who performs her own musical arrangements of ancient Persian and Punjabi Ghazal poems that date back to 14th century India. Kiran sings the love song Merey Mathay. The lines on my forehead seem to predict
that we are not destined to be together she laments– love is a difficult game.
World Connection, World Connection Compilation, 2009
4. Razia Said ‘Ny Alantsika’ Alb Tk 8 3.33
Madagascar’s Razia Said a passionate environmentalist in her homeland. With the tune Ny Alantsika (Nature Laments), Said call upon all to protect the earth for us and our children tomorrow. Café Del Mundo, Putumayo Records, 2014
5. Jab Jab ‘Rev It Up” Tk 10 4.30
Two brother front the band Jab Jab hailing first from Trinidad, they now live in Canada…Jab Jab is a creole name meaning (devil) who laughs at the outlandish a carnival character who parades around Caribbean carnivals poking fun at upper class culture. The song is a call to all Caribbean people to celebrate Caribbean culture.
The Caribbean, Putumayo, 2006
6. NatachaAtlas‘Hayati Inta Reprise (Hayatak Ana)’Sgls#91Tk13 6:30 Belgian singer Natacha Atlas is known for her fusion of Arabic and Western electronic music, particularly hip-hop and reggae. Atlas appears with Haya-tak Ana.
Ana Hina, World Village, 2008
#1077 February 21, 2015 No. 2
7. Miriam Makeba ‘Umam’Uyajabula’ CD2 Tk 1 2.02
The legendary Miriam Makeba was a South African singer and civil rights activist. The Grammy Award winning artist is often referred to as Mama Afrika. Makeba sings Umam Uya ja bula – Mama is Happy… traditionally it is sung by country people who have been working in the city under contract and who are about to return home to their loved ones. They are saying how happy their mothers and families will be to see them again. Here is the joy of anticipating happy reunions. Otro Mundo (Another World), Warner Music, 2009
8. Radio Tarifa ‘El Mandil de Carolina’ Nmbrs Tk 7 4.06
Radio Tarifa was a Spanish World music ensemble combining Flamenco, Arab-Andalusian music, Arabian music, Moorish music combined with influences of the Mediterranean, the Middle Ages and of the Caribbean. The name of the ensemble comes from an imaginary radio station in Tarifa, a small town in the southernmost Spanish province of Cadiz, Andalusia, the nearest part of Spain to Morocco. Here is Tarifa with El Mahn Deel/day/Cah roo Lee Nah. Fiebre, World Circuit, 2003
9. Katharine Mehrling ‘Beschäftigt Mit dem Blues’ Tk 11 3.36
Katharine Mehrling is a German actress, singer and songwriter. Mehrling performs
The bluzey number Buh-shef-dig-t‘ Mit Dame. You want to see me, I have no time, too much on my plate. Café Del Mundo, Putumayo Records, 2014
10. Gipsy Kings ‘Volare’ Alb CD1 Tk 1 3.40
…the Gipsy Kings… The Very Best of the Gipsy Kings – Volare!, Nonesuch, 2000
11. Rebel Tumbao ‘Natural Mystic’ Alb Tk 2 5.10
From their January 2015 release, this is Rebel Tumbao, a band of like-minded musicians, co-led by José Claus-sell and Matt Plumber with an adaptation of Natural Mystic from the song book of reggae legend Bob Marley.
Rebel Tumbao, Sacred Rhythm Music, 2015
12. Pascal Lejeune ‘Les lendemains Mélodieux’ Alb Tk 12 3.05
Canada’s singer-songwriter Pahs-Kehl Loo Zheh –nuh’ join us with
Lay Loan-day-mah Meh-low-duh-yuh, The Melodious Tomorrows. The tune champions the idea that today’s struggles are followed by a better tomorrow.
Café Del Mundo, Putumayo Records, 2014
13. Clifton Chenier “Choo Choo Ch’Boogie” Tk 1 3.15
Hailed by many as the “King of Zydeco,” Clifton Chenier was the first Creole to be presented a Grammy award on national television. Blending the French and Cajun two-steps and waltzes of southwest Louisiana with New Orleans R&B, Texas blues and big band jazz, Chenier created the modern, dance-inspiring, sounds of zydeco…among other influenced by the blues of Muddy Waters. New Orleans Playground, Putumayo, 2006
#1077 February 21, 2015 No. 3
14. Craig Riley ‘Seriously Now’ #709 Tk 12 2.45
Craig Riley is a prolific creator of many different computer generated sounds as evidence in Seriously Now. Music From Around The World (Instrumental), Hot Ideas, 2007
15. Juba Dance ‘Momma Holds Child’ #712 Tk 8 2:13
This next group takes their name from the juba dance – a style of dance that originated in West Africa that found a new residence in the America using no rhythm instruments which were not allowed on plantations of the enslaved for fear of secret codes that might be emitted from the drumming. Tap dance grows out of this tradition. Juba Dance the musical group calls their work Momma Holds Child. Orange, Audio 8 Recordings, 2007
16. Paul Robeson ‘John Henry’ Tk 16 2.33
Paul Robeson excelled as an athlete, actor, singer, and activist, qualifying him as a contemporary renaissance man. His early accomplishments as a professional football player, Columbia law school graduate, and an actor on Broadway in the 1920s seemed but a prologue to even greater achievements to come. He was blacklisted for his political views in the 1940s. His passport was revoked, impacting his ability to perform and earn an income abroad. His 1958 autubiography is a worthy read. With pianist Lawrence Brown, Robeson, performs John Henry, from a 1945 recording from the album Song Of Free Men. Songs Of Free Men, Sony, 1997
17. Carimi ‘Ayiti (Bang Bang)’ Tk 9 4.30
With Ayiti (Bang Bang) a smash hit popular in Haiti in 2003, the band Carimi offers musical commentary on the unfortunate social and economic challenges in Haiti. It’s like a cowboy movie they sing, bang band. French Caribbean, Putumayo, 2003
18. Marty Dread ‘Mouse In The House’ Tk 8 2.46
Here’s one for the kids and the young at heart alike. Marty Dread sings There’s A Mouse In The House. Caribbean Playground, Putumayo, 2006
19. Zomba Prison Project ‘I Have No Everything’ Alb Tk 6 2.39 In the summer of 2013, Grammy-winning producer, Ian Brennan traveled to the border of Malawi and Mozambique specifically to document and record the music of prisoners at the maximum security prison in Zomba. Zomba prison built in the early 19th century, is a dilapidated brick structure that resembles a factory from a Dickens novel and designed to hold 340 people, today it houses over two thousand. Many of the guards live on the grounds, just outside the walls. Brennan gained access to the prisoners by offering a series of classes on violence prevention to inmates and guards. Here is the theme song from I Have No Everything. I Have No Everything, Six Degrees Records, 2015
#1077 February 21, 2015 No. 4
20. Oumou Sangaré ‘ Djama Kaissoumou’ Alb Tk 1 6.46 Here is Oumou Sangaré, Mali is Grammy Award-winning Wassoulou musician, known as “The Songbird of Wassoulou”. a gifted child singer, Oumou Sangaré sang in order to help feed her struggling family. In Eh-sah-we-hah, in 2013, I watched from the lip of the stage Sangare’ captivate an audience Morocco just a few months ago, of over 70, 000 fans. The song D-jama Kais-sou-mou reflects on a number of issues important to Sangaré – Women’s rights is Africa, young people, the need for drinking water and, encouragement even in the face of death. Moussoulou, World Circuit, 1990
21. Kiran Ahluwalia ‘Sonata’ Alb Tk 3 6.31
Here again is Canadian-India singer Kiran Ahluwalia with the work Sonata from her 2014 release, Sonata: Stillness. Sonata: Stillness, Kiran Music, 2014
22. Louis Armstrong ‘What Did I Do To Be So Black and Blue’ Tk 16 3.07
Vintage Louis Armstrong with What did I do to be so black and blue.
Louis Armstrong and King Oliver, Jazz Heritage, 1993
23. Toots and The Maytals “Sweet And Dandy” Tk 7 3.13
Leader Frederick “Toots” Hibbert, Nathaniel “Jerry” Mathias and Raleigh Gordon, all from Kingston and their band The Maytals, are said to have been the first group to use the word ‘reggae’ in their music. Formed in the early ’60s when ska was hot, the Maytals had a reputation for having strong, well-blended voices and a seldom rivaled passion for their music due to tunes like Sweet And Dandy.
Very Best Of Toots and The Maytals, Island, 2000
24. Femi Kuti ‘Truth Don Die’ Cmpl Tk 7 6:16
Kemi Kuti, Nigerian musician and the eldest son of afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti embodies his father’s musical spirit through the tune Truth Don Die. Legends Of Africa, RiSA, 2010
25. Camille ‘Ta Douleur’ CD1 Tk 1 3:11
Kye-mee-uh Dahl-may, better known by just Kye-me-uh is a French singer/songwriter and an actor with a developed interest in bossa nova and American stage musicals. This is Kye-mee-uh and the song Ta Dou-layr (Your Pain).
BBC Radio Awards For World Music ’07, Union Square Music, 2007
26. António Zambujo ‘Algo Estranho Acontece’ Alb Tk 3 3:34
The genre of fado has a new face and application with artist (Ahn-toe-nee-oh Zahm-Booze-Zhu) influenced by tradition and modernity from folks like Amalia Rodrigues, Chet Baker and Joao Gilberto. He renders I’ll-go SS-strayn-yoh’ Ah-cone-teh-see (Something Strange Happens). Quinto, World Village, 2012
#1077 February 21, 2015 No. 5
27. Nina Simone “Brown Eyed Handsome Man” mek.sim Tk 4 2.07
Whether she was performing soul, jazz, pop idioms, blues, gospel, or on Broadway, Nina Simone found vocal comfort in each. Her unique vocal artistry paired well with skillful employment of the piano as she made her way through the Julliard School of Music. Simone who published her biography, I Put a Spell on You, in 1991 spent her final days in France. Brown Eyed Handsome Man is a part of her distinctive repertoire.
Compact Jazz: Nina Simone, UMG, 1989
28. Kiran Ahluwalia ‘Mustt Mustt’ Sngls #80 Tk 1 4.17
Joined by a few Touareg musical friends, Canadian-India singer Kiran Ahluwalia, provides a taste of Afro-Indian sounds with a song of worship called Mustt Mustt made famous by Nurat Fahtah Ali Khan Aam Zameen: Common Grund, Kiran Music, 2011
29. Septeto Habanero ‘Tres Lindas Cubanas’ CD 1 Tk 2 4.07
The breezy texture of Cuba’s son styled music lives on today as a result of pioneering ensembles like Septeto Habanero with Tres Lindas Cubanas.
90 Años, Septeto Habanero, 2009
30. Sarah-Jane Summers&Juhani Silvola ‘Itzikel’ Sgls#99 Tk 10 6:07
Generally, the Scottish-Fin-nish duo Sarah-Jane Summers and Ju-hani Sil-vola deliver a sensitive array of jig, strath-speys, and lamenting ballads rooted in Summers’ Scottish Highlands Background. The song It-zi-kel or Issac, is a rendition of a Eastern European Jewish tune. Sarah-Jane Summers & Juhani Silvola, Dell Daisy Records, 2013
31. Raman Sawut & Osman Oskur ‘Nazirkhom’ CD2 Tk 4 3.22
Here’s an instrumental folksong from northwestern China, featuring reeded horn and percussion with performers Raman Sa-wut and Osman Os-kur present Nazirk-hom.
Voices Of Forgotten People: Traditional Music of Indigenous People, Elipse Arts, 1993
32. Rebel Tumbao ‘Them Belly Full/El Refugio/La Protesta’ Tk 4 7.11
From their January 2015 release, this is Rebel Tumbao, a band of like-minded musicians, co-led by José Claus-sell and Matt Plumber with a mashup of Them Belly Full, El Refugio and La Protesta. Rebel Tumbao, Sacred Rhythm Music, 2015
33. LadysmithBlackMambazo ‘Long Walk To Freedom “Halala South Africa’ Alb Tk 12 5.11
The Legendary South African choral ensemble Ladysmith Black Mambazo, joined by singer Natalie Merchant render, Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain.
Long Walk To Freedom, Heads Up, 2006
#1077 February 21, 2015 No. 6
34. Umalali ‘Merua’ CD2 Tk 2 3.12
The Garifuna people live primarily in small towns and villages on the Caribbean coasts of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua where a fascinating musical world remains unexposed until now. The rich vocal textures of the Garifuna women sing with echoes of rock, blues, funk, African, Latin and Caribbean music. The selection Merua, journeys into the heart and soul of women, the bedrock of their community.
Otro Mundo (Another World), Warner Music, 2009
35. Billie Holiday ‘The Man I Love’ #758 Tk 15 3.12
Here’s one of the most creative giants in all of jazz, Billie Holiday, aka Lady Day with a 1935 classic interpretation of The Man I Love.
Lady Day: The Best Of Billie Holiday, Sony, 1935
36. Babacar Y Sabor Internacional ‘Ignane’ Tk 8 5.32
As a child growing up in Sengegal, Babacar Sembe fell in love with Afro Cuban music that was the rage in West Africa in the 1950s and 60s. With Sabor Internacional his Charanga Style band, Sembe performs a song called Ig-nah-nay . Notice the flutes and and violins both of which have stylistic roots in late 19th century Cuban ballroom music. Salsa Around The World, Putumay, 2003
37. Gipsy Kings ‘Baila Me’ Alb CD1 Tk 5 3.45
…the Gipsy Kings… The Very Best of the Gipsy Kings – Volare!, Nonesuch, 2000
38. Amsterdam Klezmer Band ‘Sadagora Hot Dub’ Tk 4 5.10
From the album Gypsy Groove on the Putumayo label, here’s the Amsterdam Klezmer band complete with their affinity for blending balkan beats with reggae and traditonal gypsy brass music. Gypsy Groove, Putumayo, 2007
#1077 February 21, 2015 No. 8
Incues
8P Opening
1. Kiran Ahluwalia ‘Jaane Na’ Alb Tk 2 4.26
Canadian-India singer Kiran Ahluwalia with the work Jaane Na from her 2014 album Sonata: Stillness. Sonata: Stillness, Kiran Music, 2014
2. Urna ‘Ejin Bogdin Hoyour Jagal’ CD2 Tk 17 5.41
From China comes the artist Urna with the Two Greys Belonging To The Divine Ruler.
Sound Of The World, Warner Music, 2007
3. Ruben Blades Y La Chilinga ‘La Peria’ CD2 Tk 7 6.59
Blades Panamanian salsa singer, songwriter, lawyer, actor, Latin jazz musician who works most often in the Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz genres joins La Chilinga on the tune La Peria. Anywhere On This Road, Warner Music, 2010
4. Pizzicato Five ‘I Hear A Symphony’ #710 Tk 5 3.47
Pizzicato Five was a Japanese pop group best known to audiences in the West in their later incarnation as a duo of Maki Nomiya and Yasu-haru Konis with I Hear A Symphony.
Playgirl and Playboy, Matador Records, 1999
5. Old Blind Dogs ‘Edward’ Alb Tk 4 5:11
Celebrating their 26th year as a band, Scotland’s Old Blind Dogs continue to distinguish themselves as vital, innovative ambassadors of traditional Scottish, folk and Celtic music, with influences from rock, reggae, jazz, blues and Middle Eastern music rhythms.
The World’s Room, Green Linnet, 2006
6. Bali Lounge ‘Angels of the Island’ Tk 6 2.42
Who says a banker can’t make music….Bali Lounge a band created by Gita Wirjarwan wanted to promot Indonesian musicians through collaborations with other international musicians….here’s a sample of his work titled Angels of the Island.
Asian Lounge, Putumayo, 2005
7. Miriam Mekeba Pata Pata’ mek.mir Tk 3 2.54
Miriam Makeba’s return to South Africa after the lifting of Apartied, was celebrated as though she was a queen being restoring her monarchy. Makeba remains one the most important women in music to emerge out of South Africa. Known affectionately as The Empress Of African Song and Mama Africa, here is Mekeba with her signature song, Pata Pata. Africa, Novus/BMG 1991
#1077 February 21, 2015 No. 9
Incues
9P Opening
1. Gangbe Brass Band ‘Un Ete’ A Vodelee’ CD2 Tk 4 4.40
The Gangbé Brass Band is a 10-member Beninese musical ensemble founded in 1994. The word “gangbe” means “sound of metal” in the Fon language. They blend West African juju and traditional Vodou music w/Western jazz & big-band sounds. Un eta vood lee (A Summer A Vodou). Otro Mundo (Another World), Warner Music, 2009
2. Havana Mambo ‘Malanina’ Tk 2 3.47
Italy might not be the first place you think of when it comes to Cuban music and there it thrives. Havana Mambo is a collective of Cuban musicians sharing their music music in Europe and beyond with songs like Mah lah neen yah, I am like a man in prison, a wounded animal you entice me with your love, you’re a bad girl.
Salsa Around The World, Putumayo, 2003
3. Eric Bibb ‘Turning World’ Tk 2 4.11
Born in New York…garners much attention on the acoustic blues scene…his style might be compared to that of the legendary Taj Mahal… in his music hears, gospel, folk, New Orleans R&B and Delta Blues….now a resident of Sweden…a proclamation that encourages one to honor oneself. Reggae Playground, Putumayo, 2006
4. Bellowhead ‘New York Girls’ Bllwhd Tk 1 4.45
Bellowhead is an English contemporary folk band originally brought together by John Spiers and Jon Boden. The eleven-piece band plays traditional dance tunes, folk songs and shanties, with arrangements drawing inspiration from a wide diversity of musical styles and influences. Hedonism, Navigator Records, 2010
5. Balkan Beat Box ‘Sunday Arak” Tk 5 4.45
Europe the currently the primary hotbed of modern gypsy music at least its revival…sparked by groups like the Balkan Beat Box…their brand is a cross between mechanical electronica and soul with a hint of a James Brown lick, folkmusic, Jamaican dub…complete mornful horns, reeds and muted trombone…uniquely Romanian too.
Gypsy Groove, Putumayo, 2007
#1077 February 21, 2015 No. 10
Incues
10P Opening
1. La Bottine Souriante ‘Le Grand’ Côté’ Alb Tk 2 7:04
It’s always enriching to sing along with La Bottine Souriante with tunes like with the
Luh Guh-hawn Co-tuh (The Grand Riviera).
1976-2005 Anthologie II, Milles-Pattes Canada, 2006 with Luh gone cut
2. Baka Beyond and Eh-Tay ‘Bwam-Bwa’ Tk 7 3.16
Britain musican Martin Cradick meets Nil Tagoe from Ghana and Senegalese kora maestro Seckou Keita on Bwam-Bwa complete with Celtic-flavored violins improvising with the music of West Africa. One World, Many Cultures, Putumayo, 2006
3. Fela Kuti ‘Shuffering and Shmiling’ Sgls #72 Tk 15 5.14
One of Africa’s most acclaimed musicians, Nigerian Fela Kuti is according to many, a late-twentieth-century hybrid of shaman, politician, ombudsman, activist and musical genius who wrote and performed political protest songs that won him a large following both at home and abroad His music—dubbed “Afro-Beat”—is a marriage of American blues and jazz blended with African rhythms. Kuti’s song is affected with an altered pronunciation entitled Shu-ffering and Sh-miling.
The Best Of Fela Kuti – Music Is The Weapon, Wrasse Records, 2004
4. Idan Raichel Project ‘Maisha’ Alb Tk 13 3.22
The Idan Raichel Project – has a distinctive sound known for its fusion of electronics, traditional Hebrew texts, Middle Eastern and Ethiopian music. Within My Walls, Cumbancha, 2009
5. 5. Old Blind Dogs ‘Soup Of The Day’ Alb Tk 9 4.09
Scotland’s Old Blind Dogs continue to distinguish themselves as vital, innovative ambassadors of traditional Scottish, folk and Celtic music, with influences from rock, reggae, jazz, blues and Middle Eastern rhythms showcased as showcased on Soup Of The Day. The World’s Room, Green Linnet, 2006
#1077 February 21, 201 No. 11
Outcues
7P Close
16. Joe McBride “Adderly Street” MothrMus Tk 9 4.01
Smooth Africa, Vol. 2 – Exploring the Soul, Heads Up, 2003
8P Close
Joe Sample ‘Carmel’ UpDAjazz Tk 1 5.39
Carmel, UMG Recordings, 1976
9P Close
Septeto Habanero ‘Tres Lindas Cubanas’ CD 1 Tk 2 4.06
90 Años, Septeto Habanero, 2009
10P Close
Colin Lucas ‘Dollar Wine’ islandinn Tk 1 5.47
Soca 101, Vol. 1, VP, 2001
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