WorldBeatUK (21st Show) - Broadcast Notes (20/7/11)
Tagged with: WorldBeatuk Glyn Phillips Aurelio Martinez Baaba Maal Vieux Farka Toure Fatoumata Diawara Danyel Waro Pacific Curls Bellowhead AfroCubism Booker T Bomba Estereo Easy Star Smerins Anti-Social Club Dub Colossus Samuel Yirga Tombolinos Mahala Rai Haidouks
WBUK21 (20/7/11) - SHOWNOTES
1 “Intro-Mat” (1.47) by Matchatcha from the album “Nyekesse” (Melodie)
Hello there! You’re tuned into Rhubarb Radio and you’re listening to WorldBeatUK. My name’s Glyn Phillips and over the next two hours I’ll be taking you on a journey to the outer reaches of global musicality. On the show tonight you’ll get to hear some fabulous acts from Senegal, Mali, the USA, Colombia, Ghana, Cuba, L’ile de Reunion, Belize, Jamaica, New Zealand, Ethiopia, Romania and the UK amongst others.
In fact tonight’s show is all about WOMAD - the World of Music and Dance - which takes place in just over a week at Charlton Park, near Malmesbury in Gloucestershire, England. This amazing event is still probably the planet’s leading global festival of world music open to the general public.
So, although I still have no idea of whether I’ll actually be able attend it this year, I’ve decided to dedicate the show tonight to Womad; in short every tune you hear from now on is by an artiste who will be appearing at this year’s Womad Festival!
I can’t promise whether they will actually play these particular tracks but it should give you a taste of what to expect if you are lucky enough to go next week - and if you can’t, then you sit back and pretend you’re there (and save yourself a fortune into the bargain!).
OK, first up I’m going to ease us into the groove with some garifuna soul from Belize. Now, Belize is a small country in Central America and amongst its accolades is that it has the second longest barrier reef in the world, is the northernmost country in Central America (remember folks, Mexico is technically in North America!) and is the only Central American country to have English as the official language.
This tiny country - which is only 120 miles long and 68 miles wide - boasts a population of just 333, 200 people.
It’s history is also different to its neighbours Mexico and Guatemala - who have deep Hispanic roots alongside their Mayan ancestry - since it was for many years a British Colony known as British Honduras, only gaining independence in 1973 and having a permanent British troop presence based there armed with vertical take-off Harrier Hawk jets to protect it from Guatemalan invasion until as recent as1994.
So now you know!
However, we’re really interested in its current musical contribution and for that we have to go to the Caribbean coastline and to the Garifuna communities of Belize.
Belize has many different populations, but one of its smallest - making up only 4% - are the Garínagu (often known by the singular Garífuna) who are a community of mixed African, Carib and Arawak descent who speak and sing in a language descended from both Carib and Arawak.
They can be found along much of Central America’s Caribbean coastline from Nicaragua and Honduras up to Guatemala and Belize.
So the first song up tonight is a piece of ‘paranda’ music by one of the Garifuna culture’s most well known artists, the Honduran born, Belizean based, Aurelio Martinez, taken from his album “Garifuna Soul” on the Belizean Stonetree Records; this is called “Lumalali Limaniga”:
2 Lumalali Limaniga (4:18) by Aurelio Martinez from the album “Garifuna Soul” on the Stone Tree Records Label
Yes, there you go, Aurelio Martinez from Belize. Now, I’ve got a bit of an African thing going on for the next few numbers and I’m going to kick this off with an old track by Senegal’s Baaba Maal - one of the biggest names in African music for Europeans especially during the 1990s. It’s a wonderfully summery piece called “Demgalan”.
3 “Demgalan” (7:01) by Baaba Maal from the album “Kings of African Music” on the Nascente label
From Senegal, we move inland to Mali and to Vieux Farka Touré, the son of the late guitarist Ali Farka Toure.
This is taken from his latest album - just released in May - called “The Secret” on the Six Degrees label.
This track features Derek Trucks on electric guitar and is called “Aigna”
4 Aigna (Feat. Derek Trucks) (4:53) by Vieux Farka Touré from the album “The Secret” on the Six Degrees Records label
Let’s stay in Mali now and the wonderful singer and actress Fatoumata Diawara recently heard supporting AfroCubism and providing backing vocals on their album.
Here she is on a pre-release track from her forthcoming EP Kanou and this is the title track from that.
5 “Kanou” (3.56) by Fatoumata Diawara from the EP “Kanou”
Hmmm, very beautiful, calming music! Fatoumata Diawara there.
We’re going to board a plane now to an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean with a very rich and vibrant mixture of cultures: Malagasy, Indian, African, European and Chinese.
The L’isle de La Réunion is an island with a French Colonial past and indeed present since it is (like Guadeloupe and Martinique in the Caribbean) an official ‘departement’ of France.
This island of 800,000 people is about 120 miles south of Mauritius and roughly the same size (under 30 miles wide by 40 long).
The largest percentage of the population is mixed race to some degree or other and it’s from this Creole culture that the music of La Reunion predominantly derives.
One of their most famous musicians is Danyel Waro, who is also a poet and activist - a tireless campaigner for the rights and cultures of Creole people. Danyel was last year awarded the 2010 Artist Award at the annual Womex World Music conference held in Copenhagen.
Waro is also a pioneer and flagbearer for the indigenous music of La Reunion known as Maloya - a mix of African and Malagasy rhythms, that was once banned from being played in La Reunion. This is a track called “Veli”.
6 “Veli” (4.40) by Danyel Waro from the album “Aou Amwin” on the Cobalt label (2010)
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If we board the Good Ship 'WorldBeatUK' and set sail south and eastwards from the Indian Ocean, we eventually pass by Australia and end up in New Zealand.
This next band are called Pacific Curls - a trio of young women who aim to fuse European and Maori roots via ukulele, fiddle, Taonga Puoro guitar, alongside cajon, stompbox and kalimba and lyrics in Maori, Rotuman and English.
This ukulele-driven piece is called “Pacific People” from their last album "Te Kore".
7 “Pacific People” (4.22) by Pacific Curls from the album “Te Kore”
That was “Pacific People” by the Pacific Curls from New Zealand.
So in true WorldBeatUK style let’s jet from one end of the earth to the other.
Back to Blighty and to Britain’s rowdy folksters Bellowhead.
This is a track from the recently released compilation album “Rough Guide to English Folk” on the World Music Network label.
Bellowhead would like to invite you to come on down to Yarmouth Town!
8 “Yarmouth Town” (3.50) by Bellowhead from the album “The Rough Guide To English Folk” on the World Music Network label
Ha ha! Great bit of English folky fun there with some quasi-New Orleans brass band jazzy bits rolled into the mix! Bellowhead and “Yarmouth Town”.
And now from the wonderfully exuberant to the absolutely sublime.
This is the amazing malicubano sound of the international superstar band AfroCubism formed out of living legends from both Mali and Cuba.
This band was put together by the UK's very own World Circuit Records label.
You can read my in-depth review of their debut album “Afro-Cubism” on the world music website (http://www.worldmusic.co.uk/afrocubism_afrocubism).
These guys are going to be one of the BIG bands this year at Womad (and don’t forget that ALL of the bands I’m playing tonight on the show are appearing at this year’s WOMAD festival at Charlton Park next week).
This is my favourite track off what is an amazing album.
The track was written by the Malian Kora maestro Toumani Diabate and it’s called “Jarabi”.
Simply sumptuous!!
9 “Jarabi” (5.57) by AfroCubism from the album “AfroCubism” on the World Circuit label
Now that’s the kind of band you’d expect at a world music festival - but maybe this next one raised a few eyebrows when they were announced.
Booker T and the MGs are some of the great survivors of the 60s and 70s with numerous hits to their credit and even more amazing seeing as their speciality was instrumentals.
The longevity, popularity and sheer funkiness of their cuts is high testimony indeed to their ineffable grooves.
This is the hipswinging hit “Hip Hug Her” - here given a tasty remix by Danny Massure!
10 “Hip Hug Her (Danny Massure remix)” (3.34) by Booker T & the MGs
[CONTINUOUS]
11 “Cosita Rica” (4:36) by Bomba Estereo from the album "Estalla" on Polen Records
[CHANGE THE CDs OVER!!!]
You’re listening to WorldBeatUK - the two hour world music radio show right here on Rhubarb Radio, transmitting from The Custard Factory in Digbeth in the heart of Birmingham in the heart of England!
My name’s Glyn Phillips and don’t forget tonight’s WorldBeatUK is given over to featuring bands that will be appearing at next week’s Womad Festival at Charlton Park, near Malmesbury.
You were just listening to the Electro-Cumbiaton sounds of Colombia’s Bomba Estereo - a feisty young band that mix indigenous cumbia with electronica and a vivacious punk attitude when seen live - and a track called “Cosita Rica”.
Next up is a track and a sound to die for!! One of the great unsung pioneers of Highlife and Afrobeat, belatedly getting his dues paid to him.
This is the amazing Mr Ebo Taylor of Ghana and a track from the Strut Records album “Life Stories - Highlife and Afrobeat Classics 1973-1980”.
I said it’s a sound to die for - and appropriately enough it’s called “Heaven”!
(1) 12 Heaven (6:04) by Ebo Taylor from the album “Life Stories - Highlife & Afrobeat Classics 1973-1980” (Strut Records)
I first came across the next band a few years back and they blew me away. They have up to now specialised in taking classic albums and re-doing them dub-style.
What’s special about them is the conceptualisation of how they approach each of these revered albums and the amazing attention to detail in the execution of them.
I first heard their version of the Pink Floyd classic, renamed as the "Dub Side of the Moon" and then Radiohead’s “OK Computer” redubbed (sorry for the rather obvious pun there!) as "Radiodread".
This next track which features Frankie Paul is taken from their 2009 release, a reworking of The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band appropriately enough called: The Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band. This is going out to the missus - what else but “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”
(2) 13 “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” (4:33) by the Easy Star All-Stars (feat. Frankie Paul) from the album “Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Dub Band” (Easy Star Records)
Yes, yes, the Easy Star All-Stars and “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” from the “Lonely Hearts Dub Band” album. Incidentally they’ve also released a remix version of their first album called “Dubber Side of the Moon” last year and this year should have released their first album of original tunes called “First Light”.
OK, since we were up in the sky with Lucy and her diamonds just now, it seems appropriate to play this next track: “Walking In the Air” - and, no, there’s not even a hint of Aled Jones about it!
(3) 14 “Walking In The Air” (3:16) by Smerins Anti-Social Club
Ha ha ha!
Yes, that was Britain’s very own Smerins Anti-Social Club and their ska-tastic version of “Walking In The Air”!! Love that - and not a snowman in sight . . .
And whilst we’re on this ska and reggae tip here’s a MONSTER tune!
This one gets me every time I play it.
Definitely my hot hit for Womad this year.
The most excellent Anglo-Ethiopian band Dub Colossus and an amazing Ethiopian dub version of Althea & Donna’s brilliant tune “Uptown Top Ranking”!
ABSOLUTELY love this one.
Can’t praise it high enough!
People, I tell you, turn up the volume and get skanking!
(4) 15 “Uptown Top Ranking (radio edit)” (4:17) by Dub Colossus from the album “Addis Through The Looking Glass” on Real World Records
[CONTINUOUS]
(5) 16 “Habasha Diaspora (Addis Piano Mix)” (6:05) by Samuel Yirga from the album “The Habasha Sessions” (released by Bower and Wilkins Society of Sound)
Wow! Breathtaking! That was another insight into what’s making Ethiopia utterly irresistible these days. That was the young pianist Samuel Yirga (who was also on the previous track by Dub Colossus) and a tune called “Habasha Diaspora” (the Addis Piano mix) from an as yet unreleased album due out later this year. Keep an ear out for that: Samuel Yirga.
Ok, we haven’t had much Balkanic music recently on the show - so let’s change that.
First of all here’s a UK based band made up from an Argentine, a Portuguese and three Italians.
They mix up balkan, latin, jazz, punk and well, to be honest, pretty much anything they can get their hands on!
Confused? Don’t worry, just let the music get inside you.
I saw these guys a few weeks ago at the HOME Festival in Devon - and they are a truly magic band to see live - don’t miss them at Womad this year if you can. Appropriately enough they are called Alejandro and the Magic Tombolinos and this is a tune called “Vera Cocek” from their album "Full Attack with Sudden Defences".
(6) 17 “Vera Cocek” (4:09) by Alejandro & The Magic Tombolinos from the album “Full Attack with Sudden Defences” on Nu Power Ethno label
Over to the one of the major repositories of European gypsy culture, Romania. This is the Mahala Rai Banda and a track called “Hora Din Mahala”.
At this point I should shout out some linguistically appropriate exhortation for all of you to dance, but here my knowledge of Romania ends, so shout out whatever you want to and just jiggle, bounce and shake your bits to heart’s content!
(7) 18 “Hora Din Mahala” (3:19) by Mahala Rai Banda from the album “Ghetto Blasters” on the Asphalt Tango label
[CONTINUOUS]
(8) 19 “A Gypsy Had A House” (3:47) by Taraf De Haïdouks from the album “Band Of Gypsies” on the Crammed Discs label
Wasn’t that wonderful!
That was Taraf de Haïdouks also from Romania and a track called "O Tsigan Ave o Casa" - which translates as “A Gypsy Had A House”, from the album “Band of Gypsies”.
OK that’s it - we’re at the end of the show and so I want to thank all of you for listening in to this WOMAD Special - remember every band you’ve heard tonight is appearing at Womad Festival in Charlton Park, next week. For a full list of all the tracks I’ve played tonight and all previous weeks please go to www.worldmusic.co.uk/radio and you’ll find all the info you need.
[Final shout-outs, thanks etc]
And to finish the UK’s own Jazz Jamaica and one of my favourite tracks of theirs.
From the 1998 album “Double Barrel” this is their remake of the old Skatalites groover “Confucious”.
(9) 20 “Confucious” (5:01) by Jazz Jamaica from the album “Double Barrel” (Hannibal 1998)
WorldBeatUK (14th Show) - Broadcast Notes (1st June 2011)
Tagged with: WorldBeatUK Glyn Phillips Rory McLeod Owiny Sigoma Fatamouta Diawara Saucejas Dagadana Los de Abajo Ikebe Shakedown Olufemi Vieux Farka Toure Barbad Gil Scott Heron Cedric Brooks Omi Akwaaba Karlon Rootsmamas Babayaga Canelason Pornoson Brownout
WBUK14 (1/6/11) - PLAYLIST
1 “Intro-Mat” (1:47) by Matchatcha from album ‘Nyekesse (Aimer La Danse)’ (Melodie)
You’re listening to Rhubarb Radio, my name’s Glyn Phillips and welcome to WorldBeatUK - 2 hours of the best world music from around the globe. Coming up on the show tonight we’ve got music from the USA, France, Spain, Jamaica, Iran, Portugal, Mali, South Africa, Kenya, Mexico, Sweden, Poland, Latvia, Russia and the UK. So stay tuned to WorldBeatUK as I take you around the world in weighty grooves . . .
Now first off a little plug for a gig that’s happening right here in Birmingham, this Saturday the 4th June - just around the corner from where I’m sitting in the Custard Factory in Digbeth, Birmingham - at the Wagon & Horses, Adderley Street. I’ve been rehearsing with a new nine-piece band recently called Kilombo and it will be our debut gig. The band plays a mixture of afro-centric based musics including merengue ska, soca-cumbia, bolero, bossa, rumba, jazz-funk and rhythm & blues and we formed it just for some fun - the chance to play the music we like without having to fit into some kind of marketing label.
If you fancy coming along, then the night starts at 8, goes on till 3am and will also feature dub band Relative and a fistful of DJs including Skeleton, Marc Reck, the Jam Jah DJs and more. And it’s all FREE!
For a little taste of what Kilombo play, here’s one of the tunes we’re going to be performing on Saturday. This is a ska version by the St Petersburg Ska-Jazz Review of the Zimbabwean classic “Skokiaan”:
2 “Skokiaan” (3:23) by St Petersburg Ska-Jazz Review from album “Too Good To Be True” (Megalith Records)
Another plug now, this time for the Celebrating Sanctuary Festival 2011 in London on the 19th June on the South Bank. As the name suggests it refers to raising awareness of the plight of refugees during Refugee Week (which takes place 20th -26th June). I’ll be featuring some of the artists involved in the Festival over the next couple of weeks or so on this show and first up is the UK’s Rory McLeod.
He carries with him that same mixture of idiosyncracy and integrity as people like Ash Mandrake, Roy Harper etc. I think it’s safe to say that Rory is an underground legend. Described variously as an amazing folk artist, traveller, troubadour extraordinaire and a one-man folk orchestra, Rory plays a multitude of instruments including trombone, harmonica, spoons, djembe, bandorea, guitar, finger-cymbals and tapshoe-driven stomp-box! He’s played and recorded with people like Ani Di Franco, Taj Mahal, Kathryn Tickell and Ali Farka Toure amongst many others.
I had the pleasure of performing with him back in the 90s right here in Birmingham - a great musician, and a true gent to boot. Luckily for us here in Brum he’s come down from the Orkneys and will be performing next month at the Kitchen Garden Café, Kings Heath, courtesy of World Unlimited. I urge you to go along - you will be drawn into his unique world and emerge with your senses buzzing. And talking of buzzing - this is Rory McLeod and a track from his new album (“Swings and Roundabouts”) called “Lassooing the Bees”!
3 “Lassooing the Bees” (4:00) by Rory McLeod from the album “Swings and Roundabouts” (Talkative Music - Talk004)
Wasn’t that fun! OK yet another plug now! Over the last few weeks I’ve been playing material from the debut album of an anglo-kenyan band called Owiny Sigoma. They are having their inaugural concert on Monday June 6th at Café OTO in Dalston, London. So here’s a track from their album - also called Owiny Sigoma, on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings label - this is a tune sung in English called “Here On The Line”.
4 “Here On the Line” (4:12) by Owiny Sigoma Band from album ‘Owiny Sigoma Band’ (Brownswood Recordings)
Meanwhile over in West Africa we come across the Cote D’Ivoire born, Mali raised singer Fatoumata Diawara (who I first came across last year singing backing vocals on the AfroCubism CD). Fatoumata will be playing the support slot for AfroCubism at their Royal Albert Hall concert on 27th June this year, but in the meantime here’s a preview from her forthcoming album (“Fatou”) to be released by World Circuit in September. This track is called “Kanou” and it’s just been released as an EP on digital download (check iTunes, Amazon, etc).
5 “Kanou” (3:56) by Fatoumata Diawara from EP ‘Kanou’ (World Circuit)
Ok let’s leave Africa for a while, and travel far to the North of Europe to the Baltic Sea for the next few numbers. First up is a choir called Saucejas from the small country of Latvia sandwiched between Lithuania and Estonia. They specialise in choral folk music and this tune is called “Nekukoji, Dzeguzite” which translates as ‘Stop calling, Cuckoo’.
6 “Nekukoji, Dzeguzite” (Stop Calling, Cuckoo) (2:50) by Saucejas from album ‘Native Music 5 - Latvia’ (Latvian Music Information Centre)
Just down from Latvia and Lithuania is Poland where you can find the young folk-pop trio Dagadana (formed by Dagmara Gregorowicz and Dana Vynnytska). A few months ago I featured them in an article that I wrote for WorldMusic.co.uk on the state of Polish world music after hearing their album “Malenka” (Offside Records 005) which was awarded the Polish Fryderyk Award for Folk/World Album of the Year 2010.
They’ve just contacted me to tell me about their forthcoming album “Dlaczego Nie” (which translates as “Why Not?”) and to share the first single from the album : “Wszystkie Maja Po Chlopoku” (Every girl has a man) which is their innovative and very jazzy take on a folk song sung to them by their mothers when they were just kids. The album won’t be released until Autumn, but here’s a taste of what they do.
7 “Wszystkie” (Every Girl Has a Man) (4:13) by Dagadana from album ‘Dlaczego Nie (Why Not?)’
Meanwhile on the other side of the Baltic Sea lies Sweden. This next band is a trio formed by Pelle Björnlert on Fiddle, Johan Hedin on Swedish nyckelharpa and Eric Pekkari on zither, two-accordion and fiddle. They tend to specialise in very old Swedish folk music and this is no exception. This tune is called “Flageolettpolska”.
8 “Flageolettpolskan” (2:58) by Pelle Björnlert, Johan Hedin & Erik Pekkari
Staying in Sweden but with a far more contemporary approach to folk is the duo Jonas Knutsson and Johan Norberg. In fact it’s almost folk-jazz, especially because for this album they’re joined by the wonderful German double bassist Eva Kruse who contributes this piece of Bavarian folk to their repertoire. This is called "Schwarzer Bua”.
9 “Schwarzer Bua” (3:15) by Jonas Knutsson & Johan Norberg from album ‘Skaren: Norrland III’ (Act)
OK, enough Nordic intensity for the moment - let’s have some fun. Everybody aboard the long-haul flight to Mexico City for the next one - Mexico’s ska-punk rebels Los de Abajo (Those From Below) and a rather groovy track full of swagger and street attitude called, naturally enough, “Actitud Calle”:
10 “Actitud Calle” (4:59) by Los De Abajo from the album “Actitud Calle” (Wrasse Records)
And from one great New World metropolis to another, New York! But maybe not as you expect. Most people associate afrobeat with West Africa - especially Nigeria and Ghana, but this next band are from the Big Apple itself and mix very, very convincing afro-beat with afro-funk, cinematic soul, deep disco and boogaloo that features a mighty horn section anchored by tight deep-pocketed grooves. The band - from Brooklyn - is called Ikebe Shakedown, the album is also called “Ikebe Shakedown”, it’s on the Ubiquity record label and this track is called “Asa-Sa”:
11 “Asa-Sa” (5:06) by Ikebe Shakedown from album ‘Ikebe Shakedown’ (Ubiquity)
[CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS]
12 “Ori Mi” (5:03) by Olufemi from album ‘Just In Newtown’
[ - Change CD! - Change CD! - ]
The last track was by the South African based, Nigerian saxophonist and composer, Olufemi from his debut album “Just in Newtown” and a track called “Ori Mi”.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Now, there can’t be many world music fans who haven’t heard of Ali Farka Toure the Malian guitar maestro who was very much responsible for the initial successes of British record label World Circuit. Ali died 7 years ago, however, in that time his son Vieux Farka Toure has gradually emerged from the giant shadow of his father to become a respected musician in his own right.
Last year he performed to a television audience of a billion people in Johannesburg, South Africa during the World Cup. Vieux will be performing in the UK next month - 16th July at the Larmer Tree Festival and 30th July at Womad in Charlton Park.
Vieux has a new album out next month on the 4th July on the Six Degrees record label. It’s produced by Soulive’s Eric Krasno and features contributions from Derek Trucks of the Allman Brothers, John Scofield and Dave Matthews. The album is called “The Secret” and I have a preview of one of the songs right here for you. This track features Derek Trucks and is called “Aigna”:
(1) 13 “Aigna” (Feat. Derek Trucks) (4:53) by Vieux Farka Touré from album ‘The Secret’ (Six Degrees)
[CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS]
(2) 14 “Duet Flamenco” (2:13) by Vahid Hajikamali from album ‘Duet Flamenco’ (Barbad Records)
You just heard a track called “Duet Flamenco” from an album of the same name from - of all places - Iran! I have next to no details apart from the name Vahid Haji-kamali and that it was released by Iran’s Barbad Records sometime between 2007 and 2009. But I like it!
Also from my same Persian sampler is the following excerpt, originally from a soundtrack album for the box-office breaking Iranian film “M for Mother”, the music for which was composed by Arya Aziminejad who has worked with people like Peter Gabriel and Jocelyn Pook. This is called “As Time Goes By”:
(3) 15 “As Time Goes By” (1:43) by Arya Aziminejad from album ‘M For Mother’ (Barbad Records)
So beautiful and wistful and sad!
And here’s some sad news. It is with a profound sense of loss that I have to report the death on Saturday last of the great poet and singer Gil Scott Heron. He died at the age of 62 after returning from Europe from a virus, I think, that he picked up over here. A young age to die, but a man who in his years did as much as any and more than many to raise the consciousness of all those that came across his music and message.
A man of deep thought and incisive observation, Gil crafted magnificent opuses of life-changing and life-affirming positivity which he often set against minimal percussion and backing. The internet has been awash since Saturday when the news broke of his death with people of all ages and backgrounds testifying to the effect that Gil had on their lives, me amongst them.
The teacher is dead, but his lesson goes on. For a world music show like this, what other song than his reggae-based homage to the power of music and word; from the 1983 album “Reflections”, this is “Storm Music”:
(4) 16 “Storm Music” (4:59) by Gil Scott-Heron from album ‘Reflections’ (Sony)
[CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS]
(5) - Reggae City Ad Jingle (1:05)
[CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS]
(6) 17 “Mun-Dun-Gu” (3:16) by Cedric Brooks (Bamboo)
That last majestic track was “Mundungu” by the Jamaican saxophonist and flautist Cedric Brooks famous for his work with The Skatalites, The Light of Saba and - of course Count Ossie’s rasta outfit the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari. Cedric recorded that track under the moniker Sound Dimension - and it’s a killer! “Mundungu”!
If you like that track, then you can hear it played live by my new band, El Combo Kilombo, which - as I mentioned at the top of the show - is playing its debut gig at the Wagon & Horses, right here on Adderley Street, Digbeth in Birmingham this Saturday 4th June.
Kilombo play a mixture of musics from afrocentric bases including soca-cumbia, merengue-ska, nyabinghi-reggae, Township-jazz, bolero, rumba, bossa, jazz-funk and rhythm & blues.
It’s a free event starting at 8pm and going on till about 3am; it’s called Subvert and besides Combo Kilombo there’s the live dub band “Relative” and DJs including Rhubarb’s very own DJ Marc Reck, as well as Skeleton the Jam Jah DJs Robin Giorno and Bongo Damo as well as Christy, Dodgy Greg and Stalingrad - so there’ll be plenty of Reggae and Dub magic to keep you happy - and it’s all FREE! Yep not a penny on the door!
Ok, let’s go to Jamaica and to a new artist - to me at any rate. This is Omi who’s just been signed to Clifton Dillon’s Shang Records label and a love song called “Cheerleader”:
(7) 18 “Cheerleader” (2:56) Omi (Shang Records)
Now, the Akwaaba record label have been very active recently and one of their recent projects was to celebrate last week’s Africa Day which took place on the 25th of May. They decided to release an EP called “Mama Africana” in homage to one of the most emblematic figures of Africa - the Woman, the mother with her baby on the back carrying and selling goods, bringing food to the table at the end of the day.
Mpula from the band Batida took a hook from a classic 1960s Angolan Semba “There Goes Maria” and then challenged some of his favourite MCs to build a poem around this concept. The three versions selected are on the EP.
Here’s the contribution of Portuguese afro-rapper Karlon (aka Kota K) who talks about the generosity of the women in his life and his neighbourhood, mostly immigrants from Cape Verde.
This is “Lá Vai Maria” - There Goes Maria:
(8) 19 “Lá Vai María” feat. Karlon (3:36) by Batida from EP ‘Mamã Africana’ (Akwaaba)
Here’s an interesting cumbia refixed by Goy Karamelo; originally by the Barcelonian duo of Susana Abellán and Diana Feria - better known as the Rootsmamas, whose philosophy is “Life is simple, all is love, enjoy in peace”. And you can’t say fairer than that! This is “La Trampa”
(9) 20 “La Trampa” (4:04) by Rootsmamas (Goy Karamelo refix)
A nice bit of cumbia-pop there. And now some Balko-Klezmer fusion from Clermont Ferrand - this is a track called “Yvan Oreille D’Ours” by the French band Babayaga:
(10) 21 “Yvan Oreille D’Ours” (3:22) by Babayaga from “1er Album”
Staying with the French connection this is a track by the French latin-hip-hop band Canelason from their album “Sin Pasaporte” (without passport) and a track featuring Racko, called “La Rumba”. Let’s see if this gets you in the mood for moving . . .
(11) 22 “La Rumba” (Featuring Racko) (3:31) by Canelason from album ‘Sin Pasaporte’
OK, almost at the end of the show. And appropriately enough - since this is going to be the XXX rated part . . . 'What’s he going on about?' I can hear you thinking.
Well this next band are from New York and started out as a salsa and timba band led by the Cuban bassist and timbero Danny Rojo; however after a few years of playing standard fare, Danny started changing the lyrics of their tunes in the heat of the moment whilst doing gigs and, shall we say, ‘spicing’ up the words and commenting on the dancers in front of him. His new lyrics really added to the sexually charged atmosphere on the dancefloor and went down well with their fans.
From that moment they’ve never looked back and so they changed their name to Pornoson. Yep, that’s what I said, Pornoson. Just be careful when you’re googling it - you might get more than you bargained for… missus! Their stage show apparently makes Cuban timba legends, La Charanga Habanera look like choirboys - which makes the mind boggle, since I saw La Charanga Habanera on a couple of occasions in the 90s and can attest to their effect on the libido!
For those of a delicate disposition, fear not - it’s all in Spanish - so you’re safe (or deprived, judging on how you see it!) unless you’re a Spanish speaker in which case: disfruta a las delicias de la salsa pornografica! However, the music - which they describe as afro-cuban funk rock - is good quality whatever your attitude to the lyrics including people like Eddie Venegas on trombone and violin, Batanga on tres and electric guitars and the great Luisito Quintero on drums and percussion. So here you go, great music, raunchy lyrics - this is Danny Rojo y su Pornoson and “Nena La Playera”. Enjoy!
(12) 23 “Nena La Playera” (5:50) by Pornoson from album “Ah Sing Are” (Dan Red Music)
OK, that’s it for this week. Thanks . . .
(Shoutouts, don’t forget Kilombo at Wagon & Horses this Saturday, etc)
I’m going to leave you now with a wonderful bit of descarga workout from Texan latin funksters Brownout - this track is “Homenaje” from the album of the same name. Trust me, this is some serious groove. Good night!
(13) 24 “Homenaje” (3:28) by Brownout from abum "Homenaje" (Freestyle Records)
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