http://www.afropop.org/ Welcome to the world of Afropop podcasts!\n\nWe are thrilled to offer choice segments from our Afropop Worldwide programs as weekly podcasts delivered to you. You can now hear our cultural reportage from Africa, the Caribbean and the Americas. You will also get segments from our Hip Deep series-within-a-series on history, music and ideas. If you've not yet ventured into the podcast world, it's easy to set up and flexible to fit your schedule. Happy listening! And please forward this url to music loving friends. en-us Copyright 2012 World Music Productions World Music Productions Music 1 http://www.afropop.org/podcast/podcast.jpg http://www.afropop.org/ 300 295 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/845/ We visit one of the world's last untamed natural and musical wildernesses: The Guyanas. Riding along bumpy jungle roads and in dug-out canoes, Afropop producer Marlon Bishop travels from Suriname to French Guiana for the Transamazoniennes Festival, located in the remote border town of Saint-Laurent-Du-Maroni. We enjoy the region's fascinating cultural stew, where French Creole, maroon, Amerindian, Hindu, Javanese, and Dutch elements all mingle together on the outer fringes of the Amazon and hear styles like kaseko, bigi pokoe, aleke, and kawina. We'll speak with local stars Prince Koloni, Little Guerrier and Chris Combete, as well as visiting acts such as self-proclaimed "African gypsy" Wanlov the Kubolor and polyglot rap crew Nomadic Massive. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/845/ Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 37:24 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/839/ Hip Deep's Egypt program series kicks off with a sonic tour of Cairo from the chatter of car horns on jam-packed streets to the lulling waters of the Nile. We start with a focus on the city's spiritual life, the persistent call to prayer broadcast from mosques city wide, koranic recitation, Coptic hymns sung in ancient churches, and a Zar healing ritual in a working class Cairo neighborhood. This program introduces the themes and central characters for this unique Afropop program series, which takes the pulse of an ancient civilization in the midst of upheaval and historic change. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/839/ Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 08:16 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/844/ The beloved, Grammy Award winning singer Cesaria Evora from Cape Verde passed away late last year at the age of 70. We celebrate Cesaria's life and art with an encore of our 1995 recording of her magnificent New York City debut at the Bottom Line. Cesaria, known as the "Queen of the morna" is backed by her classy group--piano, acoustic bass guitar, cavaquinho and lead acoustic guitar. As a special bonus, two accomplished protandeacute;gandeacute;s of Cesaria's--Fantcha and Mayra Andrade--pay their tribute with stories and songs inspired by one of the most influential and successful artists of the modern African era. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/844/ Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 08:24 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/834/ Riffing off our popular online mixtape series, Afropop culls some of the best tracks from these free digital mixes to put a spotlight on some of the best new music dropping from Africa and beyond. The eclectic array of colorful sounds showcases something for every Afropop listener from 8 to 80 including Malian blues, Latin electronic mash-ups, Afro-Peruvian rhythms, hip-hop, neo-cumbia, and whole lot more. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/834/ Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 59:00 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/566/ Explores the rich period in the 1970s when soul flourished in Brazil. Co-hosted and co-produced by author Christopher Dunn as part of Afropop Worldwide's Hip Deep series. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/566/ Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 09:04 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/665/ How do they celebrate the holidays in Trinidad? Venezuela? Nigeria? South Africa? We'll find and enjoy the music and stories from these countries and more. Wear your hippest holiday gear. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/665/ Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 08:06 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/843/ Georges Collinet and Banning Eyre take a lightning tour through the best new music from Africa and the African Diaspora in 2011. Classic sounds from Orchestra Polyrhythmo, Hakim, Tinariwen, Seun Kuti and Vusi Mahlasela. Edgier new sounds from Blitz the Ambassador, Buraka Som Sistema and Baloji. New Latin music from Los Rakas, Daniela Mercury, Aurelio Martinez and much more. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/843/ Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 19:17 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/794/ Every year, the hippest new sounds from South of the border invade New York City for the Latin Alternative Music conference, and every year, Afropop is here to tell you about it. Latin Alternative is psychedelic cumbia, Chilean hip-hop, Mexican indie-rock, Panamanian dancehall, and just about anything that fails to fit into the typical Latin pop formats. The conference brings acts large and small from around the Americas to perform, from well known-favorites such as Ozomatli, to promising indie artists destined to be the Next Big Cosa. This year, you'll hear exclusive interviews and performances from Argentine roots reggae master Fidel Nadal, Panama youngbloods Los Rakas, Miami cumbianeros Locos Por Juana, and analog Afrobeat innovator Chico Mann, and plenty of others. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/794/ Fri, 25 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 10:22 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/842/ By the mid 20th century, Cairo had become the unrivaled center for music and film production in the Middle East. Producers, writers, composers, actors, musicians, star singers, and creators of every stripe flocked here to take part in the city's fervent, international, progressive artistic milieu. This was the heyday of the diva Umm Kulthum, Mohamed Abdel Wahab, and the beloved singer and composer Abdel Halim Hafez. But events of the 50s and 60s signaled an inward turn for Egypt and Cairo. The 70s saw the rise of a rougher, more street-wise music--sha'bi--and films began to lose their edge. And the 80s saw the emergence of a slick new pop sound that has resonated in the Middle East ever since. We hear from artists, producers, and scholars in this unique Hip Deep edition. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/842/ Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 23:12 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/841/ Grammy nominated ngoni virtuoso Bassekou Kouyate and his 8 piece band Ngoni Ba wowed the crowd recently at Lincoln Center. Ngoni Ba re-wired the ancient ngoni to create a dense, 21st century sound. We'll hear the concert and talk with Bassekou about hunters, his precocious son, and his future plans. We hear a very different take on the ngoni from Sidi Tourandeacute; who made his U.S. debut recently at BAM in Brooklyn. Side Tourandeacute; also has the honor of being the first artist here from the legendary city of Gao in northern Mali, the seat the ancient Songhai empire. Then we go to Egypt to hear how artists from Port Said are making new music for instruments that go back to the time of the Pharoahs. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/841/ Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 15:46 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/598/ The 1970s was a golden age for pop music around the world, and certainly in Africa. A recent flurry of re-releases have for the first time made some of this music available again. Georges plays songs from some of his favorites--including artists and styles unknown by most Afropop fans including the Green Arrows, Ebo Taylor, Sorry Bamba, Balla and Ses Balladins and others. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/598/ Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 04:49 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/46/ Beny More and Ismael Rivera are national heroes in their home countries, Cuba and Puerto Rico respectively. They were soneros of the highest order, masters of the art of improvised singing. We'll hear some of the songs that made them famous and follow their development as artists. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/46/ Wed, 26 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 04:04 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/840/ We check in at the fifteenth annual Barranquijazz Festival in Barranquilla, Colombia, a very hip and international Latin jazz festival with a decided Caribbean flavor. We'll talk to some of the artists featured in the festival and hear new recordings by them: from Cuba, young piano superstar Harold López-Nussa; from Brazil, grandmaster pianist João Donato; from Venezuela, drummer Alberto Naranjo; from Spain, flamenco superstar Diego El Cigala; and from Noo Yawk, the one and only Eddie Palmieri. Plus a tribute to the late Colombian star, "El Joe" Joe Arroyo. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/840/ Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 12:14 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/797/ Part 3 of our special 3-part series celebrating Nigeria's 50th anniversary of independence. The musical Fela! opened on Broadway in January 2010, and won eleven Tony nominations and three actual awards later in the year. It is an unprecedented landmark for African music in mainstream American culture. This is all the more amazing when you consider what an edgy, controversial character Fela Analukapo Kuti really was. In this program, we hear excerpts from the cast recording, and new Fela reissues. We meet the star of the Broadway show, Sahr Ngaujah. And we hear from three of Fela's children, including bandleader Seun Kuti, on the man, the myth, and the musical. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/797/ Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 11:51 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/809/ This guitar-focused program presents a series of mostly acoustic sessions with Garifuna star Aurelio Martinez, griot guitar master Aboubacar "Badian" Diabate, Malagasy tsapika phenom Damily, and Abdramane Toure, the 17-year-old guitarist for Khaira Arby of Timbuktu. These four uniquely talented players talk about their careers, their learning process, and their highly personal guitar styles. Along the way we catch up with a rich selection of beautifully guitar-filigreed music, from Honduran soul to Sahara desert blues and the uniquely boogieing funerals of southern Madagascar. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/809/ Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 17:57 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/836/ In the 20th century, music and culture from the African Diaspora traveled all over the world.... and East Asia is no exception. In this Hip Deep episode, Afropop explores the different ways that Black music has influenced culture and society in places like China, Japan, Korea and Thailand. China scholar Andrew Jones takes us into the decadent underworld of 1930s Shanghai, where a hybrid form of jazz that mixed African-American sounds with traditional Chinese melodies challenged notions of tradition and modernity as political forces grappled to define the direction of modern China. Then we visit Japan, where homegrown reggae groups such as the Mighty Crown Soundsystem have fostered a massive Jamaican dancehall scene with an attention to detail. Plus, we speak with cultural critic Oliver Wang on the surprising connections between Asia and the development of hip-hop. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/836/ Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 56:53 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/220/ On January 8, 1959, Fidel Castro and his ragtag army marched into Havana and proclaimed victory in the Cuban revolution. Much of the world knew Cuba primarily from its 1930 megahit "El Manicero" ("The Peanut Vendor") and from the mambo craze of the 1950's. After Castro came to power, the economic, political and cultural doors between Cuba and the U.S. would soon be shut. In this broadcast, we savor sounds from the pre-Revolutionary golden age of Cuban music that sets the scene for the international success of Cuban music. We illustrate how popular music in Africa and the Americas is not imaginable without the influence of Cuban music--copied and adapted on three continents. We'll hear the stories and rare recordings of such core styles as son as well as luminaries such as Beny Morandeacute;, Arsenio Rodriguez, Celia Cruz and the Sexteto Habanero; along with less well known artists. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/220/ Sat, 17 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 05:50 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/516/ The oud is the ancestor of many modern string instruments, including the lute and the guitar. Its origins may lie in Persia or Mesopotamia, but now, it is played all over the world, used in spiritual and secular music, in classical, pop, and jazz settings. In this program, we hear oud music from Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, Sudan, Morocco, Iraq, and elsewhere, exploring the instrument's history, lore, and rich variety of styles and sounds. We talk with oud virtuoso Simon Shaheen, and innovator Anouar Brahem as we delve into mysteries surrounding this seminal string instrument. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/516/ Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 08:59 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/534/ On Blues Reflections we dive into a celebration of the blues--for some, the essence of the American experience and for others a link back into a lost history in Africa. We'll hear the reflections of Bo Diddley, Robert Plant, Corey Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Lobi Traore, Amadou of Amadou and Mariam and enjoy their music. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/534/ Wed, 24 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 09:13 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/719/ The "Black Pacific" is a term coined by our guide, ethnomusicologist Heidi Carolyn Feldman. She describes the circumstance of African descendants displaced not only from their ancestral homes in Africa, but also from the Atlantic coast nations where their enslaved ancestors were originally brought. This Hip Deep edition explores the sonically vibrant realm of Afro-Peruvian music, a young genre identification that has flourished since the 1950s and has now produced artists of international renown, such as singer Susana Baca, and the black folkloric company Peru Negro. The music is sensuous and deeply beautiful, and represents a fascinating and little-understood history. We will hear from Juan Morillo--who represents Peru Negro--from Susana Baca, and from other artists and community scholars Feldman has worked with during her extensive research of this topic. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/719/ Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 07:08 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/805/ This is only the third time since independence that such an ambitious, pan-African, pan-Diaspora, multi-disciplinary extravaganza has been mounted. The first was in Dakar in 1966. The second was in Lagos in 1977 for the legendary FESTAC. And now, it's back to Dakar for the World Black Arts Festival. We'll hear the stars on opening night--Youssou, Baaba, Ismael Lo, Angelique, the Mahotella Queens. We'll catch the awesome Haitian rock and roller Wyclef Jean. The kids loved Wyclef and he proclaimed "Haiti is Africa." We'll hang out in Dakar's hippest outdoor club, Just 4 You Dakar, to catch Souleymane Faye. Abdoulaye Diabate introduces us to his African jazz sound. And we head to hyperactive Sandaga Market to pick up the latest in Senegalese mbalax and hip hop including the CD that's burning up the Dakar airwaves right now--Diaga from the sublime singer Thione Seck. And the Brazilians! What's a party without Brazilians?! They are the honored country at the Festival. They came with a delegation 400-strong, bringing us the vivacious Sandra de Sá and others. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/805/ Wed, 10 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 05:32 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/807/ Around Latin America, Colombia is known as the heartland of cumbia, one of the most-listened-to styles in the Americas. But in Colombia itself, cumbia's popularity came and went in the 60s and 70s. Until now. A new generation of young Colombians are digging into Afro-Colombian roots music as a rich source for modern musical fusions. We speak with some of the hottest young Colombian artists in this movement today, including Sistema Solar, Bomba Estereo, Choc Quib Town, and many more. Plus, we take a look at the neo-cumbia renaissance sweeping dance floors around the world, and take an eye to the music's new-found global vogue among blogging hipsters and digital beatsmiths. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/807/ Thu, 04 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 48:44 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/806/ Move over salsa and merengue - cumbia is the most popular music in Latin America. Today, cumbia is played from the borderlands of Texas down the spine of the Andes to the tip of Tierra del Fuego. In this Hip Deep edition, we find out how cumbia left Colombia in the 60s and 70s and traveled to other countries. Everywhere it went, it transformed itself, adapting to its new environment. In Peru, it mixed with psychedelic guitar effects and Andean sounds to become chicha. In Argentina, it became the expression of a new generation of restless youth in the burgeoning slums of Buenos Aires. And in Mexico, it became so instilled in the local culture that some have forgotten that it came from Colombia in the first place. Through extensive interviews with experts and musicians, we find out how cumbia and its many transformations tell us the story of Latin America in the late 20th century. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/806/ Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 00:00 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/830/ It's no secret that the distant roots of American jazz lay in Africa. But how did Afro-America's revolutionary sound reshape African music? On this Hip Deep edition, we examine how African artists found a modern, global voice using jazz as inspiration. Author Carol Muller tells the story of Abdullah Ibrahim, whose prolific career was launched with "Duke Ellington Presents the Dollar Brand Trio" followed by "Anatomy of a South African Village Suite." We dig into the political significance of the U.S. State Department tours of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, and how their visit to Africa underscored the greater fight for social justice for blacks around the world. Senegalese music scholar Timothy Mangin explains West Africa's attraction to American big band music. Finally, jazz and African music scholar Ingrid Monson tells the story of jazz in Ethiopia and Nigeria, and how this American tradition sculpted the sounds of such luminaries as Mulatu Astatke and Fela Kuti. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/830/ Wed, 20 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 07:12 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/477/ As they led their livestock herds through West Africa in search of greener pastures, the Fulbhe--also Fula, Fulani, or Peul--spread a powerful music culture as well. Fluttering bluesy flutes, keening vocal melodies and bubbling percussion rhythms are strong elements in Fulani music, but the sounds are as varied as the deserts, forests, mountains, and riverside towns the Fulbhe have made their homes. On this program, we explore Fulbhe music from Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and elsewhere, and also music from some of the ethnic groups the Fulbhe have rubbed shoulders with over the centuries. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/477/ Wed, 13 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 09:42 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/828/ http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/828/ Wed, 06 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 08:16 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/798/ We hear stateside African hip hop from Blitz the Ambassador, RandB gone Ethiopian from Debo Band and Tommy T, Afropop meets indie rock from San Francisco's Aphrodesia, and the latest Mande rock from Toubab Krewe of Ashville, North Carolina. Also featured, Max Wild's bubbling Zimbabwe boogie out of New York City. Plus new work by African artists resident in the US, including Thomas Mapfumo (Zimbabwe), Abdoulaye Alhassane Toure (Niger), Malika Zara (Morocco), and Razia (Madagascar). http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/798/ Wed, 29 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 09:43 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/764/ Afropop Worldwide takes us into the world of the globalistas, a far-flung grouping of polyglot hipsters, bass freaks, and digital beatsmiths who rally around the sounds of the 21st century dancefloor - rhythms such as Angolan kuduro, Brazilian funk carioca, reggaeton and dancehall, Indian bhangra and Argentine electro-cumbia. Ethnomusicologist/DJ/Blogger/Writer Wayne Marshall calls this music World Music 2.0, highlighting how digital production technology and the internet has created new, younger, international audiences for music from other places. Marshall will guide us through the sonic circuitry of global bass music and show us why old assumptions about "world" music might no longer apply. We'll also speak with DJ Rupture, Dutty Artz founder and visionary world mashup artist, and, of course, listen to some ground shaking tracks from across the beat-o-sphere. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/764/ Wed, 22 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 09:22 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/826/ It's been over thirty years since house and techno music exploded out of South Side Chicago and inner-city Detroit, and most Americans still don't know their dance music history. In 1977 a DJ named Frankie Knuckles moved to Chicago to spin and remix disco records at an underground club called The Warehouse. Out of a fringe subculture that formed there - gay and African-American - house music would emerge to become one the biggest club music genres in the world. Meanwhile, young black futurists of Detroit channeled their city's post-industrial decay into a utopian machine music known as techno. In this Hip Deep episode, Afropop travels to Chicago and Detroit to explore the past and future of electronic music. Through dozens of interviews with seminal house and techno producers - including Paul Johnson, Vince Lawrence, Juan Atkins, and Carl Craig - as well as scholars, radio DJs and party promoters, we'll find out how two chilly mid-western cities taught the world to dance http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/826/ Thu, 16 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 56:00 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/822/ Time to crank it up for what is shaping up to be a fantastic summer season of touring Afropop artists! You'll hear Baloji from Congo/Belgium, Freshly Ground from South Africa, Novalima from Peru, Choc Quib Town from Colombia, Yemen Blues from Israel, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Aurelio Martinez from Honduras, Sierra Maestra from Cuba, Seun Kuti from Nigeria, Hakim from Egypt and many others. These concerts are a great excuse for making a trek to New York City for Central Park SummerStage, Celebrate Brooklyn and Midsummer Night's Swing, upstate New York for the GrassRoots Festival, Chicago for World Without Borders, Grand Performances in Los Angeles, and San Francisco for Stern Grove. Check links on afropop.org for these and other festivals. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/822/ Wed, 08 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 14:08 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/795/ Central America, a narrow, mountainous, and largely impoverished stretch of land spanning seven countries, is a surprising and under-exposed Latin American musical hot zone. The region's bizarre and tumultuous history has led to a fascinating mix of cultural influences - Spanish conquistadors, British pirates, and American banana companies have at one time or another vied for power. Add to this mix presence of large indigenous enclaves, Anglo-Caribbean migrants, the Afro-Arawak Garifuna and Mosquito peoples, and the many musical influences of the Caribbean, and you have the makings of a very interesting musical tapestry. Salsa and merengue, soca and calypso, reggae and reggaeton - it all comes together in Central America. In Part 1 of our program, we visit Panama, a little known musical treasure trove. Here on the ithmus, music from around the Americas mixed together in a unique stew: American, Cuban, Colombian,Jamaican influences combine to form a highly complex and unique musical culture. We'll hear interviews from Spanish reggae star Kafu Banton, Afro-Spanish linguist John Lipski, traditional Afro-Latino princess Marcia Rodriguez, dancehall youngbloods Los Rakas, and many more. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/795/ Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 00:00 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/821/ From the Bronx to Africa and beyond, hip-hop has proven since its creation to have the exceptional ability to transcend borders, resonating in communities and cultures far from it origins. The result has often been an intriguing social experiment in music consisting of imitation, reinterpretation and entirely new sounds. With our ever-increasing interconnected world, hip-hop has proven to be a music force that demands attention. Through a pastiche of various artists like Ghanaian-born, NYC-based rapper Blitz the Ambassador, Congolese by way of Belgium artist Baloji, Nigerian-German hip hop/soul singer Nneka to Malian MC Amkoullel , Afropop will take you on a trans-national train showcasing the rich and varied cultures where hip-hop is beginning to reign and take hold. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/821/ Tue, 24 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 06:29 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/793/ Nestled between Ghana, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria, Benin is a rich sliver of West Africa too often overlooked. This program puts Afropop's spotlight on Benin for the first time, starting with the country's favorite daughter. International star Angelique Kidjo looks back on her musical education in the Benin capital, Cotonou, as she walks us through the songs on her new album Oyo, which spans covers of songs by James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Miriam Makeba, and Benin's own Bella Bellow. We meet the 70s "vodoun funk" band Orchestre Poly-Rythmo, who are still going strong, and recently played their belated US debut. We zoom to the present in a chat with Lionel Loueke, a Beninois guitarist who has moved on to become one of the most original voices in contemporary American jazz. The program ends with a remembrance of Malian guitarist and singer Lobi Traore who died tragically recently. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/793/ Wed, 18 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 07:10 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/789/ In this Hip Deep edition, Afropop producer Wills Glasspiegel heads to South Africa to reveal the story of the inimitable Hugh Tracey, a field recordist born at the turn of the 20th century in England. A wayward youth, Tracey found himself in Africa in the 1920s where he became fascinated with music from Zimbabwe. Tracey became a pioneer field recordist, making over 250 LPs of traditional African music for the Gallo label in South Africa. Like John and Alan Lomax in the US, Tracey was instrumental in preserving hundreds of songs that have since gone extinct. Glasspiegel speaks with Dianne Thram, director of Tracey library in Grahamstown, South Africa; Tracey's son Andrew, a musician and field recordist in his own right; Michael Baird, an expert on the Tracey catalog; and esteemed South African anthropologist David Coplan. We'll also head to Malawi to make a field recording of our own with the help of Malawian singer, Esau Mwamwaya. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/789/ Wed, 11 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 00:00 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/433/ Time to hit the dance floor and earn some frequent flier miles as well as we jet between three continents to enjoy some of Afropop Worldwide's favorite recordings of Latin stars--starting in London for Colombia's Joe Arroyo at the Empire Ballroom in London to Quito, Ecuador where Paulina Tamayo sings passionate love songs at a large open-air ampitheater to Havana where timba stars Los Van Van get the dance floor busy to New York where rumba maestros, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, play their debut concert before an ecstatic audience. The finale is New York's own salsa pioneer Willie Colon playing for his home town crowd. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/433/ Wed, 04 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 07:47 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/820/ Everyone knows jazz: blues, improvisation, syncopated rhythm, all firmly rooted in Africa via Congo Square in New Orleans. But how have American jazz masters addressed the African ancestry of their music? On this Hip Deep edition, jazz historian Lewis Porter tells the early story of finding the African spirit in Duke Ellington's "Jungle Nights In Harlem" and exotic Africana in the era of Jim Crow. Author Ingrid Monson sheds light on how innovators like Max Roach and Art Blakey channeled Africa in the civil rights era. Poet Amiri Baraka, founder of the Black Arts Movement, talks about jazz as a weapon for change. Pianist Muhal Richard Abrams gives us the experimental sound of the AACM that, through its transcendental "Great Black Music," shattered prevailing ideas of jazz and improvisation. Finally, pianist Jason Moran re-imagines Africa in jazz's present and future with his composition "RAIN." Produced by Simon Rentner. Originally aired 4.28.11 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/820/ Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 15:02 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/819/ The long awaited follow-up to Afropop's popular 2002 program "Berber Rising" brings listeners up to date on music being made by the original inhabitants of North Africa, the Imazighen, or Berber. The program will include interviews and music from Takfarinas, Malika Zarra, Idir, Amazight, Fatima Tabaamrant, Iness Mezel, Najat A�tabou and more. We'll take the pulse of the Berber village, the push for rights and recognition in Morocco and Algeria, and the global Amazigh community at a moment of tectonic social and political change in North Africa. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/819/ Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 05:56 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/818/ Part 2 of our WOMEX extravaganza opens with one of our top favorites from WOMEX 2010 in Copenhagen--tsapika guitar virtuoso Damily from Madagascar. We carry on with a giant of Congolese music, Papa Wemba, Malian star Fatoumata Diawara, Brazilian Chula Samba de Sao Braz and others. In addition, we continue visiting with the artists and hear special acoustic performances off-stage. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/818/ Thu, 14 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 08:57 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/817/ Every year Afropop Worldwide treks to WOMEX, in Europe, to hear fantastic artists who have, for the most part, not broken out on the world stage. We look back at ten years of WOMEX to choose our favorite concerts -- Kasai All Stars from the Congo, Seu Jorge from Brazil, Jil Jilala from Morocco, ... Along the way we visit with the artists and hear special acoustic performances off-stage. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/817/ Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 08:57 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/815/ On April 12, 2011, a virtual community around the world, spearheaded by the Archive of Contemporary Music in New York (ARC), will attempt to catalogue all known recordings of music inspired by or connected with Islam. This program samples the results from a 17-piece, all Muslim, 1950s jazz band in Chicago, to Sufi chants in sacred ceremonies, Senegalese superstar Youssou N'Dour, ecstatic instrumental performances of Arab art music, and Muslim rap. We also hear from ARC founder Bob George and get a tour of what may be the largest popular music collection in the world. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/815/ Thu, 31 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 13:53 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/813/ On this show we take a look at the 21st Century Troubadours, musicians that tour the world tirelessly. We catch some of them in NY for exclusive interviews, like the charismatic singer-songwriter Vusi Mahlasela, young singer-guitarist Joan Soriano--the Duke of Bachata--from the Dominican Republic, and the three amazing musicians who are touring North America with the concert "Acoustic Africa": Habib Koite, Afel Bocoum and Oliver Mtukudzi. On top of that, we'll hear songs of Johnny Clegg and Paul Simon. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/813/ Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 06:21 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/778/ For this show we head off the beaten path to bring you the music of Ghana, Martinique, Morocco, Ethiopia, Suriname, Las Vegas and beyond! Artists featured include Aster Aweke, Sabah Fakhri, Mohamed Mournir and more. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/778/ Wed, 16 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 07:42 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/811/ Enjoy Afropop Worldwide's finest live recordings from Oumou Sangare, Abdel Gadir Salim, and Miguel Poveda plus some under-recognized artists we've pulled from our recording archive. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/811/ Thu, 10 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 11:47 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/606/ In 1809, the population of New Orleans doubled almost overnight because of French-speaking refugees from Cuba. You read that right-- French-speaking refugees from Cuba-- part of a wave of music and culture that emigrated from east to west in the wake of the Haitian Revolution. We'll look at the distinct African roots of these three regions, and compare what their musics sound like today. In this Hip Deep edition of Afropop Worldwide, our colleague Ned Sublette, author of "Cuba and Its Music: From the First Drum to the Mambo," will talk with Dr. Gwendolyn Midlo Hall, author of "Africans in Colonial Louisiana". Produced by Ned Sublette. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/606/ Thu, 24 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 09:41 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/602/ Umm Kulthum has been called the greatest singer in the Arabic speaking world in the 20th century. Born in 1904 the humble daughter of an Egyptian village imam, she went on to become a glamorous Cairo celebrity in her 20s, and soon after that, a cultural icon whose monthly live radio broadcasts brought much of Egypt to a standstill. She turned high poetry into popular culture. She extended musical forms with her virtuoso, extended vocal improvisations. Combining historical, religious, literary and musical passions, she inspired an enduring sense of national pride and left a legacy for the ages. Millions gathered for her 1975 funeral. With Umm Kuthum biographer Virginia Danielson as guide and guest, this program explores the life and music of a musical legend. Produced by Banning Eyre. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/602/ Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 10:30 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/804/ Dear winter bound listener: over the years, Afropop's intrepid reporters have brought you vivid audio scenes from Mali to Morocco to Tanzania to Zimbabwe to Cuba to Brazil to Ecuador and beyond (complemented by our gorgeous photo essays.) Let your imagination take you with us as we travel to some of the most exciting musical destinations anywhere. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/804/ Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 13:41 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/707/ In advance of the coming fateful secession vote after decades of civil war, Afropop Worldwide gives you some historical perspective in this Hip Deep edition. Sudan presents a uniquely complex of Afro-Arab history and culture, and this program tells the country's story through music. A vibrant tradition of pan-Sudanese music was flowering in 1989 when an oppressive, Islamist government came to power. Many major artists then left the country, creating a far flung musical diaspora. Others--such as Mohammed Wardi, and Abdel Gadir Salilm--remained behind, weathering years of conflict and division. On this program historian Ahmad A. Sikainga helps listeners understand the complex social context of Darfur and other conflicts, while introducing them to Sudan's hybrid, cosmopolitan popular culture. Along the way we hear from Omer Ehsas (Darfur), Al Balabil (Nubia), Emmanuel Kembe (Southern Sudan), Rasha (new voice of the diaspora), and many others. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/707/ Thu, 30 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 11:02 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/741/ Afropop Soundsystem has one eye on Africa and one on the world. We dig deep into the African digital domain to uncover songs and artists little known across the Atlantic. We plunge into sexy kuduro music from Angola; bubu music from Sierra Leone, jagwa from Tanzania as well as the latest sensations in the kwaito scene in South Africa and the hyperactive ndombolo sounds from Kinshasa. Get ready to enjoy some of the continent's choice hot spots--from Lagos to Dar Es Salaam. Guided by deejay Michael Ndaribamare and producer Wills Glasspiegel, Afropop Soundsystem will challenge Hawaiian-shirt-wearing world music. Expect politics, yodels, break-beats, and club crushers. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/741/ Thu, 23 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 05:28 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/803/ A new season of Hip Deep kicks off with a remarkable journey among the forest people of the Central African Republic. The polyphonic, hocketing vocal style of this region's forest peoples ("pygmies") is one of the most singularly beautiful musical expressions in Africa, one that has entranced outsiders since the time of the pharaohs. Ethnomusicologist Michelle Kisliuk has spent nearly 25 years immersing herself in this music, and wrote a landmark book about the lives and music of the BaAka people in the Central African Republic. Kisliuk believes deeply in the performance experience--learning by doing--and this program will initiate listeners into one of the most enchanting and mysterious musical practices in Africa. The program also deals with the BaAka's problematic encounters with neighboring ethnic groups, Christian missionaries, and modernity in general. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/803/ Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 11:51 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/802/ Continuing our coverage of WOMEX 2010 in Copenhagen, we enjoy concert recordings, live studio sessions and interviews with fantastic artists we already know and love such as Papa Wemba and Dobet Gnahorandeacute; as well as artists we've never met including Nathalie Natiembandeacute;, Fatoumate Diawara and the winner of the prestigious annual WOMEX award, Danyèl Waro from La Randeacute;union. Plus we'll pick tracks from some of the choice choice 100+ CDs we bring home. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/802/ Fri, 10 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 08:19 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/801/ Georges Collinet and Banning Eyre work their way through a formidable stack of the best new CD releases of 2010. King Sunny Ade, Angelique Kidjo, Konono No 1, The Spanish Harlem Ochestra, Joan Soriano, Lobi Traore, Bassekou Kouyate, Johnny Clegg, AfroCubism... It's a loooong list. Plenty of gift ideas for the music lovers in your life. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/801/ Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 10:28 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/799/ Every year a unique gathering of some 3,000 delegates from around the world converge at WOMEX for four non-stop days and nights of music from around the world. Your trusty Afropop guides will be amongst them and bring back live concert recordings, intimate studio sessions and interviews with the likes of Oudaden from Morocco led by the soaring voice of Abdellah el Fouah, Damily bringing his rollicking tsapiky from southern Madagascar, Samba Chula de São Brazil playing a primordial version of samba that is in danger of dying, Sexteto Tabalá de Palenque, an acclaimed Afro-Colombian group from legendary Palenque, Malick Pathandeacute; Sow and Maoba from Senegal and Belgium and many others. You too can be an armchair WOMEXican! http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/799/ Thu, 18 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 10:10 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/191/ Every once in awhile we like to dig into the Afropop archive of our exclusive live recordings and play one of our favorites for you. This is one, featuring the rai singing stars Chaba Fadela and Cheb Sahraoui live at SOB's in New York City in the early 1990's. The singing is out of this world, the North Africans in the crowd are ecstatic and the band is smoking. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/191/ Thu, 04 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 08:48 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/686/ Part 2 of our special 3 part series celebrating Nigeria's 50th anniversary of independence. The leopard cult of ekpe in Calabar, in present-day Nigeria and southwestern Cameroon, has one of the most unique performance traditions in all of Africa--a complex theatrical tradition, referred to in calabar English as "play," which encompasses a cycle of sacred dramas that takes many years to execute. The music of this society is almost completely unknown outside the region, because it was not recorded until the 1980s.. This program will feature Calabar-themed recordings by artists including Sexteto Habanero, Chano Pozo, Arsenio Rodríguez, and Los Muñequitos de Matanzas. Dr. Ivor Miller, the only scholar who has both penetrated the Abakuá society and visited the motherland in Calabar, and promoted the first-ever re-encounter between the two traditions, will play some of this powerful music and tell stories of this fascinating culture. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/686/ Thu, 21 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 06:05 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/796/ This is the first of a three part series celebrating Nigeria's 50th anniversary of independence this November. Nigeria celebrates the 50th anniversary of independence from the British this month and Afropop Worldwide celebrates Nigeria's rich musical heritage--juju, afrobeat, apala, highlife, fuji as well as many many distinctive traditional music cultures. We'll hear Afropop's recordings of and interviews with the greats--Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey, juju pioneer I.K. Dairo, fuji powerhouse Adewale Ayuba, afrobeat creator Fela Kuti. The finale for the show will be an interview with King Sunny Adandeacute; talking about his spectacular, just released album, "Baba Mo Tunde", his first international album in 10 years. We only wish we could play the 31 minute track! http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/796/ Thu, 14 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 07:51 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/713/ There's a lot of fantastic music being made by Brazilian artists living in the U.S. They entertain an estimated 1.5 million Brazilian immigrants here as well as a growing number of other fans. And Brazilian music is enjoying a resurgence here--on Mazda commercials, endless bossa nova soundtracks played in upscale restaurants; inter-cultural collaborations and so on. We'll hear many of the best: Jorge Alabe, the godfather of many samba schools; Bebel Gilberto, daughter of bossa pioneer Joao Gilberto; singer Luciana Souza; the quirky percussionist Cyro Baptista; the funky, unorthodox Forro in the Dark and others. They all have fascinating stories to tell. We'll hear them in concert, visit with them in their homes, and hear songs from records produced in the U.S. New York University's widely published Professor of Music Jason Stanyek will be our co-host. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/713/ Thu, 07 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 06:16 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/777/ This week, Afropop celebrates one of the true unsung heroes of African music: the bass. Join us as we slap, pop, and thump our way across the African Diaspora with our ears tuned to those fat sounds beneath the music and the funky men who make them. Our tour of the global low-end will bring us to some of Africa's bassiest nations - Cameroon, Congo, Zimbabwe and South Africa - as we look at how local bass innovators combined international and traditional influences to forge new ways of looking at the role of the bass and taking the instrument to new frontiers. We also look at the bass in the Diaspora, with a stop by Detroit to hear how Motown's James Jamerson forever changed bass history, as well as a visit to Cuba find out how bassist Israel "Cachao" Lopez invented mambo with the well-placed pluck of a finger. Special guests include former Bass Player Magazine editor Jim Roberts, Congolese bass guru Ngouma Lokito, latin-jazz bass legend Ruben Rodriguez, and Bakithi Kumalo, one of Africa's premier bassists and the man behind the groove on Paul Simon's Graceland. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/777/ Thu, 30 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 10:39 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/492/ Before Arabs ever set foot in North Africa, the majority population was Berber. Berber musicians today provide a rich but often overlooked contribution to the musical landscapes in countries such as Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Niger, and Mali. This program spotlights some leading contemporary Berber artists including Takfarinas and Tayfa, and legends like Matoub Lounes and others in the international Berber Diaspora such as Houssaine Kili. The Berber story is one of intrigue, controversy, and the politics of language. And the music is sublime! http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/492/ Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 04:49 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/531/ Continuing our musical treasures theme, we unearth some gems--Senegal's Royal Band of Thies, classic King Sunny Ade from Lagos, Konimo from Ghana, sublime recordings by Hugh Tracey nearly 50 years ago of villagers in Mozambique, plus a song from the same era by Edith Pinder and accompanied by her beloved brother Joseph Spence in the Bahamas, Banjo Ikey Robinson and his Bull Fiddle Band, tsapika music from Madagascar from one of the first commercial recordings in 1999, and others. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/531/ Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 06:25 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/765/ To mark the 5th anniversary of the Katrina disaster, we go way way back to honor New Orleans as the unique American treasure it is. This program tells the story of how jazz emerged in the context of all the other African American musics that proliferated in late 19th and early 20th century New Orleans: blues, ragtime, Mardi Gras Indian music, vaudeville and minstrelsy, spiritual church music, and more. With our guides Bruce Boyd Raeburn and Lynn Abbott, we'll comb through a vast world of interviews, recorded music, photographs, ephemera, and curatorial knowledge at one of the great American music collections, the William Ransom Hogan Jazz Archive at Tulane University. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/765/ Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 07:30 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/633/ The guitar is at the center of so many Afropop styles we love. And it's still going strong even in the age of hip hop in African youth culture. In this program we'll hear from some well known guitar heroes--Djelimady Tounkara from Mali, Jaojoby from Madagascar, Dr. Nico and Diblo Dibala from Congo and others--as well as some less well known but superb artists such as Louis Mlanga from South Africa, Colbert (long lost relative) from Madagascar, and others. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/633/ Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 07:25 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/497/ This is an Afropop lover's dream come true--on three stages in four days we caught Bembeya Jazz, King Sunny Adandeacute;, Lokua Kanza, Tinawaren, Amadou and Mariam, Habib Koite, Hasna el Becharia, the Gangbe Brass Band, D'Gary, Cesaria Evora, Abdel Gadir Salim, and more! Enjoy these gorgeous live recordings and visits with the musicians. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/497/ Thu, 05 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 10:31 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/747/ In the second part of Afropop's exploration of New York's Mandandeacute; community, we look at the lives Mandandeacute; artists have made for themselves in America. This program deals with the urge to escape community, to experience American life and music. We also explore the strains of being undocumented and unable to travel. We'll hear more from ethnomusicologist Ryan Skinner, and focus on music by Balla Kouyate, Balla Tounkara, The Mandingo Ambassadors, Fula Flute, Brewed by Noon, Kakande, Source and more. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/747/ Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 00:00 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/744/ New York's Mandandeacute; community has blossomed over the past 20 years. The story that begins with the rise of the king Sunjata Keita in 13th Century Mali now extends to music-filled social gatherings among West African diplomats and businessmen in the Bronx and Harlem, not to mention electro-griots, and of course, fusion! Musicians like Mamadou Diabate, Papa Suso and Yacouba Sissoko (all kora players), Famoro Diabate and Bala Kouyate (balafon players), and the golden-throated griot vocalist Abdoulaye Diabate are so excellent that they have inevitably been invited to participate in a wide variety of jazz and pop music projects in New York City and around the country. We'll meet them, hear their stories and music, and get historical and cultural context from ethnomusicologist Ryan Thomas Skinner. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/744/ Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 00:00 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/742/ Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian musical giants have long enjoyed the spotlight, yet throughout Latin America there are other black enclaves producing some of the New World's most vibrant music. Their stories have gone untold for far too long. In this episode, Afropop explores these lost sounds, starting in an Ecuadorian desert valley where African and Andean traditions have mixed seamlessly into fiery dance music. Then we're off to mangrove-studded Esmeraldas to search out the last marimba legends living on the jungle waterways. We continue to Bolivia, where a tiny black minority uses their music to fight for recognition by the indigenous government and last, we'll listen to the driving carnival music of Uruguay, candombe. Tune in for exclusive interviews and recordings by everyone from marimba master Papa Roncón to Candombe-jazz legend Hugo Fattoruso. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/742/ Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 06:38 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/281/ Sit back--or get up--and enjoy this fabulous hit parade of Afropop stars recorded live by Afropop Worldwide. South Africa's joyful Mahotella Queens (inductees into the Afropop Hall of Fame) performing at SOB's in New York open the show, followed by their one and only partner, the "groaner" Mahlathini (RIP). Next is an exquisite, mbira heavy set by the Lion of Zimbabwe, Thomas Mapfumo, Grammy Award winner Youssou N'Dour in a powerful set including his hit, "Set," a smoldering set by Khaled at Central Park SummerStage, soukous king Kanda Bongo Man, and Simba Wanyika out of Kenya. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/281/ Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 04:18 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/792/ We head to Jozi (Johannesburg) to meet cutting edge South African artists that don't usually get recognized internationally. We check out the story of Shangaan music in an exclusive interview with producer Nozinja in his Soweto studio. We'll hear his latest hits and check in with Foster, the king of Shangaan electro gospel. It's on to meet upstart rappers Dirty Parafin at the Nike shop in the northern suburb Mellville. He has been sampling lately from late 80s / 90s SA bubblegum stars--Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Brenda Fassie and the Big Dudes and the Dalom Kids. We'll also feature a short conversation with South African ethnomusicologist, Gavin Steingo to talk about the relevance of kwaito today. Produced by Wills Glasspiegel. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/792/ Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 07:50 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/416/ Congo has always played an oversize role in entertaining dance lovers on the continent and beyond--Franco, Tabu Ley, Doctor Nico, Zaiko Langa Langa, Papa Wemba, Pepe Kalle, and others. We start in pre-independence Congo with the beloved "Papa" Wendo Kolossoy (RIP), the grandfather of rumba, as he talks with us at his home in Kinshasa. We talk to the man and listen in on a recording session. After sitting out most of the 3-decade Mobutu era, Wendo put together a band of veterans with stories to tell, and sweet melodies and rhythms to share. We also talk with the legendary singer and composer Simaro Lutumba who sat at the right hand of Franco. We catch Simaro rehearsing his band, Bana OK. We also check in with dueling superstars Werrason and JB Mpiana. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/416/ Thu, 24 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 08:39 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/25/ Congo, one of the epicenters of contemporary African music, became independent in June of 1960. We celebrate with a portrait of Franco--a towering figure in the cultural life of Africa. Guitar wizard. Prolific composer. Bandleader who groomed the who's who of Congolese singing royalty. Called the Balzac of Africa for his ear and way with a story. Franco passed in 1989. We'll talk to veteran singer and former Franco collaborator, Sam Mangwana, about Franco. And we'll relish recording highlights from the 50s to the 80s. This is some of the most gorgeous music ever created in Africa. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/25/ Thu, 17 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 08:39 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/562/ In part 2 of our marking of South Africa hosting the World Cup, we get some perspective as we celebrate one of most exhilarating events of the 20th Century, the peaceful transition from the evil system of apartheid to a democratic, non-racial country. The extraordinary wisdom and forgiveness of Nelson Mandela as he led South Africa to freedom is a miracle that we should not forget. The music of this era is a vivid reflection of the emotions and hopes of the moment. We will hear conversations with some of the veterans of contemporary SA music including Lucky Dube, Ray Phiri, Dorothy Masuka, and others. They share their recollections of the key events of the apartheid era and the long journey to freedom: the June 16, 1976 Soweto Student Uprising; the Feb. 11, 1990 release from jail of Nelson Mandela; first democratic elections April 27, 1994 for the New South Africa. Plus younger stars of kwaito music including Kabelo and Thandiswa Mazwai speak for the youth generation. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/562/ Thu, 10 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 06:31 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/98/ Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities on earth. At the southern most tip of the continent, South Africa is a vast melting pot of peoples and cultures including Bantus, San, Indonesians, Indians, Dutch and English. And the cuisine reflects that. Georges Collinet goes to the home of Faldela Williams who invites us into her kitchen as she cooks sugar bean curry and roti. Faldela warns that you can't cook curry too quickly. It needs time to sweat and blend so we have plenty of time to hang out and listen to great music by Cape Town's favorite son, Abdullah Ibrahim, Outernational Meltdown, and others. Also featured are side trips to nearby Madagascar and Mozambique. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/98/ Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 08:34 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/399/ The "African-ness" from country to country in the Americas is very different. Afro-Peruvian artist Susana Baca and Afro-Cuban artist Lazaro Ros artistically and spiritually reclaim their heritage from strikingly different starting points. We hear Susana Baca tell her story and the story of the previously unrecognized African side of Peru. This program features Susana's high spirited New York debut performance. Lazaro Ros, RIP, was a revered singer in Cuba who performed and recorded songs from the Afro-Cuban religious traditions. We'll hear Lazaro talk about his early years when he grew up as a devout Catholic singing in the church choir. We'll hear beautiful songs he sang to the Yoruba orishas in the Santeria religion--Chango, Obatala, and others. Later in his career, Lazaro pioneered the transformation of drum and vocals religious music to the fuller sound of a modern band. His fans loved it. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/399/ Thu, 27 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 08:41 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/791/ In the 1970s and 80s, while Jamaican reggae was becoming just about the most successful music ever to emerge from the African Diaspora, the genre was being transformed at its source in Jamaica's Kingston slums. "Dub" is a magnificent, jury rigged appropriation of reggae music, a remarkable nexus of technological evolution and cultural paradigm shift. From its origins in the late '60s, dub led directly to early rap and hip hop, and the post-modern, sample-based DJ culture that has reigned ever since. In this Hip Deep special, Yale ethnomusicologist Michael Veal spins the discs and guides us through the story as dub changes from a re-mix technique into a canon of original material in which the studio itself becomes a creative instrument. We explore the music and legacies of King Tubby--father of the "remix" concept--and Grammy-winner Lee "Scratch" Perry, a Bob Marley mentor and the man responsible for dub's international rise. Perry's Afro-Futurism lives on today, in part because it is such a powerful metaphor for the cultural reality of displaced people everywhere. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/791/ Thu, 20 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 08:21 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/4/ (First of a two part mini-series on the phenomenal story of music in Jamaica.) This program features rare classic recordings from Jamaica--50's Jamaica RandB, ska, rock steady, toasting, dub--and inside stories from the prolific Jamaican record industry about how new styles were born. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/4/ Thu, 13 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 06:10 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/450/ In Afropop's book, the coolest cities in the world have a sound. You hear it in the nightclubs, you hear it coming from the radio. It could be from the past or the present. That sound becomes the soul of the city. We'll travel from Dakar to Bamako to Harare to Kinshasa to Santo Domingo to New York to soak up the sounds that make these cities one of a kind. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/450/ Thu, 06 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 06:44 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/14/ How could you not like funk? There are reasons why funk is a mainstay at weddings, college reunions, and more--everyone can dance to it, it's sexy, and the nostalgia is powerful. Many streams fed funk in America and the world has returned the funk favor. Appearing in Afropop's Funk Dome, are funky sounds from Brazil, Nigeria, Algeria, and elsewhere including a segment on Angelique Kidjo's latest work, "Oyo," an homage to the American funk idols she grew up with back home in Benin, West Africa. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/14/ Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 06:48 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/790/ Afropop Worldwide travels to Dakar to celebrate the country's 50th anniversary of independence with a Hip Deep history of the nation's signature music style: mbalax. On radio, on television, from boom boxes on the street to the city's legendary nightclubs, this rhythmically explosive dance music is the defining sound of modern Senegal. MIT ethnomusicologist Patricia Tang takes us through the history, from the polyrhythms of Wolof hand-and-stick sabar drumming, through the pan-Africanist passions of Lèopold Senghor, Senegal's first president, to African salsa and the rise of Youssou N'Dour, right up to the present when mbalax still holds its own in the hip hop era. We'll hear how griot musicians Youssou N'Dour and Thione Seck spurred the evolution from salsa to mbalax, and how the new music helped unify the country after decades of French colonial rule. Baaba Maal, Yoro N'diaye, and Orchestra Baobab's Ben Geloune discuss the music's themes, including Islam, polygamy, and poverty. And of course, we hear lots of electrifying mbalax music! http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/790/ Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 07:59 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/45/ Seventeen countries in Africa celebrate their 50th anniversary of independence this year. We will put the spotlight on the countries whose music is best known such as the West Africa powerhouse Nigeria and some we almost never hear from such as Chad and Niger. Representing Nigeria is juju pioneer I.K. Dairo who introduced electric guitar, accordion and talking drum into the music. We will hear I.K. in Afropop Worldwide's recording of his New York City debut concert backed by his Blue Spots band. I.K. is unfortunately no longer with us but his sweet guitar and accordion playing that night stays with us. We also pay tribute to Chico Science, the fierce, ground-breaking artist from Recife in northeastern Brazil, who died in 1997 but who still inspires artists all over Brazil today. In March we went to a conference in Sao Paulo dedicated to Chico and his legacy. We'll hear contemporary artists following in Chico's footsteps. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/45/ Thu, 08 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 09:31 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/756/ Sam Mtukudzi, the 22 year old son of Zimbabwe great Oliver Mtukudzi and himself and up and coming star, died tragically in a car accident a few weeks ago. To honor him, we reprise an exclusive interview from Zimbabwe and play songs from his debut release. Timely also is the return of banjo maestro Bela Fleck and his critically acclaimed touring Africa Project. We go on the road with Bela and catch up with traditional pop star Anania and his Zanzibar-based group. Afropop.org Senior Editor Banning Eyre flies to Paris to visit with Algerian rai superstar Khaled talking about his fabulous new Libertandeacute; at the Olympia Theatre in Paris. And more! http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/756/ Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 08:48 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/502/ Afropop Worldwide travels to the sprawling megalopolis of São Paulo. Experiencing the city's 22 million inhabitants is overwhelming at first, but music helps you put things in perspective. You'll hear the story of the relationship between the musically rich but impoverished northeast of Brazil and its people who have traveled to São Paulo looking for work. We hear different takes of northeastern forró, very popular in São Paulo--forró universitario and forró electronico. We visit with Chico Cesar, a northeasterner living in São Paulo. We talk to leading music journalists who illuminate the complicated Brazilian music scene for us. Plus lots more. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/502/ Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 08:41 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/755/ When Daddy Yankee released his hit single, "Gasolina," in 2005, nobody suspected what was about to happen. Reggaeton, that rollicking Caribbean dance-rap, traveled like an uncontained blaze around the world - crossing over from the Latin charts to pop and hip-hop from the U.S to Australia, thrilling and/or shocking those that came in its path. Reggaeton was the sound and swagger of a new generation of urban Latin Americans, and a whirl around Latin America in 2009 will show you that the genre is here to stay. We travel to Puerto Rico, the birthplace of reggaeton, and talk to players from the music's history and take the pulse of today's scene. We'll follow that omnipresent bass-heavy beat that wove its way from coastal Panama in the 1980s to freestyle sessions in San Juan in the 90s, and talk to Puerto Ricans who are taking the music to new places today. Interviews with Omar Garcia, Calle 13, and more, plus side trips to Brazil and Chicago to get a taste of Baile Funk and Latin House. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/755/ Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 09:11 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/766/ Every year WOMEX attracts some 3,000 individuals working in the world music field--artists, record label people, festival presenters, media personnel and others. And we always return loaded with cool CDs new to us, interviews with artists we've never met before, live concert recordings, and more. From the most recent WOMEX at the end of last year, we'll hear artists that really exited us--Hasna el Becharia (Algeria/France), Kenge Kenge (Kenya), Choc Quib Town (Colombia), Addis Acoustic Project (Ethiopia), and others. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/766/ Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 08:41 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/780/ It's that time of year again to dust off your dancing shoes, oil your creaky joints, liberate yourself from cabin fever and join Georges for a rollicking good time on your own personal dance floor. We'll boogie to the latest roots rai, rumba, rhumba, mbalax, kwaito, Musiki wa dansi, Brazilian soul, boogaloo, old school reggaeton, electro cumbia, baille funk and who knows where that all leads us. And it's all good for your soul and inspirational for your booty shaking. See you there. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/780/ Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 06:00 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/779/ From the ancient time of hunters to the rise of the 13th century Empire of Mali, from the coming of Islam to the era of French colonialism, from the celebration of Independence in 1960 to the rise of Malian music stars to the world stage--Mali is unique among all the nations of Africa. On the 50th anniversary of Malian independence, this program takes a step back to look at the sweep of its history. There are reasons why this landlocked region of West Africa has been the cradle for so many cultural movements, and why Mali has produced more successful world musicians than any country in Africa. With renowned Professor Cherif Keita as our guide, we trace the story from the griots of old to the stars of today: Salif Keita, Ali Farka Toure, Toumani Diabate, Habib Koite and more. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/779/ Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 07:15 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/692/ From Vodou to Compas to Racine to Rara and Beyond Haiti became the first black-ruled republic in the Americas in 1804, and music has mirrored, and at times shaped, the twists and turns of Haiti's politics and culture ever since. A primary source of Haitian culture is Dahomey, the birthplace of vodou--the most commonly held world view among Haitian people today. We explore how each of Haiti's rulers has championed his own preferred music. The Duvalier dictators favored compas dance music, and suppressed the most African-identified cultural expressions. When Baby Doc was run out of the country in 1986, African-derived racine, or roots, music exploded. Elizabeth McAlister, professor of religion at Wesleyan University, and Holly Nicolas--interweave music and history to tell a dynamic, and at times heart-breaking story. Included in the mix we'll hear the sweet sound of troubadour balladeers, as well as the exuberant tones of rara bands, the call and response of a capela kombit songs of work parties, impassioned choral music of evangelical churches, and the sophisticated, improvisational rhythms used in vodou rituals. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/692/ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 06:44 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/749/ In the music of the French Antilles - the islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe - you can hear influences that range from the traditional bèlè and gwo ka drumming of the islands' rural communities, to European additions like polka and French chanson. But when these islands produced a pop genre that took much of the Caribbean and African world by storm - the smooth and sexy dance music zouk, which exploded in the 1980s - it was an entirely new blend that uniquely reflected the complex layers of identity in these Caribbean communities that are, administratively, a full-fledged part of France. Still colonies? Many think so. Either way the Antilles have long produced artists and thinkers with deep sensitivity to the gradations of race, class, migration, and relationship to a powerful, distant metropolis. Now, musicians in Guadeloupe and Martinique are re-exploring their roots, celebrating rhythms that go back to slavery days without pulling back from the cosmopolitanism of recent years. Our guide to this music - and the rich history and ongoing debates that it reflects - is Brenda Berrian of the University of Pittsburgh, whose book, Awakening Spaces: French Caribbean Popular Songs, Music and Culture, is a definitive - and enthusiastic - treatment of the subject. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/749/ Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 09:31 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/761/ This is the latest in our continuing series following our favorite touring artists on the road including those who wowed the Afropop public for the amazingly rich summer season that just passed--Vieux Farka Tourandeacute;, King Sunny Adandeacute;, Femi Kuti, Alpha Blondy, Najat Attabou, Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara, BLK JKS, and others. We'll hear their music and chat with them backstage http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/761/ Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 09:57 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/760/ Electro-cumbia-hop, plena-reggae, mambo-ghettotech - just some of the hybrid grooves and genre-bending experimentations on display at the 2009 Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC) in New York City, now in its 10th year, that has long been a showcase for cutting edge bands from Bogota to Buenos Aires, and this year is no different. Join the Afropop team with in-depth coverage of the festival, as we sample the sounds of a new generation of cosmopolitan, transnational Latino and Latin American artists. Music and interviews from dreamy Mexican chanteuse Natalia Lafourcade, Colombian scenesters Monareta, Cypress Hill's Eric Bobo, and a visit with the ground breaking Nacional Record's founder and president, Tomas Cookman. Plus, a live concert from Bomba Estereo, the psychodelic afro-danceparty sensation from Colombia. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/760/ Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 09:09 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/768/ Our annual pilgrimage to WOMEX always yields too much great material to jam into one program. We'll pick up our report from WOMEX 2009, Part 1 with more concert highlights, backstage visits, and fresh CDs. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/768/ Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 06:08 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/775/ Drum roll please….Here's the moment you've been waiting for, the moment we open the envelopes to see who wins Afropop's honors for the best African CDs, Latin CDs, reissues, and "Africa in America" releases of the year. It's a wide-ranging tour of the best music released in 2009. Live from Georges Collinet's home studio in Washington, DC, Georges sample winners and near-winners with Afropop producer Banning Eyre. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/775/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 09:02 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/758/ Soundsystem is at the crossroads. What used to be exotic is standard fare: now you hear cumbia in the West Village of New York City. Now you can hear the West Village in West Africa. For part 2 of Afropop Soundsystem, we'll be digging back into the digital Diaspora to uncover songs and artists making waves across the Atlantic (in both directions). From Uproot Andy to the electric root of Akan music in Ghana, Soundsystem 2 charts the movement and flux of Africa as it infiltrates new dance-floors and blogs across the galaxy. Expect exclusive mixes from the Brooklyn tropical scene, some Miami-bass reborn through Chico Mann, tracks from the South African avant garde, as well as a new bubu-dancehall stunner from San Fransisco's Chief Boima. Back by popular demand, we'll also feature a short interview with bubu music founder, Janka Nabay of Sierra Leone. Produced by Wills Glasspiegel, this is the Africa new wave. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/758/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 05:21 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/473/ Concert highlights from Baaba Maal's rapturous North American debut of his acoustic string and vocal focused ensemble, recorded at Joe's Pub in New York City. Baaba performs solo, in trio and sextet--joined by longtime musical companions Mansour Seck on guitar and vocals, Kowding Cissokho on kora, Mama Gaye on guitar, Barou Sall on hodu (African guitar), and El Hadj Niang on bass. Also feature is the powerful Ethiopian singer Gigi. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/473/ Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 08:51 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/627/ In this program, we experience musical personalities and styles from the capital Havana in the west to Santiago de Cuba in the east and places in between--Cienfuegos and Matanzas. In Cienfuegos, the home of the beloved singer Beny Morandeacute;, we visit with 80-something son singer Felito Molino. In Santiago, we hear the effects of another revolution, the Haitian revolution from 1791 to 1804, and the aftermath that saw Haitian planters, their slaves and free people of color flee to Cuba. We visit a tumba francesa group in Guantanamo where the 18th Century French court meets Dahomeyan drumming and Group Mystere takes us into their temple for sacred vodou songs. Back in Havana we visit a celebration of the Afro-Cuban orisha Babalu Aye's birthday and then hear tasty pop songs in his honor. Plus a tribute to the late, great Elio Reve. And lots more. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/627/ Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 12:08 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/769/ Gnawa musicians have carved out a unique niche within Moroccan society as people with revered spiritual power, who use music and movement to heal the sick. The Gnawasand#39; ancestors came to North Africa as slaves. Today they are an elite class of musicians and spiritualists, celebrated in an annual festival that attracts some 400,000 fans, and invited to collaborate with such notable international artists as jazz legend Randy Weston. In this program, author and scholar Deborah Kapchan guides us through the history, practices, music, lore and unique contemporary stature of the Gnawa, both in Morocco and on the world stage. Interviews with Hassan Hakmoun, historian Mohammed Ennaji, and gnawa scholar Tim Abdellah Fuson. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/769/ Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 07:14 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/545/ Guinea's legendary dance band, Bembeya Jazz, are a pillar of modern West African history. Begun in 1961 in the flush of Guinea's independence and Sekou Toure's maverick presidency, the band played under the inspired leadership of guitar giant Sekou "Bembeya" Diabate. This program delves into Bembeya history with a focus on the band's 60s and 70s heyday, right up to recent solo work by Sekou Diabate. In the current age of hip hop and digital production that is helping to supplant dance bands across the continent, Bembeya's music stands the test of time for its rich mesh of tradition and swing band drive. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/545/ Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 10:32 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/762/ In the 1930s, infamous Dominican dictator Rafael Truillo ordered the burning of the country's palos drums, hoping to erase the powerful vestiges of African culture in the Dominican Republic. Luckily for us, the breakneck, trance-inducing sound of palos still reverberates at Afro-syncretic religious parties across the island nation almost a century later. This week, Afropop revisits the home of styles such as merengue and bachata, but this time we'll be looking towards the most deeply African side of Dominican music--little known outside of the island. Afro-Dominican music is a secret treasure, filled with virtuosic drumming styles, heart-stopping grooves, and mystic dance parties. We'll listen to traditional genres like palos, salve, and gaga, a uniquely Dominican take on rara music from neighboring Haiti. Throughout, we'll be looking at artists who have drawn on Afro-Dominican styles to make infectious pop music, from wizened veterans of the folklore movement such as Luis Dias, to a host of hip, young bands who use Afro-inspired rock, reggae, and hip-hop to redefine what it means to be Dominican. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/762/ Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 09:28 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/750/ Of all contemporary Cape Verdeans, Cesaria Evora, "the Queen of the Morna" has made the biggest impression internationally. However the first Cape Verdean to grace the American imagination was the harpooner Dagoo in Herman Melville's Moby Dick (1851). Cape Verdeans first arrived in United States as whalers in the late 1700's and have been coming ever since, bringing a distinctive Portuguese-African Kriolu flavor to communities across Southern New England and beyond. We'll take a step back in time and look at the rich cultural life of Cape Verdean neighborhoods, where great bands played mornas and coladeiras at local social clubs. Our principle guide for this program will be historian Marilyn Halter, author of Between Race and Ethnicity: Cape Verdean American Immigrants, 1860-1965. She'll take us through the years as the Cape Verdean community navigated the turbulent waters of opportunity and identity in America long before the age of American multiculturalism. Then we'll jump ahead and explore current trends from the far-flung Diaspora's thriving music scene, ranging from hip-busting funaná to sleek cabo-zouk. All along, we'll be hearing from Cape Verdean-American musicians, from old-time guitar master Freddy Silva to rising rapper Mo Green, as they reflect on immigration, nostalgia, heritage, and what it means to be Cape Verdean in the United States. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/750/ Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 11:03 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/576/ We go to the lively capital of Senegal, on the furthest-out tip of West Africa for three days of concerts by an extraordinary line-up of African stars, starting with Senegalese royalty--Youssou N'Dour, Baaba Maal and Didier Awadi. Other heavyweights include Meiway from Cote d'Ivoire, Rachid Taha from Algeria, Alpha Blondy from Cote d'Ivoire and many more. Live concert highlights plus visits with the artists. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/576/ Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 07:50 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/748/ An Afropop tour of sounds you have not heard, music found by our field correspondents, small independent labels, and music sent to us directly from artists in Africa. We'll dig into the early West African releases from the new fair trade label Akawaaba Music, hear new sounds from Brazil and Tanzania, a hot marimba band from South Africa, and a dazzling, young griot guitarist, as yet unsigned to any label. All that and more as Afropop goes under the radar! http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/748/ Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 06:22 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/757/ What's hot on the dance floors in Luanda? Jo'berg? Lagos? Dakar? Cairo? Havana? Rio? Caracas? New York City? Find out on this hip-swiveling, ass-shaking, cheaper-than-therapy edition of the show. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/757/ Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 06:40 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/680/ From the early days to the present, Puerto Rico has always been a creative, prolific epicenter of Latin music. And the music traveled to New York with the large immigrant Puerto Rican community. We'll hear roots styles such as bomba and plena, salsa maestro Tito Puente, the contemporary leading sonero Gilberto Santa Rosa, as well as today's reggaeton superstars out of San Juan. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/680/ Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 07:17 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/673/ Over the years we have recorded many extraordinary artists passing through New York City--some well known favorites of Afropop fans and some less well known. The common denominator is a unique voice and mastership of their style. Our recordings catch these artists and their bands at golden moments in their careers. Featured are Adewale Ayuba (Nigeria), Baaba Maal (Senegal), Willie Colon (Puerto Rico/USA), The Four Stars (Congo) and others. Get ready to clear the floor, crank it up and dance your ass off! http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/673/ Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 06:06 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/674/ We explore the current pop music of Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, two countries where elements of hip-hop and international pop music have grafted themselves onto local styles to create whole new genres-ones robust enough to not only take over the local youth culture but also spread beyond their borders. In Ghana, hip-life--a synthesis of hip-hop and highlife--dukes it out with gospel music on the airwaves. In Cote d'Ivoire, music has blossomed despite a stubborn political crisis. The idiosyncratic local music of social comment, zouglou, has morphed into coupe-dandeacute;calandeacute;, a dance-driven style that has supplanted Congolese soukous as the sound of the moment in Francophone Africa and its Diaspora. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/674/ Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 05:50 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/751/ This is our annual peek at which African, Caribbean and Latin artists will be wowing us with tours this summer--some return favorites, some new. At press time, almost no festival has published their roster so we don't have much by way of specifics. Just know that by show time, you'll be buzzing with excitement about who you can see this summer. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/751/ Thu, 28 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 06:45 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/684/ In our visit Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, we go beyond the handful of artists who have achieved international careers and dive into the local scene. We visit azmaribets, down home music clubs featuring vivacious women artists and their ensembles of traditional players. We catch Mimi and Besat live. Competition between the leading music producers in Addis is fierce. We visit the studio of recording studio of Abegasu Shiote who breaks down the Ethiopian pop sound track by track. And for the finale we go to a performance by the revered elder singer of the classic Addis sound--Mamoud Ahmed. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/684/ Thu, 21 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 10:37 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/149/ Part 2 of our focus on Cape Verde is the phenomenal Cesaria Evora, making her sold-out New York City concert debut at the Bottom Line. You'll hear why they call Cesaria "the Queen of the Morna." Cesaria is backed by the lush sound of her classy group--piano, acoustic bass guitar, cavaquinho, and lead acoustic guitar. Cesaria sings her hits "Petit Pays," "Miss Perfumado," "Angola" as well as less well known songs in her repertoire. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/149/ Thu, 14 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 07:08 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/689/ "Say it loud, I'm Latino and proud!" So says DJ Raf. Join us for highlights from the annual gatherings of the Latin Alternative Music Conference in New York City that span old ska, rock, hip, electronica, rock, bugalú, and old school boleros. The common theme is the excitement of experimenting with fusions of international pop and roots from home countries--Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Los Angeles, New York and beyond. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/689/ Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 07:26 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/616/ The Heads of State of the 34 countries of the Americas (except Cuba) are meeting this April in Port of Spain, Trinidad to discuss common issues. President Obama will deliver the keynote address. Afropop takes this occasion as a jumping-off point to explore intriguing musical destinations--some well known, some barely known--and musical hot spots throughout the Americas. In part 1, we go to Trinidad, Cuba, Haiti, Martinique and the Dominican Republic. Hear Trinidad's pan orchestras, action on the street at carnivals in Port-au-Prince and Fort-de-France, and lots more! http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/616/ Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 06:46 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/39/ Afropop travels to Zaragoza, Spain for the Strictly Mundial Festival. A hot spot is the Peña Flamenca club where we saw Falo, a hugely popular flamenco singer of gipsy heritage. We'll hear music and stories from Galician artists in northwestern Spain where a featured instrument is their version of…..bagpipes, of course! A twisted story from Galicia is that the fascist dictator Franco was Galician but forbid the Galician language to be used in schools and business so as to encourage the use of Spanish as a unifying force. Now that Franco is gone, there's a tremendous folk revival to reclaim Galician culture. We'll also hear fado in Lisbon and visit with all the artists backstage. This program proves once again that Spain is the most African country in Europe. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/39/ Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 06:21 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/75/ Singer, composer and bandleader Joe Cuba passed recently. We honor him with this encore portrait of bugalu, also variously described as "Latin soul," that hit the scene in 1966 with an original and organic concept of combining black and Puerto Rican music. The dance club crowd went crazy and then the fad quickly faded. But what a ride along the way! Joe Cuba was one of bugalu's most popular artists, best known for the major hit "Bang Bang" that his band created on the spot one night at a club. And then there was his wacky surprise hit "I Never Go Back to Georgia." Joe was a mesmerizing storyteller. We'll also hear some of the major bugalu stars tell their stories, including Pete Rodriguez, Johnny Colon, Gilberto Cruz, Ricky Ray, and of course Joe Cuba. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/75/ Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 09:48 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/745/ This week we debut the 2009 Winter Dance Party produced by Wills Glasspiegel with tracks from across the world AND the world wide web. Expect a carnival: rara from Haiti, Kwaito house from South Africa, bubu from Sierra Leone, soca from Trinidad and the hardest hitting African rap straight from New York. The party highlights exclusive mixtapes from the Africa blogosphere: new mashups from Chief Boima's Ghettobassquake, DJ Zhao's NGOMA, DJ Geko + Uproot Andy at Dutty Artz, and a song from the venerable Africa selector, DJ Beto. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/745/ Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 07:08 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/667/ (As part of Afropop's celebration of Black History Month, this is the first of a three part mini-series on the stories of three very different African and Brazilian Diaspora communities in the U.S.) Afropop Worldwide's Hip Deep takes us into Ethiopian Diaspora communities in the United States and Israel, and also in Addis Ababa itself, where new winds are blowing. Harvard's Kay Kauffman Shelemay and Ethiopiques CD producer Francis Falcetto provide expert insights. We visit Dukem Reastaurant and Nightclub in Washington, DC, and meet singer Hana Shenkute. We also speak with Idan Raichel of Israel. Produced by Banning Eyre. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/667/ Thu, 05 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 06:14 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/740/ In an encore of our extraordinary 2001 musical journey across this most extraordinary musical island, we travel from the capital Antanarivo ("Tana") in the highlands to the southwestern coastal city of Tulear to experience guitar-driven tsapika dance music (that the rowdy emerald miners love) to the southeastern city of Fort Dauphin for surf roots music, then back to Tana for a finale. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/740/ Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 05:34 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/15/ Madagascar is a big island with a big heart, occupying a special place in Afropop's musical imagination. We have visited this one-of-a-kind island in the Indian Ocean several times and brought back joyous music and fascinating stories. We'll hear Dame of the ground-breaking roots revival group Mahaleo give us a musical landscape of different Malagasy instruments--kabosy, valiha-- and styles--salegy, tsapika, sova, hiragassy--in the amazingly diverse Malagasy cultures. We'll visit other artists and hear private performances, plus a feast of the valiha (kora like string music). The show features long stretches of songs to dance your heart out to. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/15/ Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 07:20 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/700/ Missionaries and nationalists rubbed shoulders in Kenya as early as 1906, when Kenya was a young, British colony. Christianity has long been closely allied with local, cultural expressions: however, it was only with the spread of radio in the 1940s that choral makwaya groups began to be heard by mass audiences. Hymns, arranged in 4-part harmony and translated into African languages, mark the humble beginnings of what has become a robust industry in Kenya. Today, Christian-themed music dominates the country, from traditional drumming and singing, to Kenyan country music, to guitar band pop, to reggae and rap. Our guest on this program is author and ethnomusicologist Jean Kidula. Kidula will trace Kenyan music's development from the 1940s to the present, placing rare and unavailable musical examples from her extensive collection in historical context. Produced by Siddhartha Mitter. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/700/ Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 07:39 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/728/ With new visa fees, a weak dollar, and the decline of the CD business, it's not easy for foreign musicians to mount a successful U.S. tour these days. And yet they keep on coming! On this program we catch up with an exciting collection of hearty, traveling Afropop musicians. We'll hear insights, memories and fabulous music from Zimnbabwe's Chiwoniso, Umalali and The Garifuna All-Stars, Lobi Traorandeacute;, Joep Pelt, and more. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/728/ Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 06:04 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/727/ In this special edition of Afropop Worldwide, cutting edge African artists Emmanuel Jal from Sudan, K'Naan from Somalia, Angelique Kidjo from Benin, El Hadj N'Diaye from Senegal as well as Michael Franti from the U.S. celebrate the 60th anniversary of the landmark Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed on Dec. 10, 1948 in the wake of the horrors of World War II. The artists share their thoughts and feelings about the fight for human rights in their countries and around the world, and share their songs that these struggles have inspired. Produced in collaboration with Amnesty International and Link TV Television Without Borders. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/727/ Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 06:01 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/726/ Here it is--the moment you've been waiting for! It's the moment we open the envelopes to see who wins Afropop's honors for the ten best African, Caribbean, and Latin albums of the year. Plus we'll play selections for the guitar lover, dance fanatic, Arab music lover, percussion discussionist, etc. on your holiday shopping list (including yourself)! http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/726/ Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 07:29 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/623/ In the next installment of our ongoing celebration of Afropop's 20th anniversary, we travel to our favorite African music festivals. In terms of ambience and fantastic artists not yet known on the international world music festival circuit, they can't be beat. We travel to festivals in Stonetown, Zanzibar; New York City; Detroit; Dakar, Senegal; Fes, Morocco; Recife, Brazil and others to enjoy concert highlights and soak up the scene. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/623/ Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 07:54 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/690/ Venezuela has the longest Caribbean coastline of any nation, and yet the vibrant African musical heritage thriving along that coast has been largely ignored by the nation's media and music industry, and remains under-recognized internationally. That is now changing rapidly. Long sidelined as a realm of quaint relics and exotic folklore, Afro-Venezuelan culture is becoming a larger part of the national life of this petroleum-rich nation. The controversial Hugo Chávez Frías is Venezuela's first president with acknowledged African heritage. His rise has triggered intense self-examination of Venezuela's stark social and ethnic divisions, and a cultural renaissance as well. In this Hip Deep program, ethnomusicologist T.M. Scruggs guides us through the history and music behind the present upsurge in Afro-Venezuelan consciousness. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/690/ Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 00:00 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/729/ Amazingly, some of the most creative and interesting African music acts springing onto the scene are not based in Africa. For years, Afropop Worldwide has spotlighted the work of Africans making bands in the United States, and talented American musicians creating African music. The crop keeps getting better. This music-rich edition samples the techno roots fusion of Burkina Electric, the Kenyan benga meets rock 'n' roll fusion of Extra Golden, desert blues innovations from Markus James, new music from Toubab Krewe, US based afrobeat bands, new work from the country's burgeoning Shona music community, and more. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/729/ Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 05:50 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/110/ In our continuing celebration of Afropop Worldwide's 20th anniversary, we return to one of our favorite cities--Dakar, Senegal--to hear an extraordinary all-night concert in front of 70,000 fans at the national stadium. Featured are Senegal's artistic royalty--Youssou N'Dour, Baaba Maal, Thione Seck--as well as lesser-known artists. We also visit the home of the one and only Baaba Maal. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/110/ Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 05:50 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/722/ Islam's complex relationship with arts and culture across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia presents special paradoxes and intrigue in the realm of music. Islam has been used both to nurture and curtail musical expression. This program delves into the historic roots of this debate, all the way back to Baghdad in the early centuries of Islam. Case studies highlight sublime and ecstatic music from Iraq, Iran, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Pakistan and more. Author and Middle East specialist Joseph Braude discusses the history and issues with two Islamic scholars. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/722/ Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 08:00 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/721/ It is almost exactly 20 years ago that the very first Afropop program, "Music from South Africa", hit the air on public radio stations all across the country. In celebration, we've put together some of our favorite moments from over the past 20 years, including special appearances by artists who have gone on to internationally acclaimed careers! http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/721/ Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 08:25 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/647/ From rootsy, copperbelt guitarists to electric guitar dance styles like kalindula, to roadside skiffle, and now, a powerful new wave of RandB, Zam-raga, and rap, Zambia offers a rich and generally overlooked world of popular music. This program will delve deeply into the history with hot combos of the past like The Big Gold Six and Emmanuel Mulemena, as well as sample the fruits of Zambia's current musical renaissance with acts like Black Muntu, JK and Danny. We'll get the inside line from Chisha Folotiya our man at the country's top pop label, Mondo Music. Also insights from producer and Zambian music compiler, Michael Baird. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/647/ Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 10:04 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/241/ Zap Mama, led by Marie Daulne, is a force to be reckoned with. Their fierce vocal power and poise is always delivered with a sense of theatrical whimsy. Zap Mama deliver a brilliant set at the Melkweg Club in Amsterdam followed by Black Umfolosi, the powerful 12-man group from Zimbabwe. Other a capela wonders include Cuba's Vocal Sampling with an impressive percussion sound, all done through vocals. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/241/ Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 05:43 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/603/ We make a grand swing through southern Africa, stopping at musical hot spots in Jo'burg, Harare, Antananarivo and Maputo. We'll hear timbila maestro, Vinenzio Mbande, in Mozambique, two of the ebullient dance bands--Leonard Dembo and the Four Brothers--from happier times in Zimbabwe, our live recording of S.A. jazzers the Elite Swingsters in Jo'burg, and more. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/603/ Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 00:00 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/702/ We go to New York City for the annual globalFEST concert marathon, the biggest one day global music extravaganza in the country, to take in some choice concerts by: Fallou Dieng, a rising star of Senegalese mbalax; 84-year-old Dominican son maestro Puerto Plata; master accordionist Chango Spasiuk playing Argentina's chamamandeacute; style; and others. Plus we hear some of our favorite new projects by major artists such as Orchestre Baobab, Toumani Diabatandeacute; and other landmark African releases for 2008. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/702/ Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 09:32 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/718/ Our August dance party continues with a new twist. Georges invites us into his home where he's cooking n'dolandeacute;, the national dish back home in Cameroon. And of course what's cooking without cooking music?! We'll be swinging to tunes from Kinshasa, San Juan, New York City, Paris, Lagos, Addis Ababa, and beyond. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/718/ Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 06:26 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/717/ Don't stop. The dance party continues with soukous Congo style, soukous Dar es Salaam style, Ricardo Lemvo with Congo-meets-Latin in Los Angeles, Hugh Masekela's update of his smash hit "Grazing In the Grass," Manu Chao's anti-globalista jump-up, Vieux Farka Tourandeacute;, Daddy Yankee's massive reggaeton, and more. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/717/ Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 06:17 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/716/ August is a flat out dance party marathon on Afropop Worldwide. We'll groove for three weeks in a row, starting with handpicked gems from summer dance parties past. Get ready for a fast-paced set sure to make your heart smile and your hips swivel. Featured artists include a Papa Wemba classic from a 1996 set, Eddie Palmieri at the heart of the New York salsa scene, the African-Latin boundary breakers Africando (featuring Guinea's Sekouba "Bambino" Diabate on soaring vocals), Cheb Mami hotting up the Arab music scene in Paris in 2001, the late great S.A. diva Brenda Fassie in her final year (2003), Magic System's mega-hit "Premier Gaou" (which became the soundtrack for much of West Africa), and Cheik Lo groovin' on peace and love, and more! http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/716/ Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 05:29 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/715/ Longtime Afropop Worldwide correspondent Ned Sublette joins host Georges Collinet, as we talk to guest New Orleans DJ T.R. Johnson on the ground in the Crescent City, where the music goes on every night. We'll get an check at how this great American music city is doing in the summer of 2008. We'll hear music by Dr. John, Dr. Michael White, Terence Blanchard, Brother Tyrone, Big Sam's Funky Nation, Dumpstaphunk, and more. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/715/ Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 09:14 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/714/ Competition between communities of Indian and African descent has been a mainstay of politics and culture in the former British colonies of Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana. This rivalry plays out in institutions from the University of the West Indies to the West Indies cricket team, and of course, popular music. At the time of Trinidad's Independence, the Afro-Caribbean political elite of the day sought to enshrine calypso as the country's national music, but new genres have emerged, from the steel-pan jazz and calypso of the 1960s to soca and its successor, chutney-soca, which for the first time in the 1980s fully integrated Indian and African influences in a local popular music. This Hip Deep edition explores all of these styles, and also the music of diaspora communities in the U.S. and the U.K.. Ethnomusicologist Peter Manuel of the City University of New York shares his ground-breaking research on Indo-Caribbean music in all of its geographic and social contexts. His music and insights reveal a fascinating, overlooked story of hybrid Caribbean culture. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/714/ Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 08:43 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/425/ Our two-part special on summer festivals continues with highlights from the Sfinks Festival near Antwerp, Belgium in summer high season. This annual three day Afropop and world music extravaganza has a soft spot in its heart for Brazilian music, and today we'll hear from the edgy artist Pedro Luis and his roots rock band. Also featured is Mbulu from Mozambique with their updated, multi-generational version of marabenta music. Ghana checks in with classic, joyful highlife from the African Highlife All-Stars. And many other acts will grace your ears, from main stage concerts, to informal acoustic performances backstage. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/425/ Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 05:02 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/685/ Nothing beats a beautiful summer day for enjoying Afropop live. We have recorded many magical moments of Afropop artists in concert at summer festivals around the U.S. and Africa. Today, we present the best of the best to you. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/685/ Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 04:44 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/251/ We start in the Indian Ocean port town of Mombasa to hear the one-of-a-kind taarab music of the Swahili people that combines African, Arab and Indian influences. Featured are top stars such as Maulidi Juma and Musical Party. We also drop in on one of the raucous women-only wedding parties. Then it's south to Tanga, on the Tanzanian coast, to hear Golden Star and Zahira Swale. And we wind up on the famed island of Zanzibar to enjoy Culture Musical Club and the irreplaceable 90-something Bi Kidude. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/251/ Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 07:15 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/711/ In our next installment of our "shout out" series, where we talk with leading deejays in Africa and Latin America about what's rocking their country's airwaves and dance floors, we're going to Colombia and Cuba. Banda la Republica, Colombiafrica the Mystic Orchestra, Manolito Simonet y su Trabuco, Gente de Zona and more are featured. Noted author Ned Sublette is our producer. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/711/ Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 09:15 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/682/ Beginning in 1815, under Shaka Zulu, the Zulus began a campaign of conquest that would subsume so many other groups that today, the Zulu are South Africa's largest ethnic population, numbering at least six-million. Ethnomusicologist Louise Meintjes, author of Sounds of Africa! Making Music Zulu in a South African Studio writes that the Zulu reputation for courage and style has given them "empowering significance as a defiant, self possessed, royal, and artful African people." This program will trace the rise of Zulu musical identity. We'll hear from Umzansi Zulu Dancers; Lahlumlenze, guitar picking maskanda stars Phuzekhemisi, Bhekumuzi, and today's top seller, Shwi No Mthekala, as well as mbaqanga stars, Isigqi Sesimanje and others. This is a story of musical innovation and virtuosity: how local musicians absorbed American fingerstyle guitar, Afrikaans concertina, the marching bass drum of the British imperialists, the backing vocals of soft soul, and made from these new elements thoroughly "Zulu" sounds. Banning Eyre. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/682/ Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 00:00 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/709/ The summer season is always the best time to catch touring Afropop and Latin stars. As always, in this 2008 edition of our annual summer concerts program, we pick our favorites so you can plan your summer around when these artists come to your town. Seun Kuti and Egypt '80 from Nigeria, Vieux Farka Tourandeacute; from Mali, Bajofondo and others. We'll check in with some of our favorite free summer music festivals--Central Park SummerStage, Celebrate Brooklyn, Detroit's Concert of Colors, Nuits d'Afrique in Montreal and more. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/709/ Thu, 22 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 10:50 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/708/ When Sierra Leone gained independence in 1961, Freetown swayed to the beguiling, breezy lilt of palm wine guitar and danced to the funky pop of Geraldo Pino and the Heartbeats. Once a center of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Sierra Leone became an improbable amalgamation of indigenous peoples and repatriated Africans freed from slavery. Thirty years of political and economic disintegration led to a horrific civil war that claimed tens of thousands of victims and created a generation of maimed bodies and ruined lives between 1991 and 2002. Since the war, the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission has urged the use of music to bring about healing. This program will profile the inspiring story of the Refugee All Stars, a band formed in war-era refugee camps in Guinea. This band played a key role in giving citizens the courage to return home, and now, along with other young musicians in Freetown, attempt to pick up where others left off before the war. Members of the band will speak in this program. And young rappers from Dry Yai will give us insight into the country's emerging hip hop generation. Produced by Simon Rentner with Wills Glasspiegel. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/708/ Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 05:58 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/691/ This program takes an imaginative look at the way musicians conjure fantastic realities--the past, the future, transformed cultural worlds--in their music. Habib Koite uses musicians from outside his own tradition to conjure ancient Mali. Canadian singer Loreena McKennitt collaborates with musicians from the UK, Syria and elsewhere to journey into the Andalusian past in the awesome surround of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. In Congo, Konono No1 generate the ambiance of a village funeral in Kinshasa's urban neighborhoods, and on a new live album, in a Belgium concert hall. Then, back in the 70s in Guinea, a group of guitar virtuosos foretell the rise of instrumental, acoustic African music in a rare, and recently reissued set of recordings. All this and much more as Afropop Worldwide recasts the musician as magician. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/691/ Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 06:23 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/706/ Our correspondent in the Tanzanian capital, Dar es Salaam, where old school musiki wa dansi as well as new school bonga flava and local hip hop thrive, catches us up on what's hot and what stars people on the street are talking about. Then to duel for bragging rights with Dar, we head down the Indian Ocean coast to South Africa's cultural capital, Johannesburg. Our man on the street there gives us the latest scoop on everything from who's tops in Zulu trad guitar and vocal to what the youth in Soweto are cooking up. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/706/ Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 07:05 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/694/ The Afropop Worldwide team goes to WOMEX in the heart of old Al-Andalus, Seville, to gather interviews, live recordings and mountains of new CDs not available in the U.S. This is the most important pow-wow for artists and world music pros anywhere. Over 30 artists will perform. Some of our favorites include: Siba (Brazil); Kasai All Stars (Congo); and Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 (Nigeria). We visit with the artists and soak up the WOMEX energy. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/694/ Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 11:20 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/704/ We go to Rio, Salvador de Bahia, Recife and Sao Paulo to visit with some of the greats--Gilberto Gil, Joao Bosco, Gal Costa, and others. Brazil is exceptional in how new generations of artists incorporate the work of their elders and at the same time add their own flavor for exhilarating results. We'll enjoy the conversation between Luis Gonzaga and the roots revivalists such as Chico Science in Recife and then hear the latest from Carnaval 2008. And in this year that marks the 50th anniversary of bossa nova, we'll hear some of the masters as well as leading artists in the bossa revival movement. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/704/ Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 08:08 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/677/ The recent death of Malian guitar legend Ali Farka Tourandeacute; has inspired a new round of speculation about the roots of the blues in Africa. Tourandeacute; famously argued that the beloved American genre was "nothing but African", a bold assertion. Among scholars, Gerhard Kubik's book Africa and the Blues has gained recognition as the most serious and penetrating examination of the subject. This program in our Hip Deep series will be produced in collaboration with Kubik, allowing a rare opportunity to delve into his vast collection of recordings. We will listen to Ali Farka Tourandeacute; and John Lee Hooker through Kubik's ears, and hear from many lesser known artists on both sides of the Atlantic. Even though the blues is a central component of American music, it is one of the most mysterious, and least understood aspects of our popular music culture. This program will give us new insight. Produced by Banning Eyre. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/677/ Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 08:04 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/628/ Our celebration of Black History Month kicks off with some of Afropop's favorite scenes from the US of A. We stroll in to Brooklyn's legendary Charlie's Record Store where many Trinidad soca hits were recorded. Across the East River in Manhattan we talk with maestro pianist, composer and band leader--and marvelous storyteller--Eddie Palmieri about his ground-breaking band La Perfecta back in the 1960's as the salsa wave was gathering steam. Down south in New Orleans, Sylvester Francis personally walks us through the Backstreet Cultural Museum and tells us about the Mardi Gras Indian tradition that comes to life on Mardi Gras day. Way up to Dearborn Michigan next, home to the largest Arab American community in the U.S,. where we enjoy concerts at the Arab International Music Festival. For the finale, we go to the south side of Chicago on a Sunday morning for an exuberant celebration at the Fellowship Baptist Church. Amen America! http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/628/ Thu, 07 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 07:59 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/646/ Afropop's vivid musical portraits of Tanzania, Zanzibar, and Kenya: we drop in on Ottu Jazz's rehearsal in Dar es Salaam; talk with Tanzanian roots-pop sensation Saida Karoli; enjoy the ingenious contemporary hip hop of Kenya's Gidi Gidi Maji Maji; and much more. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/646/ Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 08:22 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/699/ Senegalese superstar Baaba Maal and his longtime musical companion Mansour Seck (both inductees into the Afropop Hall of Fame) perform an absolutely sublime set at the Hackney Ballroom in London. Grammy Award-winner Ali Farka Toure, rest in peace, takes the stage at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival with a set that evokes his beloved northern Mali. This program is dedicated to the memory of the one and only Ali Farka Toure who, sadly, passed in March 2006 at the young age of 66. Afropop listeners know Ali well from our many programs featuring this brilliant singer and guitarist. It is bittersweet to hear him in this encore of a classic Afropop presentation. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/699/ Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 05:20 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/688/ We go to Detroit for our annual pilgrimage to this fantastic three day world music extravaganza takes us to the Motor City to enjoy concerts and visits with Hugh Masekela (S. Africa), Nawal (Comoros Islands) DJ Delores (Brazil), Aaron Neville (New Orleans), and the Black Bottom Collective (Detroit). http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/688/ Thu, 27 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 00:00 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/636/ There's nothing like the feeling of exhilaration you get from a great brass section. Not synthesized horn sounds but real trumpet, trombone, tuba, and sax players front and center. For this festive season we let the brass shine--from Benin to New Orleans to Cuba to Congo to New York City to Nigeria to Addis Ababa to Algeria and beyond. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/636/ Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 04:03 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/696/ Once-substantial Jewish enclaves of Morocco, Algeria and other North Africa states have dwindled steadily since World War II, mostly through migration to Israel. In sub-Saharan Africa, lesser known Jewish communities provide strikingly different narratives. Guided by ethnomusicologist and Rabbi Jeffrey A. Summit of Tufts University, this program focuses on the history and music of a small but robust community of Jewish converts in Uganda, the Abayudaya. Summit's own recordings include the Abayudaya singing choral music, modified folkloric songs accompanied by local drums and harps, such as the enchanting adungu, and also ventures into pop music bring this remarkable story vividly to life. This program will also introduce history and music from a younger community of practicing Jews in Ghana. Produced by Banning Eyre. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/696/ Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 07:15 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/695/ Get ready for the 2007 edition of Afropop Worldwide's picks of the ten best albums of the year of artists from Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. Plus the also-rans and our favorite re-issues.This program will inspire ideas for the music lovers on your holiday shopping list. Press embargo for now--you will be surprised! http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/695/ Thu, 06 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 07:27 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/676/ The prestigious annual WOMEX award for excellence this year goes to Andy Palacio and his producer, Ivan Duran. Andy Palacio is the leading international exponent of the culture of the Garifuna people, a primarily Afro-Caribbean community that stretches along the coasts of Honduras, Belize, Guatamala, Panama, and Nicaragua. Former punta rock star Palacio is from Belize and he now leads the multi-generational Garifuna Collective which recently made their New York City debut. The charismatic 78 year old singer Paul Nabor did a guest spot and brought down the house. We'll hear highlights from that concert and listen to Andy Palacio tell the fascinating story of the Garifuna. Andy tells us about the songs on his debut international release, "Watina." We'll also hear other surprising, unreleased music from around Belize. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/676/ Thu, 22 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 09:03 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/693/ In just fifteen years, Uganda lowered its HIV/AIDS infection rate from 30% to just 5%. The life-saving information was best channeled by grassroots theater groups, and especially, women's choirs who turned health advice, sometimes blended with religion, into entertainment that could move freely to even the most remote regions of Uganda. Ethnomusicologist and medical anthropologist Gregorgy Barz helps us get below the surface in a country where a person might visit a Catholic health clinic in the morning, a charismatic church in the afternoon, and a traditional healer versed in herbal remedies or even spirit possession, at night. We'll also hear from popular musicians such as Uganda's longstanding roots pop dance band Afrigo Band, the late singer Philly Lutaaya, a brave artist who was the first to publicly announced he had AIDS, the current king of traditional pop, Nandiujja, and artists performing in the lively, guitar driven kidango kamu style. A profound example of music's potential to transform society. Produced by Siddhartha Mitter. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/693/ Thu, 15 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 07:55 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/324/ In 1896, Haitian President Florvil Hyppolite--a man known for his trademark Panama hat--was overthrown in a coup. The song "Panamam' Tombe" ("My Panama Hat Fell") was quickly composed as commentary on the event, and the song remains popular throughout the Haitian diaspora today. This historical survey of the urban dance music, from Haiti, the Antilles and Dominica, is based mostly on rare mid-20th Century recordings primarily Haitian meringue and Antillean beguine. It shows how the artists closely listened to their competitors and came up with their own delightful innovations to attract the demanding clientele. Gage Averill, professor of ethnomusicology at New York University is our co-producer for this fast-moving, panoramic program. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/324/ Thu, 01 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 00:00 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/517/ Oriente in eastern Cuba is the birthplace of the son, that traveled to Havana and grew into the worldwide salsa movement. Oriente also received some of the exodus of the Haitian Revolution 200 years ago, and Oriente today reflects that lively mix of Franco-Haitian, African and Spanish sources. This program, we head to Oriente visit places where musicians gather in Santiago de Cuba, Baracoa, Holguin, and Guantanamo to play traditional son, as well as antique cousins of son--changui and nengon. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/517/ Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 00:00 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/675/ Vieux Farka Tourandeacute; recently made his highly acclaimed debut in North America. Vieux's self-titled debut album "both honors and extends the life work of his father, Ali Farka Toure," according to afropop.org Senior Editor, Banning Eyre. We hear highlights from Vieux's New York City concert, an exclusive intimate live session, and an extended interview. Guitarist Shiyani Ngcobo is a master of the maskanda tradition of the Zulu people of South Africa. At the age of 53, Shiyani has released his long-awaited first album and made his American debut at Carnegie Hall. Shiyani tells us his story and performs an informal acoustic session for Afropop Worldwide. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/675/ Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 07:13 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/543/ In the world of Afropop, there ARE second acts. Think of Cesaria Evora, the Mahotella Queens, the Buena Vista Social Club and other artists and styles forgotten or neglected in their home countries who receive a second wind to their careers from international attention. We'll hear the classic Congolese rumba sound of Kekele and the Rumbanela Band and visit with the artists. Cuban pianist Bebo Valdez joins forces with Spanish flamenco singing star Diego "El Cigala." Eusebe Jaojoby from Madagascar recently toured his hot salegy dance band in Europe and we'll enjoy concert highlights. Plus a private performance by Oswin Chin Behilia from Curacao. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/543/ Thu, 06 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 00:00 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/13/ Funk is a perennial favorite. In this panoramic history of the funkiest of funk we hear classics and some rarities. And George Clinton clues us into the deeper meaning of funk. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/13/ Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 00:00 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/687/ Over a thousand years ago, two large revolts by disaffected Africans--one in the marshes of southern Iraq, another in the mountains of present day Tunisia--sent shock waves through a young Islamic empire and forever transformed Islamic politics. These uprisings set the stage for the crystalization of the Sunni-Shi'ite divide. Author and scholar Joseph Braude guides us through the African-led Zanj rebellion, and the Fatimid revolution a few decades later--fast-paced narratives loaded with illuminating clips from popular films, and musical wild cards. Produced by Banning Eyre and Joseph Braude. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/687/ Thu, 23 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 00:00 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/681/ In the 1940s, popular Colombian bandleader Lucho Bermúdez introduced black-identified music from the Atlantic Caribbean coast (la Costa) to the light-skinned, wealthy audiences in downtown Bogotá. It was the first time that Afro-Colombian music and culture would be recognized by the elite living in the Andean interior. Soon thereafter, music from "La Costa" would become identified as Colombia's national music. This program traces Costeño music -- its harmonious marriage of African, Amerindian, and Spanish roots -- back to the 17th century. Powerful Costeño styles such as gaita, cumbia, and porro -- along with vallenato, an accordion song-based form -- emerged and flourished throughout Colombia and South America in the 20th century. Costeño music would help transform and unify a multicultural nation. Professor Peter Wade, author of the book "Music, Race and Nation: Música Tropical in Colombia" and musician Martin Vejarano from the band La Cumbiamba Eneye join host Georges Collinet to tell the fascinating story. Produced by Simon Rentner. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/681/ Thu, 21 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 00:00 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/668/ Every year Afropop honors artists for their artistic excellence and their vital role in connecting Americans to Africa. Past inductees include Youssou N'Dour, Baaba Maal, Thomas Mapfumo and the Mahotella Queens. This time we honor Mali's Habib Koite, South Africa's Vusi Mahlasela and the Ivory Coast's Dobet Gnaore (Afropop's Emergine Artist of the Year). We go to the B.B. King Blues Club in New York City to enjoy the ecstatic concert of the three honorees as they perform on each others' songs with shifting line-ups of musicians and strong vocal power. (This concert was part of "Putumayo Presents: Acoustic Africa"). We talk with the artists backstage about their careers and their forthcoming projects. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/668/ Thu, 07 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 06:17 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/679/ The summer touring season is always the best time to catch touring Afropop stars. As always, in this 2007 edition of our annual summer concerts program, we pick our favorites so you can plan your summer around when Afropop comes to your town. Andy Palacio and the Garifuna Collective from Belize, Seun Kuti and Egypt '80 from Nigeria, Toumani Diabate's Symetric Orchestra from Mali, and others. We'll check in with some of our favorite free summer music festivals--Central Park SummerStage, Celebrate Brooklyn, Concert of Colors (Detroit), and the Music Without Borders series at Millenium Park in Chicago. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/679/ Thu, 31 May 2007 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 04:56 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/644/ Once every two years, artists and cultural leaders from all over Latin America gather in Mexico City for a four day cultural extravaganza. Afropop Worldwide treks to the Mexican capital to find out what's happening in Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, of course Mexico and more. Visits with veteran and emerging artists and lots of music new to us. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/644/ Thu, 03 May 2007 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 05:00 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/630/ Afropop listeners know the signature voices of Africa's Salif Keita, Baaba Maal, Khaled, and others. Today we'll tune up our ears to some of the continent's great drumming voices--fuji and juju in Nigeria, sabar in Senegal--and to the travels of the drum to the Americas--samba in Brazil, rumba in Cuba, salsa in Puerto Rico and more. This show takes us into the polyrhythmic, multiple voices of live performances and into the homes of some of the world's greatest percussionists. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/630/ Thu, 22 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 06:48 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/671/ Scholar and author Joseph Braude guides us through the often overlooked popular music of the Persian Gulf, the music known as Khaliji. We learn about the Africans of places like Bahrain and Kuwait--slaves of yore, their free descendents, and more recent waves of African immigrants, notably from Sudan. The program features spectacular historic recordings, such as the songs of the all but disappeared pearl divers, a well as hot-off-the-charts Khaliji hits by the likes of Abdullah al-Ruwaished and Areel Abou Bakr. Produced by Banning Eyre. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/671/ Thu, 22 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 07:36 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/637/ This program vividly evokes the Arab conquest of much of North Africa between the 7th and 11th century. The story begins in the early days of Islam when Romans and Berbers held sway in the region. The initial Arab forays were relatively superficial, but lasting transformation came with the sweep of the Bani Hilal clan starting in the 10th century. Of course, we cannot know what music sounded like so long ago, but music helps evoke these dramatic times. Many modern Arabic musical pieces preserve accounts and memories of the Bani Hilal's advance, and the Sufi sects of North and West Africa have rich musical traditions associated with them. Our guide in this historical journey will be Dwight Reynolds, professor of Religious Studies at the University of California in Santa Barbara. Produced by Banning Eyre. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/637/ Thu, 15 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 12:30 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/670/ All across the Caribbean, people are getting stoked for carnival--polishing their songs, creating elaborate floats and masks, and stocking up on party supplies. We'll take a peak of carnivals past in Trinidad, Haiti and Brazil. And then we'll catch the fever with the new songs heating up pre-carnival parties and vying for the hearts and hips of revelers. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/670/ Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 08:01 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/197/ In Bessemer Alabama, an extraordinary concert took place featuring two vocal traditions with African roots--South Africa's internationally celebrated Ladysmith Black Mambazo and from Alabama and Tennesee, four leading groups--The Four Eagle Gospel Singers, The Birmingham Sunlights, The Gospel Harmonettes, and The Fairfield Four. In Afropop Worldwide's exclusive concert recording, you will hear soul-stirring harmonies and innovative arrangements. For the finale, the South African and American artists sing together. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/197/ Thu, 01 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 04:19 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/669/ Winter blues got you down? Is cabin fever setting in? Does the gym feel like work? Does spring seem too far away? Well we have a dance party to lift your spirits. You'll boogie to the latest rumba, mbalax, musica wa dansi salsa, reggaeton, Don't miss it! http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/669/ Thu, 25 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 04:04 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/622/ Afropop Worldwide listeners have heard the brilliant singer Khaled often on our program. In this Hip portrait, Khaled shares stories and insights from his remarkable career--from his early days growing up in cosmopolitan Oran on the Mediterranean coast, to his ground-breaking creation of modern pop rai music, incorporating Arab songs and rhythms with western rock, funk, reggae, and more. Khaled's music swept a generation of North Africans with his hurricane force vocals and his tales of partying and romance. Rai was seen as "the voice of the voiceless." Our collaborator on this Hip Deep program is anthropologist Marc Schade-Poulsen, author of "Men and Popular Music in Algeria." Produced by Sean Barlow. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/622/ Thu, 18 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 05:42 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/635/ Urban traditional bands from the ethnic neighborhoods of sprawling Kinshasa have emerged as a surprise world music hit around the world. Overlooked and marginalized in the complex world of Congolese pop music, groups like Konono No 1 and Kisanzi Congo are reaching the world thanks to the concerted efforts of Belgian musician and producer Vincent Kenis, the man behind the Congotronics phenomenon. This urban roots music goes back to the heady days of President Mobutu's "authenticity" campaign in the 1970s, and to ancient, village culture before that. How that music became a hit with college age, club crawlers from London to Seattle is quite a story. And the music has a trance vibe that takes hold of you and doesn't let go. We speak with Vincent Kenis, Mawangu Mingiedi of Konono No 1, and also a rising star in mainstream Congo pop--Felix Wazekwa. All that plus new music from the acoustic rumba revival group, Kandeacute;kandeacute;landeacute;. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/635/ Thu, 04 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 09:09 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/663/ Tune in to find out who from Africa, the Americas and the Middle East gets Afropop Worldwide's top honors for albums released in 2006. This annual tradition always gives listeners ideas for the music lovers on your holiday lists. Listen to a Playlist from the Stocking Stuffers 2006 program and find the music from the show. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/663/ Thu, 07 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 08:06 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/655/ Our annual trek to the LAMC takes us to New York City to hear performances by and to visit with the hippest artists creating fusions of Latin roots and international sounds. This year's roster includes Gustavo Cerati, Calle 13, Belanova, Pitbull, Mexican Institute of Sound, Los Amigos Invisibles, Plastilina Mosh, The Pinker Tones, Los Bunkers, Pacha, Kevin Johansen, Allison, Motel, Hip Hop Hoodios, Spigga, Monareta, Pistolera, Tres Coronas, Superaquello, Candela Soul, Chetes, Tatiana Klauss and Contramano. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/655/ Thu, 30 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 08:12 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/662/ Continuing our reportage from WOMEX 2006 in Seville Spain, we feature today are the best of the best of the 100 or so CDs we collected at this annual world music pow wow. Most of these albums and artists are new to us and not available in the U.S. Prepare yourself for a feast! http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/662/ Thu, 23 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 07:12 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/661/ This is our 10th annual trek to WOMEX--the most important annual gathering of world class established and emerging artists from around the world. Some 37 artists from every continent will perform in a four day marathon. You'll hear concert highlights and visits with the artists including: Mali's Afel Bocoum (protandeacute;gandeacute; of Ali Farka Toure); Egypt's El Tanbura; the electro-roots buzz of Kassai All Stars; Mexican megastar rockers El Gran Silencio; Columbia's groovy Aterciopelados; the Seville Brass Band Party of Bana de la Maria and flamencobilly of Martires Del Compas and many others. You're going to hear artists you've never heard before. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/661/ Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 09:28 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/642/ In a story described as "stranger than fiction," merengue emerged as an Afro-European folk tradition in the Dominican Republic in the 19th century, but rose to its present prominence in association with the DR's long-ruling dictator, Rafael Trujillo, who mandated the style as the national music in 1936. This program will feature rare recordings of merengue pioneers Nico Lora, Luis Alberti, Joseito Mateo, Antonio Morel, and others. And later in the show, we will hear stars of the contemporary era--Johnny Ventura, Wilfrido Vargas, Juan Luis Guerra. The program winds up in New York City where some 800,000 Dominicans have migrated to. Our featured guests for this Hip Deep edition of Afropop Worldwide will be ethnomusicologist and musician Paul Austerlitz and Angelina Tallaj. Produced by Sean Barlow. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/642/ Thu, 02 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 09:31 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/666/ Ethiopia was the first Christian nation in Africa, and the only African country never to be colonized. With Ethnomusicologist Kay Kaufman Shelemay and Ethiopian music scholar and compiler Francis Falceto as guests, this Hip Deep program explores the role of the Ethiopian church and monarchy in building the country's unique, brassy, pop music. We sample the hot sounds of "swinging Addis" on the eve of the 1974 revolution. Produced by Banning Eyre. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/666/ Thu, 26 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 10:18 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/658/ Tropicalia was the ground-breaking movement in 1960's Brazil, led by Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Tom Ze, and others, that embraced both Brazilian roots music and international sounds. Some of Brazil's most exciting artists today are inspired by the sounds and philosophy of Tropicalia. We'll hear the latest work from Marisa Monte, Marcelo D2, Cidadao Instigado, Bonsucesso Samba Clube, Cibelle, Apollo Nove, and others. Our guest is renowned Brazilian producer Beco Dranoff. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/658/ Thu, 19 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 07:04 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/657/ The hit parade of Afropop's most vivid scenes from the most celebrated birthplace of African music continues with visits to Senegal, Mali, Nigeria, Ghana, Guinea, and the Ivory Coast. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/657/ Thu, 12 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 08:55 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/656/ Once Puerto Ricans became U.S. citizens in 1917,El Barrio sprang up in New York. By the 1930s, they were the dominant Latin group in the city. Tito Puente, born on 110th Street in 1923, was the first important Latin star who was a native speaker of English. Puerto Ricans' distinctive way of playing popular Cuban styles became, almost paradoxically, an expression of Puerto Rican national identity, even as traditional Puerto Rican bomba and plena became a familiar sound in New York, and as Ricans invented a unique jazz style. In the last few years, reggaetón has dominated Latin radio internationally. Riqueza del Barrio will explore Puerto Rico's distinctive cultural identity as expressed through flavorful music. Produced by Hip Deep co-founder Ned Sublette, author of Cuba and Its Music, with guest scholars Juan Flores, author of From Bomba to Hip Hop, and Juan Gutierrez, former National Heritage Fellow and director of Los Pleneros de la 21. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/656/ Thu, 28 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 11:31 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/654/ West Africa has a well deserved reputation as one of Africa's richest sources of both traditional and pop music. We'll hear choice excerpts of Afropop Worldwide programs spotlighting Senegal, Mali, Nigeria and the Ivory Coast. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/654/ Thu, 14 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 07:46 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/653/ Back by popular demand, we take another spin around the under-recognized region of East Africa to enjoy the work of artists from Tanzania, Zanzibar, Uganda, and Kenya. Special focus will be taarab music from the Swahili speaking coast and gems from benga and musiki wa dansi bands. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/653/ Thu, 07 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 09:00 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/629/ This show profiles African artists charting new musical pathways. We speak with Senegalese star Cheikh Lo, whose landmark album, Lamp Fall, was partially recorded in Bahia, Brazil. We also hear from Souad Massi of Algeria, a maverick singer/songwriter now living in France. Her third international release, Honeysuckle, is a love song to her estranged country. We'll also sample the work of Ghorwane of Mozambique, and many more. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/629/ Thu, 31 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 08:40 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/645/ Our annual trek to the biggest world music festival in the country this year features concert highlights and visits with Fadda Freddy from Daara J, sensational sounds from Bombolesse, South Africa's Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Detroit homegrown talent Amp Fiddler and many others. Join us for a good ole fashion Afropop dance party withGeorges Collinet MC'ing. Celebrate the spirit of Detroit and diversity! http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/645/ Thu, 17 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 06:39 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/625/ Afropop Worldwide's first visit to Angola's capital Luanda meets an exciting array of artists who are virtually invisible on the international stage. Troubadors, dance bands, hip hop artists…we'll visit with the best. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/625/ Thu, 10 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 07:02 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/648/ In the next edition of our ongoing Afropop Vignettes series, we focus on South American powerhouse, Brazil. We go to Recife and Salvador de Bahia in the Northeast and Rio and Sao Paulo in the South. Concerts by master musicians Joao Bosco and Gilberto Gil and more. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/648/ Thu, 13 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 06:36 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/643/ Volumes have been written on the trans-Atlantic slave trade and its consequences, but there has been far less attention paid to the forced migration of black Africans into the Mediterranean world of Islam, and the Arab lands beyond. From the ninth to the early twentieth century many black Africans were forcibly taken across the Sahara, up the Nile valley, and across the Red Sea, perhaps as many as were transported across the Atlantic in a much shorter period. Guided by Eve Troutt Powell, (a MacArthur Fellow who has written extensively on 19th century Egypt and Sudan), Chouki el Hamel (a historian at Arizona State University), and author Joseph Braude, we will consider musical aspects of this often overlooked legacy in Egypt, Sudan, Morocco, and the Persian Gulf. Produced by Banning Eyre. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/643/ Thu, 29 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 11:20 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/612/ In the latest of our ongoing vignettes series, we dig into the Afropop Worldwide archives for some choice, compelling moments from our programs profiling music scenes in Peru, Equador, Brazil and Venezuela. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/612/ Thu, 15 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 13:33 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/640/ Back to back with our summer concert preview show, we hit the dance floor with classic tracks from Afropop Dance Parties down through the years. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/640/ Thu, 08 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 05:29 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/639/ This is our annual heads-up about outstanding artists touring in the U.S. for the summer season. The roster includes Congolese rumba maestros, Kekele, the idiosyncratic Lagbaja from Nigeria, Refugee All Stars, and Haitian diva Emeline Michel. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/639/ Thu, 01 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 04:41 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/634/ Viewed through the lens of music, the Congo presents a stark contrast. From the ravages of the slaving Portuguese, to King Leopold's virtual slave state in the late 19th century, through the monumental corruption and ruthless oppression of the regime of Mobutu Sese Seko that ended in 1997, this African heartland has known a history of unrelieved brutality and sadness. And yet, its cities have produced some of the most innovative and ebullient popular music the continent has known in the past century. Beginning in the 1950s, when Congolese music began to be distributed on vinyl records, it found admirers and imitators throughout East, West and Central Africa, and in much of southern African as well. With Congolese-born ethnomusicologist and author Kazadi wa Mukuna and arts educator and community scholar Lubangi Muniania as guides, this Hip Deep program will delve into the untold stories and messages disguised within the lyrics of Congolese songs. Produced by Sean Barlow. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/634/ Thu, 11 May 2006 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 09:02 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/618/ Robert Farris Thompson, the groundbreaking scholar of African art at Yale University, has recently published a splendid new book, "Tango: The Art History of Love" (Pantheon). On this very special episode of Afropop Worldwide's Hip Deep, Thompson talks to Afropop's own Ned Sublette, author of "Cuba and Its Music: From the First Drums to the Mambo," about the erotic Afro-Argentine dance whose Kikongo-derived name he renders as "moving in time to a beat." With musical examples galore. Produced by Ned Sublette. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/618/ Thu, 27 Apr 2006 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 09:11 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/580/ The World Sacred Music festival in Fes, Morocco fully delivers on its promise of bringing together profound, spiritual music from around the globe. In one edition of the Festival, Youssou N'Dour debuted his Egypt project, backed by an orchestra from Cairo; whirling dervishes from Turkey and qawwali singers Meher Ali and Sheher Ali from Pakistan revealed contrasting faces of Sufi music and dance; the Orchestra of Fes showcased Andalusian and Jewish traditions and the art of Arab maqam; and Sufi Nights showcased many varieties of Morocco's rich, Islamic folklore. This program brings you all that and more, including a behind-the-scenes glimpse of spiritual life in the medieval city of Fes. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/580/ Thu, 06 Apr 2006 00:00:00 -0400 Public Radio no 09:53 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/632/ A sobering look at what's gone and what remains in America's traumatized great city of music, New Orleans. In the latest in our Hip Deep series, we'll talk with scholars, including Helen Regis of Louisiana State University, and with members of the venerable organizations known as Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs about the past and future of the Afro-parading tradition known as the second line. We'll get a street-level report on how the Mardi Gras Indians represented at the first post-Katrina Mardi Gras. We'll hear choice cuts by Dr. John, Coco Robicheaux, the Joe Krown Organ Combo, Sunpie, and B.G. and more. Produced by Ned Sublette. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/632/ Thu, 30 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 09:45 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/607/ Many fans in America first got hooked on Afropop through the landmark 1982-83 tour by Nigeria's King Sunny Ade and his African Beats: the propulsive polyrhythms of traditional drums mixed with sophisticated guitar arrangements and pedal steel. Topped by graceful choreography and the beaming presence of the "Chairman" himself. Totally intoxicating. In this program, we travel to Lagos to talk to people there who help us fill in the picture of King Sunny Ade's earlier career in the 1960s and 1970s. KSA also granted Afropop Worldwide a three hour interview. We'll hear his stories and hear some classic recordings. Featured in the show are highlights from a sublime acoustic concert Chairman gave at Joe's Pub in New York City. Produced by Sean Barlow. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/607/ Thu, 23 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 09:40 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/631/ A burst of musical creativity happens every year for carnival. What are the stories behind the carnival hits this year? We go to the streets of Port of Spain, Port-au-Prince to hear the songs that swept carnival revelers off their feet. It's not only the beat that seduces the nation. It's clever story-telling that pokes fun at the powers that be and at human foibles. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/631/ Thu, 16 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 08:33 http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/57/ Afropop makes the pilgrimage to visit Grammy Award winner Ali Farka Toure in his beloved hometown of Niafunke on the banks of the Niger River in northern Mali. In this sublime set, Ali plays acoustic with musical mates on the njarka (one string violin), and the gurkel (two string instrument w/metal piece for buzz) and calabash (gourd used for percussion). Ali talks about what family and his community in Niafunke mean to him. http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/57/ Thu, 09 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0500 Public Radio no 09:24