Rolling Sublime Whirled Music 2008 (a catch-all thread when you can't find another one that works)

http://www.afropop.org/multi/feature/ID/742

Afropop worldwide goes to Ethiopia...

Oh god I miss Ethiopia so much right now.

Ethiopian singer Gossaye Tesfaye performed in DC December 30th and I missed him. Never did see any reviews of the show either.

I like All the Best, the new Zucchero best-of out soon on Verve, but I'm reviewing it for somebody so I don't want to go into detail about it here. (He's a singer-songwriter star in Italy, if you're unfamiliar. Not to be confused with Eros Ramazzotti!)

I also kind of like the Vampire Weekend album, believe it or not. Does that count as whirled music yet? (I'm reviewing that for somebody too, though.)

I wanna get this compilation Martin Atkins (the PiL/Invisible Records guy) put together, Look Directly At The Sun: China Pop 2007. I think there might be a copy in my office somewhere; I hope so.

x-post

Italy seems to be suddenly getting attention. I had a publicist hyping Vinicio Capossela to me. He's gonna be play for free at the Kennedy Center on January 11th. Was described as an "Eccentric Italian folk artist" and I think someone compared him to Tom Waits also. I have not actually heard him yet though.

Also there's a thread on the late Lucio Battisti. The Water label has reissued some of his stuff

Lucio Battisti

Oh yeah, here's last year's whirled music thread:

Another whirled, another whirled, another whirled world music thread 2007

Because of the curfews imposed in Kenya since the controversial election, the Kenyan members of Extra Golden have been unable to work/perform. The American based members are asking for help. See the link:

http://www.extragolden.com/

Because of the curfews imposed in Kenya since the controversial election, the Kenyan members of Extra Golden have been unable to work/perform. The American based members are asking for help.

BTW, is that new Extra Golden disc good? I'm thinking of getting it.

Not very "world," but once again, we give you Tokyo Jihen (live):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xin8UKLKviw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcVEiBdKqMQ

(Actually, thanks to whoever posted this stuff, and to Milton for pointing it out over on the Shiina Ringo thread.)

From a bit further back (it's bossa nova, and then there's some "ethnic" percussion, so it's okay):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7fad4QZ7qY&feature=related

for those who are in NYC there are a few world music events due to APAP, list and links below

Trouble Worldwide: A Boundless World of Music
January 11, 2008, 8 pm
Drom, 85 Avenue A (between 5th/6th St.)

7 pm doors open

8 pm Rana Santacruz Mexico/Brooklyn // Irish Mariachi // The Cure meets a “Tambora” band, Tortilla Bluegrass, The Pogues with Tequila

9 pm Ramiro Musotto Brazil/Argentina // Brazilianberimbau/electronic // A psychedelic trip into the Afro-Brazilian and South American culture

10 pm Rupa and the April Fishes Berkeley/India/France // surreal chanson meets Latin/Gypsy // “AméliemeetsWomen on the Verge of a Nervous BreakdownmeetsLatcho Drom”

11 pm Slavic Soul Party! Brooklyn/Balkans // Balkan brass/funk // All-mobile, earth-shakin’, party-startin’, all-night brass band.

http://www.rockpaperscissors.biz/index.cfm/fuseaction/current.press_release/project_id/350.cfm

globalFEST 2008
January 13, 2008, 7 pm
Webster Hall, 125 East 11th St, NYC

7:00 pm Chango Spasiuk // Argentina's chamame hero
7:00 pm Samarabalouf // French Gypsy jazz guitarists
7:30 pm Dulsori // Spectacular Korean Drummers
8:10 pm Crooked Still // Newgrass innovators
8:20 pm Pistolera // NYC-meets-Mexico alt-rock folkloristas
8:35 pm Vinicio Capossela // Theatrical Italian underground visionary vocalist
9:20 pm La Cor de la Plana // Marseille’s hand-clappin', foot-stompin' vocalists
9:40 pm Fallou Dieng & Le DLC // Senegalese mbalax rising stars
9:40 pm Little Cow // Budapest's Gypsy-tinged rockers
10:30 pm Puerto Plata // 84-year-old Dominican Son maestro
10:45 pm Toumast // Desert Blues Rockers (Niger)
11:00 pm Nation Beat // Northeastern Brazilian carnival meets American roots

http://www.rockpaperscissors.biz/index.cfm/fuseaction/current.press_release/project_id/345.cfm

Wow, last year there were four or five groups I wanted to see at Globalfest, and this year there's not a single one. That's not because I'm no longer working for Global Rhythm, either.

Really, I figure you would like Senegalese mbalax and want to see Fallou Dieng & Le DLC. If I was in NYC that's whom I'd see. Puerto Plata, the 84-year-old Dominican Son maestro, and Toumast, Desert Blues Rockers (Niger) kinda look interesting as well. That wacky Caposella guy could be entertaining also.

Is there supposed to be a reissue of the Etoile De Dakar albums coming out soon? I heard some talk about it somewhere. Anyone have any more info?

Prev. published on country thread:

Most country songs on Dust-to-Digital Records's Black Mirror: Reflections In Global Musics (1918-1955) compilation: Pipe Major Forsyth's "Mallorca" (from Northumbria-England -- East Northumbria High, maybe??) and Patrick J. Touhey's "Drowsy Maggie" (from Ireland), both of which are excellent. Other, less country, favorites of mine include Thewaprasit Ensemble's "Phleeng Khuk Phaat, Part 2" (from Thailand, just a weird repetitive Gamelan-like drone); Gong Belaaloewana Bali's "Kebyar Ding, I" (from Bali, very minimalist, and probably even more Gamelan-like, being from Bali and all); Paul Penjda Ensemble's "Ngo Mebou Melane" (from Cameroun, and super catchy); Hutzl Ukrananian Ensemble's "Welsini Meloydi" (from Hutsul-Ukraine, which may or may not be where Gogol Bordello's Eugene Hutz's ancestors came from, but this one partakes in an eerie use of space nonetheless); M. Nguyen Van Minh-Con's "Nam Nhi-tu" (from Vietnam with cool plinking sounds); Edwin Fisher's "Handel's Chaconne, Teil I" (from Switzerland/Germany, and all the Handel I need to own probably or maybe not); Sathoukhru Lukkhamkeow's "Nakhone Prayer" (from Laos, great vocal drone); and Sinkou & Kouran Kin's "Songs in Grief" (from Japan, and highly reminiscent of "Don't Kyoko Mummy's Only Looking For Her Hand in the Snow" by Yoko Ono, I swear to God.)

I probably spelled lots of those words wrong.

Anyone stumble on this yet?

http://excavatedshellac.wordpress.com/

World music 78s. Totally geeked on shellac

Finally!
December 25, 2007
Here’s to the people at Crammed Discs for their Roots of Rhumba Rock CD set. Not only is it a beautiful collection of Congolese music from 78s on the stunning Loningisa label (something I love to collect!) they also printed this message in the CD’s booklet:

“WARNING: Although the greatest care has been put to the digital transfer of those original 1953-55 Congolese classics, the limitations of the Compact Disc can obviously not do justice to the glorious 78 rpm disc analog sound.”

Wow, somebody really GETS IT!

Yep. Was just looking at that cd set in DC store Melody Records but opted to finally get the Tabu ley Rochereau 2 cd retrospective comp from 2007 that made several critics polls instead.

That Rochereau retrospective is v. good. Heresy, I guess, but I think I like it better than the classic Franco/Rochereau disc, Omona Wapi

Roots of Rhumba Rock is one of the greatest sets ever. Stuff is fire.

The Voice of America's Africa service is now blogging old African music: http://www.voanews.com/english/africa/blog/ Leo Sarkisian has been recording music for them throughout Africa and the Mideast since the '50s and then playing it on his VOA radio show. The blog has some recordings Leo made and some from others. I remember going to see Leo speak at the VOA in DC ten years ago. There were only about 10 of us there but this wonderful, knowledgeable, enthusiatic old guy just kept talking and talking and playing music.

Oh, Pete Margasak's blog tipped me off about the VOA one. Pete's been blogging about African stuff lately--http://blogs.chicagoreader.com/post-no-bills/

Pareles in the NY Times on that Globalfest show

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/15/arts/music/15webs.html?th&emc=th

Just read on Pete Margasak's Chicago reader blog that Belizean Garifuna singer Andy Palacio just died of a heart attack at age 47.

Unrelated to that, I just saw the "Art of the Tuareg" exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of African Art (It's just there through 1-27). The exhibit is mostly made up of beautifully crafted silver jewelry and leather wallets and stuff, but there's one glass case with old Tuareg instruments, and there's video of a Tuareg band from Niger playing at a wedding. But I forgot to write down their name. Tinariwen's music and Tartit's and some others are also playing in the various rooms.

I see someone started a separate thread re Palacio with a link to the NYT obit:

R.I.P. Andy Palacio

“Sometimes I go out, and I like to dance because in Cambodia I could never go to clubs and dance like that,” Ms. Chhom said.

Zac Holtzman responded, “There’s always a few nights on tour when we go out and do a few clubs and some dancing ——”

Ms. Chhom interrupted emphatically : “I don’t want to talk, I want to dance. And these guys all like to talk. I know it’s the American style, they like to drink and talk and talk, but to those people I just say, ‘Hi, bye, let’s go dance.’ ”

I like her more by the minute. She's quite stunning in this photo too. I wonder if she will end up with a different sort of backing band eventually?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/arts/music/20smit.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=music

Yea, I thought that was interesting also. Dengue Fever are touring the US in February a bit, but no Philly show RS, it appears:

2/27 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
2/28 - Pontiac, MI - Crofoot Ballroom
2/29 - Columbus, OH - Skully's
3/1 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
3/2 - Arden, DE - Arden Gild Hall
3/4 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
3/5 - Brooklyn, NY - Southpaw
3/6 - Princeton, NJ - Terrace F. Club
3/7 - Montreal, QC - La Sala Rossa
3/8 - Toronto, ON - Sneaky Dee's

They were supposed to play in Albuquerque a few months back (as part of the Globalquerque Festival, which is starting to take off), but that fell through. Hopefully they'll make it there eventually. (As for Philly, I still don't go out and do anything any more, so it doesn't matter who plays, though I'm sure I'd drag myself out for Tokyo Jihen, even if it meant pumping myself up with caffeine and pseuodephedrine until I start acting like a speed freak.)

Heads up New Yorkers--

UPCOMING OTHER MUSIC INSTORES
We are pleased to announce a couple of new additions to our ongoing in-store series. Next Wednesday, January 30 at 8PM, we are honored to host a rare solo performance from Toumani Diabate, the Malian Kora prodigy who for more than 20 years has both preserved the traditions of his native music, and pushed the boundaries, most recently appearing on Bjork's latest album. Diabate's solo performances are riveting, and this should be an amazing opportunity to see this legend up close and personal.

I like Diabete with a danceband better-- like his last cd, but solo kora is pretty sublime as well. I wish he'd head down to DC after NYC.

Exactly. I'd go in a second if his symmetric orchestra was with him.

Somali/Ethiopian/Italian singer Saba:

http://cover6.cduniverse.com/MuzeAudioArt/Large/71/1005571.jpg

I have to admit, I'm more interested in seeing more revealing photos of her than I am in the sound of her singing, which is a little too American R&B/pop for my taste, judging by the short audio clips I've heard. Here's the title track on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdYiWsmp2eI&feature=related

The next issue of Global Rhythm has Andy Palacio on the cover, with a story about the Garifuna Women's Project. Unfortunately, he died while it was already at the printer.

I'm listening to the Arabesque Music Ensemble (formerly the Chicago Classical Oriental Ensemble) play and sing "The Music of the Three Musketeers," who were in fact, songwriters for Umm Kulthum. They composed the music and added poetry from others way back when. The songs were originally recorded in the '30s and '40s. It's not Umm, but it's not bad.

The Arabesque renditions are new, if that was not clear.

Well, it's a bit clipped, but considering it's an Iraqi music video from 1990, on youtube, this is a tolerable copy. I've been trying to find this version of this song on youtube for a while now. It's Saleh Abdel Ghafoor's recording of "Ishlonak," which is an old standard/folk song, but this particular recording caught on pretty big at the time it came out in the 90s (from what I've been told). Probably more easily enjoyed without the video, actually, but anyway, I think this singer is great:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HM5tjLz-Gs

And the clapping and the rolling drums and the violin, and everything else is pretty great, except for the chorus, which you kind of just have to make allowances for. (I sort of like it in this song.)

A bunch of his stuff here:

http://www.6arab.net/ViewSingersCats/singers/333.html

(It really makes a difference when you search using actual Arabic script, rather than dodgy transliterations. I've just been cutting and pasting, of course.)

Wait, this is not all him, is it? Maybe.

Speak English, damn it.

HA.

Where can I find more stuff like this?

Ukrainian tribal art drone oddness from Dakha Brakha:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RsuhGjb98w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqON3P5mK90&feature=related

More Ukrainian art folk stutter from Propala Gramota:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0Gwf-MuawU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtN9jwj1C8c&feature=related

That first one sounds a little like the 00I00 CD I sold off, from last year.

do you know the Iva Bittová / Pavel Fajt albums from the late 80's?

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=12708647

the first two volumes in the 'Secret Museum of Mankind' series (78's of world / ethnic music 1925-1948) & the Les Voix Du Monde global compilation of accapella ritual & prayer recordings are knocking me out right now. not very 2008.

that blog has led me to drop some troubling amounts of money on world music mail order stores. you can't find Sezen Akzu at Amoeba.

Someone posted a comment on an Ethiopian/American website that Ethiopian singer Gossaye Tesfaye is coming back to DC on February 16th but the person did not say where and posted anonymously. I can find anything about it online so I guess I'll have to eat Ethiopian this weekend and hope their are flyers for the show at the restaurant. Pareles gave him a good review in the NY Times when Tesfaye was at SOBs a little while back.

that should read: I cannot find anything about it online...and hope there are flyers

Yep, at the new large Ethiopian grocery/cd store and restaurant near the Falls Church Circuit City there was a poster up for Gossaye Tesfaye, on Feb. 15th at H2O in DC, and in an Ethiopian newspaper an ad for Tsehaye Yohannes on 2-16 at the International Ballroom. The youtube videos for these two are pretty promising. Jon Pareles liked Tesfaye at SOBs in NYC recently.

i like this globe-pop mix. (has there ever been a t/s:world music vs. globe-pop thread? should there be?)

speaking of mixes, i take it you guys are aqauinted with the Voodoo Funk blog? i've never posted on the ILM world threads before but couldn't find mention of it. if you've never seen it, there are some incredibly fine afro-funk mixes on offer. great sound quality too.

Do the limited vinyl things for SF get valuable once the run is sold out?

Maybe Pete would know? Do SF and Mississippi do limited vinyl runs because that's the cheapest (if it is, I have no idea) or because they are stereotypical record-collecting fanatics, or anal audio purists or some other reason?

Oh I'm sure on both their ends it's a money thing.

The "whirled" thing seems to keep folks away from this thread it seems (see the various other recent new threads where more people talk international music). I think people are afraid someone will take away their "hipster" i.d. cards and their pictures will be placed on Putumayo's website, if they post on this thread.

this is absolutely gorgeous.

I mostly only know modern bachata ala Aventura, but have been curious about the roots.

on a different front, New Yorkers can see go see an act I plugged upthread--

From Zimbabwe via South Africa ... Live for the first time in the U.S.

ALICK MACHESO & ORCHESTRA MBERIKWAZVO

Sunday October 26th at 8 pm

Creole Restaurant (Louisiana cuisine)
2167 Third Ave. at 118th St., NYC 10035
(three blocks from the 116th St. stop of the 6 train

here's another blog for you all (mine)
http://monrakplengthai.blogspot.com/

Very nice--I knew of the awesome tapes from Africa blog and you are doing awesome tapes from Thailand

5 p.m. Sunday October 26- "Slingshot Hip Hop" (E Street Cinema), followed by DAM, Palestinian rappers, in concert at 7:30 p.m. at the Hard Rock Cafe. Interesting location--DC tourist hangout

Palestinian rap movie doc and live appearance in DC

Friday night a highly touted Indian movie doc was in town at the Freer. Famous art-film director Kumar Shahani's "The Khayal Saga" that supposedly "weaves together the many legends and stories surrounding the vocal tradition of the khayal, a major element of Indian classical music."

Zimbabwe's Alick Macheso has gotten virtually no attention on his US tour in Google News or Google Blogs. If only he was a no longer recording Nigerian or was touring with David Byrne or a Swedish blonde or Sir Alan Bishop or something he'd get some attention. Even afropop worldwide is writing about Chiwoniso instead (not that she's not interesting). I guess his cds and vinyl are not easily available. Macheso's in NYC tonight.

Fri 10 Oct. Zanzibar On The Waterfront Washington, DC;Sat 11 Oct. Nyathi Lounge Jersey City, NJ; Sun 12 Oct. The Regent Theatre Boston, MA; Fri 17 Oct. The Atrium Atlanta, GA; Sat 18 Oct. Carribean Village Indianapolis, IN; Fri 24 Oct. Michaul's Live Cajun Music Restaurant New Orleans, LA;Sat 25 Oct. Murphy's Place Dallas, TX;Sun 26 Oct. Creole Restaurant New York New York Big City of Dreams

Anybody see Macheso or JB Mpiana & his Wenga BCBG big band ?

http://www.metamute.org/en/content/i_like_listening_to_awesome_tapes_from_africa

Andy Moor from the Ex talking about whirled music--Ethiopian, Konono, and awesome tapes

Googling Macheso and Mpiana I have not seen any coverage of their US tours. Too bad.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/11/arts/music/11mpia.html

My man Jon Caramanica knows there's more to African music than just Nigerian reissues, even if he refers to Mpiana's music as soukous (according to folks on African music chatboards and in the Beat magazine, that term only applies to '80s streamlined Congo sounds)

Here's an excerpt:

Mr. Mpiana is a star of the modern branch of soukous known as ndombolo, one of the genre’s more spirited, dance-friendly wings. This was his first New York appearance with this band, which he has been fronting for a decade. The dozen-plus band members and singer-dancers who joined him were all wearing matching T-shirts that read, “Peace Grows” (though paradoxically one of the singer-dancers, also wore a rhinestone-studded pistol-shaped belt buckle).

The virtuoso outfit played songs that were long and intricate, with high-pitched, tightly packed guitar melodies, elaborate drumming and a wall of vocals that drove the music even when Mr. Mpiana stepped away from the action to catch his breath, as he did regularly.

That Buika cd is still sounding nice--flamenco-fado-Afropop ballads

Maybe Pete would know? Do SF and Mississippi do limited vinyl runs because that's the cheapest (if it is, I have no idea) or because they are stereotypical record-collecting fanatics, or anal audio purists or some other reason?

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 21 October 2008 13:39 (4 weeks ago)

whoops missed this!

last weekend, my friend in NC got one of the original music LPs (nairobi sound) that has a few of the songs from lipa kodi ya and love is love, and we were thinking that same question. i mean, it's not like MS is like the nonesuch explorer series or something, where the goal is really purely about public exposure, cause a) there are already comps with some of this stuff on them, and b) there's these limited-editions and special first-printing covers, etc. maybe MS started small to serve a small audience with a particular aesthetic, but these guys are too savvy to think there wouldnt grow to be a large audience for their well-curated releases. so i guess that leaves me with the idea that theyre smart guys who like good music, and basically wanna print/sell just enough records to keep the label going, but few enough to stay under the radar, maintaining the specialness and intimacy of their operation, and also possibly avoiding legal issues from rights-holders? also possibly creating high demand in the secondary market? in any case, its my favorite new label, and theyve done a good job on me.

in other news, three new MS releases this week!

the rats - s/t (fred/toody cole's pre-dead moon new wave band!)
v/a - oh graveyard, you cant hold me always (late 60's gospel)
why are we building such a big ship (new recording from new orleans, not sure if a comp or what?)

this sounds cool (Ibimeni: Garifuna Traditional Music from Guatemala): http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/4687

i checked out that why are we building such a big ship band on myspace and they are lame

thats the band name??? oh brother

heres the original music comp that i like so much...

http://www.discogs.com/image/R-1446131-1220345047.jpeg

ok heres the link i guess the pic wont work

http://www.discogs.com/image/R-1446131-1220345047.jpeg

Ha, the link isn't working either. Nairobi Sound (Before Benga ) Vol 2 on cd is going for $42 from amazon

'50s Kenyan music huh. I have an Original Music cassette lying around somewhere.

http://www.amazon.com/Vol-2-Nairobi-Sound-Before-Benga/dp/B000000NT9

I mean '60s Kenyan music.

Africa Dances I think is the one I have. I wonder what John Storm Roberts, the guy behind Original Music, is doing now?

OMCD021; OMA110 (lp)
Kenya dry (Before benga vol. 1)
Note : contents of lp differ from that of cd.

OMCD022; OMA101C (k7)
The Nairobi sound (Before benga vol. 2)
Note : contents of cassette differ from that of cd.

Apparently volume 1 (in any version) is more folkloric than volume 2.

Here are all the Original Music releases plus a list of Roberts' books:

http://web.inter.nl.net/users/stepcla/music/orimus.txt

NAIROBI SOUND is the album i love (and tried to link to)! it does exist on LP, though that list doesn't mention it. maybe i should chill about needing things on LP.

Trying to get it in any format sounds tough-- This is from Aquarius

V/A Nairobi Sound: Before Benga 2 (Original Music) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here resides the electic half of the "Before Benga" recordings. Unlike Ghana's high life, Kenya's Benga did not exist expressly for dance; Instead it focused more on lyrics. Most of the musicians heard here were certainly not superstars and could not even afford their own instruments. Because of this most wrote their songs while jamming in studios located conveniently enough in the back rooms of record shops.

NYC gets all the showcases:

globalFEST 2009 at NYC’s Webster Hall, January 11, 2009

Line-up to feature Calypso Rose, Chicha Libre, Femi Kuti & the Positive Force, Hot 8 Brass Band, Kailash Kher’s Kailasa, L&O, La Troba Kung-fú, Marcio Local, Occidental Brothers Dance Band International, Shanbehzadeh Ensemble, Tanya Tagaq, and Watcha Clan.

90s Turkish dance pop rules!

Tarkan - "Kiss Kiss" (that Turkish pop song with the kissy kissy) - C/D?

Got to get the new Amadou & Mariam cd. Just an import here in the US. Wonder if I can find it as a legit download somewhere, otherwise it's 20 some Americun bucks from one of the Amazon US sellers

Here they are recently with Johnny Marr--

So can someone tell me more about "Africa Express" (not the old movie) which I think is a UK tv show and musical tour that Damon Alborn set up where he brought black (grime rapper Kano) and white Uk musicians and Flea to Lagos, Nigeria and elsewhere to perform with various African musicians. Baaba Maal and others are shown in this clip. Yea, yea, I know it's sad that it takes a guy from Blur to get Baaba Maal and Fela's danceclub on tv, but it could take centuries to change that philosophy so take what you get

http://www.shotandcut.co.uk/africaexpress/#/artists/

http://www.victorianhorror.com/search/label/africa%20express

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/worldmusic

What some Brits are reading

i got these guys album its pretty cool

They'ye great. I love that Malian Saharan desert stuff.

yeah i like the mali guitar style. also interested in this label operated locally out of b-more
http://www.dragcity.com/catalog/catyaala.html

Another chicha reissue (this time focused on a single group):

http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/23386.10?PgdKbKZp;;388

That Barbes guy who is puting this stuff out deserves credit for doing his homework--traveling all over and finding the stuff, etc. And hopefully this one's as listenable as the comp

There's a new album by Lebanese singer Ghada Shbeir, Syriac Chants. This is very traditional music, but not something all that readily available on CD (at least from what I've seen), and relatively accessible. Maybe too subdued for some tastes. From what little I've heard of this, it's mostly a cappella. If you like those a cappella segments Fairouz goes into sometimes, this is presumably the roots version of that. Also, reminds me of some old Marcel Khalife songs, and again, I assume he is drawing on this tradition. Anyway, she's an exceptional singer and she's covering areas of Arabic classical music that are under-recorded.

http://www.rashid.com/search_result.asp

(And I didn't even know she had recorded that collection of Sayed Darwish songs!)

http://www.afropop.org/multi/feature/ID/855/STOCKING%20STUFFERS:%20Afropop%20Worldwides%20Top%20Ten%20Releases%20for%202008

afropop.org (Banning Eyre & others)

Chiwoniso, "Rebel Woman" (Cumbancha) (Zimbabwe)
Aterciopelados “Rio” (Nacional) (Columbia)
Toumani Diabaté “The Mandé Variations” (Nonesuch) (Mali)
Seprewa Kasa “Seprewa Kasa” (Riverboat) (Ghana)
Seun Kuti “Seun Kuti & Egypt 80” (Disorient) (Nigeria)
Emmanuel Jal “WARchild” (Sonic360) (Sudan)
Orchestra Baobab “Made in Dakar” (Nonesuch) (Senegal)
Mayra Andrade “Navega” (Nacional/Sterns Arc Ltd) (Cape Verde)
Buena Vista Social Club "Buena Vista Social Club At Carnegie Hall(2 CD) [LIVE] " (Nonesuch) (Cuba)
Kasai Allstars "Congotronics 3" (Crammed Discs) (Congo

They also list some additional recommendations. They say their top 10 consists only of US releases.

Yeah, I heard their show about their top picks. I think I liked the tracks from Kasai Allstars and Buena Vista Social Club the best. I wasn't really into most of it.

Lots of it is acoustic oriented except for the Jal rap record. I've like a youtube or 2 of Chiwoniso, a Zimbabwean woman singer with a band. Toumani Diabate is an amazing kora player but I like him better with a band than solo.

love Seun Kuti but Akoya Afrobeat tipped it this year. Aterciopelados is always pretty Latin alternapop. Kasai All-Stars and Emanuel Jal for me from that list but only one was top ten for me.

i wasnt initially blown away by that sub freq proto-rai LP, but all of sudden this morning it sounds totally great!

Cool Group Inerane video:

very nice

:)

Sublime F. has it out now on cd. I have not seen that SF dvd that they're in--

Group Inerane was also featured in the Sublime Frequencies DVD “ Niger : Magic and Ecstasy in the Sahel ”. Recorded by Hisham Mayet. This CD comes with an 8-page insert which includes great photos of the musicians and liner notes by Hisham Mayet.

Anyone heard this:

http://www.honestjons.com/label.php?pid=33279&LabelID=14815

Nope. Too much stuff to hear. I think someone might have written about it on another thread.

That video is pretty rad. Do you think Group Inerane would play at my house?

Sure. The Group Inerane House Tour 2009. On another subject--

I love Toumani Diabete's kora playing but I an not wowed by my first listen to his solo instrumental album "The Mande Variations" that just made Jon Pareles top 10 albums of 2008 in the NY Times.

Nate Chinen went with West African guitarist Lionel Louke's jazz album Karibu. No other African choices in the NY Times. Chinen and Ben Ratliff listed some international jazz.

Over at slate.com (and on NPR) Christgau has listed a Franco compilation as his #1 cd of the year. My nitpicky comment--on NPR Christgau referred to it as a "soukous" album but according to the Congolese emigres on other chatboards and some other music critics I've read, "soukous" just refers to '80s Congolese music by the likes of Diblo Dibala and Loketo that is super fast and eliminates the beginning and end slower portions that exist in Congolese rumba. Franco is Congolese rumba not soukous (despite the very close similarity in sound).

Christgau also listed Amazonees, a longtime Guinean women group.