Rolling Outernational Non-West Non-English (Some Exceptions) 2014 Thread Formerly Known as World

Just ordered this interesting looking comp - http://www.jazzmanrecords.co.uk/various-artists-spiritual-jazz-5-the-world - no idea how it'll hold up but i'm psyched.

I did not know that had turned into a series, and they're up to 5?! the first one is excellent

The Dimanche Gras event with Sparrow and David Rudder looks great. xps.

Awesome old-school doublebill. Rudder has always been great when I've seen him in DC. I've lost track of him in recent years (plus he hasn't been here in awhile).

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/aug/29/the-playlist-middle-eastern-and-north-african-blufrank-el-rass-and-more

Oh man, that Spiritual Jazz 5 LP just arrived. It looks so good - there's a track called 'Destroy the Nihilist Picnic'. 5pm, hurry up!

1970s Algerian Folk and Pop (Sublime Frequencies) - I know people have been repping for this itt

― dem bow dem bow need calcium (seandalai), Tuesday, August 19, 2014 12:03 AM (1 week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

seandalai, is this the Proto-Rai compilation? I was listening to it at the weekend and it's really good. The first track, which is evidently about a car with an incongruous car horn tootling around it, has been on repeat these last few days.

No it's different, they brought out another Algerian comp this year

okay, i could be interested in that.

Where volume 1 focused on the early to mid-1970s Rai scene in western Algeria, this album features a variety of pop and folk styles from that same period. From the heavier rock and psychedelic sounds of Rachid & Fethi, Les Djinns and Les Abranis to the haunting folk music of Kri Kri and Djamel Allem and the Film soundtrack moods of Ahmed Malek, 1970s Algerian Folk & Pop documents a key period in the modern musical renaissance of a nation in transition. Most of these tracks are from 45 rpm singles, the key format during the early 1970s before the cassette took over as the medium of choice. Western musical influences can be heard throughout this extremely diverse record yet there is an undeniable Algerian sense of sadness contained here within a more tolerant space in time between two of the country’s most significant historical periods; National Independence from France and the darker times of a brutal civil war yet to come

Didn't have a chance over the weekend to catch up on Sub. Freq comp listening as I was listening to touring acts I am previewing for my local weekly's Fall Arts Preview Issue. Think we might have mentioned the below last year and before, but here's my followups anyway:

Malian Oumar Konate's power-trio approach to the Sahel desert style (on Clermont) took awhile to grow on me but eventually did. "Power trio" is a bit of an exaggeration, but Koante does like to throw in more guitar solos than his colleagues (but he can still keep it rhythmic too).

Malians Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba wowed me live last year and on Jama Ko. Last year's touring group was a 6 piece, this year he is returning with a 4-piece called Ngoni blues with 4 folks from the 6-piece group including his wife, brother and a son. Amy, Bassekou's wife, has a passionate voice, and Bassekou can make his ngoni sound pretty like a harp, or into a high-pitched string instrument that helps create dance rhythms. Plus they can slow it down, occasionally in a bluesy way.

x-post -I think Sharivari and I are the only ones here who like Sparrow and David Rudder

well hang on now and add me to that list
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns_ROvH7TNU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFh9rFRxTp4

I don't know David Rudder but I love sparrow

Rudder's younger than Sparrow but no youngster. He's done a number of great songs, many with socio-political lyrics, since the '80s-- "Rally 'round the West Indies", "High Mas," his Haiti album and more

glad to see we are at 3 supporters of these veteran artists

Youssou N'Dour put a new release out in April that I just discovered. Youtube link to it is over on a Youssou thread.

I know, I know, you hated that collaboration he did with Neneh Cherry from years ago and then never bothered with anything else. But really you should. At least try his Egypt album that sounds different than anything else he's ever done and then figure out how to see him live where his Senegalese band's mbalax polyrhythms will make more sense and his amazing voice will stun you.

one of my friends is releasing a new volume of Ghanaian music, very raw field-recording style, and it's great: http://artsextract.com/2014/09/04/album-stream-bawku-west-collective-upper-east-untouched/

I know, I know, you hated that collaboration he did with Neneh Cherry from years ago and then never bothered with anything else. But really you should. At least try his Egypt album that sounds different than anything else he's ever done and then figure out how to see him live where his Senegalese band's mbalax polyrhythms will make more sense and his amazing voice will stun you.

― curmudgeon, Thursday, September 4, 2014 3:03 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Okay you've sold it to me.

http://www.okayafrica.com/news/orlando-julius-heliocentrics-jaiyede-afro/

can stream the new album ^

That looks good

http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/claude-mckay-gnawa-music

Gnawa musicians now in the US and in Harlem especially

Told my sister I am seeing Youssou N'Dour in concert soon and she responded "who's that." Sigh. My Dad knows, I once took him to see Youssou, and I think Mom knows because of that.

I saw him in 86 when he opened for Peter Gabriel. Haven't paid much attention to him since.

If you haven't heard the Egypt album or seen him live when he headlines you are missing out.

I interviewed Orlando Julius for Wondering Sound.

Looking forward to reading this. And checking out some music too!

Me too. Am busy this week relistening to some old Salif Keita (from Mali) records. He's coming back to the US this month. Like N'Dour he has put out some lousy crossover ones (and thus gotten tainted with ooh 'world music' shade), but also some good ones and his voice is similarly striking live. Like N'Dour he is also a pioneer.

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19726-aby-ngana-diop-liital/

Another Awesome Tapes re-release I need to check out

x-post --Salif is 65 now so you folks who enjoy old-school African sounds should check out his back in the day singing with the Rail Band and with Le Ambassadeurs after that. Youssou's old-school stuff is worth checking for too.

Yeah I think the only Youssou stuff I've heard is with etoile de Dakar. Gonna listen to Egypt tonight though

speaking of salif an acquaintance once lent me one of his from the 1990's that sounded lovely but didn't make a huge impression. but recently picked up Rail Band - Dioba 3 2cd set and it's phenomenal! brilliant guitars and vox.
and speaking of vox, etiole de dakar effing rule. the energy of that band is kinda protopunk imo

Yep. Those early years efforts are often much better than their later highly produced crossover efforts. But I'm such a big live music fans and Youssou N'Dour and Salif Keita gigs over the years here in DC with lots of folks in attendance from their respective countries plus others (like me) always convey more energy and excitement than those crossover discs. Dismissing those tours as "world music" for stereotypical aging boomers is foolish if you ask me.

Speaking of live music, I kinda liked the special Ethiopian New Year/9/11 event last night with DJ Rupture & his laptop,locally based Ethiopian masinqo (a one-stringed instrument similar to a fiddle or lute) player Gizachew T. Habtemariam and vocalist Kalkidan Woldemariam, and a NYC choir. A blend of avante-minimalism with traditional Ethiopian sounds. Took place for free from 7 to 8 outdoors on the grounds of the St. Elizabeth's mental hospital in SE DC and then the House of Booty djs spun upbeat Afropop while an Ethiopian food truck gave out free Ethiopan veggie platters!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-hMkHkoFrU

Fair amount of Salif Keita on YouTube, but alas not his charming reinvention of "Begin The Beguine," from the very fine Red Hot + Blue AIDS benefit anthology.

New reissue of 1975 to 77 Les Ambassadeurs with a young Salif Keita

http://www.afropop.org/wp/20314/les-ambassadeurs-du-motel-de-bamako/

Two discs and available on spotify. Very good ^^

Cool. I am gonna listen to that and see now 65-year-old Salif live on Sunday, he's also doing shows in NY and elsewhere. Hw was good live when I last saw him many moons ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngLb03UwTTc

The Salif Keita show was fun. His voice is still strong and I liked the call & response with his 2 backing singers. Band got those Malian polyrhythms going--electric guitar plus ngoni, kora, drums and kora player also operating a synth with programmed sounds. Many Malians in the crowd gathered right up front and sang along for some cuts. Lots of dancing. The show was a bit overpriced so the 1,800 seat theatre was not full. Youssou N'Dour show was more crowded (plus DC has more Senegalese than Malians).

We regret to share the news that the Toumani and Sidiki Diabaté performance has been cancelled due to factors outside Artisphere’s control. We have been informed by the artists’ management that a combination of unexpected logistical problems, complicated by Toumani’s health, has resulted in the cancellation of the artists’ American tour.

Feel better Toumani Diabete.

I second that - hopefully it isn't anything too serious and he will be back on his feet again.

I couldn't find any more details online

If some of the New Yorkers here go to ome of these special South African music events coming up in October at Carnegie Hall and elsewhere, they will hopefully tell us about them:

Thursday, October 9, 2014 | 6:30 PM

Part of Africa Now!—South Africa, ethnomusicologist and University of Pittsburgh Professor Gavin Steingo looks at the post-Apartheid music scene with Simphiwe Dana, Tumi Molekane, and musicians of The Soil.

Apollo Theater | Soundstage
253 West 125th Street | Manhattan
apollotheater.org | 212-531-5300

Free (RSVP suggested)

http://www.carnegiehall.org/SouthAfrica/Events/

I am curious about some of the more obscure to me South African acts chosen. But on a quick glance, I don't see any South African kwaito/afrobeats/dance stuff. No Mafikizola? But maybe I missed something. One of those acts above is compared to Miriam Makeba on the pr announcement on the site.

http://www.afropop.org/wp/20542/hip-deep-in-madagascar-the-tsapiky-story/

I heard that Damily/Tsapiky story as I sat in line to cross the border back into the US from Canada this weekend. Fascinating story, and the music is really striking.

There are two Damily albums on Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/artist/5jkEJPnSB0VcF7EQzgF8mM

I was listening to Madagascar music circa the early 90s when guitarists Henry Kaiser and David Lindley went there and recorded a bunch of stuff. Then I moved on and lost track of Madagascar for the most part. So I want to listen to that Afropop hip deep thing and catch up. Plus I still haven't listened to those South Africans I mentioned above.