The Worldmusic Blog (Seckou Kouyate)

WorldBeatUK (6th Show) - Broadcast Notes (6/4/11)

Tagged with: WorldBeatUK Rhubarb Glyn Phillips Refugee All Stars Lek Sen Ebo Taylor Rusty Shackle Juan Sebastian Larobina Terrakota Juan Carmona Guadi Galego Mercedes Peon Edu Krieger Renata Jambeiro Carmen Souza Poly-Rythmo Fanga Barrio Tres Goldmaster Deladap

 WorldBeatUK (6th Show) - Broadcast Notes (6/4/11)

1 Intro-Mat / Jingle - Matchatcha - Nyekesse (Melodie)

On the show tonight: we’ve got a bit of an african and afrocentric groove going on with some great 1970s afrobeat and contemporary vodoun afrobeat both from Benin, some retro-sounding afrofunk from Paris, as well as music from the diaspora: Brazil, Cabo Verde, and afro-latin gems from Cuba and New York; however we’re going to kick off with what is probably one of the most influential of all african descended music outside of the Blues/Rock/Jazz line and that’s reggae. Except this time we’re not heading over to the Caribbean but staying on this side of the pond.

From Sierra Leone this is the Refugee All Stars from last year’s “Rise and Shine” album on Cumbancha and “Jah Come Down”:

2 Jah Come Down - 5:21 - Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars - “Rise & Shine” (Cumbancha)

Hot on the heels another African reggae offering this time from Senegalese Lek Sen, now based in Paris and a track featuring Kiddus I and also Amadou Bagayoko of Mali’s Amadou and Mariam fame. This is from his 2010 album “Burn” (no, nothing to do with Deep Purple all you rockheads) on the French specialist Reggae label Makasound. This is called “Sa Nitee”.

3 Sa Nitee - 4:05 - Lek Sen Feat. Kiddus I & Amadou Bagayoko -“Burn” (Makasound)

Now a couple of weeks or so ago I was very excited to play a track from a great album called “Life Stories - Highlife & Afrobeat Classics 1973-1980”, highlighting the career of Beninese guitar genius Ebo Taylor. This is another great album from the Strut Records label who have a wealth of hidden gems from Africa that they are gradually getting down, dusting off, buffing up and dazzling us with. This particular track was apparently sampled by Usher - no idea on which song, but if you know, drop me a line via the chatbox on the front of the Rhubarb Radio homepage. No prizes, but I’ll give you a shout out if you recognise it.

4 Heaven - 6:04 - Ebo Taylor - “Life Stories - Highlife & Afrobeat Classics 1973-1980” (Strut Records)

Love that. Ok change of tack now away from Africa and down to Wales! Hooray! Now my good friend, ace fiddler, Twmpath queen and namesake Sian Phillips (no relation - although of course, how can anybody named Phillips with ancestry in South West Wales say that they are not related?!). Anyway, the lovely Sian (organiser of Oxfordshire’s BloxFest - more of which another day) sent me a track by a young Welsh band to listen to and here they are, with their own special brand of Folk’n’Roll, this is Rusty Shackle (www.rustyshackle.com) and a little belter called “Bandit Down”:

5 Bandit Down - 3:20 - Rusty Shackle - (www.rustyshackle.com)

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6 Les Mangeux de Morues - 6:06 - Juan Sebastian Larobina

Yeah, love that last track. Yet another example of the mestizisation of world music, an Argentine born, Mexican raised, Canadian resident, Juan Sebastian Larobina, with special guest Quebecois accordionist Yves Lambert on a rollicking number called “Les Mangeux de Morues”.

And keep in the same mix it up vein musically speaking, this next track is a little bobby-dazzler!! I played the title track from their album last week, “World Massala” (on the Ojo Records label); but one track just wasn’t enough. So I’ve returned to it and selected this fantastic pot-boiler. This is Portuguese world music band Terrakota and “Kay Kay” (pronounced Kie Kie - rhymes with ‘eye’)

7 Kay Kay - 5:39 - Terrakota - “World Massala” (Ojo Records)

Last week I raved about the Belgian flamenco guitarist, Myrddin de Cauter, who as I speak is currently in London. Well, here’s another treat - much more in the style of Andalusian flamenco this is French born, gypsy descended, 3 x Grammy nominated guitarist Juan Carmona (distant cousin of the Habichuela Carmona’s of Ketama fame) and a beautiful track from last year’s “El Sentido del Aire” album on the French “Le Chante du Monde” label, featuring the vocal acrobatics of the great Duquende and one of Spain’s great jazz and flamenco pianists, Chano Dominguez. This is a ‘tangos’ entitled “Limosna”. Someone once said to me: ‘No se puede vivir de limosna’ (you can’t live on charity), but I almost feel I can live on this.

8 Lismona - 4:35 - Juan Carmona - “El Sentido Del Aire” (Le Chant du Monde) - tangos

- - - - - CONTINUOUS PLAY - - - - - -

9 Dum Paterfamilias - 5:10 - Guadi Galego & Vaamonde, Lamas & Romero - “Cantigas do Caminho” (FOL)

There is a little known region of Spain in the Northwestern corner that is greener, richer and more mysterious than the rest of the Iberian peninsula. This is the region of Galicia, the Celtic Corner of Iberia,where they speak a language closer to Portugese than Castilian Spanish.

One of Christian Europe’s most sacred centres of pilgrimage has stood there for centuries - the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and people have flocked there from all over Europe using the famous Camino (or Path) to this remote region. The last track was by Galician bagpiper and singer Guadi Galego with her trio Vaamonde, Lamas and Romero and a track called “Dum Paterfamilias” from an excellent album dedicated to songs of the pilgrims’ route; “Cantigas do Camino” on the FOL label.

On the same label is the one-woman band and veritable force of nature that is Mercedes Peon who I saw in Copenhagen last year. She’s at the avant-garde of Galician experimentation in folk and this is from her recent album “Sos” and a track called “Deroran

10 Derorán - 3:21 - Mercedes Peón - “Sos” (FOL)

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11 Intro-Mat / Jingle - Matchatcha Aimer La Danse Nyekesse

[Didn’t finish my notes this week in time - so freestyled the rest. Ahem! You’ll need to see a transcript of the show to know what I said . . .]

12 “Correnteza” 4:34 Edu Krieger “Correnteza”

13 “Oxóssi” 3:27 Renata Jambeiro “Jambeiro”

14 “Afri Ká” 5:41 Carmen Souza “Protegid”

15 “Holonon” 3:21 Orchestre Poly Rythmo “Cotonou” Club (Strut Records)

16 “Bassi Te” 5:55 Fanga “Sira Ba” (Underdog Records)

17 “Suave Me Gusta” 4:32 Barrio Tres “3am en La Habana” (Nueva Onda)

18 “Calle Luna Calle Sol” 3:46 Willie Colón - “Fania Records 1964-1980: The Original Latin Sound of New York”

19 “She’s The One” 4:12 Robin Del Castillo “Pa’ Mi Tierra “

20 “Train To Zion” 4:13 G T Moore & the Goldmaster All Stars “Alpha”

21 “Sign Your Name” 3:33 Goldmaster Allstars “Crossroads”

Now a head’s up for a couple of events happening this week at the Hare and Hounds, on Kings Heath High Street, Birmingham. First up is tomorrow night when Rhubarb’s coolest of cool cats, Shelley “I’m NOT the Boss!” Atkinson presents another Honeycomb Club, upstairs at the Hare and Hounds, featuring the heavy sounds of Birmingham’s very own ALTERNATIVE DUBSTEP ORCHESTRA alongside: RELATIVE DUB, Destroyers’ violinist LEIGHTON HARGREAVES MENDI SINGH on tabla.  

As well as this expect DJ FEVA and MAXWELL 45 (alongside resident DJs: 3 x World Champ DJ SWITCH, THE DOCTOR and MALICIOUS DJ and visuals from BLENDSTATE'S LIAM d'AUTHREAU, as well as the usual great atmosphere. As Shelley points out the audience is as important as the music ...AND if that wasn’t enough …it’s the birthday of Rhubarb’s own globetrotting DJ ARIES - so expect some junglist homage! You can catch Shelley’s wonderful Sunday City Music Box right here on Rhubarb Radio every Sunday afternoon between 2 and 4pm.

Now if you like all things, Gypsy, Roma and Balkanic then here’s a shout out for the return of the great Balkanic Eruption, the first one of 2011 - on Friday 8th April (9pm-2am) at the Hare and Hounds, High Street, Kings Heath, probably the most happening venue in the West Midlands.

It’ll be featuring live music from Aistaguca (a 7-piece super high energy Balkan Gypsy Wedding Band) and also the Romany Diamonds (a Polish Roma Trio playing heart-thumping Gypsy Tunes) alongside DJ’s Chromatouch, and Uncle Zitty and probably Vjs etc.

It’s all in celebration of the International Day of the Roma and there’ll be a special screening of the short film “Be Roma or Die Tryin’”. Tickets are only £5 in advance, more on the door available via the ticketsellers.co.uk. Balkanic Eruption is put on by Rhubarb Radio’s very own hot mama ElliNoire and you can also catch her weekly show right here on Rhubarb Radio every Thursday at 1pm-2pm.


22 “Milaab” 5:22 DelaDap! (featuring RFB) “Gypsies United” (sampler)

23 “Back in Babylone” 4:13 M'siou Rigolitch (AC/DC vs Papa Tank)

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