Sam Mangwana - Le Pigeon Voyageur

Ghana Must Go by Afropop Worldwide

Planet Afropop is the latest offering from Afropop Worldwide. Every two weeks, this podcast will feature lively conversations among the three hosts--Georges Collinet, Banning Eyre and Mukwae Wabei Siyolwe—as well as interviews, new music, trending African cultural news and much more. This is the maiden voyage for this podcast. It includes an introduction to the hosts, an interview with Afrobeats star Yemi Alade, and a conversation with author and producer Ned Sublette about Afropop’s recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month. Episode #001

We honor the late Joe Cuba with this portrait of "Bugalú," produced for Afropop Worldwide by Ned Sublette. Bugalú is the Spanish spelling of boogaloo, and was also known as “Latin soul.” Joe Cuba was one of bugalú’s most popular artists, best known for the major hit “Bang Bang” that his band created on the spot one night at a New York club. Joe was a mesmerizing storyteller, and we’ll hear some of the major bugalú stars tell their stories, including Johnny Colon (“Boogaloo Blues”) and Tony Pabón (lead singer with Pete Rodriguez of “I Like It Like That” fame), and of course Joe Cuba himself. Originally produced by Ned Sublette in 1991 APWW #93

Beny Moré 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. Produced by Ned Sublette. APWW #134

Bachata is a music of the people. Recalling the American blues, bachata was infamous as the anthem of the hard-drinking, womanizing, down-on-his-luck man, vilified as the entertainment of the brothels and the cabarets, and worshipped by the down-trodden poor as the deepest expression of their feelings. Today it is an international sensation. Alex Wolfe, director of the film "Santo Domingo Blues: The Story of Bachata" brings us live ambience and stories of bachata stars Luis Vargas, Antony Santos, Luis Segura, and Aridia Ventura.

Veteran Afropop producer Banning Eyre visits the Zawose family compound in Bagamoyo, Tanzania, to experience the magic of the hypnotic music of the Gogo people, the Wagogo. Msafiri Zawose, son of the late Tanzanian music legend Hukwe Zawose, describes the music and the emergence of the new Zawose Reunion Band.

In this episode, 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.  Produced by Marlon Bishop APWW #606

In the early 2000s, Afropop told the story of “Four Generations” in Congolese music—from rumba and rumba-rock to soukous and ndombolo. Now time has marched on, and once again, thrilling new sounds are emerging from Kinshasa and its global diaspora. We’ll hear hyperkinetic roots-rock from Jupiter and Okwess, Fally Ipupa’s embrace of the current Afrobeats trend, experimental innovations from Pierre Kwenders in Montreal, and more. We’ll also speak with Congolese music connoisseur Lubangi Muniania for insights into the latest trends from one of Africa’s greatest musical powerhouses. APWW #777

To make this unprecedented program, producer Ned Sublette traveled to Mbanza-Kongo, the ancient seat of the Kongo empire located in present-day northern Angola, where he spoke to Dr. Bárbaro Martínez Ruiz, professor of art and art history at Stanford. We’ll learn about the simbi, the spirits that Martínez Ruiz describes as “the multiple power of god”; hear Antonio Madiata play the lungoyi-ngoyi, the two-stringed viola of the Kongo court; attend a session of the lumbu, the traditional tribunal of elders; and talk to Pedro Lopes, a nganga mawuko (traditional healer). With C. Daniel Dawson and Angolan composer and musicologist Victor Gama, we’ll explore Kongo-Ngola culture in the diaspora – in Brasil, Haiti, Cuba, and more. A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY TO MBANZA-KONGO is supported by a 2012 Knight Luce Fellowship for Reporting on Global Religion. The fellowship is a program of the University of Southern California's Knight Chair in Media and Religion. APWW #651 Originally produced by Ned Sublette in 2012

Movement: A Conversation with Jesus Diaz: Meklit Hadero is a singer and composer and the host of a new podcast called Movement, which tells the story of global migrations through music. In this shared episode, Meklit speaks with Cuban-American percussionist Jesus Díaz about his journey from playing homemade drums in Havana to performing on the biggest stages in the world Diaz. Produced by Ian Coss and Meklit Hadero. #cuba #jesusdiaz #meklithadero #iancross #afromusic #storyteller #afropopworldwide #worldmusicproductions #habana #percussion #boleros #rumba