Musical Conjurers

AR04_NouraMintSeymali by Afropop Worldwide

Cabo Verde (aka Cape Verde) has long been known as a music powerhouse. Despite its little size (population: 500,000), the West African archipelago is the third largest country in music sales in the “World” market by some estimations. That’s why the island has become home to the Atlantic Music Expo: a trans-oceanic music fair featuring conferences and concerts that attract musicians and industry professionals from across the globe. In this episode, Afropop takes a visit to the islands and the Expo to check out what’s going on today with Cape Verdean music. We hear from talented new singer-composers Dino D’Santiago and Ceuzany, check out high-energy funana from Ferro Gaita and Ze Espanhol, and sample other tasty musical fruits from the islands that created Cesaria Evoria. Produced by Marlon Bishop APWW #687

Since the 1960s in Jamaica, iconic figures such as Bob Marley have gathered in backyards to write reggae anthems that conquered world charts. The yard remains a cornerstone in Jamaican culture. Musicians withdraw from the violence of the city to create and play songs in their yards. In Jamaican patois, “mi yard” means “my home,” and many songs, proverbs and colloquialisms hinge on the word “yard.” More even than the music itself, the yard evokes a state of mind and a physical space wherein artists create amid the warmth of acoustic sound, raw emotion of voices and a collective energy. In this program, we move yard to yard in Jamaica, listening to acoustic music being written and recorded, smelling trees and flowers, and meeting legendary artists like Ken Boothe, Winston McAnuff, Cedric Myton of the Congos, Kiddus I, Robbie Lyn, Viceroys, or Nambo Robinson, as well as a number of young and emerging reggae artists like JAH9, Var, and Derajah, who grew up and found their artistic voices in ghetto yards. You've never heard Jamaica sound like this before! Produced by Elodie Malliot APWW #753

Join us on a musical adventure into the storied past of Africa's Rainbow Nation. In 2016, 20-plus years removed from apartheid, South Africa was a nation deep in transition. And, that was reflected in its music—brimming with enthusiasm and creativity, yet also suffering from the growing pains of a new democracy. On the ground at the 2016 Cape Town International Jazz Festival, we celebrate the country's amazing diversity and discover its hottest local talent: Mafikozolo, the sizzling fashionista Zulu pop duo; Tribute “Birdie” Mboweni, a soulful and socially conscious songbird from the rural north; Gigi Lamayne, a fresh voice from hip-hop’s "born-free" generation; Bokani Dyer, a worldly jazz-cat on 88 keys; and Derek Gripper, a Capetonian guitarist virtuoso making us rethink African classical music as a whole. Produced by Sarah Geledi and Simon Rentner APWW #732

Musicians create worlds of their own. They are sonic alchemists. This program, originally produced in 2007, surveys a wide range of artists from throughout the African diaspora, artists with this special ability to spin out their own realities. We hear classic work from Basssekou Kouyate, Habib Koite, Youssou N'Dour, Konono No 1, The Assad Brothers, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and we hear many of them speak about their work. The Malian artists are particularly poignant, as they speak from a time before the turmoil that has enveloped the country since 2012. APWW #539 Produced by Banning Eyre.

It turns out that the first American city to host a roster of local African bands was not New York, Miami or Chicago, but the San Francisco Bay Area of northern California. Hugh Masekela brought Hedzoleh Soundz from Ghana, and they settled in Santa Cruz. Nigerian maestros O.J. Ekemode and Joni Haastrup lived in Oakland in the 1970s. South African musicians from the touring stage show Ipi Tombi also settled in the Bay Area and started the band Zulu Spear. By the early ‘80s, the Bay Area “worldbeat” scene was in full swing, and along with it came Kotoja, Mapenzi, Big City, the Nigerian Allstars and more. Join us for a tour through the sounds and stories of the Bay Area’s catalytic African music scene. Produced by Banning Eyre APWW #713

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, Adridia Ventura. Produced by Alex Wolfe.

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. The doors opened briefly for tours by Cuban artists in the U.S. during the Carter and Clinton administrations. 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 like Beny Moré, Arsenio Rodriguez, Celia Cruz and the Sexteto Habanero; along with less well known artists. Produced by Ned Sublette APWW #65

This classic episode features Afropop Worldwide’s original live recordings of stellar artists Joe Arroyo (Colombia) in London, Paulina Tomayo (Ecuador) in Quito, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas (Cuba) in New York, Los Van Van (Cuba) in Havana, and Willie Colon in New York. Produced by Sean Barlow APWW #292

The first time Puerto Rican bandleader Willie Rosario heard the word salsa applied to the Cuban-style music he played was in Venezuela, where DJ Phidias Danilo first popularized it. Subsequently applied as a marketing tool by Fania Records in New York, the word quickly became a marker of Puerto Rican identity. We talk to the founding bandleaders of the genre -- Rafael Ithier (El Gran Combo), Quique Lucca (Sonora Ponceña), and Willie Rosario -- and presents immortal hits of early Puerto Rican salsa. Produced by Ned Sublette with José Mandry APWW #207