Africa Mix

I lied. Here's an "unmixed" mix I found in the car from about 2 years ago. I liked listening to it again and hopefully you will too.

Tracklist: 

 

Enjoy

Youtubin': Reebop with Phantom Band

This footage is incredible, apparently uploaded by the guitarist himself, Dominik Von Senger.

Nahawa Doumbia - Didadi (Shanachie, 1989)

Been wanting to put this up for all of you since I found it, I was so excited! Like many, I bet, I was turned on to this beautiful voice via Awesome Tapes' (re-?) release of "La Grande Cantatrice Malienne Vol. 3", which you can check out and buy here (see the left side of the page). 

I've already posted a video floating around youtube of Doumbia singing "Banani", just her vocals and a guitar accompanying... I love that version, but you've got to hear how it was recorded on Didadi. Floors me.

Although some of the soukhous recordings I hear from Earthworks/other labels from around the same time are somewhat off-putting in their super-clean production values, for my taste, this album hits the sweet spot. I love those drums! Nice guitar work throughout. 

Enjoy, and here's hoping Doumbia and her loved ones are safe during this very dangerous time in Northern Mali.

Another gem, "Mogoya (Generosity)": 

BTW, that's not Nahawa on the youtube still, here's a sassy shot:

Get "Didadi" here 

Thwarted for tonight...

And I was so excited to share a record I found tonight...oh well, when I ripped it to my computer, something went wrong in the process and two tracks sound awful.

Watching this didn't do much to help my spirits. Important stuff...

I'll try again tomorrow. I've been lagging on the site lately, but I have a lot to share coming up!

Here's a taste of something that will be coming very soon...

Thomas Mapfumo and the Blacks Unlimited - Mabasa (Earthworks, 1984)

In the spirit of eclecticism, I'll make posts today (as in more than one) (I hope), of music from two parts of the world that come together in that they often are very close to each other in playlists of mine. Especially in this never-ending summertime of la-la-land that is only now giving signs of autumn temperatures... 

From the first notes of this one, you're dancing. But Mapfumo and Co. know how to slow it down, there are some great ballads here, too. I really enjoy the mix of mbira and guitar you find on "Chemera Chaunoda," where Mapfumo sounds a lot like the singers on the Nonesuch Explorer album "Africa: Shona Mbira Music," my first African music purchase (besides Fela Kuti, maybe). Which makes sense, as Mapfumo and his group are from Zimbabwe, still known as Rhodesia when Paul Berliner recorded the music for the Nonesuch album. Given the lyrical content, it would seem that in 1984, all was not well with the people of post-independence Zimbabwe...a call to learn more. 

Here's a picture of the back cover, which gives you track titles and convenient English translations of lyrics:

Enjoy!

Various - Soweto Never Sleeps: Classic Female Zulu Jive (Shanachie, 1986)

A beautiful selection of "mbaqanga" music from South Africa. These ladies really know how to jive. I won't recreate the track listing as some eBay seller was kind enough to upload the back cover, my (Sotho? Zulu?) is a little rusty. I like the English translations, esp.

NO END TO MUSIC

a.k.a. the mantra for this blog.

Two tracks I particularly love are "Wozani Mahipi" and "Akulaiwa Esoweto", both of which are on the excellent Next Stop...Soweto collection. That's a must buy right there, which I originally discovered on the superb and now sadly link-defunct Big Head Stevenson blog. Go there anyway and get inspired before it's gone for good.

And, as Irene and the Sweet Melodians say best, "LET THE WEEKEND COME"...

(now)