Afropop Worldwide

In this engaging discussion, Michael Baird, a jazz drummer and compiler of Hugh Tracey materials, details Tracey’s innovative recording techniques. Esau Mwamwaya, a Malawian singer, reacts to Tracey's Malawi recordings while sharing insights from a contemporary field session. Andrew Tracy recounts his father's life capturing Africa's musical heritage. They delve into the dangers of field recording expeditions, the role of music in cultural preservation, and how Tracey's legacy informs today’s artists in Malawi, blending tradition with modern influences.

Islam's complex relationship with arts and culture across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia presents special paradoxes and intrigue in the realm of music. Islam has been used both to nurture and curtail musical expression. This program delves into the historic roots of this debate, all the way back to Baghdad in the early centuries of Islam. Case studies highlight sublime and ecstatic music from Iraq, Iran, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Pakistan and more. Author and Middle East specialist Joseph Braude discusses the history and issues with two Islamic scholars. (originally aired 2008) Produced by Banning Eyre APWW #561

The "Black Pacific" is a term coined by our guide, ethnomusicologist Heidi Carolyn Feldman. She describes the circumstance of African descendants displaced not only from their ancestral homes in Africa, but also from the Atlantic coast nations where their enslaved ancestors were originally brought. This Hip Deep edition explores the sonically vibrant realm of Afro-Peruvian music, a young genre identification that has flourished since the 1950s and has now produced artists of international renown, such as singer Susana Baca, and the black folkloric company Peru Negro. The music is sensuous and deeply beautiful, and represents a fascinating and little-understood history. We will hear from Juan Morillo, who represents Peru Negro, from Susana Baca, and from other artists and community scholars Feldman has worked with during her extensive research of this topic. Produced by Simon Rentner and Wills Glasspiegel APWW #558

On a return trip to Madagascar, we catch up with and hear new music from tsapiky maestro Damily, the “King of Salegy” Jaojoby, an exciting new duo starring Sammy of Tarika Sammy, Toko Telo and more. This music-rich edition is filled with entrancing and hard-to-find roots pop. In the wake of 2018’s hard-fought presidential election, Madagascar faces a new era with former DJ Andry Rajoelina at the helm. Word is his theme song was a major boost. We’ll hear it. We’ll also sample rare field recordings from this spectacularly musical and often overlooked Indian Ocean island. Produced by Banning Eyre. APWW #800

Nigeria is the undisputed powerhouse of African pop music. Call it Naija Pop, Afrobeats, Afropop or what have you. The likes of Burna Boy, Wizkid, Yemi Alade, Tiwa Savage, Olamide and Fireboy DML are giants on the scene. In this program we sample the latest from these and others - as well as action from the Afrobeat scene. We also speak with key artists in Nigeria and the U.S. about social activism among Nigerian artists regarding the 2020 EndSARS movement against police violence - an issue that sill exists today. Originally produced by Banning Eyre in 2020 APWW #825

Guinea's legendary dance band, Bembeya Jazz, are a pillar of modern West African history. Begun in 1961 in the flush of Guinea's independence and Sekou Toure's maverick presidency, the band played under the inspired leadership of guitar giant Sekou "Bembeya" Diabate. This program delves into Bembeya history with a focus on the band's 60s and 70s heyday, right up to more recent solo work by Sekou Diabate. In the current age of Afrobeats and digital production that is helping to supplant dance bands across the continent, Bembeya's music stands the test of time for its rich mesh of tradition and swing band drive. Produced by Banning Eyre APWW #427

In this episode, Afropop dives into a celebration of the blues--for some, the essence of the American experience and for others a link back into a lost history in Africa. For our program, we also went back through a number of key interviews we've done over the years where the subject of blues came up, particularly in reference to the genre's African roots. The notion that the blues has roots in Africa is obvious, but from there, things get complicated. Scholars and historians wrestle with the details, but for artists, the feel is everything. We are lucky to live in a time where musicians in America and Africa are retracing the pathways and making new music for a new time. Originally produced by Banning Eyre in 2003 APWW #421

Afropop’s Banning Eyre published his prize-winning biography of Thomas Mapfumo, Lion Songs, in 2015. In this episode, he visits the Lion of Zimbabwe at his home in Eugene, Oregon, to discuss new music, the current state of Zimbabwe and more. We hear from Mapfumo’s latest album, Ndikutambire, and sneak previews of works in progress. We also meet 24-year-old Mary Anibal of Harare, a super-talented mbira player, singer/bandleader following in Mapfumo’s footsteps. Subscribers to the Afropop podcast stream, might remember this special episode from last year. In honor of Thomas’ 80th birthday this month, we are pleased to now share it on the radio! Produced by Banning Eyre PA 018

"Nollywood - Nigeria's Mirror" takes us to Lagos, the third largest film industry in the world. Scholars Jonathan Haynes and Onookome Okome serve as guides as we negotiate the intricacies and eccentricities of Nollyood's past and digital future. Nollywood films dramatize key tensions in contemporary Nigerian life, such as the relationship between tradition and cosmopolitanism. Distributed through pirate DVD networks across Africa, the Caribbean and the Diaspora at large, Nollywood films are a global phenomenon - and we'll find out why. We'll also be joined by Christopher Kirkley of the Sahel Sounds blog, who transports us to northern Nigeria and into the electronic sound world of Hausa film music. APWW #646

The rumba and soukous of Congo-Zaire has infatuated listeners across the world for more than half a century. However, today in the neighborhoods of the capital, Kinshasa, there is a movement of musicians creating a new music that is at once more folkloric and rootsy as well as more innovative and cosmopolitan. Producer Nathaniel Braddock shares music and interviews from the months he spent in Kinshasa in 2024 working with musicians and instrument builders involved in creating new styles called "musique de recherche" or bofenia rock. PA 042