Afropop Worldwide

Miami is still in lockdown mode for large gatherings but we don't let that stop us as we travel, virtually, to Miami's beautiful open air, art deco North Beach Bandshell right across from the Atlantic Ocean. Enjoy highlights from the just completed Afro Roots Virtual Fest featuring the city's leading globally grooving artists. Crank it up! Johnny Dread of Cuban/Rasta heritage opens up with his original mix of classic reggae, rock and international sounds. Cortadito, called the best Latin act by the Miami New Times in 2019, offers an updated version of 19th century son montuno from the mountainous region of northeastern Cuba while its two lead singers--one from Havana and one from Santiago de Cuba in the east--take turns performing originals from these two distinct traditions. The Spam All Stars stretch out with quirky spoken word, Latin and eclectic combinations. Venezonix perform Venezuelan roots music enlivened by electronic textures. And Alsarah of the Nubatones beams in a soulful duet from Brooklyn of her songs in Nubian and Arabic, reflections on diaspora and displacement, with her oud player Brendan Terzig. Remember the joy of dancing to live music ?! Ah yes. [APWW #820]

When Afropop Worldwide launched back in 1988, a key goal was to capture the live energy of incredible artists emerging from Africa, the Caribbean and beyond. Most of those recordings were preserved on reel-to-reel tapes. The coronavirus lockdown has given us a chance to start revisiting and preserving. And we have been amazed to rediscover the energy of that thrilling era. On this music-rich program of concerts recorded live at S.O.Bs in New York City, we hear from Congo’s Papa Wemba, South African township heroes Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens, the royal couple of Algerian rai music Chaba Fadela and Cheb Sahraoui, and Martinique zouk stars Marce and Tumpa. It’s a riveting blast from the past! Produced by Banning Eyre.

Baaba Maal has toured the world, backed by his electric group, Daande Lenol. Sometimes he has performed as an acoustic duo with his longtime musical partner, Mansour Seck, on guitars and vocals. And rarely, Baaba has assembled a large acoustic group featuring guitars and traditional instruments. We caught such a moment at one of our all time favorite live recordings, Baaba and his acoustic big band performing at Joe's Pub in New York City. Beautiful! [APWW #383] [Originally aired in 2014]

In 1991, Thomas Mapfumo and the Blacks Unlimited made their second tour of the United States. It was a fascinating transitional moment in the band’s history. Mapfumo had recently added two musicians playing the metal-pronged, Shona mbira, enriching the band’s lineup of guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, brass and percussion. The band had now evolved into a kind of folk orchestra in which everyone sang, allowing for beautifully layered vocal arrangements. This recording, made by Afropop Worldwide at S.O.B.'s in New York City during that historic tour, is a true gem in the Afropop archive. It captures one of Africa’s most innovative and unusual artists and bandleaders at the height of his powers. One listen to this sublime recording and you will understand why producer Banning Eyre devoted some 15 years to writing the new book Lion Songs: Thomas Mapfumo and the Music That Made Zimbabwe. [APWW #55] [Produced by Sean Barlow in 1991]

Soul singer and multi-instrumentalist Ralph Weeks left Panama for Brooklyn, New York, when he was 17. Today he's a hearty 77, and still takes the stage with his finely honed falsetto to offer the enduring classic of a song he wrote more than 50 years ago, "Something Deep Inside." The song has passed through various renditions over the years and, in this podcast, Weeks lifts the hood on the creative process that led to a classic, with enthusiasm and an easy laugh. Produced by Steve Burkholder.

For all those stuck at home or stressed out during these uncertain times, here’s an hour of uplifting music from Mali, Cuba and South Africa. Vusi Mahlasela, Alex Cuba, Afel Bocoum and Oumou Sangare have all known the travails of personal pain and political turmoil. And yet all find the strength and vision to create music that soothes and reassures even as it moves dancing feet. On this program, we hear fresh music and words from all four. Produced by Banning Eyre and Sean Barlow.

Two new bands, one from Morocco and one from Tunisia, are mixing jazz, funk, and rock with centuries-old ritual music with roots in the trans-Saharan slave trade. It rocks, but what does it mean for the tradition? Afropop talks with both bands about the divergent ways that they negotiate innovation and conservation. Produced by Sebastian Bouknight and Lauren Shenkman.

In Africa, drums don't only play rhythms, they send messages. “Ancient Text Messages: Batá Drums in a Changing World” explores an endangered tradition of drum speech in Nigeria, and how that tradition changed and thrived in Cuba, where large numbers of enslaved Yoruba arrived in the 19th century. Producer Ned Sublette speaks with ethnomusicologist Amanda Villepastour, language technician Tunde Adegbola, and drummer Kenneth Schweitzer about how language and music overlap. Produced by Ned Sublette. [APWW #724] [Originally aired in2016]

North African music receives very little coverage in the United States. There are no high-profile mixes of recent Tunisian underground dance music from hip DJs, and no young Algerian musicians with major distribution deals in the U.S. So we decided to explore what exactly is going on today in this part of the world. We trace the origins of some of the region’s most interesting current music to the banlieues of Paris, like raï ’n’b--a new autotuned and synth-heavy offshoot of raï. We also explore the Gnawa reggae movement, which finds common ground between Sufi trance and the message of Marley. Returning to familiar traditions, we present a live recording of Kabyle mandoleplayer Hamid Ouchène from Montreal’s Nuits d’Afrique festival, backed by a group of Montreal-based musicians with origins throughout the African continent. We next turn to the North African metal scene that developed during Algeria’s civil conflict to meld Berber folk music with black metal. Finally, we check out the new chaabi revival. Produced by Jesse Brent. [APWW #692] [Originally aired in 2014]

One of the most important performing artists to emerge on the Brazilian music scene in the new millennium, Criolo has crafted a diverse and eclectic body of work. Moving between rap, reggae, Afrobeat, samba, electronic music and other genres, Criolo has constantly used his music to address the dramatic issues of race, social inequality and governmental corruption that have blighted contemporary Brazil. In this podcast, Criolo tells producer David Katz about his early struggles in the peripheral favelas of Sao Paulo, the evolution of his life and work and the liberating nature of art. Photo: ©David Katz