Al compás del mundo programa #186, 6-26-25 – potpourri Run list 01 Johnny Clegg & Juluka - Mantombana (South Africa) 02 Ejigayehu 'Gigi' Shibabaw - Moniw natana (Ethiopia) 02 Medjo Nsom Jacob et son Ensemble - Elie o yange ma (Cameroons) 04 Boubacar Traoré - Sa Golo (Mali) 05 Janvier Denagan - Guigo (Benin) 06 Gilberto Gil, Jorge Ben Jor, e Sérgio Mendes – Emoriô (Brazil) 07 Crazy Ken Band - Singapura (Japan) 08 Minyo Coderanny - Donpan-bushi (Japan) 09 La Misa Negra - Dueña de Mi (USA) 10 Banda 2 de Febrero de Cerete - El estanquillo (Colombia) 11 Bugle, Buju Banton and Damian Jr. 'Gong' Marley - Thank You, Lord (Jamaica) 12 Camarón de la Isla - La Leyenda Del Tiempo (Spain) 13 Legiana Collective - Lu Rusciu de lu Mare (Italy) 14 Kadinelia - Ta palea mou vasana (Greece) Ahhh! Summer is here and it’s time for the sweet smell of potpourri. Shades of Africa burst forth like fragrant blossoms, immediately bringing an energy to the subject at hand. The uncharacteristi...

What is an orishá, you might ask? In the context of Brazilian religious practice which, like most everything else in Brazil, involves music, it is a divine spirit sent by the Creator to assist us mere humans in living an upright existence. Belief in the pantheon of orishás was carried from the Yoruba culture and other West African groups mostly during the 19th century slave trade and is concentrated primarily in several areas of Latin America. Devotion to the spirits is observed still by their descendants and practiced as Haitian Vodou, Afro-Caribbean Santería, and in Brazil, Candomblé. Music heard in honor of Brazil’s orishás – as offered in today’s program – can be syncretic, percussive group chants in a style known as batucada, or sweetly gentle overtures that earn pop favor amongst a largely Catholic nation despite apparent apostasy. Choosing several notable tunes, I must point out Baden Powell e Vinicius de Moraes’ Cante de Xangó, recorded in 1966 and a classic of bohemian musical...

The countries represented in this playlist have a fraught history of ever-changing political boundaries and warring factions, not unlike most regions of the world. What has remained as a constant is the beauty and strength of their musical expressions.  See more below >>> Al compás del mundo #184, 6-12-25 – Albania and the Balkans 01 Kocani Orkestar - Papigo (Macedonia) 02 Vellezerit Aliu - Keq Kur Tkam (Albania) 03 King Ferus Mustafov - Staro Cunovo Oro Velesko Oro (Macedonia) 04 Shaqir Cervadiku - Albumi Im (Albania) 05 Eli Fara - Cupeze Beqare (Albania) 06 Angele Dimovski Kavalsko - Oro (Macedonia) 07 Fatime Sokoli - Ka lidh besen Shqiptaria (Albania) 08 Dunja Knebl - Klincec Moj Zalosten (Croatia) 09 Bekhit Fahim - Gusta mi magla padnala (Kosovo) 10 Ivana and Isadora Cantrach - Жали Заре (Macedonia) 11 King Ferus Mustafov - Turska Igra (Macedonia) 12 Ethno Group Trag - Врбице, врбо зелена (Serbia) 13 Belo Platno - Udade se Zivka Sirinicka (Kosovo) 14 Kosturchanki - Sob...

I wanted to declare “Kick out the jams, mo’fos!” as a signpost towards the message in this week’s Al compás del mundo radio show, but that actually came about a little later. As humanity descended ever deeper into the Cro-Magnon state, Iggy Pop and the punks claimed that honor. What we have here instead, is a post-WWII let’s shake up the political order a bit, and no, not everyone has signed up to be an unconscious consumer attitude. There’s something afoot with these lads. Not exactly revolutionary fervor, but most certainly promoting a change in the general way of things. Recalling Che Guevara’s famous quote “Do Wah Diddy Diddy”, the Animals, Yardbirds, Rolling Stones et. al. pouted and preened – some more than others – in a way that hadn’t quite been done before. Youthful vigor ensued. These groups pushed the evolutionary chain of popular music a step further and we’re all better off for it.  Set list Al compás del mundo programa #183, 6-5-25 - The British Invasion, 1960s 01 Yar...

Hey Joe Henderson! What we got here: Moving through the cycle, starting with early, hot jazz from Illinois Jacquet; a brisk blues from the Duke and his orchestra (Paul Gonsalves’ tenor sax goes all tough and bluesy); to the chillest Miles Davis trumpet and funereal accompaniment from the soundtrack ‘Elevator to the Gallows’: he meets the occasion. What you hear next is a lengthy cut by Keith Jarrett, hypnotic in its repeated bass line and vivacious clean living on the keyboard. A couple of tempo changes serve to highlight a sax entry and the rhythm section once more – all in all, 12 minutes well spent. And then there’s even more... not that the other major talents in this week’s playlist don’t merit their own brief but succinct (?) evaluation from yours truly.  Alas, it’s just that I’m suddenly thinking that an attempt to define a jazz tune and translate its meaning into words. It's a Sisyphean task! When at the SF Museum of Modern Art, I read the descriptive cards alongside works ...

Today’s focus is on Morocco and Algeria, two centrally-located countries from what in Arabic is called “al-Maghreb”, or literally “where the sun sets.” This North African area is the Western-most region of the Arab world and stretches from Western Sahara to Libya. The population consists mainly of Arabic and Amazigh-speakers. The term “Amazigh” has replaced the former “Berber”, referring to the indigenous races of the area, and Wikipedia explains just why: “The term "Berber" comes from the Greek word "barbaros," meaning "barbarian," used by Romans to describe non-Greek speakers. Berbers themselves identify as Amazigh, meaning "free people". It is quite easy to see why the latter designation was preferred over the former. The music from both groups shares much in common and yet stylistic distinctions exist. Out of the fourteen tunes presented here, five are from Amazigh musicians: the artists Bilal Mohri (and friends), Ait Menguellet, Oudaden and ...