Al compás del mundo - programa #147, 9-26-24, greatest hits, programs #23-25

Playlist for Al compás del mundo - programa #147, 9-26-24, greatest hits, programs #23-25

01 King Curtis - Heavenly Blues (USA)

02 Sun Ra - They'll Come Back (USA)

03 Duke Ellington - Portrait of Mahalia Jackson (USA)

04 Mal Waldron and Jackie McLean - Super Okra Blues (USA)

05 The Duke Pearson Nonet – Heavy Legs (USA)

06 Étoile de Dakar - Esta China (Senegal)

07 The Black Santiagos - Ole (Benin)

08 Antoine Dougbe - Nou Akuenon Hwlin Me Sin Koussio (Benin)

09 Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino - Nu te fermare (Italy)

10 Ando Drom - Keren chave (Hungary)

11 Paco de Lucia - La Tumbona (Spain)

12 Teodulo Naranjo - Son Del Viento (Mexico)

13 DJ Cheb I Sabbeh - Kese Kese (Algeria-India)

I’ll share a secret: when time is short these “greatest hits” programs are a relief to prepare. Every weekly Al compás del mundo program, modestly speaking, is a compilation of superior sounds, well curated by me, your brilliant humble servant. But three or four such shows offer an embarrassment of riches to choose from. Admittedly, I didn’t write, play or sing any of the tunes, but knowing what sounds good, where to find it, and in what order to play it requires keen interest in what the musicians are saying. Much of what passes for music nowadays (and forever since the advent of radio) says “I want to crack the code that allows me to make lots of money.” Or “What she did worked and I’ll just copy it to reach the Billboard 100 (there’s still such a thing?). I guess I’ll relegate myself to the ranks of the Coastal elites with the taunt that my aesthetic’s better than yours! So there, I said it. The competition has begun. If you can hang with Sun Ra, Etoile de Dakar, Canzoniere Grecanico, and Teodulo Naranjo, there’s an eagle Scout merit badge in artful music appreciation awaiting you. For the rest, there’s a 5:00pm EST Thursday opportunity to stream the program on radioactivatx.org (repeated Saturday at the same hour) and decide for yourself. I guarantee you there will be things you’ve never heard before. A positive and sure sign that human musical expression works in strange and wondrous ways.

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