To sing is to listen
My favorite weekend of the year, the one that includes the Richmond Folk Festival, is coming up shortly: It’s Friday October 10th through Sunday October 12th. And that means it’s also time for Global A Go-Go’s annual Folk Festival preview show, where I fill you in on the international artists I’m excited about seeing there.
This year that list starts with Ustad Naseeruddin Saami & the Saami Brothers from Karachi, Pakistan. The Saamis are probably the very last singers in the world of the 49-note surti microtonal octave scale (FYI, conventional Western notation has 12 tones per octave), which they employ in the performance of qawwali music and its predecessor, khayal. They’ll presents programs of both styles of music at the Folk Festival.
I’m also stoked to see one of my favorite reggae singers active today, Meta Dia, originally from Senegal and now living in New York City, with his band the Cornerstones. And one of the most interesting new African acts anywhere, Dogo du Togo & the Alagaa Beat Band, led by Serge Massama Dogo, who lived for 20 years in Washington DC but is now based back in his hometown of Lomé, Togo.
Also on the Folk Festival schedule and on this week’s program (Sunday October 5, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): Richard Hagopian, America’s foremost oud player, who will be accompanied at the Festival by two additional generations of his family; Raiatea Helm who will introduce you to Hawaiian leo ki’eki’e (falsetto singing); Villa 5, a young all-siblings música norteña band from southern California; and Son Qba, Cuban son specialists from Miami.
Podcast: radio4all.net/program/121053
All the podcasts: radio4all.net/series/Global%20A%20Go-Go
Show archive
Playlist
-
-
Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros, “Global a Go-Go”
from Global a Go-Go
BMG Rights Management (US) LLC - 2001
England UK
-
Richard A. Hagopian / Hachig Kazarian / Buddy Sarkissian, “Soode Soode”
from Kef Time
Traditional Crossroads - 1994
USA-Armenia, 1967
-
Ivo Papasov / Yuri Yunakov, “Filips Kyuchek”
from Together Again: Legends of Bulgarian Wedding Music
Traditional Crossroads - 2005
Bulgaria
-
-
-
-
Tubize Royal Hawaiian Orchestra, “Sweetheart of Mandalay”
from Virginia Roots: The 1929 Richmond Sessions
Outhouse - 2002
Hopewell VA USA, 1929
-
-
-
-
Eliades Ochoa & El Cuarteto Patria, “Qué Humanidad (Guaracha)”
from Sublime Ilusión
Parlophone Spain - 1999
Cuba
-
Meta and The Cornerstones, “Beloved Africa (feat. Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley)”
from Ancient Power (Extended Edition)
Rebel Sound Records - 2016
Senegal-Israel-Japan-Jamaica-Lebanon-USA, 2014
-
Meta and The Cornerstones, “Bilal”
from Hira
Rebel Sound Records - 2019
Senegal-Israel-Algeria-Japan-Cote D'Ivoire-Jamaica-USA
-
Meta and The Cornerstones, “Breeze”
from Dia
Metarize Music Group LLC - 2021
Senegal-Israel-Japan-Jamaica-USA
-
-
Dogo Du Togo & The Alagaa Beat Band, “Enouwo Lagnon”
from Avoudé
We Are Busy Bodies - 2024
Togo-DC USA
-
Roger Damawuzan & Les As Du Benin, “Wait for Me”
from Wait for Me
Hot Casa Records - 2015
Togo, 1972