Slacking Isn't Slacking: Barry Flanagan and "Paniola 'Ona Slack-Key"

Today's random tune is by Barry Flanagan, one half of the duo Hapa, and the song is called Paniolo 'Ona Slack-Key. Flanagan is a white guy from New Jersey who is currently working with Hawaii natives Kapono Nāʻiliʻili, Tarvin Edwin Lono Makia, and Radasha Ho`ohuli. he has been a consistent 30 year member of Hapa, starting out as a partner to Keli'i Ho'omalu Kaneali'i. Following Kaneali'i, Flanagan teamed with Nathan Aweau, who eventually left Hapa for a solo career. Flanagan then duoed with Hawaiian chanter Charles Ka'upu, who described Hapa's goal as helping revive the Polynesian language and to totally change the way the world perceives Hawaiian music. Unfortunately, Ka'upu died suddenly and unexpectedly in his early 50s in 2011. In its new incarnation Hapa continues to draw from jazz, folk, blues, bluegrass, Latin, flamenco, rock, Irish music and slam poetry as well as traditional Hawaiian music. Hapa's debut CD in 1995 became the biggest selling album ever by a Hawaiian group, and they have since released eight albums. Paniolo 'Ona Slack-Key can be found on Hapa's 2005 album Maui, and on Flanagan's solo album Instrumental Peace, released 2014. Slack-key refers to a style of Hawaiian guitar playing.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Caribbean Guitar: Puerto Plata and "La Comelona"

Puerto Plata, the stage name of Dominican musician José Cobles, brings us the random tune today. Puerto Plata's music and singing is reminiscent of guitar music heard in the Dominican Republic in the 1930s and 40s, before it was stigmatized by dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, who preferred accordion-heavy merengue tipico. By the 1960s, after Trujillo's assassination, Dominican guitar music began to develop into bachata. Plata does not play bachata, however, but a music closer in style to contemporary Cuba, even though it is inspired in the Dominican past. In addition, Plata's band features some of the Dominican Republic's finest musicians, such as guitar legends Edilio Paredes and Frank Mendez. This song, La Comelona, can be found on Plata's first internationally distributed CD, Mujer de Cabaret, released in 2007.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Peace in My Heart: Nawal and "Salama (Peace)"

Nawal, a musician from Comoros, performs the random tune for today. Nawal takes the traditional music of Comoros and incorporates influences from African and Arabic traditions. She sings in Comorian, French, Arabic and English, and she is a multi-instrumentalist. Nawal is one of the first women from her country to take the international stage and she is known today as "The Voice of Comoros." This song, Salama (Peace), is from her 2007 album Aman.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Watch for Reefs and Shoals: Niamh Parsons and "The Water is Wide"

Today's random tune is by Niamh Parsons, who performs The Water is Wide from her 2006 album Blackbirds and Thrushes. A singer of contemporary and traditional Irish music, Parsons started her solo career in Belfast in 1990. She had previously been a member of the band Killera in the 1980s with her husband. She was asked to sing for President Bill Clinton and Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern in Washington DC, and has made several television appearances in Ireland. The Water is Wide can also be found on the 2005 compilation album Celtic Wonder. The Water is Wide is of Scottish origin and is related to a Child ballad that chronicles the unhappy marriage of James Douglas, second marquess of Douglas. Some of its lyrics date back to the 1600s and it is a popular song that has been covered by many performers.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Winter Solstice: Tomás Kočko & Orchestr with "Kračún"

In keeping with yesterday's seasonal tune, we have today's random tune by Tomás Kočko & Orchestr called Kračún. A songwriter, composer, arranger from Moravia (Czech Republic) and researcher of music from Moravia and the Slavic countries. The music of Tomás Kočko & Orchestr combines the traditional with elements of rock, folk and jazz, and his albums are award winning. Tomás Kočko has also directed musicals and opera, and has acted in Prague stage productions of Jesus Christ Superstar, Hair, West Side Story and Beach Blanket Babylon. You can find Kračún on the 2011 album Koleda/The Carol.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Tis the Season: Ot Azoj Klezmerband and "Channukah, Oy Channukah"

Okay, so it's a little early in the season, but today's song is a holiday number by the Ot Azoj Klezmerband. Founded in 1994, the band plays music from the fictional country of Molvania, which consists of a blend of klezmer, Balkan, Turkish and Greek musics, as well as a sprinkling of Polish and Latin. The band was formed in 1994 in the Netherlands and is known for energetic performances using only acoustic instruments. They have released ten albums. This song, Channukah, Oy Channukah, can be found on their 1999 album Channukah - Festival of Lights.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Hurry It Up: Buckwheat Zydeco and "Time is Tight"

The late, legendary Buckwheat Zydeco performs today's random tune. Time is Tight is off of his 1989 album On a Night Like This. Buckwheat Zydeco is the stage name of Stanley Dural, Jr. He got the name "Buckwheat" from his childhood resemblance to a character on the Our Gang film shorts. Dural's father was an accomplished Creole accordionist, but Dural preferred rhythm and blues, and actually started out backing artists such as Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and Joe Tex. He started his own funk band in the early 70s with some success, but then began backing zydeco legend Clifton Chenier as an organist and discovered the popularity of zydeco. His relationship to Chenier led him to take up the accordion, and after a year he felt confident enough to start Buckwheat Zydeco in 1978. Buckwheat Zydecoopened for and collaborated with some of the biggest names in music, and it was one of the few zydeco bands to achieve mainstream success.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.