Guidance: Vusi Mahlasela and "Ntombi Mgali"

Our random tune for today is by Vusi Mahlasela. Sometimes called "The Voice of South Africa" for his work in African folk music, Vusi Mahlasela served as an inspiration for the anti-apartheid movement with songs that focused on freedom, forgiveness and reconciliation. He has collaborated with musicians such as Dave Matthews, Josh Groban and Taj Mahal, has performed at many famous live concert events such as Live 8 and Live Earth, and sang for Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday celebration in London. ITV used one of his songs as their theme song for their World Cup coverage in South Africa, and he also performed at the South Africa World Cup kickoff concert. This song, Ntombi Mbali, is from his 2007 CD Guiding Star - that album garnered him Best Male Artist in the South Africa Music Awards. The song features Black Moses Ngwenya, a South African organist who was a co-founder of the Soul Brothers, a South African band that was one of the pioneers of the Zulu-inspired mbaqanga music.

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.

I Heard the Calypso Today, Oh Boy: Kobo Town and "Kaiso Newscast"

Our random song is brought to us by Kobo Town. Founded by Trinidadian/Canadian Drew Gonsalves in 2004, Kobo Town refers to the neighborhood in Port Au Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, where calypso was conceived and first performed. Kobo Town blends calypso music with other Caribbean music, as well as genres such as ska, reggae, dub, rapso, zouk and hip hop. Gonsalves moved to Canada from Diego Martin, Trinidad & Tobago with his mother when he was thirteen. She was a Canadian citizen who was escaping her abusive marriage. He turned to music and poetry to deal with his situation and feelings of exile. He studied history and political science at Carleton University before taking up music as a career. This song, Kaiso Newscast, can be found on Kobo Town's 2013 album Jumbie in the Jukebox. The song opines how simpler the world would be if news was brought to us in calypso, rather than through outlets such as Fox and CNN.  After a short interview with Gonsalves, the song starts at the 2:00 mark.

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.

Love Rising: Lira and "Ixesha"

Lira, whose name translates to "love" in the Sesotho language, brings us today's tune, Ixesha. Lira grew up in apartheid South Africa listening to musicians such as Miriam Makeba, Steve Wonder, Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin, and decided she would be a musician. After attending college, she got a job as an accountant and used her skills to record a demo CD. An accountant for two years, she turned in a letter of resignation and devoted herself to a five year plan to make it in music. She was discovered in 2000 by musician/producer Arthur Mafokate. She has since come to be considered South Africa's most prominent adult contemporary artist. Lira describes her music as elements of soul, funk, elements of jazz and African. Ixesha can be found on Lira's 2014 album Rise Again.

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.

An Afternoon Street Scene: Moussu T e lei Jovents and "Boulevard Bertolucci"

Today's random song is by Moussu T e lei Jovents, a Marseilles-based band that is inspired by the music of Marseilles between 1920 and 1930 and the melting pot that the city was and remains. They range musically from the blues to reggae to Brazilian music to music hall. The band splits its time between Marseilles, a French commune called La Ciotat, and Recife, Brazil. They are very comfortable singing in Occitan, the regional language of the southern third of France. They have released eight albums. This song, Boulevard Bertolucci, can be found on Moussu T e lei Jovents' 2006 album Forever Polida. The song is a snapshot of a street at 4:30 pm in the afternoon.

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.

Preaching by the Choir: The Bulawayo Church Choir and "Wangal' Unozipho"

Wangal' Unozipho, our random tune for today, is performed by the The Bulawayo Church Choir. The song was part of The Power of One movie soundtrack. There is not much information on the group other than that they are from South Africa. We saw the movie many years ago. The Power of One is based on a novel by Bryce Courtenay and is the story of a young English boy in South Africa and his complicated relationships under apartheid with others in the country, both black and white. The Power of One soundtrack was released in 1992.

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.

Roaming the Halls: Conjunto Céspedes and "Los Pasillos de Tia Conga"

Our random tune for today is called Los Pasillos de Tia Conga. It is performed by Conjunto Céspedes, who was founded in 1981 in San Francisco as Trio Céspedes. They soon expanded to a septet and released their first album in 1984. Their music has developed into a big band sound, and they explore Afro Cuban folklore, both religious and secular, and turn it into music that can be danced to. Los Pasillos de Tia Conga can be found on their 1993 album Una Sola Casa, and on the 1997 Putumayo various artists compilation ¡Latino Latino!

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.

Cross Cultural Seedings: Family Atlantica and "Enjera"

Today's random tune is supplied by Family Atlantica. Family Atlantica is a band that spans an ocean and two continents, South America and Africa, building on African rhythms that came to South America through slavery and colonization. Those rhythms helped build Latin music, and later Latin music went back across the Atlantic to inspire African musicians in the 20th century and today. Listening to the band, you will hear echoes of Cuban rumba, Venezuelan tambor (a dance music) and tonada, Ghanaian highlife, calypso and even Ethiopian blues (a melancholy style of music). This song, Enjera, can be found on their 2016 debut Cosmic Unity.

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.

Celebrate Good Times: Rahim Alhaj and Amjad Ali Khan with "Celebrations"

Rahim Alhaj and Amjad Ali Khan perform our random tune for today. Rahim Alhaj is an Iraqi-American oud player and composer living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He began playing the oud at age nine and soon revealed a great talent for the instrument. A political activist against the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq, he was forced into political exile, first in Syria and Jordan and finally in the United States. He combines traditional Iraqi maqams with contemporary stylings and influences. Amjad Ali Khan is an Indian classical musician who plays the sarod, an instrument that his family claims to have invented - he is the sixth generation of his family to be a musician. He is a recipient of India's second highest civilian honor, the Padma Vibhushan. This song, Celebrations, can be found on their 2009 collaboration Ancient Sounds.

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.

I'm All Ears: The Luminescent Orchestrii and "What the Water Said"

The Luminescent Orchestrii performs today's random tune, called What the Water Said. The Luminescent Orchestrii was founded as an experimental group based in the United States and was active from 2002 - 2012. Their oeuvre consisted of music influenced by Middle Eastern, gypsy, and traditional European music along with Appalachian fiddles, hip hop beats and an attitude often found in punk bands. They often used instruments that they had modified to create their sound. What the Water Said can be found on their 2009 album Neptune's Daughter.

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.

Look Under Bridges: The Mediaeval Baebes and "Dance of the Trolls"

Today's random tune is by the Mediaeval Baebes. The Mediaeval Baebes began in 1996 when a group of friends led by Katherine Blake of Miranda Sex Garden broke into a North London cemetery and sang a capella in flowing white robes and leaf garlands. They soon became an ensemble, and their first album, Salva Nos, shot to number two on the classical charts. It not only are they very talented, they are also very beautiful women. The group has since had many incarnations. They sing in an array of obscure and ancient languages, and have placed three albums in the top ten of the classical charts and participated in the BBC's television series The Virgin Queen. This song, Dance of the Trolls, is from their 2000 CD Undrentide.

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.

Folk-Rockin' Estonia: Paabel and "Meeste Laul"

The band Paabel brings us the random tune for today, called Meeste Laul. From Estonia, Paabel infuses jazz, pop and other modern musical sensibilities with traditional Estonian folk songs. In fact, the sextet is made up of five musicians who worked mostly in jazz, and one who worked mostly in folk. Brought together in 2007 for a competition in folk music reinterpretation, they have won since many music awards in Estonia and have performed in Finland, Lithuania, Hungary and the United States. Meeste Laul is from their 2012 album Üle Järve.

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.

Finding Patience: Bombino and "Zigzan"

Our random tune today is performed by Bombino, a singer-songwriter and acclaimed guitarist from Niger. He sings in the Tuareg Tamashek language and addresses political concerns of the Tuareg in his songs. Bombino taught himself to play guitar as a child in a refugee encampment in Algeria after his family had to flee Niger due to a Tuareg rebellion in 1990. While spending his teen years in exile in Algeria and Libya, he watched videos of Jimi Hendrix, Mark Knopfler and other guitarists to learn their styles. In 1997 he returned to Niger and began his life as professional musician, but had to flee again in 2007 after another Tuareg rebellion erupted. The government banned guitars to the Tuareg, fearing them as a political weapon but Bombino declared that his guitar was not a gun, but a hammer with which to build a house of the Tuareg people. While Bombino was in exile in Burkina Faso, filmmaker Ron Wyman heard cassettes of his playing and found him, and produced Bombino's chart-topping world album Agadez. Bombino returned to Niger again in 2010, and he is the subject of the film Agadez, the Music and the Rebellion. This song, Zigzan, is from Bombino's 2013 album Nomad. The song is about finding patience in a difficult world.

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.

Hitching Song: Raissa Hafida and "Ayan Dar Illa Zine"

Today's random song is from a Moroccan Berber pop star and wedding singer named Raissa Hafida. I don't know more than this song, Ayan Dar Illa Zine, is one of her most popular tunes. Even despite the video quality, a Moroccan Berber wedding looks pretty awesome!

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.

Rapture: The Afro Celt Sound System and "My Secret Bliss"

The The Afro Celt Sound System, which fuses modern electronic dance rhythms with traditional Irish and West African songs, brings us our random song for today. The Afro Celt Sound System were formed by British producer Simon Emmerson and Afro-pop star Baaba Maal in 1991. Since then they've been proclaimed a world music supergroup, and have collaborated with Peter Gabriel, Sinead O'Connor, Robert Plant, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Ayub Ogada and many other pop and world stars. One of their members, Iarla O'lionaird, is also part of the Irish supergroup The Gloaming. This song, My Secret Bliss, can be found on their 1999 release Volume 5: Anatomic. The song has simple lyrics:

Return like children

We stumble into the sun

Into the sun, into the sun

Return like children

We stumble

We found a reason together

We stare into the sun

Please join us at 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.

Bad Blood: Khaled and "Mauvais Sang"

Khaled Hadj Ibrahim, also known by his performing names of Khaled and Cheb Khaled, brings us our random song of the day. Khaled is an Algerian raï singer and songwriter who started recording in his early teens under the name Cheb Khaled and since has become a superstar and the most well-known Algerian performer in the world - he is usually labeled "The King of Raï." This song, Mauvais Sang, can be found on his 1994 album Khaled and on the various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: Arabic Groove (2001).

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.

National Anthem Translated: Lo'Jo and "La Marseillaise en Creole"

French band Lo'Jo, which performs songs drawing from world music, gipsy music, North African music and French folk songs, brings us our random tune for today, called La Marseillaise en Creole. Lo'Jo began in 1982 in the French city of Angers and performed locally for several years - with a rotating cast of band members and alongside acrobats, street actors, mimes and dancers. They became known worldwide in the 1990s after touring around Europe and appearing in New York City. In 1995 they solidified their lineup by adding Berber musicians Yamina Nid El Mourid and her sister Nadia - which opened the band to influences from North African music. La Marseillaise en Creole can be found on their 2012 album Cinéma el Mundo. The title of the song refers in part to the French national anthem.

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.

Reel Climb: Lúnasa and "Temple Hill"

Our random tune for today, Temple Hill, comes to us from Lúnasa, an Irish band named after an ancient harvest festival. Playing primarily Irish traditional music, the band was pieced out of musicians that played in support of original band member Sean Smyth's solo tour in the mid-1990s. Their first album was a live album with recordings from the band's initial tour, and was critically acclaimed. The group has released seven studio albums, one live album, and has been featured on various artist compilations of Irish music. Temple Hill can be found on their 2003 album Redwood, and consists of three reels called Patrick Conneely's, Johnny McIljohn's and Temple Hill.

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.

Traveling a Long Way: Joan Soriano and "Vengo de Lejos"

Today's random tune comes from the Caribbean and is performed by Joan Soriano, a Dominican bachata singer and guitarist who blends modern and traditional bachata styles. The seventh of fifteen children, he began his music career with a self-made guitar fashioned from a tin can and some fishing line. After mastering his style of bachata playing, he began working as a session musician in Santo Domingo. His album El Duque de la Bachata won the Indie Acoustic Project's Best Worldbeat Album of 2011. This song, Vengo de Lejos, can be found on his 2012 album La Familia Soriano.

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.

Turkish Classical and Folk Stylings: Erkan Oğur and İsmail H. Demircioğlu with "Ey Zahit Saraba Eyle Ihtiram"

Today's tune is by Erkan Oğur and İsmail Hakkı Demircioğlu. From Turkey, Erkan Oğur is a pioneer of fretless guitars, and invented the first fretless classical guitar. As a composer, he combines the ancient traditional sounds of Turkey with Turkish folk and classical music. He is also considered a master of the kopuz and bağlama lutes. İsmail Hakkı Demircioğlu is a Turkish bass player who has made many albums and has worked a lot with Erkan Oğur. You can find this song, Ey Zahit Saraba Eyle Ihtiram, on their 1998 album Gülün Kokusu Vardi.

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.

Get Your Drink On: Altan and "The Jug of Punch"

Irish music legends Altan perform our random tune for today. Originally formed in County Donegal by vocalist and fiddler Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and her husband Frankie Kennedy in 1987, the pair initially released a pair of albums as a duo, and additional members were added through the years. They named their group after a lake in County Donegal. County Donegal has a rich tradition of Irish music and styles, and Altan made this music available to the world and in the process became known worldwide with a popularity to match The Chieftains. Kennedy died of Ewings sarcoma in 1994, leaving Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh to keep the band going. Altan has recorded and toured with fellow countrymen The Chieftains, and other musicians such as such as Enya, Dolly Parton, Bonnie Raitt and Alison Krauss. This song, The Jug of Punch, can be found on their 1993 album Island Angel, and on the various artists compilation album Celtic Wonder (2005). The song celebrates the wonders of a good drink.

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.

Completely Kompa: KLASS and "Fè'l Ak Tout Kè'w"

Our random tune for today is called Fè'l Ak Tout Kè'w and is performed by KLASS, a Haitian band formed in 2012 that saw sudden success after the release of their first album and was voted Haitian band of the year four years running (2013-2016). They play a genre of music called Kompa, which is a modern Haitian dance and meringue music with roots in Europe and Africa. You can find Fè'l Ak Tout Kè'w on their 2016 album of the same name.

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.

Gritty Griots: Trio Da Kali and "Yirimadjo"

Trio Da Kali brings us the random tune for today, a song called Yirimadjo. Uniting three musicians from the Mande culture of southern Mali, each of the trio comes from the ancestral griot tradition. Vocalist Hawa Kassé Mady Diabaté is the daughter of legendary griot Kassé Mady Diabaté. Lassana Diabaté is the group's musical director and balafonist, and he has recorded and toured with many legends of West African music. Bass ngoni player Mamadou Kouyaté is the eldest son of celebrated ngoni player Bassekou Kouyaté. The group brings a modern interpretation to ancient Malian songs, but still using traditional instrumentation, and was originally formed as part of a collaboration with the Kronos Quartet. You can find Yirimadjo on Trio Da Kali's eponymous 2015 EP.

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.

Mongol Pride: Various Artists and "Khamag Mongol"

Today's song is a little bit on the interesting side. Khamag Mongol, our random song, is performed by singers from different regions that consider themselves of Mongolian descent and who came together to do this song. The song celebrates Mongolian culture and unity. At least that's how I imagine it and I'm probably not that far off. Wikipedia defines Khamag Mongol as a 12th century tribal confederation that preceded the Mongol Empire But that's where my knowledge ends. I don't know who the singers are, nor do I know what the lyrics say. All I know is that the costumes are cool, the landscape of Mongolia starkly beautiful, and the sentiment seems real. I can't tell you where to find a recorded copy of Khamag Mongol, so you'll just have to enjoy this video.

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.

Natural Beauty: The Mendes Bros. and "Angola Beleza Natural"

Today's random tune is by the Mendes Bros. Born in Cape Verde but based in Brockton, Massachussetts, João and Ramiro Mendes have put out three albums and own the MB record label, which they use to promote music from their home country. The brothers emigrated to the US in 1978, and almost immediately formed their own band to play music from Cape Verde and Angola. They brought on Haitian keyboardist Nono in 1981, who took over the leadership of the band by serving as musical director and composer. During this time, Ramiro studied classical guitar and also studied at the Berklee School of Music to learn commercial arranging and film scoring, and he produced an album for the artist Sãozinha. The brothers released their debut album in 1991. This song, Angola Beleza Natural, can be found on their 1993 album Palonkon and can also be found on the various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: The Best of World Music - World Dance Party (1994).

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.

Hang Ten: DVA and "Surfi"

Today's song is by Czech duo DVA, made up of Bára Kratochvílová and Jan Kratochvíl, who create rich musical landscapes with vocals, instrumentation and electronics, creating an aural collage in pop, kitchen beatbox, tango, cabaret, circus, and radio noise. In their work, they write "pop for non-existing radio" and "folklore for non-existing nations." Their lyrics are most often in imaginary languages. This song, Surfi, is from their 2013 CD Nipomo.

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.

My Beautiful Island: Capercaillie and "Soraidh Bhuam gu Barraidh"

Capercaille gives us a lament sung in Gaelic called Soraidh Bhuam gu Barraidh. The song, which is sung by someone who presumably was shipped off to Australia, looks back longingly on an island called Barra.

Barra is the most beautiful island

The island of my heart's desire

When I often sang in the company

Of serene and beautiful young ladies

And although I'm alone today

In Australia of the trees

I'll never forget the Gaelic language

Which is engraved on my mind

Capercaillie is a Scottish folk band formed in the 1980s. They are named after the Scottish wood grouse. They perform traditional Gaelic songs along with songs in English of their own composition or by others, and often mix traditional songs with modern recording techniques, rhythms and instrumentation. At first sticking fairly closely to traditional styles and instrumentation, in the 1980s they added funk bass lines, synthesizers and electric guitar to traditional songs. In 1992, their EP A Prince Among Islands was the first Gaelic language record to reach the top 40 of the UK singles charts They have since been moving back toward more traditional music while retaining a slight fusion sound. Soraidh Bhuam gu Barraidh can be found on their 1987 album Crosswinds, and on their 2007 album Heritage Songs.

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.

Bang the Drum Slowly: The San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble (SAVAE) and "Teponazcuicatl (Procession of the Drum)"

Today's random song is called Teponazcuicatl (Procession of the Drum) and is by the San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble (SAVAE), a unique ancient vocal music ensemble that is accompanied by early and traditional instrumentation. They made their debut in 1989 presenting Latin music from the colonial period. Its artistic director, Christopher Moroney, has penned arrangements and new compositions for the group by delving into ancient history and cultures. The group has been featured on national radio shows and has toured the United States and around the world. Teponazcuicatl (Procession of the Drum) can be found on their 2000 album El Milagro de Guadalupe.

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.

Rose-Colored Glasses: Duo Gadjo and "La Vie en Rose"

An interpretation of a classic made famous by Edith Piaf is our random tune for the day. La Vie en Rose is performed by Duo Gadjo, a pair made up of French-born Isabelle Fontaine and San Francisco native Jeff Magidson. They bill themselves as jazz with a French twist, and while Fontaine channels her influences of Piaf, Yves Montand and Charles Trenet, Magidson adds what he picked up listening to Louis Armstrong and Muddy Waters, among others. As a pair, they re-explore classic American jazz with a gypsy flair, and even venture into the music of New Orleans. They are also members of the Hot Club of San Francisco. You can find their version of La Vie en Rose on the Meet Me in Paris album by Duo Gadjo and their Hot Friends (2008).

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.

Where Happy Little Bluebirds Fly: Brittni Paiva and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"

Today's random tune is by ukulele mistress and guitar prodigy Brittni Paiva. From Hilo, Hawaii, she is known as "the ukulele darling" who besides uke and guitar also plays electric bass, piano and drums. With the ukulele, she is able to move between genres such as classical, ancient Japanese, jazz, world beat, pop, flamenco and Latin music, as well as adding her own special touch. This song, the classic Somewhere Over the Rainbow, can be found on her 2009 album Four Strings: The Fire Within (2009). Full disclosure: this song often makes Mike tear up a little. Also, a very happy anniversary Megan Kamerick - one day I wished upon a star, and now it's 22 years.

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.

In the Dhow Countries: Rajab Suleiman and Kithara with "Chungu"

We have some taarab music on tap for you with today's random tune. Chungu is performed by Rajab Suleiman and Kithara, with Saada Nassor providing vocals. A Tanzanian style of music also popular in Kenya, taarab was started, according to legend, between 1870 and 1880 by the last sultan of Zanzibar. Influenced by music from places such as the African Great Lakes, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent, its first practitioners were probably Egyptian-trained musicians. Kithara is one of the most influential of today's taarab orchestras. The word taarab is Arabic for "joy in music," and though the traditional form is still played by orchestras like Kithara, you can now find "electro-taarab" all over Tanzania. Chungu can be found Rajab Suleiman and Kithara's 2013 album, Zanzibara, Vol. 8 (Chungu).

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.