A blog about world and global music from a guy who co-hosts the KUNM Global Music Show, 89.9 FM Albuquerque/Santa Fe, http://www.kunm.org. I post one song a day, with reflections on the music, life, and whatever else comes into my mind.
Our random tune for today is by five-piece Norwegian band Sver. With two fiddlers, a guitarist, a percussionist and a two-row accordionist, Sver was founded in 2008 as an instrumental band. They perform their own compositions and while their music is based in folk, they approach it with a rock style. This song, Måsså ti Nåsså (Moss in the Nose), can be found on their 2015 album Fryd.
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.
Our random tune for today is by Sol y Canto, a pan-Latin group led by Puerto Rican-Argentine singer and bongo player Rosi Amador and New Mexican guitarist and composer Brian Amador. The group includes musicians from Uruguay, Panama, Peru and Argentina. Formed in 1994, the band delivers unique compositions and sometimes quirky interpretations of Latin music. They have won a "Best of Boston" music award, and Brian Amador was the first Latino to be chosen by Boston's Celebrity Series to compose a Latin orchestral suite. The band seeks to connect Hispanic and non-Hispanic audiences in music, poetry, humor and playfulness. This song, Manifiesto, is from their 2008 CD Cada Día un Regalo.
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.
Today's random tune is by Aza, a band based in Santa Cruz, California that was started by Fattah Abbou and Mohamed Aoualou, Berber musicians originally from Morocco. The band melds traditional Tamazight music with other global influences, creating a unique sound very evocative of Sahara blues. The group also works to highlight and educate people about Imazighen (Berber) culture. You can find this song, Tazwit (The Bee), on their 2013 CD Tayuga.
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.
The Perunika Trio, a Bulgarian group based in the United Kingdom, brings us the random tune for today called Proshtavay, Mamo (Farewell, Mother). The group incorporates Bulgarian, Macedonian and Russian traditional music along with Orthodox chants into a broader Slavic framework. The result is a highly spiritual music based on Bulgarian folk that fuses a rich history of influences, from Slavonic Orthodoxy to Ottoman rule to even paganism. You can find Proshtavay, Mamo on their 2012 album A Bright Star has Risen.
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.
Today's tune is by The Chieftains, an Irish ensemble formed in Dublin in 1962 and who developed their music primarily around the distinctive sound of the uileann pipes. They took their name from the title of a novel by Irish author John Montague. Besides releasing several critically acclaimed albums, they are just as well known for their collaborations with such artists as Van Morrison, The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Sinead O'Connor and Roger Daltry. They have released 44 albums. This song, Lily Bolero/The White Cockade, is from their 1992 album An Irish Evening.
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.
Our random song today, Sol Redondo, is performed by Mexican singer and songwriter Maria Ines Ochoa. The daughter of famous Mexican singer-songwriter Amparo Ochoa, she is currently singing with La Rumorosa, one of the more interesting Latin-American bands to emerge in the past year. Ochoa was born in Culiacan, Sinaloa and first studied ballet but by 14 was singing in contests and festivals around Latin America and later in Europe. She became a professional singer in 2001 and while based in traditional Mexican music, in her new band she also has branched into fusion with other styles. Sol Redondo can be found on her 2007 album Identidades.
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.
Our random tune for today is by Gitanosoy and is called Gipsy Dance. I can't find much about Gitanosoy, but I believe that the band is related in some way to the Gipsy Kings in terms of at least one of its personnel, and they are apparently based in Spain and France. Gipsy Dance can be found on Gitanosoy's 1996 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.
Our random tune for today is performed by DeVotchKa, a Denver-based a four piece ensemble. Their name is derived from the Russian word for "girl." Their instrumentation, besides guitar, drums and bass can include theremin, bouzouki, accordion and sousaphone. DeVotchKa started as a backing band for burlesque shows, and in particular traveled with and backed noted burlesque performer Dita von Teese. During this time they were also self-releasing records and touring in support of them which earned them an underground following. The band was eventually picked by the directors of Little Miss Sunshine to score the film which earned them a Grammy nomination for best soundtrack. The band, while essentially a rock ensemble, incorporates a gypsy punk feel into many of its songs. This song, Viens Avec Moi, is on their 2004 CD How It Ends. The song is an entreaty by one person to take a companion to a beautiful place on a mountain.
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.
Our random tune today is by MC Yogi, a Bay Area hip hop artist and yogi who promotes themes of Hindu religion and philosophy in hip hop whose real name is Nicolas Giacomini. Giacomini began rapping at 13 and, while living in home for at-risk children at age 17, he became a practitioner of yoga after his father took it up. His songs are often bhajans, or devotional songs, celebrating one or another of the Hindu deities. At other times, he provides interesting history lessons on the lives of important historical figures within Hinduism, such as Gandhi. Even when he is doing nothing but beatboxing, his songs can sound like mantras or prayers. This song, Shedding Skin, can be found on MC Yogi's 2012 album Pilgrimage.
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.
Kadda Cherif Hadria brings us the random tune for today, called Mandanitche. We couldn't find much information on the artist, other than that he is from Algeria and sings a more traditional type of raï than some of practitioners of the newer, more pop-oriented raï styles. Mandanitche can be found on his 1997 CD Diri Kitabri, and on the various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: From Cairo to Casablanca (1998).
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.
Forro in the Dark brings us the random tune for today. A band from New York City made up of Brazilian expatriates, Forro in the Dark was formed in 2002 after a birthday celebration jam session at a New York nightclub. They were such a hit they became a weekly fixture and thus came to the attention of David Byrne (former lead singer of the Talking Heads), who collaborated with them on their first album. In their highly infectious music, they combine elements of the Brazilian dance music known as forró with rock, folk, jazz and country. You can find this song, Riacho do Navio, on their 2006 debut album Bonfires of São João. The translation of the song title seems to mean "Ship's Creek."
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 artist Orhan Gencebay bring us the random tune for today, called Hatasız Kul Olmaz. A virtuoso of the bağlama, he is also a singer, composer, arranger, music producer, director and actor. He learned music at a young age, taking violin and mandolin lessons at the age of 6 but at 7 he started learning the bağlama, a stringed musical instrument, and created his first composition at age 10. He also studied the tambur to better learn Turkish classical music. During his teen years, he developed an interest in jazz and rock. His professional start came in radio and television where he was resident bağlama player for the Turkish Radio and Television Network (TRT). In the late 1960s, he began collaborations with a large number of Turkish musicians spanning a wide range of styles and genres, and he also served as music director for many Turkish films. He also helped develop a new genre of Turkish music that fused classical Turkish folk music with western styles and European styles. His releases in this style are often called arabesque, but he has rejected that label as too narrow for his style of music. He is also a prolific actor, having appeared in over 30 films, as well as a composer of over 1000 songs, and he has released 32 solo albums. You can find Hatasız Kul Olmaz on his 1976 album of the same name, and on the various artists compilation and soundtrack to the documentary Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul (2006). I believe the video is an excerpt from that film.
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.
Today's random tune is by Nigerian superstar Jaywon, and features Reminisce and Seriki. The song is called Kule Lori. Singer, songwriter, performer, producer and actor Jaywon was born Iledare Oluwajuwonlo, and is known not only for his music but for establishing Next World Music in 2013. He is also a multiple award winner for his music during his career, which started in 2005 in Lagos. He has released one album and a number of singles. You can find Kule Lori on his 2016 album Oba Orin. He is joined on the song by Nigerian rapper Remilekun Abdulkalid Safaru, also known as Reminisce, who in 2014 was named by Time Magazine as one of the seven world rappers you should meet. Also featured is another Nigerian rapper, Ibiyemi Seriki, who goes by his last 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.
Gaelic Storm performs today's random song called Girls' Night in Galway. Gaelic Storm is an American Irish band formed in 1997 in Santa Monica, California. They play traditional Irish and Scottish music, as well as original music in the Celtic and Celtic rock genres. Gaelic Storm got a huge break in 1997 when they were cast as the steerage band in the blockbuster movie Titanic. They have burnished their resume by touring aggressively and adding new instrumentation to their ensemble, such as Uileann, Highland and Deger (electronic) bagpipes. Girls' Night in Galway can be found on their 2015 album Matching Sweaters. The song is a warning to those who would be out on the town in Galway when the girls are out and about.
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.
Our random tune for today is by Trad.Attack!, an innovative band from Estonia that starts from a base of Estonian traditional folk songs and adds modern rock and pop influences as well as looping of past voices in Estonian music and culture. Trad.Attack! is a multi-year multiple winner of the Estonian Music Awards. Formed in 2013, the band has a goal of performing in every country in the world. At last count they were up to 31. You can find this song, Kullakarva (Shimmer Gold), as the title song on their 2017 CD of the same name. Apparently, Bandcamp defaults to another song, so if you want to hear Kullakarva skip ahead to track 12...however, this is a very nice album in its entirety.
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.
Today's random tune is by Nancy Ajram. From Lebanon and born into an Eastern Orthodox tradition in Beirut, she is a singer, multi-platinum recording artist and a three-time winner of the World Music Awards. She is one of the best-selling Middle Eastern artists of all time, with over 30 million records sold worldwide. She began singing at eight years old and soon began participating in contests. After studying music in her early teens, she released a couple of albums in the late 90s and early 2000's, but her big breakthrough came when she signed a contract in 2002 with noted Lebanese producer Jiji Lamara, who began to move her away from her "decent girl" image. The rest is history. This song, Yalla, can be found on her 2014 album Nancy 8.
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.
Family Atlantica performs today's random tune, called Manicero. 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). Manicero can be found on their 2013 album Family Atlantica.
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.
Our random song for today is sung by Bidinte (originally born Jorge Da Silva Bidinite). From Guinea-Bissau, he is considered one of West Africa's top singer-songwriters and his music is inflected with flamenco, Guinean gumbe and Afro-Portuguese rhythms. A self-taught guitarist, he formed a band after meeting several musicians at a conference in Lisbon, Portugal in 1988 but it was in Madrid, Spain where he fell in love with the intricacies of flamenco. You can find this song, Ke Cu Minio Na Tchora, on his 1998 album Kumura, and on the various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: African Odyssey (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.
Canadian rapper Samian brings us the random tune for today, called La Plume d'Aigle. Performing in both French and Algonquian, Samian is a member of the Abitibiwinni First Nation who was first noticed in 2004 after participating in a film project and performing onstage with the Quebecois hip hop group Loco Locass. He has won awards for his music, has acted in two films and has released three albums. La Plume d'Aigle can be found on his 2013 album Face à la Musique.
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.
Took My Brother Down, today's random song, is performed by Malian musician Vieux Farka Touré and American singer-songwriter Julia Easterlin. A Malian singer and guitarist. Touré first took up guitar in secret because his father disapproved and enrolled in the National Institute of the Arts in Bamako. He released his first album in 2005 after getting permission from his father and the great Malian musician Toumani Diabaté He has since released seven albums and has collaborated with other musicians from around the world, including Israeli Idan Raichel in the Touré-Raichel Collective. Julia Easterlin, now performing under the name of Hite, has been described by the Boston Globe as a one-woman a capella group due to her use of a looping machine that allows her to layer her own voice. Her musical style includes jazz, gospel and Southern folk, and she lists Björk and Philip Glass as influences on her music. Took My Brother Down can be found on Easterlin's and Touré's album Touristes (2015).
The song is very current, given the number of police shootings in our country in recent years.
I heard you took my brother down
Like a beast his blood was found
Along the road to the edge of town
With all the sirens blaring
I've since heard tell his empty hands
Were raised above his head
Just when the shots rang out
And through his skin the metal went a-blazin'
A hole shot in the corporal wall
The shattered bone and then the fall
From citizen to matrydom
The people all a-glaring
And when his head did hit the earth
Were you reminded of his birth
Descending to his country
With ___ and hope abounding
But you're a man of principle
Of boundaries that are quite simple
And you start to get like a bomb
When the right people rub you wrong
And if you call it self-defense
Then you will bear no consequence
You put my brother in the ground
And who's gonna defend him now
I heard you took my brother down
Just a boy, his blood was found
Along the road to the edge of town
The people all a-starin'
I've since heard tell you've been set free
You're settled in your certainty
But honey I just don't believe
You've got it figured out.
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.
Lo'Jo, a French band that performs songs drawing from world music, gipsy music, North African music and French folk songs, brings us the random tune for today. 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. This song, Noisy Flower, can be found on their 2017 album Fonetiq Flowers.
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.
Our random tune for today is a cover of a Clash tune that you will recognize, and is performed by Liber Terán. Liber Terán is a founding member and former lead singer and guitarist of the Mexican band Los de Abajo, which focused on Latin ska, rock, salsa. reggae, cumbia, Son Jarocho and banda sinaloense. As a solo artist, Terán has expanded his repertoire to explore classic rock and roll and Balkan influences. You can find this song, Irme o Quedarme, on his 2008 CD El Gitano Western.
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.
Today's random song is called The Wisest Fool and is performed by the Old Blind Dogs. Old Blind Dogs were formed in 1990 when the three founding members met on a "buskers holiday" in the Scottish Highlands. The band was originally distinctive as it represented the music and traditions of Northeastern Scotland and sang in the dialect of Aberdeen and the region. The band focuses on traditional Scottish and Celtic music, with influences from rock, reggae, jazz, blues and Middle Eastern rhythms. The Wisest Fool can be found on their 2006 CD The Gab o Mey, and in this live version on their 2005 CD Old Blind Dogs Play Live. The song is about James VI of Scotland, later to become James I of England.
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.
Tish Hinojosa, a south Texas Mexican-American singer-songwriter, brings us the random tune for today. Originally from San Antonio, Hinojosa sings traditional Mexican folksongs and her own compositions in both Spanish and English. She accompanies herself on guitar, playing right-handed even though she is naturally left-handed. This song, Las Golondrinas (The Swallows), can be found on her 1995 album Frontejas.
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.
Today's upbeat song, Deux a Deux, is by Thornato and features Kongo Elektro. Thornato is the stage name of Swedish/American producer Thor Partridge, who has produced sought-after remixes and artists in countries as various as India (for Bollywood), South Africa, Colombia and Kenya. He also toured extensively with Oakland-based Beats Antique. He is joined on Deux a Deux by Kongo Elektro, a duo consisting of American/South African musician Daniel Eppel and Congolese/South African musician Mapumba Cilombo, who bill themselves as reinventing African dance music through electronic soukous and live looping. You can hear Deux a Deux on Thornato's 2017 album Bennu, released by Wonderwheel Recordings.
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.
How about some Thai psychedelic spice for your random tune? Today's song, Sao Lam Plearn, is sung by Chaweewan Dumnern. There isn't much information on her other than she was born in Thailand in 1945, she sings Thai Molam, which is actually a Laotian form of flexible music that is tailored around the words of a text, and in its modern form is composed (rather than adapting already written poetry) and played with electric instruments. In 1993 Chaweewan Dumnern was named one of Thailand's National Artists. You'll recognize the guitar riff of this tune, though I don't think she has translated the original words into Thai but has put new ones to the song. You can find Sao Lam Plearn on the various artists compilation album Sound of Siam - Leftfield Luk Thung, Jazz & Molam in Thailand 1964-1975, released in 2010.
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.
Today's random song is called The Rag Man, by Byrne and Kelly. Members of the popular Irish music group Celtic Thunder, Neil Byrne (from County Wicklow) and Ryan Kelly (from County Tyrone) put together a set of acoustic shows in 2012 and that led to their continuing as a duo. They combine traditional Irish and Americana music to get something that still feels like folk but has a bit of a difference. Their efforts were rewarded by the Irish Music Association in 2013 when they were named Best Duo in a Concert, Pub or Festival and awarded Best New Album for Acoustically Irish. You can find The Rag Man on their 2016 release Echoes. The song is about a woman who gives up her life to join a wandering rag man, who gets her pregnant and leaves her with the fire still burning in her heart.
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.
The Poor Clares, an Irish band formed in New Orleans in 1993, sings today's random tune, called All Around My Hat. The Poor Clares, upon establishment, had an auspicious debut at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (Jazz Fest). They were not the typical Irish band, mixing their own compositions in with traditional Irish music and also throwing in some New Orleans jazz and Cajun music as well. After one of their founding members, Beth Patterson, left the group, they reformed under the name Re Mor (Gaelic for Big Easy). You can find All Around My Hat on their 1996 album Resurrected Lover. You can hear some of their unique sound in this funky take on an English traditional song from the 19th century.
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.
Romanian group Mahala Raï Banda
brings us the random tune for today. Mahala Raï Banda is a gypsy band based in Bucharest, Romania. Formed by violinist and composer Aurel Ionita, the band plays in several styles and genres. They are often cited for their innovative and inventive arrangements that position them at the intersection between traditional popular music and club oriented music. They have played over 200 concerts in 26 countries and they have released at least two albums. Their music was featured in the movie Borat. This song, Colindat, can be found on their debut album Mahala Raï Banda, released in 2005.
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.
Today's random tune is by Sergent Garcia, a band formed around French singer and guitarist Bruno Garcia, formerly guitarist for punk band Ludwig von 88. The band combines cumbia, reggae, salsa, raggamuffin, and rock into a style of music that they have termed "salsamuffin." The band's name is inspired by a character that is frequently ridiculed by the hero Zorro. There isn't much more information on the band or on the person, but you can find this song, Mi Ultima Voluntad, on their 2003 album La Semilla Escondida, and on the various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: Nuevo 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.
