Forced to Flee: Cathie Ryan and "Erin's Lovely Home"

Our random tune for today is by Cathie Ryan, an Irish-American native of Detroit, Michigan. Ryan was exposed early to Irish musicians such as Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers as well as American musicians such as Johnny Cash, Jim Reeves and Hank Williams. In her childhood she idolized her father, a tenor, who taught her how to interpret and honor songs by knowing their histories and contexts. She was also exposed to the music of Appalachia from neighbors who had migrated to Michigan to work in the auto factories and gained an appreciation for the likes of Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline, as well as the local music out of Motown. Moving to New York, she learned more about traditional Irish music from her then husband singer-songwriter Dermot Henry and mentor Joe Heaney. After graduating from CUNY with a degree in English Literature and Secondary Education, she began teaching at Lehmann College in the Bronx, but left the classroom behind as her singing career began to blossom. She still continues to teach workshops in traditional Irish singing and Irish mythology and folklore. She was a member of the all female Celtic group Cherish the Ladies. This song, Erin's Lovely Home, can be found on her 1998 debut album The Music of What Happens. The song is an excerpt of a lament from the point of view of one fleeing the Irish famine in 1847, ending up on a ship where the protagonist loses his sisters to fever so that he is forced to roam America never to see his home again. Ryan changes the words a little, so that the protagonist is also buried at sea with the rest.

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.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathie_Ryan

Brass and Bhangra: Red Baraat and "Akhiyan Udeek Diyan"

Red Baraat brings us today's raucous random tune, which sounds like someone dropped a New Orleans brass band in the middle of an Indian village celebration. Founded in 2008 by Sunny Jain, Red Baraat hails from Brooklyn and has been called one of the best party bands around by NPR. An eight piece outfit, they feature instrumentation such as the dhol, drumset and other percussion, sousaphone and other horns. They have played a variety of festivals around the United States and the world. This song, Akhiyan Udeek Diyan, can be found on 2015 release, Gaadi of Truth.

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.

Source: https://www.redbaraat.com/; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunny_Jain

And Make It Snappy: The Klezmatics and "Come When I Call You"

Today's song, at least the lyrics, were penned by the great American songwriter and performer Woody Guthrie. The lyrics never had music to go with it until The Klezmatics came along. Based in New York City and formed in 1986, The Klezmatics are a Grammy award winning group klezmer group that mixes older Yiddish tunes with contemporary styles of music. They have also recorded songs in Aramaic and Bavarian. This song, Come When I Call You, is from their album titled Wonder Wheel (2006).

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.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Klezmatics

Meditations: Tulku Sherdor and "Vajra Verses"

Today's random tune is by Tulku Sherdor, Executive Director of the Blazing Wisdom Institute, a Tibetan Buddhist spiritual center. Born in Montreal, Canada, Tulku Sherdor, also known as Tulku Sherab Dorje, began his studies in Buddhism as a young boy and eventually studied under Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche in Nepal. For over twenty years he has traveled around the world teaching and working with Buddhist masters. He has also recorded an album called Guru Chants and Mantras (2017), upon which you will find this song, Vajra Verses.

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.

Source: https://www.ramdass.org/tulku-sherab-dorje/

No Time to Next: Forro in the Dark with Bebel Gilberto and "Wandering Swallow (Juazeiro)"

Today's tune, called Wandering Swallow (Juazeiro) is by Forro in the Dark accompanied by Bebel Gilberto. 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. A popular singer often associated with bossa nova, Bebel Gilberto is the daughter of Brazilian music legend João Gilberto and the singer Miúcha. You can find Wandering Swallow on Forro in the Dark's 2006 debut album Bonfires of São João. The song was originally sung by Peggy Lee.

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.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forro_in_the_Dark; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bebel_Gilberto

Melancholy Longing: Omar Faruk Tekbilek and "Hasret"

Today's random song is called Hasret and is performed by Omar Faruk Tekbilek. A Turkish composer and musician who is multi-faceted, playing wind, percussion and stringed instruments, he add electronic ambient sounds to traditional Sufi music. As a teenager in the mid-1960s, he considered devoting his life to Sufism but at 15 decided to pursue music as his profession. He toured the United States with a Turkish folk ensemble in 1971. On the tour he met his future wife, and returned to the US after compulsory military service. He worked in an apparel factory in Rochester, New York while honing his craft in a pop and fusion band called The Sultans, but opportunities were few and far between until he met composer, musician and guitarist Briane Keane in 1988. Keane engaged him for a soundtrack he was working on for the movie Suleyman the Magnificent, and eventually became Tekbilek's producer. You can find Hasret on Omar Faruk Tekbilek's 2011 album Mystical Garden, and on numerous compilation albums such as Pera Lounge (2011).

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.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Faruk_Tekbilek

Happy Dance: Inflame and "Kirwani"

Inflame gives us some music that is a mix of two traditions for today's random tune. Inflame is a New York City quartet that got together a few years ago and realized they had something with a combination of traditional flamenco and classical Indian music. Featuring mandolin, flamenco guitar, tabla, flamenco cajon and darbuka, Inflame creates a new sound that still sounds rooted in the traditional. This song, Kirwani, can be found on Inflame's eponymous 2013 release. The notes on the song say "...this tune brings about festivity, joy and happiness....The melody of Kirwani evokes warmth and invokes dance."  Just scroll on the image above and you'll be able to play the tune.

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.

It's Bumpin': Brooklyn Funk Essentials and "Bop Hop"

Brooklyn Funk Essentials bring us the random tune for today, called Bop Hop. Brooklyn Funk Essentials is a music collective that mixes jazz, funk, soul, Latin, drum & bass, ska, afrobeat, house, Anatolian melodies and hip hop, it features musicians and poets from different cultures. The band was conceived in 1993 by producer Arthur Baker and music director and percussionist Lati Kronlund, and they have released five albums. You can find Bop Hop on their debut album Cool and Steady and Easy (1995).

Indulge Me: Gaida and "Indulgence"

Today's random song is by Syrian singer Gaida, who has been dubbed "The Syrian Nightingale." Born and raised in Damascus where she awoke to the sound of her father's radio and was taught Middle Eastern songs word by word by her mother, she has crafted her songs to combine the elegance of Arab poetry with Middle Eastern vocal techniques and the sensibilities of her home in New York. This song, Indulgence, can be found on her 2010 album Levantine Indulgence.

Plant Squash: Keren Ann and "Jardin d'Hiver"

Singer, songwriter, composer, producer and engineer Keren Ann brings us the random tune for today, called Jardin d'Hiver. Born in Israel, she moved to Paris when she was eleven . She since is based in Paris, Tel Aviv and New York City. She has released sic solo albums and her music has been covered by other artists. Her songs have also been featured in TV series such as Gray's Anatomy, Big Love and Six Feet Under. She is fluent in English, Hebrew and French. Jardin d'Hiver, (the name translates to winter garden) can be found on her 2004 album Not Going Anywhere.

One of a Different Color: Golem and "My Horse"

For the next two weeks I will be in California helping care for my mom. However, because I am a fayner mensch, I have put together two weeks of random music to cover the daily song.

Today's random tune is from the band Golem and is called My Horse. A rock-klezmer band, Golem was created in 2000 in New York City by Annette Ezekiel Kogan, who serves as bandleader, vocalist and accordionist. The band describes their music as Eastern European Jewish folk-rock, and combines elements of rock, punk, and klezmer with lyrics in mainly English, Yiddish and Russian. The name of the band refers to the monster created out of clay to protect the Jewish people, and turned back to clay when it got out of control. The band calls themselves a collective monster that approaches traditional music with respect, but without timidity and resistance to change. My Horse can be found on Golem's 2014 CD Tanz.

All About That Brass: Raya Brass Band and ""Shapkarevo Kasapsko Oro"

B-Side | Raya Brass Band - "Shapkarevo Kasapsko Oro" from Brooklyn Independent Media on Vimeo.

It's all about that brass...the Raya Brass Band, that is. Started in 2008, this band calls itself "The Balkan Sound of NYC." The Raya Brass Band draws its musical inspiration from the Balkans, obviously, but also punk rock, out jazz and other international musical styles. This song, Shapkarevo Kasapsko Oro, can be found on their 2013 album This Train Is Now. The video is a live performance of the song.

Monk Sounds: Srikalogy and "Hey Govinda, Hey Gopal"

Our random tune today is from Srikalogy, which along with Srikala is the performing name of Srikala Kerel Roach, a DJ. MC, producer and percussionist who is the son of West Indian parents and who grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn. Influenced early by hip hop, reggae, dub, and R&B, he expanded his range to include rock, blues, pop and jazz. At 18 seeking to end a cycle of self-destructive behavior, he entered a monastic life at an ashram on the Lower East Side of New York City which was steeped in the Bhakti yoga tradition and transcendental sound vibration. He transitioned out of monastic life after 6 years and began studying audio engineering and began releasing albums in 2011. He has also collaborated with other groups, notably the Earthrise SoundSystem. He appears regularly in New York City with his jazz funk fusion band, The Flowdown, He seeks to bring hope and inspiration with his music, culminating in a message to appreciate and enjoy the beauty of life. This song, Hey Govinda, Hey Gopal can be found on his 2014 album Kirtan Sessions: Volume One.

It's Better in Spanish: The ValRays and "Yo Me Pregunto"

Sometimes things just sound better in another language. I often think that rap and hip hop sounds cool in French, and I have been pleasantly surprised when I hear Celtic songs in another language, like the Celtic songs in Italian performed by The Modena City Ramblers. There's also covers of famous songs by people in other countries - Bebel Gilberto covers Neil Young, Albert Pla covers Lou Reed, and the like. So it shouldn't come as a surprise when a song that seems like it is "American" just sounds good in another language.

In that vein, a little treat for you in the random tune department today. Yo Me Pregunto is a 1960s doo wop dittie by The ValRays. There isn't much about The ValRays on the internet, but I was able to glean that they were, surprisingly, a group of two white guys out of New York who released a string of records in the 1960s. Yo Me Pregunto (I Ask Myself) was originally written in English, but they liked the sound of the lyrics better in Spanish. Ironically, it became their biggest hit considering that all their other songs were in English. I think it was released as a single, so I couldn't find an album for it.

Globalquerque Video 8: Golem (Klezmer, United States)

Today's video captures a performance by klezmer band Golem from New York City, performing on the Plaza Mayor stage at the National Hispanic Cultural Center during Globalquerque 2014 on September 20th in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Golem was founded in 2000 by Annette Ezekial Kogan. They perform what they refer to as Eastern European folk punk, and their song are sung in Yiddish, English, and various Slavic languages. You can get a sense of their kinetic performance here.

I shot this on my Samsung Galaxy - good sound and video.