Down by the Bahia: Angélique Kidjo and "Bahia"

The legendary Angélique Kidjo sings the random tune for today, Bahia. A Grammy award winning singer-songwriter from Benin, Kidjo regularly makes world lists of notable and inspiring African women and as one of the world's greatest musicians. She is known for an astonishing variety of musical influences from diverse musical personalities and an array of genres. She sings in four languages (Fon, Yoruba, French and English) as well as her own personal language. After a childhood in Benin listening to traditional Beninese music as well as other world stars such as Fela Kuti, James Brown, Miriam Makeba, Jimi Hendrix, Hugh Masakela and Stevie Wonder, among others, she began her musical career in Benin before moving to Paris in 1983 where she was discovered and signed to a major label. She has put out at least 15 albums. She does various forms of advocacy for UNICEF, African girls' education, hunger and third world health, among other things. Bahia can be found on her 2002 album Black Ivory Soul, and on the compilation CD Putumayo Presents: Women of Africa (2004). This video is from a live performance at the Newport Jazz Festival. Bahia refers to the state in Brazil, where Kidjo teamed up with Brazilian and Afro-Brazilian musicians to write songs for the album.

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/Ang%C3%A9lique_Kidjo

Inner Space: Nataraj XT and "Space In..."

Today's song is by Nataraj XT, a French band known for its particular style of North Indian electronic music using traditional instruments such as the sitar, sarod and esraj. The band also incorporates rock and jazz. Formed in 1998, the band was discovered and won the "Electronic Talent" prize at the French music trade show Midem, released a pair of albums and toured across Europe and India. In 2007 their sitar player, Pierre Grimoud, died and the band released their last album, but in 2008 the remaining members decided to release an album with no sitar playing, and in 2012 they were asked to provide the music for a show called The Colour of Time, which was based on the Indian Holi festival. While not well known in France, they have gained more recognition abroad. This song, called Space In..., can be found on their 2003 album Ocean Birds, and on the 2005 various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: Asian Lounge.

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/Nataraj_XT

Near Johannesburg: Deepak Ram and "Night in Lenasia"

Deepak Ram brings us today's random tune, called Night in Lenasia. A flautist, composer, keyboardist and producer, Deepak Ram is from South Africa. Ram's grandparents were brought to South Africa to work on plantations, and he was born a second generation immigrant during the apartheid era - in fact his family's home was bulldozed by law when the Group Areas Act to implement racial segregation went into effect. He grew up in Sophiatown, a racially mixed area. His earliest musical influences were jazz and Bollywood music, and he created his own flute from a drainpipe. He later went to India and studied music under flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and the late Shri Suryakant Limaye, who bequeathed a collection of flutes to Ram. He has released six solo albums and has collaborated on others with musicians such as Taufiq Qureshi, Emam, Darius Brubeck, Ustad Tari Khan and Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri. You can find Night in Lenasia on his 1998 album Flute for Thought. The title refers to a former segregated township in South Africa.

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/Deepak_Ram

What is My Country: Yodé and Siro and "Quel Est Mon Pays?"

Our random song for today is by Yodé and Siro, a duo from the Ivory Coast that formed in 1999 in the capital of Abidjan. The duo play zouglou music, a dance oriented style of music that mixes other styles of music such as zouk, ragga and soca music. The music also usually carries social messages, sometimes humorous and sometimes political and often offering advice on life. You can find this song, Quel Est Mon Pays?, on the various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: African Beats (2013).

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://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yod%C3%A9_%26_Siro

You're Flawless: Emrah and "Kusursuzsun"

From Putumayo Presents: Turkish Groove (2006) comes today's random song by Emrah, a singer and actor of Kurdish origin. A pop star in Turkey from the age of 13, Emrah became known for Arabesk songs that were high on sentimentality and themes of grief and suffering. He was the first Turkish artist to fill the Inönü Stadium in Istanbul (50,000 seats), has appeared over two dozen films and has been in nine television series, including some in the leading role. As he grew older, his pop became lighter and this song, Kusursuzsun (Acoustic Version) is an example, which first appeared on his album of the same name in 2004. The lyrics say "Believe me, you're perfect, you make me wild. It is impossible to say no to you. What kind of being are you? My soul is shaking."

Here is Emrah's music video that goes with the non-acoustic version of the song.



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/Emrah_(singer), Putumayo Presents: Turkish Groove liner notes

This Girl: Martial and "Cette Fille"

Martial Tricoche, a French musician, rapper, singer, solo artist and the leader of the group Manau, brings us today's random tune called Cette Fille. From Saint-Denis, Martial formed the hip hop and slam group Manau with Cédric Soubiron after becoming inspired by Celtic stories and legends. He has also done his own solo work. I couldn't find much more on him that doesn't intermingle with Manau, which has won many awards and is now over 20 years old. You can find Cette Fille as a 2003 single and on the various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: Euro Groove (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.

Source: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martial_Tricoche

Forgive Me: Ana Costa and Oswaldo Cavalo with "Pra Que Pedir Perdão"

Today's random tune is by Ana Costa.  A singer of samba, the lively Brazilian music that provided the basis for bossa nova, Ana Costa is one of the newer voices carrying the samba torch. She started in rough bars in a region just north of Rio de Janeiro, and was one of the founders of the all-female samba group Roda de Saia, later known as O Roda. She joined Martinho Da Vila's daughter Mart'nalia in a band and toured Brazil, the US and Europe, and began eventually to write songs.  This song, Pra Que Pedir Perdão, can be found with just her voice on her 2005 album Meu Carnaval, and this version with Oswaldo Cavalo, about whom I couldn't find much information, on the various artists compilation album Putumayo Presents: Brazilian Cafe (2009).

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: http://www.thenewblackmagazine.com/view.aspx?index=2324

Release: Natalie MacMaster and "Catharsis"

Natalie MacMaster plays today's random tune, called Catharsis. A fiddler from Novia Scotia, Canada who plays music steeped in the roots of traditional Cape Breton music, Natalie MacMaster comes from a musical pedigree which includes her uncle Buddy MacMaster and cousin Ashley MacIsaac, as well as a distant familial relationship with Jack White. She began playing fiddle at age nine and by sixteen she had released her first album. Originally concentrating only on Cape Breton music, she has expanded her repertoire to include music from Scotland, Ireland and American bluegrass. She has been named a member of the Order of Canada, has won many awards for her music, and has collaborated and toured with musicians such as The Chieftains, Faith Hill, Carlos Santana, Alison Krauss and Yo-Yo Ma. You can find Catharsis on her 1997 album No Boundaries, and on the various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: Celtic Tides.

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/Natalie_MacMaster

When Carnival Comes: Marcia Salomon and "Quando o Carnaval Chegar"

Today's tune is called Quando o Carnaval Chegar, and is performed by Marcia Salomon, a bossa nova singer from Brazil who began her music career in the 1970s but didn't record her first album until 1990 after being discovered singing in a bar by guitarist Roberto Menescal. She has since released four albums. Quando o Carnaval Chegar was first recorded by the great Brazilian singer and composer Chico Buarque and is an ode to the life and spirit that is released during Carnival time. You can find this cover on Salomon's 1997 album De Lalá Pra Cá, and on the 2009 various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: Brazilian Café.

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://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A1rcia_Salomon, Putumayo Brazilian Café liner notes

Yuya's Soup: Edesio and "El Sopón de Yuya"

From one of Cuba's foremost composers of electronic music comes today's random tune. El Sopón de Yuya is by Edesio Alejandro Rodríguez Salva, also simply known as Edesio, who composes electronic music for film and whose 1987 composition Violente is considered the first Latin American rock opera. His music is considered eclectic, fusing Cuban rumba and conga with rap, funk, soul and hip hop. You can find El Sopón de Yuya on his 2003 album Cubatronix, and on the 2004 various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: World Groove.

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/Edesio_Alejandro

Heal to This: Hardstone and "Uhiki [Pinye's Remix]"

Today's random tune is sampled from Marvin Gaye's Sexual Healing and is called Uhiki [Pinye's Remix]. The song is performed by Kenyan musician Hardstone, who was at the top of Kenya's music scene in the late 1990s, and has since moved to the United States and started his own independent record label, Stone Island Entertainment. Hardstone's music blends ragga, reggae, and hip hop, and he is multilingual, singing in English, Swahili and Kikuyu. He is considered a pioneer of Kenya's urban music scene, and he is the first East African musician to be signed by Atlantic Records. You can find Uhiki, both his original version and Pinye's Remix, on his 1997 debut album Nuting but de Stone. Uhiki [Pinye's Remix] can also be found on the various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: African Groove (2003).

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/Hardstone_(musician)

Not Me in the Morning: Mungal with Nitin Sawhney and "Awake"

Today's random tune is called Awake and is by Mungal and Nitin Sawhney. Mungal is an Indian-Trinidadian musician who was born into a musical family and learned instruments, such as the harmonium, dholak and dhantal, from the age of 8. He also played clarinet, taught himself the mandolin, and at twenty-seven, he took up the sitar and practiced secretly for eight years. After revealing himself as a sitar player, he took first prize in a competition. In his 40s, he turned from Indian classical music to Indo-Trinidadian jazz-calypso. He is teamed up on Awake with Nitin Sawhney, a British-Indian musician, producer and composer. Combining Asian and other themes with jazz and electronica, he explores themes of multiculturalism, politics and spirituality. As a child, Sawhney studied piano, classical and flamenco guitar and tabla. After meeting up with acid-jazz keyboardist James Taylor and joining his quartet, he also began working with tabla player Talvin Singh and formed the Tihai Trio. After dropping out of school, Sawhney formed the comedy group The Secret Asians with friend Sanjeev Bhaskar and developed the award winning BBC comedy show Goodness Gracious Me. After, he refocused on music and released his debut album in 1993. He has released nine albums, has contributed scores for stage, screen, television and video games, and has remixed a wide variety of artists including Sting, Jeff Beck and Paul McCartney. Awake can be found on Mungal's album Dreadlocks (2000) and on the 2002 various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: Asian Groove.

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: http://www.wrasserecords.com/Mungal_42/biography.html; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitin_Sawhney;

Love Letter to Paris: Paris Combo and "Lettre A P..."

Paris Combo brings us today's random tune, called Lettre A P.... An indie band from Paris, France whose roots began in 1992 with performances in a revue by lead singer Belle du Berry, drummer Francois-Francois and guitarist Potzi at the Albertville Winter Olympic Games, the group began performing as Paris Combo starting in 1995 in cafes and on barges along the Seine. They take their influences from influences as varied as French singer Arletty from the 1930s, the Surrealist movement, and later influences like The B-52s, and incorporate different styles such as ska and Latin music. You can find Lettre A P... on their 2005 album Attraction and on the 2006 various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: Paris. The song is a love letter to Paris.

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/Paris_Combo

Beauty in the Dark: A Peace of Ebony and "Vadzimu"

Today's song is by Zimbabwean group A Peace of Ebony, entitled Vadzimu. A Peace of Ebony was a group of five musicians, all young, talented and innovative who were led by rapper/activist Herbert Schwamborn. They were especially influential on young Zimbabwean performers. In 1994, after winning the prestigious Radio France International Discoveries prize, the members went their own ways, with their lead singer, Chiwoniso, going on to front her own band. Vadzimu has multi-lingual lyrics and encourages Africans to celebrate and assert their cultural identities. You can find Vadzimu on the 2003 compilation Putumayo Presents: African Groove.

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/Herbert_Schwamborn; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiwoniso_Maraire

Zydeco Birthday: Keith Frank & the Soileau Zydeco Band with "Co Fa"

Today's random song is dedicated to my spouse and partner in crime, Megan Kamerick, for it's her birthday today. Co Fa is a Louisiana zydeco song, but it almost sounds like it has a reggae feel. Co Fa is by Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band. Frank is a native of Louisiana, and started his Soileau Zydeco Band in 1990. They have put out thirteen studio albums and one live album. Co Fa first appeared on Keith Frank & The Soileau Zydeco Band's Live at Slim's Y-Ki-Ki album (1999) and can be found on Putumayo World Music's 2000 compilation CD Zydeco.

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: http://www.keithfrank.com/

Dance It Up: Burning Flames and "Ooh Yah Yah"

Today's random tune is by Burning Flames from Antigua and Barbuda. A soca band that is influenced by calypso, reggae, ragga, funk, and zouk, Burning Flames was formed by three brothers and their nephew in St. John's, Antigua in 1984. The band was immensely influential on the development of soca in the Caribbean, pioneering and popularizing the use of the drum machine, digital sampler, electronic drums and other emerging music technologies and techniques, and even had a influential effect on soca in the country of its birth, Trinidad & Tobago. The band won many soca competitions, but suffered its share of tragedy with the death of a founding member and with other members leaving. This song, Ooh Yah Yah, can be found on the 1994 various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: The Best of World Music-World Dance Party.

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/Burning_Flames

Jazz-a-Rama: Susheela Raman and "Nagumomo"

Today's song is by acclaimed British/Indian musician Susheela Raman. Raman's parents are Tamil from southern India who emigrated to London in the mid-60s, where Raman was born, then moved to Australia. Steeped in South Indian classical music because her parents were committed to keeping Tamil culture alive, Raman gave recitals and eventually started her own band concentrating on funk and rock & roll. She later moved into music based more on blues and jazz, then traveled to India to rediscover her music roots and explore Carnatic music. Returning to London, she began working with partner Sam Mills on ways to bridge Indian music with a wider Western audience. She released her first album in 2001, and has recorded five more since then. This song, Nagumomo, can be found on her debut album, Salt Rain, released in 2001. You can also find it on the various artists compilation CD Putumayo Presents: India (2009). The original song was written by South Indian mystic and poet-composer Thyagaraja and is a devotional to the Hindu deity Rama. Raman reinterprets the song in a jazz style. A nice bonus on this video is that she is joined on the song by Algerian artist Cheb Mami.

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/Susheela_Raman

Get Up: Nawal and "Hima"

Today's random tune is by Nawal, a musician from Comoros. 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, Hima, was first released on the 2004 various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: Women of Africa, and can also be found on 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.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nawal, http://www.nawali.com/

More Than Anything: Bab & Rolando 808 with "Mas Que Nada (Melodic Side Remix)"

Mas Que Nada (Melodic Side Remix) is the title of our random tune for today. Performed by Bab & Rolando 808, the tune features the voice of respected Brazilian singer Rolando Farias, who now lives in Paris and teamed up with African DJ Alioume Ba to cover this tune. The song was originally written by Brazilian legend Jorge Ben but was made famous by Sergio Mendes and Brazil '66. The song is a celebration of the samba. Mas Que Nada (Melodic Side Remix) can be found on the compilation CD Putumayo Presents: Brazilian Groove (2003).

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/Jorge_Ben_Jor; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A9rgio_Mendes

Carnatic Connection: Bombay Jayashri and "Zara Zara"

Today's song is called Zara Zara and is performed by Indian vocalist Bombay Jayashri. A vocalist in the Carnatic tradition, as well as a music composer, violinist and an Academy Award nominee, Jayashri was raised in a Tamil family in Mumbai and began her music learning at an early age. She has participated in artistic dialogues and exchanges with other artists in music and dance, and she has also done collaboration across cultures with artists such as Egyptian singer Hisham Abbas and Senegalese singer Thione Seck. She also participated in an Indo-Finnish collaboration where she sang ancient poems from Sangam literature. Her Academy Award nomination came from her music on Ang Lee's The Life of Pi. She also believes in the healing power of music and has been working with institutions in Tamil Nadu that serve autistic children. You can find Zara Zara on the 2009 various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: India.

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/El%C3%A4kel%C3%A4iset