A Band Without a Country: Banda Crebinsky and "Pui! Pui! Pui!"

A very happy birthday to Mari Hess on this May 26th. Today's random tune is called Pui! Pui! Pui! and is performed by Banda Crebinsky, a band that imagines itself as an escapee from an imaginary film in an imaginary universe. Their music, styled as "eclectic fool" or "popular music of a non-existent country," is yet high energy and very polished. Banda Crebinsky hails from Spain, and Pui! Pui! Pui! can be found on their 2011 album Crebinsky.

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://www.womex.com/virtual/mare/banda_crebinsky

A Free Galician in Paris: Carlos Núñez and "Un Galicien Libre à Paris"

Carlos Núñez Muñoz, a Spanish/Galician musician who usually goes by the name Carlos Núñez, brings us the random tune for today. A multi-instrumentalist, he plays the gaita, the Galician bagpipe, Galician flute, ocarina, Irish flute, whistle and low whistle. He was born in Vigo, Spain and began to play bagpipes at eight. He met Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains in his late teens and performed with the band, becoming known as the band's 7th member, as well as appearing with them on their album Santiago which focused on Galician music. He continues to tour, play in large and small venues and release recordings. This song, called Un Galicien Libre à Paris, can be found on his 2003 album Galicien en Bretagne, though we heard it first on his 2014 album Inter-Celtic.

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/Carlos_N%C3%BA%C3%B1ez_Mu%C3%B1oz

She Can Be Much Worse: Goran Bregović and Bebe with "Vino Tinto"

A collaboration between the Balkans and Spain lies behind our random tune for today. The song is called Vino Tinto, and it is performed by Bosnian musician Goran Bregović with vocals by Spanish singer, songwriter and actress Bebe. A guitarist, Goran Bregović grew up in a divided family after his Croatian father and Serbian mother divorced due to his father's alcoholism. Bregović originally started music on the violin, but was deemed untalented. In high school he took up bass guitar, and eventually became a member of a number of bands, in particular the rock band Bijelo Dugme where he was lead guitar and the main creative force. When that band began to experience troubles, he entered the world of film music as well as embarking on a solo career where he collaborated with musicians such as Sezen Aksu and George Dalaras. His music was featured extensively on the film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. He also tours with his Weddings and Funerals Orchestra, which features small (10 member) and large (37 member) versions. His musical style is based on themes found in countries as varied as Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Romania, Serbia, Albania, Italy and Turkey, as well as Romani music. He combines these themes with popular music, traditional polyphonic music, tango and brass band sounds. Bebe is best known for her Latin Grammy award as Best New Artist in 2005 and her hit singles Malo and Ella. You can find Vino Tinto on Bregović's 2017 album Three Letters from Sarajevo (Opus 1). The song is the defiance of a woman about to leave her partner.

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/Goran_Bregovi%C4%87">Goran Bregović; https://www.goranbregovic.rs/; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bebe_(singer)

No Hay Nada que Yo Pueda Hacer: Hermanos Calatrava and "Space Oddity"

We have a literal oddity for our random tune of the day - in the form of a cover of David Bowie's Space Oddity by the Spanish brothers, comedians, parodists and singers Manuel García Lozano (Manolo) and Francisco García Lozano (Paco) who go by the name of Hermanos Calatrava. They got their start in 1952 on the SER channel of Radio Extremadura, and then performed in a club from 1955 through 1980. They also were part of a program on Radio Barcelona, and originally were a serious musical duo. However, during one performance Paco lost his voice, leading to audience laughter and a new direction in the brothers' careers. Paco was well known for Mick Jagger impersonations as he had a slight resemblance to the singer. He was also known as the ugly one, while Manolo was considered to be the serious singer and was also called the handsome one or the least ugly one. You can find Space Oddity on the various artists compilation Spanish Bizarro: Recopilación Psicotrónica para Mentes Infames (2001) and on the 2015 reissue Hermanos Calatrava: Canciones Infantiles para Adultos.

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://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermanos_Calatrava

Papa Loves Mambo: Carlos Núñez and "Mambo"

Today's random tune is by Carlos Núñez Muñoz, a Spanish/Galician musician who usually goes by the name Carlos Núñez. A multi-instrumentalist, he plays the gaita, the Galician bagpipe, Galician flute, ocarina, Irish flute, whistle and low whistle. He was born in Vigo, Spain and began to play bagpipes at eight. He met Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains in his late teens and performed with the band, becoming known as the band's 7th member, as well as appearing with them on their album Santiago which focused on Galician music. He continues to tour, play in large and small venues and release recordings. This instrumental, called Mambo, can be found on his 2014 album Inter-Celtic.

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/Carlos_N%C3%BA%C3%B1ez_Mu%C3%B1oz

Dark and Mysterious: Gitanosoy and "Gipsy Dance"

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.

Salsamuffin: Sergent Garcia and "Mi Ultima Voluntad"

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.

Moor Music: Aromates and "Ritournelles"

Today's tune is by the French ensemble Aromates and its leader and percussionist Michèle Claude. The ensemble fuses the ancient and contemporary, uses old and new instruments, and explores into gypsy and Cuban rhythms and jazz in its music. It's first album, Jardin des Myrtes (Garden of Myrtles - 2005), features traditional Arab-Andalusian songs played by the musicians on traditional instruments. The music takes you straight back to an Umayyad court in Spain - you might even be in the presence of the Caliph himself. Today's tune, Ritournelles can be found as the 8th track on Jardin des Myrtes.

Pretty Songs: Depedro and "Miguelito"

Depedro brings us the random tune for today, called Miguelito. A longtime Spanish session musician, founding member of the rock band La Vacazul and soul band 3000 Hombres, Depedro (also known as Jairo Zavala) also performed with the band Calexico in their live shows, Zavala recruited Calexico as his backing band for his debut album Depedro and recorded the bulk of the album in Tucson, Arizona in 2007. Depedro was released as a CD in 2009. The album's songs are influenced by Mexican music, rumba, son, African music, reggae, blues and salsa among other world sounds. You can find Miguelito on that album.

Transforming: Albert Pla and "El Lado Mas Bestia de la Vida"

For today's random tune, we have a cover of a Lou Reed classic. Albert Pla is a Spanish performer who sings in both Spanish and Catalan. He swings from controversial music to music that is very whimsical. His songs often touch on the choices between participation or leaving, whether that involves a relationship with a girlfriend, deciding who owns a piece of property, choosing to participate in a radical political group with a terrorist agenda. He is also an actor, having acted in films and on stage and his song Suffer Like Me is on the soundtrack of Pedro Almodóvar's movie Live Flesh. This song, El Lado Mas Bestia de la Vida is on Pla's 1995 album Assumes Fonollosa and can also be found on Putumayo's Cover the World compilation album (2003).

Imaginary Worlds: Banda Crebinsky and "Pui! Pui! Pui!"

Today's random tune is called Pui! Pui! Pui! and is performed by Banda Crebinsky, a band that imagines itself as an escapee from an imaginary film in an imaginary universe. Their music, styled as "eclectic fool" or "popular music of a non-existent country," is yet high energy and very polished. Banda Crebinsky hails from Spain, and Pui! Pui! Pui! can be found on their 2011 album Crebinsky.

Basque-ing in the Music: Kepa Junkera and "Arin Québec"

The random tune for today is by Kepa Junkera, a Basque musician who is a master of the diatonic accordion called the trikitixa. He has recorded more than 20 albums, and in 2004 won a Latin Grammy when his album K was voted best folk album. This song, Arin Québec, can be found on his 1999 album Bilbao 00:00h.

Moor Music: Françoise Atlan, Mohammed Briouel and L'Orchestre Arabo-Andalou de Fes with "La Mujer - Soubhana"

Today's song is by Françoise Atlan, a French singer born into a Sephardic Jewish family. She undertook musical studies, eventually finishing with degrees from St. Etienne and Aix-en-Provence conservatories. She has a natural voice, and is known for singing "nawbas" usually reserved for male singers. She has performed solo and in groups, notably with the group Aksak that concentrated on Turkish, Greek and Armenian songs. As a solo artist, she is considered one of the best performers of Sephardic romance songs. She is joined on the recording by Mohammed Briouel and his L'Orchestre Arabo-Andalou de Fes. Briouel is a Moroccan musician who focuses on Arab-Muslim music and Sephardic music. You can find this song, La Mujer - Soubhana, on the 2003 album Andalussyat, which explores the different types of music in Andalusia in Moorish Spain.

Must be Some Girl: Paco de Lucía and Ricardo Modrego with "La Niña de Puerta Oscura"

We have some flamenco for today's random tune, called La Niña de Puerta Oscura, as performed by the great Paco De Lucía and Ricardo Modrego. Paco de Lucía was a Spanish flamenco guitarist, composer and producer who was a leading proponent of the nuevo flamenco movement in Spain and helped legitimize it. Ricardo Modrego was a Spanish flamenco guitarist who recorded three albums with a young Paco de Lucía. This song was first released on the album 12 Éxitos para 2 Guitarras Flamencas (1965) by Ricardo Modrego and Paco de Lucía, and was released on the movie soundtrack to The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) Note: We had a tune by Paco de Lucía just a couple of weeks ago. Ordinarily I don't play two tunes in a month by the same artist, but since this was a duo I felt it was different enough.

Drowning in Flamenco: Paco de Lucia and "Entre Dos Aguas"

Today's random tune is an instrumental called Entre Dos Aguas. It is performed by Paco de Lucia, who was a virtuoso flamenco guitarist composer and producer from Spain who was a leading proponent of the nuevo flamenco style. He was well known for his fast picados (fingerstyle runs) and juxtaposing picados and rasgueados (flamenco strumming) with more sensitive styling. He also added jazz influences that put him on the leading edge of nuevo flamenco and flamenco-jazz fusion in the 1970s. He died at age 66 of a heart attack in 2014. He has been called by Richard Chapman and Eric Clapton "a titanic figure in the world of flamenco guitar" and by Dennis Coster "one of history's greatest guitarists." You can find Entre Dos Aguas on de Lucia's 1986 album of the same name.

Spanish Celtic: Carlos Núñez and "Tro Breizh (Danzas Macabras)"

Today's random tune is by Spanish/Galician musician Carlos Núñez Muñoz, who usually goes by Carlos Núñez. A multi-instrumentalist, he plays the gaita, the Galician bagpipe, Galician flute, ocarina, Irish flute, whistle and low whistle. He was born in Vigo, Spain and began to play bagpipes at eight. He met Paddy Maloney of The Chieftains in his late teens and performed with the band, becoming known as the band's 7th member, as well as appearing with them on their album Santiago which focused on Galician music. He continues to tour, play in large and small venues and release recordings. This video is of a live performance of his Tro Breizh (Danzas Macabras), which can be found on his 2014 album Inter-Celtic.

Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner: El Naan and "Charro del Marinero y la Estrella"

El Naan is a band from the Castilian region of Spain. Starting from a base of Castilian regional music, they connect the music with other roots music from all over the world. This rollicking song, Charro del Marinero y la Estrella, is from their 2015 album Código de Barros, a crowd-funded effort which explores the different influences in Spanish music, including Celtic, Arabic and musics from the Americas, Africa and the Far East that went forth from Spain and came back again.

Between Worlds: Aromates and Michele Claude with "S'eloigner de Moi"

Aromates, which gives us our tune today, is the ensemble put together by Michele Claude, a French percussionist. Their music straddles both time and space, sitting between Occident and Orient, traditional and modern, composition and improvisation. This song, S'eloigner de Moi, comes from the 2005 Aromates album Jardin de Myrtes, which explored Arab-Andalusian music of the 9th through the 19th centuries.

Bag It Up: Cristina Pato and "Jota de Pontevedra"

Our random song today is by Cristina Pato. Pato is a Galician pianist, composer and also the first Galician female bagpiper in Spain to record a solo album. She holds a doctorate of Musical Arts in Collaborative Piano, and degrees in piano performance and music theory from the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu in Barcelona. She has collaborated with artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Silk Road Ensemble, Arturo O'Farrill, The Chieftains, Paquito D'Rivera, The World Orchestra, Damian Woetzel, Lil Buck, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Osvaldo Golijov and has been guest artist in more than 20 recordings. This song, Jota de Pontevedra, is from her 2013 album Migrations.

Backup No More: Depedro and "Equivocado"

Spanish musician Depedro, also known as Jairo Zavala, brings our random tune for today called Equivocado. A longtime session musician, founding member of the rock band La Vacazul and soul band 3000 Hombres, he also performed with the band Calexico in their live shows, Zavala recruited Calexico as his backing band for his debut album Depedro and recorded the bulk of the album in Tuscon, Arizona in 2007. Depedro was released as a CD in 2009. The album's songs are influenced by Mexican music, rumba, son, African music, reggae, blues and salsa among other world sounds.