6 June 2012, World Cafe

1 Zinja Hlungwani – Ntombi ya mugaza (Honest Jons)

From the collection “Shangaan Electro” which came out in 2010.

2 Burnt Friedman – Burnt Friedman Meets Zinja Hlungwani (Honest Jons)

From Tzaneen, Limpopo, via Joburg and London to Berlin - Burnt Friedman’s rewiring of the Zinja Hlungwani tune “Ntombi ya mugaza”. All this is under the auspices of London based label Honest Jon’s which in 2010 saw fit to release a bunch of Richard “Dog” Mthetwa’s fast, cheap and nasty, but ultimately charming productions of Shangaan electronica and caused a global sensation. Honest Jon’s commissioned this radical reworking, and several others from some top-drawer international techno/electro soundsmiths – the remixes are released on a double disk, “Shangaan Shake”.

3 James Makhubelo & the Nhlalukweni Sisters – Salani va chiawelo (Fast Move)

Shangaan music has been evolving for centuries. Thanks to the blog Electric Jive, the go-to website for South African music, I can bring you a moment of that history from 1977 – unencumbered by the modern trappings of a drum kit and electric bass – from the collection “Nkulungwani wa nwalungu vol 1”.

4 Thomas Mapfumo & the Blacks Unlimited – Nyati (Afro Soul)

From the mid 70s that was “Nyati”, the B-side of an early single by Thomas Mapfumo, with his backing band of the time, the Blacks Unlimited. Mapfumo and his guitarist Jonah Sithole were forming the modern Chimurenga sound by building onto a skeleton of Shona traditional music. I also got that from a post on Electric Jive.

5 Batida – Tribalismo (featuring Circuito Feixado) Soundway

Angolan/Portuguese DJ Mpula aka Pedro Cequenao with a combination of kuduro (Angola’s equivalent of kwaito) and 70s Angolan latin-infused folk psychedelia.

6 Rocket Juice & The Moon – Follow Fashion (featuring Fatoumata Diawara & M.anifest) (Honest Jons)

Heading back to the future, Rocket Juice & The Moon is a kind of supergroup built around the drumming of veteran afro-beat legend, Tony Allen, with Flea from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Britrocker Damon Albarn. Mark Ernestus, who also features on “Shangaan Shake”, produces and there are a bunch of luminaries as guests.

7 Jenny Scheinman – Ali Farke Touche (Self Produced)

American violinist, Jenny Sheinman’s tribute to Ali Farka Toure. In her band are Nels Cline, the guitarist from Wico, Todd Sickafoose, the bassist from Ani Difranco and Jim Black, who’s a fairly well known jazz drummer. It’s from Scheinman’s 2012 album “Mischief & Mayhem”.

8 Amadou Diagne – Yaro (World Music Network)

From Mali via NYC, to Senegal. Here is a wonderful percussionist, guitarist and kora player who World Music Network have brought out on their “Introducing …” imprint, which they use to break usually great musicians that are well-known in their local areas onto the international stage. Amadou Diagne is from a griot family and has played in the Senegal National Band for decades. “Yaro” is sung in Wolof, and is a kind of restrained version of Mbalax.

9 Emel Mathlouthi – Ma ikit (Not found) (World Village)

From Tunisian Emel Mathlouthi’s celebratory album "Kelmti Horra" (“My Word is Free”), which came out during or shortly after the uprising there. Arab melodies, trip-hoppy rhythms and Bulgarian choral chanting … a bit much, but it kind of works …

10 Googoosh – Pishkesh (Finders Keepers)

Although not a Middle Eastern pro-democracy activist like Emel Mathouthi, veteran singer Googoosh’s songs have become anthems for international Iranian communities. Her songs were banned after the revolution, her records were destroyed and some of her recordings are reportedly lost forever. Finders Keepers have dug out some of the more obscure tracks that are still around – the collection is called “Googoosh”.

11 Ahmad Al-Harazi – Amsi sameer al-nojoom

Oud player and singer, Ahmad Al-Harazi, from Yemen off a wonderful collection of local music styles in the 60s and 70s out on Parlotone called “Qat, Coffee & Qambus: Raw 45s from Yemen”.

12 Yemen Blues – Jat Mahibati (LevGroup)

The Israeli band Yemen Blues under the leadership of Yemenite singer Ravid Kahalani, off their very fine debut album called “Yemen Blues”.

13 Debo Band – Aderetch Arada (Buda Musique)

According to their website, Debo Band is a “Boston-based 11-member group led by Ethiopian-American saxophonist Danny Mekonnen and fronted by charismatic vocalist Bruck Tesfaye”. They’re also flavour of the month on the festival circuit and about to release their debut LP on the ultratrendy Seattle-based label, Subpop.

Hopefully you can hear the connections between Ethiopian and Yemeni music – Yemen is a stone’s throw from the East Coast of Africa and the resonances are ethnomusicologically recognized. I got that Debo Band track off Ethopiques’ latest collection “Various Artists: Noise & Chill Out: Ethiopian Groove Worldwide” – a collection of non-Ethiopian bands playing Ethiopian music ... there’ll be much more from that double album in later shows.

14 Dub Colossus – Stop! In the name of dub (Real World)

One of the bands on the “Noise & Chillout” collection is Dub Colossus. Nick Page, the driving force in Dub Colossus, has released an album of dub-enhanced versions of some of their tunes, with brand new pieces thrown in. The LP’s called “Dub me tender”.

15 Lee Perry & the Upsetters – Natural Dub (Exclusive dub plate mix) (Pressure Drop)

Off the collection of rarities recorded in the Black Ark from the 70s, “The Return of Sound System Scratch on the label Pressure Drop”.

16 Little Axe – Garfield Elementary (On-U Sound)

From Pressure Drop’s sister label, off Skip McDonald’s latest, “If you want loyalty get a dog”.

17 The Happyland Singers – I’ll Fly Away (Excelsior Recordings)

Apparently the earliest recorded version of this 1920’s gospel song is by the Selah Jubilee Singers made in 1941. The Happyland Singers’ version can’t be much younger than that. It’s from a collection of 78 RPMs called incongruously, “Blue Flamingo – Congo Jazz”, which was brought out by the Dutch label, Excelsior Recordings, and includes American hot jazz and gospel and Congolese rumba.

18 James Booker – Slowly but surely (AVES)

Clearly influenced by Professor Longhair, James Booker from New Orleans with his own song, “Slowly but surely”. That was recorded live in Hamburg in 1976. Booker started his career in the 50s, and sessioned for the greats from the early rock n roll New Orleans scene: Fats Domino, Smiley Lewis and Lloyd Price.

19 Dr John – Revolution (Nonesuch)

Another great pianist from New Orleans of the same generation is Dr John or Mac Rebennack (born 1940), in fact Rebennack and James Booker shared backing bands at some point. Dr John is still going strong and, as I mentioned last month, is having a major revival. His latest record, “Locked Down”, is produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, who encouraged Rebennack to write material onsite in the studio which was then more or less workshopped with a sterling group of musicians. Here’s “Revolution”, on which he plays the Wurlitzer organ.

20 MAKU Sound System – Si Las Balas (own label)

MAKU Sound System from NYC with one of their own songs “Si Las Balas”, off their fine self-released album available on Bandcamp, “Makumbala”.

21 Los Corraleros De Majagual – El Ascensor (Vampisoul)

A couple of years ago the reissue label Vampisoul brought out a 2 CD collection of Afro-Columbian stuff culled from the more oddball side of the late 60s and 70s catalogue of the label Discos Fuentes.

22 Andrew Bird – Orpheo looks back (Mom & Pop)

American fiddler, whistler and singer-songwriter Andrew Bird’s amazing hybrid music – I’m definitely hearing Irish music in there, perhaps some Cajun fiddle and loads of other stuff too. It’s from his latest album, “Break it yourself”.

23 Gerry Diver – My Margeret (One Fine Day)

Irish fiddler Gerry Diver, who also plays viola, hammer dulcimer, whistle and guitar, released a fascinating record in 2011 that he calls the “Speech Project”. He’s basically taken conversations with some great Irish musicians like Shane MacGowan, Christy Moore and Martin Hayes and set them to music. “My Margaret” is a very moving one with the legendary singer and banjo player, Margaret Barry, who died in 1989, talking about her mother.

24 Martin Simpson – Jamie Foyers (Topic)

Martin Simpson on guitar off his latest “Purpose and Grace”, backing the seriously wonderful Scottish singer, Dick Gaughan, who is a fine guitarist in his own right, on a traditional song. The beautiful pedal steel is by the English player, B J Cole.

25 Alasdair Roberts & Mairi Morrison – Mile Marbhphaisg Air A Ghaol (Drag City)

The Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist Alasdair Roberts has a new album out – an event always anticipated in my part of the world, and this one does not disappoint. He’s teamed up with the Gaelic singer Mairi Morrison (from the Isle of Lewis off the North coast of Scotland) and come up with a very varied album. It’s called “Urstan”, and the opener is a Pentangle-like folk-jazz affair with a title that translates as “A thousand curses on love”.

26 Warsaw Village Band – Traditional Rural Polka (World Village)

From “People’s Spring” which came out in 2003. The Warsaw Village Band’s mission is preserving traditional peasant music from Poland by seeking out and recording older musicians, and incorporating old melodies into new settings.

27 Fanfare Ciocarlia – I’m your gummy bear (Asphalt Tango)

The theme song from the esteemed TV show - “I’m your gummy bear” – by the Romanian brass band, from the album “Balkan Brass Battle”.

28 The Klezmatics – Man in a hat (Xenophile Records)

From “Jews with horns”, one of the first albums in the current klezmer revival. Lorin Sklamberg, who many believe to the best Yiddish singer around, does the vocals.

29 Steven Bernstein – Dybbuk Dub (Tzadik)

Trumpeter and slide trumpeter, Steven Bernstein’s dubbed up version of the traditional tune “Dybbuk”, out on the Tzadik release “Diaspora Soul”. Professor Is-Rea provides the dubbery.