The San Francisco public radio station KALW now posts audio of recent shows online, including one of my favorites Africa Mix. Just go to http://www.kalw.org/music.html and click the name of the show. There are also some great blues, bluegrass, and folks shows. Not clear to me what Tangents or Music from Other Minds are all about…
Africa Mix also has a blog where they post upcoming concerts (I maintain an African Music calendar, and we link to one another), and view playlists:
NPR has a great report on the new album “I Speak Fula” from Bassekou Kouyaté and his band Ngoniba.
Kouyaté is a master of the West African fretless lute, the ngoni, which is hugely popular in traditional music all across Mali. I think that he’s doing for the ngoni what Toumani Diabate and a young generation of young players did for the kora: experiment, push the boundaries, incorporate new influences, and wow audiences around the world.
Update: Bassekou and band are playing a bunch of gigs in the US, sponsored partly by the National Endowment for the Arts. Thanks, federal government!
I just updated the SF Bay African Music Calendar with a bunch of upcoming shows from the local band Kalbass Kreyol. All of the shows are donating some portion of the proceeds to Haitian relief. What a great way to help out, have a good time, and maybe learn something about Haitian culture at the same time.
KALBASS KREYOL, led by Haitian-born frontman Sophis, is a high-energy Afro-Caribbean band that is best known in the Bay Area for its electrifying and uplifting live performances. Founded in 2005 by Haitian natives Sophis and Mr. G, the band grew out of the open mic scene in Alameda.
The band’s music is intently designed for dancing. At the center of their sound are elements of Haitian Kompa and Rara which are mélanged with particles of Merengue, Reggae, Salsa, Zouk, Rock and Funk to create an unusual rhythmic formula that keeps their audience glued to the dance floor.
Kalbass Kreyol is influenced by world music giants in the likes of Kassav from Guadeloupe, Tabou Combo from Haiti and the legendary Santana. Following in the footsteps of these giants, Kalbass Kreyol seems intent on taking their music and message to the four corners of the earth.
In light of the devastating earthquake to hit Haiti in January 2010, Kalbass Kreyol has committed itself to raising funds to benefit victims of this disaster. Come support Haiti’s recovery with Kalbass Kreyol—upcoming shows are entirely dedicated to this project, with all proceeds going to directly to relief efforts in Haiti.
I’ve just updated the SF Bay African Music Calendar with recently-announced concerts in the SF Jazz series. There are some great shows planned for this spring, including Tinariwen, Salif Keita, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Here’s a sample of the desert blues of Tinariwen.
Great music, true to its desert roots. I’ve heard their songs in the most unexpected places lately, including the film The End of Poverty.
