African Saturdays

[johncorrigan]

I was watching the rather excellent concert footage of David Byrne in Union Chapel on BBC4 last night. Towards the end he sang the song 'Ausencia' and I went looking for the Cesária Évora, and Goran Bregović version and found this nice bit of tango. It's sort of triangular between Africa, South America and Europe - perfect fit for a global African Saturday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDEbkme11Gg

[Globaltruth]

That's a lovely video JC as well as great to hear Cesária Évora again. Extreme tango I would say though...

Another excellent track by Abel Selaocoe
Voices of Bantu:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNqEueXoKLs

[johncorrigan]

Orchestra Baobab have been out on the road celebrating fifty years of Baobab, and they've got a song out called '50 Ans'. Happy African Saturday to a truly wonderful band.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POglYsYMKjM

[johncorrigan]

Sahra Halgan from Somalia with 'Sharaf', a version of Somalian desert blues from what I can hear - she's got a very fine groove going there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbuTyMqe4yU&t=22s

[johncorrigan]

Cameroon's Manu Dibango with his great disco hit 'Soul Makosa'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF92yOsv3Y8

[johncorrigan]

There's a wonderful clip of the great Malian bluesmen, Boubacar Traore and Ali Farka Toure, that has turned up on these pages a number of times over the years:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4-uq8cTF7o

Ever vigilant, I didn't notice till this week that it came from a film called 'I'll Sing for You', a documentary made in 2002 and following Boubacar's life since his days as a rocker in the early sixties, known then as KarKar. I found the doc mesmerising as Boubacar returns to his home after time spent in France and we get a glimpse of many parts of the Country...Mopti, Timbuktu, Doggon among others Some prices quoted to buy the film were rather prohibitive, and then I found it on Vimeo. It's just over an hour long - I loved it!

https://vimeo.com/210436599

[Globaltruth]

VIMEO is a right old treasure trove ....thanks JC. Will check it out.

[johncorrigan]

We went to a gig in Edinburgh on Friday night - the wonderful Pokey LaFarge. I had almost forgotten him. Mrs C and I saw him in St Andrews over ten years ago - anyway he was terrific. Between when the support act went off and Pokey and his band appeared there was music playing - I absolutely loved this and managed to shazam it before it went off - from South Africa, I believe. 'Tau Special' by The Movers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1ykDDzF5pc

[johncorrigan]

No countdown to 'Music Planet' on Radio 3 today, for some reason, so thought I would dip back into Joe Boyd's choices on MP last week and offer Dudu Pukwana and the Spears as count up to an African Saturday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz6Xj-o6AEo

[johncorrigan]

South Africa's West Nikosi's 'Marabi Kwela' came on in the car yesterday - fantastic African Saturday fare.

https://youtu.be/u7MOSmbQCpI?si=u2ISzYThqFKiCCwZ

[johncorrigan]

There was a queue in the post offce in Alyth the other day - well a queue of packages anyway...just one guy. Thinks 'I'll have a wee run down to the chazza and see if there are any delights to be picked up.' The woman said, 'There's a box just come in - you can have a dig through it if you like.' First thing I looked at was the first think I saw - Ali Farka Toure's 'Radio Mali', Salif Keita, Gillian Welch, Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela, Van the Man and piles more - ended up taking a dozen which they gave me for a fiver. I didn't take more cos I just thought I was being greedy.

Anyway, 'Radio Mali' is a collection of very early tracks by Ali, and is just a sensation. Here's 'Yer Mali Gakoyoyo' - pure brilliance for any African Saturday.

https://youtu.be/sKbC-AyvCKY?si=7XclYrIYSofdB61M

[johncorrigan]

Mulatu Astatke & Hoodna Orchestra - 'Tension'. Ethiojazz meets afrobeat from Tel Aviv for an African Saturday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odqsMaqS2tY