Around the World Preview – 14 & 16 November 2021

ఎవరైనా ఉన్నారా అక్కడ?

Nov 11, 2021

Around the World is on Slice Audio, Ferry FM, and Radio Larne on Sundays at 10:00 pm to midnight. On Tuesdays at 7:00 pm the show is broadcast on Bangor FM, Lisburn’s 98FM and FM105 Down Community Radio.

See last week’s running order is here

Listen to Part 1 on Mixcloud here

Listen to Part 2 on Mixcloud here

Every week we travel through time and space to find music from around the world, from the present day to whenever recorded music began. This week we start in Japan in in 2003 with a tip of the hat to Mike Philpot. The Yoshida Brothers are from northern Japan. They both play an instrument – looks a bit like a three string banjo – called Tsugaro shamisen. Their repertoire is pretty wide from traditional Japanese mixed with prog rock/hard rock and their new album is very heavily jazz influenced. That is with another Japanese duo called Les Freres – both pianists.

Here’s the video Mike sent me which ignited the interest

Featured Album: The featured album this week is from Alessia Tondo.

Alessia Tondo is considered to be one of the most important voices of Italian folk music and I’m a big fan. The first time I heard her sing was a few years ago on the YouTube video of the 2010 Notte della Taranta. At that that stage she was only about 18 years old. But she had already been singing in public since the age of 6 with her grandmother and had first performed in Notte della Taranta when she was 12.

She’s worked with many musicians but her best known collaborations are probably with Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino who she joined in 2015 and with Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi

Sita is her first solo work. It’s a very inventive and creative album where she gets the opportunity to expand her vocal performances. At times it reminded me of her fellow artist from Salento, Enza Pagliara’s work with Assurd on the Alice album – not the same, and not to be compared, of course. But at times one echoes the other in exploring new vocal sounds and processes.

Alessia works with two other musicians on Sita – Albanian cellist Redi Hasa and Mauro Durante from Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino both of whom are part of Notte della Taranta Orchestra.

Mauro also has his own album with Justin Adams which I’ll feature next week on the show.

There is more about Alessia here on the CSG website and here on YouTube

You might have heard over last weekend that Brazilian singer Marília Mendonça was killed in an aircrash

Even at 26 at the very start of her career she was something of a music and social media sensation singing a form of Brazilian country music, Sertanejo.

Although I heard several news items about her death, I didn’t hear any of her music … which is really rather good. I’ll be playing a track in her memory. Here are some notes from the New York Times.

Congratulations Belfast - on the world stage for music.

Have you heard that Belfast is now officially a UNESCO City of Music – part of their Creative Cities Network. It was announced by Belfast City Council here.

To quote the UNESCO website

“The UNESCO Creative Cities Network strives to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development.”

Much of the work – to be honest 99.99% of the work - was done by people in Belfast City Council with some help from a group from the music industry and cultural organisations. I’m proud to have been one. So congratulation to Belfast – in particular to Ericka Clarke from the council and Oh Yeah’s Charlotte Dryden who led on the project.

Surprise music of the week: I was at the Community Radio Awards where this show was nominated in the Best Specialist Music category – we won a bronze by the way. I met a young musician called Nathan Mitchell from Scotland and I was pointed in the direction of his music. This happens from time to time and if I like something (and it fits into the show) I’ll play it. If I don’t – or if it doesn’t fit – I don’t. Rarely am I as impressed as I was with Nathan who records under the name Foundation of Freedom. Here’s link to his Spotify page.

Spotify – The Foundation of Freedom

There will be one track on the show but possibly more in weeks to come.

Other Music: Banjo virtuoso and Bluegrass icon Béla Fleck has been releasing records for more than 20 years. He has been nominated for Grammys almost 40 times and has won at least 14. His genius in this new album is bringing together some of the old school bluegrass musicians along with some new and emerging talent – around 16 or 17 guests on this album My Bluegrass Heart.

Monoswezi sounds like a word in – perhaps an African language – but it stands for Mozambique, Norway, Sweden and Zimbabwe. Which is where the musicians who make up the band come from.

The band was born out of a cultural exchange program between Africa and Norway back in 2008, but they didn’t make their first recordings until 2013 and Shanu – just released is their 4th.

I had planned to make it the featured album for this week until the Alyssia Tondo’s Sita arrived. And that was the 3rd of 4 tracks on the show tonight, Monoswezu’s album wont be the featured album next week either. But maybe the week after.

Also list out form some marvel from Puuluup from Estonia, Balimaya Project, Gaisha’s new single, Afrikän Protoköl and from New Zealand Fat Freddy's Drop. Here’s the full concert of the Wairunga concert Premiered Jul 31, 2021. Just the thing to stream on your TV on a grey Sunday afternon.