Around the World - Preview
19 July 2024
As you receive this, I will be heading to Dubrovnik, Croatia, to see one of my favourite bands, Mostar Sevdah Reunion. They’ll be starting their annual summer tour - often at unexpected places - at Park Orsula’s amphitheatre located on a vertical gorge 200 meters above the Adriatic Sea with a panoramic view of one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I’ll be posting photos on Facebook. From there on Saturday, I take the bus to Mostar which is currently very, very hot. It’s my first visit to both Dubrovnik and Mostar. The trip concludes with a return to Sarajevo.
This Week
It’s been a while since I made you a mixtape, but this week I have put together a handful of outstanding songs. The theme is The Sea, Stories of the Sea, Myths and Legends of the Sea. The music is sourced from Canada, France, Italy, and Scotland – with a story shared with Ireland and Northumbria, too.
There are Sirens, and Shipwrecks, and legends going back thousands of years. For the full running order you can go to DavySims.com. The mixtape will be in the second hour.
Music from: Australia, Bosnia, Canada, Cyprus, France, Hungary, India, Italy, Italy/Ethiopia, Mal, Mexico, Nigeria, Portugal, Spain, Tanzania, Turkiye, and UK
Music by: Ali Doğan Gönültaş, Andrew Gurruwiwi Band, Atàndá, Atse Tewodros Project & Gabriella Ghermandi, Bassekou Kouyate, Bombay Gold Orchestra with Hazel Correa Parry Mad & Rekha, Buzz' Ayaz, Charles Trenet, Fenya Rai Gordon Lightfoot Hysterrae Mariza Mostar Sevdah Reunion Natalia Lafourcade Officina Zoe, Söndörgő, The Unthanks, The Zawose Queens, This Mortal Coil, and Viguela.
The Featured Album: Bassekou Kouyate - Djudjon, L'oiseau de Garaná (feat. Amy Sacko)
Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba - Musow Fanga (Live on KEXP)
Every week on Around the World there is a features album, this week it is Djudjon, L'oiseau de Garaná by Bassekou Kouyate. There are no videos promoting the new album from Bassekou Kouyate, so here is a live KEXP performance recorded nine years ago almost to the day on July 14, 2015.
Bassekou Kouyate’s instrument is the ngoni, a traditional lute found throughout West Africa. It looks like a really paired back guitar, but it is thought to be the instrument that evolved into the Banjo in North America.
Kouyate is one of the world's most visible African artists. He was born in a rural village on the bank of the Niger River, close to the city of Segu. Bassekou was surrounded by music from a young age, his mother a regionally known singer and his father and brothers all renowned ngoni players. He was steeped in traditional Malian music and apprenticed on the ngoni until moving to Bamako at the age of 19. Having moved to the city, he was soon discovered by and began working with Toumani Diabaté, recording a number of successful albums throughout the late '80s. His marriage shortly thereafter to vocalist Ami Sacko would make their household one of the most significant musical institutions in Mali's cultural landscape. [All Music]
Bassekou Kouyate has worked with many musicians in and outside of Mali: including Youssou N‘Dour, Ali Farka Toure, Bela Fleck, The Kronos Quartet, Taj Mahal, Damon Albarn, Michael League Paul McCartney and Bono.
The singer on the Album is Amy Sacko – she herself something of a Malian legend.
Amy Sacko has a successful solo career as well as her role as the lead singer of Ngoni Ba, the band led by her husband, master ngoni player Bassekou Kouyate. Sacko was born in the city of Kayes in northwestern Mali, the daughter of a popular local singer and guitarist. Raised in Kayes and Dakar, Senegal, Sacko was taught to sing in the traditional griot style by her aunt Fanta Sacko, one of the first popular female singers in West Africa. Sacko's debut album, Ben, was released in Mali in 1997, but it was her second album, 2002's Mali Denw, that was her popular breakthrough; the title track spent ten weeks at number one on the Mali pop chart, and its popularity spread through the world music scene. Performing live across several continents, Sacko also collaborated in the studio with German jazz musician Leni Stern. [All Music]
Also on the Show
I’ve come very late in life to Bollywood – the music and film of Bombay – or as it is now - Mumbai
Namaste Bombay: A Musical Tribute to Hindi Cinema has just been released. It’s not a collection of old songs.
Parry Mad & Rekha for 'Namaste Bombay
Kuljit Bhamra who is best known as one of the pioneers of British Bhangra has produced Namaste Bombay. With 38 original songs – from celebrated Bollywood singers, lyricists and musicians are inspired by the origins and developments of 'Bollywood' music over the decades.
Atse Tewodros Project - Gabriella Ghermandi - Ethiopian Music
Again, no supporting video for this release. The album is Maqeda by Atse Tewodros Project & Gabriella Ghermandi. Gabriella Ghermandi is a singer and writer born in Addis Ababa in 1965 to an Italian father and Ethiopian mother. She grew up in Ethiopia. In 1979, moved permanently to Italy where she built a reputation as a writer. In 2010, in an effort to bring together Italian and Ethiopian musicians she created the Atse Tewodros Project.
The project is named after Tewodros II, “the first Emperor who gave Ethiopia the chance to modernize while respecting its traditions. In a similar way, the Atse Tewodros Project intends to respect traditional Ethiopian music while opening it up to dialogue and exchange.”
It started in Addis Ababa, but has built an international reputation in World Music, and although they have been featured on several compilations Maqueda is their first album – and rather excellent it is too. There is more information here.
Where and when to listen
Friday:
Akaroa World Radio 2:00 pm local New Zealand Time (3:00 am GMT 4:00 am CET)
NAR-GROUP Germany – 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m (CET)
Mosel Radio – 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m (CET)
NAR-Alf – 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m (CET)
Saturday:
RCFM (Radio City FM) Duisburg, Germany 3:00 – 5:00 pm CET
World FM 10:00 pm local New Zealand Time (11:00 am GMT, 12:00 noon CET)
Essential Radio Midnight to 2:00 am GMT (1:00 am CET)
Sunday:
West Coast FM Namibia 10:00 pm to 12:00 noon Central Africa Time (2:00 to 4:00 GMT)
NFRS Osaka Japan: 12:00 noon local time (3:00 am UK time 4:00 am CET)
973FM in Singapore and 11:00 pm local time (3:00 pm/15:00 hours UTC – Universal Time).
Slice Audio 10:00 pm local time (11:00 pm CET)
Ferry FM 10:00 pm local time (11:00 pm CET)
Armagh City Radio 10:00 pm local time (11:00 pm CET)
Monday:
SparkFlame Radio: 00:00 am GMT (01:00 CET)
Waterwaves Radio: 8:00 pm GMT (21:00 CET)
KNC Radio St Lucia 6:00 am local time (10:00 am GMT 11:00 am CET)
BR2 Pure Gold Radio – Costa Blanca, Spain 10:00 pm local time (CET)
Akaroa World Radio 10:00 pm local New Zealand Time (11:00 am GMT, 12:00 noon CET)
World FM 10:00 pm local New Zealand Time (11:00 am GMT, 12:00 noon CET)
Wednesday:
World FM 4:00 am local New Zealand Time (5:00 pm Tuesday GMT, 6:00 pm CET)
Slice Audio 4:00 am local time GMT (5:00 am CET)
Radio Skye (Radio Garden) 10:00 pm GMT (11:00 pm CET)
Stirling Community Radio 10:00 pm GMT (11:00 pm CET)