A Cool Drink of Water
So recently, I was trapped in the desert, scraping my knees against the grainy sand from palm tree to palm tree, hoping to find a cool drink of water. Instead, I found some great music to ease my travels and propel me to find a nice mirage to whittle away the hours while baking under the hot sun. Well, ok, that whole mini-story was of course a travesty of my imagination. But, the true part was the music. Yes, this week (4/2) on the World Music Show, I've been thinking about the wonderful beats and rhythms of faraway places like Turkey, North Africa, Bombay and from the Sahara Desert. And when I think about World Music, I always want to include you--the listener.
Some of the artists you'll hear this go-round in the first hour include Bendeniz, who first became popular in the early 1990s with a hit song in Turkey. And, you'll hear from one of the most successful singers in Turkey--Sertab. She is classically trained and had graduated from a backing vocalist to center stage. In 1992, Sertab released an album that sold more than a million copies. She's also branched out and covered Bob Dylan's "One More Cup of Coffee," which was sung in English.
And to continue the desert/North African theme, from Morocco, you'll hear the singer Samira Said and from Algeria, Hamid Baroudi. And, I'll feature some music from the legendary King Sunny Ade and from the incredible mulit-musician filled band out of Dakar, Orchestra Baobob. And, if you like dance music, then you'll want to stick around and check out the French-Caribbean band Wapa Sakitanou--they feature some very intense dance beats.
Really, the first hour's selection of desert-themed music won't leave your mouth dry.
In the second hour, I'll play more new music from the artist Aurelio. He is a harborer of the Garifuna tradition, which features rhythms and sounds culled from his family history, which is steeped in French, Caribbean and South America. And from Senegal, from the CD "Joko," I'll feature a track from Youssou N'Dour.
For my local artist spotlight, I'm going to play a track from the Richmond, Virginia band Bio Ritmo. If you ever get to see them live, they're worth the price of admission. Their intense Salsa music is played by talented musicians who were once Punkers, Hip hop musicians and Jazz players.
One thing I really want to make sure you check out and listen to in this show is a couple of tracks from a concept called Playing for Change. A decade ago a small group of documentary filmmakers set out with a dream to create a film rooted in the music of the streets. Not only has that dream been realized, it has blossomed into a global sensation called Playing for Change, a project including musicians of every level of renown, that has touched the lives of millions of people around the world. The Playing for Change Foundation is dedicated to connecting the world through music by providing resources to musicians and their communities around the world. The CD and the project are worth checking out.
If you have any thoughts or song suggestions, just leave them below. Also, each week during my show (Saturday nights at 10:00 PM), I carry on a live conversation on Twitter in which I talk about some behind the scenes information and offer some tidbits o' fun. Follow me @wcveworldmusic
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