Jan 5th, 2009 · We start the new year with a new mix, featuring an exclusive preview of Andrew Bird's latest album, Noble Beast. The classically trained violinist and singer performs a quirky mix of whistled melodies, Gypsy ballads, folk and art-rock. We've got the song "Oh No" here, but you can also hear the entire album as part of our "first listen" series. Also on the show: classic folk-rock singer Benjy Ferree, the Afro-funk rhythms of Chopteeth, an eclectic mixtape from Malawi-born singer Esau Mwamwaya, the haunting guitars of Begushkin, and the jazz trio Bad Plus covers the music of Pink Floyd.
Keywords: whistle · music · Africans · Jazz · Singer · Malawi · songs · Preview · album · folk · melodies · trio
Nov 24th, 2008 · Hip-Hop music star Q-Tip opens his music file and shares what's playing — other than his own tunes — in his ear these days. The rapper discusses his broad range of music tastes, ranging from Afro-beat innovator Fala Kuti to the Beatles.
Keywords: rapper · music · innovation · Beatles · Afro · Hip Hop · Fala Kuti
Sep 30th, 2008 · In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, here are five Latin interpretations of songs written by jazz musicians, a process that isn't as easy as playing the chords of a jazz composition over a mambo rhythm.
Keywords: music · Jazz · Cuban · songs · Latin · composition · rhythm · Afro · Hispanic Heritage Month
Jun 25th, 2008 · Vampire Weekend's endearingly wordy lyrics make the band sound collegiate in the best possible way. Its unique sound inventively mixes contemporary American indie-rock, Western classical music, and South African traditional music. Hear a performance and interview from WXPN.
Keywords: Americans · contemporary · indie · music · Traditional · interviews · WXPN · punk · South African · Afro · vampires · collegiate
Feb 15th, 2008 · The funky afro-beat/reggae band, Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, formed while in West African refugee camps filled with Sierra Leoneans who fled the nation's brutal civil war. Farai Chideya talks with two members of the group -- Reuben and Black Nature -- about the healing power of West African reggae and soul.
Keywords: national · civil · brutal · West African · soul · Farai Chideya · reggae · Sierra Leone · Refugee All Stars · Leon · Afro · funky
Jul 13th, 2007 · A veritable superstar in his native Nigeria, Femi Kuti is the standard bearer for Afro-beat, the blend of American jazz and funk with African percussion and vocals pioneered by his father, Fela Kuti in the 1970s.
Keywords: Nigeria · Americans · Africans · Jazz · 1970 · concert · native · Superstar · Funk · percussive · Afro · Femi
Jun 7th, 2007 · Though the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie was considered a god by Rastafarians, in Bob Marley's day, reggae music wasn't popular in Ethiopia. Now, though, reggae is huge in the East African nation, and there's no bigger star than Teddy Afro. Commentator Banning Eyre gives us a listen to his music.
Keywords: national · music · God · reggae · Ethiopia · Banning Eyre · Bob Marley · Afro · Rastafarians · Teddy · East African · Teddy Afro
May 1st, 2007 · The title of Kidjo's latest album, Djin Djin, translates to "seize the day" -- an appropriate directive from the West African singer, whose career spans 20 years. Kidjo fuses Afro-funk, salsa, reggae, gospel, jazz and more with American rock, pop and soul.
Keywords: world · Americans · music · Jazz · West African · Singer · soul · translator · gospel · album · reggae · Funk
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