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Musica Mundi (journeys from the Reform Club)

by 49 Comments

01/02/2021

Delighted to announce a new fortnightly world music programme – from the UK to Africa, from the Middle East to New Zealand, from Pakistan to Japan. And beyond. On 1 February, the world music alphabet will commence with “A is for Afrobeat”.

Do listen in, here:

GNET Radio Player

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Comments

  10. That reminds me… on the subject of Qawwali music, this is a fave in my DJ box. Features a Dub Collosus-er and a Transglobal Underground-er with special guest J. Wobble Esq on floor-vibrations.

    Temple of Sound & Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali – The Jewelled Heart:

  15. @fentonsteve :

    “When you get to Cuba, this is my fave. A band I (sort of) discovered – there’s a story behind that.
    Septeto Santiaguero – La Wemba de Marilú.”

    I have a live version of that. Are you able to provide the ‘story behind that’, so I may relay it during broadcast?

    • I can ‘help’ with the studio version.

      The background: Mrs F is half-Spanish and fluent in the lingo (I can hold a short conversation, at a push). The Buena Vista Social Club album had come out in late 1997 and Cuba opened its doors to (some) tourists following it. We booked a two-week overland ‘Adventure Holiday’ with Exodus Travels for 1999. We flew into Havana via Madrid, travelled the length of the island for a couple of weeks in a sort of ruggedised minibus (with Cuban driver and English guide).

      Mrs F’s linguistic skills proved to be the key to unlocking the locals beyond “Hey Meesta, you wanna buy?” She looks and sounds Spanish, the locals all thought I (tall and pasty) was German.

      When we arrived in Santiago de Cuba, our hotel was about 50 paces along Heredia from the Casa de la Trova music bar (home of BVSC’s Compay Segundo). State-funded musicians played in the bar all day and I spent most of my time in there. There was a CD & tape shop next door, they were typically relaxed and would recommend CDs (and play them for me while I browsed). I would pick up CDs of the acts I saw in the bar. One afternoon they played me “a local band” and I bought it before the first tune had ended. A local man walked in to the shop and was introduced as a member of the band I’d just heard. Serendipity. We went next door for a Mojito and some more music.

      The following day, we went for a late-morning stroll (this was our last day in town, so far we’d only seen the inside of our hotel and the Casa). We wandered down a side street off Parque Céspedes and stumbled across our new friend, and the rest of the band crammed into his front room, having a rehearsal for the evening’s gig. We were invited in, had a leisurely lunch with them and spent the afternoon witnessing our own private performance. The lengendary Cuban hospitality.

      The evening’s venue was one of those slightly tacky “tourist” clubs where the locals adopt traditional dress and serve over-priced cocktails to wealthy Americans sitting at tables. The other 10 on our minibus had arranged to go, we thought we’d skip it, have dinner on the roof of our hotel and spend our final evening in the Casa de la Trova.

      As it turned out, we did go to the club – much to the surprise of the rest of our tour party. They were slightly shocked to recognise, at the back of the stage (playing Claves), a pasty English bloke and his wife (singing backing vocals). It was quite a night. I was definitely a bit peaky on the early-morning flight back to Havana.

      Back home, I made enquiries. It turns out their albums were already distributed in Europe by a Madrid label.

  16. Me again.

    Musica Mundi 3 goes out at 9:00 p.m. UK time today.

    World music from Senegal, Ethiopia, Australia, DR Congo and Indonesia amongst others, together with a couple of Farka Toures and a Songhoy Blues remix.

    Also featured in the WMA (World Music Alphabet) is “C For Cuba” – half a dozen pieces of Cuban music, including a request from @fentonsteve and the story behind it (above), probably recounted poorly by the presenter.

    Catch it live here:

    http://gnetradio.com/show/musica-mundi-2021-03-01/

  18. Show 4 appears on Monday 15 March at 9:00 p.m. UK time.

    In the world music alphabet, “D is for desert blues”, and there will be some Dylan Thomas, as well as the usual mix of music from all over the place.

    You can hear it live here:

    http://gnetradio.com

    Mixcloud post-broadcast will be put here during the week.

  22. Musica Mundi 6 – “F is for Folk” airs today at 9:00 p.m. UK time.

    As well as half-a-dozen British folk standards, we have new tracks from all over the world, some gospel and some foreign language cover versions.

    And a Tuvan throat singer…

    http://gnetradio.com

  23. For @fentonsteve – currently my favourite listener – here is last night’s show on Mixcloud:

    Includes English folk music, South Korean lo-fi and some funk from Benin, amongst other stuff.

    And Tuvan throat singing…

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