Tom Schnabel's Rhythm Planet
More New and Noteworth Releases
This week we sample great new music from a variety of artists, including great pre-Castro music from Cuba, trance music from Morocco, deep dub reggae, classic African from the 1970s. A kaleidoscope of musical pleasure.
By Tom Schnabel • • 1h 1m ListenIt's time again to survey a bunch of recently released albums that have caught my attention. Some of you might even consider adding these to your holiday shopping lists!
We begin with the a cappella Moipei Quartet from Nairobi, Kenya, adapting the John Denver classic, "Take Me Home, Country Roads" into a love song for their African homeland. Another African side follows from Cameroonian Bébé Manga, with her classic, "Amie," just reissued on a great two-CD set of 1970's African classics.
The cool groove of Italian Gerardo Frisina is next, from the great Turin-based label, Schema Records. After that, it's SBTRKT, backed by great vocals from British electronic artist, Sampha. Wonder Where We Land gets a lot of love at KCRW, but "Gon Stay" is a cut that hasn't gotten as much air play.
Some deep-down reggae dub is next, courtesy of Horseman, followed by some classic Colombian salsa from Fruko y Sus Tesos, and some fabulous Cuban music from the 1950s, the great Abelardo Barroso with Orquesta Sensacíon. A big thanks to World Circuit for reissuing Barroso's fabulous CD, Cha Cha Cha.
Next, we have two fine new jazz releases from trumpeter Rod McGaha and pianist David Hazeltine. The first features a lovely lyric sung by Julie Lee; Hazeltine's album is a tribute to the late jazz pianist Cedar Walton.
Some Moroccan trance groove and Gnawa music from the former co-founder of the Orchestre National de Barbès, Aziz Sahmaoui. Two summers ago, he performed a fabulous show at Grand Performancesdowntown. Maybe some of you caught saw him then?
An ambitious effort follows with a cross-cultural effort between Soundway Records, the Goethe-Institut Kenya, Adaptr.org and several other partners. Aptly named, Ten Cities, 50 electronic music producers and instrumentalists from five European and five African cities were brought together "to collaborate and create, spending an intense time together making music in sticky studios and blacked-out rooms across the African continent." Learn more about this amazing project here.
Then we have a Schneider TM remix of Malian guitarist Samba Touré's"Be Ki Don." And lastly, we top off this week's show with Belgian superstar, Stromae, and his love song to the late Cape Verdean singer, Cesaria Evora.
Rhythm Planet Playlist: 12/12/14
Moipei Quartet / “Country Roads” / In the Land of the Lion / Al Records
Bebe Manga / "Amie" / Golden Afrique, Vol. 1 / Network
Gerardo Frisina / "Eastern Vibrations—Shout it Out" / Movement/ Schema Records
SBTRKT feat. Sampha / "Gon Stay" / Wonder Where We Land / Young Turks
Horseman / "Dawn of the Dread" / Dawn of the Dread / Mr. Bongo
Fruko y Sus Tesos / "Achilipú" / The Afrosound of Colombia, Vol. 2 / Vampisoul Records
Abelardo Barroso & Orquesta Sensacíon / La Mulata Rumbera / Cha Cha Cha / World Circuit
Rod McGaha / "Mama Said" / The Black Flower Project / Black Flower Records
David Hazeltine / "Simple Pleasure" / I Remember Cedar / Sharp Nine Records
Aziz Sahmaoui & University of Gnawa / "Inchallah" / Mazal / World Village
Pinch feat. Temi Oyedele / "Are You Coming With Us?" / Ten Cities/ Soundway Records
Schneider TM / "Be Ki Don" (Cockpit Dub) / Glitterbeat: Dubs & Versions / Glitterbeat Records
Stromae / "ave cesaria" / Racine Carrée / Casablanca/Republic