Posts Tagged Africa
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June 25, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Angelique Kidjo: Remain In Light
Angelique Kidjo Remain in Light KRAVENWORKS Angelique Kidjo is African Music Royalty – even if she’s suffered some claims of (somehow) not being “Authentic”. Hers is a fine body of work, moving and political, so often utterly joyous and accessible too as she creates a version of Afrobeat that integrates mainstream international music; hers then […]Archive
March 13, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
NZ Festival Writers & Readers: Teju Cole – Blind Spot
Teju Cole: Blind Spot Circa One; Circa Theatre Saturday, March 10 This Writers & Readers session was Teju Cole in conversation with Paula Morris. Chiefly the discussion was about his excellent new book Blind Spot but from there Cole found his way to talking about his work in a more general sense, his motivations, his […]Archive
November 7, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 473
Tamikrest, Kidal (2017) I should probably write an actual review of this – since it’s new and all – but every now and then I like to go in to the store and just buy a brand new record, the LP – with no real focus on ‘reviewing’ it as such; this is just me […]Archive
September 25, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
Tony Allen: A Tribute To Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers (ep)
Tony Allen A Tribute To Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers (ep) Blue Note Records Originally released as a 10” EP – two tracks per side – this tribute to Art Blakey by Tony Allen is full of magic; for a start it welcomes Allen to Blue Note and has him playing his version of […]Archive
August 30, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
The 1001 Albums Challenge # 8: Miriam Makeba – “Miriam Makeba”
I have no idea when I first heard Miriam Makeba – but I know I was quite young. Her nickname was “Mama Africa” and I remember being hooked on African music at a fairly young age – quite possibly as a result of Paul Simon’s Graceland which arrived at the right time for me; music […]Archive
April 26, 2016 by Simon Sweetman
Guest Post: Gig Preview – Mulatu Astatke with the Black Jesus Experience [by Lucien Johnson]
Wellington Jazz Festival, Opera House, Friday June 10th Returning to Ethiopia in the late 1960s after years abroad studying music at Berklee, and gigging and recording in New York, Mulatu Astatke discovered a flourishing music scene. It was the period of the final years of the Haile Selassie reign when the country’s capital was nicknamed […]Archive
February 13, 2016 by Simon Sweetman
Mdou Moctar: Arounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai
Mdou Moctar Arounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai [Original Soundtrack Recording] Sahel Sounds It’s easy enough – and fair enough – to have a lighthearted chuckled around some of the absurdities of this project – a remake of Prince’s Purple Rain movie in a language with no word for ‘Purple’; crowd-funded and starring the guitarist that penned […]Archive
January 9, 2015 by Simon Sweetman
Africa Express: Presents Terry Riley’s In C Mali
Africa Express Presents Terry Riley’s In C Mali Transgressive Records It’s been fifty years since Terry Riley’s magical/important/influential In C and here we have a fresh spin on it via Africa Express’ recreation/tribute/rendition. It takes the concept, the mood, the mode and places it in an African context – or places an African context around […]Archive
August 17, 2014 by Simon Sweetman
Anansy Cisse: Mali Overdrive
Anansy Cisse Mali Overdrive Riverboat/World Music Network I love the distinct blues of Mali – that guitar sound, the type you do not get anywhere else in the world, its weave, its way of threading through the bass and percussion, a line for the voice to follow – here’s the international debut from rising star […]Archive
August 3, 2014 by Simon Sweetman
Toumani Diabate and Sidiki Diabate: Toumani & Sidiki
Toumani Diabate and Sidiki Diabate Toumani & Sidiki World Circuit Sidiki Diabate is a rapper – but he is also the son of master kora player Toumani. Here the father son team combine for a set of duets, you’ll hear dad on the left, junior on the right, a spellbinding weave as the dance of […]Archive
July 31, 2014 by Simon Sweetman