Afropop Worldwide

Latest Episodes:

Cape Verde Sounds - Heard And Unheard Jan 23, 2020

Show notes

On a 2018 return visit to the archipelago of Cape Verde, we find all sorts of fresh musical activity, global and local. We hear some spectacular young female vocalists in this program, including Fatou Diakite, descended from a Malian family, but raised in Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau, and a master of styles from morna to gumbe. We also meet Lucibela, now based in Lisbon, and one of the most talked about Cape Verdean singers today. And we hear new work from Nancy Vieira, Jenifer Solidade and Elida Almeida. We also meet local artists unknown on the local scene, including producer and cutting-edge songwriter Wilson Silva, and high school-aged singer Maya Neves—already a diva! The great Cesaria Evora may be gone, but Cape Verde’s musical spirit is thriving! [APWW #779]

The Afro Roots Festival in Miami Jan 02, 2020

Show notes

We go to Miami to enjoy highlights from the 21st annual Afro Roots Fest at the North Beach Bandshell. Co-headliners are the sublime griot singer Noura Mint Seymali from Mauritania and the Grammy nominated diva Fatoumata Diawara from Mali. Noura graces us with special backstage performance of the ancient harp, ardine. And Fatoumata sings a capella, showing us what she says is her voice as a traditional instrument. We also hear local artists Jose Elias of Cortadito and the Grammy nominated Danay Suarez. Along the way, we take a tour of Miami's lively local radio. Afro Roots indeed! Produced by Sean Barlow and Banning Eyre. Live mix by Niall Macaulay.

Here Comes 2020 Dec 19, 2019

Show notes

While others look back on 2019 and the decade of the 2010s, Georges Collinet and Banning Eyre choose instead to look ahead to the 2020s in their annual year-end conversation. It's an hour of African music that points to the future: new styles, new hybrids, artists to watch, and glimpses of upcoming Afropop Worldwide projects and productions. Georges and Banning take a moment to acknowledge some greats who have left us, but whose music will surely live on. And they put out a challenge to listeners regarding the future of our program.

Luiz Gonzaga The King of Baiao Oct 03, 2019

Show notes

Sweet accordion riffs, the steady twang of the triangle, and the off-beat pounding of the zabumba drum make forro a favorite for all Brazilians. The infectious tunes and syncopated beats have been described as "a mixture of ska with polka in overdrive." This edition of Afropop Worldwide's Hip Deep will profile forro creator Luiz Gonzaga--from the wanderlust that led him from his rural birthplace in northeastern Brazil to a pumping career in the capital, Rio de Janeiro, in the 1940s. Conversations with Brazilian artists, recorded on location in the forro capital of Recife, following in Gonzaga's footsteps. Co-produced by Harvard's Megwen Loveless. APWW #457

Carnival in Brooklyn Sep 19, 2019

Show notes

On this program, we follow Caribbean steel-pan bands and Haitian rara groups through their preparations for Brooklyn's West Indian Day Parade and Carnival, into the special jouvert celebration that kicks off carnival with revelers and performing groups dancing through the pre-dawn streets of Brooklyn; to the intense Panorama steel-pan competition, the daylight parade and beyond. We also hear how members of these Caribbean communities keep their cultural activities alive and thriving despite the considerable challenges they are facing in a rapidly gentrifying city. APWW #739

Bolsonaro Is and Isn't Sep 10, 2019

Show notes

If Americans hear about Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro at all, he's usually described as a "Brazilian Donald Trump." But on this week's CloseUp, we step out of the American bubble, and look at who Bolsonaro is, who his targets are, and how he rose to power. We also hear the first round of songs written to protest his hard, right-wing politics.

Randy Weston, A Jazz Life with the African Ancestors Sep 05, 2019

Show notes

Jazz legend, Randy Weston left us on September 1, 2018. He, more than any contemporary jazz artist, understood, honored and explored the roots of American music in Africa. He lived there, traveled there often, and spoke of his connections to his African ancestors in every interview during his 92 years. In this program, we revisit our musical conversation with Weston in 1998, and sample some of his late solo piano recordings. APWW #789 Produced by Banning Eyre

French Afro-Colonial Memory and Music Aug 20, 2019

Show notes

France has a pretty unique relationship to its former colonies, sharing a strong common history and a common language, but also painful episodes not really taught at school—neither in France nor in Africa. In France and in French-speaking African countries today, there is a new generation of artists and promotors who are ready to tell history with music. They are unearthing unknown periods of French colonial history. In this show, we'll hear about dark times of Franco-African history, specifically from Cameroon before its independence. We'll dig into memories and secrets, and hear echoes from the tropical forest where bodies and facts were hidden, with artists who are tackling fault lines of France's colonial past and unearthing harsh reality with sweet voices such as singer Blick Bassy who released a new album 1958, a tribute to the freedom fighter Rubem Um Nyobe.

Afropop Worldwide - The Origin Story Aug 15, 2019

Show notes

As Afropop Worldwide marks the week of its 30th anniversary on the public airwaves, we take a look at the story that led up to the program’s creation. We hear excerpts from the podcast A Show of Hearts profiling the program’s founders Sean Barlow and Banning Eyre. And host Georges Collinet recalls his audition for the job that has shaped three decades of his storied life. And of course, we will hear highlights from the music that has made Afropop Worldwide one of the longest running music programs in public radio history. Produced by Banning Eyre APWW #791

Barrio Colón to Brooklyn Aug 06, 2019

Show notes

The clave cuts the air, the drums triangulate in endless conversation, the singers push their voices over the rhythm, competing with daring improvisations, while a pair of dancers tease and provoke, shifting across the small space between singers and drummers: This is an Afro-Cuban rumba, a communal form of Afro-Cuban folkloric music that continues to be a crucial part of the musical life of New York City. From the inclusive to the exclusive, we also experience an original group interpreting Afro-Cuban sacred music through jazz explorations. In this podcast, we hear from two Cuban musicians, Anier Alonso and Melvis Santa, who are adding their unique voices to the New York Afro-Cuban music scene, pushing things forward with tireless creative energy. Produced by Ricardo Luiggi and Morgan Greenstreet. Photo by Carla A. Tomassini Quijano www.carlaojo.com Hear full interviews, in Spanish with Anier and Melvis: https://soundcloud.com/zonalibredjs/anier-alonso-entrevista https://soundcloud.com/zonalibredjs/melvis-santa-entrevista

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