---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Afropop Worldwide <[email protected]> Date: Thu, Oct 8, 2009 at 7:06 PM Subject: Afropop eNews 10.08.09: Gnawa, BLK JKS, Bembeya Jazz & More! To: [email protected]
[image: Afropop Worldwide eNewsletter]<http://www.afropop.org/friends.php> <http://www.afropop.org> October 8, 2009 [image: On Air & Listen Live] <#12436a87da882ebe_onair> [image: Afropop Reviews] <#12436a87da882ebe_review> [image: Features] <#12436a87da882ebe_feature> [image: Interviews] <#12436a87da882ebe_interview> [image: Newsflash] <#12436a87da882ebe_newsflash> [image: Free Stuff] <#12436a87da882ebe_freestuff> [image: Afropop City Hotpicks] <#12436a87da882ebe_citypicks> Advertising Links [image: Fela Thumb] <http://www.felaonbroadway.com/afropop.php> [image: 20th Anniversary Campaign Thumb]<http://www.afropop.org/campaign20A.html> Hello, We have an exceptionally rich set of offerings for you this week. Our on-air Hip Deep program is “*Traveling Spirit Masters: The Gnawa of Morocco”*<http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/769/Traveling%20Spirit%20Masters:%20The%20Gnawa%20of%20Morocco>produced by *Banning Eyre. *You’ll hear a vivid account of a Gnawa *lila* healing ceremony as well as music by Gnawa musicians who have collaborated with jazzers, rockers and more. See photos and extensive interview with<http://www.afropop.org/multi/interview/ID/158/Deborah%20Kapchan%20on%20the%20Gnawa,%20Traveling%20Spirit%20Masters>our program author and scholar, *Deborah Kapchan*. You can also catch our YouTube web video profile<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6WTlY0IVTo>of internationally celebrated Gnawa artist *Hassan Hakmoun *as he improvises with fellow musicians at his new NYC restaurant, *Sintir. *Highly recommended. As if Banning weren't busy enough, he also ran up to Harlem, to chronicle the unveiling a new work of art based on the traditional Congolese Ndunga mask--a symbol of strong community. You can see photos and read Banning's report<http://www.afropop.org/multi/feature/ID/905/Ndunga,%20a%20Mask%20with%20a%20Message,%20Unveiled%21> . *Streaming on demand* this week is *“The Story of Bembeya Jazz,”<http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/545/The%20Story%20of%20Bembeya%20Jazz> * profiling Guinea's legendary dance band. Bembeya Jazz are a pillar of modern West African history and their music definitely stands the test of time! We were psyched to see South Africa’s *BLK JKS* open for Vieux Farka Touré and Femi Kuti this summer. So we filmed their record release party at SOB’s in New York last month and have made a web video for the worldwide YouTube audience <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18fiOyeDTGQ>. They are a lot of fun to watch, mixing rock and psychedelia and dub all the while singing in five languages. Check it out and please share the link<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18fiOyeDTGQ>with your worldly friends. Our video was produced by Afropop’s *Matt Payne* and *Matt McMahon. *The BLK JKS new CD is *“After Robots”*(Secretly Canadian)” Our popular *internship program<http://www.afropop.org/news_flash.php?ID=625> * is now accepting applications for *winter and spring 2009. *If you’d like to follow in the footsteps of graduating interns who have gone to become record moguls, graduate students with fellowships, working journalists, world travelers, unemployed and others, do contact us<[email protected]?subject=i%20would%20like%20to%20be%20an%20afropop%20intern>. Talk about Free Stufffff! <http://www.afropop.org/contests.php> Lots to win this week. *For New Yorkers:* Sean’s Afropop Picks include Sierra Leone’s Bajah + the Dry Eye Crew on Oct. 13, Omar Sosa on Oct 18th, and Hassan Hakmoun every Saturday night at Sintir in the East Village. Here’s to October and beyond! Sean Barlow & the Afropop.org Team: Banning, Matt, Victor, Dan & Matt #2 [image: On-air and Listen Live] Traveling Spirit Masters: The Gnawa of Morocco<http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/769/Traveling%20Spirit%20Masters:%20The%20Gnawa%20of%20Morocco> Gnawa musicians have carved out a unique niche within Moroccan society as people with revered spiritual power, who use music and movement to heal the sick. The Gnawas' ancestors came to North Africa as slaves. Today they are an elite class of musicians and spiritualists, celebrated in an annual festival that attracts some 400,000 fans, and invited to collaborate with such notable international artists as jazz legend Randy Weston. In this program, author and scholar Deborah Kapchan guides us through the history, practices, music, lore and unique contemporary stature of the Gnawa, both in Morocco and on the world stage. Interviews with Hassan Hakmoun, historian Mohammed Ennaji, and gnawa scholar Tim Abdellah Fuson. Berber Rising<http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/492/Berber%20Rising> Before Arabs ever set foot in North Africa, the majority population was Berber. Berber musicians today provide a rich but often overlooked contribution to the musical landscapes in countries such as Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Niger, and Mali. This program spotlights some leading contemporary Berber artists, including Takfarinas and Tayfa, legends like Matoub Lounes, and others in the international Berber Diaspora such as Houssaine Kili. The Berber story is one of intrigue, controversy, and the politics of language. And the music is sublime! The Story of Bembeya Jazz<http://www.afropop.org/radio/radio_program/ID/545/The%20Story%20of%20Bembeya%20Jazz> Guinea's legendary dance band, Bembeya Jazz, are a pillar of modern West African history. Begun in 1961 in the flush of Guinea's independence and Sekou Toure's maverick presidency, the band played under the inspired leadership of guitar giant Sekou "Bembeya" Diabate. This program delves into Bembeya history with a focus on the band's 60s and 70s heyday, right up to recent solo work by Sekou Diabate. In the current age of hip hop and digital production that is helping to supplant dance bands across the continent, Bembeya's music stands the test of time for its rich mesh of tradition and swing band drive. [image: Reviews] Ake Doni Doni (Take it Slow)<http://www.afropop.org/explore/album_review/ID/3672/> Malian griot maestro Cheikh Hamala Diabate has performed and recorded in many contexts during 15+ years in Washington, DC. Now he delivers his most fully realized album yet: Mande music meets reggae, jazz, blues, and the banjo! Review by Banning Eyre Histórias da Casa Velha<http://www.afropop.org/explore/album_review/ID/3680/> Semba is a hybrid pop music big in the 60s and 70s in Angola, when the country was fighting to end Portuguese colonial rule. It's been little released or heard, so this compilation of hits from leading semba singer Carlos Lamartine is a welcome find. R Precious Commodity <http://www.afropop.org/explore/album_review/ID/3657/> Aphrodesia is a California-based band who spice their afrobeat stew with a unique variety of other sounds. Their fourth release is a winner. Review by Marc Gabriel Amigone. [image: Features] Berber Rising!<http://www.afropop.org/multi/feature/ID/112/> Afropop Worldwide's Berber Rising program is certainly not the first time Berber music has been featured on our show. But it is by far our most extensive look at this often overlooked vein of North African music. Traveling Spirit Masters: The Lure and Lore of Morocco's Gnawa<http://www.afropop.org/multi/feature/ID/906/> Supplementary materials and links to accompany Afropop Worldwide's Hip Deep program, "Traveling Spirit Masters: The Gnawa of Morocco." Ndunga, a Mask with a Message, Unveiled!<http://www.afropop.org/multi/feature/ID/905/> The Ndunga is a ceremonial Congolese mask created to right "transgressions" in society. One hit the streets of Harlem on September 21,2009. Story and photos by Banning Eyre. [image: Interviews] Deborah Kapchan on the Gnawa, Traveling Spirit Masters <http://www.afropop.org/multi/interview/ID/158/> Deborah Kapchan is a professor of Performance Studies at New York University, and the principle voice for Afropop Worldwide's Hip Deep program, Traveling Spirit Masters: The Gnawa of Morocco. Professor Kapchan has been doing research in Morocco since 1990. In 2007, she published a book on her work with the Gnawa, Traveling Spirit Masters: Moroccan Gnawa, Trance and Music in the Global Marketplace (Wesleyan University Press). Banning Eyre interviewed her in her office in New York. This is a complete transcript. Heidi Feldman, Afro-Peruvian Feature Story<http://www.afropop.org/multi/interview/ID/134/> I recently had the opportunity to talk with Heidi Feldman. She is the author of the award-winning book, Black Rhythms of Peru: Reviving African Musical Heritage in the Black Pacific (Wesleyan University Press, 2006). It's a fascinating journey into the history of black Peruvian culture, one that raises larger questions about the role of tradition and performance in all modern cultures. Khaled and Martin Meissonnier: 2009<http://www.afropop.org/multi/interview/ID/156/> Khaled recorded his 2009 album Liberte with producer Martin Meissonnier, the man behind his 1986 international debut, Kutchie. Meissonnier took Khaled back to the basics of his rai sound. When Khaled unveiled the result at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, Banning Eyre was onhand to interview the artist and the producer. [image: News Flashes] Afropop Worldwide Seeks Interns for Winter/Spring 2010<http://www.afropop.org/news_flash.php?ID=625> The wealth of work done by Afropop would not be possible without our fantastic internship program, and the wonderful interns who help us. If you know someone who would be interested in growing at our organization... ------------------------------ Arab Music Superconcert: Sahra 11/21/09 in Las Vegas<http://www.afropop.org/news_flash.php?ID=619> An unprecedented event will take place this November in sin city, when three superstars of Arab Music (Khaled, Assala Nasri and Rida al Abdulla) converge on the MGM Mirage for a stunning super-concert... ------------------------------ Ndunga Public Art Project, Unveiled in Harlem: September 21, 2009<http://www.afropop.org/news_flash.php?ID=621> In a fascinating confluence of art, traditional Congolese culture, and global social activism, a massive symbolic mask (Ndunga) is unveiled on the International Day of Peace, Riverside Church in Harlem, September 21, 2009, at noon! ------------------------------ [image: Free Stuff] Win 2 TICKETS for Alex Cuba's show at the Highline Ballroom -October 10, 7PM!!! <http://www.afropop.org/free_stuff.php?ID=592> Win 2 TICKETS for Mr. Something Something's show at The Shrine -October 16th, 10PM!!! <http://www.afropop.org/free_stuff.php?ID=593> Win 2 TICKETS to Felabration! w/Dj's Rich Medina & Ian Friday -October 15th, 8PM at S.O.B.'s <http://www.afropop.org/free_stuff.php?ID=596> [image: Afropman] Afropop e-Newsletter staff: Banning Eyre, Senior Editor, Afropop.org Sean Barlow, Senior Producer Matt Payne, Managing Editor, Afropop.org Danny Silva and Sarah Kester, NYC Events Editor Contributors: Ganietchka Thavarajah, Charles Rudoy; Kwaku Boafo, Danny Silva, Sarah Kester, Santiago Felipe Please become a Friend of Afropop <http://www.afropop.org/friends.php>. Your donations help keep Afropop.org a vital public service promoting African music. [image: Funding Partners] [image: National Endowment for the Humanities] <http://www.neh.gov/> <http://www.merck.com/> [image: National Endowment for the Arts] <http://www.nea.gov/> <http://www.rbf.org> [image: Cumbancha] <http://www.rbf.org> Unsubscribe <http://afropop.org/edit.php?unsubscribe=true> Copyright © 2009 World Music Productions. © All rights reserved. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Black Focus Inc." group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/black-focus-inc?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
