Why I Still Love Georges Collinet

Well, I was going to finally get around to reviewing that amazing new Alamaailman Vasarat disc this week, just in time for them to be rocking all the Hammerheads at Roskilde. You know they have a rule that musician can't cross the border to leave Finland unless they demonstrate amazing instrumental and compositional chops? No, really.

Finnish band fights to play the lowest notes

Then I was just going to write about some of the summer music that is sounding so good to me right now.

But before I do any of that, I have to give another big shout out to the amazing Georges Collinet and his Afro-Pop Worldwide crew. You see, I've been doing a rather tedious project at my day job all week, so I've been plugged in to the pod all day long and catching up on some podcasts. I did an Afropop Worldwide marathon this morning of shows from earlier this summer, checking out recent shows on summer tours for 2009 (Orchestra Baobab is on tour and they are supposed to be in Minneapolis August 4!) Aaaaagh!!! I will be in Maine. You all have to go and enjoy these Senegalese legends for me, OK?) and oldies from their archives (Georges' "you are there" account of Cesaria Evora's New York City debut in the early 1990's.)

The guy is so even handed and enthusiastic about all the genres he promotes and he's always sneaking in the cultural history. An interview snippet from Hilda Tloubatla of the Mahotella Queens about the day Nelson Mandela was released from prison? C'mon, what other podcast is going to have such gems? He was loving him some BLK JKS on an episode from a couple of weeks ago...lucky us as they're coming to the Cedar for Global Roots this fall!

Good stuff, people. I've plugged his show before and it still matters. Good podcast, wish one of our public radio stations would pick up the whole show from PRI and broadcast it every week because I can't sit still long enough to stream it, and the podcast is just a quick teaser for each week's show. We do have our own local version, though, with Salif and Charlie doing their African Rhythms show every Thursday afternoon on KFAI. Those guys do a great job of promoting African and Latin music at the Cedar and all over town.

As for that summer listening, Nomo's Ghost Rock is in heavy rotation. I'm trying to like their new one, Invisible Cities, but it's just not as good. More wanking, fewer grooves or something. I don't know, Ghost Rock just cruises along with this incredible energy and drive. Great horns, cool samples, great percussion...pretty good for the crew from Ann Arbor. A shout out to the amazing Angel of Rock for turning me on to these guys.

Michigan kids made good

I've also been giving Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara's Soul Science a lot of plays this week. The folks who put together the European World Music charts love their collaborations and I finally decided to check their stuff out. I'm always a little leary of those Anglo-African collaborations, but much of this one works. The electric guitar and spike fiddle combo jams, baby, except when Adams sings. Don't do that. Even though that "Hand Jive" tune ("Ta Ya Kaaya") is a little hinky, the fiddle just burns the solo. Just grabbed their new one, Tell No Lies, which I'm not sure I like as well. Initially it feels like the energy has been dilluted somehow, but I need to listen more.

That blasted Finnish disc is stuck in my car's cd player. Luckily I uploaded it to pod the minute I got it, but annoying anyway. Not like the poster who lost a bunch of her hard drive...OUCH! My sympathies! But really, I'll review it next week. I had to leave this global music behind and dance to Lady Sovereign and Santogold all afternoon. Sometimes you just gotta.


If you get the urge to drive south this weekend, I hear Watcha Clan is playing at a Bastille day festival in Madison, a mere 250 miles away. I would SO be there but for a family reunion. Mom vs. Watcha Clan? Mom wins.