Episode 71: Moody Motherland

This episode is titled Moody Motherland, featuring all music from Africa today, but a wide sampling of styles within that bucket. The opening set today focused on sad songs from The Congo, Senegal, Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde, with a particular focus on show favorite Franco Luambo and his famous band OK Jazz, a group that dominated the popular music scene across the continent from the mid-50s until Franco’s death in 1989. All Malian artists in the next set… we will hear from the duo Mamadou et Mariam, the new band Bamba Wassoulou Groove, and the Tuareg rockers Tamikrest. The second hour kicks off with a track from the self-titled LP by Super Mama Djombo, issued on the New Dawn label back in 2015. Then we’ll move to Nigeria and Ghana for tracks from Monomono, the Hygrades, and Marijata, along with an Ode to Jimi Hendrix by Cameroonian guitarist Vincent Nguini, who went on to serve in Paul Simon’s band for many years.