From Exuma, The Obeah Man (1970). Wild stompin’ folk groove with whistles, frogs, yelping.
From I’m Pissed (2021). Dramatic rock dance production, complete with timestamps for each section (of a four-minute video), and a… sort of website.
From Nassau’s Discos (1979). Fast and funky with cowbells and other African percussion.
Tolgahan Çoğulu: Microtonal Guitar
A modified classical guitar to play microtones; demonstrates with an excerpt of a Turkish melody.
Jacob Collier delves into music nerdery, showing how it’s possible to harmonize any note with every chord or how a diminished chord lets you modulate to anywhere.
Self-described ‘drama rock’ in Portuguese. Feels inspired by Frank Zappa sometimes. I like the diversity of complex textures on this album. There’s also birds!
Ana Vidovic: Live concert from St. Mark's, SF
An hour of classical guitar; works by Bach, Brouwer, Scarlatti, Albeniz.
Abo Sahar (أبو سهر): Moulid Kholkhal (مولد خلخال)
Arabic microtonal melodies, electronic effects, shaabi rhythms.
Abo Sahar (أبو سهر): Mizmar Abosahar
Piercing ornamented tones of a traditional music instrument that appears in some Greek music (similar to a duduk), although I think it’s synthesized here.
Abo Sahar (أبو سهر): Trobby Asly
From 2020 (2020). Featuring so-called ‘trobby music’, not sure if this is a reference to trap music, but it’s gritty, noisy, hypnotic—may give you stank face.
I just get octopus vibes watching his hands move around so fluidly.
داليا [Dalia]: اللي يمشي عادي [Elly Yemshy 3ady] (2021)
I have so much nostagia for Egypt. The ornamentation in their music has a warmth that I haven’t heard anywhere else.
Fabrice Koffy, Marika Galea, Michael Go: Le Soir
From Montréal Sound Resistance: Chapitre I (2021) builds from French spoken word to trio music, to an improvised duo with a lovely African triplet feel. The bilingual album of poetry and spoken word is made in Montreal and dedicated to the memory of George Floyd.
From O Rei Do Carimbó (1983). Yormidable tongue-twister from a Brazillian traditional dance form. I learned that this is the same genre as No Meio do Pitiú from #002.
From ARENA (2021). Beatboxer’s dream and head banger.
Squarepusher x Z-MACHINES: Music For Robots (2014)
Trippy mix of atonal harmonies, jazz solos over drum-n-bass, glitchy video-game music. Sounds like something going wrong, with great precision.
Glitchy, hip-hop jazz had my head boppin’ for twenty-five minutes.
Francis Bebey: Akwaaba — Music For Sanza (1985)
Mbira and raw vocals are set to funky pentatonic bass grooves accompanied by other African percussion. You will sway from side to side.
Joyce Moreno: Revendo Amigos (1994)
Jazz harmonies and wordless melodies.
Joyce Moreno: Passarinho Urbano (1976)
Chock-full of sambas in stereo. Led me to Revendo Amigos (1994), with the kind of jazz harmonies and wordless melodies that I enjoy.
