[APWW #678] [Originally aired 2013]
The legendary Cuban pianist / bandleader / composer Ramón "Bebo" Valdés used to say, el día que me muera, no quiero lloradera. Que toquen una rumba, que tomen ron y coman chocolate, y que toquen mi música más bailable. The day I die, I don’t want weeping. Have a rumba, drink rum and eat chocolate, and play my most danceable music. 

Bebo passed on March 22, 2013 at the age of 94, and to honor his memory in high spirits, Afropop Worldwide producer Ned Sublette travels to the Voll-Damm Barcelona International Jazz Festival for an exclusive presentation: highlights from the historic Rumba Para Bebo – part concert, part memorial, part Cuban jazz jam, part rumba, and part Kongo ceremony. 

The show features Bebo's son and former pupil, the reigning grandmaster Cuban pianist / bandleader / composer Jesús "Chucho" Valdés and the Afro Cuban Messengers, and with special guests Jerry González, Omar Sosa and Malongo, Mayra Caridad Valdés, Lázara Cachao, Javier Massó “Caramelo,” Javier Colina, Mauricio Vallina, Paloma Manfugás, Eladio Reinón, David Pastor, and more! 

Rumba Para Bebo

Disturbia (GTTG Hardstyle remix)

KALEIDOSCOPE demo - TEO x BARCA

In 1989, Congolese soukous had ignited dance floors across the continent, and in European cities, especially Paris. And now it was arriving in America. One of the most hard-working and polished of many Congolese groups was Loketo, headed by singer Aurlus Mabele and ace guitarist Diblo Dibala. Keen to document the moment, Afropop Worldwide recorded the band at SOB's in New York City, then the gateway for African groups seeking to tour in America. The presenter of that concert, Alex Boicel, recalls to this day how that SOB's show captured the magic of Loketo like no other. All these years later, the music still sounds as fresh as the day it was played!

Originally produced by Sean Barlow in 1990
APWW #16

Loketo Live in NYC

DE$APEGO

Burkina Faso in West Africa is a nation on the rise. Amid recent political turmoil, it faces the challenge and opportunity of managing vast mineral wealth, including gold. As promising as these riches are, Georges, Mukwae and Banning focus here on the country’s multicultural musical riches. We hear music from the late Baba Commandant and the Mandingo band, as well as interviews and live music from Dicko Fils and the Sahel punk experimental outfit, Avalanche Kaito. Open your ears to a too-often-overlooked major player in West African music. 

Episode #007

Planet Afropop - Three Takes on Burkina Faso

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

Barrio Colón to Brooklyn

JUNE27

3nyave's Album

BREATHEWITHME

DREAM$

BODIE$

Afropop Worldwide is an internationally syndicated weekly radio series, online guide to African and world music, and an international music archive, that has introduced American listeners to the music cultures of Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean since 1988. Our radio program is hosted by Georges Collinet from Cameroon, the radio series is distributed by Public Radio International to 110 stations in the U.S., via XM satellite radio, in Africa via and Europe via Radio Multikulti. 

Rumba Para Bebo

Afropop Worldwide

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