Hear music with roots in South Asia, Kuwait, and East Africa, in work by the trio of Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, and Shahzad Ismaily, Los Angeles-based Kuwaiti composer Fatima Al Qadiri, and Ethiopian band QWANQWA. Hear new music from the collaborative trio of Pakistani American singer/composer Arooj Aftab, pianist/composer Vijay Iyer, and multi-instrumentalist/producer Shahzad Ismaily, from their 2023 release, Love in Exile. The trio invites listeners into “melodic dialogues” with carefully-considered space which balances Aftab’s voice between almost ambient soundscapes (The Guardian). Then, hear Senegalese-born Kuwaiti musician, composer, and conceptual artist Fatima Al Qadiri’s together with Kuwaiti vocalist Gumar, which looks to the formal training in lamentation singing they both grew up with. Listen to “Mojik (Your Waves)”, which is about drowning; the Arabic lyrics translate to “Your waves, your waves have killed me, oh sea.” (Pitchfork) Also, listen to Iranian composer and singer Mahsa Vahdat, from her record, Enlighten the Night, featuring Norwegian musicians pianist Tord Gustavsen, bass player Gjermund Silset and drummer Kenneth Ekornes. There’s also music by Kenyan composer and sound artist Nyokabi Kariuki, which uses piano, electronics, sampled sounds, and the voice as a way to process her experience with Long Covid. The eight-piece London-based band Dur-Dur Band Int. has roots in Somalia from decades ago before the civil war, when there was a thriving pop music scene centered in the capital of Mogadishu. Many of the musicians have been living in exile in Europe and met up in Berlin in 2019 to record a new album of music together. Hear legendary Somali singer Xabiib Sharaabi, together with Dur-Dur Band Int. in a song, “Hasha Geel,” also shows the influence of the Ethiopian pop of the early 70s. Plus, music by Addis Ababa-based group QWANQWA, who combine Ethiopia’s unique one-string mesenko fiddle, and the lyre called krar; and classic Ethio-jazz by Mahmoud Ahmed, from the Ethiopiques series. - Caryn Havlik Program #4723, Voices From East Africa To South Asia (First aired 3/7/23) ARTIST: Dur-Dur Band Int.WORK: Hasha Geel [1:02]RECORDING: The Berlin SessionSOURCE: OUT HERE RECORDSINFO: dur-durbandint.bandcamp.com ARTIST: Matters Unknown Feat. Miryam SolomonWORK: Eloquence [3:46]RECORDING: Transmissions from Total Refreshment CentreSOURCE: Blue Note RecordsINFO: shop.bluenote.com ARTIST: Mahsa VahdatWORK: Enlighten the night [4:33]RECORDING: Enlighten the nightSOURCE: Kirkelig Kulturverksted INFO: https://kkv.no/en ARTIST: Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, Shahzad IsmailyWORK: To Remain, To Return [9:08]RECORDING: Love in ExileSOURCE: VerveINFO: https://loveinexile.lnk.to/toremaintoreturn | Due March 24 ARTIST: Nyokabi KariũkiWORK: folds [5:39]RECORDING: Feeling BodySOURCE: cmntx recordsINFO: nyokabikariuki.bandcamp.com ARTIST: Fatima Al QadiriWORK: Mojik (Your Waves)[3:14]RECORDING: GumarSOURCE: HyperdubINFO: fatimaalqadiri.bandcamp.com/album/gumar | Due out March 10 ARTIST: Dur-Dur Band Int.WORK: Hasha Geel [6:02]RECORDING: The Berlin SessionSOURCE: OUT HERE RECORDSINFO: dur-durbandint.bandcamp.com ARTIST: QWANQWAWORK: Serg [6:43]RECORDING: QWANQWA Volume 3SOURCE: FPE RecordsINFO: qwanqwaband.bandcamp.com ARTIST: Mahmoud AhmedWORK: Atawurulegn Lila [4:03]RECORDING: Ethiopiques 7: Mahmoud Ahmed - Ere Mela MelaSOURCE: Buda Musique #82980INFO: budamusique.com
Hear music with roots in South Asia, Kuwait, and East Africa, in work by the trio of Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, and Shahzad Ismaily, Los Angeles-based Kuwaiti composer Fatima Al Qadiri, and Ethiopian band QWANQWA.
Hear new music from the collaborative trio of Pakistani American singer/composer Arooj Aftab, pianist/composer Vijay Iyer, and multi-instrumentalist/producer Shahzad Ismaily, from their 2023 release, Love in Exile. The trio invites listeners into “melodic dialogues” with carefully-considered space which balances Aftab’s voice between almost ambient soundscapes (The Guardian).
Then, hear Senegalese-born Kuwaiti musician, composer, and conceptual artist Fatima Al Qadiri’s together with Kuwaiti vocalist Gumar, which looks to the formal training in lamentation singing they both grew up with. Listen to “Mojik (Your Waves)”, which is about drowning; the Arabic lyrics translate to “Your waves, your waves have killed me, oh sea.” (Pitchfork)
Also, listen to Iranian composer and singer Mahsa Vahdat, from her record, Enlighten the Night, featuring Norwegian musicians pianist Tord Gustavsen, bass player Gjermund Silset and drummer Kenneth Ekornes. There’s also music by Kenyan composer and sound artist Nyokabi Kariuki, which uses piano, electronics, sampled sounds, and the voice as a way to process her experience with Long Covid.
The eight-piece London-based band Dur-Dur Band Int. has roots in Somalia from decades ago before the civil war, when there was a thriving pop music scene centered in the capital of Mogadishu. Many of the musicians have been living in exile in Europe and met up in Berlin in 2019 to record a new album of music together. Hear legendary Somali singer Xabiib Sharaabi, together with Dur-Dur Band Int. in a song, “Hasha Geel,” also shows the influence of the Ethiopian pop of the early 70s.
Plus, music by Addis Ababa-based group QWANQWA, who combine Ethiopia’s unique one-string mesenko fiddle, and the lyre called krar; and classic Ethio-jazz by Mahmoud Ahmed, from the Ethiopiques series. - Caryn Havlik
Program #4723, Voices From East Africa To South Asia (First aired 3/7/23)
ARTIST: Dur-Dur Band Int.WORK: Hasha Geel [1:02]RECORDING: The Berlin SessionSOURCE: OUT HERE RECORDSINFO: dur-durbandint.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Matters Unknown Feat. Miryam SolomonWORK: Eloquence [3:46]RECORDING: Transmissions from Total Refreshment CentreSOURCE: Blue Note RecordsINFO: shop.bluenote.com
ARTIST: Mahsa VahdatWORK: Enlighten the night [4:33]RECORDING: Enlighten the nightSOURCE: Kirkelig Kulturverksted INFO: https://kkv.no/en
ARTIST: Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, Shahzad IsmailyWORK: To Remain, To Return [9:08]RECORDING: Love in ExileSOURCE: VerveINFO: https://loveinexile.lnk.to/toremaintoreturn | Due March 24
ARTIST: Nyokabi KariũkiWORK: folds [5:39]RECORDING: Feeling BodySOURCE: cmntx recordsINFO: nyokabikariuki.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Fatima Al QadiriWORK: Mojik (Your Waves)[3:14]RECORDING: GumarSOURCE: HyperdubINFO: fatimaalqadiri.bandcamp.com/album/gumar | Due out March 10
ARTIST: Dur-Dur Band Int.WORK: Hasha Geel [6:02]RECORDING: The Berlin SessionSOURCE: OUT HERE RECORDSINFO: dur-durbandint.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: QWANQWAWORK: Serg [6:43]RECORDING: QWANQWA Volume 3SOURCE: FPE RecordsINFO: qwanqwaband.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Mahmoud AhmedWORK: Atawurulegn Lila [4:03]RECORDING: Ethiopiques 7: Mahmoud Ahmed - Ere Mela MelaSOURCE: Buda Musique #82980INFO: budamusique.com