Monday, August 29
On the last Monday of every month, we present our award-winning monthly concert series featuring the best artists and bands in world music. This month we head to the GroundUP Music Festival in Miami Beach, an innovative event with concerts, master classes and unique artist interactions, all in a tropical setting.
In conjunction with the August Global Drums feature, we’ll be hearing music from one of the most exciting percussionists on the Latin music scene today, Pedrito Martínez. Originally from Cuba and now based in the US, Martínez helped found the Afro-Cuban/Afro Beat group Yerba Buena, has appeared on nearly 100 albums, worked with one of the musicians and fronts his own band, shown here in a non-stop, high-energy performance of contemporary Afro-Cuban music.
Tuesday, August 30
The global village visits Lusophone, the five African nations – Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and São Tomé – where Portuguese is an official language. Among the featured artists are Cape Verde’s Cesária Évora, Angolan singers Bonga and Waldemar Bastos, Mozambique’s Marrabenta Star Orchestra, Guinea-Bissau’s Super Mamba Djombo and from São Tomé, Africa Negra.
Wednesday, August 31
The global village celebrates Independence Day in Trinidad and Tobago. The twin island nation has a rich musical culture, famous for calypso, soca (a modernized form of calypso) and steel drum music. Some great performers and recordings, along with different approaches to country sounds, are featured in this Independence Day special – including music from Mighty Sparrow, Lord Kitchener, David Rudder, Calypso Rose, Andy Narell… and Maya Angelou!
Thursday, September 1
The global village celebrates singer Gloria Estefan’s birthday with music from her Spanish-language albums and guest appearances with Celia Cruz and BB King. We also kick off our September Global Violin feature with eclectic master Federico Britos. And we’ll hear new music from Colombian band Rebolú, contemporary band chicha Bareto and Malian guitar star Vieux Farka Touré.
Friday, September 2
It’s a New Month/Time of New Music in the The global village. Every month, The global village dedicates the entire show to the best of recent and upcoming world music albums. Among the main points this time:
- The long-awaited reunion of two giants of Cuban music – Chucho Valdés and Paquito D’Rivera
- Colombian singer Xiomara Torres
- Another cross-cultural collaboration of the Senegalese choirmaster Ablaye Cissoko with the French accordionist Cyrille Brotto
- Groundbreaking Ethiopian singer Minyeshu
- And in conjunction with September’s Global Violins feature, we’ll hear violin-led projects by Gerd Putscheff, Päivi Hirvonen and Optur
