Monday, May 6
Global Village celebrates World Accordion Day with a wide array of styles and sounds from musicians and bands from all across the globe who incorporate the squeezebox into their music – including Nigeria’s I.K. Dairo, Basque artists Korrontzi and Kepa Junkera, Poland’s Bester Quartet, Italy’s Riccardo Tesi, Berlin’s 17 Hippies, Boston’s Grand Fatilla, Argentina’s Chango Spasiuk, and Romania’s Taraf de Haidouks.
Tuesday, May 7
In conjunction with the Global Village International Drum Month feature for May, the show highlights some international drummers – including Nigerian percussionist Olatunji from his groundbreaking 1959 album, Drums of Passion, the “Dancing Drums” of Ananda Shankar, and Japanese taiko drum group Kodo with Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart. Plus new music from Santana, Turkish psychedelic rocker Umut Adan, Australia’s Public Opinion Afro Orchestra, and the new tribute to Celia Cruz from Angelique Kidjo (with special guest, legendary Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen).
Wednesday, May 8
Global Village marks the birthday of Mahmoud Ahmed, one of the stars of the Golden Age of Ethiopian Music and an artist who helped introduce Ethiopian music to a wider international audience. And there are new releases from Tuareg band Kel Assouf and Ghanaian reggae artist Rocky Dawuni, plus a recent reissue of a classic album from Nubian artist Ali Hassan Kuban, and for the May International Drum Month feature, Indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu and world fusion percussionist Tom Teasley.
Thursday, May 9
Global Village heads to Brazil to mark the birthday of pianist, singer and composer Tania Maria; pay tribute to the ‘Godmother of Samba’ Beth Carvalho, who passed away last week; and to feature new music from guitarist Carlos Barbosa-Lima, Sociedade Recreativa, Orquestra Brasileira de Musica Jamaicana, and Coladera.
Friday May 10
Global Village marks the birthdays of Haitian great Coupe Cloue and also of legendary reggae drummer Sly Dunbar (with Peter Tosh and Ozomatli) and continues the May Drum Month feature with music from Tony Allen (as a leader and as a guest on Angelique Kidjo’s new album, Celia) and from Latin jazz and Latin soul drummer Willie Bobo.
