Monday, January 28
The final Monday of every month, we present Global Village at the Savannah Music Festival, a monthly concert series showcasing top world music artists and groups who have appeared at the prestigious annual festival that takes place each spring in Savannah, Georgia.
This time, in conjunction with the January Best of 2018 feature, it’s one of the artists on this year’s Global Village list of favorites, Bombino. The acclaimed guitarist, dubbed the ‘Sultan of Shred’ by the New York Times, has attracted international attention for his distinctive modern approach to the hypnotic Tuareg or ‘desert blues’ music, work with members of the Black Keys and Rolling Stones, and series of albums, including 2018’s Deran, that have topped the world music charts.
Tuesday, January 29
This time in the Global Village, it’s steel guitars around the globe – a show devoted entirely to the steel guitar from its early days in Hawaii, though a remarkable transformation in Indian music, to the success it found in western swing, rock, sacred steel, and jazz. We’ll hear Hawaiian greats Sol Hoopi and Tau Moe, several generations of Indian guitarists, western swing legend Tom Morrell, sacred steel inspired rock group Robert Randolph & the Family Band, pioneering pop instrumental steel guitar hitmakers Santo & Johnny, and the Finnish group Southpaw Steel ‘n’ Twang.
Wednesday, January 30
Global Village marks the birthday of Ahmad Abdul Malik, the pioneering artist who brought the oud (along with African and Arabic influences) into jazz. We’ll hear music he did as a leader and also with the great African-inspired jazz pianist Randy Weston, who passed away last year. The January Best of 2018 feature also continues with show favorites (Sonido Gallo Negro, and the Complete Cuban Jam Sessions), Grammy nominees (Natalia LaFourcade, Orquesta Akokan), and a classic from Miriam Makaba just announced as one the records going into the Grammy Hall of Fame this year.
Thursday, January 31
Global Village wraps up the January Best of 2018 feature with a rebroadcast of our countdown of favorite releases of the past year. Along with our top ten picks, the show features one of the significant reissues that were also among our picks for the year. The lists of favorites for all the KMUW local music shows are posted on our website at kmuw.org.
Friday, February 1
It’s New Month/New Music time in the Global Village. Each month, Global Village devotes an entire show to the best of recently released and forthcoming world music albums. Among the highlights this time:
A new EP from Santana
A new mashup of Balkan, Cuban and Indian sounds from Jaro Milko & the Cubalkanics
The latest from Slovak band Banda and from Poland’s Janusz Prusinowski Kompania
Indian slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya jamming with two Polish musicians, and Scottish ‘acid-croft’ group Shooglenfity teaming up with Rajasthani group Dhun Dhora
Impressive new sets from Mali’s Salif Keita (his final release) and Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba, and from Gambian kora player Dawda Jobarteh
And contemporary French-Ethiopian band, Ukandanz.
