Monday, May 30
On the final Monday of every month, we present our award-winning monthly concert series (First Place in the KAB Annual Awards in the Special Program category), showcasing top world music artists and groups. We head to the GroundUP Music Festival for another exciting live performance this month.
Throughout May, Global Village has featured the rich array of traditional and regional music of Spain. In conjunction with our feature, we head to Galicia for one of the great voices of Galician music Fransy González, along with rising star Davide Salvado (vocals and percussion) and violinist Cibrán Seixo.
Tuesday, May 31
Global Village wraps up the May Spain feature with a program devoted to music from a wide array of Spanish performers. Among the highlights are music Cuban tres player Raúl Rodriguez, Catalan band Fenya Rai, Basque accordionist Xabi Aburruzaga, eclectic multi-instrumentalist Efrén López, Basque band Korrontzi, Galician piper Susana Seivane, flamenco/bluegrass band FlamenGrass, and some new Galician jazz from Xosé Miguélez.
Wednesday, June 1
Global Village kicks off the June Congolese Rumba feature with a Soukous Special – the more modern, faster-paced version of the popular Latin-flavored, guitar-laced Congolese dance music. We’ll hear legendary band leaders Franco and Tabu Ley Rochereau, Paris-based artists Kanda Bongo Man and the Four Stars, the "Queen of Congolese and African Rumba" M’Bilia Bel, and a marvelous Afro-Colombian project from Dizzy Mandjeku and Ale Kuma that revives the Latin/African style in a fresh new way.
Thursday, June 2
It’s Festa della Repubblica Day in Italy, a national holiday marking when Italy voted after World War II to become a Republic. Global Village celebrates with a show devoted to music from Italy, from neo-traditional to contemporary. We’ll hear selections from neo-folk pioneer and innovator Riccardo Tesi, U.S. based groups Newpoli and Grand Fatilla, the Italian Afrobeat-inspired Mamud Band, and a special little treat from the Napoli Mandolin Orchestra.
Friday, June 3
It’s New Month/New Music time in the Global Village. Global Village devotes the entire show to the best of recently released and forthcoming world music albums each month. Among the highlights this time:
- West African inspired sounds from the French trio Soadan
- Musicians from Mali, Afghanistan and the Middle East meet in a sterling project as Sowal Diabi
- An international cast of 19 musicians from four continents come together as Congotronics International
- More reggae from Ivory Coast, this time from Ras Kalif
- And classical harpist Catrin Finch and Senegalese kora player return (with even more strings) for their third project together.
