LG Radio - May25 - African Orchestras & Grooves of Gratitude
Featuring a return to and restructuring of the show format, a dig into Pan-African orchestras/big bands, and healthy doses of Soul!
Sanle Sory - Les sans soucis de Dogona (The Carefree Dogona), 1980.
Welcome if you’re new, and welcome back to the returning crew, and the substack itself! I took a hiatus frankly because I didn’t realise how much work pulling together these blogs took, and I didn’t want to half-ass it. After 18 months away, I’m back in the proverbial saddle, I’ve switched things up to make these blogs easier to produce, and most importantly, Loose Egusi a constant evolution, a moving feast, so I’m proud to announce that LG has evolved during the time away! So, alongside the monthly radio shows, I’m now bringing Loose Egusi to life as a series of live parties, including our London debut on Tuesday 17th at the BBE Store, continuing my seasonal residency at Thirst Drinks Syndicate in Chelmsford, with our next instalment being May 31st, AND launching a poetry vinyl listening session series called Words On Wax on June 4th. Flyers in the announcements section! Without further ado, here’s this month’s show.
Liner Notes -
This month’s show was inspired by the research I’m currently doing, looking into the role that music played in the creation of post-colonial national identities during independence-era Africa. How significant was it that Mali’s Rail Band got their start as the state-funded house band of the newly built transnational railway, that Kwame Nkrumah paid for artists like Ebo Taylor to study music in London so they could return and better integrate popular jazz styles with traditional African genres like palm-wine and konkoma into highlife, or that Ahmed Sekou Toure disbanded all private orchestras in Guinea-Conakry after independence in 1958 and launched Sylliphone records to publish the newly nationalised dance bands, including Bembeya Jazz National? So that’s where the middle section of today’s playlist comes from, nestled in-between a pumping soul section, tracing the unquestionable global influence of James Brown’s propulsive, Black-and-proud funk, and a disco opening section, featuring my favourite new slice of vinyl - Gwen McCrea’s iconic Keep The Fire Burning. Enjoy!
Tracklist
Basa Basa - African Soul Power [Vintage Voudou]
Gwen McCrae - Keep The Fire Burning [Atlantic]
Santrofi-Ansa - Shakabula [Essiebons]
Renegades Of Jazz - Zebra Talk (ft. Kabanjak) [Agogo Records]
Lauri Kallio - Spiralling Down (ft. Ekowmania) [Mustik Motel Music]
The Cranes - Joy [Afro7]
Rail Band - Marabayasa [RCAM]
Bembeya Jazz National - Telephone [Editions Syliphone Conakry]
Star Band de Dakar - Guajira Ven [Ostinato Records]
T.P Orchestre Poly-Ritmo - Mi Si Ba To [Soundway]
Bwaluka Founders Band - Kimbera [Strut]
All Brothers Band - Yaa Boahemaa [Essiebons]
Uhuru Dance Band - Eyaa Duom [Decca]
Anansa Professionals - Eyak Mmo Enam Mi [Phillips]
Hailu Mergia & The Wailas Band - Tezeta [Awesome Tapes From Africa]
Zeus Martinez - Nuthing But A G Thang [Decibel Studios]
William DeVaughn - Be Thankful For What You Got [Roxbury Records]
Eddie Quansah - Horn Express [Essiebons]
Ike & Tina Turner - Soul To Soul (Live in Ghana) [Atlantic]
BB King - Better Not Look Down (Live at Nick’s) [Sony]
James Brown - Soul Pride [King Records]
Franz Von - Nah Beg (ft. Quabena Cepha & TC) [Bridge The Gap]
Africa Express - Kuduro (ft. Moonchild Sanelly, Fatoumata Diawara, Tom Excell) [World Circuit]
Deeriginal & Names Bliss - Lively Linkup (ft. t.o & scruz) [self-released]
Brother Portrait & Footshooter - Blink Blink [Rework] [self-released]
Upcoming Gigs
MAY 31st - Loose Egusi returns to Chelmsford’s Thirst Drinks Syndicate for the 3rd instalment of our year-long residency, featuring the legendary selector, curator, promoter, and digger of African music, and expert behind the best series on highlife music - Highlife Music Deconstructed, the one and only Volta45!
June 4th - the first edition of Words On Wax, a series of poetry vinyl listening sessions I’m hosting, celebrating beloved classics and unearthed gems of the genre, playing new releases and bringing poetry off the page and onto the turntable! For our first edition we’ll be listening to literary & sound artist (and your new favourite poet) Belinda Zhawi & Adam Bellamy’s collaborative sonic-poetry project - Jump Ship, Sit Lean, Be Still, Stand Tall.
JUNE 17TH - Loose Egusi makes its London debut at the iconic BBE Store! all vinyl, featuring two fantastic selectors and fans of African music I’ve got to know Dare Balogun and Gilkinspoon! Tickets here, come thru.
