Chicago is the World

Lots of great new music coming out in the world today. Good timing as weather begins to warm up here in Chicago… On this show of Chicago is the world, we’ll be hearing some of this tasty music and deliver some local tracks too from our local neighborhood ska band Los Vicious de Papa!

Tune in Tuesday, May 12th, 2009 on WHPK 88.5 FM from 5pm to 6pm. Streaming live from the web at www.whpk.org.

may-12-09_chicagoistheworld playlist download

This week’s featured artists:

Abigail Washburn & The Shanghai Restoration Project,
Ever since playing for the Sichuan school kids placed in disaster earthquake zone relocation schools last December, I wanted to go back to make more music with the kids and find a way to share their stories and songs with people who know and care about my music back here in the US. So between March 13-27, folk and electronic music united with the Sichuan Quake Relief organization on the ground in Sichuan to work with kids, teachers and parents to make a benefit EP. The result is a wonderful album entitled “Afterquake”

SinoSikat?
In an industry where oneís success depends on who you sound like, this group breaks musical stereotypes with their own concoction of home grown music inspired by sincerity, purity & honesty through music.

Their music is an orgy of jazz, soul, funk, rock, & sexy groovy beats matched with unparalled skill. They are driven and intense in their craft, which shows in their live performances. They are influenced by the past and inspired by the future. Sinosikat? will Rock your Soul!

SinoSikat? the band officially started September 2004. Their debut album was released on 2007, the very same year they won the “VOCALIST OF THE YEAR” title at The NU RockAwards.

Bibi Tanga & The Selenites
The future of funk is being written right now by a pair of Parisian groove theorists named Bibi Tanga and Professeur Inlassable. Singer, bassist and bandleader Bibi Tanga bridges the divide between the arty South Bank of the Seine and the gritty suburbs, where he grew up as an immigrant from the Central African Republic. Bibi’s music is marked by slinky, sinuous basslines and a wicked falsetto that conjures up Prince and Curtis Mayfield, while producer Professeur Inlassable (“The Tireless Professor”) digs deep beneath the cobblestones of Paris to unearth the sound and spirit of another era. Together with Bibi’s band The Selenites, the duo forges a stunningly original new sound and creates a space where Afro-futurism meets steampunk, Fela Kuti jams with Sidney Bechet and Marcel Duchamp gets down to Chic.

Though they’ve already made a stir in France, the group now teams up with Nat Geo Music (after a fortuitous spin on the Nat Geo Music TV Channel alerted the label to their sublime talent) to bring their fashion-forward funk vision to audiences worldwide. Bibi Tanga & The Selenites’ “It’s The Earth That Moves” EP is scheduled for release on April 18, and the group’s full-length international debut “Dunya” is scheduled for release later this fall. In addition, European fans can catch Bibi at Nat Geo Music’s Earth Day celebration in Rome, Italy, on April 22, 2009.

“Dunya” takes its name from the word for “existence” in Sango, the language of the Central African Republic, and the album is both a vivid snapshot of the present moment in global music and a roadmap to the future. Deftly juggling English, French and Sango lyrics, Bibi embeds hyper-literate, socially conscious messages about immigration, malnutrition, AIDS, slavery and more in some of the most danceable grooves this side of Gnarls Barkley. “Dunya” takes listeners on a wild, eclectic tour through the history and pre-history of funk, layering afrobeat rhythms over electro-tinged soul and cosmopolitan trans-Atlantic grooves.

Born in Paris in 1969, Bienvenu (Bibi) Tanga didn’t see his homeland until the age of 2, when his parents brought him home to Bangui, the dusty capital of the Central African Republic. Growing up, Bibi was one of 10 children and spent his earliest years shuttling from Paris to Africa to Moscow to Washington, D.C., and Brooklyn, thanks to his father’s diplomatic postings. “I remember the first time that I realized I wasn’t white,” Bibi recalls “I was 4 years old, in Moscow, and the idea of race, of color, just hadn’t occurred to me before. I always felt like an outsider until I was 10 years old and my parents returned to Paris.”

Thanks to a coup d’état in the Central African Republic, his father turned from diplomat to refugee, and Bibi’s family ended up living in the suburbs of Paris. “My mother supported us then, she worked as a nurse. It was hard, but I was happy to be in Paris, because it felt like home to me, I knew I could make real friends here.”

It was in Paris that his musical education began in earnest. “My parents used to go to a lot of parties,” he recalls, “And my father had a lot of records. I grew up listening to everything. Franco and Tabu Ley from Congo, Fela Kuti from Nigeria, Bembeya Jazz from Guinea… I grew up on all of that. American music, too — James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, Jimi Hendrix… and of course Bob Marley… I love disco, funk, soul, reggae, R&B. It’s all like a big library to me. I feel like there’s this heritage of black music from around the world, and I’m the heir to it.”

But Bibi’s musical education didn’t stop there. As a teenager growing up in Paris in the ’80s, punk rock and new wave were inescapable — from French bands like Telephone to British bands like the English Beat, The Specials and The Cure — and they left an indelible impact on his music. As a teenager, Bibi learned guitar, bass and saxophone — and even took up tap dancing. “The first instrument is your body,” he says “it’s like having drums on your feet.”

All those influences came together in Bibi’s debut in 2000. Taking its name from one of his short stories (did we mention he wrote fiction, too?) “Le vent qui soufflé” was a collaboration with legendary French funk collective Malka Family that marked Bibi for bigger things.

Bibi Tanga’s first meeting with Professeur Inlassable came in 2003, and the duo found that they shared a passion for much of the same music. Three years later Bibi Tanga recorded his second album, “Yellow Gauze” under the supervision of Le Professeur in his Paris studio. “It was like magic,” recalls Bibi. “He knew exactly what we wanted and exactly what he wanted — and knew how to bring it out of us… but also how to get out of the way!”

Professeur Inlassable also brings his superb crate-diving skills to the table. A student of early decades of French popular music, Le Professeur adds a whole new dimension to Bibi Tanga’s sound, recreating lost musical soundscapes that invoke echoes of Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel and Serge Gainsbourg. For “Dunya,” Le Professeur even pulls samples from National Geographic Emerging Explorer Josh Ponte’s “Gabon: The Last Dance” soundtrack album.

Together with Bibi’s band The Selenites — Arthur Simonini on violin and keyboards, Rico Kerridge on guitar and Arnaud Biscay on drums — Bibi and Le Professeur craft an otherworldly sound. “We call the band The Selenites because that’s the name of the people who lived on the dark side of the moon.” Bibi explains. “It’s from a story by H.G. Wells. People think our music comes from outer space, like cosmic rays. So the moon is a big inspiration for me, I’m definitely a romantic that way — but my music is also rooted firmly on the ground.”

Lal Meri
It’s no coincidence that Nancy Kaye, Ireesh Lal and Carmen Rizzo chose to name their groundbreaking collaboration after the ancient Sufi folk song, “Lal Meri,” an interpretation which closes the trio’s seductive and refreshing Six Degrees Records debut.

“The message of the song is unifying different people from different cultures and beliefs,” says Nancy, the mystery-laden honey-and-sand voiced siren, with a gift for expansive turns of phrases and indelible melodies. “Why can’t we basically be together as one? It’s a beautiful message.”

If ever a band represented such ideals, it’s Lal Meri, with each musician coming in from different backgrounds, cultures and musical sensibilities, all combined into a unified, vibrant whole. Nancy’s singing and writing – both urgent and timeless – have powered her forays in pop (a 2002 debut album for Island/Def Jam Records) and jazz (her recent, saucy tour de force Luckiest Girl), both under the artist name Rosey. Ireesh’s multiple instrumental, composing and arranging talents have been spotlighted in his previous bands Hot Sauce Johnson and Animastik. Carmen’s global-conscious sense has brought him to the forefront as a writer, producer and remixer with Seal, Coldplay, Paul Oakenfold, Jem and countless others, while his expansive vision is at the core of his own wide-ranging album and his work as a member of the groundbreaking world-fusion act Niyaz.

On their self-titled debut album, these distinctly creative musical minds and strong individual personalities form at once a microcosm or mirror of the whole world — and a whole new world unto itself. Nancy’s voice intertwines with R&B punches and smoky cabaret inflections, while Ireesh blends reggae & jazz on the trumpet. Seductive trip-hop beats mix with oud and tabla. Emotions run deep, in matters of romance and the state of the world, the music and lyrics alike questing for the best instincts of the human spirit. From the soulful bounce of opener “Dreams of 18” through the closing title song, Lal Meri is three artists inventing a new common language. (read less)

It’s no coincidence that Nancy Kaye, Ireesh Lal and Carmen Rizzo chose to name their groundbreaking collaboration after the ancient Sufi folk song, “Lal Meri,” an interpretation which closes the trio’s seductive and refreshing Six Degrees Records debut.

“The message of the song is unifying different people from different cultures and beliefs,” says Nancy, the mystery-laden honey-and-sand voiced siren, with a gift for expansive turns of phrases and indelible melodies. “Why can’t we basically be… (read more)

Dngue Fever
Even when you consider the cultural cross-pollination that goes on in large metropolitan areas, L.A.’s Dengue Fever had perhaps the strangest genesis of any band in recent memory. They are left-field enough for a group of white musicians to cover psychedelic rock oldies from Cambodia, but finding a bona fide Cambodian pop star to front the band — and sing in Khmer, no less — is the kind of providence that could only touch a select few places on Earth. Formed in L.A.’s hipster-friendly Silver Lake area in 2001, Dengue Fever traced their roots to organist Ethan Holtzman’s 1997 trip to Cambodia with a friend. That friend contracted the tropical disease (transmitted via mosquito) that later gave the band its name, and it also introduced Holtzman to the sound of ’60s-era Cambodian rock, which still dominated radios and jukeboxes around the country. The standard sound bore a strong resemblance to Nuggets-style garage rock and psychedelia, heavy on the organ and fuzztone guitar, and with the danceable beat of classic rock & roll. It also bore the unmistakable stamp of Bollywood film musicals, and often employed the heavily reverbed guitar lines of surf and spy-soundtrack music. Yet the eerie Khmer-language vocals and Eastern melodies easily distinguished it from its overseas counterpart.

When Holtzman returned to the States, he introduced his brother Zac — a core member of alt-country eccentrics Dieselhed — to the cheap cassettes he’d brought back. They started hunting for as much Cambodian rock as they could find, and eventually decided to form a band to spotlight their favorite material — much of which was included on a compilation from Parallel World, Cambodian Rocks. In addition to Ethan Holtzman on Farfisa and Optigan, and Zac on vocals and guitar, the charter membership of Dengue Fever included bassist Senon Williams (also of slowcore outfit the Radar Brothers), drummer Paul Smith, and saxophonist David Ralicke (Beck, Ozomatli, Brazzaville). Ralicke shared Zac Holtzman’s interest in Ethiopian jazz, further broadening the group’s global mindset. Thus constituted, the band went combing the clubs in the Little Phnom Penh area of Long Beach, searching for a female singer who could replicate the style and language of the recordings they had.

After striking out a few times, the Holtzmans discovered Chhom Nimol, a onetime pop star in Cambodia who came from a highly successful musical family (analogous to the Jacksons). According to the band, Nimol had performed several times for the Cambodian royal family before emigrating to Los Angeles. Initially not understanding the band’s motives, she was suspicious at first, but after several rehearsals, everything clicked. Dengue Fever made their live debut in 2002, with the charismatic Nimol in full traditional Cambodian garb, and soon won a following among Hollywood hipsters — not to mention L.A. Weekly’s Best New Band award that year. Purely a cover band at first, they started working on original material after putting out a four-song EP locally. The Holtzmans wrote English lyrics and music, then sent the lyrics to a Khmer translator in the state of Washington, after which Nimol would adjust the melody and words to her liking.

Dengue Fever counted among their fans actor Matt Dillon, who included their Khmer-language cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” on the soundtrack of his 2003 directorial debut, City of Ghosts. However, disaster nearly struck when Nimol was arrested in San Diego in accordance with the stringent, post-9/11 INS policy — she’d arrived in the U.S. on a two-week visitor’s visa and simply stayed on. She was thrown in jail for three weeks, and it took nearly a year for the band’s lawyer to secure her a two-year visa (his fees were paid through benefit concerts). In the meantime, Dengue Fever released their self-titled debut album on Web of Mimicry, a label run by Mr. Bungle guitarist Trey Spruance. Most of the repertoire consisted of Cambodian covers, many originally done by pre-Pol Pot star Ros Sereysothea, but there were several originals and an Ethiopian jazz tune as well. With Nimol’s limited English improving, the bandmembers considered putting some English-language material on their follow-up, but intended to stick with Khmer on the majority, in keeping with the music that inspired them. In 2007, Dengue Fever not only released Escape from Dragon House but also starred in the documentary Sleeping Through the Mekong, which saw them performing their music in Cambodia for the first time. Venus on Earth debuted on the M80 label the following year. Steve Huey, All Music Guide

Los Vicious de Papa
LVDP started in 2001, the first Latin Ska band in the windy city. Little by little persistence paid off, earning opening slots for Mexican Ska/rock bands like Maldita vecindad, Inspector, Almalafa, and Tokadiscos; Viernes 13, Las 15 letras and Chencha Berrinches from Los Angeles, and Los Skarnales from Texas. Although in existence less than 8 years, Los Vicios De Pap? have quickly gained world wide recognition through hard work and a true love for music. In addition to helping kick-start a vibrant Chicago Latin Ska scene, LVDP have crossed-over and opened for big “American” bands like Mustard Plug, The Toasters, Catch 22, Planet Smashers, Deals Gone Bad, Manic Sewing Circle, and Dr. Ring Ding from Germany. LVDP have performed in various venues from the biggest to the smallest in Chicago, starting with big ones like the Congress theater, the well known METRO, House of Blues to name a few. The most resent show at House of Blues LVDP shared the stage with none other then Zack de la Rocha and Tom Morello from Rage Against The Machine in a great event organized by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) called “Concert For Fair Food” which “Rocked the Chicago House Of Blues and Shook the house of fast-food”-CIW. The band is also heavily involved in non-for-profit community groups, regularly playing benefits for Zapatista communities, people with disabilities, independent cultural organizations, and radio stations. In 2004 LVDP recorded a 5 song demo, and then proceeded to win a SUNKIST sponsored “battle of the bands” at HOUSE OF BLUES which covered additional studio time. LVDP’s lyrics tackle diverse issues, problems, and experiences that affect all of us: love, injustice, happiness, hope, and perseverance in life. Los Vicios De Papa arranges dancehall, traditional ska, and reggae into their fusion of cumbia, cha-cha-cha and other world music genres; creating an intoxicating mix that whips fans into a dance-frenzy as soon as they begin.

Amadou & Mariam
Amadou and Mariam, “the blind couple from Mali”, have been playing their warm African rhythms and infectiously catchy melodies for almost thirty years now. After establishing a reputation in Africa, the duo finally broke onto the international music scene in two stages, first with the hit single “Mon amour, ma chérie” in 1998. They then confirmed their new star status in 2004 with the album “Dimanche à Bamako”, produced by Manu Chao.

Mariam Doumbia was born in Bamako on 15 April 1958. As a young girl she developed a passionate interest in music and was often to be found with her father’s radio set clutched to her ears. Mariam learnt all the songs she heard on the radio by heart, singing along to Malian stars such as Siramory Diabaté, Mokontafé Sako and Fanta Damba as well as classics by French and international singers such as Dalida, Sheila and Nana Mouskouri.

Mariam soon found herself following in the footsteps of her music idols. By the age of six, she was already performing at local weddings and baptism parties. Growing up surrounded by music and the support and affection of a loving father, Mariam developed a strong sense of self-confidence. In 1973, the budding young singer, who had lost her sight at the age of five, enrolled at Bamako’s Institute for the Young Blind which opened that same year. Mariam was one of the Institute’s first pupils and, besides following lessons in Braille, she also showed her own teaching skills, giving singing and dance classes to other students.

Amadou Bagayoko was also born in Bamako, on 24 October 1954. He revealed his musical talent as a toddler, mastering a variety of percussion instruments at the tender age of two. Amadou soon branched out in other directions too, learning to play the harmonica and the flute when he was ten. But the instrument that really grabbed his attention was his uncle’s guitar and, as a young teenager growing up on a healthy diet of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, John Lee Hooker and Eric Clapton, Amadou vowed he would become a guitar hero himself one day. Besides listening to international rock greats, Amadou also opened his ears to Cuban music and local homegrown talent from Mali.

Amadou’s career began in earnest in 1968 when he started performing with a variety of different groups such as Mali’s National Orchestra and the Niarela and Koutiala orchestras. Between 1974 and 1980, Amadou also honed his musical skills playing with Les Ambassadeurs du Motel (one of the leading groups to emerge from the Malian music scene which included Salif Keïta in its ranks). Working with Les Ambassadeurs gave Amadou the chance to travel and the young musician soon found himself on tour, playing dates in France, Ivory Coast, Guinea Conakry and Haute-Volta (now Burkina Faso). Meanwhile, Amadou, who had gone blind during his teens as a result of a congenital cataract, enrolled at Bamako’s Institute for the Young Blind in 1975. He met Mariam soon afterwards and, brought together by a mutual passion for music, the young couple fell in love.

Asa
“Asa, a talented young singer-guitarist from Nigeria who is at her sublime vocal best solo. Asa grew up listening to her father’s record collection, soaking up the heady sounds of soul, reggae and folk-jazz via Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley and classics from the Gold Coast. The budding young talent was later inspired by the likes of Macy Gray, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill, but the artist young Asa has most frequently been compared to is the dreadlocked queen of Afro-folk, Tracy Chapman. “

Asa was recently nominated for two MTV Africa music awards, and she shares the honours with Wahu (Kenya) as the two are the most nominated female artists.