Wednesday, October 11th
drum festival
day three
Tony Allen (drums, vocals) & Band, live, Luxembourg, 2011
music clip of the day
jazz/blues/rock/classical/gospel/more
Category: Africa
2017
2017
Thursday, August 10th
tonight in Chicago
He’s singing in Millenium Park.
Youssou N’Dour, “Lang,” live
*****
And they’re playing at Elastic.
Daniel Levin (cello) & Tim Daisy (drums), live, Bloomington, Ind., 2015
**********
lagniappe
reading table
The least misfortune can do to make up for itself is to be interesting.
—Michael Kinsley, Old Age: A Beginner’s Guide
2017
Friday, July 21st
can’t wait
Monday night, Chicago—Millenium Park.
Amadou & Mariam (feat. Manu Chao), “Senegal Fast Food,” 2004
**********
lagniappe
random thoughts
The story we tell ourselves of who we are is just that—a story we tell ourselves of who we are.
2017
Wednesday, June 28th
sounds of Tunisia (and all over)
Dhafer Youssef (composer, singer, oud player), documentary about making Diwan of Beauty and Odd (2016)
(Thanks for the tip to John Balmes.)
2017
Saturday, June 24th
sounds of Mali
Salif Keita, live, Germany (Stuttgart), 1995
**********
lagniappe
reading table
[C]ommunication is an undependable but sometimes marvelous thing.
—Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979), letter to Randall Jarrell, December 26, 1955
2017
Thursday, June 22nd
sounds of Ethiopia
Hailu Mergia, live, New York, 2016
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lagniappe
reading table
summer heat—
today, all day
the playful clouds—Kobayashi Issa, 1763-1827 (translated from Japanese by David G. Lanoue with assistance from Sakuo Nakamura)
2017
Monday, June 12th
what’s new
Oumou Sangaré, “Kamelemba,” 2017
2017
Friday, March 31st
what’s new
Oumou Sangaré (feat. Tony Allen, drums), “Yere Faga,” 3/30/17
**********
lagniappe
reading table
First cherry blossoms
just came out
pretty good day!—Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), translated from Japanese by David Young
2017
Friday, March 17th
sounds of Mali
Salif Keita, live, London, c. 2002
**********
lagniappe
reading table
What one seems to want in art, in experiencing it, is the same thing that is necessary for its creation, a self-forgetful, perfectly useless concentration.
—Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979), letter
2017
Friday, January 27th
sounds of Kinshasa*
Konono No. 1, live, London, 2015
**********
lagniappe
art beat: other day, The Guggenheim (New York)
Vasily Kandinsky (1866-1944), Small Pleasures, 1913
*****
*Democratic Republic of Congo.
music clip of the day 