I recently caught Segunon Kote performing at the Three Keys inside the Ace Hotel here in New Orleans. He was playing with a brand new group called NOLAfrique. I urge you to go see him perform live sometime. In the meantime you can enjoy his 2004 release Seguenon Afro Beat!
#MarinaGrooves: Stormy Weather
I know its January and snowy in a lot of places, but here in New Orleans we’ve had some foggy, stormy, mystical weather and it put me in the mood for some good mellow jams. Enjoy our #MarinaGrooves: Stormy Weather mix on Spotify :) <3
It's Time To Talk Baobab
Is it easy for you to name your favorite band? For most people its a toss up, but for me there is no question when it comes to the topic. Orchestra Baobab has been in my top 5 bands ever since a buddy of mine gave me one of the albums way back in high school.
That album was Pirates Choice, which is simply required listening. But most people stop there and negate their extensive and wonderful back catalogue. Enjoy La Belle Epoque, a partial compilation of their early work. Relax, you've arrived.
Gasper Nali
Somewhere a while back I was online and stumbled upon a video of a man playing a very bizarre looking instrument. His music was so exciting and fun so naturally I wanted to know everything about him and his strange instrument.
A quick google search only led me right back to the video, and the video alone. So I enjoyed the video knowing that that was all I was getting. Fast forward to this pastMonday and I saw his video reposted again and I watched him play his song again. I decided to do another google search since some time had passed since last time. Luckily A LOT of content popped up this time including even more videos and even two full albums! Enjoy the album Abale Ndikuwuzeni by Gasper Nali of Malawi playing his homemade bass guitar he calls a 'Babatoni'. Learn more about Nali by clicking here.
All-Female Collective of West African Musicians
Hopefully you've tapped into our latest Spotify andApple Music playlists. We featured one song by the all female West African super group "Les Amazones d'Afrique" but we thought you really ought to be listening to the whole album. Check out "Republique Amazone". ThisNPR article spells out their message about gender equality.