#45Friday – Trio Madjesi

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Today being #45Friday (on Fridays folks on Twitter and Instagram share pics of their favorite 7″ 45rpm records) it gives me the perfect opportunity to share one of my favorite 7″ singles from the past year—Trio Madjesi et Orcestre Sosoliso’s Tshitsha. Trio Madjesi were one of the slew of “youth groups” that Zaire was churring out in the late 60s-early 70s. The trio of singers emerged out of Verkey’s group Orchestere Vévé  and who’s name Madjesi was formed from combining their own nick names: Matadidi, Djeskain, and Sinatra. As you’ll notice it didn’t end with combining of names. This may be one of the few song you’ll hear combining Spanish, Lingala and English in one amazing soukous track – just wait until the 3:30 mark.

Trio_Madjesi-Tshitsha

In 1969 James Brown made the historic trip to Zaire where he performed several shows in Kinshasa that was originally apart of the promotion of the Muhammad Ali vs George Forman “Rumble in the Jungle” fight. Those shows had a huge impact on the many young performers like Trio Madjesi. Check out this awesome 25 minute clip from 1973 TV appearance where you can easily see how they incorporated a lot of James Brown’s show style performance. My favorite part comes half way through when they perform in the full Zaire national team football kit while juggling a ball—or rather try to (you recall Zaire qualified the only time in their history for the 1974 World Cup where they didn’t fair so well.) Enjoy!

-Jacobo

Victoria Santa Cruz

I was listening to last week’s Pelanga En La Sala, where we shared a few tracks that we picked up at Oakland’s record swap in November, and there is one more track I’d really like to share.

Trying to stay within a budget, you have to limit yourself to just a few pricier records, and then go take some risks off of the dollar bins. During the podcast we gave the best-one-dollar-record award to Jacobo, for a cosmic trip of a track: “Sagitario” by Chico Che y La Crisis. Very well deserved, no doubt, but can I show you my contender?

I’ve long been a fan of Afro-Peruvian music, and I didn’t think twice when I saw a compilation of marineras, festejos, landós, and zamacuecas in Adam‘s bargain bin. The record featured some of the usual suspects, but also several musicians I never heard of — just what I look for in a $1 gamble. It turned out to be a great record all around, and the last track, a zamacueca by the incredible Victoria Santa Cruz, was the surprise treat for me.

NEGATIVO DIGITALIZADO EL 07 DE DICIEMBRE 2006

(foto: El Comercio)

Victoria Santa Cruz has been called the mother of Afro-Peruvian culture; I knew her as a dancer / scholar / performer / folklorista / badass. But I didn’t know she recorded some albums too, and there’s a track of hers on this compilation. And I don’t know what it is, but this song just fucking kills me!

Every now and then I’ll find what I think are the best five seconds of music in history (the Miles Davis Quintet handing “‘Round Midnight” to Coltrane for his solo, the entrance to “Quitate De Mi Escalera” by Grupo Socavón, Jorge Millet’s filthy piano solo on Orquesta Mundo’s “Mamacita”, Andrés Landero’s bassist trying to sound like a turkey on “La Pava Congona”…). DJ China Tu Madre will tell you that I exaggerate all the time, but I don’t. At least not at those times. And right now, that’s how I feel about the moment when Victoria Santa Cruz gathers everyone together to close this track.

 

This song is the soundtrack to a straight-up dance battle, and our only regret should be not being able to watch it. Instead, I’ll leave you with this:

 

 

Victoria Santa Cruz passed away in August, at age 91. Que descanse en paz. If you’re in the Bay Area, you may be interested in a tribute that the Mission Cultural Center will host next Monday:

http://www.missionculturalcenter.org/events.html#DeVueltaAlCallejon

Enjoy,

papicultor

Kill a Hipster (save your hood) – Watsky, ft. Chinaka Hodge

3 or 4 years ago I went to Berkeley’s annual Hip-Hop in the Park and there was my fellow futbolista and friend DJ Treat-U-Nice (aka Dominic Villeda) selling shirts he designed and printed up. It read “Kill a hipster, save your hood”. My reaction at the time was, there’s Dom being Dom. I didn’t realize just how bad the epidemic would grow. My neighborhood in Oakland, (a huge mix of working class people, mostly of color), hadn’t been taken over yet. Soon though they were living next door and my hood started to resemble something far too close to this video by SF rapper/poet Watsky alongside our local friends DJ Treat-U-Nice and playwright/educator Chinaka Hodge.

Enjoy the killing. I sure did.

~ DJ Pozole

 

 

 

 

Emahoy Tsegué Mariam Gebru

My friend Feven pointed me to this incredibly beautiful short film on the Ethiopian classical pianist Emahoy Tsegué Mariam Gebru. Thank you, Feven! You can click on the CC for English subtitles, but, really, the film speaks for itself.

emahoy-2-480x270

It’s been a bit of a crazy summer over here, and I guess you shouldn’t be surprised when a 90 year old nun knows exactly what you need. I’ve been playing her music all day long. After watching this, I’m pretty sure many of you will, too.

 

Enjoy,

papicultor

Please Go Easy With Me

The 60s Sound of SE Rogie

The other night us Pelangueros got together at my families place to catch up from recent travels and a hiatus from Pelanga’s newly redesigned site (let us know what you think!). As we were talking Papicultor’s eyes fell on my copy of The 60’s Sounds of S.E. Rogie. With a distance gaze, he asked if this album had “that” song.  He told me that years ago he heard an incredible song by Rogie on a local radio show that haunted him for 2 years and hasn’t heard it since.  Sheepishly I admitted that I had only given the record minor attention and only remembered one simple, but beautiful melody. I put on the one song I knew and Fede and myself smiled, each of us celebrating our own reunions with the memorable recording – Please Go Easy With Me.

This palm wine guitar classic is prominently featured as the lead in track of this 60’s compilation of the legendary Sierra Leoenan guitarist. This particular album is released on the Rogiphone label, a project of Rogie during his stay in Northern California during the 70s and 80s. Interestingly enough, the graphic layout and production is done by Mr. Emory Douglas, original Black Panther and also the person responsible for the parties iconic political posters and print media.

According to Gary Stewart’s liner notes Please Go Easy With Me is based on a conversation overheard between two lovers at a dance and was recorded in 1960 at Rogie’s makeshift home studio. Here you go Fede – now you can listen to this any time you want!

S.E. Rogie – Please Go Easy With Me (1960)

Please Go Easy With Me

I couldn’t help sending this live performance as well…so so good!

 

 

Goooooooool Cabo Verde!!!

As some of you may know, the Coupe d’Afrique des Nations (Africa Cup of Nations) is the continental soccer tournament of all 54 African countries that is currently being held right now in South Africa. The tournament was first held in 1957 and since then the island nation of Cabo Verde/Cape Verde has never once managed to qualify for the group stages (the final 16) until this past October. Considering they have a population of 501,000 (that’s less people than the city of San Francisco) you could understand the massive disadvantage they have sourcing talent compared to nations like Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco, etc and what a huge achievement it was to make the final 16. This past Sunday while facing Angola in their final group match needing a win to avoid going home they were trailing 0-1 with less then 10 minutes left to play. Through a corner kick they drew level and then scored again in extra time for the win and in doing so creating one of the best “Cinderela stories” in all of sports. Nice article here about it.

Bulimundo - Ó Mundo Ka Bu Kába

Bulimundo – Ó Mundo Ka Bu Kába

To celebrate I’m offering up one of my favorite records Ó Mundo Ka Bu Kába by the Cape Verdean group Bulimundo. Oddly their name doesn’t appear anywhere on the their 4th album from 1982. Maybe the designer just forgot? Bulimundo achieved their unique sound by taking traditional music such as Funana, which we featured 3 years ago, and replaced the traditional instrumentation with a that of a funk band. Checkout the amazing title track

Ó Mundo Ka Bu Kába – Bulimundo

Ó Mundo Ka Bu Kába

Fidjus di Funana – Bulimundo

Bulimundo also happen to have made one of my all time favorite African 80s videos, Terra Bufa. The analog video effects used here are better than anything CGI could create.

 

Tomorrow, Saturday February 2 you can count on the entire nation of Cabo Verde along with myself watching their national team take on mighty Ghana. Hopefully we can keep celebrating with more Funana!

~dj pozole