Radiokijada in session & Ping Pong, 11.30

[Charlie]

Before the members of the Paris-based trio who surfaced as Gotan Project had thought of exploring ways to put programmed beats together with tango in 2002, they had already made records as The Boyz from Brazil, so they clearly had some instinct that Latin American rhythms could be harnessed to modern production methods without being smothered by them. Now all three are off on their separate travels, with Christophe Müller switching his attention across the Andes to Peru.


Rodolfo Nunez [photo by CG]

I wasn’t sure if I would recognise a Peruvian rhythm as a distinctive pattern in its own right, but by the end of this debut album by RadioKijada I’m confident I will know again it next time. A Kijada (also spelled Quijada) is made from a donkey’s jaw, used as a percussion instrument in Peru for centuries by former African slaves and wielded here by Rodolfo Muñoz, reportedly trained at the Conservatory of Havana. During this programme, Rodolfo confirms that he did indeed spend time in Havana, but his conservatory was as much the city streets as its educational institution. Several of his choices related to his Cuban experiences, and he made clear his preferences for vocal ensembles and choirs.


Rodolfo Nunez [photo by CG]

Ensemble singing, mostly by female vocalists, is a feature of several tracks on the album, and at the moment the duo is comfortable performing only three where Rodolfo himself is lead singer. Sitting a few feet away from him, I heard the words much more clearly – the names of Peruvian poets, instruments, places – Ian Dury would have appreciated both the concept and the execution. The donkey jaw makes a fantastically effective percussive sound, even after one of the teeth fell to the floor. There are plenty more.

Unusually, this World on 3 programme is broadcast fifteen minutes later than normal at 11.30 on Friday April 10 on BBC Radio 3

The start time is regularly 11.15 when Mary Ann Kennedy will be back for the next two weeks, followed by Lopa Kothari for two more, and then I’ll be here again for another two with guests still to be finalised.

All programmes can be found on iPlayer for seven days after the applicable broadcast.

Seq - Artist - Song Title - Album - Country - Label - Cat no

1 - Staff Benda Bilili - Moziki - Trés Trés Fort - Congo - Crammed Discs - CRAW 51

2 - Wilmoth Houdini - Sweet Like a Honey Bee - Poor But Ambitious - Trinidiad - Arhoolie - CD 67010

NB - the first two tracks were cut out of the broadcast, which started here:

3 - Radiokijada - Intro Kijada - Session - Peru/Switzerland - -

*4 - Nicomedes Santa Cruz - Ritmos Negros - Canto Negro - Peru - -

5 - Lucha Reyes - Regresa - Los Mejores Exitos de Lucha Reyes - Peru - Inti - no number

*6 - Conjunto Folklorica National de Cuba - Yemays - Musica Yoruba - Cuba - Bembe - 2010-2

7 - Grupo Socavon - Homenaje a Justinio - Pacifico Colombiano - Colombia - Otrabanda - OTB09

*8 - Los Chinitos - Makutica - Guarapachangueo, Rumba di mi barrio - Cuba - -

9 - Radiokijada - S O S - Session - Peru/Switzerland - -

10 - Gaada Diwane Béchar - Taguerebt - Ziara - Algeria/ France/ Madagascar - Night & day - GDB 888

*11 - Lucho Neves - - El Sonido Adro Peruano - Peru

12 - Picaflor de Los Andes - Aguas del Rio Rimac - Huaynos Y Huaylas (Waynos & Wilas) - Peru - Globestyle - cdorbbD 064

*13 - Hugo Diaz - Zamba Mia - A los cuatro vientos - Argentina

14 - Tarrus Riley - One Two Order - Parables - Jamaica - Cannon - VPCD2334

*15 - Pedro Pablo Diaz - Falcio - Homenaje a la Pachama - Peru - Cernicalo -

16 - Tabu Ley Rochereau - Kelya - The Voice of Lightness - Congo/Zaire - Sterns - STCD3027-28

15 - Radiokijada - quema! - Session - Peru/Switzerland - -

16 - Mohamed Ilyas - Amenipokeya - Taarab - Zanzibar - Chiku-Taku - CHITa 01

[Gordon Neill]

Ah. A brilliant show, I think. Radiokijada were impressive, both in their studio session and in their choice of records that they played. I got the impression that they had put a lot of thought into their choices, and I enjoyed every one.

But my very favourite tracks were all chosen by Charlie, who seemed on red hot form. The track from the Pacifico Colombiano album was wonderful. Is the rest of the album as good as this? I loved Lucha Reyes' 'Regresa'. Frustratingly, it doesn't seem to be available on any current album (and, confusingly, I've discovered that there's an entirely different, Mexican, singer also called Lucha Reyes). And I really have to get that Tabu Ley Rochereau compilation. What a great track.

Incidentally, Charlie, despite being told on air, you've misspelled that lovely track from Hugo Diaz. It really is 'Zamba Mia', not 'Sambia Mia'. It can be found on the album 'A los cuatro vientos', available on Amazon download.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001 ... =dm_sp_alb

[Charlie]

The track from the Pacifico Colombiano album was wonderful. Is the rest of the album as good as this? I loved Lucha Reyes' 'Regresa'. Frustratingly, it doesn't seem to be available on any current album (and, confusingly, I've discovered that there's an entirely different, Mexican, singer also called Lucha Reyes). And I really have to get that Tabu Ley Rochereau compilation. What a great track.

Incidentally, Charlie, despite being told on air, you've misspelled that lovely track from Hugo Diaz. It really is 'Zamba Mia', not 'Sambia Mia'. It can be found on the album 'A los cuatro vientos', available on Amazon download.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001 ... =dm_sp_alb

Thanks Gordon. The Colombiano album has several good tracks and this wasn't the first one to catch my ear. Credit to my friend and assistant Lilly Ladjevardi for spotting it.
I was introduced to the Peruvian Lucha Reyes in a ping pong some years ago with Martin Morales, a part-Peruvian DJ based here in London who was working for iTunes last time I heard from him. I managed to buy the Best of Lucha online at the time on a label based in New Jersey but have forgotten which site I bought it from. I am not very resourceful so it can't have been very hard.

Thanks for the corrections about Hugo Diaz, which I have introduced into the main list, making your corrections seem redundant, sorry about that confusion.

[Gordon Neill]

Charlie said:

Thanks for the corrections about Hugo Diaz, which I have introduced into the main list, making your corrections seem redundant, sorry about that confusion.

But I see that I'm still not redundant. It's 'Zamba Mia', not 'Zambia Mia'! Zamba.

[Alan]

Listen again via these links http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... e_Gillett/ or http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00jhxrt

Unfortunately R3 chose to cut tracks one and two as their earlier concert broadcast had over-ran.

So instead of Staff Benda Bilili and Wilmoth Houdini, we get an extra 8 mins 20 secs of Tony Blair squirming and trying to find moral justification for his actions, this being the programme sandwiched between the OB and World on 3.

I know who I'd prefer to listen to.

[Charlie]

R3 chose to cut tracks one and two as their earlier concert broadcast had over-ran.

So instead of Staff Benda Bilili and Wilmoth Houdini, we get an extra 8 mins 20 secs of Tony Blair squirming and trying to find moral justification for his actions, this being the programme sandwiched between the OB and World on 3.

I know who I'd prefer to listen to.

Heart-breaking, after all the decisions have been made as to what to play and what to leave out. Does anybody over there actually care about these programmes? The producers do, spending a lot of time helping to put them together, but the people who decide what to schedule are not themselves involved in making the programmes, and they regularly make cruel decisions at the expense of the music.

Even the theoretical late start of 11.30 is already tough to deal with because so many people have decided to go to bed by then. We are fobbed off with assurances that many people listen online, but I don't get much sense of that from the reactions, either here or on the Radio 3 message board. It is all quite demoralising.

[trautigan]

I wonder about R3's commitment to World Music generally - World Music seems very divorced from the rest of the content & shows on that station, and doesn't get treated right (no Womad, only a couple of slots, but on the positive side sometimes Late Junction plays World Music).

Do you think that WO3 may end up somewhere like R6 or even R2? I worry that it may get axed totally in a budgetary purge so they can devote more time to TB whispering late-night faith-related nothings

Anyway I also enjoyed the show Charlie - if you'd been really cool you'd have played a Gotan project track with Astor Piazzolla like Cite Tango as Astor, amazingly, was their composer of the week.

[Jamie Renton]

we are fobbed off with assurances that thousands are listening online. But there's little sign of such listeners in the feedback forums, either here or on the Radio 3 message board.

I regularly listen online at work Charlie. I'm concerned that one day I'll be working on a report for my day job & accidently write something like:

"In conclusion the project has been very successful in supporting the shit that CW Stoneking track sounds great, hadn't really got his stuff before."

But so far I've been OK.

It is a worry though.

[Charlie]

Do you think that WO3 may end up somewhere like R6 or even R2? I worry that it may get axed totally in a budgetary purge so they can devote more time to TB whispering late-night faith-related nothings

There is no overall policy at BBC Radio regarding the fate of world music and certainly no collaborations between Radio 2 & 3. They operate in different spheres and despite sharing a building they never talk to each other So the fate of world music is entirely in the hands of Radio 3. Funnily enough, during the last conversation I had with heard of Radio 3, Roger Wright, he asked if I was likely to use this forum as a platform for criticising Radio 3. I was surprised he asked the question and said of course not.

But I had no idea I might be up against this kind of thing, chopping off bits of the show to accommodate a disgraced politician's self-justification.

I have sent in a written complaint to the head of programmes, but have had no response to the email or follow-up call.

In another forum, there is a call for the return of Andy Kershaw, but I'm not sure what difference could make. I recall he sometimes lost an entire programme to make way for the Proms.

It seems we must be grateful for having any airtime at all and just put up with this kind of thing.

What is conspicuous is that there is no concerted pressure group on behalf of world music to match the intensity that has come from the classical music followers (and even from jazz fans). There was a good editorial piece in the Guardian the other day, grumbling that Jazz Requests had been pushed out of place by a Mahler symphony. Nothing like that is likely to be said in public on behalf of World on 3, World Routes or Late Junction.

[Paul Sherratt]

Well I would have made a comment or two on the R3 boards after listening again. Trouble is, that just like The Beverley Sisters, I have been banned by the BBC. 'We Have To Be So Careful' ...

[Charlie]

I have sent in a written complaint to the head of programmes, but have had no response to the email or follow-up call.

I have now had a lengthy apology and explanation in an email which it is not appropriate to repeat or reproduce. I have asked the sender if he would write something on the Radio 3 message board, so we'll wait to see if anything like that happens.

I have been banned by the BBC. 'We Have To Be So Careful' ...

what happened, Paul?

[Paul Sherratt]

What happened ?

I have really no idea. The faceless organisation that controls the boards on behalf of the bbc will not give an explanation. ( I think they're the same lot who "collect" the licence money ) A significant number of the bbc's critic /supporters on the mbs have been silenced in the last few weeks.

" We're all in the database ... "

[r.allibone]

the excuse "most people listen online" does not hold water.

we still got the prattlings of world president blair not wit and charm of w houdini.

no doubt programmers have some difficult decisions to make at times.

radio 3 has always had scheduling difficulties. jazz record requests has been mucked about terribly.

so mr bbc planner how about moving world on three, and perhaps world routes and jazz record requests, to radio 2.

they could use time between 8pm and 10pm where radio 2 dishes out [what is to me] twoddle and would give radio3 an extra evening for late junction.

I have never written to feedback - when is it on again?

[Charlie]

so mr bbc planner how about moving world on three, and perhaps world routes and jazz record requests to radio 2.

As I explained above, there is no overall BBC radio policy - the different networks have very little dialogue with each other, perhaps none at all. Although there is a head of BBC Radio, I have not met him (the replacement for Jenny Abramsky) and have no impression of what he thinks - knowing only that he was formerly in marketing and did not rise up the ladder out of radio production as Jenny did.

I have never written to feedback - when is it on again?

I pass on this question - perhaps somebody else knows

[Charlie]

Radiokijada in London - the documentary! Nicely done and funny too.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7967192.stm