The Last Case (This Year) of the Night at Club Safari

As longtime listeners know, the cases of the nights at Club Safari are my opportunity to play African grooves; mostly Afro-Latin from the West African scene of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. It's a go-to theme that I use several times each year.

It's been some time since we last did this case; gotta get one more in before the new year!

I start this case with an Encyclopedia Sound staple:  we will hear some of the folkloric sounds that form roots for so much of the modern African pop that would follow. In fact this music is only partly indigenous; these were songs for amateur musicians in small towns and villages who would sing at weddings or other parties. The lead singer typically played guitar, and would be joined by several supporting vocalists along with one or more percussionists using a stick and a bottle. This fare is highly influenced by calypso, merengue, and Cuban son.

The rest of the first hour explores the 60s and early 70s, as African pop music gained compositional sophistication and studio polish. No shortage of Congolese rumba in the first hour, particularly show favorite Franco with his OK Jazz.

The second hour today gets more sultry as we work in some tropical sounds from Angola and Cape Verde. As this hour progresses we will hear some straight latin covers from some of Africa's most famous latin specialists, including Gnonnas Pedro, Amara Toure, and the Star Band de Dakar.