The Case of the Desert Passage B-Sides

This week I am amazed to see how long it's been since I devoted a show to the "Desert Passage" genre, one of my favorite themes on the show. 

This theme focuses on the psychedelic electric folk music of Mali and surrounding countries in the 70s and early 80s. In many cases the broad strokes of these songs may be hundreds of years old, passed on via oral tradition by the griot caste musicians from tribes of this area in Western Africa. It was in the 70s when a new generation (armed with horn lines, electric guitar, and bass) finally got their chance to reinvent this material for commercial recordings.

I am calling this the case of the B-sides because, like lots of DJs, I tend to get set in my ways when it comes to song selections from my albums. I have one or two standouts on each album that have always been in favor, so it's easy to go long stretches ignoring other songs on those albums. This week, as I was putting together my playlist, I was amazed to find so many good songs that I have never played on the show!

So here is two hours' worth of overlooked gems from my psychedelic African crates. Additionally this will be an occasion to share a few more tracks from the recently released epic compilation "Bobo Yeye" on the Numero Group label. As always, much love to the labels that have reissued some of these gems in the past decade:  Sterns, Kindred Spirits, and Portland's own Mississippi Records.