The Second Case of the Afro-Latin Fever

Heads up, listeners! This is one of those weeks when I break the usual cycle... we're jumping to the Motherland out of turn, following up a week of Latin Lounge groove with a tasty set of Latin beats from Africa.

Last week's groove was jazz-oriented, and I may have deprived some listeners of the chance to get it on with their cha-cha-cha. This week I make amends with highly danceable material from top to bottom of the set. Last time I broke cycle to feature Afro-Latin after Latin (early spring) I focused on how the Latin vibe was incorporated in The Congo and Senegal into new indigenous styles... this set features more "straight" African takes on the Latin vibe.

The first hour today features mostly music from the 1960s. These are optimistic tunes for dancing from Africa's era of independence... very similar vibe to ska from Jamaica. We will hear music from Senegal, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Angola, and plenty of rhumba from The Congo. As always when we visit The Congo, we'll hear a handful of singles from (arguably) the most influential figure in African popular music, Franco with his band OK Jazz.

The second hour updates the sound to late 60s ad 70s. Just as the Jamaican groove became more musically sophisticated and politically charged in the 70s, these second set tunes show more musical flair, and the inclusion of sad songs and slow tempos in the playlist points to growing political unrest as the early optimism of the independence era runs up against corruption and endemic poverty.

Apologies to Brazil... back to you next week!