Afropop Worldwide

Once again, the annual conclave of arts presenters (APAP) and artists (of all sorts) in New York City in the second week of January did not disappoint. This reviewer managed to see some 22 acts over four nights, an experience close to overwhelming.

It all began on January 11 with the sixth annual Afromondo showcase at the legendary Soho nightclub SOB's. Organized by veteran African music presenter Alex Boicel, this was the most Afropop-oriented night of the week, and offered some great surprises. The next two nights the Afropop team attended showcases at DROM, notably the Secret Planet showcase on January 13, organized by Barbes--a favorite music venue in Brooklyn--and the Electric Cowbell talent agency in Washington, DC.

Sunday, January 14, saw the 21st edition of the globalFEST extravaganza with 10 acts in on three stages, presented for the second time at Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall. Here are some favorite images and brief comments on the standouts. Once again, in what's becoming a trend, there was a preponderance of women-led acts, and overall, they were the stars.

New York-based Congolese maestro Nkumu Katalay kicked things off with a rowdy soukous set. His lead guitarist was a no-show, so Katalay, an adept multi-instrumentalist, seized center stage on bass, and no one was the wiser. Then came Nelida Karr, a brilliantly original finger-style guitarist and singer-songwriter from Equatorial Guinea. Karr's set, backed only by her husband providing subtle keyboard accompaniment, was the revelation of the night. We saw her at WOMEX 2018, and were equally moved. I managed to interview her between sets at SOB's and she spoke about transferring characteristic rhythms from her Bubi ethnic group to guitar--my kind of guitarist! Karr's vocals were as much Big Mama Thornton as Miriam Makeba, quite sensational.

Ilam, a talented NYC-based, Senegalese singer-songwriter followed with a solo set cradling his acoustic guitar. What I heard was great, although I was mostly downstairs interviewing Karr. Sipho Kunene & Woza Masekela is a collective of veteran South African artists, including Kunele on drums, Maurice Goldberg on saxophone and pennywhistle and Woza Masekela on lead vocals. They kicked out a terrific set of classic SA pop-jazz, consisting largely of spot-on covers of Hugh Masekela classics like "Bring Back Nelson Mandela" and "Stimela." It was a moving blast from the past delivered with polish and verve.

Montreal-based Haitian pop troubadour Wesli was next, and fantastic as always. A master of a variety of Haitian genres, Wesli owns the stage with powerful vocals and prowess on guitar, percussion and, this time, a massive vaccsin horn. His band works together like a high-spirited family unit. New York's Dawn Drake and her mostly female band ZapOte closed out the night with a strong blast of globally savy funk.

DROM, an intimate East Village nightclub, has long been a haven for excellent global music. It was the scene of two great showcases this year. On January 12, we made just a short visit to catch an electrifying set from New York-based Guinean singer/composer/bandleader Natu Camara. We couldn't miss that, as Camara will be a headliner at Camp Afropop (May 28-31).

Then on January 13, we dug deep with the Secret Planet showcase. El Laberinto Del Coco is a 14-piece Puerto Rican orchestra whose music is based in Afro-Puerto Rican bomba, but branches out to all sorts of Latin dance styles. Fitting four horn players, five vocalists (four of the limber-limbed women) various percussionists, bass and a rocking guitar player on DROM's modest stage was a feat, but they had the crowd in rapture.

In striking contrast, Loboko, NYC's newest Congolese dance band, staged just five musicians, including Soukour Stars bass legend Ngouma Lokito, frontman Yohni Djungu Sungu--a superb guitarist--and drummer Morgan Greenstreet, a longtime contributor to Afropop Worldwide and afropop.org. But the effect on the dancing public was similarly ecstatic.

Olivier Conan, the doyen of Brooklyn's coolest and most intimate music venue, Barbes, brought his band Combo Daguerre to the stage next. They gave us quasi-psychedelic takes on vintage bolero and cumbia, with Conan's pleasingly growled baritone vocals adding the flavor of French chanson.

In another triumph for female bands, the Colombian trio La Perla delivered deep grooves, gorgeous vocal blends and playful stage antics, including some impressive beat-boxing.

DJ Discolocas kept things sweet and groovy between sets with tasty classic, Latin vinyl singles.

globalFEST. Wow. What can one say? Ten carefully curated acts from ten different countries over the course of five hours. In the Lincoln Center venue--in its second year and the fourth venue to host this event--it is possible to hear all ten, though not necessarily to see them. One has to arrive early to have sightlines at the Karen and Richard Lefrank Lobby. But the Wu Tsai Theater is a marvel to behold, even with no one on stage! That's where the night began and ended, starting with Lonnie Holley and Mourning [A] Blkstar. Somehow, I had never come across this singular roots Americana artist before, but after seeing him preside over his band as if leading a church service from outer space, I will never forget him. The music is chill and organic, kind of like the Sun Ra Arkestra merged with meditative gospel music and slam poetry. Holley's razor-sharp voice exudes passion and authority whether in a whisper or a roar. His raps and refrains (War is too close) felt absolutely of the moment and established a profound emotional baseline for what was to come.

The three fiddling Villalobos Brothers shook off the meditative mood with a rowdy and exuberant set of original takes on Mexican traditions. Bab L'Bluz is likely familiar to Afropoppers now. This French-Moroccan combo rocks Gnawa grooves like nobody's business. Leaders Yousra Mansour and Brice Bottin play electrified gimbris that give the most rocking electric guitars a run for their money. The sounds are extraordinary, as is the musicians' energy on stage.

I was especially excited about the return of Thandiswa Mazwai to an American stage. A pioneer of South African kwaito music with the group Bongo Maffin in the '90s, Mazwai has covered ground from South African jazz to township jive. In the grandeur of the Wu Tsai Theater, she gave it all with her hurricane voice and grooving band, which included percussionist Thabang Tabane, son of the iconic guitarist/bandleader/composer Philip Tabane.

Brazil's Bia Ferreira was equally spell-binding all on her own. Seated on a stool, switching between nylon string and electric guitar, she fairly hypnotized with percussive guitar technique not unlike that of Nelida Karr (see above) and a spectacular voice that had the crowd roaring. Her set touched on bossa nova and MPB vibes, but was mostly upbeat. And man, does she know how to use the crowd as accompaniment. By the end, we were all singing our lungs out!

I saw only brief bits of Dominican guitarist/bandleader Yasser Tejeda (brilliant from what I caught), Canadian/Ukranian combo Balaklava Blues (the leader fresh from the ongoing war's frontlines) and the female Spanish duo Tarta Relena (dramatic dynamics and mesmerizing close vocal harmonies), but all were impressive.

The eclectic tabla virtuoso and bandleader Karsh Kale made a welcome New York return with a non-stop, jam band set featuring top-flight musicians--including Max ZT of House of Waters on hammer dulcimer--exchanging spontaneous bursts of creativity like old friends conversing.

The night ended with El Laberinto del Coco (see above) this time on a stage suited to their sprawling presentation and big, percussion-driven sound. globalFEST veterans might miss the old finales with the diehards crammed into the sweaty basement bar at Webster Hall, but this was probably a more fitting finale for what is now New York's premier global music showcase.