#2587: Kind of Blues

New Sounds | May 24, 2010

For this New Sounds, listen to the blues that kind of wander someplace else. Hear the droning, bluesy grooves of guitarist Brad Barr, of The Slip, on “Bouba’s Bounce,” drawing inspiration from the late Sandy Bull’s psychedelic folk. Also, there’s a nod to the blues from Mali, with Bill Frisell’s “Boubacar,” from the Intercontinentals record. Plus, there’s Arabic-flavored blues, as Taj Mahal adapts the Mississippi Delta blues tune “Catfish Blues” (“I wish I was a catfish swimming in the deep blue sea, I’d have all you good looking women swimming after me … ”), with references to the Malian cities of Timbuktu and Bamako as well as the capital city of Zanzibar. And as always, much more.

PROGRAM #2587, “Afroblues” (First aired on Tues. 9-26-06)

ARTIST(S)	RECORDING	CUT(S)	SOURCE
Various Artists: Taj Mahal & The Culture Musical Club of Zanzibar	Blues Around the World	Catfish Blues [6:30]	Putumayo #253 ** www.putamayo.com *
Dama & D’Gary	The Long Way Home	Searching for Work [6:30]	Shanachie #64052 Out of print, but try Amazon.com or other auction sites
Various Artists: Dama Mahaleo	A World Out of Time: Henry Kaiser & David Lindley In Madagascar	Kobaka [7:00]	Shanachie #64041 www.shanachie.com
Boubacar Traore	Kar Kar	Kavana [6:00]	Sterns Africa #1037 www.sternsmusic.com
Various Artists: Brad Barr	Imaginational Anthem, Vol. 1	Bouba’s Bounce [6:00]	Tompkins Square www.tompkinssquare.com OR download thru iTunes or Emusic.com
Boubacar Traore	Kar Kar	Adieu Pierrette [5:00]	See above.
Bill Frisell	The Intercontinentals	Boubacar [6:00]	Nonesuch #79661 ** www.nonesuch.com
Ali Farka Toure	The Source	Mahini Me [5:00]	Hannibal #1375** www.rykodisc.com*

*, ** - Find the recordings you've heard - go to the New Sounds Recordings Information page

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