Blogs

No band interviews on "I Liked You Better Before You Sold Out" on Sunday, Nov. 22, rather, we'll be sharing an hour of classical music with Savannah on the Feast of St. Cecilia.  St. Cecilia is the patron saint of music, and highly revered in both religious and secular arenas, for not only her patronage, but her story of martyrdom.  WXDU decided to devote some time to this familiar personage in music and we'll be interspering the Mass of St. Cecilia by Charles Gounod with more information on her life and devotions.  Tune in from 6-7 pm!

To read more, visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Cecilia

Tonight's mystery show theme is a simple one: WTF? The song, artist or album title will have the F-bomb. In the mix we'll have gentle indie rock, haunting pitch-shifted noise/drone, abstract hip hop, wonky, expansive ambient and many more. tune in. 10-11PM on WXDU 88.7FM in Durham or wxdu.org online

AZUCAR y CANDELA (W 6-8p) Featured Album, 11/11/09:  CALLE REAL, "Me Lo Gané"

BEST timba album from Sweden this year--and yes, there has been more than one! The land of ice and snow is quite the "home away from home" for this hot Havana dance rhythm. With only one Cuban in the band (conguero Rickard Valdes, son of Bebo and brother of Chucho) CALLE REAL is made up of mostly Swedes--although singer Thomas Eby just might fool you into thinking otherwise, with his mastery of Cuban accent and colloquialisms. READ MORE>>>

What pushes CALLE REAL to the forefront of European timba is that it doesn't just emulate, it evolves, adding a hint of canny pop sensibilities to the bombast, bounce, and harmonic expansiveness that define the genre. (Should this be any surprise, from the land that gave us ABBA?) This eagerly awaited second album (following their 2006 debut Con Fuerza) takes the tiger by the teeth, delivering unbridled dance energy, and plenty of unexpected twists; a timba lovers' delight.

AZUCAR y CANDELA every Wednesday 6-8 pm. Join Santa Salsera on Facebook for album reviews and more!

11/4/09 Featured Album:  ROBERTO RODRIGUEZ, Timba Talmud

Called "Latin klezmer," Roberto Rodriguez Sextet's 4th dazzling album (executive produced for Tzadik by John Zorn) barrels straight out of the Cuban rhythm canon.  Percussionist Rodriguez, a Cuban Jew, displays all the cardinal virtues of "not having to choose" among his musical heritages...READ MORE>>>

...trailblazing instead a new sound as trendy as it is traditional. Quaint yet hip use of organ and accordion, unequalled clarinet and violin playing, and distinguished guests such as tresero (and fellow Cuban Jew) Ben Lapidus, energize this disc, which cooks with interest from beginning to end. Every track is a richly detailed excursion and feels like it has a story behind it (some are hinted at in subtitles). Rodriguez has done that rarest of things:  recombined ancient languages to say something totally new.

Join us for a conversation with Red Collar. They'll be performing next week at the Troika Music Festival. We'll be chatting about Troika and get an update about their adventures touring this year.

You can join-in by calling 919 684 8870 or sending a message to our online request line during the program.

Join Santa Salsera on Facebook! Listen to Azucar y Candela every Wednesday 6-8 pm. Featured Album:  CHEMBO CORNIEL, Things I Wanted To Do

Nuyorican percussionist Wilson "Chembo" Corniel's dry tone, impeccable timekeeping and super tasty playing make him one of the most sought-after congueros in New York. Known as a team player in small ensemble settings, Chembo's roots as a salsa sideman go back to the 70s. In recent years, Chembo has forged a respectable role for himself as a Latin jazz leader, and this is my favorite of his three solo albums to date.  READ MORE>>>

 Be sure to check out Durham's own PISTIL, who will be in the station from 5-6 pm Friday with Savannah on the Vinyl Revolution! They'll be talking to us about the band, life in general, Troika, and will be sharing some of their most influential artists.  Local legends Lud will also be on I Liked You Better Before You Sold Out on Sunday, 6-7 pm with Savannah, instruments in hand for an acoustic set and interview.  Don't forget!

This week on Polyphonic Perveristy (Sundays noon-2pm) for an interview with composer John Supko.  John is a new assistant professor of music composition at Duke, and he is having his piece "Littoral" performed on October 25 at 8pm in the Nelson Music Room on Duke's East Campus.  We'll talk about his music, his impressions of the musical life of the Triangle, and various other things.  Tune in!

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This week's featured album on Azucar y Candela (WED 6-8p):

WAITIKI 7, "Adventures in Paradise"

Martin Denny first gave an exaggerated tropical feel to Latinesque lounge in the 50s, adding bongos and bird sounds to gentle Hawaiian melodies. Now, Lopaka Colon (son of Denny's bongocero Augie Colon) is part of a band called WAITIKI 7 that is out to prove that exotica is "not some formaldehyde-preserved relic but a viable, living genre."  READ MORE>>>>>

This vibes-ridden* groove evokes the intimate, bygone acoustics of Cuba's Egrem studios with hints of afro and swing, never veering into arch caricature or postmodern distance. Whereas exotica often evoked sonic stereotypes that quickly seemed kitschy or untenable, this band (whose members share Native Hawaiian, Chinese and Puerto Rican heritage), has found a way to return these sounds to a realm of unironic pleasure and cultural respect.

Exotica is back, baby. Not your typical "salsa dura," nonethless, the Latin backbone is authentic, the musical approach pure jazz. This album is a special liqueur. Recapture your own personal cocktail hour (drink recipes are included with the liner notes) and go with the wave.

*using a rare 1927 model Vibraharp 145

New:  Join Santa Salsera on Facebook!

This week's featured artist on Azucar y Candela is The Beast, whose new CD "Silence Fiction" features raging Triangle salseros Orquesta GarDel. Join Santa Salsera with members of The Beast LIVE in the studio this WEDNESDAY (10/14) , during the first hour of Azucar y Candela (6-8 pm). 

LISTEN TO THIS INTERVIEW NOW:  iTUNES U ARCHIVED AUDIO LINK (free)