The Beat Authority
The Beat
Authority Best of 2008 List
Ever since I got a Fisher Price record player for Chanukkah when I was four, I've been a musical sponge. My favorite stuff is music that ventures across genres, and music that makes you dance.
Globalization has been a mixed bag, but it's sure invigorated the world
of music. Salsa from Israel, flamenco from east L.A., Algerian rai from Paris,
hip-hop from Senegal, reggae from Morocco--artists are borrowing at will, threading
the sounds they hear on TV and radio into their own traditions. The Beat Authority is a Friday show. It's a kick into the weekend, a bounce for your afternoon, a swing for your end-of-the-week step. A fresh, eclectic choice of dance music from all over the world. You may hear cumbia or bluegrass or afrobeat or jazz, but it'll keep your head a-noddin' and your spirits up. Join in the groove and enjoy. And if you have suggestions, e-mail 'em in! David Sommerstein Finding MusicYou can
find or special order any of the music heard on this program from local music
stores, including:
Northern
Music & Video, Potsdam: 315-265-8100
Strawberry Fields, Potsdam: 315-265-7700
SLU
Brewer Bookstore, Canton
Ampersound,
Saranac Lake:
518-891-3114 Peacock
Music, Plattsburgh:
518-561-0555
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Program Playlists
Urban & World Music June 25, 2009 | NPR· Sangare is that rare traditional musician capable of transforming into a modern artist without sacrificing an ounce of authenticity. Seya is the Malian singer's first album of new songs in more than five years, and it features "Iyo Djeli": a praise song to Djekani Djeli, "an old and wise griot woman of the 1960s."  July 2, 2009 | NPR· The Fourth of July is a birthday party and the whole country is invited. And every party needs music. Whether meditating on America's landscape, its freedoms or the things about it that frustrate us, America is ripe for inspiration, as evidenced by the songs here. July 2, 2009 | NPR· The Nigerian musician brings his mesmerizing beats and animated performers to Seattle for an exciting show of Nigerian juju music. The seventy-minute set features Yoruban praises and proverbs, backed by an incredible percussion section. July 2, 2009 | NPR· Twitter, as we've seen in the protests in Iran, is becoming something of a force for democracy. It's proving useful not only for organizing street demonstrations but also for bringing down the walls around that most rarefied of communities: the world of music reviews.  July 1, 2009 | NPR· California is America's main immigrant magnet. As people move to and from — and within — the state and the U.S., the music produced by this shifting population is changing. The stories of musicians living and working in Oakland and Los Angeles give a sense of how the future of Latin music might sound. |
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Get
a leg up on the weekend with host David Sommerstein each Friday afternoon from
3:00 to 4:45 pm for the best funk, latin and other global grooves.
