World Music Wednesday!

Even before I could travel the world, I would listen my way around it.

One of my many obsessions is world music—old, new, weird, traditional, whatever. I used to go to the public library in my hometown and take out stacks of CDs from all over the world, just to expand my aural horizons and jam to something funky and foreign. One day it would be music from the Middle East and Cuba, another day I’d focus on French crooners and Afrofunk; once I shocked the librarian by taking out The Spiritual Music of Azerbaijan—apparently that’s not a popular selection among my age group. (Maybe it should be. It’s great.)

Over the years I’ve acquired quite a diverse music library and I’m always trying to expand it. I can’t say why music in languages I don’t understand speaks to me so strongly. Maybe it doesn’t matter. Music is a universal language. When I lived in Boston, I spent my time booking and promoting local bands; music is a passion of mine.

So in honor of this fascination, I’m starting a new weekly series that will play out on my Facebook page: World Music Wednesdays. Every Wednesday I will post a different song from a different part of the world, for your listening pleasure. I plan to post a playlist and recap here on my blog every three months (roughly 12 Wednesdays-worth). My two favorite kinds of world music are Balkan brass and Afrobeat, but I will try to keep it as diverse and unexpected as possible.

That said, the first song to kick off this wonderful Wednesday series is by the father of Afrobeat: Fela Kuti. Want to hear it and learn a little bit about it? Head over to my Facebook page and make your ears happy.

Do you have any music suggestions for me? Let me know!