Radio Superfly Podcast

In Part 1, I we explored how African and Spanish musical forms grew together on the small island nation of Cuba. In Part 2, we examine how Cuban music influenced the African American jazz tradition in the United States.

We begin an exploration of Afro-Cuban music with one of the earliest, most danceable forms: son. It's the foundation for hugely popular pre-Cold War Latin Jazz in the U.S., and the international explosion of Salsa.

Phyllis Dillon had a very brief but very influential career as a preeminent Rocksteady singer in Jamaica. This is music for lovin' and relaxing. Enjoy.

After leaving Fela Kuti's band in 1979, Tony Allen began to explore ways to mix his unique drumming style with other types of music from around the world. Hear his collaborations with Hugh Masekela, Damon Albarn, and more.

Tony Allen - one of the originators of Afrobeat as the drummer for Fela Kuti's band - passed away April 30, 2020. This first episode of a two-part series looks at his influential early career, bolstered by excerpts from his 2013 autobiography, and plenty of music!

Roughly 5,000 Weissenborn guitars were produced in the 1920s. Their haunting sound was introduced in the U.S. by Ben Harper, but a handful of contemporary musicians continue to explore its haunting, resonant sound. Learn more about this beautiful instrument, and hear it played very, very well.

Ever heard the reggae cover of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid"? How about "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes? We have those delightful covers and more on this episode of Radio Superfly.

Tropicalia was Brazil's countercultural movement in the late 1960s. Legendary musicians like Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso equally enraged traditionalists on the political left and right with their freewheeling concerts and recordings.

The quarantine film festival continues. I watched "Searching for Sugar Man," and fell in love with its hybrid unknown/superstar subject.

Howard Armstrong was an American original, and the film "Louie Blueie" does a fantastic job of just pointing a camera at him and letting him go off. I promise you will laugh and love the music in equal measure.