Podcast appearances and mentions of Ray Phiri

David Rothenberg is a writer, philosopher, ecologist, and musician, speaking out for nature in all aspects of his diverse work. He investigates the musicality of animals and the role of nature in philosophy, with a particular interest in understanding other species by making music with them. As a professor of philosophy and music at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, he “teaches engineers nonquantifiable things.” He is also an acclaimed composer and jazz clarinetist known for his integration of world music with improvisation and electronics. Originally intending to be a scientist, music pulled Rothenberg away during his high school years – ultimately becoming the modality through which he would explore nature and deep ecology. Looking back at those high school years of the 1970s, Rothenberg told The New York Times, "I was influenced by saxophonist Paul Winter's Common Ground album, which had his own compositions with whale and bird sounds mixed in. That got me interested in using music to learn more about the natural world." As an undergraduate at Harvard, Rothenberg created his own major to combine music with communication. He traveled in Europe after graduation, playing jazz clarinet. Listening to the recorded song of a hermit thrush, he heard structure that reminded him of a Miles Davis solo. Because of Rothenberg's study of animal song and his experimental interactions with animal music, he is often called an "interspecies musician." He is said to "explore the sounds of all manner of living things as both an environmental philosopher and jazz musician." Rothenberg's book Why Birds Sing: A Journey into the Mystery of Bird Song (Basic Books 2005) was inspired by an impromptu duet in March 2000 with a laughingthrush at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh. A CD accompanying the book also featured Rothenberg's duet with an Australian lyrebird. The book served as the basis for a 2006 feature-length BBC documentary of the same name. His next book, Thousand Mile Song (Basic Books 2008), reflects similar curiosity about whale sounds considered as music, from which both scientific and artistic insights emerge. It was turned into a film for French television. Philip Hoare of The London Telegraph said of the book, "while Rothenberg's madcap mission to play jazz to the whales seems as crazy as Captain Ahab's demented hunt for the great White Whale, it is sometimes such obsessions that reveal inner truths...I find myself more than a little sympathetic to the author's faintly bonkers but undoubtedly stimulating intent: to push at the barriers between human history and natural history." His book Survival of the Beautiful: Art, Science and  Evolution (Bloomsbury Press 2011) was described by the journal Nature as exploring the theme that beauty is not random but is intrinsic to life—and that evolution proceeds by sumptuousness, not by utility alone.  His remarkable output in books is matched by his creative output in other areas. As a composer and jazz clarinetist, Rothenberg has sixteen CDs out under his own name over the past 30 years. His 2020 releases include In the Wake of Memories and They Say Humans Exist, named best jazz album of the year by Stereo+ Magazine in Norway. He has performed or recorded with Peter Gabriel, Pauline Oliveros, Ray Phiri and Suzanne Vega. As a musician, Rothenberg tries to blend the indigenous energy of the world's primal music with the exploratory spirit of improvisation. He has studied jazz clarinet professionally, as well as Tibetan ritual wind music in Nepal and folk music in Norway. Since 2014, Rothenberg has been an Ambassador of the international non-governmental humanitarian mission, the Dolphin Embassy, participating in non-invasive research of the possibilities of free dolphins and whales – playing music for them. In 2017, the Dolphin Embassy released the full-length documentary Intraterrestrial, which received awards from international film festivals. The film's soundtrack features music by Rothenberg. Links to his extensive work, global press coverage, and extended recognition can be found on his website. Please join us in conversation with this remarkable philosopher and interspecies musician who combines art and science to make nature come alive in remarkable ways!

In the fifth episode of Gallo Vault Sessions, we follow the ways South African music has proliferated across the international stage, and trace a few Gallo-affiliated artists as they and their music traversed the globe! We charter a flight with the music of Lucky Dube, Ray Phiri, Solomon Linda, and more…and explore both the highs and lows of what it means for South African music and artists to contend with international audiences and global success. We also tease out different moments of both cultural exploitation and cultural appreciation in this landscape as we begin to wrap up the first season of the Gallo Vault Sessions podcast. We consider Paul Simon's Graceland, sync deals with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and even learn about champeta sound system culture on the Caribbean coast of Colombia.  We return to our conversations with Bra Lulu Masilela from The Boyoyo Boys & Mam Hilda Tloubatla, from The Mahotella Queens — both of whom we met in our previous episode, as well as former Gallo Managing Directors Antos Stella and Ivor Haarburger, and also meet two new voices, Edna Martinez, a DJ from Colombia, and the incredibly prolific composer, producer and performer, Don Laka! Gallo Vault Sessions in collaboration with KONJO You can listen to our specially KONJO curated mix by Edna Martinez here, which takes us through the Gallo releases that made it into the pico sound systems in Colombia, and follows them with their Colombian champeta versions https://www.mixcloud.com/KONJO/gallo-music-x-konjo-sa-music-goes-global-edna-martinez-gallo-vault-sessions/ (here). Talking points: Mbube, Dixie Kwankwa, cultural appropriation, touring, The Mahotella Queens, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, central Australia, France, Juluka, Heinz Baked Beans, Malcolm McClaren, The Boyoyo Boys, champed, picos, Palenque de Basilio, aboriginal desert reggae, Solomon Linda, Cartegena, Lucky Dube, izicholo Guests: Lulu Masilela, Antos Stella, Ivor Harburger, Don Laka, Edna Martinez, Mike Swaratle & Hilda Tloubatla Narrator: Kineta Kunutu Writer: Zara Julius @ KONJO Producer: Zara Julius @ KONJO Researcher: Zara Julius @ KONJO Artwork: PR$DNT HONEY Production support: The Good People  Follow us on https://www.instagram.com/gallorecordcompany/ (@gallorecordcompany) & https://www.instagram.com/k.o.n.j.o/ (@k.o.n.j.o)

Celebrated vocalist and instrumentalist, Sam Ndlovu, is probably best known as part of the iconic Afro-fusion band, Stimela, which was founded during the 1970s by the late Ray Phiri.  The group has not been very active since about 2019, but in May of this year, Sam returned to the music scene with his first solo single, La Bhembe.  And a 4-track EP, Carry On, came out last Friday, which also features his second single, Ngomgqibelo.  Born in Mpumalanga, he discovered his love for music at a young age and by the time he was in his mid-teens, he'd already started his own band.  In the late 1990s, he had a group called Black Chain which performed at various festivals, often sharing a stage with Stimela.  Then in 2010, Ray Phiri contacted him and asked him to join the band.  And the rest is history as they say.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How aware of you of the sounds around you? There is so much to hear and David Rothenberg is the one to join them in the orchestra. We talked about devotion to exploration, not being mainstream and so much more!   Musician and philosopher David Rothenberg wrote Why Birds Sing, Bug Music, Survival of the Beautiful and many other books, published in at least eleven languages.   He has more than thirty recordings out, including One Dark Night I Left My Silent House which came out on ECM, and most recently In the Wake of Memories and They Say Humans Exist. He has performed or recorded with Pauline Oliveros, Peter Gabriel, Ray Phiri, Suzanne Vega, Scanner, Elliott Sharp, Iva Bittová, and the Karnataka College of Percussion. Nightingales in Berlin is his latest book, CD, and film. Rothenberg is Distinguished Professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.   To connect with David go to:  http://www.davidrothenberg.net/ You can just google him and so much will come up!   This podcast is all about inspiring , connecting and sharing stories Please like, follow and share so we can hear each other and expand the definition of creativity to make it all inclusive!   There are a bunch of exciting things going on at I Am Creative to check out:  1) Coloring kits for families @ The Ronald McDonald House In Camden, NJ: Kit for you and a kit for them: https://www.iamcreativephilly.net/product-page/sharing-is-caring-coloring-book-for-you-coloring-book-for-a-family-in-need   2) Calling all that have wanted to be part of a multi author book that will go to #1 on Amazon . Yes you can be part of this process! The topic is creativity, of course.  Reach out if it resonates and check out: https://www.iamcreativephilly.net/express-yourself-publishing-house   Creatively Yours,  Hollis

The passing of Mr. Ray Chikapa Phiri on the 12th July 2017 touched me so deep that; I had to find an excuse to write about our local music talent and the untapped treasure of our unsung heroes; let alone the musical geniuses this country has ever produced. Music all over the world is known to be a force that unifies and brings people together. As if to keep hope alive and shower our aspirations and dreams with a renewed meaning to want to push for survival and move on. We are all touched and affected by music in reference to our favorite icons – the world over. But, when you lose a musical genius and a leader like Ray Phiri, it’s like losing one of your close family relative. We are bound spiritually by music and the bonds we form with musicians. As fans we unravel our humanity when one of us is unsettled or is separated from us physically the pain is unbearable. This tribute cannot do justice to all of our deserving local South African musicians who have passed on and those still alive today. However, my heart goes deep, and back to the early days of our political struggles as a nation. Music became our source of comfort and therapy against aggravation. “As Blacks” our lives were intertwined but, tainted with despair, turmoil and uneasiness that were destined by Apartheid Masters to decide the fate of our daily bread. Yet, our inner peace was wanting the least trustingly tampered with by the powers that be. My trip down memory-lane was reminiscing of the good old days and how history can turn around to play our feelings against our intellect. It’s unimaginably difficult to know whether our lives are just another episode of time attempting to redefine our unity of purpose and self-indulgence with individual musical tastes and obsessions. Or we simply survive and face adversity because someone has their music turned on?

In 1985, South African music legend Ray Phiri collaborated with a number of other South African artists on Paul Simon’s legendary Graceland album. While the recording of the album from the beginning was mired in controversy, it was not until almost 30 year later, Ray Phiri revealed that he felt had been cheated out of his royalties and composer rights by Paul Simon. That there was bad blood between them. In this Sound Africa podcast Lungile Sojini re-visits the story of the Graceland album. He tries to find out, what exactly Ray Phiri was unhappy about and who was responsible for the conflict.

Podcaster Jesse Jackson (Set Lusting Bruce, Next Stop Everywhere) joins Bill and Brian to discuss Paul Simon's Graceland (1986, Warner Bros.). Bill, Brian, and Jesse talk about the world-spanning influences on the music like zydeco, isicathamiya, and mbaqanga, the political difficulties and possible faux pas Simon faced with apartheid South Africa, Ray Phiri's take on that and his great guitar riffs, that bass fill Bakithi Kumalo knocked out of the park, the King of the Bayou Clifton Chenier, maybe a few name drops for the Boss himself, and much more as we make our way through the album track by track! And, of course, check out this week's sponsor: !

CliffCentral.com — The music legend is back with a hit album titled 'Time II Time'. Joe Nina shares his remarkable musical journey... including working with legends such as Ray Phiri and Steve Kekana, creating chart-topping tracks, and evolving with the times.

On this week's episode we talk about the man behind the magic of Graceland, a brilliant young mathematician, a speaker company and a jerk who didn't want to let women in his club.

The South African music fraternity has paid tribute to the late Ray Phiri during a special memorial service at Baseline in Newtown, Johannesburg. Phiri died last week at a hospital in Mpumalanga from lung cancer. He was 70 years old. Mbali Sibanyoni reports..

Listen to the Fri. July 14, 2017 special edition of the Pan-African Journal: Worldwide Radio Broadcast hosted by Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire. The program features our regular PANW report with dispatches on the passing of South African Jazz artist Ray Phiri; fighting has erupted once again in the Libyan capital of Tripoli; the Republic of Sudan is still seeking the lifting of sanctions by the United States amid suspension in the ongoing talks between Khartoum and Washington on the normalization of relations; and Somalia authorities has targeted a ship which its says was responsible for interupting internet usage in the Horn of Africa state. In the second hour we look at the 50th anniversary of the Newark Rebellion of July 12-17, 1967. Finally this episode presents a rare archival address by Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) Stokely Carmichael at the UCLA on May 24, 1967.

Condolences continue to pour in for the late legendary jazz musician Ray Chikapa Phiri who succumbed to lung cancer in a Nelspruit hospital early on Wednesday. 70-year-old Phiri's death has left promising young musicians in Mpumalanga, where he was born, shocked and saddened. Mthobisi Mkhaliphi reports..

Jacaranda FM — Sipho "Hotstix" Mabuse pays tribute to his long-time friend Ray Phiri. Legendary South African musician Sipho "Hotstix" Mabuse has spoken of his sadness following the death of his friend Ray Phiri. "Look, we know he was terminal but it is still a shock. The nation is reeling with shock. Even though we knew he was sick, I was hoping and praying that he'll pull through. I am at a loss for words," Mabuse says.

South African music legend Ray Phiri says SABC's 90% local music across all its 18 radio is a good start. Speaking to AM Live on SAfm anchor Sakina Kamwendo during the ForumAt8, Phiri says groups like Stimela, Harare, Bayethe, Sakhile and many others, were beneficiaries of the cultural boycott in South Africa under the apartheid government which forced them to produce music that was marketable internationally.

CliffCentral.com — Penny chats to Faith Mangope and Ray Phiri in this African themed episode