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Conference of the Birds Podcast

Stephen Cope 20 Episodes Jul 12, 2026

Weekly podcast of music from Africa, Asia, the Americas, the Middle-East, and Europe with an emphasis on cross-cultural exploration and experimentation. Hosted by Stephen Cope.

Episodes

Conference of the Birds, 6-5-26 Jul 12, 2026 10902 THIS WEEK's BIRDS: Bebe Manga from Camaroun); also from Camaroun: Eboa Lottin; Satoko Fujii & Myra Melford (piano duo) David Murray w. Octet; Sonny Rollins x 2 (RIP); from Albania: Fitnete Rejae, Dervish Shaqja; recent late/post-bop Walter Smith III, also from Kenny Barron; vocalist Alicia Lázaro; Japanese vocalist Meiko Kaji; Moroccan band Khmissa; from Mali: voc

Conference of the Birds, 5-29-26 Jun 28, 2026 10774 THIS WEEK's BIRDS: Salsa from Orquesta La Conspiracion & Orquesta Colon; Chuito es de Bayamon (jibaro salsa); Youllou Mabiala w. L'Orchestre Kamikaze Loningisa (Congolese rumba); new Amina Claudine Myers; recent Meshell Ndegeocello; Senegalese pop-m'balaz from Ifang Bondi; Senegalese poetry w. music from Xam Xam w. Thijs Borsten, Mola Sylla & Sylvia Den Hartog; Mal Waldron w. trio; samba

Conference of the Birds, 5-22-26 Jun 23, 2026 10809 THIS WEEK's BIRDS: new music from Ensemble Infini; vintage African rock from Abeti; Congolese rumba from Papa Wemba as well as Orchestre Kamale & Mbilia Bel; Ovimbundu music (from Angola); vintage rock from Comoros: Leleu & Menwar; vintage Stephen McCraven (newly available!); Johnny Dyani (South Africa) w. ensemble; extended blassing/tributte from improvisational string quartet We Free

Conference of the Birds, 5-8-2026 Jun 8, 2026 10735 THIS WEEK's BIRDS: new music from Gordon Grdina (out) & Russ Losing (pIano); Benin-born pianist Tchangodei w. Archie Shepp (tenor); experimental electro-flamenco from Andreh y Manuela, Andrea Santalusía & The Gardener; Maghrebi pop from Aida el Ayoubi: Persian dastagh; modern Balouchestani music from Dinmohammad Zangeshai; from Hatam Asgari Langa music from the Thar Desert (Rajasthan) w/

Conference of the Birds, 4-24-26 May 17, 2026 10723 THIS WEEK's BIRDS: new music from Lena Bloch, Andrew McKelvey, Dave Adewumi , & more; vintage West African music from Bah Sadio, Cameyenne Sofa, Kassé Mady Diabaté; from Benin: Gnonnas Pedro w. His Dadjes Band; vintage song from Iraqi vocalist Sita (aka Seta Hagopian); ; oud player, singer, composer Natik Awayez; recent Iraqi pop from Sozan; raga on santur played by Pt. Bhajan Sopori; salsa f

Conference of the Birds, 4-17-26 May 10, 2026 10339 THIS WEEK's BIRDS: Abbreviated espied for WERFI pitch week: PLEASE CONDIER supporting WRFI and WINO today with a donation in any amount at ww.WRFI.org... THIS WEEK's MUSICS: Ken Vandermark et al salute poet Alexandra Pizarnik; Turkish pop from Dzansever; Romanian song from Oana Catalina Chitu; Aurora Vargas (cante jondo/flamenco); Duquende (cante jondo/flamenco); Indian film music & ghazal voc

Conference of the Birds, 4-10-26 Apr 26, 2026 10531 THIS WEEK's BIRDS: new music from Shoko Nagai; new music from Brandon Seabrook; vintage Carlos Garnett; Joe Harriot w. Amancio d'Silva Quartet; new music from Brazilain vocalist Adrian Calconhotto; Rita Payés & Elisabeth Roma (from Spain); Marcos Valle; Japanese disco from Chikara Ueda; from extensive Nuba from Mohamed Khaznadj; Algerian cha'abi/kabyle legend Akli Yahyaten; Turkish pop from

Conference of the Birds, 3-27-26 Apr 12, 2026 10537 THIS WEEK's BIRDS: John Coltrane w. Quartet; Alberto Favero salutes Coltrane; new music from Pier Bruera Trio; fado from Alberto Alves; from Bolivia: Trio Nanduti; also from Bolivia: Canela Palacios; Doña Onete from Brazil; pianist Marta Sanchez w. Maria Grand; vintage rock/pop from Zimbabwe: Mawonera Superstars, Congolese soukous/rumba from Bozi Boziana & Anti-Choc, as well as Mayaula Mayoni

Conference of the Birds, 3-20-26 Mar 27, 2026 10585 THIS WEEK's BIRDS: Tasnif from Mohsen Karamarti (Iran); from Pakistan: Parveen X 3: Shahida, Fardia, Abida; Sonny Rollins; James Brandon Lewis salutes David S. Ware; David S. Ware w/ Quartet; Wilbur Ware & Quartet; Nerissa Campbell w. Gamelan; Faqirs du Sindh (more from Pakistan); new cante jondo from Yerai Cortés; vintage cante jondo from Dolores Vargas; from Bulgaria: Sofia Papadopoulou &am

Conference of the Birds, 2-27-26 Mar 9, 2026 10617 THIS WEEK's BIRDS: New music from Rajna Swaminathan; New experiential music from Lukas Ligeti & group;Tunisian jazz vocalist Fatima Charii; Scandanavian group Söndörgő; Sudanese jazz from Sharhabil Ahmed; ta'arab inspired vocal music music from Nyankol Mathiang Dut (Grande Comore); 70s Algerian pop/rock from Les Abrades; live in Deuthlkand: Frank Foster, Jürgen Seefelder, Thomas Stabenow &amp

Conference of the Birds, 2-13-26 Feb 28, 2026 10218 THIS WEEK's BIRDS: Vintage Music from Marty Ehrlich; Abdul Wadud (solo); Yusef Lateef live; new music from Satoko Fujii w. Quartet; Jon Irabagon; Congolese rumba from Rigo Star; Syran Mbenza, too; Titina (from Cape Verde); Téofilo Chantre (from Cape Verde); Boy Ge Mendes (More from Cape Verde); MPB (Brazi) from Maria Bethania & Gonzaguinha; Pyeng Threadgill; Elia Maris & Gerolykoi (from Gr

Conference of the Birds, 1-30-26 Feb 14, 2026 10182 THIS WEEK's BIRDS: Gulf Pop from Kuwait we. Rabab; Mohammed Hayani (vocalist from Morroco); Eritrean pop star Muluu Baqqalaa; Amy Gaciaga w. Women in Jazz; new music from Dave Adewumi; Violeta Parra (nueva canción); Barry Altschul deconstructs Monk; Ballet Folklorico de Mexico (just exactly that x 2); ; new music from Roscoe Mitchell; Ghanian highlife from Vis-a-Vis; Congolese (Zairean) vocalist M

Conference of the Birds, 1-2-26 Jan 26, 2026 10720 THIS WEEK's BIRDS: First episode of 2026 (we got a little ahead of ourselves...): Japanese bop from Sinsuke Fujieda; Albert Ayler; Nobo Hara w. Hozan Yamamoto (shakuhachi jazz); Karen Borca (bassoon imnrpov.); Andrew Hill; Mohammed Tahar Fergani (Arabo-Andlausian music); film music legend Asha Bhosle; Mostafa Sidi Ahmed from Sudan; painist/composer Eri Yamamoto w/ choir; raga from Gulabi Sapera;

Conference of the Birds, 1-16-26 Jan 19, 2026 7079 THIS WEEK's BIRDS: an abbreviated episode (TWO HOURS ONLY, opps.) w/ Balkan vocalists Stefka Sabotinova & Valya Balkanska; Moroccan vocalist Houria Aîchi performing sacred music from the Aures Mountains; Malian vocalists Bako Dagnon, Lassana Tamoura, & Neba Solo w. Benogo Diakite ; Noura Mint Seymali from Mouritania; experimental bop from Roland Kirk & the Modern Jazz Quartet; Regis H

Conference of the Birds, 12-19-25 Dec 29, 2025 10197 Note: new mailing address below... THIS WEEK's BIRDS: Marshall Allen w. Neneh Cherry; new Myra Melford; Webber/Morris Big Band; Gurmeet Singh & Sardur Surjeet Singh (mystical vocal music Punjab); new music from Noah Franche-Nolan; Sima Bina sings Afghan music; Steve Swell, Warren Smith, Chad Taylor & David Taylor; vintage John Handy; Billy Hart w. Tired & Tickled Trio; Taha Suliman

Conference of the Birds, 12-12-25 Dec 20, 2025 10197 Note: new mailing address below... THIS WEEK's BIRDS: Ethiopian Harpsit/vocalist Alemu Aga; new out trio fro m Nizar Rohana; gulf pop from vocalist Abu Bakr Salem; vintage bop from Sam Jones; The Tokyo Gagaku Ensemble (Gagaku music); Nidaa Abou Mrad & Carole Samaha; from Mali:Toulou de Kankoré & Boumou Sangaré; Congolese rumba from Pepe Kallé; vintage high0-life from Celestine Ukwo and

Conference of the Birds, 12-6-26 Dec 7, 2025 9072 Note: new mailing address below... THIS WEEK's BIRDS: new music from Yusuf Mumin; Altin Gün from Turkey/Europe; also from Turkey: Aynur Doğan; Algerian vocalist Noura;Lebaense vocalist Asmahan; vintage Steve Lacy; pianist/ composer Yelena Eckemoff; new music from drummer/composer Tyshawn Sorey; from Iraq: Md After Hussain & Paq; Mila Ayub from Java; also from java: Javasounds does dangdut; B

Conference of the Birds, 11-14-25 Nov 19, 2025 9454 Note: new mailing address below... THIS WEEK's BIRDS: new music from Arooj Aftab; vintage Najat Al Saghira; vintage bop from Coleman Hawkins; vocalists from Cape Verde: new Teofilo Chantre plus Jorge Humberto & Armando de Pina; Derek Bailey w. Cecil Taylor; Accra Quartet; neo-Yoruba/jazz from. Michelle Rosewoman; Sahroui vocalist Aziza Brahim; from Mali: Kemin Fanta, Coumba Sira Koïta; cante

Conference of the Birds, 10-31-25 Nov 9, 2025 10132 Note: new mailing address below... THIS WEEK's BIRDS: Cambodian music.x 2: Taam Ming Ensemble & Anh Hung; new music from Mali Obomsawin, Linda May Han Oh, Laura Ann Singh, & others; Shantung folk m music from China; thumri from Bhimsen Joshi; John Coltrane Quartet w. Dolphy et al. @ Village Vanguard; Turkish pop from Ali Riza Gültekin & Aynur Doğan; Ghanain/Congan highlife/soukous hyb

Conference of the Birds, 10-24-25 Nov 1, 2025 10099 THIS WEEK's BIRDS: Punjabi film music from Reshma; new Amir el Saffar; reek song from Stratos Pagioumitzıs, Stavros Kabanis & others; new music from saxophonist Nicole Glover & group; vintage Steve Lacy; Gulf singerAbu Bakr Salem; Egyptian music from Mohamed Taha & The Pyramids ; Ustad Mahwash (Afghani ghazal singer); raga from V. M. Byatt; Sufi music from Pakistan (Rabab Mangi); fro

Conference of the Birds Podcast

Episodes

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