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Soundcheck

Tuesday, April 20, 2004
  • Samite of Uganda - Photo by Jon Reis
    Samite of Uganda (Jon Reis)

    From Austin to Uganda

    Ugandan flutist Samite (pronounced SAH-mee-tay) was born and raised in Uganda, fled to Kenya in 1982 to escape political oppression and ultimately emigrated to the United States, settling in Ithaca, N.Y. Throughout the ordeal, his connection to his homeland remained strong through his music. As he tells John Schaefer today, his music draws on African folk traditions and features native instruments like the kalimba (finger-piano), marimba, and litungu (a seven-stringed Kenyan instrument). Also on the show, Austin-based singer/songwriter Patty Griffin, who has been generating a buzz lately for her imaginative songwriting talents. Her latest CD has earned praise in Billboard for its "attractive new tunes, strong atmosphere and Griffin's most engrossing performances to date." Finally, our concert pick of the week comes to us from music journalist Ken Smith, and features the young Chinese pianist Yundi Li.

The Ill Effects of Urban Noise

Soundcheck

Soundcheck received an overwhelming response to our segment on the effects of urban noise. So much so that Arline Bronzaft decided to address the feedback. Listen to the original segment and read Bronzaft's response.