From Africa To Austin With Toubab Krewe
Asheville's Toubab Krewe is an instrumental band which fuses the music of Mali and other West African influences with American musical styles. The band has travelled several times to West Africa to study with indigenous instructors, as well as participate in a centuries old music festival in the desert.  The band recently stopped by KUT's Studio 1A for a captivating session that featured the usual  rock band instruments (guitar, bass, drums) augmented by a kora, ngoni, djembe, krin and scraper. The performance had the familiar underpinnings of rock 'n' roll, but with an otherworldly feel like nothing you've ever heard. Listen to the previous Favorite Session, or see our full archive.
Renee Montagne talks with reporter Warren St. John of <em>The New York Times</em> and soccer coach Luma Mufleh. St. John's new book, <em>Outcasts United: A Refugee Team, an American Town</em>, follows the 2006 season of the Fugees, a soccer team for refugee children in a small town just outside Atlanta.