Cesaria
Evora: Rogamar (RCA)
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More
lush African island music from the musical queen of Cape
Verde. On Rogamar (which translates as "praise/pray to
the sea") The Barefoot Diva sings of the sea, love, and
African unity. On "Africa Nossa," a duet with Ismael Lo,
she sings "Africa and Senegal are not far apart / I can
say that these two countries are as one / Sons of Africa,
let us unite, hand in hand / for there's strength in unity."
And there's much beauty in this sublime, richly orchestrated
African music.
Various
Artists: The Rough Guide to the Music of Tanzania (World
Music Network)
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Various Artists: The Rough Guide to Flamenco Nuevo (World
Music Network)
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The
two newest Rough Guide compilations cover a world of
ground, and show how contemporary music is emerging from
traditional roots. Tanzania includes old-school
big-band Afro-jazz by Vijana Jazz Band, sublime guitar
work by Ndala Kasheba, and hip-hop sounds by the likes
of X Plastaz and Dataz. It's a glimpse of a lesser-known
nation that will leave you hungry for more.
Flamenco
Nuevo puts a spotlight on new Andalucian sounds.
Not since the Gypsy Kings emerged has such energy erupted
from the region. The heart of this 14-song compilation
is althletic singing and nimble guitar work, expressed
in many styles. Included is a track from tradition-minded
Son de la Frontera, who have just released a mostly instrumental self-titled
album. Ojos de Brujo
brings hip hop beats and political messages to their
flamenco, while Jorge
Pardo has a jazz
touch
on his
"Mi Sueño." There's even a version of "Aserje"
(aka "The Ketchup Song") in a serious vein by Diego Carrasco,
and a chill-out track by Solar Sides. The latter is something
of a mis-fit with the rest of the album, though thematically
this Rough Guide is a marvelous glimpse of flamenco's
future.
Kekele: Kinavana (Stern's
Africa)
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It's
African music gone full circle: from Congo to Cuba and
back. And back again. When Cuban records hit Kinshasha
in the 1930s, listeners were unfamiliar with the language
and
instruments,
but as the liner notes point out "they immediately recognized
the rhythms and the way singers called and choruses responded.
Here was their old music, they marvelled, made new and
given back to them as a novel product of the modern age."
Of course, it didn't stop there; Congolese musicians
re-formed this music anew, and the members Kekele were
with some of the great groups. Kinawan is a
tribute to Cuban guitarist/singer Guillermo Portabales,
who may never have known how popular his records were
in Africa. The 12 songs on this album were composed or
recorded by Portabales, some of them given new lyrics
and meanings: "BaKristo" denounces the efforts of evangelical
churches in Africa to ban non-Christian music. Langorous
and lovely, this gentle music travels beautifully in
time and space, capturing something trully timeless.
Joshua
Lebofsky: Play a Little Prayer (self-released)
artist
site : buy
CD/hear samples : hear full-length songs
Canadian
singer/pianist Joshua Lebofsky apparently gets around.
His first email arrived
from Dubai. Then his album arrived, packing inspiration,
he says, from "prayers both sacred and secular" from
sources including West African, Native American, and
Judeo-Christian traditions. It's a lot he has bitten
off, but not too much to chew.
The
opener, "Cecil's Psalm," give credit to Cameroon, and
serves as a jazzy invocation:
"Oh Lord, open up my lips / I'll sing thy praise."
More obviously African is "The Briss" from Ivory Coast,
with
insistent djembes, vocal harmonies, and a sizzling
trombone solo sneaking into the mix. The first real
taste of Lebofsky's voice comes on his bold reinterpretation
of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song," which takes on a
sparse
soulfulness well suited to his gravely-but-crisp tones.
Lots of other flavors too, from the jazz-funk of "Demon
Dance" to the slow "Nearer My God to Thee," on which
Lebofsky shows off the more flexible gospel side of
his voice. "Funeral Song" claims Native American roots,
but sounds rather more like not-so-mournful jazz.
If
you think sacred equals stuffy (or preachy),
Lebofsky's ability to transform sacred songs may give
you second thoughts. Or no thoughts at all, if you just
sit back and soak in the inspiration.
Sergio
Mendes: Timeless (Concord)
artist site : buy CD/hear samples
Brazilians
have long embraced elements of hip hop, but this is something
new. Brazilian icon Sergio Mendes and Black Eyed Peacs
(among others) get jiggy and out pops their full-grown
love child, bopping to classic beats and cracking mad
lyrics. The album sets a high bar for itself by opening
with the war-horse "Mas Que Nada" on steroids. Then there's
the dancehall blend of "Bananeira" with Mr. Vegas, and
the soulful title track featuring India.Aire. Samba's
got a brand new bag. It ain't subtle, but it sure is
fun.
Samite: Embalasasa (Triloka)
artist site : buy CD/hear samples
Some
African music is all drums and energy; Samite has never
shied away from exploring softer music. Embalasasa (named
for a poisonous lizard) is no exception. On opening
title ballad, Samite calls on his grandfather to come
with his walking stick and kill today's "embalasasa,"
AIDS, his voice kept company by guitars, piano, and soft
djembes. Not until the album's third song does the pace
pick up,
with
the
original song "Nawe Okiwulira" about a departing lover
("After you leave me, you will realize what you let go
/ you are going to miss me and you will cry forever").
The rest of the album is varied, hinting toward jazz
or dance music, often supported by Samite's bubbling
kalimba. It's not a roller coaster of a car chase, but
a walk along the river with your hand in another's and
your heart full.
A
portion of proceeds goes to Musicians
for World Harmony.
Reem
Kelani: Sprinting Gazelle (Fuse Records)
artist site : buy CD : hear samples
Palestine
often evokes thoughts of political strife more than fantastic
music, but anyone seeking respite from geopolitics would
be well served to grab this album. Subtitled "Palestinain
Songs from the Motherland and the Diaspora," the album
begins with a bold vocal statement
on the opening track
"As
Nazarene
Women Crossed the Meadow" featuring Kelani's solo voice
over a vocal drone (a tribute to her fascination with
Eastern
Orthodox Christian chanting).
The
UK-born Palestinan singer, who grew up in Kuwait, is
considered one of the
foremost researchers and performers of Palestian music.
Jazz undertones, such as Idris Rahman's clarinet on
"Galilean Lullaby," soften a style of singing
that can sound harsh
to uninitiated Western ears. That's not a criticism;
just an acknowledgement of the region's sharply emotional,
sometimes intricately adorned vocal style. In truth,
Kelani has a voice of awesome strength and grace. She
explores Palestinian music much as Eliseo Parra has
done with Iberian music. And her gorgeous debut album
will give any listener a richer appreciation of Palestinian
culture. Highly recommended.
Chantal
Chamandy: Love Needs You (ninemuse)
artist site : buy CD/hear samples
I
want to like this album, I really do. It's got a lot
going for it: ethnic instruments including tabla, dumbek,
erhu, Arabic violins and keyboards; tight arrangements;
and a gorgeous voice backed by a lovely face. Yet behind
this is an album that, despite it all, is pure pop schmaltz.
To be honest, if Chantal sung primarily in Arabic --
or even Spanish -- instead of the English that dominates
this album, I'd probably like it better. But the songs
are slick to the point of being overproduced, and the
"baby, baby, baby" lyrics come off as intentionally crafted
as potential pop hits, rather as messages
from the heart. I can see this getting some mainstream
pop/R&B
radio airplay. But I can't see it getting much attention
from world music fans.
Yeshe: World
Citizen (Dog My Cat)
artist site : buy CD/hear samples
Yeshe's
half-whispered vocals and liquid mbira dzavadzimu create
an intimacy that makes you want to lean into the music.
Combining his own Australian roots (Ganga Gigi contributes
yidaki/didg to three tracks) with with the Zimbabwean
roots of his primary instrument, Yeshe has uncovered
the traditional music of a land that exists only in his
mind. And I want badly to vacation there. Includes a
cover of Marley's "No Woman No Cry." and eight other
compelling tunes.
Naing
Naing: Toothbrush Fever (Re-Aktion
Records)
artist site
Not
really "world music," but music
very much music of the world, Toothbrush Fever is a blend
of field recordings and manipulated sounds that defies
description yet is strangely compelling. Is a Czech cement
mixer more sonically pleasing than one from elsewhere?
You may find out on "Le Coq Megalo," where it
shares earspace with a "pretentious" rooster.
Then there's the insectoid "Wasp Tabla," drippy "Ice
Cube Music #2," and the hygienic title track "Brosse
A Danse," or toothbrush dance music. Naing Naing (aka
sound manipulator Francois L'Homer) really has something
here. I'm just not sure what it is.
Listen
to some complete songs:
" Brosse
A Danse/Toothbrush Dance Music"
"Mi
Ma La Bu / Generator Music"
"Greensleeves"
read complete album tracknotes
Obrador
with Fato Criminal: Para Los Niños (Goiter
Muff)
artist site
The new
album by Olympia-based Afro-Cuban ensemble Obrador isn't
all that Afro-Cuban. . The rhythms are still there, sure
but on Para
Los Niños this well-established group collaborates
with a different style of music:
Brazilian rap. Ota, Killer, Grilo, and Berruga are the
members of Fato Criminal, a group from the tough Guainazes
neighborhood of Sao Paulo, where they have been
working to promote social
change through hip-hop. Fato Criminal came to the US
in 2004, and this album is a live recording of
their concert
with Obrador at the Capitol
Theater in Olympia, WA (with
added backup vocals by Dennis Hastings and LaVon
Hardison).
Four
of the eight songs on Para Los Niños include
rapping by Fato Criminal set to Obrador's polyrhythms
and punctuated
by their horn section. Lyrics span four languages (Portuguese,
Spanish, French Creole and English) and styles range
from Cuban to hip-hop to jazz to funk. This song (from
the band's
website) appears on the new album, but this mp3 is
a version recorded live in Havana.
Check
out obrador.org for
more information on the band (which celebrates its 30th
anniversary this year!),
including
audio and video samples and information on the nonprofits
they support. You can buy the album directly from
the band, and proceeds from album sales benefit the Guanabacoa
Project
and the Hip Hop Youth Center in Sao Paulo.
For more on Fato Criminal, check out this
podcast of
People's Tribune Radio, an episode entitled "Change
Society Thru Hip-Hop I."
Various
Artists: FromBakaBush (Stonetree
Records)
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CD/hear samples
For
10 years, Stonetree Records has focused on the music
of the Garifuna people of Central America's Atlantic
coast. This celebration of that decade includes young
and old Garifuna artists, and with its beautiful and
informative packaging is a wonderful introduction to
the music.
read
the complete
album notes.
Richard
Bona: Tiki (Decca/Universal)
artist site : buy CD/hear samples
The
bassist from Cameroon provides more catchy melodies on
his latest dispatch of soft African jazz. Looking forward
to digging more deeply into this album, which hits stores
May 9.
Salif
Keita: M'Bemba (Universal)
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The
new album from "the golden voice of Africa" doesn't
hit stores until June 20th, but a sneak preview shows
Keita in fine form. The acoustic magic follows the pattern
of his previous album Moffou. With a range and style
not entirely unlike Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Keita has
a voice that, the Washington Post gushed, "other
mortals can only aspire to." Look for a US tour
in summer 2006.
Gotan
Project: Lunatica (XL Recordings)
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The tangotronica pioneers
return with an album more "classically tango-oriented," to
use their phrase. Still highly engaging for fans of a
modern
global mix, and less of a stretch for world music purists,
Lunatico is sure to wind Gotan new fans following its April
11 release date.
Eyal
Maoz: Edom (Tzadik)
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Guitarist/composer
Eyal Maoz brings in John Medeski on Hammond B3. Together
with bass and drums, they take you
along on an exploration of new experimental Jewish jazz
territory.
©2006
Scott Allan Stevens, Earball Media |
