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Spin the Globe CD reviews
for January 2003
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DJELIMADY TOUNKARA &
HIS ACOUSTIC PROJECT
Saturday October 26, 2002 at
the Experimental Theater, The Evergreen State College, Olympia
photo: Bamba learns a
few samba moves from KAOS's Juli Kelen at an after-show party
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Djelimady Tounkara has magic in his fingers. A large, quiet
man, he spent years as the lead guitarist for the Super Rail
Band of Mali. Now moving from electric to acoustic, he's rediscovering
his roots. This tour, supporting his album Sigui (Label Bleu)
includes Samba Diabaté on guitar, Fode Sacko on n'goni
(hunter's harp), daughter Mariam Tounkara and Samba
Diabate on vocals, and the charismatic Bamba Dembele handling
percussion.
Djelimady performed two concerts and held
a workshop for students, providing plenty of opportunity to
hear his music. His quiet wisdom makes you want to sit at
his feet for hours, just absorbing. It's no wonder that Banning
Eyre (a musician and journalist who served as tour manager)
arranged to stay with Djelimady's family to learn from him.
In a Spin the Globe interview, Tounkara explained
his move to older, more traditional instruments, and said
his next album would be even more rootsy, with instruments
even older than the n'goni.
©2003 Scott Allan Stevens
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ALLAN SOBERMAN: SEARCHING
FOR MY VOICE
Soberman Music, www.sobermanmusic.com
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For someone searching for his voice,
Allan Soberman has a wealth of harmony. With a "Beach Boys
in Jerusalem" sound, this CD takes traditional Jewish prayers
from Soberman's childhood (his father was a cantor) and puts
them in new arrangements, with soaring harmonies. A virtual
one-man band, he sang all the vocal parts himself, and played
all the instruments. The vocals blend beautifully, and the music
works more often than not, though the formulaic drum loops detract
from the vocals on several tracks, including "Nigunisht."
Pushing the Jewish tradition in a new direction, this CD will
appeal to fans of RebbeSoul and world music fans in general.
Even folk and pop fans may be drawn in by its accessibility.
©2003 Scott Allan Stevens
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BAKA BEYOND: EAST TO
WEST
March Hare Music
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They're baka. The band that helped bring Cameroon's
rainforest pygmy vocals to the world music consciousness returns
with their fifth album in East to West. Baka Beyond
might be considered the acoustic alternative to the powerhouse
dance grooves of Afro-Celt Sound System, and East to West
delivers a delightful array of tunes. Blending field recordings
with a raft of performers on everything from uilleann pipes
to kora, the group blends African and Celtic traditions gracefully,
sounding not like the meeting of two tribes, but like musical
proof that at their heart the tribes are one.
This enhanced CD (apparently PC only) includes
video of Martin Cradick playing with Baka musicians at Lupe
in the rainforest.
©2003 Scott Allan Stevens
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PAPE & CHEIKH: MARIAMA
Real
World Records
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When a new group bursts onto the world music
scene with fanfare, it's often difficult to distinguish marketing
from meat. With Senegalese duo Papa Amadou Fall and Cheikhou
Coulibaly, one listen reveals their authentic sound, rooted
in Senegalese traditions and echoing great musicians like
Youssou N'Dour. Drawing from Wolof, Sérère,
Manding rhythms, Pape & Cheikh propel this folk tradition
further. Friends since the age of eight, their compositions
are tight, from the guitar-led "Ma Ansou" to the
percussion-heavy "Kamalemba.
This international debut follows their Senegaese
hit album, Yaakaar, which called for the union of hearts
in a country that was undergoing deep political and social
changes. Echoing that sentiment on this CD is the song "Yatal
Gueew (Widen the Circle)," which exposes the power-hungry:
"The country is being divided by men/
Who are hungry for power/ Each one says that he can solve/
The country's problems/ Each one says that without him/ Nothing
will work out/ Each one says that without him/ The boat will
sink."
The limited liner notes include some lyrics
(more complete lyrics are listed on the Real World website)
but no real context for the songs. Fortunately the music speaks
for itself.
©2003 Scott Allan Stevens
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To listen to the Klezmer Conservatory Band is to become educated,
at least in some small way, about the world of Jewish music.
The band’s members are all ethnomusicologists, yet the
music is far from a dry academic dissection of some dusty
historic relics. At their recent Benaroya Hall performance,
KCB had the audience literally dancing in the aisles. This
CD, which includes brief but helpful liner notes explaining
the music and the Yiddish lyrics, may find you dancing and
singing along at home. The title track is a song by Leonard
Cohen, delightfully reinterpreted by Hankus Netsky. The musicianship
is first-rate throughout, topped by the soulful singing of
Judy Bressler, whose voice ranges from somber on “Zol
Nkh Sayn Shabes,” to the cartoony voices in “Freylekh
Zayn.” This CD is reason to be happy indeed.
©2003 Scott Allan Stevens
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VARIOUS ARTISTS: BADENYA:
MANDEN JALIYA IN NEW YORK CITY
Smithsonian
Folkways
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The jaliya are the keepers of history, storytellers, and advisors.
Originally from West Africa, they have now reached many corners
of the globe. Since 1990, the number of jaliya (sometimes
called griots) in New York has increased considerably, and
this CD is a snapshot of the music they’re creating.
All of the tracks are built on traditional instruments, including
kora, n’goni, and bala (balafon), with djembe, guitar,
and bass sprinkled in.
A surprise is “Nanfulen,” on which
Abdoulaye Diabate’s throaty voice and phrasing evokes
the spirit of flamenco. And one of the special delights is
“Keme Bourema” (also found on the CD Fula Flute)
featuring Bailo Bah’s empassioned tambin (flute) playing/singing.
Also featured are Keba Bobo Cissoko on kora, Famoro Dioubate
on bala, and many others. These jaliya have one eye on history,
and the other wide open to the present. It can’t be coincidence
that the final track, “Djiu de Galinha,” is an anti-colonial
protest song. Songs of praise, memory, and council have never
been more needed, and the jaliya of New York may have a message
for you.
©2003 Scott Allan Stevens
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