VASEN: LIVE IN JAPAN (Northside)
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Acoustic
string fans, rejoice. Japan has had an earful of the Swedish
trio Vasen, hosting two tours in less than nine months.
The latest was a weeklong swing in January 2005, during
which
the music on this disc was recorded at the Mandala Minami-Aoyama
in Tokyo. What the Japanese find so appealing in the music
of Mikael Marin (viola & fiddle), Olov Johannson (nyckelharpa
& kontrabasharpa) and Roger Tallroth (12-string guitar)
only they can say. But the trio's energetic swing is irresistible
for any acoustic-music fan. Their style reminds me a bit
of Old
Blind Dogs (minus the vocals, percussions, pipes,
but with all of the skill and energy). The 17 tracks draw
largely on Vasen's
last two studio albums
Trio and
Keyed Up, and the included DVD
provides additional features, including a band history
and "Nyckelharpa 101."
AMADOU
ET MARIAM: THE BEST OF AMADOU ET MARIAM-JE PENSE
A TOI (Circular Moves)
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Who
are Amadou and Mariam thinking of? Each other, obviously,
as they've taken their improbable musical love story from
a shaky, disapproved start at the Mali Institute for the
Young and
Blind to international stardom. Also of fellow Africans,
for whom their songs have encouraging social messages.
Perhaps even of Western fans, whose purchases of their
African blues music have propelled them into the world
music spotlight. In musical logic, this album belongs after
their first three releases (Sou
Ni Tile, Tje
Ni Mousso,
and Wati)
but before this year's Manu-Chao-ified Dimanche
a Bamako. Je Pense a Toi contains original versions
of songs from the first three CDs, pumped up with horns,
organ,
and more. Musically, A&M deliver straight-up blues, particularly
on the driving "Chantez-Chantez." But bass and organ can't
erase the influences of Mali's sparse desert
landscape (think Tinariwen)
on tracks like "Toubala Kono." Don't look to Amadou & Mariam
for traditional African
instruments (though there's a little djembe here and there);
do come for some of the best of African blues. You'll find
it.
FRIGG: OASIS (Northside)
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Named
for the Nordic goddess Frigg,
this Finnish-Norwegian is living proof of the ties between
Nordic folk, swing, and even a little bluegrass, country,
and pop. The opening track "Jokijenkka (Riverdance)" signals
that this is music for dancing, and "Fantomen" brings the
pace of Balkan speed brass in the form of a Swedish polka.
Oasis includes slow tunes too, such as the somber Estonian-bagpipe-led
funeral march "Peltoniemen Hintriikin Surumarssi." A very
promising second album from a young band emerging as a
Nordic folk leader.
PAPUA
NEW GUINEA STRINGBANDS WITH BOB BROZMAN: SONGS OF
THE VOLCANO (Riverboat)
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To
fully appreciate Bob Brozman's latest musical journey,
you need to start without him. Start by getting the
Smithsonian Folkways 3-CD anthology Bosavi:
Rainforest Music from Papua New Guinea. Pull out the
disc called Guitar Bands of the 1990s.
Listen to the raw
guitar and voice music, the
result of missionaries' introduction of guitars,
ukuleles, and Western harmonies into the area starting
in the 1970s.
Whether
a result of time or Brozman's influence, the
arrangements on Songs of the Volcano are more polished,
though still earthy, his addition of slide guitar giving
the impression of some long-lost Polynesian tribe. I was
sorry to note that there's no overlap in bands between
the two albums - a direct comparison would have been very
enlightening. Volcano is certainly more accessible
and more melodic, while retaining some of the late-night-campsong
quality of the group vocals. This album is fascinating,
and Brozman deserves kudos for his efforts to preserve
and strengthen PNG's musical traditions. But even with
the included DVD, Volcano doesn't erupt with as much appeal
as his past collaborations with
single master musicians Debashish
Bhattacharya,
Rene
Lacaille, and Takashi
Hirayasu.
WAWALI
BONANE: RESOLVE (Flingshot Productions)
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Congolese
singer Wawali Bonane may have found a home in Seattle,
but his musical heart is clearly still in Congo (the former
Zaire). You may know Bonane
from the compilation Safarini
in Transit: Music of African Immigrants. On this new 9-track CD,
his soukous tunes burst with the signature silvery guitars
hovering over
Afro-Cuban
rhythms.
Whether of love or loss, misbehaving friends or colonialists,
his songs are an invitation to dance the night away. Though
he doesn't
sing
in English,
the
messages of love and good times are clear. The liner notes
also include short descriptions of the songs ("We should
be appreciative of our women. Men, shape up!"). As great
as this CD is, you know this kind of music is even
better
live, so get out and see him!
EITHER/ORCHESTRA: ETHIOPIQUES
20-LIVE IN ADDIS (Buda Musique)
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The
Either/Orchestra is a ten-piece jazz ensemble based in
Cambridge Massachusetts. The Ethiopiques series of recordings
is known for re-releasing music from Ethiopia's "golden
years" in the early 1970s. What strange events conspired
to bring them together?
Let's
just say that a chance 1994 encounter between E/O bandleader
Russ Gershon and
a CD
called Ethiopian
Groove: The Golden 70s led to E/O's
reinterpretation of some Ethiopian classics. And a chance
encounter between
this music and the ears of Buda Musique's Francis Falceto
let to an invitation for E/O to perform at the 2004
Ethiopian Music Festival. And that's where this live 2-CD
set originated. That's
the story, though the liner notes provide far richer detail.
But
I know you're now wondering if this sounds like jazz
or like world
music,
right? Well,
yes.
And the
tilt
of that "yes" depends on where you're listening
from. Fans of Ethiopian music will hear familiar rhythms
and melodies,
such as the unmistakable Arabic tinge of "Muziqawi
Silt" (which
has, in the hands of the Daktaris and Antibalas become
an Afrobeat anthem). Less Ethiopized ears may simply
hear an adventurous jazz big band experimenting with
unusual
rhythms and exotic melodic lines. This illusion holds
up through most of the first CD, but is shattered on
the
last track, "Soul Tezeta," when the Motown
ballad feeling gets a rich dose of vocals by Michael
Belayneh.
Also graced
with Ethiopian voices are the shuffling
"Antchim Endelela" featuring Bahta Gebre-Heywet,
and the sublimely torchy "Shellela" sung
by Tsedenia Gebre-Marqos. While the Ethiopiques series
has provided
some great blasts
from the past, this latest release proves that Ethiopia's
unique
and compelling music lives on today. Highly recommended.
VARIOUS
ARTISTS: THE BEACH-ST TROPEZ (Petrol)
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Australia-based
Petrol Records seem to want to be the Putumayo of loungey
music. Except that Putumayo doesn't put semi-naked women
on their CD covers. And they do provide individual
song and artist notes. On second thought, they're little
like Putumayo, aside from the penchant for compilation
albums. This one's trying to evoke a downbeat, upscale
very cool St. Tropez club. While Putumayo aims for the
head as much as the heart, Petrol just wants to get you
in a mood. Imagine a Frenchified Buddha Lounge and you
get the idea. This one's
for
club/lounge/chill
fans than world music lovers, though it's not without its
moments, particularly the charming "Kiss Moi" by Benjamin
Sportès.
VARIOUS
ARTISTS: SALSA-SERIOUSLY GOOD MUSIC (Petrol)
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Wanna
dance? This 13-track compilation will get your salsa juices
flowing, with tasty tracks from Bamboleo, Maraca, Arte
Mixto, and others. Most of the artists supply multiple
tracks, leading one to wonder if Petrol was lazy, or just
really happy with the few artists they got. Probably the
latter, given the tight mix and consistent energy of the
CD. Myself, I'd include some artist info, though for that
you can check out the website of Ahi-Nama
Music, who licensed
much of this music to Petrol. But really, you'll probably
be much too busy dancing to read musicians' biographies.
ROSWELL
RUDD & THE MONGOLIAN BURYAT BAND: BLUE MONGOL (Soundscape)
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I've
had throat-singing on my mind of late with the
passing of Paul
Pena and the recent tour of Tyva
Kyzy. Now
comes a very different take on a throat-singing collaboration.
Jazz trombonist Roswell Rudd, who in 2003 explored West African
sounds with Toumani
Diabate on the CD Malicool,
has turned his attentions to the Mongolian Steppe. A chance
meeting
in 2002 led to improvisational sessions between Rudd and
two singers, Odsuren and Battuvshin Baldantseren. The liner
notes
of Blue Mongol point out that "the trombone derives
from the same acoustical principles [as overtone singing]." So
they explored the sounds, and in fall 2004 finished recording
this album. Just released by Soundscape Records, its 13 tracks
range from odd fusions like "Buryat Boogie" to
the "American Round" of traditional US songs, to
traditional songs Mongolian songs. Rudd's trombone may sound
a little out of place at first, but the more you listen,
the more it makes sense.
RAVI
SHANKAR: THE ESSENTIAL RAVI SHANKAR (Columbia/Private
Music/Legacy)
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Two
CD set from the pioneering Indian musician, the man George
Harrison calls "the Godfather of World Music." Disc 1 includes
a track of Shankar introducing the concepts of Hindustani
classical music, along with six musical tracks. Disc 2,
labeled "Into the West," includes samples of Shankar's
collaborations with Harrison, Phillip Glass, and others.
GERALDO
PINO & THE HEARTBEATS: HEAVY HEAVY HEAVY (RetroAfric)
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Brilliant
Afro-soul-funk from a little-known but highly influential
Sierra Leone artist. The man of whom Fela Kuti said "The
music
carried me away completely. ... Can you understand my situation
at that club that night? Needing to find a job for myself,
but enjoying the music so much I even forgot I myself was
a fucking musician. ... After seeing this Pino, I knew
I had to get my shit together. And quick!"
VOCAL
BAOBAB: YORUBA DREAM-AFRO-CUBAN CHANTS (ARC)
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A
fine collection of songs to the Orishas, the representatives
of the divine in the Yoruba tradition that spread from
West Africa to Cuba, Haiti, Brazil, and beyond. Cuba is
said to have the purest form, called Santeria or La Regla
de Ocha. That's the history and spirit; the sound is primarily
call-and-response vocals over polyrhythmic percussion featuring
the sacred bata drums, though a bit of piano sneaks
in as well, as on the melodic, flowing tribute to ocean
goddess Yemaya. The recording is crisp and clear and the
music tight, overall an inspired and inspiring recording.
CHRIS
BOTTOMLEY: CEREBRAL LUBRICATION (Partly
Bent Records)
artist
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Instrumental
music doesn't get any cooler than this. Toronto bassist
Bottomsly runs the gamut from reggae ("Belize City Bakin'")
to groovy jazz ("Trouble Makin' Freak") to various flavors
of dub and funk. He can afford to toss in a little variety
on this generous 2-CD, 25-song CD. It's one of those rare
albums that forces a tough decision between playing it
low and
chillin',
and playing it loud and dancin'. Try both.
©2005
Scott Allan Stevens, Earball Media |
