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“Funk before anyone knew what funk was”
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Rise Up!
In light of Youssou N’Dour’s decision to run for office in Senegal, we examine the everclose relationship between music and politics.
36
Cambodian Living Arts
As high-ranking members of the Khmer Rouge stand trial, we hear the horror stories from some of the survivors of the killing fields.
40
International Women’s Day
46 “I could play the ngoni better than this...”
A look at Norway’s Førde Festival and how its theme last year marked the achievements of female musicians across the world.
44
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Two of Songlines’ esteemed writers battle it out over the Marmite of world music.
46
Andy Kershaw
30
Youssou N’Dour
What it was really like to work with one of music’s most outspoken men.
48
Martyn Bennett
Remembering the Scottish rebel and purveyor of Celtic dance music.
YOURI LENQUETTE
52
www.songlines.co.uk www.songlines.co.uk
Carolina Chocolate Drops The act who are resurrecting the upbeat old-time, black string band music.
48 Songlines 3
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UPFRONT
7 Welcome 9 Top of the World CD 10 M y World: Mike Harding 13 BONUS CD Brazil New Series 14 News 18 Obituaries 19 Homegrown 21 World Music Chart 21 Cerys Matthews 22 G rooves: Ashley Hutchings;
Mike Harding
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REGULARS
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10
James Parkin and John Street 25 Letters & Reader Profile 27 S onglines Encounters Festival 27 S onglines Music Travel
La Grande Rencontre Festival
Cerys Matthews in Ireland
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54 B eginner’s Guide to The Albion Band
56 Festival Profile: La Grande Rencontre, Canada 58 S ounding Out Tallinn, Estonia 61 P ostcard from Banda Aceh, Indonesia 63 Subscribe +GET A FREE CD 91 Gig Guide & Radio Listings 96 You Should Have Been There... 98 Backpage from... Israel
74 ‘Slightly sultry, a bit sad and rather cerebral’
Sounding Out Tallinn
MARCH12 COMPETITIONS 16 Win Cumbia Cumbia album 53 Win Carolina Chocolate
REVIEWS
76
Drops’ new album
87 W in Chitlin’ Circuit... book 89 W in Zift DVD
Europe
70
87 Books
The Americas
66
83 82 Asia
Middle East
84
Fusion
Africa
88 World
Cinema
16 www.songlines.co.uk
88 Win Cumbia Cumbia CDs Songlines 5
UPFRONT
Welcome
I
TM
Songlines Publishing Ltd PO Box 54209, London, w14 0wu, uk www.songlines.co.uk General Enquiries +44 (0)20 7371 2777 info@songlines.co.uk Subscriptions +44 (0)20 7371 2777 subs@songlines.co.uk Advertising +44 (0)20 7371 2834 james@songlines.co.uk Fax +44 (0)20 7371 2220 Reviews We only review full-length world music
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THE TEAM
Editor-in-chief Simon Broughton Publisher Paul Geoghegan Editor Jo Frost Art Director Ben Serbutt Assistant Editor Sophie Marie Atkinson Advertisement Manager James Anderson-Hanney Subscriptions Manager and Social Media Co-ordinator Alexandra Petropoulos Podcast Producer Nasim Masoud Reviews Editor Matthew Milton News Editor Nathaniel Handy Listings Tatiana Rucinska listings@songlines.co.uk World Cinema Editor Ed Stocker ed@edstocker.com Production Consultant Dermot Jones Financial Controller Iwona Perucka Commercial Consultant Chris Walsh Editorial Director Lyn Hughes Contributing Editors Jane Cornwell, Mark Ellingham, Sue Steward & Nigel Williamson Interns Olivia Haughton and Louise Ungless Cover illustration Xavier Francis
COMPETITIONS Send entries, marked clearly with the competition name, your name, address, email and telephone number to the address above or email to comps@songlines.co.uk. Winners will be chosen at random. Only one entry per household. No cash alternatives. Please note, if you would prefer not to be sent details of other Songlines products and services, or products from other carefully selected companies, please state clearly on your entry.
“Why isn’t Songlines an official partner of the Games?” asked my son Max
was enjoying the bracing pleasures of a snowy Swiss Alpine village at New Year, but back in London they put on an extra lavish firework display. This year is expected to be a big year for the UK – and London in particular – because of the Olympic Games. For the first time, fireworks were launched from the tower of Big Ben, blasting out in time with the 12 chimes of midnight. There was the Chariots of Fire theme and fireworks forming the shape of the Olympic Rings. The fireworks were set off to a playlist from BBC Radio 1 DJ Nihal, who also works on the BBC Asian Network, although the only evidence of that was a smattering of bhangra alongside Coldplay, Adele and Queen. Quite why two weeks of running, swimming and hitting things faster than anyone else should mean an estimated five and a half million visitors, I have no idea. But I do like the idea that from the very beginning, the London Olympic bid was a multicultural rather than a jingoistic one, with the city’s diverse population at its heart. “Why isn’t Songlines an official partner of the Games?” asked my son Max (aged 12). A good question, because in many ways it seems to make more sense than BP or Lloyds TSB. Or maybe it’s just because he wants tickets to the opening ceremony. But the date, July 27, coincides with the WOMAD festival celebrating its 30th anniversary. Of course, we’d have loved to have been an official partner of the Games but didn’t feel we could support a rival attraction during WOMAD’s celebrations! The multicultural side of London is on show the weekend before the opening of the Olympics in BT’s River of Music. On six stages representing the five continents along the river, there will be musicians from every country taking part in the Games. There are two stages for Europe and stages for Asia, Africa, the Americas and Oceania. As well as artists including Baaba Maal, Angélique Kidjo and Zakir Hussain, there are unique collaborations with emerging British talent. Artists who’ll be performing on the Asia stage got together with young Scottish musicians at last year’s Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow. And a few months back I went to see a dry run for a performance on the Europe stage in Trafalgar Square with the wonderful Amira, from Sarajevo, performing with a band including musicians from every country in the Balkans. In the 90s many of these countries were at war – and tensions still persist in some areas – but music is one of the things that brings people together. Which brings us to a bit of a theme this issue – the power of music for social change. Music can be protest – we’ve looked at some of the musicians involved in the Arab Spring over the last 12 months; music can be reconciliation; music can get a message over and music can make lives better – both for those listening to it, but also for those playing it. Look at El Sistema in Venezuela and the similar programmes that has inspired around the world. Our cover feature looks at many of these things as Youssou N’Dour, one of Africa’s best-known musicians, campaigns for the Senegalese presidency. And we’ve got an article about the role of music in the Senegalese elections coming up next issue. An eventful new year in world music!
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Printing Polestar Colchester Ltd, Severalls Industrial Estate, Colchester, Essex CO4 4HT. Record trade distribution Worldwide Magazine Distributors. Tel: 0121 788 3112 UK newsstand & overseas newstrade distribution COMAG Specialist Division. Tel: 01895 433800 All rights are reserved. Reproduction in any manner, in whole or in part, is strictly forbidden without the prior written consent of the publishers. No responsibility for incorrect information can be accepted. The views expressed in the articles are those of the author, and not necessarily of the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of statements in Songlines, we cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions or for matters arising from clerical or printer’s errors, or for advertisers not completing their contracts. Songlines is also available in audio format from the Talking Newspaper Association, tel: 01435 866102, www.tnauk.org.uk Songlines USPS 1464-8113 is published Jan/Feb, March, April/May, June, July, Aug/Sept, Oct, Nov/Dec by Songlines Publishing Limited. The US annual subscription price is $44 airfreight and mailing in the USA is by agent Air Business Ltd, c/o Worldnet Shipping Inc, 156-15, 146th Ave, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA. Published by Songlines Publishing Ltd, PO Box 54209, London, W14 0WU. ISSN 1464-8113 © 2009 Songlines Publishing Ltd Songlines logo trade mark, registered under No. 2427714. Directors: Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham, Paul Geoghegan, Lyn Hughes and Chris Pollard
✈ Songlines offsets its writers’ flights with ClimateCare. 1The text paper for this
on the SONGLINES stereo BEN Duotone's new album Ropes is a gorgeous & gentle follow-up to their debut
alex Revisiting one of my favourites, Balkan Beat Box – Blue Eyed Black Boy
courtesy of nat The new sound of Tunisia, Emel Mathlouthi, is rather good
Jo Kayhan Kalhor's latest – powerfully hypnotic stuff
SONGLINES ENCOUNTERS FESTIVAL After last year's resoundingly successful event, we're delighted to confirm new dates for the second Songlines Encounters Festival – June 6-9, at London's Kings Place. Once again, the programme will feature a mixture of well-known names, plus some new artists that we're keen to champion. See p27 for more details.
magazine is printed on 100% de-inked post consumer waste.
SONGLINES DIGITAL Songlines B&W stereo www.bowers-wilkins.co.uk/sos Super high-quality downloads curated by Real World Studios
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SONGLINES DIGITAL Look out for this symbol throughout the issue to see which free tracks are available for subscribers. For a free trial see www.songlines.co.uk/digital Songlines 7
UPFRONT
82
On your free CD – the editor’s selection of the top ten albums reviewed in this issue
1
La Bottine Souriante ‘Mon Père’
From the album Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée on Borealis Records A highly energetic album from the Québécois big band. See p70
2
3
Melingo ‘El Día Que Te Fuiste’
The Other Europeans ‘Lautar Clarinet Suite #1’
From the album Corazón & Hueso on World Village A fascinating and edgy exploration in tango, combining a variety of influences. See p72
4 8 6
1
From the album Splendor on Ethnomusic Records One of the most important Yiddish klezmer releases in years. See p79
4
Martyn Bennett ‘Swallowtail’
From the album Aye on Cuillin Records The late Scot who remains a highly influential figure in contemporary Scottish music. See p76 – UK
release date March 19
5
Mauricio Maestro feat Nana Vasconcelos ‘Canto do Pajé’
From the album Upside Down on Far Out Recordings A delightful trip back to 1970s Brazil. See p71
3 †
7 10
Turn over to see Mike Harding’s playlist »
9
5 2
6
Kepa Junkera & Melonious Quartet ‘Bok Espok’
7
8
9
10
From the album Fandango: Provença Sessions on Hiri Records A collaboration by the Basque accordionist and classical quartet. See p77
From the album I Will Not Stand Alone on World Village A groundbreaking album by the Iranian kamancheh player. See p83
The folk quartet bring new, bittersweet compositions in this album that it both traditionally English and modern. See p80
Battalion on Sterns Music Vintage and previously unreleased East African rumba from the Tanzanian jazz band. See p67
From the album Sublime Raga(s) on Soundings Records A wonderful performance by one of the world’s best sitar players. See p82
Kayhan Kalhor & Spiro ‘Yellow Noise’ Vijana Jazz Band Kartik Seshadri From the album Kaleidophonica Ali Bahrami Fard ‘Salima Utakujajuta’ ‘Raga Vasant From the album The Koka Koka Sex ‘I Will Not Stand Alone’ on Real World Records Pancham’
New to Songlines? Subscribe now and get a
album for free!
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† Fusionland
We’re giving away a choice of Martyn Bennett, Spiro or Kayhan Kalhor & Ali Bahrami Fard (to new subscribers only). See the flyer inside your covermount CD for details, visit www.songlines.co.uk/cd82 or call +44 (0)20 7371 2777.
Songlines 9
UPFRONT
My World Mike Harding
As the broadcaster prepares to present the first ever edition of the Radio 2 Folk Awards on his Mancunian home turf, he talks about some of his favourite folk words K e v i n B o u r k e P O RT R A I T b r ya n l e d g a r d
Also on your CD: five tracks chosen by Mike Harding
11
Billy Bennington ‘The Flowers of Edinburgh’
12
Emily Portman ‘Stick Stock’
From the album The Barford Angel on Veteran The musician from Norfolk was called ‘The Barford Angel’ as he looked like he had wings, with his dulcimer on his back as he cycled.
From the album The Glamoury on Furrow Records The young English folk singer has been in to do a live session on Harding’s Radio 2 evening show and he’s a huge fan.
13
Oddfellows ‘The Seven Rejoices of Mary’
From the album Oddfellows on Limefield Records This group of male singers meet every Monday night in the Oddfellows Arms pub in Middleton. ‘Nothing flash, but a great piece of music,’ says Harding.
14
Dolores Keane ‘May Morning Dew’
15
Dick Gaughan ‘Erin-Go-Bragh’
From the album Dolores Keane on Round Tower Music Harding has known the Irish singer since the 80s – it’s the ‘connection between the soul and the mouth that makes this so wonderful,’ he says.
From the album Handful of Earth on Topic Records This track, from the Scottish musician Dick Gaughan, is from his 1981 album, voted ‘Album of the Decade’ by fRoots. There’s ‘no artifice,’ says Harding, ‘just the art that exists to tell the story.’ 10 Songlines
M
ike Harding is a hugely popular broadcaster, whose BBC Radio 2 folk and roots programme attracts a weekly audience of more than 900,000. He is also a hall-filling singer, songwriter and comedian, as well as a best-selling author and poet, an environmental campaigner who’s lifetime vice-president of the Ramblers Association and a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a photographer, traveller, filmmaker, playwright and actor. This all follows a chequered early career as a dustbin man, bus conductor, road digger and carpet-fitter, not to mention a skiffle band who sometimes shared the bill with a popular beat combo known as the Beatles. There was even a bizarre period in the mid-70s when Harding himself briefly became a pop star, appearing on Top Of The Pops sitting on a stuffed alsatian dog and sporting cowboy gear to deliver his unlikely hit ‘Rochdale Cowboy.’ The experience was, he wryly observes, “a bit embarrassing but better than working down the sewers, and it paid for the luxuries in life… like bread and shoes.” Harding often drops in to play at sessions in Manchester’s Irish pubs and he firmly believes there is a responsibility that comes with presenting the only folk programme on a national mainstream radio station. “It’s got to be approachable and not esoteric because you aren’t just addressing people who go to folk festivals. I enjoy hearing from people like the truck driver who put it on by mistake or the woman and her husband who listen to it every week with a bottle of wine, who say they ‘don’t know anything about folk music’ but enjoy it anyway. ‘Folk music,’ by definition, is the music of the people. When I was growing up, the British folk club scene was thriving. It was the punk of its day; political because it came from the people. Perhaps it just ran out of steam, but it’s exciting now when you can see young kids spontaneously having an acoustic session in a corner somewhere. Sometimes they don’t even mind me joining in!” Of his Playlist selection he says, “the
touchstone is something indefinable, something you sense but that is still something real, a connection with the common thread of the folk experience. “Some of the new young folk performers don’t yet have that spark that performers like Nic Jones, June Tabor or Maddy Prior always had for me. The first time I heard Emily Portman I knew that she had it. Her music sounds fresh and new, yet incredibly old at the same time. Amazing,” he enthuses. Portman is a recent discovery for Harding who spends hours every week scouring websites, following up tips he’s received from friends like John McCusker or just dropping in at sessions and folk clubs – but he’s known Dick Gaughan for decades. “He used to stay at our house and I drove him around when he was playing in the North. When you hear him sing, there’s nothing between
‘‘When I was growing up, folk was the punk of its day; political because it came from the people” the heart and the mouth – no artifice, just the art that exists to tell the story. Dick’s only concerned with the song.” Billy Bennington, a hammer dulcimer player from Norfolk who died in 1986, “was one of the last of that great tradition of musicians who were simply a part of the community, who’d play and sing for the sheer pleasure of playing and singing. Billy got his nickname, The Barford Angel, from the way people would see him riding his rickety bike along the country lanes with his dulcimer slung across his back, looking like he had angel wings!” There’s a poem about Bennington in Harding’s latest collection Strange Lights Over Bexleyheath (Luath Press), describing him ‘Carrying the bright flame of music/On his Raleigh handlebars/Chain whirring, strings softly jingling/Raggle taggle through the country night.’ The Oddfellows, a loose ensemble of singers and musicians who have been March 2012
UPFRONT
tony engle
Mike Harding’s Playlist includes the acclaimed Scottish musician Dick Gaughan and rising folk singer Emily Portman
performing in pubs and clubs around Manchester since the heyday of the folk clubs in the 60s, meet every Monday night for a session in the Oddfellows Arms pub in Middleton. The legendary folk producer Bill Leader “lives less than a mile away,” chuckles Harding, “and so John Ellis, a musician who lives in Middleton, asked Bill to help him www.songlines.co.uk
capture them live for the album Monday Night At Nine. Later they went into the studio, again with Bill. No great voices, nothing flash, just a choir of guys and a simple arrangement of a great piece of music, but it’s stunning.” Harding has known the great Irish singer Dolores Keane since the 80s and again “it’s
that connection between the soul and the mouth that makes this so wonderful. Irish music has got an unbroken tradition, although the line got very thin around the 60s. People like Christy Moore, who came over here then, will tell you that places like London and Manchester kept that tradition going to a large extent. “Bob Davenport’s ‘Song of the Other Ranks’ is another example of the folk process working by constantly evolving, but knowing where it is the songs come from.” On February 8 this year, Harding presents the 12th BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards live from The Lowry in Salford. It’s the first time that the awards shindig has taken place outside London, a development Harding welcomes. “Shortly after I began presenting the folk programme for BBC Radio 2 some 14 years ago,” he recalls, “I found myself out in Austin, Texas to cover the South By Southwest festival there. Presenters Nic Barraclough and Bob Harris were also there, as was my executive producer John Leonard from Smooth Operations. One night, as we were sitting round the dinner table, I said it was a pity that we didn’t have a Folk Music Hall of Fame similar to the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. We came to the conclusion that getting a building would be difficult – Cecil Sharp House came close but wasn’t quite right. But we could at least have an awards ceremony as a way of thanking people in the folk world, recognising and applauding all the good stuff that is happening on today’s folk scene, and holding it up for the world to see. Of course, not everybody agrees with the result, but look at the long list of people who’ve received awards over the years and tell me they’re not worthy of nomination: The Copper Family, Christy Moore, Joan Baez, Spiers & Boden, Chris Wood, Andy Cutting, Nancy Kerr and James Fagin, Martin Simpson, Ewan McLennan, Norma Waterson, Eliza Carthy, Jackie Oates, or Lucy Ward!” DATE The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, hosted by Mike Harding, are at The Lowry, Salford, on February 8, broadcast live and online at bbc.co.uk/radio2 radio Mike’s Folk, Roots and Acoustic Music programme can be heard on BBC Radio 2 every Wednesday from 7pm PODCAST Hear the Bob Davenport track on this issue’s podcast Songlines 11
B R AZ I L
N EW
S ER I ES
–
BRazil New Series
A DVE RTORI AL
YOUR BONUS FREE CD
BM&A runs the Brasil Music Exchange as a platform for Brazilian independent artists to make worldwide connections and as a gateway for international music professionals to work with Brazil. This selection features artists making new music in different scenes and locations across the country, from the mouth of the Amazon to the heart of the megacity. It’s a little taste of the immense diversity of Brazil’s sound which we hope you will continue to explore. Enjoy your trip!
Compiled by Jody Gillett and Zjakki Willems.
01
Tiganá Santana ‘Muloloki’
Tiganá Santana is a singersongwriter from Bahia, a young Brazilian poet exploring the African cultural legacy which resonates so deeply in his state and his nation. ‘Muloloki’ is a song with Angolan accents from his debut album Maçalê which won accolades from fellow Bahian musicians Naná Vasconcelos and Virgínia Rodrigues.
02
Anelis ‘Mulher Segundo Meu Pai’ With her velvet voice and charismatic delivery, Anelis has carved out her own glowing reputation on the current São Paulo scene. ‘Mulher Segundo Meu Pai’, written by her father, the late great Itamar Assumpção, opens her debut album Sou Suspeita, Estou Sujeita, Não Sou Santa.
03
Retrofoguetes ‘Maldito Mambo!’
Bahian instrumental trio Retrofoguetes mix surf music, mambo and rockabilly into this bouncing track. ‘Maldito Mambo!’ (from their album Chachachá) could be the soundtrack to a 60s spy thriller or the theme tune of a retro circus rolling into town.
04
DJ Tudo e sua Gente De Todo Lugar ‘Sou Massape: My Community is Humanity’ (live)
Alfredo Bello (aka DJ Tudo) is on a mission to take Brazilian traditional sounds global. One of the leading researchers into popular Brazilian music, he mixes samples of field recordings with the explosive sound of his own band Gente De Todo Lugar. On ‘Sou Massape – My Community is Humanity’, funk goes live with maracatu from Sergipe.
05
Orquestra à Base de Corda e Roberto Corrêa ‘Parecença’ Roberto Corrêa is a highly respected guitarist/composer from Brasilia. This project, with Orquestra à Base de Corda, beautifully adapts the European orchestral model to Brazilian arrangements played on bandolins, cavaquinho, viola caipira and rabeca violin.
06
Luísa Maita ‘Fulaninha’
Since the release of her debut album Lero-Lero in 2010, Luísa Maita has toured the world and made her mark as one of the rising young voices of Brazil. ‘Fulaninha’ is a sweet Afro-Brazilian baião about the struggle to realise your dreams.
07
Pagotech ‘Os Tambores Do Meu Povo’
Pagotech inject dreamy dub and digital beats into Bahia’s powerhouse percussive traditions. Pagotech pay tribute to pagode, Salvador’s favourite samba style, and create a new vision for the tradition via technology and a whole-hearted love of Bahian popular music.
08
Graveola ‘Babulina’s Trip’
Belo Horizonte’s Graveola do easy-going but never simple. This samba-funk track swings along, partying with old and new influences in the best traditions of Brazil’s tropicalia pop giants – it takes sweat to sound this breezy.
09
Swami Jr ‘Paladino’
Swami Jr is a brilliant and versatile acoustic guitar player, bass player, producer, arranger and composer based in São Paulo. He has recorded with countless Brazilian greats as well as working extensively with Cuban legend Omara Portuondo. This track is a choro dedicated to the guitarist Dino Sete Cordas, one of the greatest choro players.
10
Orquestra Imperial ‘Ela Rebola’
Orquestra Imperial are a 25-piece all-star band from Rio de Janeiro founded by Kassin and featuring Rodrigo Amarante, Nina Becker and Moreno Veloso (who sings lead vocals on this track). Their mission to revive the retro dancehall samba style called gafieira has been a spectacular success. A new album is on the way.
11
Sacassaia ‘Pega O Gringo’
Sacassaia is the name of a ferocious type of soldier ant, and this band from Brasilia are on the march, devouring silence with their mix of dancehall, electronica and hiphop. ‘Pega O Gringo’ mixes Brazilian and international flavours just like their ultramodern capital city.
12
Caçapa ‘Coco-Rojão 4’
Guitarist-producer Caçapa is from Recife and pulls on north-eastern roots riches to create music with subtle digital effects. He has played with many Pernambucan greats including Siba, Alessandra Leão and Nação Zumbi. ‘Coco-Rojão 4’ (from his 2011 solo album Elefantes Na Rua Nova) is a hypnotic take on traditional coco, where virtuosity meets heart.
13
Iracema Hot Sound ‘Compositor da Rale’
Guga de Castro has been rocking Fortaleza beach parties for years, and has become one of Brazil’s fave DJs. Now he’s here with his project Iracema Hot Sound creating new tropical dance genres like house-carimbó and ska-tecnobrega. ‘Compositor da Rale’ takes guitarrada to clubland with lovely, happy, hazy horns.
14
Felipe Cordeiro ‘Legal e Ilegal’
Belém, the city at the mouth of the Amazon, is a music hot-spot to watch in Brazil and Felipe Cordeiro’s name is buzzing. Embracing the local bubble-gum pop (brega) and liquid guitarrada riffs, his sound nods to tecnomelody and lambada and winks at you from the dancefloor. ‘Legal e Ilegal’ is from his debut album Kitsch Pop Cult. online bma.org.br/ brmusicexchange
www.songlines.co.uk Songlines 13
UPFRONT
UPFRONT
Encounters
Music Travel
Discover a world of music
Taking you where the music happens
LISBON TOUR PROFILE
4 days – June 14-17 2012 For the last decade or so, there’s been a real revival of interest in fado, with Mariza at the forefront of a new generation of artists bringing new life to the music. On this trip we’ll experience fado as the locals enjoy it, in some of the best fado tavernas and clubs. Lisbon’s famous trams
Wednesday June 6
Friday June 8
Saturday June 9
R.U.T.A. Controversial
Spiro English folk
Anda Union Our
Polish punk meets folk band (above). UK premiere Thursday June 7
meets Philip Glass. Their Kaleidophonica album is a Top of the World this issue, see review on p80.
Lepistö & Lehti
Le Vent du Nord
Stunning Finnish accordion and double bass duo. Kosmos Tango, Balkan and Arabic music with Miloš Milivojević as guest on accordion. Fugata Quintet A new international group playing the visceral nuevo tango of Astor Piazzolla.
Wild French-Canadian band (pictured above). Their La Part du Feu album was a Top of the World in #66.
Sam Lee & Friends One of the rising stars instrumental in the revival of the British folk scene – with an international twist.
R.U.T.A.: Bartek Muracki; Le Vent du Nord: www.photoman.ca;
f FOR TICKETS
www.kingsplace.co.uk 020 7520 1490
favourite band (above) from Inner Mongolia whose album The Wind Horse was one of our Top Ten Albums of 2011.
Madagascan All Stars Just what it says,
including Dama from Mahaleo, Regis Gizavo and Justin Vali. Thought-Fox Young Irish jazz band including a collaboration with London-based Moroccan oud player and composer Soufian Saihi.
TICKETS from
£9.50
Jörg Hackemann/Fotolia
Songlines Encounters Festival returns for its second year at London’s Kings Place in June. As before, it includes top international names and rising stars that we’re keen to champion
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Each venue has its own atmosphere and character so you’ll get a good taste of the city’s scene. We’ll visit the excellent Museum of Fado and the Portuguese Guitar, the former home of Amália Rodrigues (1920-1999) – the ‘Queen of Fado’ – and enjoy a walking trip through the historic fado districts of Alfama and Mouraria. And don’t forget, Lisbon is also a fantastic place for Brazilian and Cape Verdean music. Drop by the website for a full itinerary and details.
Our last trip – Cuba
A group of Songlines Music Travellers have just returned from Cuba, ears still ringing. It was Gareth Richards’ second trip with us: “I’ve been on two Songlines Music Travel trips now. The opportunities to meet musicians led to a far deeper understanding of their music than attending concerts would ever deliver. It’s a great way to travel. Some particular highlights were a show by the excellent Septeto Santiaguero at the Casa de la Trova in Santiago; the Creole Choir of Cuba who introduced us to their Haitianinfluenced music in Camaguey; a visit to the Cabildo de los Congos Reales in Trinidad where we learned about Santería and about how strands of African culture survive in Cuba long after the end of slavery. All in all, a fabulous way to spend a couple of weeks.” blog See bit.ly/sl-music-travel-cuba for photos and more highlights from the trip
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Visit www.songlinesmusictravel.com Call +44 (0)20 8505 2582
When booking tickets, subscribers can use the discount code printed on this issue’s carrier sheet (the sheet of paper on the front of the magazine). Already recycled it? Call Alex at Songlines on 020 7371 2777 or subs@songlines.co.uk
The Songlines Music Travel Tours are operated by the Tailor Made Groups Company. The air holiday packages advertised are ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is 9349. Please see our booking conditions for more information. ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services advertised. All non flight inclusive packages for UK customers are also protected by a TOPP policy.
Terms and Conditions: *Limited to 30 passes, deadline for booking June 6. Only available over the phone. † Limited to 50 tickets and excluding Online Savers. Available online, by phone and in person.
www.songlines.co.uk Songlines 27
BE G INNE R ’ S
f
G U I D E
BEGINNER’S GUIDE
The Albion Band
Tim Cumming examines the extensive history of the UK’s most famous folk-rock outfit
W
ith a musical cast that numbers at least 65 – among them John Tams, Phil Beer, Shirley Collins, Pete Zorn, Martin Carthy, Simon Nicol, Dave Mattacks, Thompsons Richard and Linda, Lal and Mike Waterson, and many, many more – The Albion Band is one of the most fluid units in folk and rock history, existing more in a quantum than a steady state, and with a 40-plus album catalogue. “It was conceived as a band to go out on the road, to play specifically English music,” says founder and ‘guv’nor’, Ashley Hutchings, a key figure in early Fairport and Steeleye Span line-ups, and in British folk-rock. The early line-ups never entered the studio; instead, floating Albion members John Kirkpatrick, Richard Thompson, Barry Dransfield, and Dave Mattacks joined Hutchings to release Morris On in 1972. The band’s ‘first’ album, Battle of the Field, with a line-up including Martin Carthy, Kirkpatrick and Simon Nicol, was cut in 1973, but not released until 1976, by which time, the band had changed radically. “In fact, the name was first used on the No Roses album [1971] that Shirley Collins made with me when we were husband and wife,” says Hutchings. “That was a big album and is still regarded as a classic, partly because of the massive cast list of musicians and singers, and also the folk-rock approach. It didn’t duplicate what
BRYaN lEDGARD
Right: From the Grandson of Morris On photo session, 2002
54 Songlines
Above: Ashley Hutchings in 1969 as a member of Fairport Convention Right: The Albion Band line-up in the mid-90s Below: the 1997 line-up (left to right) Joe Broughton, Ken Nicol, Neil Marshall, Ashley Hutchings and Kellie White (front)
was on the Fairport or the Steeleye albums. It was very English. There was quite a strong Celtic influence on Liege and Lief and the early Steeleye albums.” The band even had its own Morris side – the Albion Morris Men. “We toured a lot of universities and colleges and young people seeing athletic, really good Morris dancing with an electric folk-rock band were blown away.” Hutchings exchanged the Albion name for the Etchingham Steam Band in the mid-70s, before pulling together a sprawling band of players, including John Tams, and early musicians Phil Pickett and John Sothcott, for the traditional album, The Prospect Before Us. “Then I had this life changing phone call from [the National Theatre’s] Bill Bryden,” recalls Hutchings, “who said he wanted The Albion Band to provide music for The Passion, an updating of the medieval mystery plays.” March 2012
With their singular focus on English traditional music and dances, and an exploratory, pioneering interest in early music, The Albion Band were the perfect fit for the medieval mystery plays. It was at this point that The Albion Band “blossomed into this multifaceted grower – an idea, rather than just a band,” says Hutchings. “It happened very naturally. At the National Theatre, we needed different musicians for different productions, and because you were doing long runs, people weren’t available all the time. For The Passion, we had three female singers – Maddy Pryor, Peta Webb and June Tabor. One would do a few nights then someone else would come in. The whole thing changed and became something else. And because it did, I went with that and used the idea that a band could be more than just the same four or five people. It freed us. It freed me, to do whatever you wanted. And this went on for years.” Television beckoned too, with a BBC documentary, Here We Come A Wassailing in 1977, and their own Arena profile following the huge success of 1978’s Lark Rise to Candleford show. “That was a heyday period – from 1977 to 1981,” says Hutchings. “Within that time, we were the darlings of the media, and we made Rise Up Like The Sun which was a massive success, and probably
“I woke up one morning and it hit me – hand the band over to the next generation” the most successful Albion album of all.” The band continued to shape-shift through the 80s, a decade in which the political and cultural landscape shifted its weight to accommodate Thatcherism, the free market, and the beginnings of the globalised culture we know today. How has Hutching’s idea of Albion changed since then? “The early albums were aggressively, bombastically English,” says Hutchings. “The likes of Albion Sunrise and The New St George. It was like, ‘Be Glad To Be English’. The new Albion Band featuring, among others, Hutchings’ son Blair Dunlop
What’s changed is that culture is much more cosmopolitan, and there’s no way we’d write a song like ‘The New St George’ now. It almost leaves a bad taste in the mouth, considering the far right and the imagery they use.” In the early 90s, when Albion line-ups included Phil Beer, Julie Matthews and Chris While, among others, the band became one of the first to pioneer the ‘unplugged’ approach, with albums such as Acousticity. A larger line-up, incorporating two generations of musicians, toured and recorded between 1997 and 2002, after which Hutchings closed shop, in favour of the seasonal Albion Christmas Band and the occasional Christmas album. Then in 2011, Hutchings passed the mantle onto his son, Blair Dunlop. “Many people have said it would be great to reform the Albion band, and I’d always resisted it. I didn’t feel it was the right thing to do. Then I woke up one morning and it hit me – hand the band over to the next generation. If it’s worth keeping, then it’s worth passing on.” The new Albion Band, with a fresh, six-strong line-up that features Katriona Gilmore on fiddle, released an EP, Fighting Room, with hard-rocking guitars kicking off John Tams’ opening rallying call from Rise Up Like The Sun, ‘Ragged Heroes’. “We want an edgy feel without alienating anyone or compromising what we feel is right,” says Blair Dunlop, who has just finished sessions for an album set to appear as the new, rebooted and suited Albion Band embark on a UK tour through March. “It’s great on a musical level to carry on what Dad had done. It’s lovely to be able to continue the tradition in the family.” “They want to be true to the earlier Albion spirit,” adds Hutchings. “But I’m sure the cosmopolitan thing will shine through and I’m sure they will reflect what’s currently happening, as we did in the 70s.” DATES The new Albion Band tour the UK in March. See Gig Guide for details
BEST ALBUMS
No Roses (Pegasus, 1971) The first recorded appearance of The Albion Band, with some 27 musicians including Richard Thompson, Maddy Prior and Nic Jones supporting Shirley Collins, then Hutchings’ wife, on one of her finest albums. ‘The Murder of Maria Marten’ is one of the finest tracks in the entire folk-rock genre. The Prospect Before Us (Harvest, 1977) With the band incorporating early music influences and a medieval Estampie dance on the tracklist, as well as two drummers, a Morris troupe live in the studio, and a wassailing song, this is the classic Albion Band sound, as the group entered its heyday. Rise Up Like the Sun (Harvest, 1978) Perhaps the band’s finest moment, though the 2004 CD reissue is hard to find beyond the realms of mp3 downloads. Produced by Joe Boyd, and opening with John Tams’ superb ‘Ragged Heroes’, and it includes Richard Thompson’s brilliant ‘Time To Ring Some Changes’, and the 11-minute epic, ‘Gresford Disaster’, and a remarkable range of musicians and singers, including the McGarrigles and Linda Thompson. Lark Rise to Candleford (Charisma, 1980) Martin Carthy, Shirley Collins, John Kirkpatrick, John Tams and Martin Simpson are among the luminaries on this superb adaptation of Flora Thompson’s rural English memoir adapted for the stage by Keith Dewhurst Albion Sunrise (HTD, 1999) A double set of recordings compiled from Albion ’s acoustic period, but with some gloriously powerful electric folk amid the 32 cuts, with musicians including Phil Beer and strong lead vocals traded between Gillie Nichols, Kellie While and Julie Matthews.
BEST compilation
Vintage Albion Band (Talking Elephant, 2008) The BBC Sessions is the must have, but it’s a collector’s item. Vintage Albion Band On The Road comprising three gigs from 1977, 1981 and 1982, is a strong runner-up, with some superb live versions of Albion favourites, including ‘The Gresford Disaster’. A career-long ‘Best Of’ is yet to come.
If You Like THE ALBION BAND, Then Try...
The Transports
james fagan
A Ballad Opera (Free Reed) For breadth, depth and drama, delivered by a mammoth line-up that’s the equal of the collected Albion Band line-ups, Peter Bellamy’s ballad opera is a gripping musical voyage to sit alongside Lark Rise. And Bellamy, like Hutchings, is a singular figure in post-war English folk music. www.songlines.co.uk
Songlines 55
Tallinn
S O U N D IN G
Tallinn, the European Capital of Culture in 2011, has plenty to offer the musically-minded visitor. Local resident Mart Niineste gives a flavour of this Baltic nation’s cultural scene
F
or most music fans, Estonia is probably synonymous with the contemporary classical composer Arvo Pärt, but there’s plenty more to this tiny nation on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland, at the east end of the Baltic Sea. Historically Tallinn has always been at the crossroads between East and West, which makes for a vibrant music scene. With its well-preserved, medieval Old Town, surrounded by a belt of parks, Tallinn is the ideal city break destination. There is a wide range of live music
venues, from cozy clubs for sweetsounding jazz singers to dusty basements for rockers and ravers – and there’s surely no other city in the world that has a Depeche Mode tribute bar! With a population of under half a million, what sets Tallinn apart from any other capital is its compact size. Most of Tallinn’s live music venues are gathered in a relatively small area of the Old Town with the surrounding downtown area less than a 15-minute walk away. So it’s ideal for an all-night concert crawl. Few of the music venues are dedicated
exclusively to a particular genre. The music scene revolves around events, bands, movers and shakers rather than venues dedicated to particular styles. Don’t be surprised if the place hosting a lovely folk concert on Thursday follows it on Friday with a disco dedicated to rare grooves. There are mainstream nightclubs if you want to check out the Estonian pop and rock scene. Whatever your tastes, there’s always something going on. And if you’re looking for the ultimate Estonian folk, roots and world music Mecca, then head to Viljandi, 160km south of Tallinn.
Tallinn’s picturesque UNESCO-recognised Old Town
f
sounding out
O U T
The winding cobbled streets of the Old Town
Jaak Kadak; Jarek Jõepera; Kaarel Mikkin
Tallinn is a city where East meets West, and old meets new
58 Songlines
March 2012
Maailmaküla
The only world and folk music festival held in Tallinn. From Balkan brass to Touareg guitars, Maailmaküla brings the world to Tallinn, turning our great blue planet into a small village for a few days every year. Every May, Gonsiori 21-302, 10147, +372 5025700, www.maailmakyla.ee
Tallinn Music Week When it comes to one big festival for all kinds of Estonian music, then this is without a doubt Tallinn Music Week, with its club nights dedicated to almost every genre of music. A showcase festival Estonian folk artist Mari Kalkun playing during Tallinn Music Week
running since 2009, Tallinn Music Week is a platform for new music emerging in the Baltic region. Its first success stories are artists such as Svjata Vatra, Ewert & The Two Dragons, Iiris and Mari Kalkun who come from the folk and independent music scene. March 29-31, various venues, www.tallinnmusicweek.ee
Jazzkaar Running since 1990, this festival has become an institution in its own right. With at least four seasonal sub-festivals, Jazzkaar is the axis of the Estonian jazz scene and a big dot on the map of European music festivals of this kind. Despite its small size, Jazzkaar remains a festival fulfilling the needs for all jazz audiences with some spice from world, folk and roots artists. April 20-28, Pärnu Maantee 30-5, Tallinn 10141, +372 666 0030, www.jazzkaar.ee
Heiti Kruusmaa
Estonian Song Celebration
VENUES Kloostri Ait
A national institution, the Estonian Song Celebration (Laulupidu) takes place every five years and was first held in 1869. It’s an extraordinary experience to witness 25,000 people onstage in the specially-built festival ground, singing to an audience of over 50,000, many of them in national costume. Next edition July 4-6 2014
Von Krahl –part theatre, part mustplay live venue
Despite being a tourist-trap type of restaurant during the day, Kloostri Ait is probably as close as it gets to a pure folk, roots and world music venue in Tallinn. Vene Street 14, 10123, + 372 644 6887, www.kloostriait.ee
Von Krahl Von Krahl is part theatre and part live music venue. A cult place running since 1993, it has always kept up with new and interesting artists. It’s the must-play venue for emerging artists of almost every genre; a rite of passage before hitting the big time. Rataskaevu 10, 10123, + 372 626 9090, www.vonkrahl.ee
NO99 NO99 is another example of a theatre and a live music venue. This small and cozy basement is dedicated to jazz music in all its diverse forms: from tuneful standards to improvised acts of destruction. Sakala 3, 10141, + 372 668 8792, www.no99.ee/eng
cOskari Värä
Amigo This nightclub is located right under the historic Viru Hotel. If you feel like watching Estonian bands playing their greatest hits, Amigo is the place to go. The manager is involved with Maailmaküla festival (see above) which ensures that the occasional
www.songlines.co.uk
Viljandi Folk Festival
Viljandi Folk Music Festival True, this festival is not in Tallinn, but Viljandi is just three hours away and has become the unofficial synonym for ‘folk music’ in Estonia since the mid-90s. Every year Folk, as the event is commonly known, is dedicated to a different aspect of folk music. This small and sleepy southern Estonian town is taken over by performers from all over the world and hoards of visitors during four days in late July. July 26-29, Tasuja pst 6, 71011 Viljandi, +372 434 2050, www.folk.ee
Pärimusmuusika Keskus Based in Viljandi, Pärimusmuusika Keskus (Estonian Traditional Music Center) is the heart of the Estonian folk and traditional music scene. Having a close relationship with the Viljandi Culture Academy’s folk music department and Viljandi Folk festival (see above), Pärimusmuusika Keskus spreads and popularises every aspect of folk music. Read more about the Centre in #52. www.folk.ee/en
Tallinna Filharmoonia world music act pops up on the bill. Viru Väljak 4, + 372 680 9380, www.amigo.ee
Teatri Puhvet A small café across the street from the Estonian National Opera which is known for its nocturnal jam sessions. These nights are predominantly jazz-led, however world music does occasionally appear on the billing. Teatri Väljak 3, 10143, +372 699 0590, www.puhvet.ee
Pärimusmuusika Ait Opened in 2008 as a concert and cultural centre, Pärimusmuusika Ait (the Folk Music Barn) is closely related to other folk music initiatives in Estonia. It is the sole venue which programmes folk, roots and world music exclusively. It also houses the August Pulst School of Folk Music and the Traditional Music Center Library. Tasuja pst 6 , 71011 Viljandi, +372 434 2050, www.folk.ee/en/Traditional-Music-Center
The Filharmoonia is known for its classical music and choir concerts and they play host to a first-rate chamber choir. They also put on an occasional event dedicated to a particular genre of music, such as Jewish or Italian. www.filharmoonia.ee
USEFUL LINKS www.rada7.ee/yritused Probably the best database of independent and underground music concerts in Estonia. www.festivals.ee The complete guide to all of Estonia’s classical music festivals. www.tourism.tallinn.ee/eng A more general website for what’s on offer in the capital.
Songlines 59
Urmas Volmer
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Songlines 63