Songlines Magazine (Nov/Dec 2014, #104) by Songlines Magazine

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Editor-in-chief Simon Broughton Publisher Paul Geoghegan Editor Jo Frost Deputy Editor Alexandra Petropoulos Art Director Paul Carpenter Subs & Online Manager Edward Craggs Advertisement Manager James Anderson-Hanney Podcast Producer Nasim Masoud Reviews Editor Matthew Milton News Editor Nathaniel Handy

World Cinema Editor Yoram Allon yoram@cinephilia.co.uk Production Consultant Dermot Jones Financial Controllers Iwona Perucka & Stevie Good

zither that was most striking – and it was a real privilege to hear her. The most impressive concert was the double-bill of flautist Shashank Subramanyam and sitar player Niladri Kumar (pictured). I remember when I first went to South India in the early 90s Subramanyam was a young prodigy who everyone was talking about. At Darbar he had eight bamboo flutes lined up ranging from low to high. At times he would slide so seductively from note to note that the audience simply gasped. Niladri Kumar did what Indian musicians often don’t do when playing in the West – he played a really long opening and it was 45 minutes before his tabla player even joined him onstage. Kumar has a reputation for being a slightly arrogant character. One insider I spoke to heard him saying that he had three sources of musical inspiration – Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain and looking at himself in the mirror! But at Darbar, Kumar was humility itself: “I have come with what little knowledge I have to seek your blessings.” He began with a silky smoothness, sliding from note to note so the instrument almost sounded bowed. “This was the sound check,” he joked, “the concert starts now!” as his tabla player Subhankar Banerjee walked on. There was incredible virtuosity, competitive jousting with the tabla and some stratospheric high notes, but always a rooted depth and soul. From beginning to end it felt like something spontaneous and absolutely unique. When it finished, I was amazed to see that the concert had lasted four and a half hours. This is Wagnerian in timescale – about the length of Tristan & Isolde. A little too long, but performances like this occur so rarely. While Tristan & Isolde might win in endless ecstatic love music, Shashank and Niladri surely range more widely in their musical colour and emotion. And certainly it’s much more economical. Tristan needs around a hundred people whereas this was done with a handful. Magnificent – and very good value at £28 top whack.

Contributing Editors Jane Cornwell, Mark Ellingham & Nigel Williamson

Simon Broughton,, editor-in-chief

Intern Freddie Griggs

CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE INCLUDE

...incredible virtuosity and stratospheric high notes... it felt like something spontaneous and unique

David Levenson

Listings Tatiana Rucinska listings@songlines.co.uk

ast issue rudra veena player Jyoti Hegde said how she was looking forward to being accompanied by the barrelshaped pakhawaj drum at London’s Darbar Festival of Indian music. As it turned out, she was accompanied by Surdarshan Chana on an ancient Sikh percussion instrument called jori, like a large, resonant tabla.. That’s the sort of surprise that happens at Darbar, but it was Hegde herself with her extraordinary

Cover photo Bernard Benant Printing Polestar Colchester Ltd, Severalls Industrial Estate, Colchester, Essex CO4 4HT. Record trade distribution Worldwide Magazine Distributors, 0121 788 3112. UK newsstand & overseas newstrade distribution COMAG Specialist Division, 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 USPS 4638 is published Jan/ Feb, March, April/May, June, July, Aug/Sept, Oct, Nov/ Dec by Songlines Publishing Ltd. Published by Songlines Publishing Ltd, Eurolink Business Centre, 49 Effra Road, London, SW2 1BZ. ISSN 1464-8113 © 2014 Songlines Publishing Ltd Songlines logo trade mark, registered under No. 2427714. Directors Simon Broughton, John Brown, Mark Ellingham, Paul Geoghegan, Lyn Hughes & Chris Pollard

FRANCESCO MARTINELLI After discovering traditional musics through free jazz revolutionaries, Francesco began a long love affair with Oriental music, travelling regularly to Turkey since 1999. Read his postcard from Izmir on p59.

@SonglinesMag

MAX REINHARDT Max is a broadcaster (Late Junction & BBC World Service), musical director (Oily Cart), event curator, writer and DJ. Read his interview with the pioneers of Afrobeat, Tony Allen and Orlando Julius, on p30.

facebook.com/songlines

JON LUSK Jon co-edited the latest edition of The Rough Guide to World Music, and he currently writes for Songlines, BBC Music magazine and various UK dailies. This issue he speaks to Malian singer Ami Koita (p27).

google.com/+songlines ISSUE 104

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› SONGLINES

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CONTENTS

46 Kassé Mady Diabaté

Manuel Lagos Cid

UPFRONT

FEATURES

REGULARS

06 Top of the World CD 08 My World interview

30 36 42 46 52

54 Beginner’s Guide:

11 13 21 23 24 27 29

Ian Rankin Bonus Galician CD What’s New & Obits Letters Soapbox Introducing... Namvula & Shammi Pithia Spotlight on Ami Koita Quickfire: Jane Harbour, Dave Smith & Baqir Abbas

WIN

Giants of Afrobeat Idan Raichel Anna Phoebe Kassé Mady Diabaté Jyotsna Srikanth

REVIEWS

64 Rubén Blades 68 56 Festival Pass: Timitar 72 59 Postcard from 80 Izmir, Turkey 82 95 Gig Guide 89 103 Subscribe 90 104 Essential Ten: 92

Africa Americas Europe Asia Fusion Books World Cinema Live Reviews

Afrobeat Albums 106 Cerys Matthews

Jyotsna Srikanth’s forthcoming album Bangalore Dreams 52 A complete set of the top ten albums from Glitterbeat Records 61 Robert Wyatt’s biography, Different Every Time 89 Of Horses and Men DVD 91

COMPETITIONS Send entries, marked clearly with the competition name, your name, address, email and telephone number to the address on p3 or email: comps@songlines.co.uk. Winners will be chosen at random. Only one entry per household. No cash alternatives. 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. Closing date December 4 2014 (unless otherwise stated)

ISSUE 104

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› SONGLINES

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top of the world

01 Raghu Dixit ‘Lokada Kalaji’ 02 Aurelio ‘Funa Tugudirugu’ 03 Tony Allen ‘African Man’ 04 Fofoulah ‘Blest (Issaâdiyen)’ 05 Kathryn Tickell & The Side ‘Ad Gefrin/The Monday Men’ 06 Kassé Mady Diabaté ‘Simbo’ 07 Dona Onete ‘Carimbó Chamegado’ 08 Ewan McLennan ‘The Shearing’ 09 Les Ambassadeurs ‘Bolola Sanou’ 10 Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca ‘Rumba SoYo’

Free tracks

THE BEST NEW RELEASES

+ IAN RANKIN’S

top

PLAYLIST

of the world

TOP

CD ISSUE 104 104

OF THE WORLD

PLUS 5 tracks chosen by Ian Rankin

On your free CD – the editor’s selection of the top ten new releases reviewed in this issue

11 Kristi Stassinopoulou & Stathis Kalyviotis ‘Erhomai Ki Esy Koimasai’ 12 BeauSoleil with Michael Doucet ‘Two-Step de Port Arthur’ 13 AfroCubism ‘Mali Cuba’ 14 The Good Ones ‘Amagorwa Y’ Abagabo’ 15 Tinariwen ‘Emajer’

Featuring Tony Allen, Raghu Dixit, Aurelio, Kassé Mady Diabaté, Kathryn Tickell, Tinariwen, AfroCubism, Les Ambassadeurs and more...

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STWCD80 This compilation & © 2014 Songlines Publishing Ltd. Email: info@songlines.co.uk, www.songlines.co.uk Executive producer Paul Geoghegan. Compiled and sequenced by Jo Frost. Design by Paul Carpenter. Photo of Ian Rankin by Rankin. Mastering by Good Imprint. CD pressing by Software Logistics Ltd. The producers of this CD have paid the composers and publishers for the use of their music. Dubs & Versions 1 (Glitterbeat Records) & © 2014 Glitterbeat Records. Courtesy of Glitterbeat Records

10 Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca ‘Rumba SoYo’ (4:58)

15 Tinariwen ‘Emajer’ (3:37)

14 The Good Ones ‘Amagorwa Y’Abagabo’ (3:34)

12 BeauSoleil with Michael Doucet ‘Two-Step de Port Arthur’ (2:53)

TOP OF THE WORLD SELECTION

06 Kassé Mady Diabaté ‘Simbo’ (5:29)

11 Kristi Stassinopoulou & Stathis Kalyviotis ‘Erhomai Ki Esy Koimasai’ (4:52) IAN RANKIN’S PLAYLIST

10 tracks from this issue’s best new albums + 6 bonus tracks exclusively with the Nov/Dec 2014 issue of Songlines

From Kiriké on No Format!

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01 Raghu Dixit ‘Lokada Kalaji’ (4:56)

07 Dona Onete ‘Carimbó Chamegado’ (4:12)

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06 Kassé Mady Diabaté ‘Simbo’ 02 Aurelio ‘Funa Tugudirugu’ (3:21)

06 s o n g l i n e s

08 Ewan McLennan ‘The Shearing’ (4:29)

13 AfroCubism ‘Mali Cuba’ (5:38)

03 Tony Allen ‘African Man’ (5:08)

09 Les Ambassadeurs ‘Bolola Sanou’ (5:00)

From Jag Changa on Wandering Minstrel Records

04 Fofoulah ‘Blest (Issaâdiyen)’ (3:36)

01 Raghu Dixit ‘Lokada Kalaji’

From the opening bass thud, this is an

Through deceptive simplicity of the

album that conjures visions of early Led

instrumentation and the virtuosic

Zeppelin with a twist. Dixit’s great strength

complexity of its interplay, Kassé Mady’s

is melding two worlds of sound effortlesly

album shows him singing with great

and with such joy. See p80

authority and ripeness. See p66

02 Aurelio

07 Dona Onete

From Lándini on Real World Records

From Feitiço Caboclo on Mais Um Discos

‘Funa Tugudirugu’

‘Carimbó Chamegado’

Another excellent album from the

An enchanting album from the

Garifuna singer, Lándini is rich in

70-something-year-old bundle of energy,

variety with upbeat punta rhythms

this mixes the Brazilian Amazon sound

imbued with a mesmerising sense of

with brass, jangly indie guitars, rap,

melancholy and loss. See p68

samba and psychedelia. See p71

03 Tony Allen ‘African Man’

08 Ewan McLennan

Allen has been dubbed as “the finest

Each one of the 13 tracks here, whether

drummer on the planet” by Brian Eno,

pub ballads or great history stories from

and this marks another peak for the

Scotland and Ireland, adds to the whole

Afrobeat drummer. His finest album of

picture of an artist whose music truly

the 21st century to date. See p64

lives and breathes. See p75

04 Fofoulah ‘Blest (Issaâdiyen)’

09 Les Ambassadeurs

With solid roots in West African sabar

Their eminence may have lasted only a

drumming, Fofoulah blend multiple

few brief years during their residency at

genres to create a complex fusion of

the Motel de Bamako but the band laid

modern pop, jazz, rock, electro, hip-hop,

the foundations on which popular Malian

prog and dub. See p82

music is still built to this day. See p65

05 Kathryn Tickell & The Side ‘Ad Gefrin/The Monday Men’

10 Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca

From Film of Life on Jazz Village

From Foufoulah on Glitterbeat Records

‘The Shearing’

From Stories Still Untold on Fellside Recordings

‘Bolola Sanou’

From Les Ambassadeurs du Motel de Bamako on Sterns Music

‘Rumba SoYo’ From La Rumba SoYo on Cumbancha

From Kathryn Tickell & The Side on Resilient Records

A blend of salsa with a distinct Congolese

Kathryn Tickell offers a mix of musical

flavour, Lemvo’s music is an attractive

exuberance and regional rootedness,

cocktail that has proved to be popular

which endows her music with originality,

with Latin music fans and lovers of

power and joy. See p79

modern African music alike. See p84

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+ IAN RANKIN’S PLAYLIST 11

11Kristi Stassinopoulou & Stathis Kalyviotis ‘Erhomai Ki Esy Koimasai’ From Greekadelia on Riverboat Records

“They used to play in a punk band together. That tickles me – that they started as punks, segued into more traditional music and then decided to bring something modern to it.”

12 BeauSoleil with Michael Doucet ‘Two-Step de Port Arthur’ From Bamako to Carencro on Compass Records

“I went to New Orleans in the early 90s for the first time and really got into the music. It strips away all the pretensions – it’s there for people to have a good time.”

13 AfroCubism ‘Mali Cuba’ From AfroCubism on World Circuit

“African music, Cuban music – how’s that going to work? On the surface they seem like two very different traditions, but the wonderful thing is that it shows you that the music of the world is connected.”

“It’s amazing when you start looking at world music, you find that there’s a political element to almost all of this; that the music came from revolution or the music was revolutionary.” Turn over for the full interview with Ian Rankin

14 The Good Ones ‘Amagorwa Y’ Abagabo’ From Kigali Y’ Izahabu on Dead Oceans

“I heard a news report about this band. You could listen to the music without knowing the back story but it really gives more emotional depth if you know where they come from.”

15 Tinariwen ‘Emajer ’ From Emmaar on Wedge

“When you learn that the band had to flee from a conflict in their homeland and the

All Top of the World and playlist albums are available to purchase through the new Songlines CD Shop. Delivered worldwide and with free P&P for all UK orders. See p62 for more details.

www.songlinescdshop.co.uk or call+44 (0)1689 888 888

album was recorded in America without all the members there.... you might think, oh these are nice, catchy tunes, but there’s a real depth behind it.”

ISSUE 104

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Songlines Music Travel Exciting bespoke trips for 2015, taking music lovers directly where the music happens ROMANIA AT HOME WITH THE GYPSIES August 15-23 2015

Includes visits to Clejani, the home of Taraf de Haidouks, and Zece Prăjini, the home of Fanfare Ciocărlia.

CUBA THE MUSIC OF CUBA May 2-16 2015

INDIA RAJASTHAN MUSICAL ADVENTURE October 17-28 2015

Our tour starts in the east, in the Sierra Maestra mountains, ending with three rhythmdrenched days in Havana.

We delve into a soul-inspiring part of the world culminating in the famous Jodhpur RIFF, the Rajasthan Folk Festival.

MOROCCO ESSAOUIRA GNAWA FESTIVAL May 14-18 2015

COLOMBIA NEW WHERE THE TRIP! HEART BEATS September 5-14 2015

A weekend in the Moroccan port town of Essaouira during the vibrant Gnawa and World Music Festival.

This ten-day trip ventures into the heart of Colombia’s musical culture.

SENEGAL NEVER MIND THE MBALAX November 20-29 2015

We discover the local sounds of Senegal’s capital, Dakar, from mbalax to folk via reggae, roots and hip-hop.

BORNEO RAINFOREST FESTIVAL August 2-11 2015

Sarawak’s rainforest forms a magnificent visual and aural backdrop to the festival.

Visit www.songlinesmusictravel.com Call +44 (0)1992 579697 Email songlines@thegroupscompany.com 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.

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BONUS CD – ADVERTORIAL

A WAY TO THE ATLANTIC YOUR BONUS FREE CD

6. Budiño featuring António Zambujo ‘Déixame Adiviñar’ Traditional music and Galician percussion mixed with electronic sounds from Sotaque, an album with the distinctive hallmark of Budiño and the special ambience that its guest musicians bring, such as the Portuguese fado singer António Zambujo, who features on this track. 7. A Banda das Crechas ‘Muiñeira do Sar’ A Banda das Crechas are a collective who started 27 years ago in the Casa das Crechas bar-venue (in Santiago de Compostela). Their universe arises around conversation, music and curiosity: regular musicians as well as sporadic performers come together to keep traditions alive.

1. Anxo Lorenzo ‘Macalambique’ This track is from the album Confuxon – a celebration of freedom in which the possibilities of the gaita (Galician bagpipe) prove to be unlimited in the hands of Anxo Lorenzo, who takes pride in the versatility, freshness and positive energy that characterise his style. 2. aCadaCanto ‘Este Meu Camiño’ Four important names within the current Galician music scene – Guadi Galego, Xabier Díaz, Guillerme Fernández and Xosé Lois Romero – come together for the aCadaCanto project. On their latest album they pay tribute to the great poet Rosalía de Castro, giving music and voice to her words. 3. Caxade ‘Gente Pota’ Caxade arrived on the Galician music scene with a taste of minimalist folk-pop music and the bucolic and pastoral sounds of old

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Europe. A metaphoric and ironic statement of elegant, post-modern surrealism. 4. Kepa Junkera featuring Os Cempés ‘Terras do Norte’ The music from Galicia and the Basque Country have made many connections over the years, but it has never been so well illustrated as on the album Galiza. Kepa Junkera works with great Galician musicians such as Os Cempés, perfectly fusing trikitixa, bagpipes, vocals, tambourines, harps and accordions. 5. Mónica de Nut e Virxilio da Silva ‘Cántocha de Mala Ghana’ Mónica de Nut is committed to mixing styles that have a maximal effect on listeners. Accompanied by Virxilio da Silva, Marcelo and Javi JDJazz Dobode, they perform a repertoire of traditional melodies, classical baroque songs and their own compositions with a visceral and uninhibited interpretation.

8. Najla Shami ‘Camiño Branco’ An artist of Palestinian, Galician and Argentinian heritage, Najla Shami has a voice that is a sound pot of jazz, Brazilian, Oriental and Galician folk music. This track is a little gem marked by the dreaminess of the kalimba, featured on her tribute album to Rosalía de Castro. 9. Fuxan os Ventos ‘Penélope’ The recent history of Galician music cannot be understood without Fuxan os Ventos, a band that has showcased Galicia as a country with its own unique culture and language for over four decades. After several years away from the recording studio, they’re now preparing a new album – this track is a preview, a version of the best-known poem of Xosé María Díaz Castro. 10. Talabarte ‘Schaerbeek Circle’ After many years sharing stages and other musical experiences, Quim Farinha, Kin García and Pedro Pascual have created their own

To celebrate WOMEX’s ﬁrst time in Galicia, Galician Tunes has selected 15 tracks from the region highlighting the diversity and wealth of artists currently performing. They invite you to listen to this CD and experience the richness of Galicia’s music.

www.galiciantunes.com

artistic project. Linked by a common musical understanding, they bring together different concepts of roots, improvisation, adventure and surrealism. 11. Nelson Quinteiro ‘Tango da Illa de Ons’ Nelson Quinteiro and his Orquesta Gharbo reinterpret the Galician oral tradition, addressing universal topics such as migration, homesickness and the struggle for love in the face of adversity. 12. Sés ‘Canto Aquí, Canto Na Habana’ An artist of enormous charisma, Sés offers a work made with pride, freshness and vitality. There’s a power to her visceral and passionate songs, with a touch of blues, rock, Galician folk and Latin sounds. 13. Radio Cos ‘O Rumbista de Sas’ Xurxo Fernandes and Quique Peón, who both sing and play percussion together as Radio Cos, are two of the most important ethnomusicologists in Galicia. In this joyful and vibrant project, they use melodies acquired during the ﬁeld work they have been doing for over three decades. 14. Víctor Aneiros ‘Autor de Westerns’ On his seventh album, Víctor Aneiros offers a selection of acoustic versions of songs from his former albums in order to build a sublime freshness around melancholy, a nostalgic approach to everything we’ve lost. 15. A Buxaina ‘Serán dos Seixedos’ The pandeireta (a Galician tambourine) players of A Buxaina exemplify the deepest and most authentic roots of Galician music. Their repertoire is sourced from different villages in Galicia and it shows the great musical richness learned from the elders.

30/09/2014 14:15

INTRODUCING...

Namvula The singer-songwriter talks to Jo Frost about tapping into her Zambian heritage

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her family’s local language. One of the songs in Lenje is called ‘Nsalamo’ written about her great grandmother who left her husband after he essentially treated her like a slave. “Apparently one day she carried her two children back to her village, it would have taken her five days to a week,” says Namvula. “When I hear that story, I look at my mum and I think, this is the kind of woman that you’ve come from, whose blood is in your veins.” Namvula’s Scottish connection originates from her father who was born in Montrose. “Emotionally I feel less connected to the place,” she admits, “but I definitely have a strong interest in it.” She’s certainly curious about the wealth of tradition her Scottish

heritage offers and is thinking about a future project exploring the folk traditions of Zambia and Scotland. In the meantime, Namvula’s focus is on Zambia where she’ll return in December. She also hopes to finally visit Shiwezwa, the home of her namesake. It will undoubtedly be a gratifying homecoming, revisiting the roots of her album. “I just feel really proud and happy that it’s true to who I am.”

Lucie Evans

till only in her early 30s, Namvula Rennie has had an impressively peripatetic life so far. Born in Zambia to a Scottish father and Zambian mother, she’s lived in Switzerland, Kenya, the US and now the UK. “I’ve had quite a meandering adulthood, finding my way,” concedes Namvula. “But Zambia has been a constant.” It’s this Zambian heritage that really comes to the fore on her debut album, Shiwezwa. She is named Namvula (meaning ‘Mother of Rain’) after her great-great grandmother who was known as the ‘priestess of rain’ in her village of Shiwezwa. “The name is so powerful,” says Namvula, talking about her highly esteemed relative. “It’s about recognising the people that I didn’t know but who are still in my blood. What I know of them is a source of strength and inspiration.” Namvula was ready to jack in any aspirations of a music career when in her early 20s a so-called “well-meaning” boyfriend told her she was too old. Instead she pursued a variety of other work, including photography, curating events and programming. “I felt like I was suffocating,” she says. “I would go to work, come home, stay up until 2 in the morning writing songs… I reached a point where I was so unhappy, I thought if I don’t try this now, then I might never try it, so I took the plunge, quit my job, and I went back to Zambia.” This turning point happened in 2012 when an eight-week visit ended up being six months. “It changed everything,” says Namvula. “I was still very much searching for my identity. I didn’t intend to write most of the stuff for the album out there but that’s what happened. I just lost a lot of fear.” There’s a soulfulness to Namvula’s voice; one that sounds well-travelled, having picked up many influences along the way. Indeed she sings in English, French, Portuguese and Lenje,

+ ALBUM Shiwezwa is out on October 27 and will be reviewed in #105

+ Dates Namvula’s album launch will be on November 3 at the Old Queens Head in London. See the Gig Guide for more tour dates

104

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Jamie Drew

Shammi Pithia

The British Asian producer and composer talks to Alexandra Petropoulos about writing music to celebrate creation

alking a path forged by artists of the Asian Underground, producer and composer Shammi Pithia blurs the line between East and West. Using sweeping soundscapes and his bansuri (bamboo flute), Pithia creates sophisticated and thoughtful electronic music, pregnant with influences from India to Islington. “I feel comfortable writing music,” Pithia admits, thanks to an early introduction to producing back in secondary school. “The teachers used to open up the music room for me, and we had a Macintosh running Logic 3.7. So I used to sit there most evenings after school just recreating Bollywood songs. When I went to college I developed that and people started telling me, ‘actually that’s pretty good.’”

This was the start of his fascination with creating music, eventually leading to a masters degree that examined musical emotion in classical Indian music. “I was really interested in how music is emotive and how we react to it.” This offered him a better glimpse at the differences between Western and Eastern music. “Western music is a lot more technical, psychological and neurological. In the East the music is far more focused on philosophy and spirituality.” He goes on to explain: “‘Aesthetic’ in the Western world is more about the beauty of that piece and what it represents. In the East the aesthetic-ness of something is how it’s related to the soul and deeper parts of life. So, if something is aesthetically pleasing, it means that it’s beyond your ego and human emotion, that you’re experiencing that at a spiritual level.” His latest album, Cosmic, embraces this Eastern philosophy in an attempt to celebrate life and creation. “For the last four years I’ve been obsessed with physics, especially quantum theory. And when I learned about how much of life is based on probability rather than actuality, it broadened my mind more than anything else. If the universe is

infinite, then everything has to happen eventually – no matter how unrealistic. That really helped kick-start Cosmic.” It’s an ambitious project and the title is also an acronym representing yet another side to the work: Creation of Something Meaningful Inside Chaos. “Creation is quite synonymous with either religion or the Big Bang, depending on how people look at things. So, it’s just a point where things began, and it doesn’t really matter where it’s based, it just happened. And from there energy created all matter, and all matter went on to create everything else, including us… I don’t believe any of us truly create music, we kind of organise sound into music. Because everything is already present, you can only transfer energy from one state to another. You can’t really create it or destroy it. I capture what I can and organise it in a certain way, creating order out of disorder.” In other words, creating something meaningful inside chaos. Cosmic does well to accomplish what Pithia set out to do: “to make something appreciating the complete genius and magic design of everything.”

+ ALBUM Cosmic was reviewed in #103 issue 104

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g i a n t s o f a f r o b e at

Tony Allen photos by Bernard Benant; Orlando Julius photos by Alexis Maryon

Two legends of Nigerian music: drummer Tony Allen (above) and saxophonist Orlando Julius

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â&#x20AC;ş issue

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g i a n t s o f a f r o b e at

Giants of

Fela Kuti is synonymous with Afrobeat, but there are two other underappreciated pioneers of the genre. Nigel Williamson speaks to Tony Allen and Orlando Julius, both celebrating 50-year careers this autumn with new albums

very time I sit down at my drums I’m looking for something new, something I haven’t played before,” says Tony Allen. “Above all I’m trying not to repeat what I’ve done before. I need to challenge myself. That’s always been my approach to the music business.” It’s a remarkable attitude that has sustained the Nigerian drummer for over half a century – 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of his first meeting with Fela Kuti. He worked with the great Afrobeat trailblazer from 1964 until 1979, as his drummer and the musical director of his band Africa 70, his contribution neatly summed up in Fela’s famous comment that “without Tony Allen, there would be no Afrobeat.” On his new album, Film of Life, he curates a thrilling mélange of tribal grooves, jazz and funk that pays homage to his rich musical past but at the same time expands Afrobeat far beyond the parameters he defined with Fela Kuti all those years ago. “It’s good to look back at everything I’ve done,” says Allen, who last year published his life story in Tony Allen: An Autobiography of the Master Drummer of Afrobeat (reviewed in #95). “I will never forget my past, I’m proud of it, and the book was a good way of remembering what I’ve done. But musically I’m still

moving forward. I cannot repeat the same things every time. That’s why it takes so long for me to make an album. The last one was five years ago. I take my time to look for something different to do.” But however expansive and experimental his music has become over the years, the simmering rhythms of Afrobeat remain at the core. “Afrobeat is still what I’m doing,” Allen says. “But now everybody is doing Afrobeat and talking about Fela, I want to let people know I’ve not grown stagnant and I’m giving it a new twist. I’m enjoying what I’m doing and I wouldn’t enjoy it if I didn’t always look for a new challenge.” A key collaborator in Allen’s search to break fresh ground and not become merely a nostalgic warm-up act for the burgeoning Fela Kuti industry with its Broadway musical and now Alex Gibney’s Finding Fela biopic, has been Damon Albarn. Back in 2000 on Blur’s top ten single ‘Music is My Radar’ Albarn sung the line ‘Tony Allen… he really got me dancing.’ It was an expression of his growing interest in African music and after the pair met by chance in London two years later, Albarn sang on ‘Every Season’, a track on Allen’s 2002 solo album Home Cooking, adding a characteristically catchy-but-leftfield hook to the drummer’s loose, spacious groove.

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IDAN RAICHEL

Eldad Rafaeli

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IDAN RAICHEL

I AM WHAT I AM

The prolific collaborator Idan Raichel talks to Simon Broughton about working with Vieux Farka Touré and what it means to be an Israeli musician

feel world music artists are bringing the soundtrack of the place they are coming from, and in most countries that’s really deep – even if it’s fado singing of just 200 years, let alone 70 generations of kora players in Mali. But in Israel, the tradition still isn’t written.” I had asked songwriter and keyboard player Idan Raichel if he could define his music. “In Israel, every 15 years there is a new immigration that changes the face of society. So what I am doing with the friends in my project is making music that people see as a soundtrack to the country in the last decade.” It was in 2003 that the Ethiopian Amharic flavour of ‘Bo’ee’ went to the top of the Israeli charts and Raichel became a pop star in Israel. But while much of his music might be seen as too bland and commercial for Songlines, he’s also created an impressive roster of collaborators, in Israel and abroad. He’s just released a second duo album with Vieux Farka Touré and has recorded with some starry international vocalists including Mayra Andrade from Cape Verde, Marta Gómez from Colombia and Ana Moura from Portugal. Given that he’s perceived as creating an Israeli sound, it’s fitting I’ve come to see him in concert at a place called Mini Israel. Situated between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, it’s a park of miniature models of the Dome of the Rock, the Wailing Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and other sights of Israel. “What do people

know about Israel?” asks Raichel. “They know the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict, the holy city of Jerusalem and the New Yorkish vibe of Tel Aviv. Nothing more. But I think the project is bringing the sound. The songs are very diverse, but there is something that connects them.” Raichel himself comes from East European Ashkenazi stock – his grandparents arriving before World War II from Russia, Poland and Germany. “If you look up the name in Israel you find just a few Raichel families, but go to the Holocaust memorial in Yad Vashem and you find tens of thousands.” Raichel has released four albums in Israel and three internationally (the first two Israeli albums were cherry-picked for Cumbancha’s first release, The Idan Raichel Project in 2006). His meeting with Vieux took place after recording his penultimate album Within My Walls. “I remember hearing a very sad interview with Kurt Cobain a month before he committed suicide,” Raichel says. “With the success of Nirvana he said what he missed most was meeting with friends and he wanted to create a new garage band. This is how I felt; I just wanted to do a jam session.” So when Raichel ran into Vieux Farka Touré at the Berlin airport he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. He knew Vieux’s music and was a great fan of his father, so he introduced himself and said he wanted to play keyboards with him. Although Vieux doesn’t use keyboards, Raichel managed to talk his way into joining him in concert in Spain. They enjoyed the experience and the next idea was to jam together in a studio in Tel Aviv. “We recorded an unrehearsed jam session for three hours – but not to make a record. It was quite simple and minimalistic, but it flowed.” When Cumbancha manager Jacob Edgar heard the tracks he said it sounded like an “uncut diamond.” Raichel didn’t agree so Edgar suggested he listen again at a later date. Raichel did and felt he could do something. “Now I’m really proud we did it.” “It’s proof that music is a universal language,” says Vieux on the phone from his home in Bamako. “He is Jewish, he speaks Hebrew and English. I am Muslim, I speak Songhai, Bamana, French. But when we get on stage and play

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ANNA PHOEBE

All photos by Nicholas Kay

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ANNA PHOEBE

‘Th The Violin Voice is My Voice’ Anna Phoebe has played with some of prog rock’s greatest. She tells Alexandra Petropoulos how she’s transformed from a head-banging rocker into a sophisticated fusionista

lose your eyes and imagine spotting the first rays of sun peaking from behind the distant desert hills. As you take a deep breath a ghostly call to prayer begins with the crackle of a mosque’s speaker. The eerie sound washes over you, and for a moment, just a moment, there’s nothing in this world but you standing in the long shadow of morning. Such a moment is elegantly captured by violinist Anna Phoebe on ‘Shadow’, the opening track of her new album, Between the Shadow and the Soul. It offers a second of reflection, a pause before what is to come next. For anyone familiar with Phoebe’s previous work, this is a welcomed palate cleanser, taking you from the epic prog rock of her time with Trans-Siberian Orchestra to intricate melodies weaved within the tapestry of her new band. Phoebe has made her name as a feisty, headbanging rock violinist. Her career has taken her through a variety of weird and wonderful experiences that have pushed the envelope for violin performance; through massive stadium tours and chaotic Jordanian nightclubs to satisfyingly arrive at her latest album of global fusion. But it turns out that she never dreamed her career would lead her on such a journey. “I never wanted to be a violinist,” she admits. Her mother is an amateur violinist and while she picked up the violin herself at only seven years old, Phoebe grew up believing that music should be fun. “I saw that music in our household was always something you do for enjoyment.” She had made it through over ten years of classical training before she realised she couldn’t stomach turning music into work. “I thought, sod it, I don’t want to sit in an orchestra the rest of my life and I don’t want to teach violin. I don’t have the patience for that. I wanted to be a politician.” She attended the London School of Economics for a degree in politics, but music never strayed far from her life. “While I was studying, I started going out to music nights and turning up to jam sessions. Whenever I liked a band, I would just go up to them and say ‘do you need a

violinist to record on your album? I’ll do it for free.’ So I spent five to six years of just playing with whomever I could.” Perhaps it is because Phoebe grew up with the mentality that music was meant to be an enjoyable hobby that she modestly refers to her musical life as an accident, but it wasn’t long before her gigging allowed her to set aside her political aspirations and delve into music full-time. Soon she found herself in demand as a violinist. “I became known for getting in a studio and being able to do stuff by ear. If people hadn’t written string parts, I would just go in and make them up on the spot.” This, combined with her fiery performances, made her a hot commodity in the rock world, and eventually led to her playing with a range of bands including Roxy Music and Jethro Tull, whose Ian Anderson has since become a friend and mentor. However, it was her time with the American prog rock outfit Trans-Siberian Orchestra that really set her on the path to becoming a rock violin icon. TSO became famous in the late 90s for their hilariously epic rock versions of Christmas favourites like ‘Carol of the Bells’, and are known for their fun, over-the-top stadium shows. Onstage with TSO, Phoebe was able to fully develop her wild performance style; sliding across the floor, head banging, and acrobatic contortions became a part of the act – all while playing her violin. “It was such an amazing experience,” Phoebe reflects. “We were using the same production team who do Kiss. It’s insane just knowing that you’re going to step onstage and there are going to be 20,000 people every night for 70 shows in ten weeks. It’s like the top, top level of touring.” Though she would spend a good chunk of the year touring with TSO, the rest of the time she spent gigging and travelling to the Middle East – “I have a lot of affinity with Middle Eastern music,” she says. She first started travelling there when she was about 22. She met a saxophonist at a local jam session who invited her to play at some club nights in Beirut. “I’d never been to Lebanon, but I was like why not? Through that I met a load of people, then I just started going out there and I had an amazing time.” She was invited to play at various venues, from nightclubs to weddings. “Every time I went, I had incredible experiences. I feel like I belong in that part of the world, it feels like a really natural home.” It was her love affair with the Middle East that inspired her first solo EP, Gypsy, which was recorded at the height of her touring with TSO. “[Gypsy] mixed rock with a Middle Eastern sound. I guess that’s how my sound started; these two extreme influences and worlds, with the violin in the middle of it.”

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g i a n t s o f a f r o b e at

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K a s s e M a d y D i a bat e

Songs of Praise

Daniel Brown talks to the revered Malian jeli or praise singer, Kassé

Mady Diabaté, prior to the release of his widely anticipated new album, recorded during a time of continuing uncertainty in his homeland

All photos by Manuel Lagos Cid

ometimes, the story is in the minutiae. In the case of Kassé Mady Diabaté, one detail is his trademark hat, on this particular day a blue tartan fedora he bought in Abidjan. Sitting snugly on his bald head, it is a throwback to a landmark career he began in the 70s when fronting Las Maravillas de Mali. That marked a 16-year encounter with Cuban music, which helped revolutionise West Africa’s traditional repertoires. Another small pointer is sealed behind the genteel handshake the 65-year-old offers – a beefy hand that is as weathered and creased as his face is unwrinkled and ageless. Both hands are a testimony to a physically thankless youth; as a teenager Kassé Mady toiled in the fields of Kéla (a village 85km south of the Malian capital Bamako), eschewing his education to support his family. The hands are Kassé Mady’s portrait of Dorian Gray, concentrating the rigours of the past while his evergreen gap-toothed smile hides an age he himself cannot give with precision. “Oh, born some time in 1949, I never found out exactly when,” he says. He chuckles with his friend Lamory Keita at the surprised look of his Western guests with whom he shares a copious plate of thiéboudienne. This Senegalese dish has conquered much of West Africa including Kassé Mady’s native Mali. Lamory is hosting his childhood friend on a pit stop between Bamako and Nice where Kassé Mady is performing with the Rivière Noire trio. Despite his six years in Angoulême and Paris in the 90s, Kassé Mady needs his Paris-based friend to translate his Bamana into French. He sits forward in his silk two-piece khaki boubou and shoves a hefty piece of fish in the direction of Laurent Bizot. Bizot is the founder and director of No Format, the French label that has just brought out Kassé Mady’s fifth solo album Kiriké, a brilliantly-engineered recording by French cellist Vincent Segal. The release marks a ten-year love affair No Format has had with Mali, which has embraced some of the country’s greatest musicians. Many of them have been brought together for this eight-track recording centred

around a man Salif Keita once called “the greatest singer in Mali.” Not for the first time in Kassé Mady’s 50-year-career, this is being touted as the album that will bring this jeli (the Bamana word for griot, a traditional praise singer) the international notoriety he deserves. This time Bizot, Segal and his longstanding music partner Ballaké Sissoko have

The ngoni maestro Badjé Tounkara

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Asia reviews Roysten Abel The Manganiyar Seduction Amarrass Records (67 mins)

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Think outside the illuminated box The Manganiyar Seduction has been an extraordinary international theatrical success. It’s a visually striking piece by Indian theatre director Roysten Abel that features traditional Rajasthani musicians placed in illuminated boxes, a novel staging decision inspired by Amsterdam’s red-light district. There’s no narrative and no drama, just great Rajasthani music in an hour-long show that takes people from simple solo folk tunes to great Sufi anthems. It has been seen in festivals around the world from Amsterdam to Washington, from Sydney to WOMAD. I suspect most people who will want this will be people who have seen the show. Without the theatrics of the boxes lighting up as the musicians play, it’s simply a recital of Rajasthani

music in one track, lasting a little over an hour. It begins with softly bowed kamayacha (spike-fiddle) but builds into waves of qawwali-like singing and dholak drumming, while also featuring spectacular solos on algoza (flute), murli (double-flute bagpipes), morchang ( Jew’s harp) and percussion. There are more ecstatic vocals, set to lyrics by the Punjabi Sufi poet Bulleh Shah, to finish. It’s a freewheeling extravaganza of Rajasthani music. Simon Broughton

TRACK TO TRY The Manganiyar Seduction

Warren Cuccurullo & Ustad Sultan Khan The Master Six Degrees (41 mins)

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Rock session man with late sarangi genius The West has been actively seeking out musical meetings with the East ever since Ali Akbar Khan and

Ravi Shankar followed the invitation of violinist Yehudi Menuhin to export North Indian classical music to the rest of the world. Sometimes the fusion process produces an unrecognisable and unsatisfying hybrid. But when Warren Cuccurullo, a sometime guitarist for Frank Zappa and Duran Duran, met up with Indian sarangi virtuoso Khan in the former’s London home in 1998 and started recording in his living-room studio, the results were both novel and mutually satisfying. In the time it took to assemble this recording, Khan passed away, and drums, percussion, and synthesizer were added into the mix on selected tracks, alongside the drone of the Indian tambura. But the electronic effects, including those on Cuccurullo’s ‘electronic ambient’ guitar, are kept in delightful balance and they interchange with Khan’s keening voice and the thrumming of his bowed sarangi. The compositions sometimes follow the structure of raga, from meter-free meditative beginning into a quickened middle and an ecstatic finish; elsewhere, the sound is more

Raghu Dixit Jag Changa

Wandering Minstrel Records (45 mins)

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If it ain’t broke, don’t Dixit When the folk-rocker from Mysore, Raghu Dixit, launched himself on an unsuspecting world in 2008, he didn’t take no for an answer. His combination of late-60s blues-rock, violin-driven folk rock, traditional sounds and huge grin made for a very accessible new Indian sound. This follow-up has therefore been eagerly awaited. From the opening bass thud, this is an album that conjures visions of early Led Zeppelin – only with a twist. This time the John Bonham bass beat is on a dhol drum and the country slide-guitar sound is a sarod. This is the great strength of Dixit – to meld two worlds of

sound so effortlessly and with such joy. It is reflected in his guest musicians, who include Soumik Datta on the sarod and flautist Navin Iyer alongside US clawhammer banjo player Abigail Washburn and Bellowhead brass duo Brendan Kelly and Andy Mellon. The lyrics are once again a mixture of Kannada poetry from the mystic poet Santa Shishunala Sharif and material from contemporary songwriters such as Madhan Karky and Ankur Tewari. Dixit can teeter close to cheesiness – this is the man who gave us ‘No Man Will Ever Love You Like I Do’ – but he has kept it cool enough to keep us wanting more. Nathaniel Handy

TRACK TO TRY Parasiva

that of ambient or progressive rock. The shimmers, pulses, and waves take the listener on journeys far beyond any single point of cultural origin. Jeff Kaliss

TRACK TO TRY Mirror Margana

Guo Gan Himalaya Felmay (50 mins)

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Two strings are all he needs This recording by internationally acclaimed erhu (two-stringed fiddle) virtuoso Guo Gan follows his previous release, Jasmine Flower, a little over a year later. Whereas that album featured trio arrangements of existing pieces, Himalaya focuses almost exclusively on Guo Gan’s own compositions for solo erhu. Given the relative simplicity of his instrument, and the nature of solo playing, creating a recording that is consistently engaging is a challenge of any composer’s skill. While Gan rarely strays far from the melodic vocabulary of the traditional erhu repertoire, he allows himself to explore the technical and expressive capabilities of his instrument to their full. From the evocative pizzicato of ‘Tea-Girl’ to the inventive droplet effects of ‘Water Women’, the album conjures sonorities and images that are deeply rooted in the Chinese instrumental tradition, making this recording highly approachable for listeners unfamiliar with erhu repertoire. Though clearly still finding his identity as a composer, Guo Gan imbues his pieces with life using great sensitivity and flawless phrasing, plaintive as well as playful. The character of each piece reveals itself fully with repeated listening, making this album a rewarding experience. If Guo Gan were to combine his evident talents in both composition and ensemble arranging, the results would certainly be something to savour. Charlie Cawood

TRACK TO TRY Water Women

TS Lo Taiwan Erhu Buda Musique (70 mins)

top of the world track 1

Daisy Costello

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Most eclectic erhu album ever? Tangh-Suan Lo is part of the younger generation of Taiwanese erhu (two-stringed fiddle) players.

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Asia reviews Highly skilled in classical Chinese repertoire, Lo has also managed to incorporate his instrument’s sound into a disparate array of Western styles, including jazz and hip-hop. This recording, ostensibly a concert programme recorded live in Paris, sees Lo joined by the specially formed 21st Century Taiwanese Chamber Ensemble: Nien-Tzu Lu on yangqin (hammered dulcimer), Chih-Feng Wu on sheng (mouth organ), as well as French musicians Hugues Vincent and Lionel Pinard on cello and accordion, respectively. The programme begins with five pieces from the classical erhu repertoire, including concert staples ‘Song of the Birds on Lost Mountain’ and the virtuosic ‘Horse Racing’. Particularly beautiful is ‘Dance of the Amis Tribe’, which draws on aboriginal Taiwanese folk melodies. The bulk of the set consists of a variety of ensemble arrangements. A Taiwanese popular song metamorphoses into a Parisian waltz, moving through Argentinian tango. Despite the eclecticism of the programme, the transition between pieces is never jarring. The musicianship throughout is excellent, and the communication between all five instrumentalists is never less than impeccable. Charlie Cawood

TRACK TO TRY Pink Clouds Chasing the Moon

Khun Narin Khun Narin’s Electric Phin Band Innovative Leisure (41 mins)

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Only semi-mindblowing, this psychedelia from Thaliand… Khun Narin is the latest band to emerge from Thailand’s north-east region, Isan, following the popularity of numerous YouTube uploads under the heading ‘Mindblowing Psychedelia from Thailand.’ Los Angeles-based producer Josh Marcy was so impressed that he grabbed his gear, flew to Thailand and recorded the band in a field in Petchabun province. Khun Narin is an electric phin band – the phin being a two- or three-stringed Isan lute – playing what is called phin prayuk or phin fusion music. The band, led by Khun Beer, has a rotating membership and plays at local events like festivals, temple parties and weddings. The

VARIOUS ARTISTS Mitha Bol: Rajasthan Field Recordings Vol 1 Amarrass Records (55 mins)

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Banko Ghodo: Rajasthan Field Recordings Vol 2 Amarrass Records (47 mins)

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From the heart of the desert Khun Narin’s Electric Phin Band

music is fast-paced and percussion driven instrumental, based on various song types such as lam phu Thai. Using locally made percussion instruments rather than a Western drum kit gives the band a funky, raw-edged sound that works perfectly in a Thai cultural setting but is less successful on recordings. After the first three tracks – all excellent – the rhythms begin to seem too similar, and lack the counterpoint provided by the khaen, a bamboo mouth organ that is the other famous instrument from this region. So while this short album begins with a real kick, the music gets too repetitive too quickly. JOHN CLEWLEY

TRACK TO TRY Lai Sing

Quraishi Mountain Melodies: Rubab Music of Afghanistan Evergreen Music (67 mins)

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Kabul-raised, New York-based master of the rubab lute The rubab, the national instrument of Afghanistan, is one of the world’s great plucked instruments. Its warm muscular sound is both melodic and rhythmic at the same time. Quite a few recordings appeared after the fall of the Taliban in 2001 – notably of the American-based virtuoso Homayun Sakhi. But the flow has dried up and sadly we still don’t have a decent CD of Ghulam Hussain, the leading rubab player in Kabul. So this recording by Quraishi, a young player raised in Kabul but now based in New York, is very welcome. He’s certainly a fine player and, alongside one classical raga, I like the choice of mainly folk repertoire as well as original compositions among the nine tracks. In the opening ‘Negaar’ he adds jangling rhythmic bite by striking the sympathetic

strings between phrases. Percussive accompaniment is provided on tabla and dholak drums. The one downside is that the recording could have a little more clarity and brightness. Simon Broughton

TRACK TO TRY Negaar

Ravi Shankar Nine Decades Vol IV: A Night at St John the Divine East Meets West Music (69 mins)

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A sacred night for sitar lovers Ravi Shankar’s widow Sukanya testifies in the liner notes to the particular ‘magical, transcendent experience’ of her husband performing in places of worship. The magic is tangible in this recording of a duskuntil-dawn concert in a Manhattan cathedral in 1976, celebrating the 20th anniversary of his first American concert. The first of these long improvised ragas is in a North Indian style, the second is Karnatic (from the South), but there is much in the way of diversity that will prove attractive and stimulating, even to Western listeners unaccustomed to raga. Shankar elicits a huge variety of sounds by differently plucking his sitar: sometimes purring, sometimes growling, with or without a festoon of overtones. After the opening alap (slow introduction) and jor, where the tones of the raga are lovingly explored against the drones of bass and treble tambura, Shankar is stunningly partnered by the tabla percussion of his longtime collaborator Alla Rakha. The Karnatic selection proceeds with a chuckling pulse, in contrast to the earlier rather contemplative moods; it showcases the ability of Indian music, in the hands of a master, to touch the breadth and depth of human experience. Jeff Kaliss

TRACK TO TRY Cathedral Vachaspati

These wonderful discs make up two volumes of field recordings made in the Thar desert in Rajasthan, with both albums drawing on musicians from the same community. The Manganiyars are a hereditary group of Muslim musicians who, as well as having a rich repository of local musical traditions, also traditionally act as genealogists for higher-caste Hindu patrons. As such, their repertoire extends from bhajans (Hindu religious songs) to Muslim qawwali singing. As well as vocal performances the Manganiyars are noted for their skill as instrumentalists, and Mitha Bol (Sweet Verse) opens with a fabulous performance that by Lakha Khanon on sarangi (bowed lute). Another bowed lute, the kamayacha, is pretty much the calling card of the Manganiyars, and can be heard on ‘Zorawar Bagh’. The singing ranges from devotional songs to local epics, and most are accompanied by harmonium and dholak (double-headed barrel drum) or the larger dhol drum. Banko Ghodo (Majestic Horse) features songs sung by the late Rukma Bai. She was the first female public singer from the Manganiyar community and these two tracks show off her characteristically powerful delivery. A very different performance style is heard from the technically superb singer Mangey Khan, behind whom can be heard another typical Manganiyar instrument, the khartal (wooden clappers). This is followed by an impressive demonstration of the morchang (Jew’s harp) and a showcase for a younger female member of the community, Kheta Khan, whose singing is simply wonderful. As an introduction to the music of such an important element of Rajasthani culture, these intimate yet highly dramatic albums could hardly be bettered. Maria Lord

TRACK TO TRY Lunagarh by Kheta Khan and Company from Banko Ghodo

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essential

Afrobeat Albums

Afrobeat is seeing something of a resurgence – with the release of a Fela documentary and new albums from two of the genre’s greats. Max Reinhardt gets into the groove and highlights ten of the best albums

01 Tony Allen Film of Life (Jazz Village, 2014)

Tony Allen’s unique ‘highlife meets hard bop meets funk’ drum patterns underpinned and inspired Fela’s Afrobeat. This latest album finds Allen still an unstoppable force of rhythmic genius in his mid-70s. To quote my review in this issue: ‘an instantly enticing nu-Afrobeat groove, in which funky horns, squelchy synths, repetitive guitar and even ukulele catch you in a compelling slipstream’ (see p64).

02 Antibalas Antibalas (Daptone, 2012)

One of the finest fruits of Fela’s posthumous Afrobeat realm. From 1998 onwards, baritone saxophonist Martin Perna’s Brooklyn-based Conjunto Antibalas live the music, the sonics, the rhythms and the politics of Afrobeat. This CD is an eruption of tuff, brilliant songs, deliriously powerful playing and potent vocals from Amayo. Reviewed in #87.

03 The Fontanelles Horns of Freedom (First Word Records, 2013)

The band that grew out of the onstage musicians for the London run of Fela! The Musical. This debut is an instrumental Afrobeat tour de force with a pile driving jazzy edge, to which they’ve added Caribbean and swinging Addis grooves. Its many highlights include ‘Afrocat’, ‘Pinprick’ and ‘Horns of Freedom’. Reviewed in #98.

04 Alhaji K Frimpong Kyenkyen Bi Adi M’awu! (Ofo Brothers, 1976)

This album from Alhaji K Frimpong and his Cubano Fiestas is a mid-70s Ghanaian gem 104 s o n g l i n e s

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clearly influenced by Afrobeat grooves and rhythms though still very much a late period jazzy highlife album. ‘Kyenkyen Bi Adi M’awu!’ itself remains a dance floor classic.

05 Orlando Julius & The Heliocentrics Jaiyede Afro (Strut Records, 2014)

Until Fela’s return from the US in 1970, Orlando Julius and his Afro-funk tunes were the summit of cool for young Lagosians. Then Fela’s Afrobeat, non-stop struggle and legend eclipsed Orlando for decades, but this album is his finest hour. In the company of London’s funky jazztronicists, The Heliocentrics, he creates an Afrobeat sound that you want to climb inside for a week at a time. Reviewed in #103.

06 Fela Ransome Kuti & Africa 70 Expensive Shit/He Miss Road (Knitting Factory Records, 2013)

An explosive, musical and lyrical Fela peak, this is the CD reissue of two of his early 70s vinyls. Originally, the scatological, subversive Afrobeat classic Expensive Shit was backed with the haunting metaphysics and beautiful melody of ‘Water Get No Enemy’, while He Miss Road’s three tracks include the portrait of his city ‘Monday Morning Lagos’ and Tony Allen’s polyrhythmic tour de force ‘It’s No Possible’.

07 Femi Kuti Shoki Shoki (Barclay, 1998)

This is the fourth album by Fela’s oldest son Femi, who over the last 25 years of non-stop touring has been keeping the flame of Fela’s legacy burning. This is probably his most memorable set of songs, from the sex with a smile on its face of the track ‘Beng Beng Beng’ to the accusatory ‘Sorry Sorry’.

08 Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 A Long Way to the Beginning (Knitting Factory Records, 2014)

Seun’s angriest, most fiery album to date, leading the band he inherited from his father when just 14 years old. His ever improving voice, even wittier lyrics (‘lMF’) and catchier tunes (ragged highlife wonder ‘Ohun Aiye’), production by Robert Glasper and guest stars like Nneka, M1 and Blitz the Ambassador, make this a heady brew. Reviewed in #100.

09 Dele Sosimi Identity (Helico Records, 2007)

Dele really is London’s Afrobeat catalyst. He learned keyboards from Fela himself, played with Egypt 80 for seven years, became their arranger and musical director and then did the same with Femi into the 90s. The complex but compelling arrangements of Identity, its songwriting and funkiest of keyboards, all testify to Dele’s finely honed skills and unstoppable dynamism. Reviewed in #55.

10 Various Artists Red Hot + Fela (Knitting Factory Records, 2013)

A razor-sharp fundraising tool for AIDS awareness that also traces the spread of Fela awareness within the international musical community. The first album, Red Hot + Riot (2002), featured producer and activist Andres Levin at the controls and highlighted Fela’s compositional genius in the hands of a huge cast including Nile Rodgers, Baaba Maal, and Macy Gray. This follow-up moves further out and sweeps luminaries like Kronos Quartet, My Morning Jacket and Spoek Mathambo into the fold. Reviewed in #97.

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cERYs matthews BBC 6Music DJ Cerys reflects on the power of poetry and music, and delves into the world of Dylan Thomas All photos by Nenad Obradovic

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avid ‘Honeyboy’ Edwards is playing on the record deck. The song is ‘Further On Up the Road’, a very different version to Bobby Bland’s, but still it is a simple song with remarkable reach – pure and good is often so much better than clever and unmoving. That is something I often ponder when listening to the highly intricate and melody-poor compositions of many a current classical composer, who are too scared to present something tuneful for fear of derision from their contemporaries. Another recurring thought is the changed role of women in music making since commerce took to the fore. It was commonly the dulcimer- and guitar-playing mothers in late 19th- and early 20th-century Appalachia that passed on many a traditional tune. Now, it’s rather uncommon to consider women as the main instrumentalists – there are only two women in the Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists, Bonnie Raitt and Joni Mitchell, and they don’t even make it past #75. Musicmaking and drum-beating is the domain of the ladies in many a Saharan community, but to Western minds – those who have been lapping up the touring Tinariwen, Tamikrest, Terakaft and Songhoy Blues – it is easy to be unaware of the huge role played by the women in these parts. But let’s have a third topic to consider: in both Welsh and Somali, the word for music and poetry is one and the same. In Welsh its cerdd. So with this in mind let’s ponder a moment on the power of poetry (or add here art, song or music, as I feel they’re often interchangeable). Dylan Thomas would have celebrated his 100th birthday on October 27 this year, and here I quote from his discussion on poetry in front of fans at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) on March 7 1952: “Poetry is what in a poem makes you laugh, cry, prickle, be silent, makes your toenails twinkle, makes you want to do this or that or nothing, makes you know that you are alone and not alone in the unknown world, that your bliss and suffering is forever shared and forever all your own. All that matters about poetry is the enjoyment of it, however tragic it may be, all that matters is the eternal movement behind it – the great undercurrent of human grief, folly, pretension, exaltation and ignorance – however unlofty the intention of the poem.” Here’s another: ‘the world is never the same place once a good poem has been added to it.’ Thomas compared poets to stone masons, chipping away, honing and working with intent for the chance that some magic will happen – raising the work out of the ordinary – and perhaps for a moment change the world. I love the analogy, especially having spent the last few months writing music for some of Thomas’ most familiar works – poems including Fern Hill, Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night and That Sanity Be Kept, as well as

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excerpts from his bonkers Under Milk Wood, a radio drama that includes characters like Captain Cat and his drowned sailors. These will be released on the album Dylan Thomas: A Child’s Christmas, Poems and Tiger Eggs on my new imprint Marvels of the Universe coinciding with Thomas’ birthday. His works are hugely inspiring, and I hope I’ve managed to capture some magic in the melodies. Before I sign off for this edition, our new festival, the Good Life Experience, was a huge success and I want to thank all the pioneers that joined us in our inaugural year. We’ll be back in 2015, with more of the simple things in life – fires, activities, discoveries, food and music. Simple, yes, but like the Honeyboy song still playing, ultimately fulfilling.

+ R ADIO Cerys’ BBC 6Music show is on Sundays 10am-1pm +O NLINE www.cerysmatthews.co.uk

Thomas compared poets to stone masons, chipping away with intent for the chance that some magic will happen

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