Songlines Magazine (Jan/Feb 2015, #105) by Songlines Magazine

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DISCOV CO ER A WORLD OF MUSIC COV

Banjo Dynasty

REVIEWS

Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn

12/11/2014 10:40

15 Free tracks

BEST OF 2014

THE BEST NEW RELEASES

A round up of the top albums of the year

+ JOOLS HOLLAND’S PLAYLIST

TOP

OF THE WORLD

ISSUE 105

BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB Boon or curse?

THE DUDUK

MUSIC FROM... Featuring Robert Plant, Mariza, Cesaria Evora,

Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn, Angélique Kidjo, Spain, Korea, Comoros, Amparo Sánchez, Rubén González and more... Slovenia, Cuba & more...

Armenia’s signature instrument revealed £5.50 ISSUE 105 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 www.songlines.co.uk www.facebook.com/songlines

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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 Listings Editor Tatiana Rucinska listings@songlines.co.uk World Cinema Editor Yoram Allon yoram@cinephilia.co.uk

antiago de Compostela in Spain was a splendid venue for WOMEX, the annual world music fair, in many ways. There was plenty of good music in venues just a few minutes walk from each other in the heart of the old city – helpfully

surrounded by a liberal sprinkling of bars and restaurants. But Santiago is famous as a place of pilgrimage and there were hundreds of people arriving each day with backpacks. Appropriately, the main door of the cathedral where St James’ remains are said to lie, features the most spectacular carvings of musicians from the Middle Ages. The Portico of Glory, as it’s called, features Christ in majesty in the centre with the four Evangelists. Above them is a host of 24 musicians as if preparing for a heavenly concert. It was carved in 1188 by master stone-carver Maestro Mateo. The front of the cathedral has been under restoration for several years, so the impact of the portico (which is no longer the main entrance) is impaired. But with a special ticket you can climb the scaffolding and get quite close to the figures. In the centre are two musicians playing what they call an organistrum, a sort of hurdy-gurdy (pictured right). Before the instrument was rationalised for a single player, one man turned the handle while the other stopped the strings. In one of the WOMEX’s showcases, the zanfona, the contemporary hurdy-gurdy was demonstrated in a brilliant showcase by Galician musician Germán Díaz. On the portico, the hurdy-gurdy players are surrounded by musicians playing detailed varieties of harps, lutes, zithers and psaltries. Interestingly, there are no wind instruments, or bagpipes, whereas today there’s usually a gaita, the Galician bagpipe, continuously playing somewhere near the cathedral square. My favourite carving, though, is a man playing a three-stringed ngoni-like lute. The musician looks totally transported by what he’s doing. Although he was carved way back in the 12th century, he’s a universal symbol of the power of music.

Production Consultant Dermot Jones

Simon Broughton, editor-in-chief

Financial Controllers Iwona Perucka & Stevie Good

PS Don’t forget that Songlines is the perfect gift (songlines.co.uk/xmas). And book up for Mariza’s one-off London gig, presented by Songlines at the Barbican on March 16. See this issue’s outside back cover for more details.

Contributing Editors Jane Cornwell, Mark Ellingham & Nigel Williamson Intern Valentina Monsurrò

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

The Portico of Glory features a host of 24 musicians as if preparing for a heavenly concert

CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE INCLUDE

PHILIP SWEENEY Philip has been a writer and broadcaster for many years, with a particular interest in Cuba. He is currently researching a book on Cuba seen through its food. Read his debate with Jane Cornwell on Cuban music on p44.

@SonglinesMag

TATIANA RUCINSKA Tatiana is a Stockholm-based music journalist, director of Music for Museums, and our listings editor. As DJ Aïcha, she plays great music, and has brought many a suburban wedding night ablaze.

facebook.com/songlines

DOUG DELOACH Doug has been writing about world, avantgarde, and Americana music for more than 30 years, and is a regular contributor to several magazines. Read his feature on Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn on p34.

google.com/+songlines ISSUE 105

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27/11/2014 17:53

CONTENTS

46 The Armenian Duduk

Simon Broughton

The master of the duduk, Djivan Gasparyan

UPFRONT

FEATURES

06 Top of the World CD 08 My World interview

32 Best Albums of 2014 50 Beginner’s Guide: Africando 34 Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn 52 Festival Pass: Druga Godba 40 Kings of the South Seas 55 Postcard from the Comoros 44 Cuban Music Debate 46 Tools of the Trade: 87 Gig Guide the Armenian Duduk 95 Subscribe 96 Essential Ten:

11 16 21 23 24 27 29

Jools Holland What’s New & Obits Who’s Touring? Letters Soapbox Introducing... Maïa Barouh & Ashanti Omkar Spotlight on Amparo Sánchez Quickfire: Gary Hammond, Yasmin Levy & Simo Lagnawi

WIN

REGULARS

REVIEWS 62 64 70 76 77 78 83 84

Africa Americas Europe Middle East Pacific Fusion Books Live Reviews

Protest Singers 98 Cerys Matthews

A complete set of all five Best DVDs of 2014 11 tickets to WOMAD Charlton Park 13 Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn’s new duo CD 37 Kings of the South Seas CD, Ben Nicholls’ latest project 43

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 February 6 2015 (unless otherwise stated)

ISSUE 105

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26/11/2014 17:40

12/11/2014 10:40

top of the world

01 Robert Plant ‘Little Maggie’ 02 Abelardo Barroso ‘Tiene Sabor’ 03 Piers Faccini & Vincent Segal ‘Cammina Cammina’ 04 Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn ‘What’cha Gonna Do’ 05 Marta Gómez ‘Arbolé, Arbolé’ 06 Aziz Sahmaoui & University of Gnawa ‘Inchallah’ 07 Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker ‘Silverline’ 08 Amparo Sánchez ‘Mi Gitana’ 09 BKO Quintet ‘Kongo Kono’ 10 Moana & The Tribe ‘Water People’

Free tracks

THE BEST NEW RELEASES

+ JOOLS HOLLAND’S

top

PLAYLIST

of the world

TOP

CD ISSUE 105 105

OF THE WORLD

PLUS 5 tracks chosen by Jools Holland

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

11 Cesaria Evora ‘Petit Pays’ 12 Mariza ‘Ó Gente da Minha Terra’ 13 The Unthanks ‘Here’s the Tender Coming’ 14 Rubén González ‘Siboney’ 15 Angélique Kidjo ‘Agolo’ Exclusively with the Jan/Feb 2015 issue of Songlines. STWCD81. This compilation & © 2014 Songlines Publishing Ltd

Featuring Robert Plant, Mariza, Cesaria Evora, Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn, Angélique Kidjo, Amparo Sánchez, Rubén González and more... SLTOTWCD-105-onbody.indd 1

11/11/2014 12:22

STWCD81 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 and Alexandra Petropoulos. Design by Paul Carpenter. 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. Contigo (ARC Music) & © 2014 ARC Music Productions Int Inc. Courtesy of ARC Music

05 Marta Gómez ‘Arbolé, Arbolé’ (2:24)

04 Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn ‘What’cha Gonna Do’ (3:48)

09 BKO Quintet ‘Kongo Kono’ (3:59)

15 Angélique Kidjo ‘Agolo’ (4:32)

14 Rubén González ‘Siboney’ (2:34)

top of the world plaYlist tracks 02 Abelardo Barroso ‘Tiene Sabor’ (3:07)

07 Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker ‘Silverline’ (3:50)

13 The Unthanks ‘Here’s the Tender Coming’ (5:24)

SLTOTWCD-105-sleeve.indd 1

01 Robert Plant ‘Little Maggie’ (5:06)

TOP OF THE WORLD SELECTION

12 Mariza ‘Ó Gente da Minha Terra’ (4:04)

06 Aziz Sahmaoui & University of Gnawa ‘Inchallah’ (3:56)

11 Cesaria Evora ‘Petit Pays’ (3:49)

JOOLS HOLLAND’S PLAYLIST

10 tracks from this issue’s best new albums + 5 bonus tracks exclusively with the Jan/Feb 2015 issue of Songlines

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06 Aziz Sahmaoui & University of Gnawa ‘Inchallah’

A new adventure in Robert Plant’s

From Mazal on World Village

restlessly creative solo career, where

It is the mixture of Gnawa rhythms with

the heavy metal screech-and-wail he

keening Moroccan vocals and Senegalese

perfected in Led Zeppelin has given way

flavours that makes Mazal an album of

to a more nuanced vocal style. See p79

strong tunes and great variety. See p63

02 Abelardo Barroso ‘Tiene Sabor’

07 Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker

Remastered by World Circuit, this

From Nothing Can Bring Back the Hour on Folkroom Records

classic 1950s album from one of the

Clarke’s melancholic voice suits her songs’

great voices of Cuba, features the best of

lyrics perfectly, and Walker’s arrangements

Barroso’s chachachá period with Orquesta

are superlative. This is surely one of 2014’s

Sensación. See p64

best folk albums. See p70

03 Piers Faccini & Vincent Segal ‘Cammina Cammina’

08 Amparo Sánchez

From Cha Cha Cha on World Circuit

‘Silverline’

‘Mi Gitana’

From Espíritu del Sol on World Village

From Songs of Time Lost on No Format!

Amparo Sánchez remains unmistakably

From the opening medieval lament,

Spanish, with her deep, gravelly

Neapolitan music emerges as one strand

Andalusian voice. Espíritu del Sol is an

of influence on this equally understated

upbeat, likeable record packed with

and beautiful record. See p78

surprising turns. See p73

04 Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn ‘What’cha Gonna Do’

09 BKO Quintet

‘Kongo Kono’ From Bamako Today on Buda Musique

From Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn on Rounder Records

Traditional Malian music played with a

The husband and wife banjo duo team

modern twist, Bamako Today’s electric

up for their first album together, which

urban edge firmly places the BKO Quintet

features everything from trad Appalachian

into similar psychedelic realms to Zani

songs to original compositions. See p65

Diabaté’s Super Djata Band. See p62

05 Marta Gómez ‘Arbolé, Arbolé’

10 Moana & The Tribe

Featuring an impressive variety of

Ancient Maori traditions and 21st-

beautiful songs, all her own creations,

century technology are bound together

Gómez tours a range of Latin American

in the latest album by Moana Maniapoto,

music and is sure to be a revelation to

one of New Zealand’s most prominent

European audiences. See p66

musical ambassadors. See p77

From Contigo on ARC Music

06 s o n g l i n e s

08 Amparo Sánchez ‘Mi Gitana’ (3:36)

03 Piers Faccini & Vincent Segal ‘Cammina Cammina’ (3:22)

From Lullaby and... The Ceaseless Roar on Nonesuch Records

01 Robert Plant ‘Little Maggie’

‘Water People’ From Rima on Black Pearl

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26/11/2014 15:33

+ Jools HOlland’s playlist 11

11Cesaria Evora ‘Petit Pays’ From Cesaria on Sony/Lusafrica

“You want to hear the human voice and the human spirit and I think that’s what she summed up. You heard her spirit when she sang, which is different to just singing the song.”

12 Mariza ‘Ó Gente da Minha Terra’ From Best of Mariza on Warner Music

“She’s got an amazing, beautiful voice. But one time she had with her BBC/Mark Harrison

an instrument like an acoustic bass mandolin. When you closed your eyes you were in Portugal...”

13 The Unthanks ‘Here’s the Tender Coming’ From Here’s the Tender Coming on EMI

“They make me cry… The Unthanks sound like Northumberland and the North-East of England. It’s not contrived; that’s what they naturally do.”

“ There are lots of other shows with mainstream pop music; but there’s a lot of music that doesn’t have a window. We want to help to introduce people to new things” Turn over for the full interview with Jools Holland

14 Rubén González ‘Siboney’ From Introducing... on World Circuit

“The way he played was beautiful and what he played embodied where he was from. When he played you heard that world; you were hearing the history of it through one man.”

15 Angélique Kidjo ‘Agolo’

From Spirit Rising: Live from Guest Street on Wrasse Records “She’s just great because she’s got this energy. Some people are balladeers, and

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 p60 for more details.

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

some make you want to skip and dance. She’s definitely a skipper and a dancer, you know, she just gets me going.”

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26/11/2014 15:33

who’s touring?

Fofoulah

Six-piece African fusion band rooted in sabar drumming Fofoulah recently burst onto the scene with their self-titled debut (reviewed in #104). Firmly rooted in West African sabar drumming, theirs is a fusion that mixes everything from pop and hip-hop to electronic music and dub. At the centre of the group is Robert Plant’s drummer of choice, Dave Smith, and Kaw Secka on sabar, who provide the driving rhythmic force. And with Senegal’s Batch Gueye at the front of the band providing not only smooth vocals, but also some highly athletic dance moves, Fofoulah are definitely a band to catch live. Touring December 11-14, see p90 for details

Tim Young

Ibibio Sound Machine Seth Lakeman West African folk tales with a twist of retro highlife

The ever-popular Devonian folk singer-songwriter

If you like your dance music with a twist of the retro then Ibibio Sound Machine should be your next band to catch live. The London-based eight-piece is fronted by British-Nigerian singer Eno Williams, who sings folk tales in Ibibio, a language from South-East Nigeria. They released their self-titled debut earlier this year (reviewed in #99) and have been taking dance floors by storm ever since with their brilliant mix of Afrobeat grooves, highlife guitar lines, a funky horn section and electronic dance beats for a fresh take on West African folk tales. Touring December 13-February 13, see p90 for details

Seth Lakeman has been instrumental in driving forward English folk music – and for introducing a younger audience to the folk tradition. His latest album Word of Mouth (reviewed in #98) was recorded in a church in Cornwall. Lakeman has a real knack for combining traditional folk stories with a cracking good melody, and he plays a mean fiddle too. He’s most recently been on tour with The Full English collective, but next year he’ll be touring with his own band and support provided by the award-winning duo Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin. Touring January 27-February 15, see p90 for details

16 s o n g l i n e s

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105

27/11/2014 11:33

Our selection of forthcoming tour highlights, see Gig Guide for full listings

Stuart Blower

Le Vent du Nord

Megson

Le Vent du Nord perform tradition Québécois folk repertoire but with a modern twist and flair. They’ve toured extensively in the US and Europe and their energetic live shows inevitably make audiences want to get up and dance. Their last album Tromper Le Temps was reviewed in #87, and they are due to release their eighth in 2015. Their combination of fiddle, accordion, hurdy-gurdy and vocals sung in Québécois French, together with their fun stage banter have deservedly earned them a reputation for being a great live act. Touring January 17-24, see p91 for details

The English folk duo Megson are husband and wife Stu and Debbie Hanna. While their music draws heavily on their Teesside heritage, Debbie has a classical music background while Stu spent time in a prog rock band, which results in a very unique brand of folk music. The multi-instrumental duo’s most recent album, In a Box (reviewed in #101), set Victorian songs and poems to folk music on accordion, whistle, mandolin, piano, guitar and percussion. Theirs is a music that elegantly invokes a sense of place and community. Touring January 21-February 27, see p90 for details

Kate Rusby

Transatlantic Sessions

As one of the few folk singer-songwriters to have been nominated for the Mercury Prize, Rusby is at the forefront of a vibrant new generation of English folk. Her music combines her Yorkshire roots with a creative approach to tradition. Her expressive vocals and exceptional songcraft gained her a worldwide audience reaching beyond the genre of folk. With her husband, musician Damien O’Kane, Rusby recently released her 13th album, Ghost (on Pure Records), which includes original tunes as well as Rusby’s own interpretations of traditional songs. Touring December 5-21, see p90 for details

This highly successful collaboration of trad musicians from across the Pond and the UK and Ireland first came about in the mid-90s as a TV series. Masterminded by Shetland fiddler Aly Bain and US dobro player Jerry Douglas, it’s now become something of a live phenomenon too. The sizeable collective kick off their sixth tour at Celtic Connections and among the musicians who act as the house band are Donald Shaw, Michael McGoldrick, James Mackintosh and Danny Thompson. Their live shows have been dubbed ‘the greatest backporch shows ever.’ Touring January 31-February 6, see p91 for details

One of the leading French-Canadian folk outfits

Husband and wife English folk duo

Murdo Macleod

English folk singer-songwriter tours Christmas show

Annual gathering of leading roots and folk musicians

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26/11/2014 11:46

4 issues of Songlines for only £4? Now that’s an offer worth singing about... Call 020 7274 7215 and quote SL105 or visit www.songlines.co.uk/SL105 TERMS & CONDITIONS: Only available to new subscribers and the four issues will start with the next issue, March 2015 (#106). This offer is not available in conjunction with any other promotion and only available to UK customers when paying via Direct Debit. To pay by Direct Debit, both the billing and postal address must be in the UK. Subscriptions are continuous; after the first payment of £4, a payment of £16 will be collected every six months (4 issues) unless cancelled. No minimum term. Angélique Kidjo performing at the Songlines Music Awards 2013 Winners’ Concert. Photo by Alex Harvey-Brown

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INTRODUCING...

MAÏA BAROUH

Alexandra Petropoulos talks to the singer and flautist who is re-rooting herself in the folk music of Japan

hen Maïa Barouh first heard about the 2011 earthquake and nuclear accident in Japan, the singer and flautist found herself at a critical point in her musical career. “I lost a part of my innocence when I found out,” she says. “It was a big shock and I couldn’t really play music for six months because I felt naked. I had to stop and think about what my mission was.” Born in Tokyo to a Japanese artist and a French chanson singer, Barouh spent her childhood travelling between the two countries and picking up various musical influences along the way, including a unique style of singing from Japan. “When I was touring with my dad when I was 18, we went to 24 S O N G L I N E S

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this really small island in the south of Japan, called Amami Oshima. There they have a special singing technique.” It is a throaty singing that suddenly jumps into falsetto and is not dissimilar to yodelling or Iranian tahrir. “I didn’t really know any traditional singing at the time and when I went to this island and met a young singer, I was really impressed.” She started performing with musicians from the island as a flautist, but before long she started to teach herself the technique. “Rather than trying to sing it as they’re doing it, I wanted to find my own way to do it.” Exploring her own unique mix of jazz, electronic music and various world influences she picked up from her travels, Barouh’s music thrives on blurring the distinctions between these seemingly different genres. Upon hearing the news about the earthquake and resulting nuclear disaster in Fukushima, she suddenly felt the urge to explore the music of Japan. “I thought about singing traditional songs from Fukushima and the north. It’s a music that is so powerful and rich, but we don’t know about it, even in Japan.”

Rooting herself more firmly in the traditional music of Japan, she started collecting folk songs from the north. “The traditional songs are peasant songs. There are no rules to the music, which has been transmitted orally over hundreds of years. It just has to be honest. I don’t want to make music with the brain because it’s something you feel.” Thus she has transformed songs like ‘Jongala’ (born out of a bloody territory war in the north of Japan) or ‘Kane Ren Ren’ (an Ainu folk song) into timeless odes to the region on her latest album, Kodama. While rooted in the traditional, the album still features her creative mix of electronic sounds, which blend with the folk themes in such a way that reminds the listener of both the historical richness and future potential of a region that has been reduced to rubble. The title means ‘Echoes’ in Japanese, and suitably her music picks up on the regional echoes of the past and sends them out again to fall upon new ears.

+ ALBUM Kodama is reviewed in this issue, see p78

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27/11/2014 16:57

ASHANTI OMKAR

A new programme on BBC Asian Network is showcasing music from South India. Jo Frost talks to its presenter

BBC/Emilie Sandy

he multifarious sounds of South India and Sri Lanka are reverberating the airwaves of BBC Asian Network every Sunday since a new radio programme launched in October. Its mission is to give a muchneeded boost to South Indian music and culture on British radio and the person tasked to do this is Ashanti Omkar. Born in Sri Lanka, raised in Nigeria and Denmark, Omkar admits that while growing up she was “happily listening to Madonna and Michael Jackson when my dad made me learn how to read and write Tamil.” Studying Karnatic music is seen as a rite of passage for many South Indians. “It’s something most South Indian and Sri Lankan kids learn, either the veena,, violin or vocals,” says Omkar. “The mainstay of South Indian music is Karnatic. It traverses the languages of the South, so you have composers who have written in Telagu, Tamil and Kannada and in Sanskrit as well.” So has South Indian culture has been overlooked in the UK? “Absolutely,” she replies. “I’ve been championing South Indian music for a very long time. We are playing catch up in some way.” Omkar sees her new show as a longawaited opportunity to highlight the wealth and diversity of South Indian music. “The [radio] playlists are already incorporating different types of music, they’ve got Gujarati, Punjabi, Urdu as well as Bengali shows. So the South was the last bastion, so to speak.” A big component of the show will be music from cinema. “The film industry in the South is so big… Out of the 1,000 films that come out of India every year, maybe 500-600 are coming out of South India.” So expect not only Bollywood hits, but music from Kollywood (the

Tamil film industry), Mollywood (Malayalam) and Tollywood (Telugu) too. Live guests will also be a regular feature – Arjun, the popular British-Sri Lankan born singer-songwriter was Omkar’s first studio guest. In addition to all the film music and new releases, Omkar is keen to highlight the classical tradition too, with a weekly ‘Sunday Raga’ slot. “The first one I’ve picked ‘Vasantha’ – it’s a raga that is very pleasing to the ear, works well in Karnatic music as well as Tamil music. I’ve picked three songs from three different eras and we’re doing a little mix of these.” The ever-effusive presenter is a prolific social media user – something the younger dynamic of BBC Asian Network are bound to appreciate. “Asian audiences seem to be very keen

to use and embrace technology, which is wonderful. We will be tapping into texts and tweets and also get vox pops from people after film screenings.” By the time this issue comes out, Omkar will have half a dozen programmes under her belt. We speak the week before her first show and she is understandably anxious about the live aspect of the show. “I’ve been rather nervous about using the decks. That’s been the biggest thing for me. A lot of the other presenters come from a DJ background, so they’re very used to doing all this. Whereas I come from writing and sitting behind a desk.”

+ RADIO The Ashanti Omkar Show is

every Sunday from 2-4pm on the BBC Asian Network

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BEST ALBUMS OF 2013

THE BEST ALBUMS OF As 2014 draws to a close, editors Simon Broughton and Jo Frost trawled through the year’s excellent releases and selected their ten favourite albums

Aurelio Lándini

Aziza Brahim Soutak

Toumani & Sidiki Diabaté Toumani & Sidiki

Kassé Mady Diabaté is one

(World Circuit) Reviewed in #100

Piers Faccini & Vincent Segal Songs of Time Lost

There’s something highly

Born and raised in an

(No Format!) Reviewed in #104

addictive about the rhythmic

Algerian refugee camp,

Garifuna sound. I’ve been a fan of this distinctive Central

the young Saharawi singer

of the great vocalists of Mali,

Expectations were high for

Like many of the label’s

has become a champion

accompanied here by a top

this record, but it delivers.

releases, this is a beautifully

American music since first

for her people from the

group of instrumentalists.

According to Toumani, the

crafted album of song,

hearing the Belizean artist

occupied state of Western

There’s Makan ‘Badjé’

family have been making

guitar and cello. Faccini is

Andy Palacio. Aurelio has,

Sahara. There’s a simplicity

Tounkara on ngoni, Lansiné

music in West Africa for 700

an English singer-songwriter

since Palacio’s death, firmly

in the acoustic musical

Kouyaté on balafon and

years and what we have here

with a gorgeously languid

established himself as an

arrangements, combined

Ballaké Sissoko on kora,

is the transmission of that

singing style. He sounds

ambassador for Garifuna

with the poignancy of

plus Vincent Segal on cello,

tradition in action. Toumani

at times like Nick Drake,

culture. His latest album is

Brahim’s soulful singing

who is also responsible for

plays kora duets with his

but he also sings in Italian

rooted in the paranda and

that lend a grace and

the exquisite production.

23-year-old son Sidiki,

on a couple of traditional

punta musical traditions,

dignity to these songs about

There are just eight tracks –

named after his grandfather

Neopolitan songs and in

and its title – meaning

resistance, freedom, longing

many of them connected to

who established the kora

Creole on a maloya-inspired

‘Landing’ – refers to when the

and homeland. They have

hunting – and it really feels

as a solo instrument. It’s

track from La Réunion.

British forced the Garifuna

a political resonance too,

like you’re sitting right there

an elaborate concoction of

The two have been good

people into exile in the 18th

especially the song ‘Gdeim

among the musicians. All

gourd, cow skin, sticks and

friends since the 80s, which

century. Many of the songs

Izik’ about the protest

the instruments are heard

21 strings that represents

possibly explains the ease

are instilled with a sense of

camp taken down by the

on just one track, ‘Sori’, but

Malian music at its most

and naturalness of their

melancholy, yet ultimately

Moroccans. It’s a spare and

the whole album is intimate,

sophisticated. The filigree

partnership. Faccini’s voice

Lándini is a celebration and

powerful tribute to a land

powerful and gorgeously

music is sublime and

floats dreamily above the

homage to the richness of

and sorrowful plight of its

recorded. SB

Lucy Durán’s notes are

deep resonance of Segal’s

Garifuna culture. JF

people, sadly overlooked by

enlightening. SB

cello that acts as the bedrock

(Real World) Reviewed in #104

(Glitterbeat) Reviewed in #98

the outside world. JF

032_BestOf2014_SL105.indd 32

Kassé Mady Diabaté Kiriké

(No Format!) Reviewed in this issue

to the whole sound. JF

26/11/2014 17:38

2014 BEST ALBUMS OF 2013

The Gloaming The Gloaming (Real World) Reviewed in #98

Kronos Quartet Driss El A Thousand Maloumi Thoughts Makan

Robert Plant Lullaby and… The Ceaseless Roar

Söndörgő Tamburocket Hungarian Fireworks

This new collective

(Nonesuch) Reviewed in #100

(Contre Jour) Reviewed in #98

evocatively known as

Celebrating their 40th

Moroccan oud player Driss

(Nonesuch) Reviewed in this issue

The Gloaming revisit

anniversary this year, Kronos

El Maloumi stands out

The ex-Led Zep frontman

We’ve been champions of

traditional Irish music

Quartet have released

both for his instrumental

is no stranger to dabbling

this Hungarian group since

but with a fearless sense

an album that clearly

mastery (he’s director of the

in African sounds. What

their brilliant collaboration

of experimentation. The

demonstrates how widely

conservatoire in Agadir)

makes his latest album so

with Gypsy sax player Ferus

haunting vocals of Iarla Ó

they’ve ranged in their

and for his innovative

refreshing is that there is

Mustafov in 2008. Söndörgő’s

Lionáird combine with the

inspiration. There are a few

approach – for instance

nothing tokenistic about

sound is light, springy and

effortless fiddle of Martin

tracks (with Astor Piazzolla

the 3MA project with kora

the contributions from his

delicately plucked. They play

Hayes, eerie Hardanger

and Asha Bhosle) that have

player Ballaké Sissoko and

band members. Intrinsic

the virtuoso tambura music

fiddle of Caoimhín Ó

been previously released,

valiha player Rajery in 2008.

to the album is the rasping,

of Hungary’s Serbian and

Raghallaigh, and solid

but most of the material

This trio album with two

raw sound of the ritti (one-

Croatian communities and,

guitar of Dennis Cahill. Then

is new. Alongside music

percussionists – his brother

stringed violin) and kologo

as they’ve proved in recent

there’s the piano playing of

from Vietnam, Afghanistan,

Said El Maloumi (on frame

(lute) from Gambia’s Juldeh

concerts at WOMEX and in

Thomas Bartlett that takes

Turkey, Ethiopia and the

drum and Iranian tombak)

Camara together with Justin

London, they do it with style.

the sound onto a whole other

American South, it includes

and Lahoucine Baquir (on

Adams, who plays guitar,

This album includes vibrant

level, out of the trad box

an eerie version of the

frame drum and darbouka)

ngoni and basically anything

examples of their core

and placing it firmly into

rebetika track ‘Smyrneiko

ranges from the bluesy

else he can lay his hands

repertoire, plus interesting

a new, exciting realm. The

Minore’ by Greek singer

‘Imtidad’ and the filigree

on. Add drummer Dave

takes on Macedonian music.

‘Opening Set’ is a wondrous

Marika Papagika, which

‘Tawazoun’ to the playful

Smith, bassist Billy Fuller,

The band are three brothers

16-minute-plus tune that

Harrington describes as

‘Intidar’. There’s lyricism,

guitarist Liam Tyson and

and a cousin, plus Attila

slowly builds in intensity – it

containing his “favourite

virtuosity and imagination –

keyboardist John Baggott and

Buzás on bass tambura. SB

goes down a storm at their

note of all time.” SB

plus a couple of songs too. SB

the end product is a powerful

fantastic live shows. JF

(Riverboat Records) Reviewed in #102

collaborative effort. JF

+ PODCAST Hear music from all these albums on this issue’s podcast

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BELA & ABIGAIL

Strumming on the Ol’ Banjo Doug DeLoach heads to Nashville, home to Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn, where they created their first banjo duo album 34 S O N G L I N E S

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BELA & ABIGAIL

T Photos by Amanda Kowalski

he bright, high sun is warm and it’s beautiful in Nashville, as idyllic and embracing as an early fall day in the Deep South can be. Soft breezes are prompting leaves to fall in gentle waves of scarlet, ochre and sienna. I’m seated at a wooden picnic table on the meticulously tended grounds of Travellers Rest, a historic preservation site upon which sits a two-story plantation house built in 1799 for John Overton, a Tennessee Superior Court judge, confidant of America’s seventh president, Andrew Jackson, and founding father of Memphis. Having arrived early for an interview with Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn, I’m eating lunch while listening

for the umpteenth time to the newly released, eponymously-titled debut album (on Rounder) by the husband and wife banjo duo. The couple’s 1970s-era ranch-style home, where the album was recorded, lies about a half-mile up the road. ‘I’ve been workin’ on the railroad/All my live long days,’ intones Washburn on the opening track. Her quicksilver mezzosoprano voice ringing out syllables in train wheel rhythm, each vowel and consonant is tinged by just the right amount of back holler resonance and twang. ‘I’ve been workin’ on the railroad/Just to pass the time away.’ ‘Railroad’, as it’s listed on the album, has been a staple of the banjo repertoire since

the late 1800s. An amalgamation of two songs, the ‘workin’ on the railroad’ verses are American in origin while the lyrics referencing ‘someone’s in the kitchen with Dinah’ have been traced to a tune published in London around 1835-48. In the hands of Fleck and Washburn, this almost banal folk song is reimagined as a deceptively seductive, rollickingly soulful ballad, which also incorporates licks from ‘Oh, Susannah’ to lighten the plot. The song’s jarringly fresh feel mostly stems from the arrangement and harmonisation, which are structured in a minor key because that’s how Washburn was singing it a year or so ago when Fleck heard her serenading Juno, the

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WHALE MUSIC

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WHALE MUSIC

Treacherous Waters Multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Ben Nicholls dives into the dark history of the South Pacific whalers and tells Tim Cumming about the songs and stories that inspired him

Photos by Tom Griffiths

hen it comes to the outer limits of exploration, trade and empire, it doesn’t come much rougher and readier than the South Pacific whalers. Today, whalers are international pariahs; in the 18th and 19th centuries, they were a mixture of hard-nosed oil men and desperate explorers sailing off into lands and seas of hearsay and nameless terrors – here be monsters territory – hoisting sail to hunt the great leviathan in conditions that defied belief and endurance. And with those whaling ships ploughing the seas at the frothy edge of empire came missionaries, Quakers whose quarry was not the whale but Pacific islanders, heathens to be turned to face the lord. Tom Hiney’s book On the Missionary Trail is an account of the London Missionary Society, which sent various men of god to the South Pacific on whaling ships in the 1790s, never to be heard of again. A second expedition was chartered 25 years later to find out what happened to them, and it was this that sparked the interest of multiinstrumentalist and singer Ben Nicholls – not the missionaries so much as the whalers who

carried them. “As a musician,” he says, “I began to wonder what the musical side of it was.” Nicholls is the bass player in Seth Lakeman’s band and part of The Full English collective. With guitarist Richard Warren and drummer Evan Jenkins, he began a creative residency at Cecil Sharp House last year, creating music and researching in the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, scouring the records for songs the whalers carried on their perilous voyages. He also mined the available literature. “I was reading Melville’s first book, Typee, and he writes of the ship sailing up to Tahiti, and the whalers start singing this song, ‘King of the Cannibal Islands’. So I had to find that song, and I tracked it down to a broadside. It was also used as a broom dance. There were all kinds of routes to finding what’s there.” Comprising ten tracks, Kings of the South Seas takes listeners into an oceanic heart of darkness illuminated by powerful, skeletal songs from the edge of the known world and from the harshest of conditions. The utterly mournful ‘I Never Missed My Home’ was written on the back of a news article about the Loyalty Islands (an archipelago within New

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idan Raichel

46 s o n g l i n e s

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TOOLS OF THE TRADE

The Armenian Duduk

The melancholy sound of the duduk has come to represent Armenia. Simon Broughton meets the maestro of the instrument, Djivan Gasparyan

word for the sound it makes – and the Georgians call it duduki. The Turks call it mey, the Kurds qernête, and the Azeris balaban. “It’s not so important where the instrument comes from, but what part it plays in the culture,” says Alina Pahlevanyan, head of the Department of Folk Music at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory. Certainly, its unique sound has been recognised around the world – its warm, lamenting quality has been used in the scores of film composers including Peter Gabriel in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Hans Zimmer in Gladiator (2000), and, most recently, Amine Bouhafa using it to moving effect in the powerful new Oscarnominated Timbuktu (2014). In a rather different context, Gasparyan appeared playing duduk in the song ‘Apricot Stone’ in the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest.

History

Photos by Simon Broughton

he duduk possibly makes the most beautiful sound on earth. Yes, it’s a bold statement, but it is the most plaintive and plangent of instruments. With its soft, reedy tone this ancient apricot-wood instrument has become a symbol of Armenia. “Without the duduk, the Armenians are nothing,” says Djivan Gasparyan, the man who’s pretty much responsible for transforming it from a humble folk oboe into one of the notable instruments of the world. “The duduk tells the story of the Armenians,” he continues, “they use it at weddings and funerals.” One of the reasons the Armenians identify so strongly with the duduk is because its melancholy tone is seen as reflective of Armenian destiny – including the genocide of 1915 in which an estimated 1.5 million were killed and the earthquake of 1988, after which Gasparyan’s album I Will Not be Sad in This World was first promoted in the West. “The people, the instrument and the history are all bound together,” he says. Although Armenians are ready to claim the instrument as their own, it’s possible to find it in much of the Caucasus region. The Armenians call it duduk – an onomatopoeic

In the Louvre there’s a 2,000-year-old bronze figure found near Lake Sevan in Armenia that depicts a hatted figure playing what certainly looks like a duduk. From even earlier legs of cranes that were used as musical instruments have been found, but obviously wooden instruments haven’t survived. Pahlevanyan tells me the instrument was associated with the pagan deities Aramazd (the sun god) and Anahit (his daughter, the goddess of fertility). In 301AD, Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its national religion. There are much clearer depictions of duduks and other zurna-like instruments from the Christian period in illuminated manuscripts from the 14th and 15th centuries, for instance. Most beautiful is a scene on a carved stone in Etchmiadzin (pictured left) on which Mary holding Christ is flanked by angels and two figures playing duduks. In folklore it’s an instrument linked with shepherds. There are two important things that distinguish the duduk from other oboe-like instruments, like the more raucous zurna. One is its cylindrical body – in contrast to the conical zurna – and the other is the very wide double-reed, unlike the narrow reed of a zurna or oboe. It’s these things that give the duduk its softer, sweeter sound. Although the duduk sounds sad and mournful to Western ears, it doesn’t necessarily sound so to Armenians. In Armenian music there aren’t the same associations of sad with minor and happy with major. Much jolly music is in the minor and most Armenian funeral tunes are in the major mode, explains Pahlevanyan. Certainly the Georgians like the duduki for dance music at feasts and parties, and while the

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Africa REVIEWS

BKO Quintet Bamako Today

Buda Musique (45 mins; DVD, 53 mins)

★★★★★

Five guys making Malian music modern The BKO Quintet consist of four Malians and one French musician; they play traditional Malian music with a modern twist. Uniquely they pair two traditional Malian instruments: the djelingoni and donsongoni – the guitar of the griots and the kora-like harp-lute of the Bamana hunters. While the roots of the music lie in folklore, there is an electric urban edge that firmly places it into similar psychedelic realms to Zani Diabaté’s Super Djata Band. The traditional instruments are backed by the djembé drum of master drummer Ibrahima Sarr and French percussionist Aymeric Krol, who plays a hybrid drum kit – a mixture of traditional and modern

drums. What appears to be a small acoustic group creates a remarkably full sound and in Nfaly Diakité and Fassara Sacko they have two very powerful and emotive lead vocalists. While the album stands alone as a great release, the accompanying DVD BKO on Air is a beautifully filmed diary-style documentary of the group as they travel through Mali during an official state of emergency: they are captured chatting on a radio broadcast in Bamako; rehearsing in the recording studio; and playing live in Mali and France. It’s a tremendous insight into how the group creates its music: how it takes influences from different Malian cultures, and adds contemporary references. MARTIN SINNOCK

TRACK TO TRY Kongo Kono

TOP

OF THE WORLD TRACK 9

G Dussably

GET THIS ALBUM FREE Readers can get Bamako Today when subscribing or renewing with Direct Debit. See CD flyer for details

Julian Bahula Spirit of Malombo Strut Records (2 CDs, 124 mins)

★★★★★

Secret history of a South African jazz revolutionary To appreciate Julian Bahula’s contribution to South African music, you don’t need to know that he was a tireless anti-Apartheid campaigner, who toured South Africa clandestinely with Steve Biko in 1971

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before his political exile. But it helps. Bahula’s switch from his modern drum-kit to the indigenous conga-like malombo drums helped define the radical new form of South African jazz celebrated on the first of these two CDs. Rooted in pre-colonial traditions, the sound is spare but haunting. Apart from the vocals of Hilda Tloubatla of the Mahotella Queens on two tracks, it’s mainly a mesmerising interplay of drums, Abbey Cindi’s flute and Lucky Ranku’s electric guitar. On the more eclectic second CD, featuring their output from the 70s and

80s, the influences are more diverse, the music more international and the message more overtly political. Living in exile in the UK, Bahula and Ranku preserved the essence of the malombo sound in their band Jaluba. While the two cuts by Jazz Afrika are more overtly jazzy, it was their song ‘Mandela’ that would go on to inspire the Special AKA’s rousing hit ‘Nelson Mandela’. Musically, historically and culturally, this latest release from the Strut label is both important and rewarding. MARK SAMPSON

TRACK TO TRY Hleziphi

Batch Gueye Ndiarigne Batch Gueye (68 mins)

★★★★★

Senegalese sufi’s debut shines In his native Senegal, Batch Gueye performed mainly as a dancer, but since moving to Bristol, he has honed his skills as a musician and singer, and has been slowly gaining more recognition, playing at WOMAD, singing with Fofoulah and supporting Fatoumata Diawara on her recent tour. Ndiarigne is Gueye’s first full album, on which he gives a good show of his abilities both as a singer and bandleader. The group manoeuvre from thoughtful pieces in praise of the Baye Fall saints (the Sufi sect to which Gueye belongs) to tracks clearly designed for a dance session, with the leader adding his unique voice to it all. There are some great performances from his band – an all-African line-up, recorded in Senegal with kora, xalam (lute) and backing vocals all standing out at various points throughout the album. A few things do need to be ironed out here and there – some of the tracks feel a little repetitive and the album’s changes in mood could perhaps be smoother. But these are small criticisms, and detract from the fact that this is an impressive debut album. JIM HICKSON

TRACK TO TRY Diaralngama

Amartey Hedzoleh Kukurantumi Chop Time Music (40 mins)

★★★★★

Classic highlife from the 80s It is such a pleasure to hear some oldschool Ghanaian highlife. In the 60s Amartey Hedzoleh was a member

of the group Psychedelic Aliens and performed with them at the now legendary 1971 Soul to Soul concert in Accra. He went on to form Hedzoleh Soundz before embarking on his solo career, during which, in 1983, he recorded the soundtrack to a film called Kukurantumi: Road to Accra. The music on this CD is an expanded collection of re-recordings of music from the film that never received a release. Most of the tracks were recorded at John Collins’ Bokoor Studio, usually a good sign, and it is a thoroughly enjoyable and varied collection. Some of the songs are traditional highlife and feature kalimba (thumb piano), jiri (xylophone) and gonje (gourd fiddle) – all played by Hedzoleh. However on the majority he plays electric guitar, with additional guitar from Jagger Botchway, a well-known Ghanaian musician who played with Hugh Masekela. It is a splendidly uplifting collection, with fine vocals and seductive instrumentation. MARTIN SINNOCK

TRACK TO TRY Pepe

Djessou Mory Kanté River Strings: Maninka Guitar Sterns (2 CDs, 101 mins)

★★★★★

Guitar god admirably resists the urge to show off With the kind of pedigree Guinean guitarist Djessou Mory Kanté has – brother to the late, lamented Kante Manfila, and collaborator with the likes of Salif Keita and Sékouba ‘Bambino’ Diabaté – you wouldn’t expect him to have to show off to impress. And he doesn’t. River Strings: Maninka Guitar is a pleasant, undemanding album of understated acoustic and electric guitar grooves that initially may seem quite a slight work – that loveable kind of slow-growing album whose charms really only reveal themselves on repeated casual listens. The friskily swaying ‘Senekela’ and the gently rocking ‘Djandjo’ both straddle pop and roots music convincingly and memorably. There are cameos from excellent supporting musicians, such as Harouna Samaké on kamalengoni and keyboardist Charly Coulibaly, who peps up the rhythm and melodic richness on ‘Fakoly’, then just rides a droning chord for atmosphere on ‘Mbalia’. Those looking for demonstrations of the dazzling guitar genius that Djessou

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Africa reviews Mory Kanté obviously possesses will probably be disappointed. Nor is this an album of the kind of majestic compositions that vintage Guinean music is synonymous with. But it is still a very engaging listen indeed. Jon Lusk

TRACK TO TRY Senekela

Sefo Kanuteh Together Sefo Kanuteh (46 mins)

HHHHH

He’s put it all together, but do all the parts fit? Sefo Kanuteh’s talent as a musician shines through in bursts on Together. But his attempt at a fusion album narrowly misses the mark. Latin, jazz and reggae influences weave their way across a traditional Mande soundscape, often eclipsing Kanuteh’s excellent kora, voice and balafon (xylophone) playing. ‘Mbesilanding’ hints at Youssou N’Dour’s early mbalax music but is heavy with synthesized keyboard, it leads into the relaxed ‘Birinsaying’, where kora takes the foreground. The track itself is beautiful; the juxtaposition is rather jarring. Similarly, ‘Foday Kunda’ opens the album with strength and promise before segueing into the title-track, which has a naivety reminiscent of children’s singalongs. There are, however, some real lights that stand out in this odd assembly. The delicacy of ‘Mariya’ shows Kanuteh’s true musicianship: sensitive and lilting, his kora weaves a colourful melody over a resonant bass ostinato that underpins the tune. The invigorating ‘Sabary’ follows, bringing the album alive. The introduction of trumpet and piano in the final track makes for a surprising end that leaves the listener perplexed. All in all, a meandering album that is enjoyable in parts. Olivia Haughton

TRACK TO TRY Mariya

Simo Lagnawi The Gnawa Berber Riverboat Records (62 mins)

HHHHH

Everyone’s favourite Londonbased Gnawa geezer

Tim Woodall

TRACK TO TRY Dounia

Sally Nyolo Tiger Run Riverboat Records (38 mins)

HHHHH

This cat is in good form Nyolo’s eighth album in a solo career that began in 1996 with Tribu may just be her most cohesive and rewarding yet; the disparate facets of her musical personality have never come together in more satisfying equilibrium. Singing in her native Cameroonian language Eton, or in French or English, she glides easily and elegantly between the distinctive rhythms of her roots, bubbly Afro-pop with a Parisian twist and the kind of inventive hip-hop/pop fusions she once pursued with Zap Mama. She adds additional flavours to this rich mix, too, including an Indian vibe via sitar and tabla on ‘Me So Wa Yen’, jazz-soul lounge balladry on the title-track and swaying South African township jazz on ‘Medjok’. She even duets with the soprano Natahalie Leonoff on ‘Le Faiseur de Pluie Par Tous Les Temps’, the opera singer’s voice soaring astonishingly over bubbling, 6/8

bikutsi rhythms and Nyolo’s huskier tones. Best of all, perhaps, is the lovely ‘Eeeh’, which combines spiralling soukous guitars with an irresistible pop melody. At just 38 minutes, it is all over rather too soon, but it’s better to leave your audience wanting more than outstay one’s welcome. Nigel Williamson

TRACK TO TRY Eeeh

Teta Blue Tsapiky Buda Musique (48 mins)

HHHHH

Madagascar’s six-string minimalist Claude Teta is a guitarist and vocalist from Madagascar and here he is joined by a singer called

Kirasoa, who also adds light percussion. The only other instrumentation is an accordion on one track. It’s a minimal, beautifully performed album of Teta’s compositions, plus one traditional song. The music is all influenced by tsapiky, the traditional music of the south, from the Mahafaly tribe from which Teta emanates. Clearly Teta also takes influence from other guitar styles and there is a nice jazz and blues edge to his fingerstyle playing. Although living and performing in Madagascar, it is no wonder that Teta has become a popular guest on the European festival circuit. He might not be the sort of musician that will get everybody on their feet dancing; but he plays a captivating and highly entertaining style of music. Martin Sinnock

TRACK TO TRY Daty Raty

Aziz Sahmaoui & The University of Gnawa Mazal World Village (52 mins)

HHHHH

They’ll pay off their Gnawa student loans in no time The first University of Gnawa release came in 2011, when Sahmaoui, a founder of Orchestre National de Barbès, brought together Senegalese players Cheikh Diallo on kora, guitarist Hervé Samb, bassist Alioune Wad and Moroccan percussionist Adhil Mirghani. For their second release, the crack African quartet fuses sweet Moroccan chaabi with Gnawa music and the textures of Senegalese kora and guitar. There are gorgeous layers of harmony vocals throughout. Moroccan and Senegalese flavours mix with melodic pop and

exploratory contemporary jazz to make an album of strong tunes and great variety. The opening tracks are sweetly melodic African pop fusions, while ‘Une Dune Pour Deux’ is more stripped-down, a sociopolitical fable about a man who plants a tree in his neighbour’s garden but can’t gather its fruit. Its strong Gnawa bass rhythm and keening Moroccan call-andresponse vocals are overlaid by the beautiful thin, wispy flute of Naïssam Jalal, one of several guest players here. Where the Maghreb meets the sub-Saharan is the sweet spot from which the University of Gnawa works its magic. Tim Cumming

TRACK TO TRY Inchallah

top

of the world track 6

Manuel Lagos Cid

After dedicating his debut solo album, the bustling but tightly wound Gnawa London, to his adopted

home city, Simo Lagnawi focuses his second recording on his Berber roots and heritage. As before, his Gnawa music feels timeless in its ecstatic, trance-like flow but also contains musical or thematic threads from further afield. On this album, those threads are folk songs from across the Sahara and West Africa, all of which offer fuel for Lagnawi’s bluesy gimbri (long-necked lute) playing, which grooves profoundly under his fingers. He again sings and plays the other core parts – high chant-like vocals and percussion (including, of course, the Moroccan castanets known as qaraqab) but there is also a slight widening of instrumentation. Producer and collaborator Griselda Sanderson contributes a riveting, gritty fiddle solo on ‘Dounia’, while Freya Rae’s flute settles (a little less well) into ‘Sma’. The music itself remains the same at its core: texturally waxing and waning with different ensemble combinations, and always with a sense of inner pulse and energy. There are some fine tunes, such as ‘Sandika’, which juxtaposes a juddering gimbri riff with echoing calland-response vocals. But The Gnawa Berber feels more sprawling and less tightly focused than its predecessor.

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essential

Protest singers

Only the bravest artists take on the biggest enemies. Chris Moss singles out the main role models for today’s young, wannabe revolutionary musicians

01 Freddie Aguilar Greatest Hits (Vicor, 2009)

Aguilar’s rendition of the revolutionary song ‘Bayan Ko’ became the anthem of the opposition to the Marcos regime during the 1986 People Power Revolution. Soulful and searching, he is part late-Leonard Cohen, part James Taylor and part Pinoy rock sentimentality.

02 Billy Bragg Talking With the Taxman About Poetry (Go! Discs, 1986)

Love/lust songs like ‘Greetings to the New Brunette’, ‘Levi Stubbs’ Tears’ and ‘The Warmest Room’ say as much about the working classes as any of the overtly political tracks – though ‘There is Power in a Union’ and ‘Help Save the Youth of America’ assured listeners that the Bard of Barking was not softening.

03 Woody Guthrie This Land is Your Land: The Asch Recordings, Vol 1 (Smithsonian Folkways, 1997)

Troubadour and tireless human rights activist Woody Guthrie beguiles us with his gentle voice, but the sticker on his guitar warned ‘This Machine Kills Fascists.’ This disc contains many classics including the original version of ‘This Land is Your Land’, his antidote to the patriotic puff of ‘God Bless America’.

04 Fela Kuti and Afrika 70 Zombie (Knitting Factory, 2013)

Two songs lasting more than 12 minutes, one enemy – the corrupt, murderous and powerful Nigerian military. Fela Kuti’s brand of protest is danceable, cool, iconoclastic, passionate and controversial. The 96 s o n g l i n e s

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album was a smash. In response, a thousand ‘zombies’ attacked Fela’s Kalakuta Republic commune and destroyed his studio.

05 Bob Marley and the Wailers Natty Dread (Island, 1974)

Marley, with or without the Wailers, always gave his social message a spiritual edge. Natty Dread was his first album without Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, and marks a shift towards a bluesy, skankyswaying sound. In songs like ‘Rebel Music’, ‘No Woman No Cry’ and ‘Revolution’ the politics comes at us from the street with Marley as witness rather than speechmaker.

06 Hugh Masekela Masekela (Uni Records, 1969)

South African jazz supremo Hugh Masekela is proof that the sound of rebellion can be subtle and sophisticated without losing any of its spleen. From the uncompromising opening track, ‘Mace and Grenades’, this 1969 album has an angry, anarchic quality, with the trumpet doing most of the protesting. On the closing song, ‘If There’s Anybody Out There’, Masekela tells us he’s ‘screaming here from way down below.’ Subversion is always subterranean.

07 Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (Def Jam, 1988)

Copied and caricatured, revered and reviled, this hip-hop mission statement gave African Americans a voice, and a noise, they recognised as authentic. Chuck D’s ire comes through loud and clear, while the sound shapeshifts as it wanders the streets of NYC, horns blasting, crowds colliding, ghetto-blasters blaring and vinyl sampling and scratching.

08 Show of Hands Witness (Hands On Music, 2006)

Rousing, lyrical, occasionally acerbic, Witness shows Steve Knightley and Phil Beer doing what they do best – educating, entertaining and filling the huge cultural gap left by mass-market pop and rock (‘Branch, stem, shoot/They need roots’). The rise of UKIP has made ‘Roots’ seem especially timely, but there are powerful local sentiments in all these songs.

09 Mercedes Sosa 30 Años (Polygram, 1993)

From Tucumán in north-west Argentina – where mestizo and indigenous cultures persist – Mercedes Sosa (1935-2009) established herself as a nueva canción superstar with covers of Violeta Parra’s ‘Gracias a la Vida’ and Horacio Guarany’s ‘Si Se Calla el Cantor’. Singing lullabies and country dances or belting out folk rock alongside León Gieco, she had the popular touch.

10 Various Artists The Rough Guide to Arabic Revolution

(World Music Network, 2013)

Given the disastrous denouement unfolding in Syria, Libya, Yemen and Sudan, we can’t be certain terms like ‘Arab Spring’ or ‘Arabic Revolution’ will endure, but this compilation charts the mood of these heated times – from Tunisian rapper El General daring to question the ‘State of the Nation’ to Iranianborn Sami Yusuf exhorting Muslims the world over not to surrender in ‘I’m Your Hope’. It includes a bonus disc by Ramy Essam, who came to prominence performing on Tahrir Square.

+ Podcast Hear music from Egypt’s Ramy Essam on this issue’s podcast

+ LET US KNOW Have any other suggestions?

Write and let us know, letters@songlines.co.uk

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