Songlines Magazine (March 2015, #106) 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 Listings Editor Tatiana Rucinska listings@songlines.co.uk World Cinema Editor Yoram Allon yoram@cinephilia.co.uk Production Consultant Dermot Jones Financial Controllers Iwona Perucka & Stevie Good Contributing Editors Jane Cornwell, Mark Ellingham & Nigel Williamson Cover Photo Andy Morgan

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 © 2015 Songlines Publishing Ltd Songlines logo trade mark, registered under No. 2427714. Directors Simon Broughton, John Brown, Mark Ellingham, Paul Geoghegan, Lyn Hughes & Chris Pollard

ueuing early in the morning to get a copy of Charlie Hebdo in London last month was a fascinating experience. Charlie Hebdo was in hot demand. And everybody had their own reasons to be there. Je Suis Charlie in my support of the right to depict Mohammed, criticise the Pope and deride religious hypocrisy. My favourite cartoon in the ‘survivors issue’ depicted the two gunmen of the Paris attack arriving in heaven and saying ‘So where are the 70 virgins?’ The reply comes from a distant cloud: ‘They’re over there with the Charlie guys.’ The lead editorial in Charlie Hebdo was ultimately a call for secularism. While much of religion might be considered hypocrisy, I don’t see why anyone should insist on secularism – or force anyone to follow any religion. What is undeniable is that so much of the world’s great music is religious. All the masterpieces of Christian music from Bach’s Passions to Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms. Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the songs of the Camino de Santiago and Mahalia Jackson. The glorious Buddhist chants and the Hindu songs of Radha and Krishna. The Hasidic nigunim and Jewish piyyutim of Shabbat. And in the Islamic world, the supreme purity of the call to prayer itself, and the richness of devotional music from Pakistani qawwali to Moroccan Gnawa ceremonies. I might not be a believer in God, but I am a believer in sounds that are divine in their inspiration. Where are the musical monuments to secularism? In fact everything I’ve listed above is staple fare at the Fes Festival of Sacred Music (such as the St Ephraim Choir from Hungary, pictured right). And we’ve got a feature on Gnawa music this issue (see p40). As Ramadan has now reached mid-June to mid-July, it means that some of the great music festivals in the Islamic world have shifted their dates, because during Ramadan, Muslims shouldn’t be distracted from their devotions to God. So for most musicians, Ramadan is a quiet month. But curiously the Egyptians have different ideas and my musician friends in Cairo tell me that after sunset during the latter part of Ramadan is one of their busiest times, playing for parties to break the fast. Let’s celebrate the differences and call not for secularism, but for tolerance.

I might not be a believer in God, but I am a believer in sounds that are divine in their inspiration

Simon Broughton, editor-in-chief

CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE INCLUDE

ROB ADAMS Rob is the long-time roots music and jazz correspondent for The Herald in Glasgow. He’s written for newspapers and magazines and contributed to books. This issue he delves into Shooglenifty’s career (p48).

@SonglinesMag

KEVIN BOURKE Kevin has enjoyed 40 years of adventures in music, film and theatre. He lives in Saddleworth – the heart of brass band country. A Songlines contributor since 2011, this issue he’s reviewed The Unthanks (p70).

facebook.com/songlines

AMARDEEP DHILLON Amardeep is a London-based poet and journalist, as well as an amateur Indian vocalist and dilruba player. Having greatly impressed the Songlines team as an intern, he is now a regular reviewer (see p74).

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CONTENTS

34 Taraf de Haidouks

Damien Gard

UPFRONT

FEATURES

REGULARS

REVIEWS

06 Top of the World CD 08 My World interview

28 34 38 40 46

48 Beginner’s Guide:

56 60 68 74 77 78 82 84

11 16 19 21 22 25 27

Dee Dee Bridgewater What’s New & Obits Who’s Touring Letters Soapbox Introducing... Trio da Kali & Leveret Spotlight on Punch Brothers Quickfire: Becky Unthank, Jerry Douglas, Lucas Santtana

WIN

Songhoy Blues Taraf de Haidouks Duncan Chisholm Gnawa Music Celebrating Fado

50 53 87 92 94 97 98

Shooglenifty Festival Pass: Orkney Folk Festival Postcard from Kushtia, Bangladesh Gig Guide Subscribe Overseas Festivals Dispatch from: Geneva Essential Ten: Gnawa albums

Africa Americas Europe Asia Pacific Fusion World Cinema Live Reviews

A copy of Punch Brothers’ latest album The Phosphorescent Blues 25 Duncan Chisholm’s critically-acclaimed Strathglass Trilogy 39 Shooglenifty’s new album 49 A copy of Southern District DVD 83

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 April 2 2015 (unless otherwise stated)

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13/01/2015 12:22

TOP OF THE WORLD

01 Songhoy Blues ‘Soubour’ 02 Punch Brothers ‘Boll Weevil’ 03 The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band ‘Show Wong Molam International’ 04 Criolo ‘Convoque Seu Buda’ 05 Boubacar Traoré ‘Hona’ 06 The Unthanks ‘Magpie’ 07 Pascuala Ilabaca y Fauna ‘Carnaval de San Lorenzo de Tarapacá’ 08 Verckys et l’Orchestre Vévé ‘Nakobala Yo Denise’ 09 Leveret ‘Gallons of Cognac’ 10 Louis Sarno ‘Yeyi-Greeting’

Free tracks

THE BEST NEW RELEASES

+ DEE DEE

BRIDGEWATER’S PLAYLIST

top

TOP

OF THE WORLD

of the world

CD ISSUE 106 106 PLUS 5 tracks chosen by Dee Dee Bridgewater 11 Fatoumata Diawara ‘Bissa’ 12 Manu Dibango ‘Soul Makossa’ 13 Rokia Traoré ‘Tounka’ 14 Oumou Sangaré ‘Moussolou’ 15 Bassekou Kouyaté & Ngoni ba ‘Bassekou’

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

Featuring Bassekou Kouyaté & Ngoni ba, Criolo, Boubacar Traoré, Punch Brothers, The Unthanks, Songhoy Blues, Fatoumata Diawara and more... SLTOTWCD-106-onbody.indd 1

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STWCD82 This compilation & © 2015 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. Mbalimaou (Lusafrica) & © 2014 Lusafrica. Courtesy of Lusafrica

10 Louis Sarno ‘Yeyi-Greeting’ (4:34)

15 Bassekou Kouyaté & Ngoni ba ‘Bassekou’ (3:25)

14 Oumou Sangaré ‘Moussolou’ (5:17)

SLTOTWCD-106-sleeve.indd 1

02 Punch Brothers ‘Boll Weevil’ (2:41)

01 Songhoy Blues ‘Soubour’ (3:36)

TOP OF THE WORLD SELECTION

07 Pascuala Ilabaca y Fauna ‘Carnaval de San Lorenzo de Tarapacá’ (4:45)

13 Rokia Traoré ‘Tounka’ (3:03)

06 The Unthanks ‘Magpie’ (5:06)

11 Fatoumata Diawara ‘Bissa’ (3:07)

DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER’S PLAYLIST

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

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From Mount the Air on Rabble Rouser Music

The first studio album in four years from

Maison des Jeunes project in 2013,

the Northumbrian folk band proves that

Songhoy Blues are the new sound of Mali,

they are a seemingly fearless ensemble

set to become West Africa’s biggest export

who wear their art lightly and keep their

since Amadou & Mariam. See p56

heart lively. See p70

02 Punch Brothers

07 Pascuala Ilabaca y Fauna

‘Boll Weevil’

From The Phosphorescent Blues on Nonesuch Records

‘Carnaval de San Lorenzo de Tarapacá’

together a series of vignettes on the theme

From Busco Paraíso on Petit Indie

of connection that dips in and out of

Chilean singer-songwriter and accordionist

various genres, all while managing to still

Ilabaca puts together a varied album with

sound like the band we love. See p64

jazz, indie and rock elements. See p63

03 The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band ‘Show Wong Molam International’

08 Verckys et l’Orchestre Vévé

‘Nakobala Yo Denise’

From Congolese Funk, Afrobeat & Psychedelic Rumba 1969-1978 on Analog Africa

From 21st Century Molam on Paradise Bangkok

Verckys and his band brought a raw

Classic Thai sounds get a 21st-century

energy, vibrancy and sheer funkiness to

update, ready for the dance floor. See p75

the Congolese rumba scene. See p58

04 Criolo ‘Convoque Seu Buda’

09 Leveret

The Brazilian rapper returns with a

The English squeezebox and string trio

diverse album that sees him sing just as

share a repertoire of traditional and

much as much as he raps, which is sure

original tunes, responding to each other

to fuel Criolo’s growing stature, both in

in an almost improvisatory manner for

Brazil and around the world. See p60

this beautiful debut album. See p69

05 Boubacar Traoré ‘Hona’

10 Louis Sarno

The first album in four years from this

The extraordinary recordings from the

much-loved Malian singer and guitarist

film that documents Louis Sarno’s travels

finds him on familiar ground, but

to the Central African Republic are pure,

demonstrates he can still make music that

beautiful, unmediated and almost quite

has the power to engage. See p57

unlike anything you’ve heard. See p80

From Convoque Seu Buda on Sterns Music

From Mbalimaou on Lusafrica

06 S O N G L I N E S

08 Verckys et l’Orchestre Vévé ‘Nakobala Yo Denise’ (4:02)

06 The Unthanks ‘Magpie’

First heard as part of the Africa Express

The progressive bluegrass quintet put

03 The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band ‘Show Wong Molam International’ (3:39)

From Music in Exile on Transgressive Records

09 Leveret ‘Gallons of Cognac’ (3:11)

01 Songhoy Blues ‘Soubour’

04 Criolo ‘Convoque Seu Buda’ (3:53)

‘Gallons of Cognac’ From New Anything on RootBeat Records

‘Yeyi-Greeting’

From Song from the Forest OST on Tondowski Films

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+ Dee Dee Bridgewater’s playlist 11

11 Fatoumata Diawara ‘Bissa’ From Fatou on World Circuit

“She just has such a wonderful stage presence, and she’s so beautiful to watch. She’s got an aura about her. I’m so proud of what’s happening for her now with World Circuit.”

12 Manu Dibango ‘Soul Makossa’ From Lion of Africa on Global Mix

“You can’t imagine how amazing [working with Manu Dibango] was for me... Manu’s a lot of fun… and he’s extremely knowledgeable about jazz music and a very versatile musician.”

13 Rokia Traoré ‘Tounka’ From Tchamantché on Nonesuch Records

Bridgewater first came across Rokia’s music while living in Paris and coincidentally bumped into Rokia’s cousin while in Segou. Sadly Rokia wasn’t available to guest on Bridgewater’s Red Earth album.

“ I decided that I needed to embrace my African ancestry because being raised in the US, so many African American people have such a stereotyped and negative image of Africa”

Turn over for the full interview with Dee Dee Bridgewater

14 Oumou Sangaré ‘Moussolou’ From Moussolou on World Circuit

Oumou was one of Bridgewater’s guides during her time in Mali and features on her Red Earth album. She calls the Malian songbird “mon énergie,” and describes Oumou as being like a sister to her.

15 Bassekou Kouyaté & Ngoni ba ‘Bassekou’ From Segu Blue on Out Here Records

“Bassekou is nothing short of

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 p10 for more details.

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

extraordinary,” says Bridgewater, and she’s also a huge fan of his wife Ami Sacko who reminds her of Abbey Lincoln.

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INTRODUCING...

Sebastian Schutyser Aga Khan Music Initiative

Trio da Kali

Lucy Durán speaks to the Malian trio who are bringing a new voice to old sounds

n the days before colonial rule, in my part of the world, the trio was a very important ensemble,” said Lassana Diabaté, balafon player from Mali, and musical director of Trio da Kali, a newly formed group with a unique format. “Those trios had a balafon, a bolon [a four-string bass harp], and a singer. They would play for rulers and warriors. The balafon makes people dance, but it has a serious side to it, it’s a magical instrument. Da Kali are reviving this old format. All we’ve done is swap the bolon for a bass ngoni – the ngoni is more portable and flexible.” Lassana was talking to a group of students at Brandeis, one of four US universities where Trio da Kali did residencies last year, supported by the

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Aga Khan Music Initiative (AKMI). The trio only came into being in late 2012, but already they have played at a BBC Prom, the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, and the London Jazz Festival. They were formed at the instigation of AKMI, specifically to develop a collaborative project with Kronos Quartet, which will be recorded later this year. Now, with a debut EP released by World Circuit to coincide with their UK tour, Trio da Kali are taking off in their own right. All three musicians are from leading Mande musical families representing different regional styles, and their aim is to revive neglected and forgotten griot styles and repertoires, but with a contemporary twist. Da Kali means ‘to make a pledge’ – in this case, a pledge to the art of the griot. Hawa Kassé Mady Diabaté, daughter of Kassé Mady Diabaté, is the singer, and has one of the finest voices of any female griot in Mali. At home, Hawa performs mainly on the wedding circuit. The youngest member is bass ngoni player Mamadou Kouyaté – eldest son of Bassekou Kouyaté. Still in his early 20s, he is one of Mali’s most creative

musicians of the new generation and his bass lines are earthy and sinuous. But the most distinctive feature of the trio is the balafon, and Lassana is certainly one of Mali’s most astonishing virtuosi. The balafon remains stubbornly traditional in its construction. Unlike the kora and ngoni, there is no way of plugging its rosewood keys into a DI. But there are other ways of adapting it to a more contemporary sound. Formerly an instrument of the court, the balafon is naturally loud. Its cascading lines, percussive riffs and buzzing gourd resonators are a familiar element in many Malian ensembles. The balafon was hugely influential in the development of modern Mande music. But the instrument has taken a back seat – until now. Lassana has taken the art of carving and tuning the rosewood keys to new heights, giving it an unsurpassed warmth and expressiveness. Together, steeped in tradition, these three brilliant musicians give a new voice to timeless sounds.

+ TOUR See Gig Guide for Trio da Kali’s UK tour dates

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Leveret

Jo Frost speaks to the new instrumental trio who are shaking up the English folk tune tradition

Elly Lucas

he illustration on the front of the album by the new group who call themselves Leveret depicts the long-eared and longlimbed mammal better known as a baby hare. “And hares do play,” Sam Sweeney says as a way of explaining their newly formed group name, “and we play with music, so it just seemed kind of appropriate.” The band may be new, but its musicians are all well-established and highly sought-after instrumentalists within the English folk music scene. Diatonic accordionist Andy Cutting has played with Chris Wood, Blowzabella and the Cecil Sharp Project; Rob Harbron plays the English concertina and runs the English Acoustic Collective’s summer schools and Sam Sweeney is best known as the fiddler in Bellowhead. “We have been playing with singers for a very long time,” says Sweeney “but we found out that we love playing tunes, and we wanted to play more tunes – and play with tunes.” Inevitably while on tour they would end up jamming together and gradually came up with the impetus to form a trio. The premise behind the group is they don’t have any written arrangements, so it’s different every time they play. What they do have between them is an inordinate amount of tune knowledge. While on tour with the singer Fay Hield, Harbron and Sweeney spent months delving into manuscripts and tune books to find as many tunes as they could. “It was clear that some just weren’t going to fit with the vibe of the band,” Sweeney says. “Part of playing together in my living room was figuring out what kind of tunes we would play and what kind of aesthetic the band was going to have.” On evidence of the response from the handful of performances they’ve

given so far, that aesthetic is one of superb musicianship and an evident joy in playing that makes them a delight to watch. Cutting describes the experience of one of their first public performances at the English Acoustic Collective summer school last July. “We played for about 50 minutes and played everything we knew, plus a few things we didn’t know!” he smiles. “We thought we might be onto something.” “It’s incredibly refreshing and rejuvenating as a musician,” says Harbron about the experience. “You don’t have to worry about anything onstage apart from just being in the gig. Whereas if you’re doing a 20-date tour with the same set list, your mind starts to wander,” Sweeney professes.

After their performance at last year’s Homegrown Festival as part of the English Folk Expo, one of the delegates described how their music made him really lean towards the stage, in anticipation of where the music was going to go. “It’s really a listening gig – not just for the audience, but for us –which is really exciting,” says Harbron. “I think much more about listening than I do about the playing; the playing is almost instinctive, but the listening is everything.”

+ ALBUM New Anything, the debut +

album by Leveret, is a Top of the World review in this issue, track 9 on the CD TOUR Leveret tour the UK from February 12. See the Gig Guide

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Songhai Stars ‘Mali’s Next Big Thing’, Songhoy Blues, are riding a much-deserved wave of success as the young band speak and sing out about their country’s social issues WORDS AND PHOTOS ANDY MORGAN

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SONGHOY BLUES

et’s talk about education. I don’t mean French homework or triple geometry. I mean education as a blessing, a privilege and a source of pride. I want to talk about education in West Africa and about four young guys from northern Mali. The first, Garba Touré, has a degree in molecular biology. The second, Oumar Touré, has a degree in town planning. The third, Aliou Touré, studied law and the fourth, Nathanael ‘Nat’ Dembélé, is studying drumming and percussion at his local music conservatory. That all four are in a band called Songhoy Blues and that they’re the bookie’s favourite to become Mali music’s ‘Next Big Thing’ is, you might think, a fact entirely unconnected to their educational accomplishments. But you would be wrong because in Mali, and most of West Africa, music and education are two sides of the same coin.

Most Malians are under 30 years old and only a third can read and write. That doesn’t mean they’re dumb; it just means that the educational system is in a severe mess. So artists involved in the two most popular and grass-roots forms of entertainment – music and theatre – are expected to fill the gap by talking about things that really matter. To be a widely appreciated musician is to talk in an intelligent way about what’s going on in the lives of ordinary people, not to talk about twerking on the dance floor. “Here in Mali, everybody knows that music is really one of the best ways to raise awareness amongst the civilian population,” says guitarist Garba, “about moving forward, about sending children to school, about polluting the environment.” “Our fortune is that we’ve all been to school and university,” says bassist Oumar. “There are plenty of bands that don’t have a conscience. We have to exploit our intellectual know-how.”

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Band Run on the

Romania’s most famous musical export burst onto the scene 25 years ago. The younger generation chat to Simon Broughton about revisiting their classic repertoire

y father was a great musician, renowned and highly sought-after. He played the violin very well and had a beautiful, powerful voice until the end of his life.” Accordionist Gheorghe Manole is talking about Ion Manole, the elder statesman of Taraf de Haidouks, a portly figure with his trademark trilby hat. “He was a man that was tough on us, and he was a bit tight with his money. He was always quarrelling with Neacşu, his neighbour, regarding wedding gigs and about which of them was the best.” It’s not surprising to learn that there was a rivalry between those two veterans of Taraf de Haidouks. While Manole was probably the better all-round musician, it was Neacşu, with his gap-toothed smile and special horse-hair fiddle technique, who became the iconic figurehead of the

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band. It’s now 25 years since the creation of Taraf and most of the veterans have now passed on – Neacşu died in 2002 and Manole the following year. After a quarter of a century of international acclaim, including illustrious names like Yehudi Menuhin and Johnny Depp, Taraf have released their seventh album on Crammed Discs, Of Lovers, Gamblers and Parachute Skirts. After experiments like the rather contrived Maškaradă (2007), drawing on classical pieces by Bartók, Khachaturian and others, and the disappointing Band of Gypsies 2 (2011), with Macedonia’s Kočani Orkestar, this is a return to their roots. Sons of the original veterans are involved – including Gheorghe Manole and Sandu ‘Tsagoi’ Marin (son of Neacşu) – and musicians of the younger third generation. As the booklet says, ‘in this anniversary album, Taraf de Haidouks have weaved it all back together into a rich tapestry of styles, which pays tribute to their parents generation.’ And very good it sounds too. It’s worth recounting the remarkable story of how the band was created 25 years ago. Just days after the fall of the dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu in 1989, Stéphane Karo and Michel Winter set out by car from Brussels for the Romanian village of Clejani, determined to create a group. Clejani is only 40km from Bucharest, although it was very hard to find as there

were few road signs in those days. Karo had been there six months earlier and heard a whole string of amazing Gypsy musicians. “We went to the house of Ion Manole and there was a queue of musicians turning up. I said that I wanted to make a band and arrange a tour in Europe and asked anyone who was interested to put their names on a piece of paper. We ended up with about 120 names on the list.” Karo chose Clejani having heard the musicians on a French Ocora CD recorded

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TA R A F D E H A I D O U K S

The varying line-ups of Taraf de Haidouks Main image: current band with manager Stéphane Karo (centre front). Bottom (left to right): Cacurica, Ion Manole, Caliu, Marin Manole and Neacsu in 1998 Centre: Ion Manole (top left), Neacsu (front left), Caliu (front right) Falcaru (behind) from the first Taraf album in 1991 Left: Ion Manole and the band in 1998 Far left: Clejani village musicians c1970

Photos by Damien Gard; Klaus Reimer & Youri Lenquette

in 1986 by Romanian musicologist Speranța Rădulescu and Laurent Aubert from the Ethnographical Museum in Geneva. The recording contains magnificent old ballads and wonderful instrumental playing on fiddle and țambal (cimbalom) by several of the musicians that were to become stalwarts of Taraf de Haidouks: Ion Manole and Nicolae Neacşu, Dumitru ‘Cacurica’ Baicu, always smiling as he played a portable cimbalom like an ice-cream tray hung on his belly, and flautist Ion Falcaru. All of them have now passed away except Falcaru who is still the band’s flute player.

Karo and Winter dreamed up the name Taraf de Haidouks – taraf is the Romanian word for a band and haidouks are the historical brigands who feature in many of the old ballads. After their first tour in 1991, they recorded their debut album for Crammed Discs in Brussels. One of the best songs on this release was Neacşu’s ‘Balada Conducatorului’ (Ballad of the Dictator), about the demise of Ceauşescu, accompanied by a groaning, other-worldly sound produced by tugging on a horse hair that had been tied to the lower string of his violin – which Neacşu also does on the Ocora CD.

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Africa REVIEWS Classica Orchestra Afrobeat feat Sékouba Bambino & Baba Sissoko Regard Sur Le Passé Brutture Moderne (65 mins)

★★★★★

An Afro-classical celebration of Guinea’s anti-imperialist past

Songhoy Blues Music in Exile Transgressive Records (40 mins)

★★★★★

The names may change but the Songhoy remains the same First heard via various Africa Express projects in the West, including the album Maison des Jeunes, the four-piece Songhoy Blues represent the new, rocking sound of Mali and are surely destined for the same crossover international success as Tinariwen. ‘Soubour’ kicks off proceedings and would not have sounded out of place on Robert Plant’s recent Lullaby and… The Ceaseless Roar. The production by Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) deliberately gives extra heft to the rocking bass and electric guitars without burying the distinctive tribal rhythm.

TOP

OF THE WORLD TRACK 1

Andy Morgan

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‘Al Hassidi Terei’ sounds like Ali Farka Touré at his funkiest – no surprise given that guitarist Garba Touré is the son of Oumar Touré, the long-term percussionist in Ali’s band. But if Ali sounded like the West African cousin of John Lee Hooker, Songhoy Blues sound more like the heirs of Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, filtered through the prism of 21st-century Bamako. Their desert blues have been transplanted into a decidedly urban environment, although ‘Petit Métier’ and the heartfelt acoustic lament ‘Mali’ have a gentler lilt. Songhoy Blues are set to become West Africa’s biggest export since Amadou & Mariam. NIGEL WILLIAMSON

TRACK TO TRY Soubour

This CD brings together two Guinean master musicians and griots – vocalist Sékouba Bambino (lead singer of the legendary Bembeya Jazz National) and storyteller and kamalengoni player Baba Sissoko – with the Classica Orchestra Afrobeat. The Orchestra features classical musicians from Europe, who mostly play on present day European orchestral instruments, plus harpsichord, viola da gamba, bagpipes, mandolin and accordion, along with balafon (xylophone) and Mande drums. Together they created this version of the suite Regard Sur Le Passé. Originally written in 1969 by the Guinean state band Bembeya Jazz National, it epitomised the cultural enthusiasm sweeping Guinea and other newly independent West African countries. The suite celebrates the life of Samory Touré, who at the end of the 19th century had led a successful resistance to the advances of the French troops for over 20 years. For this version, recorded live in 2013, the Orchestra’s director, Marco Zanotti, transcribed the original guitar lines of Bembeya Jazz National, including those of the virtuoso Sékou ‘Diamond Fingers’ Diabaté, and arranged the piece for the ensemble. Sadly, it doesn’t really convince. The limp orchestration and arrangements make it all very muzak-like. Sékouba’s voice and Baba Sissoko’s playing, however, are brilliant throughout. MAX REINHARDT

TRACK TO TRY Victory

Kodé di Dona Cape Verde Ocora Radio France (72 mins)

★★★★★ ★★★

Granddaddy of the funaná keeps it rough and ready Those who’ve had their fill of the new Cape Verde artists like Mayra Andrade and Tcheka and are yearning for the islands’ real musical roots will love this rough and ready CD from the father of the funaná – the most popular rhythm on the

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Africa REVIEWS archipelago’s most populous island, Santiago. With accordion playing as naive as Dylan’s harmonica and further accompaniment limited to the scraping of a rusting metal reco-reco, these recordings would sound best in a dusty backyard in Praia, with a bevy of local hand-clappers and lots of grog. The songs are invariably about community life and personal woes. ‘Fomi 47’ describes Kodé di Dona’s life during the 1947 famine. It’s rich with local names, people and dayto-day events. ‘Amizadi la Korason’ talks of friendship between pigeon fanciers. Others like ‘Mi N ta Rabola’ are homages to girls or reminiscences of Dona’s love life. They are as ribald in their innuendo as a Beryl Cook beach painting. As ever, Ocora provide loving liner notes, which, while informative, further add to the CD’s anthropological museum-piece feel. All too often on CD, the raw charm of the music is lost when divorced from occasion and location. Rather than earnest listening to this album, it’d be much more fun to meet up with Dona in Santiago, get drunk with him and dance along with the locals. ALEX ROBINSON

TRACK TO TRY Mi N ta Rabola

Ethiocolor Ethiocolor Selam Sounds (59 mins)

★★★★★

Hard-dancing, chant-singing African grooves Ethiocolor is a new project exploring cultural traditions from across Ethiopia, and the sounds of its northern azmari culture in particular. The resulting album is polished and slick, having been sharply recorded at the Selam label’s studio in Addis. Purporting to ‘come up with a new set of modern traditions within Ethiopian music’ it is, however, slightly difficult to peg where the dividing and connecting points are in this creative process. On the face of it, there is little to criticise – ‘Otai Ma Na’, for example, builds from a bass-driven, headnodding 6/8 groove into something almost dance-floor friendly, and the musicianship is great, led by dancer and vocalist Melaku Belay. ‘Sekota’, driven by the masenqo (fiddle) of Endres Hassen, has a gorgeously sultry groove and lead vocal and the ominous ‘Shimunmun’ captures genuine drama in the music. Overall, however, the project feels a little

regimented and pristine, which stifles the music somewhat. Instead of soaring, the songs never quite feel like they reach their full stretch. CHRIS MENIST

TRACK TO TRY Sekota

Maya Kamaty Santié Papang Sakifo Records (49 mins)

★★★★★

The new star of the ‘Indian Ocean blues’ Few female vocalists have successfully ventured into La Réunion’s politically-charged maloya music. The Indian Ocean blues was initially banned by France before being immortalised by Danyèl Waro and the group Ziskakan. Natalie Natiembé and Leila Négrau have been the female standard bearers but they are now set to share centre stage with a singer of rare pedigree. Some 35 years after her father, Gilbert Pounia, co-founded Ziskakan, Maya Kamaty has brought out an album of startling maturity, displaying vocals that can shimmer and caress or erupt provocatively. Kamaty shows herself adept at modernising the sega and maloya rhythms forged on her island while retaining the traditional instruments they are built on. Her songs, concerning domestic violence, youth culture and the private dreams of a young girl, manifest the creative streak her poet-mother passed down. Ironically, it was during her time in Montpellier in southern France that Kamaty discovered her vocation and musical traditions. The only time she wavers is in her interpretation of two ballads written for her in French by Mauritian poet Michel Ducasse. The rest fully justifies the pundits who are praising her as the new face of maloya. DANIEL BROWN

TRACK TO TRY Véli

Hailu Mergia & The Walias Tche Belew Awesome Tapes From Africa (41 mins)

★★★★★

Outrageously funky grooves It has been hugely gratifying to see Ethiopian pianist and keyboardplayer Hailu Mergia find a brand new audience this year, playing exciting and fresh arrangements of

his compositions in venues around the globe. His take on the Ethiopian tradition is not merely trading on past glories, but pushing it into new territory. For anyone unfamiliar with this work as a player and arranger, this album is the perfect primer. Recorded in 1977 in Ethiopia’s Derg era, like Mulatu Astatke’s Ethio-jazz experiments, the whole album is solid end to end. ‘Musicawi Silt’ is an

absolute belter with a searing horn line, choppy rhythm guitars and a swaying backbeat. Funky barely covers it. Similarly, ‘Eti Gual Blenai’ boasts an outrageous arrangement, blending jazz sections, kebero rhythms and 4/4 grooves. The opener and title-track is also a heavy bubbler, with Mergia displaying his ample improvisational skills over the modal groove. There is little to touch this in the country’s

TOP

OF THE WORLD

Boubacar Traoré Mbalimaou

TRACK 5

Lusafrica (56 mins)

★★★★★

Old friends and new lend the great guitarist a hand The first album in four years from this much-loved Malian singer and guitarist finds him on fairly familiar ground, but still making music that has the power to engage. And with a surprise or two up his sleeves. For the past few years, he’s been working with harmonica player Vincent Bucher, who makes the connection between the blues and Malian music more explicit than ever with his skilfully nuanced blowing on ‘Sagnon Moni’. On ‘Bembalisso’, ‘Saya Temokoto’, ‘Africa’ and the title-track,

percussionist Babah Kone ably helps the maestro put a spring in his step. The other key collaborators are ngoni player Oumar Barou and kora player Ballaké Sissoko, who coproduces with Christian Mousset. Soumaila Diabaté makes ‘Mbalimaou’ a definite highlight, with his deft bowing of the rustic sokou (one-stringed fiddle). Bucher’s blues harp seems slightly superfluous on the new interpretation of ‘Mariama’, which isn’t as haunting as the iconic version on Boubacar’s wonderful 1990 debut for Stern’s. But overall, this is a solid new album. JON LUSK

TRACK TO TRY Mbalimaou

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

ISSUE 106

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› SONGLINES

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FEBRUARY-MARCH 2015

Gig Guide

Songlines picks... Ibibio Sound Machine (Norwich, February 13) The London-based eight piece fronted by Eno Williams (pictured) have been taking dance floors by storm with their retro highlife sounds. Treacherous Orchestra (Edinburgh, February 27) The Scottish big band release their latest album, Grind (reviewed on p71). Habib Koité (Dublin, March 3) The Malian singer and guitarist performs with his group of virtuoso musicians. Emel Mathlouthi (London, February 14) The ‘Joan Baez of Tunisia’, brings her socially conscious songs to London’s Rich Mix. The Touré-Raichel Collective (London, February 24) The multicultural project from Vieux Farka Touré and Idan Raichel. See p16 for tour highlights

LONDON 8 FEB Cheng Yu + Zhao Xiao + Xu Muzi Kings Place 020 7520 1490; 8-15 FEB Festival Maslenitsa: Russian Week in London maslenitsa.co.uk; 12 & 26 FEB, 12 & 26 MAR Uxbridge Folk Club Hillingdon tinyurl.com/uxfolk; 14 FEB Emel Mathlouthi Rich Mix 020 7613 7498; Emily Portman + Paul Sartin + James Fagan Cecil Sharp House 020 7485 2206; 15 FEB London Fiddle Convention Cecil Sharp House londonfiddleconvention.org.uk; 16 FEB

Taraf de Haidouks Union Chapel musicglue.com; 16 FEB-1 MAR Flamenco Festival London Sadler’s Wells sadlerswells.com; 17 FEB Mohsen Namjoo Union Chapel musicglue.com; 18 FEB Mehdi & Adib Rostami Asia House 020 7307 5454; 20 FEB Alekos Vretos Project + Valkania Rich Mix 020 7613 7498; 22 FEB Chinese New Year Chinatown and Trafalgar Square FREE lccauk.com; Pandit Dinesh The Forge 020 7383 7808; 24 FEB The Touré-Raichel Collective Jazz Café 020 7688 8899; 25 FEB Treacherous Orchestra The Borderline 08448 472

465; Pablo Milanés Barbican 020 7638 8891; 26 FEB Shashwati Mandal Paul Purcell Room 0844 875 0073; 27 FEB Biram Seck The Forge 020 7383 7808; Alasdair Roberts + Lisa Knapp + Kris Drever + Naomi Bedford Cecil Sharp House 020 7485 2206; 28 FEB Chinese New Year Celebrations Rich Mix FREE richmix.org.uk; Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat feat Khyam Allami Artsdepot 020 8369 5454; Samyo QEH 0844 875 0073; 1 MAR [monthly workshops] London Rainforest Choir Cecil Sharp House 020 7485 2206; 3 MAR The Gloaming Barbican 020 7638 8891;

5 MAR Chico Chica The Bull’s Head 020 8876 5241; 7 MAR JazzEast feat Gilad Atzmon Kings Place 020 7520 1490; 8 MAR Sanjay Subrahmanyan The Bhavan 020 7386 0924; 12 MAR Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker Cecil Sharp House 020 7485 2206; 12-13 MAR Joyce Ronnie Scott’s 020 7439 0747; 13 MAR Katiba 5 + 47 Soul Royal Court Theatre Bar FREE 07903 606026; 15 MAR Thanasis Papakonstantinou KOKO 0844 847 2258; 16 MAR Mariza Barbican 020 7638 8891; 17 MAR Çiğdem Aslan with Pavlos Carvalho & Pavlos Melas

www.songlines.co.uk/gigs All information correct at time of going to press. Email listings for print and online consideration to listings@songlines.co.uk ISSUE 106

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› SONGLINES

28/01/2015 19:01

essential

gnawa albums

Gnawa music is notoriously difficult to record, but there are a few choice releases out there. Here is our selection of the best traditional and fusion Gnawa albums W o r d s S i m o n B r o u g hto n , T i m C u m m i n g , A l e xa n d r a P e t r o p o u lo s

01 Majid Bekkas Makenba (Igloo, 2010)

Although he began playing oud and guitar and is not Gnawa by birth, Bekkas has become a formidable gimbri player and the leading Moroccan name in Gnawa jazz with over a dozen albums. Here he works with bass clarinet and sax player Louis Sclavis, balafon player Aly Keita and Minino Garay on percussion. SB

02 Maâllem Mokhtar Gania Gnawa Sufi Trance: Music of Morocco (Standard Records, 2004)

Mokhtar Gania, brother of Mahmoud Gania (also spelt Guinia), is from one of the great Gnawa dynasties. He leads some real lila trance sessions to various jinns. Powerful gimbri, clashing qaraqab and ululating women. It feels like the real thing. Reviewed in #28. SB

03 Gnawa Diffusion Souk System

(Warner Jazz France, 2003) Gnawa Diffusion offer an all-inclusive type of fusion. You can find a bit of everything – Gnawa, chaabi, reggae, ska, rock, and even a hint of country & western. These all help to conjure a unique universe of Moroccan souks tucked within a French suburb. Gnawa Diffusion bring the lilting sounds of Gnawa into the 21st century. Reviewed in #24. AP

04 Hassan Hakmoun Trance (Real World, 1993)

Hakmoun grew up in Marrakech and was schooled in the traditional sounds of Gnawa. He moved to the US in 1987 and began incorporating the various influences he picked up along the way into his music. 98 s o n g l i n e s

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› issue

Trance, recorded in just four days with his band Zahar, offers an exciting electrified brand of Gnawa that takes in driving electric guitars over the trance-inducing repetition of the gimbri. AP

05 Simo Lagnawi Gnawa London (Waulk Records, 2013)

Maâlem (Gnawa master) Simo Lagnawi had already made his name in the UK as a collaborator in various musical projects including the Gnawa fusion band Electric Jalaba before releasing this, his solo debut, in 2013. Easing back from the electric fusion of his earlier work, it’s a subtler fusion featuring his arrangements of traditional tunes, and is very much in the spirit of an all-night lila with lilting gimbri and clacking qaraqab. Reviewed in #94. AP

06 Aziz Sahmaoui & University of Gnawa Mazal (World Village, 2014)

Originally a founding member of Orchestre National de Barbès, Aziz Sahmaoui first put together University of Gnawa, a mix of Moroccan and Senegalese musicians in 2011. For Mazal, their second album, Sahmaoui, kora player Cheikh Diallo, guitarist Hervé Samb, bassist Alioune Wade and percussionist Adhil Mirghani perform another excellent set of Gnawa fusion that throws Moroccan chaabi into the mix. A Top of the World review in #105. AP

07 Various Artists Anthologie Musicale des Gnaoua (Yerma Gnaoua Association, 2014)

This is a nine-disc box set that was assembled for the Yerma Gnaoua Association and Essaouira’s Gnawa Festival. It features a lila’s worth of performances from all over the region. The

set documents Gnawa’s rhythmic, melodic, lyric and stylistic richness, documenting the intricate phases and stages of the lila repertoire. While it is not available to purchase, it will be distributed in libraries and conservatories as an excellent resource. TC

08 Various Artists Gnawa Home Songs (Accords Croisés, 2006)

Beautifully recorded in the village of Tameslouht, which hosts the largest traditional Gnawa gathering, this features a selection of the best maâlem – Ahmed & Hassan Boussou, Hamid Kasri, Zef Zaf and others. Dispensing with the qaraqab brings the vocals and fine gimbri playing to the fore. Probably the best disc of traditional Gnawa music there is. Reviewed in #45. SB

09 Various Artists Night Spirit Masters (Axiom, 1991)

This has been long admired as one of the benchmark discs of Gnawa music. Produced by Bill Laswell and made in the medina in Marrakech, this very lively recording with a large group of musicians keeps the qaraqab in check but has lots of atmosphere. Hard to find but worth it. SB

10 Various Artists World of Gnawa (Rounder Records, 2001)

A comprehensive doubleCD that includes lila music dedicated to different jinns and their associated colours. It features some of the best maâlem of the 90s including Mustapha Baqbou and Abdenbi Binizi. It is unbeatable for its hugely extensive notes and translations, but is probably better for research than listening. SB

+ MORE Read more about Gnawa music on p40 + LET US KNOW Have any other suggestions? Write and let us know, letters@songlines.co.uk

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Songlines magazine & Serious presentâ&#x20AC;Ś

Mariza in concert

Monday March 16 2015, 7:30pm, Barbican, London Telephone: 020 7638 8891 www.serious.org.uk/mariza

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