Songlines Magazine (April 2016, #116) by Songlines Magazine

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A voice for the Saharawis

or those of you wondering where in the world Simon is, fear not, he’s back from his travels and has written about his trip to Bamako in his new regular column on p18.

I’m delighted that my maiden editorial coincides with the first

time we’ve had an artist from the Western Sahara on the cover, Aziza

World Cinema Editor Yoram Allon

Brahim. Western Sahara is a disputed territory along the north-west coast of Africa, bordered by Morocco, Mauritania and Algeria. Known as the last colony in Africa, its history is woeful – Spanish colonisation, Moroccan invasion and UN intervention, the Saharawis are living in a political impasse, denied self-determination. The media is full of tragic stories about refugees and displaced people, but the story of the Saharawis is so rarely heard. Although Aziza was born in a refugee camp in Algeria and now lives in exile in Barcelona, Western Sahara is her homeland. Her music is inextricably linked to her people’s struggle and, like the late Mariem Hassan, Aziza has become an eloquent spokesperson for the Saharawis. “I can’t separate my political side from my cultural one,” she says on p24. A trailer for a forthcoming documentary about the plight of the Saharawis (see p11) echoes many of Aziza’s sentiments. One of its most striking protagonists is Hussein Mouloud, a Saharawi poet. “All that the Saharawi people have is the Saharawi cause… Whoever sings, is singing about the cause; whoever writes is writing about the cause.” And finally, thank you to everyone who voted in this year’s Songlines Music Awards – we’ll be announcing all of the nominations in our next issue (May #117), out April 1.

Cover image Guillem Moreno

Jo Frost, editor

+44 (0)20 7501 6683 Editor-in-chief Simon Broughton Publisher Paul Geoghegan Editor Jo Frost Deputy Editor Alexandra Petropoulos Art Director Calvin McKenzie Content & Marketing Executive, News Editor Edward Craggs Advertisement Manager James Anderson-Hanney Online Content Editor James McCarthy Reviews Editor Matthew Milton Listings Editor Tatiana Rucinska

Contributing Editors Jane Cornwell, Mark Ellingham & Nigel Williamson Assisted in this issue by Emma Baker

The media is full of tragic stories about displaced people, but the story of the Saharawis is so rarely heard

CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE INCLUDE

Intern Jamie Kyei Manteaw Subscriptions Director Sally Boettcher Music Editorial Director Martin Cullingford Publishing Director Sian Harrington Managing Director Jon Benson CEO Ben Allen Chairman Mark Allen

© MA Business & Leisure Ltd, 2016. All rights reserved. ISSN 1464-8113. MA Business & Leisure Ltd is part of the Mark Allen Group Printing Pensord Press Ltd Record trade distribution WWMD Ltd 0121 788 3112 Newstrade distribution COMAG 01895 433600 The paper used within this publication has been sourced from Chain-of-Custody certified manufacturers, operating within international environmental standards, to ensure sustainable sourcing of the raw materials, sustainable production and to minimise our carbon footprint.

Ben Murphy Ben Murphy was the editor of DJ Magazine for nine years and has written for The Guardian Guide, Time Out, Red Bull, Fact and lots of others. This issue he speaks to Shingai Shoniwa of the Noisettes (p74).

Violeta Ruano Violeta is an ethnomusicologist, project manager and flute player who has been publishing extensive research on Saharawi music and culture over the past five years. She interviews Aziza Brahim on p24.

Stan Rijven Stan is a leading Dutch music critic and DJ, in both pop and world. As co-founder of WMF NL, he hosts their monthly World Blend Café. He catches up with Greek singer Savina Yannatou, see p42

Songlines was launched in 1999 and is the definitive magazine for world music – music that has its roots in all parts of the globe, from Mali to Mexico, India to Iraq. Whether this music is defined as traditional, contemporary, folk or fusion, Songlines is the only magazine to truly represent and embrace it. However, Songlines is not just about music, but about how the music fits into the landscape: it’s about politics, history and identity. Delivered in both print and digital formats, Songlines, through its extensive articles and reviews, is your essential and independent guide to a world of music and culture, whether you are starting on your journey of discovery or are already a seasoned fan.

@SonglinesMag

facebook.com/songlines

google.com/+songlines ISSUE 116

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CONTENTS

36 Värttinä

Kevin Yatarola

Geoffrey Smith

Markku Nieminen

UPFRONT

FEATURES

REVIEWS

06 09

Aziza Brahim

Ireland Centenary

50 52 56 63 64 69 70 72

11 16 18 19 20 21

Top of the World CD Bonus CD – Silesian Roots What’s New Introducing... Jarlath Henderson & Lakou Mizik Simon Says... Letters Songlines Music Travel Spotlight: Eliades Ochoa

36 40 42

The Western Saharan singer and activist Easter Rising centennial commemorations

Värttinä

The Finnish group release a new album

Fluid Piano

A new microtonal piano is changing music

Savina Yannatou

Song-hunting across the Mediterranean

“Uilleann pipes are a complete instrument, demanding in their maker a total craftsman, at ease working in wood, metal, bone, leather and textiles” Julian May visits an instrument maker, see p77

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Africa Americas Europe Asia Fusion Books World Cinema Live Reviews

REGULARS 74 77 78 80 83 85 87 94 97 98

My World: Shingai Shoniwa Postcard from Redhill, England Beginner’s Guide: Rokia Traoré Festival Pass: Colours of Ostrava Dispatch from Pattaya, Thailand Quickfire Gig Guide Overseas Festivals Soapbox Essential Ten: Musicians in exile

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TOP OF THE WORLD

01 Joan Soriano ‘El SIDA’ 02 Divanhana ‘Oj Safete, Sajo, Sarajlijo’ 03 Maz O’Connor ‘Crook of His Arm’ 04 Sahra Halgan Trio ‘Dagal’ 05 Lotus Wight ‘Cluck Old Hen’ 06 Aziza Brahim ‘Buscando la Paz’ 07 The Gloaming ‘The Pilrim’s Song’ 08 Värttinä ‘Tietäväinen’ 09 Sainkho Namtchylak ‘Nostagia To’ 10 Anchorsong ‘Oriental Suite’

Free tracks

THE BEST NEW RELEASES

SHINGAI SHONIWA’S PLAYLIST

TOP

OF THE WORLD

TOP

OF THE WORLD

ISSUE 116 116 PLUS 4 tracks chosen by Shingai Shoniwa

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

11 Mokoomba ‘Njoka’ 12 Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 ‘African Airways’ 13 Buika ‘Soledad’ 14 The Unthanks ‘Queen of Hearts’ Exclusively with the March 2016 issue of Songlines. STWCD92. This compilation & © 2016 MA Business & Leisure Ltd

Featuring The Gloaming, Mokoomba, Värttinä, The Unthanks, Joan Soriano, Maz O’Connor, Seun Kuti, Sainkho Namtchylak and more... SLTOTWCD-116-onbody.indd 1

08/02/2016 09:55

STWCD92 This compilation & © 2016 MA Business & Leisure Ltd info@songlines.co.uk, www.songlines.co.uk Executive producer Paul Geoghegan. Compiled and sequenced by Jo Frost & Alexandra Petropoulos. Design by Calvin McKenzie. 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. Lotus Wight’s Ode to the Banjo (Lotus Wight) & © 2016 Lotus Wight. Courtesy of Lotus Wight

05 Lotus Wight ‘Cluck Old Hen’ (3:52)

04 Sahra Halgan Trio ‘Dagal’ (3:34)

10 Anchorsong ‘Oriental Suite’ (4:54)

09 Sainkho Namtchylak ‘Nostagia To’ (2:32)

14 The Unthanks ‘Queen of Hearts’ (4:35)

12 Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 ‘African Airways’ (5:15)

06 Aziza Brahim ‘Buscando la Paz’

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07 The Gloaming ‘The Pilgrim’s Song’ (6:57)

13 Buika ‘Soledad’ (2:51)

01 Joan Soriano ‘El SIDA’ (4:54)

TOP OF THE WORLD SELECTION

06 Aziza Brahim ‘Buscando la Paz’ (3:10)

11 Mokoomba ‘Njoka’ (3:48)

SHINGAI SHONIWA’S PLAYLIST

10 tracks from this issue’s best new albums + 4 bonus tracks exclusively with the April 2016 issue of Songlines

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02 Divanhana ‘Oj Safete, Sajo, Sarajlijo’ (3:06)

From Me Decidí on iASO Records

From Abbar el Hamada on Glitterbeat

After a five-year wait since his previous

An important voice for the people of the

solo release, Dominican singer and

Western Sahara, Aziza Brahim returns

guitarist Joan Soriano is back with a new

with a relaxed effort that continues to

offering of joyous material. A fine return

spur her message of political injustice

from the bachata maestro. See p53

and resistance. See p50

02 Divanhana ‘Oj Safete, Sajo, Sarajlijo’

07 The Gloaming

‘The Pilgrim’s Song’ From 2 on Real World Records

From Zukva on ARC Music

With their critically acclaimed and

The young Sarajevan band display an air

commercially successful debut behind

of firm confidence, playing sevdah music

them, The Gloaming return with their

with a flexible and dynamic approach on

second album – one that shows no signs

their first UK release. See p56

of a sophomore slump. See p65

03 Maz O’Connor ‘Crook of His Arm’

08 Värttinä

Maz O’Connor steps away from the folk

Finnish group Värttinä exceed

songs that featured in her previous work,

expectations on their new album,

taking inspiration from life experiences,

executing strong vocal performances with

literature and art to create an intelligent

relentless energy and stellar musicianship

and emotional album. See p58

that results in an exciting release. See p60

04 Sahra Halgan Trio ‘Dagal’

09 Sainkho Namtchylak

Somaliland’s Sahra Halgan is

Renowned throat singer Sainkho

accompanied by a band of musical

Namtchylak exhibits her versatile vocal

virtuosos on her new album, her first

ability alongside the rhythm section of

since returning to her homeland after a

Tinariwen in this cross-cultural hybrid of

23-year exile in France. See p51

Touaregs and Tuvans. See p67

05 Lotus Wight ‘Cluck Old Hen’

10 Anchorsong

Through musical interpretations of

Inspired by African pop music of the

traditional Americana, Canadian artist

1970s, Tokyo-born electronic musician

Lotus Wight’s new album explores the

Anchorsong utilises polyrhythms and

history of the banjo via 13 tracks that

expansive textures to create a sonically

make for a riveting listen. See p55

cohesive second album. See p64

From The Longing Kind on Restless Head

From Faransiskiyo Somaliland on Buda Musique

From Lotus Wight’s Ode to the Banjo on Lotus Wight

06 S O N G L I N E S

08 Värttinä ‘Tietäväinen’ (4:13)

01 Joan Soriano ‘El SIDA’

03 Maz O’Connor ‘Crook of His Arm’ (3:24)

‘Tietäväinen’ From Viena on Westpark Music

‘Nostalgia To’

From Like a Bird or Spirit, Not a Face on Ponderosa Music & Art

‘Oriental Suite’ From Ceremonial on Tru Thoughts

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+ SHINGAI SHONIWA’S PLAYLIST 11 Mokoomba ‘Njoka’

From Rising Tide on Zig Zag World Shoniwa presented Mokoomba with the 2013 Songlines Newcomer award for their album Rising Tide. “There have been murmurings of doing a collaboration but they’re always on the road!”

12 Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 ‘African Airways’

From A Long Way to the Beginning on Because Music

father, Shoniwa’s also a big fan of his son Seun’s music. “He’s paying homage to a golden age in African music, where there was a really active music scene.”

13 Buika ‘Soledad’

From El Último Trago on Warner Music Spain Shoniwa discovered Mallorcan singer Buika through one of Pedro Almodóvar’s films. “It would be great if more people could discover her music, she’s absolutely incredible.”

14 The Unthanks ‘Queen of Hearts’

New African Woman Magazine

Introduced to the work of Fela by her

“Part of me always knew that my destiny was going to be in storytelling... as long as I was onstage I could tell stories in various different ways” Turn to p74 for the full interview with Shingai Shoniwa

From Last on Rabble Rouser Music

English folk music is just another one of Shoniwa’s myriad passions. “I really love folk music. I thought it would be great to put some UK and European music on there too,” Shoniwa says.

Listen to these tracks from Shingai Shoniwa’s playlist and more on the Songlines Spotify profile:

NEXT ISSUE: YANN TIERSEN’S PLAYLIST The French composer and pianist chooses his favourite world music tracks, which will be featured on the covermount CD of the May 2016 issue (#117).

www.bit.ly/songlinesspotify

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BONUS CD – ADVERTORIAL

SILESIAN ROOTS

YOUR BONUS FREE CD

Silesia is a historical region located along the Czech-Polish border, reaching from Germany in the West to the Slovakian border in the East. It includes the Odra river lowlands and the Beskid mountains. Today, Poland is enjoying a rich folk revival and Silesia, with Katowice, a newly declared UNESCO City of Music, at its heart, is one of the epicentres. Petr Dorůžka, Czech Radio

1 Vołosi ‘Tsavkisi’ Nomadism (2015) Their impressive mix of traditional highlander melodies and contemporary classical approach have brought them to WOMEX and many festivals around Europe, including Songlines Encounters. www.volosi-band.com

5 Indialucia ‘Acatao’ Acatao (2014) Led by guitarist Michał Czachowski, Indialucia’s album features not only top musicians from Spain, India and Silesia, but also one of the best chamber groups in Europe – AUKSO Orchestra from Tychy. www.facebook.com/Indialucia

2 Psio Crew ‘Hajduk’ Szumi Jawor Soundsystem (2006) Based in Bielsko-Biała, the group were a big hit at last year’s Sounds Like Poland showcase, as picked for The Guardian by Robin Denselow. The band’s name means ‘Dog’s Blood’. www.psiocrew.pl

6 Blokowioska ‘Kołysanka’ (Lullaby) Radio Katowice EP (2014) Blokowioska is a part of an underground Silesian folk scene, growing fast in Katowice, a UNESCO City of Music. Vocals from Ewelina Ferenc. www.facebook.com/Blokowioska

3 Mysłowice-Wesoła Orchestra ‘Marsz Śląska’ Orkiestra Dęta i Orkiestra Rozrywkowa (2013) Miners brass bands are still a vigorous part of the cultural landscape of Silesia and important institutions for local communities. The conductor here is Mirosław Kaszuba. www.orkiestramyslowicewesola.pl

7 Ŝanĝo ‘Grandega Ŝanĝo’ The Change of the Earth Vibration (2014) Ŝanĝo means ‘the Change’ in Esperanto, the international language created by Polish Jew Dr Ludwik Zamenhof in 1887. The band describe their style as ‘Earthians folklore.’ www.bit.ly/sango_pl

4 Lelek ‘Hymn do Żywy’ Brzask Bogów (Dawn of Gods) (2016) How would the mystic music of pagan Poles sounds in 2016? Enjoy the worldwide premiere of Lelek. www.bit.ly/www_Lelek

8 Gooral ‘Pod Jaworem’ (Scapegoat) Better Place (2014) After working with Psio Crew, Gooral successfully developed the idea of hardcore electro-folk with a highland twist on two solo albums. www.gooral.net

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“I was born in Polish Silesia... but there were always three cultures present: Polish, Czech, and German.The folk art, all the art, had no boundaries.” Henryk Mikołaj Górecki (1933-2010) composer and Katowice resident

9 Garbowski-Cruz Quartet ‘Part I’ Rashomon Effect (2014) With teachers like double-bass player Mac Garbowski, the Jazz Institute at the Academy of Music in Katowice is the best jazz school in Poland. www.bit.ly/G-CQ 10 Foliba ‘Legenda’ feat Cheeba Tan (2015) The community of African music lovers is constantly growing in Wrocław, due to the classes, workshops and concerts provided by Foliba over the past ten years. www.foliba.pl 11 Adam Oleś ‘Miałabych Jo Kawalera’ Hurdu_Hurdu (2012) Silesian folk songs meet jazz and bossa nova. One of Polish Radio Folk Records of the Year in 2012. www.adamoles.pl

12 Paprika Korps ‘Przede Wszystkim Muzyki’ Live at Tampere (2006) The ‘heavy reggae’ pioneers, originally from Zdzieszowice, are the most touring foreign band to Finland in the 21st century and are the founders of the independent label, Karrot Kommando. www.karrot.pl/paprikakorps 13 Lautari ‘Blaszane mordy’ Vol 67 (2015) Contemporary-folk-jazz fusion outﬁt Lautari were invited by radio KEXP to record a session during OFF Festival in Katowice. Watch a video of them perform at the link below. www.bit.ly/kexp_lautari 14 Kapela Byrtków ‘Koń’ (live) Wszystkie Mazurki Świata (2015) One of Poland’s best traditional bands from Beskid Żywiecki, the Byrtki Family are performing live at Warsaw’s Mazurka Festival. Watch them at the link below.: www.bit.ly/vimeoKB 15 Mirek Rzepa ‘Polna’ Rymszary (2011) Guitarist and pianist Mirek Rzepa has played with the most prominent blues groups in Poland – most of them based in Silesia. His debut album is an intimate tribute to the region. www.facebook.com/mirek.rzepa Selected by Mateusz Dobrowolski CD mastering by Studio AS One.

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WHAT’S NEW Views, news and events from around the world

Shueta sings with the group Tiris and features in the documentary

BABEL MED 2016 Here are just a few of the acts to appear at Marseille’s annual music expo at the Dock des Suds, March 17-19 Breabach Scottish folk group – the only UK act to perform Elida Almeida Cape Verdean singersongwriter (below) María Símoglou Ensemble Greek singer and band who had a Top of the World in #112 Vardan Hovanissian & Emre Gültekin Armenian duduk and Turkish saz duo La Pegatina Rumba urbana from Barcelona

+ ONLINE

babelmedmusic.com

Alan Gignoux

Their music has never stopped Last November marked the 40th anniversary of the invasion and annexation of the Western Sahara territory and subsequent displacement of thousands of Saharawi nationals. A new documentary to highlight the plight of refugees, Music of Exile from the Saharawi of the Western Sahara focuses on the ongoing struggle for Saharawi musicians and the ‘cause’ they continue to fight for. A short teaser trailer features powerful interviews with members of the El Wali Band, who have been at the forefront of the resistance movement since 1975. In the clip, female musicians Fatma Lkalia Sidi

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Wannat and Many Kouri Mbarek paint a vivid picture of life at that time: ‘We were doing a concert while the bomber planes were hovering in the skies over us and bombing us with Napalm, but that didn’t scare us, nor make us back down, we would carry out our concerts, and spend the night there.’ + ONLINE www.bit.ly/saharawimusicofexile + MORE This film and research was funded by the Ellie Maxwell Travel Bursary from the Clore Cultural Leadership programme. Research was made possible through UK charity Sandblast Arts and the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic Ministry of Culture

“We are refugees, but know for sure that there is nobody stronger than us. We made a promise to our homeland: we will never back down until we return to it” One of the musicians featured in the documentary Music of Exile from the Saharawi of the Western Sahara. Read more in our cover feature on p24

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INTRODUCING...

Jarlath Henderson Jo Frost catches up with the Irish doctor and piper-turned-singer Jarlath Henderson as he launches his debut solo release

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songs, they’ve stood the test of time for over 400 years so far! These songs are closest to my heart. I think I’m just a bit of a dark soul. I guess I do a lot of light music in other bands, particularly with Ross [Ainslie]; we have a laugh. This is something different.” This serious side to Henderson possibly results from his double life – when he’s not lugging his pipes and whistles around on tour, he’s scrubbing up and doing A&E shifts or locum work in a hospital. Juggling two completely contrasting careers as musician and doctor surely takes its toll? “I think too much of one thing would be bad for me – I like the balance,” says Henderson, explaining that the two do complement each other. “There’s a lot of time management issues, multi-tasking issues – communication skills is what it’s all about. I remember a really good lecture at uni, about ‘medicine is not a science, it’s an art.’ There are massive similarities in some respects.” The album’s title, Hearts Broken, Heads Turned, is a quote from a book written by Dr William Osler, who died in the early 1900s. “It’s really kind of early mindfulness; Osler was basically saying live for today, don’t be walking around in bits about what happened yesterday and hoping what’s going to happen tomorrow.” This transpires to be the overriding message in the songs too – “things happen in life, we feel them and the same things have happened a hundred times before, so don’t dwell on it.” Henderson’s new singing venture

Misha Somerville

easoned folk fans might ask why the uilleann piper Jarlath Henderson needs introducing. After all, he first made his mark in 2003, becoming the youngest ever winner of the BBC’s Young Folk Awards (aged 17). So frankly he’s more like a veteran than a newcomer. However, he’s about to launch his debut solo album, Hearts Broken, Heads Turned – comprised entirely of traditional songs. “I wasn’t really wanting to rush it,” says Henderson, “it’s been over ten years since I got the Folk Award, so I was like, it’ll happen when it’s right.” The Northern Irish musician has lived in Glasgow since 2010 and his new album involves some top-notch fellow Glaswegians – Hamish Napier, Innes Watson and Duncan Lyall, plus some sonic wizardry from adoptive Scot, Andrea Gobbi. Known largely for his piping skills and collaborations with the Scottish piper Ross Ainslie, it comes as a surprise to hear Henderson’s highly distinctive singing voice. “I love singing but I never really sang that much at secondary school when I was playing the pipes – it was tough enough in an all-boys school to be a piper, it wasn’t exactly very cool!” The group’s first live airing was at this year’s Celtic Connections festival in the Old Fruitmarket where Henderson and his band played the album in its entirety. The songs are largely drawn from Henderson’s Irish roots. “I guess they came from osmosis really. It’s a collection of songs that represent me musically in the last ten years… Songs I’ve literally grown up with,” he explains. And they’re a sombre lot too, with themes of darkness, despair and death predominating. “I make no exception for the sentiments of the

may be unexpected but it’s certainly impressive and marks him out as an innovative musical talent.

+ DATE Jarlath Henderson and his band

will play at The Old Queen’s Head, London on March 30 for the tenth anniversary of the Nest Collective ALBUM Hearts Broken, Heads Turned will be reviewed next issue

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Lakou Mizik

Born in the wake of the 2010 earthquake, the Haitian band speak to Tom Pryor about making music to help their country recover

or one weekend in January, musicians from all over the world descend on New York City for a massive annual party. Anchored by the conference for the Association for Performing Arts Presenters (APAP), the city buzzes with showcases and mini-festivals, including Winter JazzFest, the Under the Radar festival, Prototype and more. For world music fans, the jewel in the crown is globalFEST — an annual, threestage, one-night showcase featuring a dozen international artists — and the standout act at this year’s event was Haitian roots collective Lakou Mizik. This multi-generational nine-piece ensemble made their NYC debut earlier that weekend at the venue Drom. At first glance they looked less than promising; all dreadlocks and matching dashikis, bongos and conch shells, like a cruise ship band gone to seed. But then the music kicked in and

Thomas Freteur

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they damn near levitated the place. Lakou’s unique blend of Haitian roots traditions – insistent voodoo rhythms, rollicking raicine melodies, twobadou lyricism and blaring rara horns – was irresistible and for the next 40 minutes, the dance floor was filled with New Yorkers defrosting in their subtropical warmth. One night later Lakou did it all again, with a knockout globalFEST performance that ought to put them on the map permanently. It’s been a long time coming. Lakou Mizik was born in 2010, in the wake of the earthquake that devastated much of Haiti in January of that year. Guitaristsinger Steeve Valcourt and singer Jonas Attis formed the nucleus of the band, with the input and support of American producer Zach Niles (who had previously worked with Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars). They wanted to make music that could help empower the Haitian people and speed the

nation’s recovery, and recruited their own supergroup to do so. Valcourt’s secret weapon was his father, Boulo Valcourt: a Haitian musical legend, best known for his group Caribbean Sextet. Thanks to years spent producing his father’s collaborations with musicians from all over the island, Steeve knew just where to find both young talent and seasoned veterans. Of the former, singer Jonas Attias brings a poet’s perspective to Lakou’s lyrics, while Nadine Remy’s big, church-trained voice sanctifies the music. Peterson ‘Ti Piti’ Joseph and James Carrier are the young men behind Lakou’s signature rara horns — the enormous metal coronets that are a staple of Haiti’s carnival celebrations. Sanba Zao – aka Louis Lesly Marcelin – is a master voodoo drummer and singer with 30 years of experience and an encyclopaedic knowledge of Haitian folk songs, while his son Woulele is a fierce percussionist in his own right. Bassist Lamarre Junior and accordionist Belony Beniste (longtime accompanist for singer Ti Coco) round out the group. Lakou Mizik’s debut album, Wa Di Yo (on Cumbancha) captures the raucous spirit of their live show with swinging, guitar and accordion-driven tracks like ‘Anba Siklon’ and ‘Poze’, but adds more depth and texture with some slower, mid-tempo songs. ‘Pran Kwa Mwen’ and carnival favourite ‘Panama’am Tonbe’ showcase Remy’s gorgeous, clear voice, and let the musicians stretch out and breathe. The title-track, which translates as ‘We are Still Here’, is a clear-eyed statement of purpose, while ‘Bade Zile’ and ‘Parenn Legba’ draw from the voodoo repertoire and call down the loas (voodoo spirits) and the ancestors to bless the proceedings.

+ ALBUM Lakou Mizik’s Wa Di Yo will be reviewed in the next issue

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Dedicated music trips for music lovers worldwide, bringing you the excitement of real music directly where it’s made.

CUBA NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS Dec 29 2016-Jan 12 2017

KAVI BHANSALI/JODHPUR RIFF; PROEXPORT; ROSE SKELTON; ANNE PEINHARDT; ISTOCK; EMMA GEOGHEGAN; HELMUT NEUMANN; JOHN CLEWLEY

Cuba is one of the world’s great musical destinations. This tour starts in the Sierra Maestra mountains and ends with three rhythm-drenched days in Havana.

COLOMBIA WHERE THE HEART BEATS September 12-22 2016

MOROCCO ESSAOUIRA GNAWA FESTIVAL May 11-16 2016 A weekend in the Moroccan port town of Essaouira during the vibrant Gnawa and World Music Festival.

SENEGAL NEVER MIND THE MBALAX November 19-30 2016 NEW TRIP!

Venture into the heart of Colombia’s musical culture, from Bogotá’s hip alternative scene to Cartagena and Medellín.

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Dive into the local sounds of Senegal’s capital, Dakar – the renowned home of the rhythmic mbalax, which was pioneered by Youssou N’Dour – and discover the best local sounds from folk via reggae, roots and hip-hop.

Songlines Music Travel tours are operated by Master Travel Ltd, ATOL number 3800. All dates shown are ex-London.

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ROMANIA AT HOME WITH THE GYPSIES September 3-11 2016

‘I had expected good sounds, but what I had not predicted was that we were about to get a privileged insight into a country and its culture, one that only music can provide’ The Guardian on the Songlines Music Travel Mali trip

Experience the exuberance of Gypsy music by travelling to Clejani, the home of Taraf de Haidouks, and Zece Prăjini, the home of Fanfare Ciocărlia.

INDIA RAJASTHAN MUSICAL ADVENTURE October 6-19 2016 Delve into a soul-inspiring part of the world culminating at Jodhpur RIFF, the Rajasthan International Folk Festival.

INDIA ASSAM MUSICAL ADVENTURE April 8-17 2016

NEW TRIP!

A unique insight into the music and heritage of this region as you experience the spring festival of Bihu, a carnival of music, dancing and abundance.

BORNEO RAINFOREST FESTIVAL July 31-August 9 2016 Visit one of Asia’s most impressive festivals, which is located at the scenic lakeside setting of the Sarawak Cultural Village, where the rainforest forms a magnificent visual and aural backdrop.

Visit www.songlinesmusictravel.com Call +44 (0)20 7501 6741 Email tours@mastertravel.co.uk 046_SLMT-DPS-SL116.indd 47

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AZIZA BRAHIM

Voice of Resistance The Western Sahara has been the subject of dispute for many decades. One of its most eloquent activists and singers, Aziza Brahim, talks to Violeta Ruano about life in exile and how music and politics are inseparable

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› SONGLINES

Guillem Moreno

inger and percussionist Aziza Brahim was born in the Saharawi refugee camps in the harsh Algerian desert on June 9 1976; the same day as the death of Saharawi revolutionary leader El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed. Her mother, already pregnant with her while escaping the Moroccan military invasion of her Western Saharan homeland a few months earlier, gave birth in the unbearable heat surrounded by nothing but sand, humanitarian aid tents and war. Together with tens of thousands of other refugees, she had left behind a resource-rich territory with fisheries, pastures, agriculture and some of the largest phosphate reserves in the world. Aziza’s father stayed in the capital city of Laayoune, controlled by the authoritarian regime of Moroccan king Hassan II. A 2,720km-long military wall – the longest in the world – built by the Moroccan army across the Saharawi land, and protected by over eight million landmines, ensured the singer would never get to meet her father before his death. 25

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VA RT T I NA

So Near and Yet So Far

Simon Broughton catches up with the Finnish group Värttinä and speaks to them about the Karelian influences on their latest release, Viena

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they started to get international attention. They’ve toured in Japan and Brazil and worked with AR Rahman on the musical of The Lord of the Rings. Over the years, there have been personnel changes, but the core has always been three female vocalists upfront and male members in the backing band. Värttinä’s singers need to be versatile and accomplished. The three voices intertwine and swop parts. Sometimes even they can’t tell who’s singing which part, one of them tells me. ‘There’s peace upon these shores Where the free waters glimmer Against the horizon; houses on the shore Are outlined on vast skies, beside the water.’ These are the words of Mari Kaasinen in ‘Taivasranta’ (The Heavenly Shore), the opening song of Viena, inspired by a visit to Haikola, one of the villages on a small island in a lake. “It’s a song about the nature,” she says. “There is simply so much nature there. So much forest, so much sky. But it’s also sad that people have to move and don’t have work there. If there’s a message, it’s that we should be proud of this area that is so near and yet so far.”

Seppo Samuli

iena, the title of Värttinä’s 13th studio album, is a word full of meaning for Finns, but one that needs a bit of explaining for those outside. Viena is a place, not a misspelling of the Austrian capital, but somewhere more like Middle Earth. The essential difference is Tolkien’s setting for The Lord of the Rings is fictional, but Viena Karelia is real – over Finland’s eastern border in Russia’s Republic of Karelia – and in recent years it has become more and more accessible. “It’s so quiet,” says Mari Kaasinen, a founding member of Värttinä. “The silence was something – just birds. Kind of scary.” Surprisingly, the visit to Viena Karelia in 2014 – the inspiration behind their latest record – was her first. “Going back to the roots,” she says. Finland’s most successful folk group, Värttinä, was started by sisters Sari and Mari Kaasinen in 1983. Based in the small town of Rääkkylä in the east of Finland, the group began singing the traditional Karelian repertoire of the region. From the early 90s, with key members studying at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Värttinä became a smaller, harder-hitting outfit with a strong feminine identity. With a more contemporary sound

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Värttinä’s vocalists, from left to right, Susan Aho, Mari Kaasinen and Karoliina Kantelinen

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Africa REVIEWS Off the Beaten Track is a far more modern-sounding album with bigger beats and a considerably more realised concept: a precursor to their generally acknowledged pinnacle release Songs of Praise in 1990. Despite the passage of time, they all sound remarkably fresh, highly accomplished and inspirational. MARTIN SINNOCK

TRACK TO TRY African Hedge Hog from Drastic Season

Valérie Ekoumé Djaale Socadisc (51 mins)

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Afro-pop with Eurovision aspirations Guillem Moreno

TOP

OFTHE WORLD

Aziza Brahim Abbar el Hamada

TRACK 6

Glitterbeat Records (38 mins)

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A laidback kind of anger from the voice of the Saharawi Since the death of the great Mariem Hassan, Aziza Brahim has become the most important voice for the Saharawi people, many of them still living in refugee camps in Algeria, exiled from the homeland that they have called ‘Occupied Western Sahara’ since it was invaded by Morocco in 1975. Aziza was born and raised in the bleak desert refugee camps, but left to study in Cuba before eventually moving to Barcelona. Her last album, Soutak, provided musical reminders of her travels, and became massively successful in Europe. It’s no surprise, then, that she is backed here by many of the same musicians, and

African Head Charge My Life in a Hole in the Ground On-U Sound (34 mins) DIGITAL & VINYL ONLY

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Environmental Studies On-U Sound (42 mins) DIGITAL & VINYL ONLY

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Drastic Season

On-U Sound (43 mins) DIGITAL & VINYL ONLY

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Off the Beaten Track On-U Sound (36 mins) DIGITAL & VINYL ONLY

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80s dub experimentalists, who were way ahead of their time This is a very welcome reissue of the first four albums by African Head Charge – reissued as

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the producer is once again Chris Eckman, known for his work with Bassekou Kouyaté and Tamikrest. Aziza has a relaxed, cool voice and there’s an easygoing feel to many of the songs, despite the angry political lyrics. She’s at her best on the upbeat ‘Calles de Dajla’ and the bluesy lament ‘Mani’, on which she is joined by Malian blues guitarist Samba Touré. The final track, ‘Los Muros’, is a reflection on the vast wall built by the Moroccans to surround the territory. A little more of Hassan’s passion and grit would have been welcome, but it’s a classy, commercial set. ROBIN DENSELOW

TRACK TO TRY Mani

individual vinyl LPs, each with a digital download card. The group were part of the Adrian Sherwood stable of artists that included Tackhead, New Age Steppers, Dub Syndicate and Little Axe. They were led by percussionist Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah, who had learned Nyabinghi drumming with legendary Jamaican group Count Ossie and the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari. The first album was released in 1981 and was a response to the groundbreaking Brian Eno and David Byrne collaboration My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. While it is underpinned with Rasta drumming and strong dub reggae tendencies, this first recording explored the then-new possibilities of using pre-recorded found sound – what eventually became known as sampling. Adrian Sherwood provided the technological experimentations allowing Bonjo to

explore rhythmic possibilities with a revolving cast of On-U friends and associates. African Head Charge’s music goes far beyond dub reggae and has elements of avant-garde experimentation and free jazz. It’s real soundscape stuff – almost like industrial gamelan – and incredibly advanced for the time. The first two LPs were recorded in a basic basement studio; but by the third release they had moved to a more sophisticated digital studio. There is a marked technological development, but they still retain the challenging and highly innovative excitement levels. By this stage the group had become a fully fledged touring band. On the fourth LP in 1986, it’s clear Sherwood and his studio collaborators had totally engaged with the possibilities of the new technology of loops and samples.

Born in France, with a Cameroonian background, singer Ekoumé was a member of saxophonist Manu Dibango’s band for eight years. Her debut album was recorded in Paris and Los Angeles, mixed in New York City, and produced by drummer and percussionist Guy Nwogang. Most of the largely self-penned songs veer from being either cheesily bombastic pop belters to overly schmaltzy ballads, with drums and keyboards frequently being too dominant in the mix. Ekoumé’s voice is often not strong enough to withstand scaling the heights of dramatic emoting that she seemingly desires. ‘Mama’ has a little more space in its arrangement, with some detailed guitar work, and Manu Dibango provides a brief solo on ‘Dipita Na Wellisane’, with Ekoumé layering up lead and chorus vocals over guitar and cello. The best song is the driving ‘C’est Comme l’Amour’, with its spirited vocals and purring organ parts. Unfortunately, a string section dollops syrup all over ‘Ndolo’, and ‘Changer’ could surely be a candidate for the Afrovision Song Contest, if such a thing were ever to come to pass. MARTIN LONGLEY

TRACK TO TRY C’est Comme l’Amour

Simo Lagnawi The Gnawa Caravan: Salt Waulk Records (59 mins)

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Gnawa master burrows deep across African borders London-based gimbri master and Gnawa evangelist Simo Lagnawi is becoming a prolific and

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Africa REVIEWS reliable recording artist, releasing Gnawa-themed albums with colourful artwork on an annual basis. The Gnawa Caravan: Salt picks up where The Gnawa Berber left off. Lagnawi plays both traditional, devotional Gnawa music – led by the gimbri (long-necked lute), qaraqabs (castanets) and other percussion – and music that weaves in other styles. He broadens his palette further on Caravan, without ever moving the spirit of his music-making away from its source. The styles imported into his music are mostly African. Grinding electric guitar on four tracks gives the overall sound a strong desert blues aesthetic and Louis Bingham, one of the two featured guitarists, delivers an extended solo on ‘Sahara Blues’. Lagnawi’s producer and musical partner Griselda Sanderson gives a bluesy, Abdullah Ibrahim-style piano performance on ‘Bambraka’ and plays the ritti (West African two-stringed fiddle) on the fragrant ‘Shemaa’, while Mosi Condé’s kora brings a Malian lilt to ‘Salmani’. The stylistic equilibrium is just right, as is the production, which balances instruments and voices beautifully while keeping a sense of rawness. The result is a slicker sound that is exciting and never a compromise. There are moments in which waves of Lagnawi’s reverbheavy vocals rain down on a trancelike base of gimbri and percussion, and time stands still.

on ‘Sansénésougoro’ channel cosmic echoes of West Coast acid rock and Jerry Garcia. But ‘Sory Mankanbora’, one of only two acoustic tracks, is more familiarly rooted deep in West African tradition, and on ‘Dianamogo’, ‘Denandiya’ and ‘Alloumasson Dianfama’ he returns gloriously to the electric style he forged with the Super Rail Band, backing Salif Keita and Mory Kanté. However, this time there are no vocals: this is the first purely instrumental set in his long career. Not merely for African music aficionados but a record for anyone who loves the sound of great guitar playing. NIGEL WILLIAMSON

TRACK TO TRY Ankaben

Rokia Traoré Né So Nonesuch Records (44 mins)

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A long dark night of the soul brings a sixth album into light It’s easy to read too much into the circumstances surrounding the making of a record, but it’s clear that some life-changing experiences shaped Rokia Traoré’s sixth album. She moved back to Mali in 2009 after living in Europe for several years. Then civil war broke out, an experience that left her feeling not only traumatised but, in her

words, ‘naive’. These experiences seem to have imbued her new songs with a sombre maturity, a quality emphasised further by a deathless cover of ‘Strange Fruit’, Billie Holiday’s nightmarish vision of lynching. Produced by John Parish and backed by a band drawn from across West Africa and beyond, there’s a taut, indie-rock vibe, which can partly be attributed to the presence of former Led Zeppelin man John Paul Jones on bass and Devendra Banhart, who sings and plays guitar on ‘Sé Dan’, which also features English lyrics by Toni Morrison. Yet if this is a rock album, it’s still one with a distinctly African sensibility on songs such as the gentle ‘Kolokani’, a tribute to Bamana ancestors, ‘O Niele’, a stirring paean to the courage of a new generation of African women, and the throbbing, ngoni-fuelled power of ‘Obiké’. NIGEL WILLIAMSON

TRACK TO TRY Obiké

VARIOUS ARTISTS Soul Sok Séga: Séga Sounds from Mauritius 1973-1979 Strut Records (72 mins)

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TOP OFTHE

Mighty Mauritian music

TRACK TO TRY Bambraka

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Djelimady Tounkara Djely Blues

Fans of all things desert-bluesy should check out Sahra Halgan. She has just returned to her homeland – the fledgling independent democracy of Somaliland – after 23 years of exile spent in Lyon, France. Happily, while there, she met guitarist Mael Saletes and kamalengoni (lute) player and percussionist Aymeric Khol, who both provide credible backing vocals in Somali. Vincent Bertholet’s double bass turns the trio into a quartet on three of the 11 tracks that comprise this excellent international debut album. Halgan pens much of her own material, but also covers songs by other Somali writers such as Ahmed Naji, who wrote ‘Somaliland’. It boasts a stripped-down arrangement that contrasts sharply with the accelerating groove of the electric guitar-powered romp ‘Hobaa Layoow Heedhe’, a joyful traditional song. As Cris Ubermann’s accompanying DVD reveals, Halgan has been making music as a professional since 1999, and is something of a national cultural icon: a musician, a mother of two and a high-profile politician. There are also atmospheric videos featuring acoustic performances of some of the songs on the album, shot with a dramatic desert landscape as a backdrop. Halgan tells us stories from her life, recalling the tough times she spent working as a nurse during the war, and how she ‘cured people with songs’ because they had so little medicine. This album may well have its own therapeutic, restorative effects on listeners.

The international exposure of music from the Indian Ocean has, understandably, been dominated by the sounds of the huge island of Madagascar. There is, however, also a rich musical tradition on Mauritius – séga. The rhythm and dance originally developed by African slaves, it is played in its basic form on the ravanne (drum), maravanne (rhythm box) and triangle. It is a seductive Creole musical style with similarities to compas from Haiti, zouk from the Antilles, ska and calypso from Jamaica and Trinidad. This particular compilation captures séga at a time when it was receiving popular musical influences from the West. It’s a remarkably exotic mixture that flips between psychedelia, funk, soul, jazz and even Bollywood – without, mercifully, resorting to the 70s disco beat. Tracks here are by artists little known internationally and rarely heard outside of the islands. Thankfully we are all now able to enjoy this totally enchanting musical style.

JON LUSK

MARTIN SINNOCK

TRACK TO TRY Hobaa Layoow Heedhe

TRACK TO TRY Manuel Bitor by John Kenneth Nelson

TIM WOODALL

Label Bleu (49 mins)

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The Super Rail Band’s guitarist’s guitarist returns One of the world’s consummate guitarists with a touch, phrasing, rhythmic swing and fluidity to rival any rock’n’roll axe hero or jazz virtuoso, Tounkara was last heard on World Circuit’s 2010 Afro-Cubism release. The twanging opener ‘Anklaben’ evokes some of his work on that project, moving far beyond his Mande roots and sounding more like the Jamaican legend Ernest Ranglin or Cuba’s Manuel Galbán than a traditional African guitarist. The Afro-rockabilly of the titletrack joins the dots between Memphis and Bamako. The spacey lead lines

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Sahra Halgan Trio Faransiskiyo Somaliland

WORLD TRACK 4

Buda Musique (36 mins & DVD)

Somaliland singer providing musical therapy

ISSUE 116

› SONGLINES

24/02/2016 14:57

Gig Guide

ON TOUR

Blackbeard’s Tea Party Rock’n’ceilidh six-piece

Contemporary folk rock band Blackbeard’s Tea Party recently released their new storming album Reprobates (reviewed in #115). Influenced by the heavy metal pioneers and the folk revivalists of the 60s, the six-piece from York play a mix of traditional folk songs

and covers with flair, power and sharpness. A staple on the country’s festival circuit, they have performed at Glastonbury, Fairport’s Cropredy Convention and Cambridge Folk Festival, as well as ceilidhs across the country. Their spring tour of the UK kicks off this month.

11 MAR Arlington Arts Centre, Newbury 01635 244246; 12 MAR The Borderline, London 020 7734 5547; 13 MAR Talking Heads, Southampton 023 8067 8446; 1 APR The Duchess, York 01904 641413; 2 APR The Platform, Morecambe 01524 582803.

InRhythms Vortex 020 7254 4097; Khiyo Nehru Centre 020 7493 2019; 22 MAR Daphna Sadeh & Jyotsna Srikanth Nehru Centre 020 7493 2019; 23 MAR Megan Henwood Cecil Sharp House musicglue.com; El Naán Sands Films Studios eventbrite.co.uk; FLUX Nehru Centre 020 7493 2019; 24 MAR Anuradha Pal’s Stree Shakti Nehru Centre 020 7493 2019; 24-27 MAR The London International Ska Festival londoninternationalskafestival.co.uk; 25 MAR Johnny Freyre & Kalima Project The Portico Gallery 020 8761 7612; 26 MAR Satinder Sartaaj

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Hammersmith Apollo 0844 249 4300; Calypso Music: Cameron Pierre, Felix Ruiz & others The Tabernacle 020 7221 9700; Bishi Rich Mix 020 7613 7498; 26-27 MAR Baul & Vaishnav Music Festival Kobi Nazrul Centre and Rich Mix FREE radharamanleeds.wordpress.com; 30 MAR Paprika Vortex 020 7254 4097; Jarlath Henderson The Old Queen’s Head thenestcollective.co.uk; 31 MAR Carlos Vives Brixton Academy 0871 220 0260; Tanya Wells & Shahbaz Hussain The Forge 020 7383 7808; 1 APR Kanda Bongo Man

Rich Mix 020 7613 7498; Abi Sampa Nehru Centre 020 7493 2019; 1-4 APR London International Cuban Congress cubancongress.london; 2 APR Marcel Khalifé Barbican 020 7638 8891; Ann Liebeck & Julian Rowlands The Pheasantry 020 7351 5031; 4-5 APR Harold López-Nussa & Alune Wade Ronnie Scott’s 020 7439 0747; 6 APR Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club The O2 0871 220 0260; Namvula Sands Films Studios eventbrite.co.uk; Mahsa Vahdat + Cath & Phil Tyler Foundling Museum thenestcollective.co.uk; Céu The Forge

020 7383 7808; 7-8 APR Show of Hands Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Shakespeare’s Globe 020 7401 9919.

SOUTH 6 MAR Tord Gustavsen, Simin Tander & Jarle Vespestad St John the Evangelist Church, Oxford 01865 305305; 11 MAR Rachel Newton Guildford Institute 01483 871443; Harmony Band: Hits of Shammi Kapoor Turner Sims, Southampton

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Gig Guide 023 8059 5151; 17 MAR Maz O’Connor Chapel Arts Centre, Bath 01225 461700; 18 MAR Ngawang Lodup The Sun, Hitchin wegottickets.com; 19 MAR The Dublin Legends Dagenham Roundhouse 020 8592 1605; 25 MAR Bollywood Brass Band Quarterhouse, Folkestone 01303 760750; 25-27 MAR Folk Song & Nature Connection Easter Workshop Weekend Embercombe, Exeter thenestcollective.co.uk, 25-28 MAR Shennaghys Jiu Ramsey, Isle of Man shennaghysjiu.com; 26 MAR Juan Martín Shaftesbury Arts Centre 01747 854321.

WALES & WEST 4-6 MAR Wales’ Interceltic Festival Porthcawl cwlwmceltaidd.org; 18 MAR Roopa Panesar + Jyotsna Srikanth St George’s, Bristol 0845 402 4001.

Assembly Room, Leeds 0844 848 2727; Flats and Sharps The Globe Hall, Ireby 01697 371645; Kala Samarpan: An Ode to the Lord of Dance Kala Sangam, Bradford 01274 303340; 13 MAR Moishe’s Bagel Sage Gateshead 0191 443 4661; Irshad Khan & Bhupinder Singh Chaggar Seven Arts, Leeds 0113 244 5523; 17 MAR Moishe’s Bagel Howard Assembly Rooms, Leeds 0844 848 2727; 19 MAR Sawani Mudgal The Capstone, Liverpool FREE 0151 291 3949; Plastikes Karekles RNCM, Manchester 0161 907 5555; Will Pound & Eddy Jay Allendale Village Hall gigantic.com; 25-27 MAR Sheffield Folk Sessions Festival sheffieldseshfest.org.uk; 1-3 APR Morpeth Northumbrian Gathering northumbriana.org.uk; 3 APR Marcel Khalifé RNCM, Manchester 0161 907 5555.

SCOTLAND

TOURS

9-13 MAR Edinburgh’s Festival of Ireland edinburghsfestivalofireland.org; 1 APR Dallahan Eastgate, Peebles 01721 725777; RANT The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh 0131 668 2019; 2 APR Dallahan Admiral Bar, Glasgow 0141 221 7705.

Phil Beer

IRELAND

(REPUBLIC & NORTHERN) 4 MAR Abdullah Ibrahim National Concert Hall, Dublin +353 (0)1 417 0000; 16-20 MAR Kilkenny Tradfest kilkennytradfest.com

One half of Show of Hands 4 MAR* The Maze, Nottingham 0115 947 5650; 9 MAR Colebrooke Parish Hall 01363 84309; 10 MAR Chapel Arts Centre, Bath 01225 461700; 11 MAR Hinckley ACT, Leicester 01455 631609; 12 MAR Upwood Village Hall, Huntingdon 01487 814114; 17 MAR* Salisbury Arts Centre 01722 321744; 18 MAR* The Chapel, Canterbury 01227 831493; 19 MAR* Hailsham Pavilion 01323 841414; 24 MAR Winchester Discovery Centre 01962 873603; 25 MAR Ropetackle, Shoreham-by-Sea 01273 464440; 26 MAR Chettle Village Hall, Blandford

MIDLANDS 6 MAR Rachel Newton The Bicycle Shop, Norwich wegottickets.com; 9 MAR Tara Jaff, Hossein Alishapour, Mehdi Rostami & Adib Rostami mac, Birmingham 0121 446 3232; 12 MAR Will Pound & Eddy Jay The Trinity Centre, Sutton Coldfield 0121 321 1144; 18 MAR Kasai Masai Stamford Arts Centre 01780 763203; 19 MAR Holi: A Celebration of Colour Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton sampad.org.uk; Harmony Band: Hits of Amitabh Bachchan & Shammi Kapoor Peepul Centre, Leicester chillitickets.com; 2 APR Satinder Sartaaj Symphony Hall, Birmingham 0121 780 3333; 3 APR Satinder Sartaaj De Montfort Hall, Leicester 0116 233 3111.

NORTH 5 MAR Roopa Panesar & Bhupinder Singh Chaggar Bridgewater Hall, Manchester 0161 907 9000; 6 MAR Sanjay Subrahmanyan Sage Gateshead 0191 443 4661; 8 MAR Tara Jaff, Hossein Alishapour, Mehdi Rostami & Adib Rostami Sheffield Students’ Union 0333 666 3366; 10 MAR Unnati & Company Seven Arts, Leeds 0113 244 5523; 11 MAR Stringboxes RNCM, Manchester 0161 907 5555; Antonio Forcione NCEM, York 01904 658338; 12 MAR African Drumming Workshop Howard Assembly Room, Leeds 0844 848 2727; Sam Lee Howard

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ON TOUR

Faustus

Three-piece folk supergroup

Comprising of Bellowhead’s Benji Kirkpatrick and Paul Sartin and Saul Rose of Waterson:Carthy, folk trio Faustus possess a wealth of experience, which shows in their skilled musicianship and enthusiastic live shows. The trio utilise a variety of instruments, from guitars,

fiddles, bouzoukis and melodeons to create a vibrant sonic landscape. This year sees the three members rehearse new original material in preparation for the recording of their third album due for release later this year – the first since 2013’s Broken Down Gentlemen.

4 MAR Ruskin Mill, Nailsworth 01453 837537; 5 MAR South Street, Reading 0118 960 6060; 6 MAR Gill Nethercott Centre, Whitchurch 01256 896270; 9 MAR South Holland Centre, Spalding 01775 764777; 10 MAR Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury 01227 787787; 11 MAR Ropetackle, Shoreham-by-Sea 01273 464440; 12 MAR The Golden Lion, Ripon wegottickets.com; 13 MAR Haydon Bridge Community Centre wegottickets.com; 17 MAR Abberton Reservoir Visitor Centre, Colchester 01206 738172; 18 MAR Bromley Cross Folk Club 07427 613783; 19 MAR Tuppenny Barn, Southbourne 01243 377780.

ISSUE 116

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ESSENTIAL

MUSICIANS IN EXILE There are almost 60 million displaced people and refugees living worldwide, including this issue’s cover star Aziza Brahim. Nigel Williamson selects ten more artists who have all released albums while living in exile

01 Gilad Atzmon Exile (Enja, 2003)

Composer, saxophonist and polemicist Atzmon was born into a secular Jewish family in Tel Aviv but went into self-imposed exile in the UK in 1994, accusing the Israeli government of genocide towards the Palestinians and renouncing his citizenship. Fusing the idioms of jazz and Middle Eastern styles, this release was voted BBC jazz album of the year. Reviewed in #18.

02 Bonga Angola 72 (Lusafrica, 1997)

Exiled from Angola in the late 60s for his opposition to Portuguese colonial rule, Bonga’s classic debut (reissued in 1997) became the soundtrack to the revolution that secured independence three years later. His music was banned in Angola, but the simmering, soulful songs he recorded in Holland were beamed across the border by radio stations in Zambia and Namibia.

03 Inti Illimani

Viva Chile!

(I Dischi Dello Zodiac, 1973)

The Chilean nueva canción folk ensemble were on tour abroad in 1973 when Pinochet’s junta seized power. They didn’t return home for 15 years, campaigning for the return of democracy on what they called “the longest tour in history.” This was recorded in exile and includes ‘Venceremos’, which became an anthem of democratic opposition to the dictator.

04 Yungchen

Lhamo Tibet Tibet (Real World, 1996)

In 1989, Lhamo left her home in Tibet and trekked 1,600km across the Himalayas to pursue her calling as a singer. She 98 S O N G L I N E S

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arrived in Dharamsala in northern India, the home in exile of the Dalai Lama, who gave her his blessing. She then moved first to Australia and then to New York City, where she resides to this day. This was her second album of chants, laments and devotional songs, dedicated to her homeland and the bravery of its people.

05 Ilham al-Madfai

The Voice of Iraq

(EMI, 2005)

Ilham al-Madfai’s synthesis of traditional Iraqi music and Western guitar stylings led to the Kurdish Iraqi singer-composer becoming known as ‘the Baghdad Beatle.’ Banned from the country at the time of the first Gulf War, he took exile in Jordan. This compilation, which was recorded in exile, is full of bittersweet longing and regret. A Top of the World in #32.

06 Mahwash and

the Kaboul Ensemble Radio Kaboul

(Accords Croisés, 2003)

A beloved singer in her native Afghanistan and the first female musician ever to be given the title ustad (maestro), Farida Mahwash fled the strife in her country and was granted political asylum in the US in 1991. A decade later she formed the Kabul Ensemble with other exiled Afghani musicians and recorded this homage to the composers and musicians of an earlier, golden age. A Top of the World in #20.

07 Miriam Makeba

Welela

(Polygram, 1989) Makeba’s 30 years in exile were both noble (her address to the UN on the evils of apartheid in 1963) and marred by appalling family tragedy. Produced by Sipho Mabuse in Venice, this was the last album she made in exile before she was finally able to return home in 1990 and includes the

haunting ‘Soweto Blues’, with backing vocals by another exile, Dorothy Masuka.

08 Thomas

Mapfumo Rise Up

(Real World, 2006)

Mapfumo’s music was banned by the white Rhodesian government when his chimurenga songs of rebellion provided the soundtrack to the independence struggle. He subsequently grew increasingly disenchanted with Mugabe’s regime and sought exile in the US. Although the face of the oppressor had changed, the oppression hadn’t. A Top of the World in #37.

09 Hugh Masekela Hope (Triloka, 1994)

One of many great South African musicians forced into exile by apartheid, Masekela left the country in 1960 following the Sharpeville massacre and was unable to return until the 90s. This live set, recorded in 1993 as the dark days were finally coming to an end, captures his exuberant spirit of resistance and includes fine versions of ‘Stimela (The Coal Train)’ and ‘Mandela (Bring Him Back Home)’.

10 Songhoy Blues

Music in Exile

(Transgressive Records, 2015) On one level at least, being forced out of Timbuktu by music-banning jihadists in 2012 worked to advantage for Songhoy Blues. After fleeing to Bamako, the quartet were discovered by Damon Albarn and Nick Zinner of Africa Express. Their debut blends rock guitar licks with deep desert blues and a cracking, hypnotic Malian groove. A Top of the World in #106.

+ LET US KNOW Have any other suggestions? Write and let us know letters@songlines.co.uk

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