Songlines Magazine (November 2016, #122) by Songlines Magazine

2 FREE CDs

The Best Music from Around the World

122 NOURA MINT SEYMALI

REVIEWS

MARTIN GREEN’S FLIT THE KHOURY PROJECT

The modern voice of Mauritania

JOSEPH TAWADROS

02/09/2016 16:48

NOVEMBER 2016

Noura Mint Seymali

TOP

OF THE WORLD

THE KLEZMATICS

ELIZA CARTHY

ISSUE 122

VAUDOU GAME LEMN SISSAY’S PLAYLIST

MUSIC FROM…

Indonesia, Cuba, Togo, Suriname, Free tracks Jordan, Ethiopia and more

THE BEST NEW RELEASES

English folk’s wayward daughter and her big band

ELZA SOARES

The incredible life story of Brazil’s samba veteran

+ LEMN SISSAY’S PLAYLIST Featuring Martin Green, Mulatu Astatke, Yegna, Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker, Okra Playground, Xylouris White, Vaudou Game, Kefaya and more...

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£5.95 ISSUE 122 NOVEMBER 2016 www.songlines.co.uk www.facebook.com/songlines 08/09/2016 17:23

STWCD98 This compilation & © 2016 MA Music, Leisure & Travel Ltd info@songlines.co.uk, www.songlines.co.uk Executive producer Paul Geoghegan. Compiled and sequenced byJo 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.

WELCOME

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 World Cinema Editor John Atkinson Cover image Bechir Malum Contributing Editors Jane Cornwell, Mark Ellingham & Nigel Williamson Assisted in this issue by Emma Baker Intern Liam Izod Subscriptions Director Sally Boettcher Editorial Director Martin Cullingford Publishing Director Paul Geoghegan CEO Ben Allen Chairman Mark Allen SUBSCRIPTIONS

UK: 0800 137 201 Overseas: +44 (0)1722 716997 subscriptions@markallengroup.com ADVERTISING

Going gaga over radio

et’s hear it for radio; it’s the oldest form of broadcasting and is still a hugely popular medium. Last issue we reported on the UK’s latest ratings figures and this month BBC

Radio 3 celebrates its 70th anniversary with a week-long residency at London’s Southbank Centre (see p11). I confess I’m a bit of a radio addict. I get my early morning news fix with Radio 4’s Today programme, walk home listening to the wonderfully eclectic FIP and wind down to Late Junction. It’s actually thanks to Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs (the radio equivalent to our My World feature) that we have a predominantly Ethiopian playlist this issue, compiled by the poet Lemn Sissay. I heard Sissay on Desert Island Discs almost a year ago and his first choice by Aster Aweke immediately caught my attention. But it was his ensuing account of his childhood that had me completely transfixed. Sissay’s story is truly humbling and his musical choices are a fitting reflection of his life (see p7 and p78). Another person with a remarkable life story is the Brazilian samba icon Elza Soares. She’s coming to London in November and you can read about her career and life on p82. Finally, we’re very happy to have a bonus CD this issue – Dutch Delta Sounds – courtesy of our friends in the Netherlands (see p9). It features many musical styles and artists we rarely cover in Songlines, such as Suriname’s Ronald Snijders (see p46), so I’m sure it’ll be a welcome addition to your CD collections.

“Lemn Sissay’s story is truly humbling and his musical choices are a fitting reflection of his life”

Jo Frost, editor PS There’s still just time to book tickets to our Songlines Music Awards Winners’ concert on October 3, see www.barbican.org for details

CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE INCLUDE

+44 (0)20 7501 6683

www.markallengroup.com

Songlines is published by MA Music Leisure & Travel Ltd St Jude’s Church, Dulwich Rd, London, SE24 0PB, UK +44 (0)20 7738 5454 info@songlines.co.uk www.songlines.co.uk © MA Music Leisure & Travel Ltd, 2016. All rights reserved. No part of the Songlines may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission of the Publishing Director. The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the editor or Songlines Advertisements in the journal do not imply endorsement of the products or services advertised.

ISSN 1464-8113. Printed by: Pensord Press Ltd, Blackwood, NP12 2A Record trade distribution WWMD Ltd 0121 788 3112 Newstrade distribution COMAG 01895 433600

Robin Denselow Robin is a journalist and broadcaster who specialises in both music and politics. He has travelled widely, especially in Africa, reporting for BBC TV and radio. Read his interview with Noura Mint Seymali on p24.

Catalina Maria Johnson (@catalinamariaj) Catalina is a Chicago-based music journalist who hosts and produces Beat Latino, a weekly radio show focused on Latin culture and music. This issue she reports on what’s happening in Cuba (p87).

Pierre Cuny (@PierreCuny) A radio DJ in Paris for many years, Pierre is editorial advisor to the Villes des Musiques du Monde festival. He provides an introduction to the French-Togolese band Vaudou Game on p16.

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

www.songlines.co.uk ISSUE 122

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CONTENTS

82 Elza Soares

Carolina Faruolo

Honeyfeet’s Ríoghnach Connolly

Sundanese puppeteer

Franki Black

Stephane Munnier

UPFRONT

FEATURES

REVIEWS

06 09

50 52 56 63 65 67 68 73 74 76

11 16 18 19 21 22

Top of the World CD Bonus CD: Dutch Delta Sounds What’s New Introducing... Vaudou Game & Shapla Salique Simon Says... Letters Spotlight: The Klezmatics Songlines Music Travel

30 34

40 46

Noura Mint Seymali The Mauritanian singer raising the profile of her country’s music

The Khoury Project

The Jordanian band of brothers coming to the UK

Martin Green’s Flit The accordionist’s multimedia project about migration

Eliza Carthy

Folk’s newest big band about to hit the road

Ronald Snijders Suriname’s kaseko flute ambassador

“If listened to with an open heart and no prejudices, what better initiation into a sacred tradition than its music or dance?” Feridun Gündeş talks to Alexandra Petropoulos about the challenges of performing sacred music onstage , p105 W W W . S O N G L I N E S . C O. U K

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Africa Americas Europe Asia Middle East Pacific Fusion DVDs World Cinema Live Reviews

REGULARS 78 81 82 84 87 89 91 93 100 105 106

My World: Lemn Sissay Postcard from Indonesia Beginner’s Guide: Elza Soares Festival Pass: Homegrown Festival Dispatch from Cuba Quickfire My Instrument: Joseph Tawadros Gig Guide Overseas Festivals Soapbox Essential Ten: African Queens

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TOP OF THE WORLD

05/09/2016 10:38

01 Noura Mint Seymali ‘Arbina’ 02 Ilaria Graziano & Francesco Forni ‘Io Sono’ 03 Money Chicha ‘Lamento en la Selva’ 04 Martin Green ‘Strange Sky’ 05 Kefaya feat Deborshee Bhattacharjee ‘Manush’ 06 Okra Playground ‘Turmio’ 07 Xylouris White ‘Black Peak’ 08 Vaudou Game ‘Chérie Nye’ 09 Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker ‘Dawn of the Dark’ 10 Constantinople ‘Om Al Maradem’

TOP

OF THE WORLD

ISSUE 122

TOP

OF THE WORLD

CD 122

Free tracks

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

PLUS 5 tracks chosen by Lemn Sissay

THE BEST NEW RELEASES

11 Mulatu Astatke ‘Yègellé Tezeta’ 12 Meklit Hadero feat Samuel Yirga ‘Kemekem (I Like Your Afro)’ 13 Aster Aweke ‘Tchewata (Romance)’ 14 Baaba Maal feat Lemn Sissay ‘Peace’ 15 Yegna feat Aster Aweke ‘Taitu’

+ LEMN SISSAY’S PLAYLIST

Featuring Martin Green, Baaba Maal, Kefaya, Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker, Mulatu Astatke, Yegna, Xylouris White, Vaudou Game and more...

STWCD98 This compilation & © 2016 MA Music, Leisure & Travel 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.

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05/09/2016 10:38

04 Martin Green ‘Strange Sky’ (4:35)

10 Constantinople ‘Om al Maradem’ (6:36)

14 Baaba Maal feat Lemn Sissay ‘Peace’ (6:24)

07 Xylouris White ‘Black Peak’ (5:33)

12 Meklit Hadero feat Samuel Yirga ‘Kemekem (I Like Your Afro)’ (4:55)

06 Okra Playground ‘Turmio’ (4:47)

TOP OF THE WORLD SELECTION

11 Mulatu Astatke ‘Yègellé Tezeta’ (3:19) LEMN SISSAY’S PLAYLIST

10 tracks from this issue’s best new albums + 5 bonus tracks exclusively with the November 2016 issue of Songlines

From Turmio on Nordic Notes

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06 Okra Playground ‘Turmio’ 01 Noura Mint Seymali ‘Arbina’ (3:51)

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02 Ilaria Graziano & Francesco Forni ‘Io Sono’ (4:01)

13 Aster Aweke ‘Tchewata (Romance)’ (6:13)

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08 Vaudou Game ‘Chérie Nye’ (4:34)

06 S O N G L I N E S

09 Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker ‘Dawn of the Dark’ (3:28)

From Arbina on Glitterbeat

03 Money Chicha ‘Lamento en la Selva’ (5:07)

01 Noura Mint Seymali ‘Arbina’

On her second album, the Mauritanian

The exciting Finnish group have

vocal powerhouse serves up psychedelic

produced a beguiling album informed

Saharan rock, with all ten tracks

by a distinctive approach to tradition.

possessing an individuality that marks

An effort full of captivating energy and

them out instantly. See p50

magical textures. See p59

02 Ilaria Graziano & Francesco Forni ‘Io Sono’

07 Xylouris White

‘Black Peak’ From Black Peak on Bella Union

From Come 2 Me on Agualoca Records

George Xylouris and Jim White deliver

This sparkling and sophisticated album

a work of raw power and rugged beauty,

features mesmerising alt-country

audaciously pushing their instruments to

explorations, which are inspired by

the limit while deftly balancing tradition

American musical traditions. See p68

and invention. See p70

03 Money Chicha ‘Lamento en la Selva’

08 Vaudou Game

This Austin-based band provide a

Vaudou Game take a magpie-like

masterclass in Peruvian chicha style,

approach to African music styles, uniquely

giving the original sound extra punch

blending Afrobeat, Ethio-jazz and highlife

and a retro refit with vintage organs and

for an album that is unpredictable and

fuzz guitar effects. See p53

fresh from start to finish. See p51

04 Martin Green ‘Strange Sky’

09 Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker

This is another fascinating concept album

From Overnight on Rough Trade Records

from the accordionist with Lau. Its dark

The award-winning duo mix folk, country

electronic sounds underpin poignant

and 60s pop on an intimate and intense

songs written and sung by a host of

album that’s carried by Clarke’s haunting

talented collaborators. See p57

voice and Walker’s arrangements. See p56

05 Kefaya feat Deborshee Bhattacharjee ‘Manush’

10 Constantinople

From Echo en Mexico on Vampisoul

From Flit on Reveal Records

‘Chérie Nye’

From Kidayú on Hot Casa Records

‘Dawn of the Dark’

‘Om al Maradem’ From Passages on Buda Musique

From Radio International on Radio International Records

An intense musical dialogue between

This debut album fizzes with the energy

performers steeped in different Middle

of the international collective’s acclaimed

Eastern traditions, this album of original

live shows and is hard hitting with its

compositions is singular in conception

political commentary. See p69

and brilliantly performed. See p65

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+ LEMN SISSAY’S PLAYLIST 11

11 Mulatu Astatke ‘Yègellé Tezeta’ From Éthiopiques Vol 4 on Buda Musique The father of Ethio-jazz owns a club in Addis Ababa, where Sissay has performed various times. “We are in conversation about doing stuff together,” Sissay says. “Like Baaba, he’s a creative.”

12 Meklit Hadero feat Samuel Yirga ‘Kemekem (I Like Your Afro)’ From We are Alive on Six Degrees

Catherine Smith

“Meklit is coming to Manchester to do another residency at Band on the Wall.” The video is definitely worth checking out.

13 Aster Aweke ‘Tchewata (Romance)’ From Kabu on Triple Earth

“Aster’s light shone on me at a time when I was finding out about where I was from and who I was. She is the queen of the new sound, but also the bridge from another generation.”

14 Baaba Maal feat Lemn Sissay ‘Peace’

“If you take away all the bluster of what I do, none of it really matters. What matters is my attention to detail of the poems that I write, and the work that I do on that stage, where they come alive” Turn to p78 for the full interview with Lemn Sissay

From The Traveller on Marathon Artists

This track features Sissay’s poem ‘Let There be Peace’, which he performed live with Baaba Maal at this year’s WOMAD. “We properly connect, artist to artist.”

15 Yegna feat Aster Aweke ‘Taitu’ From a previously unreleased recording “They are basically, no word of a lie, the

SONGLINES IS NOW ON APPLE MUSIC We are happy to announce that Songlines has officially teamed up with Apple Music’s streaming service to create bespoke playlists for you. Listen to our playlists at www.bit.ly/songlinesplaylists

Spice Girls of Ethiopia. This is one of their most successful songs and one that bridges old and new.”

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21/09/2016 12:42

BONUS CD – ADVERTORIAL

DUTCH DELTA SOUNDS

YOUR BONUS FREE CD

The Rhine is to the Netherlands what the Mississippi is to the American South. In these nether lands – the delta of Western Europe – multiple streams of cultural inﬂuences have both come down the river and in from the sea. They ﬂowed in from eastern and southern Europe and, since the 17th century, from the Netherlands’ maritime links with Africa, Asia and the Americas. This legacy and open attitude still colours the Dutch music world, resulting in a wide variety of new hybrids. World Music Forum NL was set up to nurture this burgeoning scene and celebrates its tenth anniversary with this compilation featuring the latest sounds from the delta.

07 Shishani & Namibian Tales ‘Savannah Blue’ Itaala (Mundus Production) The ﬂamboyant singer-songwriter Shishani stands out in adventurous songs of Afro-European origin accompanied by cello, kora, mbira and percussion.

01 NO Blues ‘The World Keeps Turning’ Oh Yeah Habibi (CRS) A decade on, NO Blues’ selfinvented ‘Arabicana’, a hybrid of Oriental taqsim and American folk and blues, has developed into a superlative style. 02 Ahaddaf Quartet ‘Nahawand’ Spoken Soul (TimeVibes) Although rooted in the music of Morocco, France, Italy and the US, the Ahaddaf Quartet discovered their musical route in the Dutch delta. The evocative blend of Arab-Andalusian tradition with jazz and Latin music has become their unique trademark. 03 Ronald Snijders ‘Madiba’ The Nelson & Djosa Sessions (V2) Snijders is the Suriname-Dutch ambassador of kaseko. Over ﬁve decades he has played his funky ﬂute on four continents. For his latest adventure, he is joined by Azymuth, Bassekou Kouyaté, Orlando Julius and Ed Motta. Read more about him on p46.

04 Nils Fischer & Timbazo ‘Sabor a Bombón’ Rumberos a Montón (Timbazo Productions) Grammy-nominee Nils Fischer mixes explosive Cuban timba with jazz and salsa dura. The website Salsapower says of his music: ‘Horns blaring, percussion faster than the speed of light and singers just spitting ﬁre!’ 05 Tiltan ‘Lev Shel Perach Adom’ A Road Less Traveled (Kululush Records) Tiltan’s melancholic music is just as rare as the four-leaf clover to which the group’s name refers. The quartet perform chamber music, where folklore and jazz melt into a road movie for the ear. 06 Göksel Yilmaz Ensemble ‘Maryam Maryamti’ Kan Zaman (Göksel Yilmaz Ensemble) This is blues from the Levant. Saz virtuoso Yilmaz and his ensemble capture the soul of Turkish, Syrian and Lebanese repertoire while giving it an edgy twist.

08 Carel Kraayenhof Ensemble ‘Aleppo’ Liberación (Bando Dreams) Composer and bandoneón maestro Carel Kraayenhof has studied with Juan José Mosalini, performed with Astor Piazzolla and recorded with Sting and Ennio Morricone, who said “he makes the instrument surprisingly relevant.” 09 The Dubbeez ‘Hangover’ Dubby EP (The Dubbeez) This young collective reboots classic roots and dub reggae into the year 2016 with charisma. This is vital reggae with a vintage feel. 10 Voodrish ‘Ceci n’est pas du Reggae’ The Whims of Mr Hoogeloon (Voodrish) Electronic and acoustic instruments provide a panoramic palette, while improvisation and virtuosity keep Voodrish’s music ﬂexible and fresh. 11 Rabasa ‘Corveta’ Ora Ta Pasa (Coast to Coast) Rotterdam is the port of Cape Verdeans in diaspora from which such artists as Suzanna Lubrano, Gil Semedo and Rabasa conquered the world. Rabasa’s acoustic approach keeps close to the uplifting sounds of coladeira, funaná and morna.

12 Rumbatá Beat Band ‘Wikileaks’ Once Again (Camina Records) Having garnered success in the international salsa scene, Jaime Rodríguez returned with his Rumbatá Beat Band in 2014 after a five-year break, with Once Again, mixing Latin with contemporary pop and jazz influences. 13 Minyeshu ‘Yikerta’ Yeselam Ayer (Minyeshu) This Ethiopian-Dutch singer blends the best of both worlds with her stunning voice and haunting songs. Yeselam Ayer offers music for the soul from a star in the making. 14 Antimufa ‘Desencuentro Eterno’ Previously unreleased Inspired by the musical tradition of Río de la Plata, these Dutch based ‘Argen-teenyboppers’ bring tango and Argentinian folk music into the 21st century. 15 Boi Akih ‘Mahina’ Previously unreleased Charismatic singer Monica Akihary and innovative guitarist Niels Brouwer are the nucleus of Boi Akih. They transform the musical heritage of the Indonesian archipelago and European jazz into a new idiom. 16 Koffie ‘Mama Deo’ Previously unreleased Though coffee comes in various varieties, the band Koffie stand out with their pungent blend of Afrobeat, funk, jazz and electronica. Instant improvisation with a strong espresso groove.

www.worldmusicforum.nl

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20/09/2016 16:02

WHAT’S NEW Views, news and events from around the world 70 YEARS AND COUNTING

UK music venues under threat While the closure of London’s ‘super-club’ Fabric continues to make the headlines, the plight of grassroots music venues took another blow in August with the closure of Passing Clouds in London’s East End. Now in their tenth year, Passing Clouds has hosted thousands of cross-cultural music and community events, showcasing new and established artists to highly passionate, loyal crowds. On September 17, hundreds marched through Hackney in support of the venue and the immediate impact the closure will have on the local community. Speaking to Songlines, Passing Clouds’ events manager, Gudrun Getz, stresses that ‘what little help there is for music venues is not enough,’ especially when it comes to fending off land purchases from property developers. This is indicative of a larger problem; the UK is haemorrhaging nightlife and live music spots. It’s W W W . S O N G L I N E S . C O. U K

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estimated that 40% of London’s music venues have closed in the past eight years, with a very similar picture developing across the country – as unregulated property development, rent increases and local licensing laws (or a combination of all three) are being blamed for the demise of arts venues and spaces. London is an easy sell to prospective international enterprise; it is a thriving and diverse cultural hub, steeped in heritage. And yet once land is purchased, there is little consideration for maintaining those very idiosyncrasies that are the lifeblood of the capital and vital to a flourishing arts scene. Passing Clouds itself still has hope that their appeal to reclaim the building will be successful, but for now the call is to push for government and council support for grassroots venues across the country. + ONLINE www.musicvenuetrust.com

London’s Southbank is hosting Sound Frontiers, a series of special live broadcasts (September 23-October 7) to mark the 70th anniversary of the Third Programme, the predecessor to BBC Radio 3. The station crackled into life at 6pm on September 29 1946, heralding a new cultural era for a nation still anchored down by strict austerity measures. Dismissive of popular, ‘Americanised’ music, the station acquired a reputation for high-brow cultural programming, yet although rooted in classical music, jazz, poetry and drama were also core to its schedule. Evolving into BBC Radio 3 in 1967, the station has become a natural home to world and folk music (despite the axing of World Routes in late 2013). On October 21, World on 3’s Lopa Kothari will be joined by guests who will choose their highlights from the past 70 years, including the introduction of Indian classical music to the Proms and the partnership with WOMAD festival.

+ ONLINE

www.bbc.co.uk/radio3

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INTRODUCING...

Vaudou Game

The French-Togolese band will launch their second album next month. Pierre Cuny speaks to their lead vocalist about their musical influences

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first guitar out of an oil drum and a piece of wood, using bicycle brakes as chords. Already a recognised musician in the 90s, he was the backing guitarist of numerous renowned African artists, such as Miriam Makeba, Papa Wemba, King Mensah, while at the same time continuing to accompany the voodoo ritual ceremonies locally. The start of the new century drew Solo to discover new horizons – geographically and musically – finally debarking to the UK and taking up residence for four years. He immersed himself in gospel music, even becoming a choirmaster, while frequenting London’s highlife, jùjú and Afrobeat music scenes. Life’s circumstances then took him to Lyon, France, a city of diverse musical cultures. With his young French companions, they would earnestly listen to Roger Damawuzan, the James Brown of Lomé, and to old African pearls dug out of dusty paper covers reissued by labels such as Analog Africa and Soundway Records. Vaudou Game went on to create an analogue sound using both vintage instruments and old recording gear. The group’s music is still very much connected to the culture of voodoo, despite the distance with Togo, but as Solo says, “voodoo does not only belong to Benin, Togo or Haiti. It is universal. One cannot live detached to nature or voodoo.” Even if their songs in French, in English and in the Togolese Mina language speak about the disorders of contemporary life, they are always joyful and a vibrant call to hope.

+ ALBUM Kidayú is a Top of the +

World review in this issue, see p51 LIVE Vaudou Game will perform at Mosaïques Festival on October 14 at Rich Mix, see Gig Guide for details

Vicente Fritis

ince the emergence of the French-Togolese group in 2014 with their first highly-energised album, Vaudou Game have maintained a constant groove across the continents, infused with psychedelic Afrobeat, funk and Togolese traditional rhythms. Bandleader Peter Solo adorns the cover of Apiafo, their debut album, complete with traditional buffalo horned head mask and multitudes of tribal cowrie shell necklaces and bangles, representing a Minotaur. When asked what this specific and striking attire symbolises, Solo explains: “It’s a Zangbeto mask: the guardian of the night, a warrior who protects his village from brigands and intruders.” And what about the band’s name? “Vaudou was a natural choice; I am voodoo!” Solo adds. “My mother practiced voodoo fervently in our village. Voodoo is a culture of peace, love, humility, tolerance and humanism. The word itself denotes all elements of nature. It not only feeds us, it speaks to us, clothes us and heals us, and we highly respect it.” “The word ‘Game’ in fact comes from the French word gamme, meaning musical scales and we chose this because of our use of the traditional Togolese scales.” They can be recognised in some of the numbers on their newly released album Kidayú, where, surprisingly, the songs seem to fit perfectly with the golden age of Ethiopian popular dance music, as the melodies are very similar. Before forming his tightly-knit band with their captivating sound, Solo travelled far and wide. An orphan at the age of 11, he was initiated in percussion and the traditional rhythms of his Togolese village, Aneho-Glidji, a major centre of voodoo culture. As a young child, he made his

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21/09/2016 08:49

Shapla Salique

The British-Bangladeshi singer speaks to Alexandra Petropoulos about discovering a new freedom in the songs of a Baul saint

alon Shah, the 19th century Baul saint, wrote the lyric ‘O Baul songs how you have captured my soul… when you awoke my deepest soul and gave me blessed inspiration, I finally found the path to express myself.’ For singer Shapla Salique, those words couldn’t ring truer. Struggling to find her own musical identity, she finally found her creative freedom in Lalon’s music, resulting in the release of her first solo album No Boundaries. Salique was born in the Sylhet region of Bangladesh and by the age of two she was already singing with her father. “Mum and dad always say to me, ‘you couldn’t speak, but you used to sing by saying ‘la, la, la, la’.’ I did my first performance in baby language,” she laughs. Aged five, shortly after her family settled in East London, she started performing with her dad’s group, Dishari Shilpi Ghosthi, the first British Bangladeshi ensemble, and

Adrian Multon/James Reynard

Vicente Fritis

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when she was 14, her dad sent her to Bangladesh for just over a year to learn nazrul songs – the music of Nazrul Islam, Bangladesh’s national poet. “I’m so glad dad took me because I think if that hadn’t happened, I would not have fallen in love with nazrul songs and been exposed to so much music out there and learning the culture.” She returned to the UK and continued to perform with Dishari Shilpi Ghosthi until she was 19, but the lack of musical freedom was starting to wear on her. “It’s almost like I didn’t have an identity when I was [doing music]. My dad made all the decisions; the songs were chosen by my dad and I just sang them.” So she took a break. Ten years later, when revisiting a recording of Lalon’s songs, Salique found herself drawn back. “This music just blew me away. It was almost like soul searching, deeply spiritual... It was then that I thought this music is doing

something to me. I don’t know what it is and I need to do something with it.” While considered to be a dialect of Bangla, Sylheti is almost an entirely different language, so Salique couldn’t understand the lyrics. “I found peace in these songs melodically and I wanted to know the meaning. Dad gave me some books with English translations. Even then it was quite difficult to understand because everything was in riddles. And riddles never get solved, so you’ve got to find your own interpretation.” That freedom of interpretation offered her an outlet for her musical creativity that she had been unable to find before, which led her to record No Boundaries. “I’ve been singing all my life, but this album is something that I created. It’s complete musical control.” Backed by a diverse line-up of instrumentalists on everything from tabla and sitar to saxophone and djembé, Salique is able to sing Lalon’s songs as she felt them – “Lalon’s music is something that you don’t hear, it’s something that you feel” – mixing Bangladeshi folk and jazz. “I think you should be free to experiment. And there were a lot of restrictions with me growing up, in terms of expressing myself as an artist. Now I’ve found that, and if people like it, it’s a bonus.” But more than just an outlet for her creatively, this project reflects her deeper desire to expose a wider audience to Bangladeshi music. “Bangladesh is not rich in wealth but it’s so rich in culture and heritage,” she says. “I would love to get people to hear this kind of music. And if anyone hears my music and says something positive about Bangladesh, I’ll be so proud.”

+ ALBUM Shapla Salique’s album

No Boundaries will be reviewed in the next issue, out November 4

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NOURA MINT SEYMALI

The Voice of Mauritania Robin Denselow speaks to singer Noura Mint Seymali about how she’s helping Mauritanian music to evolve, and introducing international audiences to its rich tradition

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Bechir Malum

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ELIZA CARTHY

Wayward and free

Nathaniel Handy speaks to English singer-songwriter Eliza Carthy, who is the happiest she’s ever been with her new band, new voice and newfound freedom

Steve Gullick W W W . S O N G L I N E S . C O. U K

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Africa REVIEWS Sekou Kouyaté & Debademba Afrika Festival: Live in Hertme Very Open Jazz Records (78 mins)

★★★★★

Dutch courage: two different African acts from Hertme fest

Joe Penny

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OFTHE WORLD

Noura Mint Seymali Arbina

TRACK 1

Glitterbeat (41 mins)

★★★★★

Saharan sounds saturated in psych-rock Following her international debut album that was one of the greats of 2014, it’s absolutely no bad state of affairs that it’s more of the same from the Mauritanian vocal powerhouse Noura Mint Seymali. The chief development here is in the songwriting rather than the actual sound, as all ten works possess an individuality that marks them out as instantly, or gradually, ensnaring. Noura’s impassioned vocals soar over Jeiche Ould Chighaly’s stalking guitar, along with her own ardine (mini-harp), a loping electric bass and producer Matthew Tinari’s clipped, back-stepping drums.

This psychedelic Sahara sound retains its folk roots, but there are moments in listening to some of these songs when images flicker by of Cream or The Stooges, for instance. During ‘Mohammedoun’, Noura ululates, then holds notes with hard precision until just the right instant, before jabbing along beside the band’s rhythms, alighting on the beat. On ‘Na Sane’, the drums accelerate and almost veer out of control, but Noura latches on, staying with them. The gleaming guitar spirals of ‘Ghlana’ have a postrock feel, tweaked with odd effects, like a barefoot Fairport Convention hopping in the desert sand. MARTIN LONGLEY

TRACK TO TRY Ghlana

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

Ceuzany Ilha d’Melodia Lusafrica (40 mins)

★★★★★

One of Cape Verde’s top sellers makes an album for everyone Ceuzany used to front Cordas do Sol, whose album Lume d’Lenha was apparently bought by one in ten Cape Verdeans. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that this, her second solo effort, should be similarly designed to appeal to all and offend few. In fact it’s so easy on the ear that it begins to grate after a while. Yes, the Senegalborn singer has a voice like a fresh summer breeze; yes, her band produce delightful foot-tapping grooves from a gently plucked cavaquinho (a Portuguese ukulele) and acoustic guitar, piano and drums. But even when Ceuzany ventures into vaguely hip-hop territory in a duet with rapper Kiddye Bonz on ‘Cabo Verde La Fora’, the rapping itself is polite and the arrangement remains

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innocuously agreeable, with things quickly getting back on track with a chorus full of forlorn yearning in the traditional Cape Verdean manner. Ultimately, there’s nothing wrong with Ilha d’Melodia; it’s a lovely, sun-filled, bouncy thing when it’s not being a lovely, melancholic, lovelorn thing. But there’s just not one single moment of dissonance or one longedfor rough edge. No doubt it too will end up being owned by a sizable percentage of her fellow countrymen, so good luck to her. HOWARD MALE

TRACK TO TRY Cabo Verde La Fora

Jali Fily Cissokho Diatakendiya Kaira Records (79 mins)

★★★★★

UK-based kora man’s fourth album pulls no punches Given the name Cissokho, it is almost inevitable that this will be a fine example of West African griot

music. Jali Fily Cissokho is from Ziguinchor in the Casamance region of Senegal and comes from a long line of kora players recounting Mande history. He has been based in the UK since 2003, when he came to participate in the Jalikunda Cissokho family recording project. This is his fourth release under his own name and it sees him accompanied by percussion and, on two tracks, guitar. This allows us to focus on the exemplary kora playing and engagingly striking vocals. He sings with great attack on the material – which is praise singing in the conventional griot tradition. His solo kora playing is impeccable and his highly rhythmic technique fills the sound out to give the appearance of a second instrument. Aided by the very busy and adept percussionist Amadou Diagne, the overall impression is more like a small ensemble rather than simple kora and percussion. The addition of delicate electric guitar, played by Dave Noble, is a delight. MARTIN SINNOCK

TRACK TO TRY Binta Jang

The annual Afrika Festival in Hertme in the Netherlands has become one of the highlights of the European festival circuit and has retained its comparatively small and intimate status. This is the first recording from the festival to be released as a CD and features sets – one from 2014 and the other from 2015 – from two West African artists. Sekou Kouyaté is a Guinean kora player from a griot family and performs regularly with New York rapper Joe Driscoll. Here he leads his own group, in which he plays kora both acoustically and amplified with modern effects pedals. He has a dynamic and versatile approach to his instrument and makes full use of his tight backing group. Tremendously crowd-pleasing, he can effortlessly switch from a big rock sound into a delicate and more traditional acoustic kora piece, such as ‘Mobeny’. Debademba is the group led by the exceptional Malian singer Mohamed Diaby and breathtaking guitarist Abdoulaye Traoré from Burkina Faso. They are equally able to captivate their audience, whether it’s with a lively boogie number or their evocative fusion of West African and ArabAndalusian influences. A superb example of the versatility of modern West African musicians. MARTIN SINNOCK

TRACK TO TRY Dela by Sekou Kouyaté

Tanga The Treasure of our Ancestors Buda Musique (63 mins)

★★★★★

Rural Malagasy folk, direct from the village of Antsangy This album is a decent enough attempt to document the folk music of Madagascar’s Betsileo region, made in the village of Antsangy by the group Tanga, a trio of Tanga Andriakamelo and his brothers Dina and Alfred, though sometimes expanding to a bigger troupe. Tanga is the lead singer and kabosy (lute)

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Africa REVIEWS player. He also plays harmonica, or uses an acoustic guitar, accompanied by Dina on bass, and an uncredited percussionist – Alfred, presumably – thumping out a beat occasionally, and a second percussionist on kararaka (or katraika) shakers, which accentuate the typically Malagasy 6/8 rhythms on these pieces from local folklore. The album sounds like a series of field recordings, due to the inclusion of the ambient sounds of nature that colour daily village life, such as wild and domestic bird calls, and the pounding of rice. Unfortunately, our deeper understanding of the context is somewhat hampered by a lack of clarity in the sleeve notes. JON LUSK

TRACK TO TRY Sakafon-jaza/ Infant Nutrition

Pat Thomas Coming Home Strut Records (2 CDs, 135 mins)

★★★★★

Ghana’s highlife man

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MARTIN LONGLEY

TRACK TO TRY Awurade Mpaebo

VARIOUS ARTISTS The Rough Guide to Ethiopian Jazz World Music Network (55 mins)

★★★★★

The world beyond the Éthiopiques compilations Rough Guides turns its attention to the wonderful world of Ethio-jazz. The trap of focusing only on Buda Musique’s landmark Éthiopiques series has been avoided, but this leaves the genre’s golden era somewhat underrepresented. Two members of the old guard – Mulatu Astatke and Getatchew Mekuria – are included, with more recent projects, but many greats are missing, notably Mahmoud Ahmed. Of the young guns showcased here, most continue the musical legacy of the master, Astatke. Samuel Yirga’s intense and brooding piano exploration aside, it may have been fun to feature some of the more out-there young exponents. The tracks on this album are presented in their unedited, extended forms, up to eight minutes in length. This decision is a double-edged sword: it’s a delight to appreciate the full listening experience as intended without the unceremonious fade-outs of abridged tracks; on the other hand, it means that only nine tracks are included. As such, the spectrum of Ethio-jazz presented is not as broad as it could have been. One album can only ever hope to scratch the surface, but perhaps this one could have scratched just a little deeper. JIM HICKSON

TRACK TO TRY Firma Ena Wereket by Samuel Yirga

Mornas de Cabo Verde Lusafrica (75 mins)

★★★★★

A wake-up call to make you a mornas person For the past half-century, the languid and lush musical genre morna has been successfully exported from its birthplace, a volcanic archipelago off West Africa.

Cesaria Evora took its fame to new levels but other Cape Verdean artists, such as Bana, Titina and Cabrel have been equally compelling in making this bluesy version of Portuguese fado a fixture in annual world music retrospectives. This latest compilation will undoubtedly confirm this tiny country’s reputation of enduring depth and quality within its artistic community. But it is hard to fathom Lusafrica’s editorial choices in picking the album’s 16 tracks, eschewing as it does pioneers like Bana and Titina.

However, it is refreshing to enjoy a savvy mix of old and new voices, with the likes of Elida Almeida and Jenifer Solidade picking up the baton from veterans such as Teófilo Chantre and Bau. This features touching contributions by Maria Alice and Ceuzany – it’s an album dominated by female singers. Its languorous quality prolongs Europe’s summer rays into the autumn, giving them the melancholy tinge of falling leaves. DANIEL BROWN

TRACK TO TRY Nha Morgadinha by Bau

Emmanuel Prost

Ghanaian highlife appears to be regaining its popularity of late, and those who witnessed Pat Thomas at WOMAD in July can now savour this two-disc retrospective of tunes from 1967 to 1981. It’s a different world of sound as compared to his present band – quaint and smooth as opposed to springy and hard. The first disc’s late-60s material is heard through a faintly muffled gauze, but the music itself shines through regardless. The Broadway Dance Band and Ogyatanaa Show Band are the first of many outfits Thomas fronted that are presented here; before Thomas went on to The Black Berets, The Big 7, The Sweet Beans and Marijata. To close the disc, there are a pair of previously unreleased cuts with Ebo Taylor, the man who gave Thomas his start in music. The early singles are short, but as this set progresses, the tracks get longer, settling on a pulsing repetition, the grooves more entrenched, and perfect for stamina-testing dancing. The leader’s sweet vocals are set in front of spangly guitars and insistent basslines with highlife at their heart, but with excursions into Afrobeat, ska, and US soul and funk. ‘Awurade Mpaebo’ has a kind of panting rhythm, with spacious, resonant guitar-work, ‘Yamona’ is propelled by tightly knitted bass and drums, with synth-trills, guitar solos and extra keyboard bass. ‘I Need More’ benefits from a carefully

distorted guitar solo, and even though it keeps its cool, it can’t resist delivering a climax of sorts eventually.

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Vaudou Game Kidayú

TRACK 8

Hot Casa Records (46 mins)

★★★★★

A Solo album by a very funky group – voodoo at work This is a tour de force and I can’t seem to stop listening to it. Peter Solo and his band Vaudou Game trawl through a variety of African styles and always seem to land on their feet musically, reinventing the styles they dip into on their uptempo journey. That variety of styles gives the whole album an unpredictability and freshness that makes it a very satisfying listen (and even a party album) from start to finish. Peter Solo’s roots lie in AnéhoGlidji in Togo, a centre of the voodoo culture of the Guin people. But, while that may be his foundation, he has an amazing facility to pick up

on and galvanise styles from across Africa – from Ethiopia to Nigeria. Of course he’s part of a great tradition, following in the footsteps of bigeared cross-styling pioneers from Benin and Togo, such as Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou and Victor Uwaifo. And Vaudou Game enjoy a unique relationship with that tradition, assembling their sound using vintage instruments and influences from cassette tapes from the 1970s, producing a powerful analogue sound. Solo’s voice is often reminiscent of Fela and Femi Kuti, but the band’s arrangements can sound like Ethio-jazz, vintage Afrobeat, and even beautiful highlife. These guys are tout puissant! MAX REINHARDT

TRACK TO TRY On se Pousse

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Fusion REVIEWS Jan Galega Brönnimann, Moussa Cissokho & Omri Hason Al Nge Taa Nordic Notes (61 mins)

★★★★★

Artful West African music The Swiss woodwind player Jan Galega Brönnimann plays some of the lowest clarinet you’re ever

likely to experience – on the bass and rarely heard contrabass and contraalto varieties. Moussa Cissokho, from Senegal, has mastered the magical filaments of his kora while the Israeli musician Omri Hason taps out all manner of subtleties from a broad spread of Middle Eastern percussion that also includes hang (a tuned steel drum) and kalimba (thumb piano). Brönnimann’s careful clarinet phrases are beautifully shaped, as if from deep organic matter: throaty, furred and

masterfully obsidian. As an occasional palette cleanser, he also ripples lightly on soprano saxophone. Cissokho also sings, and is heard to best effect on ‘Alila’, which is the closest this trio comes to a classic Malian song-form, with its stuttering punctuations and soaring verses. ‘Touba’ has low vocals to match the clarinet, with kalimba droplets landing all around. ‘Mama Bamako’ has a very slow, stately pace, the kora given space to shimmer, then smeared over by soprano saxophone. Recorded in Bern, this trio’s debut is fusion of the best kind, although West African music remains its dominant force. MARTIN LONGLEY

TRACK TO TRY Alila

Dom Flemons & Martin Simpson A Selection of EverPopular Favourites Fledg’ling Records (44 mins)

★★★★★

Two troubadours unload their packs: a Transatlantic hoot

Simona Ghizzoni

TOP

Ilaria Graziano & Francesco Forni Come 2 Me

OFTHE WORLD TRACK 2

Agualoca Records (46 mins)

★★★★★

An alt-country Spaghetti Western of an album In 2015, Ilaria Graziano and Francesco Forni delighted their native Italian audiences, as well as overseas listeners, with the Irish-tinged debut From Bedlam to Lenane (reviewed in #113). The follow-up finds them heading out on another road trip – to the US, with brief excursions south of Rios Grande and Bravo. Mellow opening song ‘Filibusteria’ and the mesmerising ‘Io Sono’ have serious American alt-country credentials. ‘La Pistola y el Corazón’ evokes the sorrowful sway of a Mexican ranchera. Blues riffs pepper many songs. There’s a bit of

tango and, so we don’t quite forget the duo’s origins, snatches of canzonetta napoletane. Both artists have worked on theatre and film productions and there is something of the movie soundtrack in the way Come 2 Me skips around the genres fluidly but perhaps a bit too safely. Graziano’s vocals have a rich, sultry timbre, but she can also let loose an impassioned howl (in several languages) and her register swings from falsetto down to contralto, Kate Bush-style. Forni delivers moody voice-overs and is a superb player of ukulele, guitar and banjo. Come 2 Me is a sparkling, sophisticated second album. CHRIS MOSS

TRACK TO TRY Io Sono

GET THIS ALBUM FREE Readers can get Come 2 Me when subscribing or renewing with Direct Debit. See CD flyer for details

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This live recording from the duo’s UK tour last autumn features a set of old-time vaudeville and music hall songs, ‘Coon’ songs and early blues, and is the result of a commission from EFDSS and Cecil Sharp House. Flemons and Simpson each trade vocals from song to song, with Simpson switching between six-string, slide guitar and five-string banjo, and Flemons rattles the bones, blows the quills (panpipes) and plays lap steel and guitar. It doesn’t take long to know you’re in the presence of musicians with few peers and many talents – their on-stage dexterity and bonhomie is an infectious joy. Indeed, joy runs through this set, from the opening ‘My Money Never Runs Out’ through the tale of ‘John Hardy’, a Martin Simpson favourite from across his career, to ‘Champagne Charlie’, a British music-hall classic that sailed giddily across the ocean, and the sweet, closing children’s song, ‘Buckeye Jim’. The album’s liner notes are a wealth of information and personal testimonies from both artists. The good humour, tenderness and humanity they bring to these old songs from the days before health and safety, minimum wage, human rights, or any kind of rights for the wrong kind of person, is palpable and pleasurable. TIM CUMMING

TRACK TO TRY John Hardy

Homebound Adroneline Bird Creek (55 mins)

★★★★★

Festival favourites finally let us hear their debut album Led by the German concertina and hurdy-gurdy player Thomas Zöller, Homebound are a seven-piece world music fusion band who have been playing the festival circuit for a decade, although this is their debut studio recording. It’s an intriguing blend of global sounds that follows in the pioneering footsteps of the likes of the Afro Celt Sound System and Nitin Sawhney, blending cross-cultural influences and linking them via with the common motif of the drone. With Zöller expertly handling the production duties, the Portuguese guitarist and oud player Pedro Aibéo brings a delicious flamenco/Middle Eastern hybridity; the harp player Cheyenne Brown offers a more ethereal quality; the Indian tabla player Hardeep Deerhe adds layers of Oriental rhythm, supported by the Russian percussionist Sascha Gotowtschikow; Scottish piper Allan MacDonald lends a Celtic drone; and the cellist Joachim Schiefer adds resonant touches of classical virtuosity. Several of the 13 compositions begin with one of these numerous cultural strands taking the lead and setting the pace; but by the time the rest of the ensemble has joined the fray, the music has been transformed into a droning, seething, nebulous and sometimes glorious melange that transcends the sum of its individual parts. NIGEL WILLIAMSON

TRACK TO TRY Prince of Persia

Dana Immanuel & the Stolen Band Come With Me Dana Immanuel (35 mins)

★★★★★

Decadent, whisky-soaked London Americana “Dana Immanuel... isn’t she that trans singer that won the Eurovision Song Contest a while back?” “No Mum, that would be Dana International.” Although if Dana Immanuel entered Eurovision, we might actually stand a chance of winning. The rest of the Stolen Band have equally awesome names: Feadora Morris, Blanche Ellis,

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Fusion REVIEWS Lakuta Brothers & Sisters Tru Thoughts (46 mins)

★★★★★

Visionary Brightonians with Afro-Cuban flair

The album is fashioned in the style of a pirate radio broadcast, with alternating tracks titled ‘Interference’ featuring crackling samples of polemic about refugees and racism, guerilla protests and people power. Its songs range from ‘Indignados’, with loping Ethiopian horns and the impassioned flamenco vocals of Chico Peres, to ‘Manush’, a track lifted to giddy heights by the glorious vocals of India’s Deborshee Bhattarcharjee, and ‘Bella Ciao’, a reworking of an Italian anti-fascist anthem. The band’s name, meaning ‘Enough’ in Arabic, was the nickname for the grassroots liberation movement that led to the Arab Spring. Powerful, thought-provoking stuff.

Lakuta are based in Brighton, but have influences that stretch far further afield. Their name is a Swahili term that roughly translates as ‘to find, meet and share’ and the eclectic make-up of their debut record – and indeed the group’s membership – fits well with this denotation. Brothers & Sisters is a musical manifesto for breaking down barriers, standing up to discrimination and uniting under a sense of common humanity. Opener ‘Bata Boy’ hits the ground running: a vibrant Afro-Cuban jam that combines batá drumming with Ghanaian highlife horn lines and a cutting vocal from lead singer Siggi. The following nine tracks are equally energetic, passing through the rabble-rousing ‘So Sue Us’ and its bold trumpet flourishes; the jilting ‘Pique’, which works 5/4 time into a beguiling groove; and ‘Yansan’, a chant-based anthem that utilises the tui tui rhythm from Cuba. The latter half demonstrates Lakuta’s ability to marry calm with deft artistry, and the emergence of the soprano sax on tracks such as ‘Changanya’ and ‘Lose Yourself ’ is a welcome addition. Powerful, inventive and utterly compelling: an assured debut from a talented collective.

JANE CORNWELL

ALEX DE LACEY

TRACK TO TRY Protesta Flamenca

TRACK TO TRY Lose Yourself

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OFTHE WORLD

Kefaya Radio International

TRACK 5

Radio International Records (42 mins)

★★★★★

Enough is never enough for these pirate-radio enthusiasts As a favourite at various UK festivals, international collective Kefaya – led by UK-based guitarist Giuliano Modarelli and keyboardist Al McSween – proved themselves greater than the sum of their many parts. This, their much-anticipated debut, captures the fizzing energy of their genre-defying live shows, which sees them on a search for the common ground between various folk traditions, armed with left-wing politics, a penchant for sound-system culture and a healthy respect for tradition. Recorded during travels and collaborations with musicians from across India, Palestine, Spain, Italy and the UK, the album was crafted as Kefaya grew in size.

Maya McCourt and Hjordis Moon Badford accompany Dana on vocals, guitar, banjo, cello, bass and various percussion instruments such as cajon and washboard. This banjo-toting, whiskey-drinking, poker-playing outfit blend the influences of bluegrass, blues, Americana and rock into a heady mix for their most recent release. The subject matter of the songs ranges from the introspective ‘Clockwork’ to the slightly less delicate ‘Motherfucking Whore’. It’s generally upbeat: popping bass and rippling banjo drive the album along. There’s even a cover of the old classic ‘Viva Las Vegas’. They’re also gigging at my local pretty soon; I’m definitely going down so I can pretend I’m on the Bayou rather than in Lewisham. TOM NEWELL

TRACK TO TRY Devil’s Money

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Jungle by Night The Traveller V2 Records (42 mins)

★★★★★

Nocturnal Afrobeat meanderings The Traveller is the third full-length release from Amsterdam-based Jungle by Night. The nine-piece ensemble straddles Afrobeat, funk and Ethio-jazz to produce a style that is both diverse and enjoyable to listen to. They’ve garnered support from the likes of Rich Medina and in 2013 co-wrote a single with Los Angeles left-field beat-wizard The Gaslamp Killer. The content here, however, is a real mixed bag: some great tracks alongside some rather bizarre auditory experiments. ‘The Ottoman

Highlands’ features nifty bass work, dense iterative percussion textures and an insatiable horn line, while ‘Morning Stretch’ is great too: combining a Todd Terje-styled synth line with funky guitar licks and wonderful power from the brass section. ‘Caldera’ however is both eerie and rather drab, its lead neither packing punch nor possessing sufficient intrigue for a track that clocks in at nearly six minutes in length, and ‘Extortion’ is utterly confusing: juxtaposing a section that could have been sampled from Sonic The Hedgehog with a laidback hip-hop groove that arbitrarily cuts in at random points. Jungle by Night are a gifted bunch, but this suggests that they still seem to be finding their way. ALEX DE LACEY

TRACK TO TRY The Ottoman Highlands

Moddi Unsongs Propeller (49 mins)

★★★★★

Wanna join his banned? The 29-year-old Norwegian singer-songwriter Moddi who, like a Scandinavian Billy Bragg, combines his music with left-wing political activism, hit upon the concept for Unsongs after hearing ‘Eli Geva’, a song about an Israeli brigade commander who refused to lead his forces into Beirut during the Lebanon war in 1982. When he learned that the song had been banned, he decided to record his own version, from which grew the idea for an album of banned songs from around the world, including examples from Vietnam, China,

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OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2016

Gig Guide

Songlines picks... Cork Folk Festival (Ireland, September 29-October 3) All things folk in Ireland’s southern capital. Blazin’ in Beauly (Scotland, October 9-14) A week of tuition, concerts, and ceilidhs hosted by Blazin’ Fiddles with special guest Esko Järvelä. Nour Festival of Arts (London, October 20November 6) A celebration of Middle Eastern and North African culture, including a performance by the Khoury Project (see p30). Musicport Festival (North, October 21-23) The world comes to Whitby, including a performance by Lemn Sissay (see p78).

Emile Holba

Terje Isungset & Maria Skranes (pictured) (South & Midlands, October 25 & 26) The Norwegian composer brings his ice instruments to the UK with vocalist Skranes.

LONDON 15 SEP-25 OCT K-Music: London’s Festival of Korean Music serious.org.uk/k-music; 27 SEP-1 OCT The London Latin Jazz Fest Pizza Express Jazz Club Soho londonlatinjazzfest.com; 29 SEP-2 OCT Transcender barbican.org.uk/ transcender; 30 SEP Songs of Immigrants & Experience Rich Mix richmix.org.uk; 1 OCT Kaiso Lime Calypso Night The Tabernacle FREE tabernaclew11.com; Deepa Nair

Rasiya Kings Place 020 7520 1490; Juan Martín & Amparo Heredia Kings Place 020 7520 1490; Irshad Khan The Music Room, Wembley 020 8908 2525; 2 OCT Vishwa Mohan Bhatt Mountbatten Auditorium ticketsource.co.uk; Debashish Bhattacharya Elgar Room at RAH 020 7589 8212; 3 OCT Songlines Music Awards Winners’ Concert Barbican barbican.org.uk; Joyce Jazz Cafe 020 7485 6834; 3 OCT-3 DEC Out of Asia 2 Sadler’s Wells sadlerswells.com; 5 OCT Ju Percussion Group Barbican 020 7638 8891; Natalia GarciaHuidobro, Leo Power & Pablo

Dominguez Sands Films tunedin.london; O’Hooley & Tidow with Band Kings Place 020 7520 1490; 6 OCT Claudia Aurora Union Chapel musicglue.com; 7-16 OCT Native Spirit Indigenous Festival SOAS nativespiritfoundation.org; 11 OCT False Lights The Water Rats wegottickets.com; 12 OCT The Flemish Folk Caravan: WÖR + Trio Dhoore + Surpluz Cecil Sharp House 020 7485 2206; 13 OCT Anoushka Shankar RFH 0844 875 0073; 14 OCT The Shee Kings Place 020 7520 1490; 14-15 OCT Mosaïques Festival Rich Mix richmix.org.uk; 15 OCT Africa on the Square Trafalgar Square FREE

london.gov.uk/get-involved/events; 16 OCT Diwali Festival of Lights Trafalgar Square FREE london.gov.uk/ get-involved/events; Babbu Maan Hammersmith Apollo 0844 249 4300; 19 OCT Melange Sands Films tunedin.london; 20 OCT-6 NOV Nour Festival of Arts rbkc.gov.uk/subsites/ nour.aspx; 22 OCT Alsarah & The Nubatones Rich Mix 020 7613 7498; Amit & Sumit Kumar Logan Hall chillitickets.com; 23 OCT Maria Gadú Barbican 020 7638 8891; 25-31 OCT Return to Camden Town Irish Music Festival returntocamden.org; 26 OCT Nessi Gomes The Old Queen’s Head

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 W W W . S O N G L I N E S . C O. U K

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Gig Guide eventbrite.co.uk; 26-29 OCT London Guitar Festival Kings Place igf.org.uk; 27 OCT Breabach Rich Mix 020 7613 7498; 27 OCT-26 NOV The London Folk & Roots Festival londonfolkandroots.com; 28 OCT The Rheingans Sisters The Foundling Museum thenestcollective.co.uk; Strange Cargo Portico Gallery 020 8761 7612; 30 OCT Hossein Alizâdeh & Group Bush Hall 020 8222 6955; Unnati Dasgupta Verdi Italian Kitchen at RAH 020 7589 8212; 2 NOV Lily Luca Sands Films tunedin.london; Melingo Jazz Cafe 020 7485 6834; Nitin Sawhney RAH 020 7863 8000; 2-7 NOV LIAF: London International Arts Festival liaf.co.uk; 3 NOV Songs for London Cecil Sharp House cecilsharphouse.org; 3-5 NOV Wahaca’s Day of the Dead Fiesta The Vaults wahacadotd.co.uk; 9 NOV Tinariwen Islington Assembly Hall 0844 477 2000.

SOUTH 29 SEP-2 OCT Tenterden Folk Festival tenterdenfolkfestival.org.uk; 4 OCT Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill The Stables, Milton Keynes 01908 280800; 5 OCT Claudia Aurora Komedia, Brighton 0845 293 8480; 6 OCT Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill Turner Sims, Southampton 023 8059 5151; 7 OCT False Lights St Edith Hall, Kemsing wegottickets.com; 8 OCT Flats & Sharps The Beehive, Honiton 01404 384050; 9 OCT Warsaw Village Band The Haymarket, Basingstoke 01256 844244; 13 OCT Sam Lee & Friends Little Missenden Church little-missenden.org; 15 OCT Femi & the InRhythms The Spring, Havant 023 9247 2700; 15 OCT-5 NOV Canterbury Festival canterburyfestival.co.uk; 17 OCT Eduardo Niebla Chidham & Hambrook Village Hall 01243 370501; 20 OCT Martin Alvarado & Mikko Helenius Chidham & Hambrook Village Hall 01243 370501; 22 OCT Flats & Sharps The Anvil, Basingstoke 01256 844244; 25 OCT Terje Isungset & Maria Skranes Turner Sims, Southampton 023 8059 5151; 27 OCT Bollywood Brass Band with Jyotsna Srikanth Camberley Theatre 01276 707600; 28 OCT Vula Viel Ropetackle, Shoreham-by-Sea 01273 464440; 1 NOV Show of Hands + Megan Henwood The Brewhouse, Taunton 01823 283244; 2-6 NOV Lowender Peran International Celtic Festival Newquay lowenderperan.co.uk; 3 NOV Show of Hands + Megan

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ON TOUR

Black Umfolosi Zimbabwean vocals and dance

Often unfairly in the shadow of fellow Southern African a capella voice choir Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Zimbabwean group Black Umfolosi are nearing their 35th year of making music. They’re an exciting live prospect, not least because of their use of dance as well as joyous harmony

singing. The group have conducted extensive research in communities from which the gumboot or Zulu dances they perform originate, ensuring they can represent them faithfully abroad. Such commitment and longevity makes their October tour well worth catching.

30 SEP Pontio, Bangor 01248 382828; 8 OCT Forest Arts Centre, New Milton 01425 619983; 9 OCT Cheese & Grain, Frome 01373 455420; 11 OCT Canada Water Library, London 020 8692 4446; 12 OCT The Theatre, Chipping Norton 01608 642350; 13 OCT Emsworth Baptist Church 01243 370501; 14 OCT The Grand, Clitheroe 01200 421599; 15 OCT The Kirkgate, Cockermouth 01900 826448; 20 OCT Queen’s Hall, Hexham 01434 652477; 21 OCT Musicport, Whitby 01947 603475; 22 OCT Gaiety Theatre, Ayr 01292 288235.

Henwood Wycombe Swan, High Wycombe 01494 512000; 4 NOV Cardboard Fox + Joe Troop & Diego Sánchez Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford on Avon 01225 860100; Juan Martín Quarterhouse, Folkestone 01303 760750.

WALES & WEST 1 OCT Sam Lee & Friends Wyeside Arts Centre, Builth Wells 01982 552555; 9 OCT Claudia Aurora Colston Hall, Bristol 0844 887 1500; 30 OCT Bollywood Brass Band with Jyotsna Srikanth St George’s, Bristol 0845 402 4001; 2 NOV Show of

Hands + Megan Henwood St David’s Hall, Cardiff 029 2087 8444.

MIDLANDS 30 SEP-2 OCT Derby Folk Festival Cathedral Quarter derbyfolkfestival.co.uk; 1 OCT Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys The Brewhouse, Burton-on-Trent 01283 508100; 2 OCT Jairo Barrull Flamenco Company with Gema Moneo The Apex, Bury St Edmunds 01284 758000; 14-16 OCT The Lichfield Festival of Folk Lichfield Guildhall lichfieldarts.org.uk; 15 OCT Simo Lagnawi’s Gnawa Blues All Stars + Ran Kan Kan +

Manos Pa’Arriba The Old Print Works, Birmingham 0121 449 0278; Babbu Maan Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham 0844 338 8000; 19 OCT Kanda Bongo Man Lakeside, Nottingham 0115 846 7777; 21 OCT Babbu Maan Civic Hall, Wolverhampton 0870 320 7000; 23 OCT Amit & Sumit Kumar De Montfort Hall, Leicester 0116 233 3111; 25 OCT Cath & Phil Tyler + Harpoon Group The Blue Moon, Cambridge wegottickets.com; 26 OCT Terje Isungset & Maria Skranes Lakeside, Nottingham 0115 846 7777; 27 OCT Vula Viel mac, Birmingham 0121 446 3232; 28 OCT Reem Kelani The Red Lion, Birmingham 0121 233 9144; 4 NOV Show of Hands + Megan Henwood

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Georgia, Okinawa, Palestine, La Réunion, Brittany and more

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YF2016. Executive Producer Paul Geoghegan. Selected and sequenced by Matt Burman with Jo Nockells, Tony Ereira and whiskas. The producers of this CD have paid the composers and publishers for the use of their music. Distributed exclusively with the May 2016 issue of Songlines magazine (#117) www.songlines.co.uk

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Images clockwise from top: A Hawk and A Hacksaw. Rokia Traoré © Mathieu Zazzo. Eliza Carthy © Elodie Kowalski. The Nile Project © The Nile Project / Habi Girgis.

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Featuring Konono No 1 & Batida, Kris Drever, Lakou Mizik, Breabach, Planxty, La Yegros, Denez Prigent, Full Attack Band and more...

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STWCD93 This compilation & © 2016 MA Music, Leisure & Travel 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.

05 Michael Messer’s Mitra ‘Bhupali Blues’ (5:36)

04 La Yegros featuring Gustavo Santaolalla ‘Chicha Roja’ (3:09)

10 Full Attack Band ‘Nadir’ (4:48)

09 Lakou Mizik ‘Peze Kafe’ (4:17)

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01 Konono No 1 & Batida ‘Nlele Kalusimbiko’ (edit, 4:19)

08 Group Ekanzam ‘Le Souvenir’ (4:03)

07 Veretski Pass with Joel Rubin ‘Gedankn’ (2:31)

06 Kris Drever ‘If Wishes Were Horses’ (3:59)

TOP OF THE WORLD SELECTION

15 Hjálmar ‘Hljóðlega af Stað’ (5:50)

14 The Goadeg Sisters ‘Konskried Sant Nikolaz’ (2:48)

12 Anne Auffret & Yann-Fañch Kemener ‘Diougan Gwenc’hlan’ (4:43)

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ESSENTIAL

AFRICAN QUEENS

The bright star rising from West Africa in the form of Noura Mint Seymali (see p24) is just one of the continent’s long and impressive list of women singers. Nigel Williamson picks ten favourite albums

01 Fatoumata Diawara Fatou (World Circuit, 2011)

Born in the Ivory Coast in 1982 into a family sharing ancestral Wassoulou roots with Oumou Sangaré, Fatoumata represents a new generation of African female stars. Her sparkling debut fittingly included a praise song to her friend and mentor Oumou and features contributions from Tony Allen, Toumani Diabaté and Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones. A Top of the World in #79.

02 Cesaria Evora Miss Perfumado (Lusafrica/BMG, 1992)

From the tiny archipelago of Cape Verde some 500km off the coast of West Africa, Evora took the ravishingly melancholic sound of morna to a mainstream international audience. This is the album that brought her evocative, smoky voice to the world’s attention. She was already in her 50s when Miss Perfumado was released and all of her subsequent albums were special – but arguably she never topped this recording, which includes her signature tune ‘Sodade’.

03 Brenda Fassie Greatest Hits (EMI, 2004)

The queen of African pop and ‘Madonna of the townships,’ Fassie’s wild life came to an end when she died from a cocaine overdose in 2004; the postmortem showed she was also HIV positive. But her music defied the adversity of apartheid and her personal problems as an exuberant and life-affirming celebration. Reviewed in #28.

04 Bi Kidude Zanzibar (Retroafric, 2008)

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seller in colonial Zanzibar, Kidude was the queen of East African taarab music and an icon of Swahili culture. She was almost a centenarian when she recorded this gravelvoiced album but her potency remained undimmed. She died in 2013.

05 Angélique Kidjo Oyo (Razor & Tie, 2010)

Since her debut a quarter of a century ago, the Beninborn Kidjo is a worthy successor to Miriam Makeba’s ‘Mama Africa’ title, travelling the world to promote African sisterhood. Her tireless work outside the studio earned her the Ambassador of Conscience Award from Amnesty International earlier this year. Inside the studio, her eclectic influences are brilliantly represented here, mixing traditional music, Makeba standards, classic 1970s soul and even a Bollywood song. A Top of the World in #66.

06 Mahotella Queens Sebai Bai (Indigo, 2000)

After years spent backing the deep, groaning vocals of Simon ‘Mahlathini’ Nkabinde, following his death in 1999 Hilda Tloubatla, Nobesuthu Mbadu and Amanda Nkosi decided to continue as a trio and came back with this fizzing album of South African township jive, full of thrilling vocal harmonies and mbaqanga guitars – although the dazzling Zulu dance steps that made them such a live attraction you’ll have to supply for yourselves...

07 Souad Massi Raoui (Wrasse, 2001)

The title of the fine debut album by the Algerian-born Massi translates as ‘Storyteller’, which sums her up neatly as she sings her spirited songs in Arabic (and sometimes in the Berber language,

Kabyle), to an acoustic guitar accompaniment. The album’s troubadour qualities led some to dub her a ‘North African Tracy Chapman.’

08 Maryam Mursal The Journey (Real World, 1998, reissued 2012)

Mursal began singing professionally in Somalia in 1966 but this album was the result of her having to flee the war-torn country and seek asylum in Denmark. Produced by Simon Emmerson and Martin Russell of Afro Celt Sound System and featuring backing vocals from Peter Gabriel, it’s a modern take on the style known as ‘Somali jazz’ and reveals Mursal as both a dynamic singer and an ebullient personality. The album was reissued in 2012.

09 Oumou Sangaré Moussolou (World Circuit, 1991, reissued 2016)

Nobody has challenged the gender inequalities of patriarchal African society more resolutely than Mali’s Oumou Sangaré. Her stunning debut – which translates simply as ‘Women’ – set the tone and sparked something of a feminist revolution on its release. Recently reissued, the record still sounds just as powerful all these years on.

10 Rokia Traoré Né So (Nonesuch, 2016)

Born in Mali but equally at home in Europe where she spent much of her youth, Rokia’s sixth album seems like a career-defining moment – a mature, sometimes sparse and subdued work that shows that there are more ways to convey the vibrant energy of African music than a thumping dance beat. Reviewed in #116.

+ LET US KNOW Have any other suggestions? Let us know, letters@songlines.co.uk

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