Don't miss Yasmin Williams playing "Nectar" on the Late Show
Gigs
I caught Stephanie Trick and her husband Paolo Alderighi in an intimate concert at the Piedmont Piano Co in Oakland. Upcoming jazz shows include Thembi Dunjana (South Africa) on March 2, Bokani Dyer (Mar 16), and Benny Green (April 5).
R.I.P.
(via Juan Carlos Mercado Rios) Wilson Saoco Manyoma, singer with legendary band Fruko y sus Tesos passed away in Cali, Colombia
My favorite Brasilian band has really come of age on their latest (fifth apparently) album, O Mundo dá Voltas, which means "the World keeps Turning" in English. It is beautifully arranged and sequenced and shows great poise and maturity in its delivery. I don't even object to the rap numbers which usually make me skip ahead on contemporary albums. This time ("Magnata/Tycoon") it is followed by a lovely acoustic duet between guitar and cavaquinho ("Palheiro/Haystack"). There is an evocative "making of" video, mostly in black and white. But the video is marred by too many overlays: sonic pulse bars run up and down the outer edges, there are blurry titles all over the image in orange script, and along the bottom, logos, plus the date MMXXV and more anchor text as well as the lyrics, which might be useful if you really understood Portuguese, but printed in a large hideous blackletter script in yellow! It's a noisy graphic mess. After half watching it a couple of times, I was able to download the album and can listen to it undistracted. Their "classic" layered Baiana sound: bright guitar lead with horns in counterpoint, a battery of surdo drums with echo, emerges on the third track "Praia do futuro" (a beach in Fortaleza)", which has guest vocals from Seu Jorge. A reggae-flavored number "Porta-Retrato da familia Brasileira" returns to constant themes: the hardship of the average family. I transcribed and translated some of the lyrics:
A primavera chegou / Spring has arrived
Améfrica, Améfrica / Améfrica, Améfrica
Ladina Améfrica / Ladina Améfrica
na minha casa e malê / in my house and malê
eu continuo na fé / I continue in faith
eu vou fazendo fazer / I'm doing it
Rimando contra a mare / Rhyming against the tide
Quilombola Quilombo / Quilombola Quilombo
Explanation: There was a major slave revolt in Salvador da Bahia in 1835. The leaders were muslims who were known as malê, the Yoruba word for muslim. (In 2000 the bloco I hung out with in the bairro de Itapuã was called Malê Debalê.) Améfrica is a made-up word to signify Africans in America, this is reinforced by "Ladina" (Ladinos are mestizos in Central America, as well as a name for blacks in medieval Spain); Quilombo comes from the Kimbundu word meaning war camp and refers to hidden camps in the bush created by runaway slaves, who were called maroons in Jamaica or Carabalí in Cuba and Puerto Rico. Arsenio Rodriguez's first hit "Bruca maniguá" begins "Yo soy Carabalí, negro de nación. Sin la libertad, no puedo vivir."
The Bahian elder statesman, Gilberto Gil, shows up to sing "Pote d'água (Bring water)." The layers of berimbau with the Orquestra Afrosinfônica are lovely. The complex arrangements also have swelling brass and the majestic outtro of the title track, "O Munda dá voltas" would make Gil Evans proud. Despite a brief rap interlude, I dig "Bicho solto" (I am going crazy) or literally "loose creature," which demonstrates the barely contained restraint on the verge of explosion that is so characteristic of life in Bahia, especially around carnaval. In fact the album is redolent of Salvador da Bahia and very evocative of the moods of the city. This is outstanding and definitely one to play on repeat.
Do you remember the thrill of first hearing "Hada Raykoum" by Cheb Khaled? It came out in the mid-80s, 40 years ago! And he was a "cheb" or young man back then. We also grooved to Earthworks' compilation Rai Rebels which featured the catchy pop of the red light district of Oran, Algeria, where Khaled was born in 1960. In addition to singing about heartbreak, these rebels were politically astute as the country had gone through a tumultuous decade ending in a separation from France in the 60s. Now we are thrust back into those nostalgic surreal boudoirs with another dose of the same music, drawn from cassettes. This is wonderful and actually includes one of the same Rai Rebels, Cheb Zahouani, with a slamming track. Back then the purists complained that these upstarts were not real musicians, as they used programmed drums and synthesizers instead of ouds and strings. Their defense was they couldn't afford to hire the musicians and they could also carry the gear in the boot of their car which made gigs more lucrative. The compact and efficient mode took over and, as they evolved, the Rai rebels added some live instruments but you still hear the synth strings and bass as well as the sometimes monotonous drum tracks. But then we really came for the vocals, and the occasional flute or trumpet stands out like another voice. From my point of view, back then, I was complaining about the reissue of music digitally and how it so easily got lost, plus there was no booklet or liner notes to study while listening. Now I just sit back and enjoy the mood. The last track sounds like Joujouka music, but it all works in the flow.
Our Bristol correspondent Tony spotted this on bandcamp and I jumped on it. It's raw and rootsy music from Madagascar, and it is fantastic. The band who have been playing for 30 years are comfortable just jamming. Toliara is a place in the island; Damily is the largest in the cover photo, holding a Fender guitar which he plays on the first track in a style reminiscent of Remmy Ongala and other East African musicians who migrated from the Congo. The difference though is in the rhythms, the drums are simple, there is added D-I-Y percussion and an electric bass. All I know comes from the bandcamp page where they say there was a live recording going on in the village during a funeral, but then a cyclone hit the straw hut where they were gathered. It's quite intense: apparently they wired the electric guitars through a Chinese-made karaoke system as amplifiers. The mikes were hooked up to Indian loudspeakers. This is familiar last-ditch desperation to anyone who has been in a band! The second track, "Lihy avaratsy," features accordéon and spoons, or washboard? At moments the washboard and accordéon shuffle sounds like zydeco music, but it's from a world away. The planned session had to be compressed to a few hours of live takes, when the rain stopped, but that gives an urgency to the album. "Zavao ny lala" is call and response singing with a gravelly male lead and a high pitched female response, with beaten sticks and thumping percussion: about as roots as you can get. Acoustic guitar comes out for some numbers, played in a more familiar Malagasy style. The album is only 30 minutes long, but packed with great Tsapiky style music.
When I started exploring the discography of Gnonnas Pedro, the famed Beninois singer, who straddled Afro-Beat, Funk, the Latin wave and more, I soon realized his legacy was scattered about, some tracks being reissued in France on Ledoux and Syllart, and the odd cut on a compilation. Surprisingly a huge box set came out in Benin in 2007 on the Top Showbiz label with 132 tracks and 8 videos. Now with two compilations released simultaneously on vinyl, we need to re-examine what we find valuable in his work. In the late 70s he and his band the Dadjes released 4 LPs recorded in Lagos. These were called The Band of Africa which was also the name of an earlier series issued in Lagos in 1975. I have two of the later series: volume 1: Kalapchap has two of his great Latin style tunes, while vol 2 has covers of both James Brown and Charles Aznavour, showing the divergent tastes of the time. Gnonnas does have a penchant for bad ballads like "Ahue Viode" which sounds like "Where have all the flowers gone?" He is shown on the cover holding a trumpet and posing with the English caption "I feel alright." Sometime around 1982 Ledoux put out a CD called La Compilation: Musique Afro-Cubaine. This distilled the essence of his work into a dozen tracks, mostly 6 or 7 minutes long, and it became a solid favorite. It is my recommendation if you don't have any Gnonnas Pedro in your collection. A follow-up, Musique Afro-Cubaine, Vol II, added a dozen more cuts. In 1996 he was inducted into Africando, assuring his retirement in comfort. Their third album (Stern's) featured reworkings of two of his hits, "La Musica en verité" and "Dagamasi" (which was his first hit with Les Dadjes in 1977). In 1999 Syllart and Sonodisc put out a compilation called Irma Koi collecting two of his albums from 1983 Mimi Pinson and 1984 Les Femmes d'Abord. The title cut "Irma koi" has echoes of "Africa Mokili Mobimba." In 2011, Syllart issued a two-CD set called La Belle Epoque (one suspects without a contract with the singer) and vacuumed up several works: Africa Tei Cuba, an LP from 1981 on éditions Gnoinsopé (Gnonnas' own label), Agbadja (also Sylla 1999), and all of La Compilationexcept for the best track "La Musica en Verité."
With the simultaneous release of double albums on Analog Africa and Nanga Boko Records we are faced with a choice. Do we need them? Are the rarities worth having? Nanga Boko Records' double album has 20 tracks and covers the entire span of Gnonnas' work, from 1967 to 1985. "Tembleque," unique here, is outstanding. On the other hand "Intelligemment," a cover of the Beatles' "And I love her," is appalling. More sodden chanson is delivered as a bonus track, "J'ai aimé." I don't know why this type of French ballad is still played or generates any interest outside France. Six tracks are duplicated on the Analog Africa issue with its 16 tracks. Nanga Boko claims to be the only officially licensed release. (There is even a battle going on in the comments section on Discogs where it states that the Analog Africa album is a bootleg, and someone has replied that Analog Africa paid over 4000 euros to the artist's family for the rights, not to mention previous royalties for tracks on three of their Benin compilations.) Half the tracks on the Nanga Boko Record are from singles or obscure albums. It ends with the great "La Musica En Vérité" which was also on the Legends of Benin CD put out by Analog Africa. Analog doesn't include that track but repeats "Dadje Von O Von Non 83," a well-known but solid opener, which was also on the Legends of Benin CD. There are four tracks from La Compilation vol 1, and two from volume 2. Four of the best come from the 1975 album released in Nigeria The Band of Africa vol 1. Half the tracks here are unfamiliar; however they are also on the new Nanga Boko album. "Feso Jaiye" is an upbeat Highlife number with the refrain "Ashiko." Two strong tracks are included from an LP called "El Cochechivo" — the title cut is "Pare Cochero," a Latin dance classic from 1954. Both releases have another standard, "Yiri Yiri Boum," a Beny Moré classic (also covered by Ricardo Lemvo). It is a shame Armand de Presseau and Samy Ben Redjeb did not collaborate on one release.
Warning: An earlier Best of compilation also titled "The Band that Speaks all Languages" came out from African Songs UK in 2003. The highlight was "Manzanillo," a 1958 hit by by Beny Moré, sometimes known as "Massaniyo," renamed "Yo prefeid el son." It is followed by a gratuitous cover of James Brown's "I got you," which is dated, and that song is bracketed by two very maudlin ballads, including a wretched incomprehensible old cowboy song, "Dark as a dungeon" by Merle Travis, retitled "A ma fille." The climactic "Les Commedies," originally by Charles Aznavour, drags on achingly for 12 minutes. This CD has a lot of surface noise from scratched discs and should be avoided.
Muslim is a singer in the Hindustani classical style which evolved in the court at the palace of Gwalior centuries ago. Shaggan, however, comes from Lahore which is in Pakistan where he has adapted contemporary and folk styles into his repertoire. He plays harmonium, as you can see from the cover, and it is simple accompaniment to his fine voice. There were three venues for recording: a room, a courtyard and a park, each with different though imperceptible acoustic variations. On the bandcamp page there is a link to a video filmed in the park, to give you a sense of the ambiance. To a non-speaker the songs sound like lovelorn ghazals and geets. I was reminded of the black & white videos of Guru Dutt and other masters from the golden age of Bollywood that I devoured a couple of decades ago. Then the singer was Mohammad Rafi and I must say this evokes that era beautifully. Films like Pyaasa (1957), Kaagaz ke Phool (1959), Awaara, Boot Polish are brimming with his melodious voice. Similarly, Shaggan has a heart-wrenching quality on his lovelorn lyrics; despite sounding generally downcast, it's a mellow outing.
Be careful what you wish for! I loved the first volume of this series, which came out in 2017, now the much-anticipated second volume is here and it falls flat. The compilers seem to think that we have an endless appetite for lame funk covers by West African bands. Sure, at first we were amused to hear French-speaking bands imploring us to "Get on up," but after a couple of decades of this we really have had enough. Remember "Rubberband man" by Youssou Ndour? Any decent African funk has been reissued over and over. Yet we have to suffer through the Ambassadeurs, a great band in their day, humiliating themselves with replica covers of James Brown, and an appalling "Midnight Hour" by the Tjiwara Band de Kati. Now these groups have some fine musicians, there is a good sax player in Les Ambassadeurs but when the rest of the band are doing generic James Brown, even an inspired keyboard solo seems pedestrian. I am not suggesting you skip this compilation because there are definite gems buried in here, I just wish they had omitted the gratuitous bad funk covers. The "normal" track by Ambassadeurs, "Matou Kagni," is a good indication of their "ORIGINAL SOUND" on a regular night. The Congo influence is heard in the guitar in the exceptional "Allata Broulaye" of Moussokéléyato. There's a similar title, "Allata Broula" by Yayoroba which also has a solid groove, showing where funk was effectively absorbed into traditional rhythms. Then again, the sound is muddy on several tracks, probably taken from cassettes by obscure groups like Tijwara Band. The tape seems to drag or slip on the Mystère Jazz track "Sidi Yahia." The penultimate track "Diamana Diarra" by Les Messagers du Mali is another in the epic tradition and would have made a good finale, but they had to go and stick "Midnight Hour" by Tijwara on there. Because it's rare doesn't make it good. Some things were forgotten for a reason.
Most recent posts
(click on maps at the top of the page to get to continent of choice)
January 2025
Novalima's latest can be read about in Peru part 2
Aboubacar Traoré & Balima is filed in Burkina Faso
Tumblack are from the Caribbean
Brooklyn Sounds are filed under Salsa
December 2024
Festival Donso Ngoni vol 1 is filed under Mali part 6 Zanzibara 11: Congo in Dar with orchestres Maquis and Safari Sound is in Tanzania part 3
Accra Quartet can be read about in Ghana part 2
Dogo du Togo's latest is filed in African miscellany
Occidental Brothers' Likambo Te also made it to African miscellany!
Los Kenya's Vol 2 went to Venezuela
while the 107th Street Stickball Team slid into Salsa in a questionable call
November 2024
Arun Ramamurthy Trio's New Moon went to India & Pakistan part 2
Houssam Guinia's Dead of Night can be found in Morocco
Oriental Brothers' Onye rie ibe ya erie is filed under Nigeria part 3
as is Music of Igbo Masquerade by Okwy Osadebe & his Highlife Soundmakers Super Disco Pirata 1965-80 is filed in Colombia part 3
Danilo Perez with the Bohuslan Big Band is found in World miscellany Magnifico Boogaloo is pumping it up in Peru, part 2
October 2024
Nusrat's Chain of Light can be found in India & Pakistan part 2
Martin Lopez y sus Estrellas are in Peru
Karantamba's Galgi is filed in The Gambia
September 2024
Mute by El Khat is filed in Arabia
Conjunto Africa Negra's Antologia vol 2 is filed in the Cabo Verde and Sao Tomé section
Bobby Marin's We gotta good thing going can be found in Puerto Rico
August 2024
Nigerian Guitar Roots 1936-68 is filed in Nigeria part 3 Tribute to Toumani Koné by Nfaly Diakite is filed under Mali 6
Kokoko!'s latest album Butu is in Congo 4
Asmaa Hamzaoui & Bnat Tumbuktou can be reads about in the Morocco section
Okaija Afroso is found under the Ghana part 2 tab
Jyotsna Srikanth's Carnatic Nomad is filed in India part 2
...
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