womadness

Songs of the Last Three Weeks (numbers 27-29, not that anyone's counting...):

I Am Kloot - I Still Do
Oi Va Voi - Yesterday's Mistakes
Ana Moura - No Expectations

A couple of weeks ago I went off to the WOMAD festival. Despite its reputation as an exclusively world music affair, I actually found that in terms of the range of music on offer there's quite a lot more to it than that. For example. we also got:

• the genre-defying Penguin Cafe,
• lounge-dubsteppers(?) Submotion Orchestra: meaty bass-pedal effects to make your chest rattle and flugelhorn to send your spirits a-soaring,
• Louisiana's Feufollet, beloved of Elvis Costello, peddling an interesting cocktail of cajun (all fiddles and accordions) and indie (all guitars and winsome vocals), and
• Guy Garvey's Mercury-nominated mates I Am Kloot.

I know some people go to festivals to have a good ole party and consequently maybe judge the quality of the music on the extent to which it allow them to jolly well dance their socks off, but for me the great moments of the weekend were the quieter ones. I have to say that these three songs fair brought a lump to my throat...

Genial lead Klooter Pete Branwell admitted that the band had been sceptical about coming to WOMAD and "weren't sure they would fit in". They got a good reception though from what seemed to be a preponderance of white males of a certain age (er, like me...). This was a great pin-drop moment:



Oi Va Voi gave as energetic a performance as ever and went down a storm with the party people. I'm not sure though they've ever matched the quality of the songwriting on their first album, is it really eight years ago? I doubt that KT Tunstall (for it is she) ever regretted her move away from the band in view of the millions of albums she's shifted since, but for me this is by far the best thing she's written. Also what I'm guessing is Steve Levi's "cantorial" singing--anyone?--gets me every time:




I'm not generally a massive fan of Fado but I really enjoyed Ana Moura's performance. I'm sure world music purists would cringe at my lack of deference to nearly two centuries of Portuguese musical tradition but for me this Rolling Stones cover was the highlight of her set:




Next week something more upbeat, I promise...

monkey man

I've just taken delivery, courtesy of my local W.H. Smiths, of the most recent issue of The Word magazine. I have to admit that my heart sank slightly to find that a new issue had appeared so soon. Its interests and my own coincide to such an extent that there are very few articles which I don't feel compelled to read. So I haven't finished with the previous issue yet and my magazine reading, like a trail of iced-up vehicles on a snowbound A3, is now backing up.

In the last few days I've been picking through their lengthy review of the Noughties. It's hard to quibble with their choices as most influential personalities of the decade, even if some of them may not have made the world a tremendously happier place (step forward Messrs Beckham and Cowell). A few of them, though worthy, stand rather on the peripheries of my own musical taste (Arctic Monkeys, Dizzee Rascal) and a couple of them I can take or leave (Lily Allen, and Amy Winehouse--sorry but I think she's [whispers] "a bit overrated") but for better or worse they've all been in our faces quite a lot during the last ten years.

With one of the Word's choice personalities I'm not really sure where I stand. It's hard to deny that Damon Albarn has been prolific to an almost frantic extent in the last ten years. He's involved himself in a number of projects in which his own presence as principal driving force has been almost the only common denominator, from the tail lo-fi end of Blur, via dubby cartoonsters Gorillaz, melodica-fused collaborations with Malians and "alternative supergroup" The Good The Bad and The Queen, to his most recent forays into Chinese opera with Monkey: Journey to the West. Whatever you think of the music he's produced in the last ten years (and personally, while I've bought some of it, I'm not really that enthusiastic), you have to admit that he's constantly been pushing himself in new directions which, as the Word article points out, have in no way been in thrall to record company demands or expectations.

Of course, Albarn is by no means the only musician to have wandered from the path on which he originally set out. David Byrne has dabbled in world music, books and installation art in his extra-curricular activites, but the fact that he has ploughed a more or less consistent furrow with his recorded work probably means that he has retained most of his original audience over the years. It's doubtful however that many fans of early Elvis Costello and the Attractions albums have put their hands in their pockets for any of Mr MacManus's more recent recorded forays into string quartet music, opera and jazz. Of course no-one has changed direction as much as David Bowie and, apart from (you know what I'm going to say) the ill-advised Tin Machine years, he has managed to maintain both fanbase and critical acclaim throughout his career.

So do we prefer established artists to change styles? Is it OK to make, ahem, ch-ch-ch-changes every few years like Bowie? If Damon Albarn takes this to extremes seeming to break into new territory with every project he takes on, do we revere him for it or just find him pretentiously annoying? Should artists be content to play to their strengths, base a long career on a blueprint, stick to what they're good at? The Rolling Stones have recorded over thirty albums and if they released a new one tomorrow, we all already know what it would sound like.

oktoberfest

Musicport Festival @ The Spa, Bridlington, 24th/25th October

This festival hasn't been on my radar until now--mainly because it's way "oop north" I suppose--but it actually celebrated its tenth anniversary this year. It's now relocated from its early days in Whitby and relaxed the "folk-only" policy of yesteryear to include world music--the African Jazz Allstars and Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara featured on the Sunday evening, and reggae--Misty In Roots and the Mad Professor Ariwa Posse, er, served up a double helping on Saturday night.

It's good to go to festivals like this I think because it reminds you just how many talented gigging musicians there are plying an honest trade with no lucrative album deal to line their coffers and no media exposure or so-called critical acclaim to promote their cause.

Honourable mentions, then, go to the following for brightening up my weekend:

• Martin Stephenson: erstwhile Daintee with a nice line in Woolworth guitars and self-deprecating Geordie stage patter.
  
• Fernhill: Welsh folksters featuring Julie Murphy, billed as "Eliza Carthy's favourite voice in the world" (and who am I to argue?). Sadly their sound was utterly lost in the cavernous main hall: "Last night we played in a bookshop which wasn't even as big as this stage".
  
• Karen Tweed: survived an early hours breathalizer incident in Newcastle city centre to purvey early Saturday morning accordion-based tunes. Very nice too.
  
• Pacific Curls: female Maori/Scots threesome featuring fiddle, ukelele, cajon, body percussion and Natalie Imbruglia's guitarist.
  
• Chumbawamba: steadfastly refuse to play "the hit" and promise an anti-Thatcher tribute album when the old bag croaks.
  
• Delta Maid: she talks like a boy soprano Wayne Rooney but sings like Shelby Lynne. I couldn't decide if these were her own songs; if so, she's a tremendously gifted writer for her age.
  
• Samay: Yorkshire-based jazz/rock/fusion-type thing with sax, guitar and bass alongside sarod and tabla--reminded me a bit of Indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu who I've seen at WOMAD in years gone by.
  

reading between the lines

Oliver Mtukudzi, Baaba Maal & Extra Golden (African Soul Rebels Tour) @ The Roundhouse, 9th March

With the African Soul Rebels tour, now in its fifth year, you get to see three established African acts in one evening. So there's maybe enough of each of the artists to whet your appetite, but I'm not sure you get enough of a taste of any of the three. Baaba Maal's band seem to suffer particularly in this respect tonight. Having progressively increased the pace over fifty minutes or so, it seems a shame they have to make way just as the people start to dance.

Long-established Zimbabwean singer-guitarist Oliver Mtukudzi has made a career of diplomacy and tact. Where others--most notably fellow veteran Thomas Mapfumo--have moved abroad so they can safely vent their spleen on the subject of the Mugabe regime, Mtukudzi still lives there, relying on gentle allegory to get his point across rather than being openly critical. From what he says tonight, you can tell he is used to choosing his words carefully. There's what he says, then there's what he doesn't say.

Often it's up to you to fill in the blanks. “Where we come from, music is like food" (We need it to survive? It's under threat?). "Where we come from, you don’t get to sing when you have nothing to say" (People who sing have a chance to say something, to make their voice heard?). "Where we come from, most of all we use music to defuse tension" (If we just use it to criticise, we are silenced so we can no longer get our message across??).

Just occasionally his meaning is more obvious. "If one country is inferior to another, there is something wrong". "This song is about discipline. In order to be head of a family, you must have discipline."

This is what he sounds like:

strung along

Alim Qasimov and the Kronos Quartet @ the Barbican, 26th September

David Harrington, the leader of the Kronos Quartet, has received a fair amount of coverage in Songlines magazine in recent months by virtue of his--and the quartet's--espousal of non-western music. There's no doubt that in tackling the kind of pieces which they perform tonight--from Iraq, Iran and Bosnia--the Kronoses' reputation for taking string quartet music into unchartered territory is well deserved.

But what about their collaborations with non-western musicians? For the second half of tonight's concert, the Kronoses accompany a recital of Azerbaijani wandering minstrel songs by Alim Qasimov and his ensemble. I'm sure their string playing is technically impressive but I wonder what the quartet contribute to the music which wouldn't be there anyway.

Before we hear them sing and play together, we're shown video footage of rehearsals for tonight's concert. There seems little interaction between the two groups of musicians and, from the interview clips we see, Qasimov seems unsure that there is any common ground between them. Interesting that while the Azerbaijanis sing and play from memory (that's probably how they've learned the music), from beginning to end the four string players have their noses well and truly buried in their sheet music.

Links:

• Times Review of the concert
• youtube documentary about Alim Qasimov (part 1, part 2)
• More on Azerbaijani music

viva ryanair

Managed to suss out some of the local music during my few days in Krakow this week. Some of this was performed on a stage in the town square on Sunday afternoon. Like this Polish gospel group (right), who were actually quite good despite somehow not really looking the part.

Kazimierz, to the south of the old town, housed a sizeable Jewish community for several centuries until the Nazi invasion and found fame in the Spielberg film "Schindler's List". In fact few Jews remain these days. There are a number of synagogues though which function as museums to Jewish culture and a couple of restaurants where klezmer music is played, including the Ariel where I heard Sholem (left), a trio comprising violin/vocals, double bass and a fantastic accordionist...

andy palacio 1960-2008

It's not unusual for musicians to die before their time, but Andy Palacio's death two weeks ago was unusual in that--in contrast, say, to the Hendrixes and Lennons of times gone by--he left no extensive back catalogue for his record company to repackage and reissue and no lengthy career to be earnestly reappraised. It was only as recent as last year that Palacio came to prominence after his "Watina" album won him widespread critical acclaim.

Interesting that one of the qualities Charlie Gillett, in the review on his own website, picks out is what he considers the "universal" appeal of the music. I would agree that it's accessible in the way that much world music is accessible: danceable, guitar-based and a reasonably easy listen for western ears. But I think that, rather than being "universal", this music belongs to a very particular time and place: it's a modern-day representation of the music of the threatened Caribbean culture of the Garifuna and as such has proved to be hugely important for the Garifuna community.

World music is often criticised for diluting local music so that it becomes more palatable (marketable) to western audiences but surely the fact that this music is "accessible" ("universal") can also be a virtue. Most obviously of course, the financial rewards of commercial success benefit the musicians themselves and are also usually channelled back to the home community.

Like the Buena Vista Social Club project, Palacio's Garifuna Collective mixes young and old musicians alike and so reinforces the continuity of local musical traditions across the generations. Throughout their history the Garifuna people struggled to retain their language, culture and identity and it's thanks to Andy Palacio that this identity is now being reinforced in modern times. Hopefully the Garifuna Collective can keep up the momentum even if, sadly, their leader is no longer able to show them the way.

Links:
- Andy Palacio's WOMEX Award acceptance speech
- "Watina": A Look Behind the Music of Andy Palacio (youtube)
- Andy Palacio Talks About Garifuna Culture (youtube)
- Peter Culshaw's obituary from the Observer Music Monthly blog
- Guardian obituary

digital folklore

Oi-Va-Voi @ Scala, 9th July 2007

I'm not sure if the songs on Oi Va Voi's new (eponymous) album are as good as those on "Laughter Through Tears", their last. They don't make a strong impression on first hearing tonight (though that can sometimes be a good sign) and for me "Yesterday's mistakes" is definitely their best, a fantastic song with a great arrangement. So will the songs co-written with kt tunstall prove to be the best the band can do? Time will tell.

The band has certainly developed quite a sizeable and devoted following since I last saw them in a low-key gig at Dingwalls just after the release of "Laughter Through Tears". Tonight is a sell-out and is hailed in this evening's Metro as gig of the day. It's also a dual celebration: a home town gig at the end of a European tour and the new album's release date at the end of a difficult period for the band. Not surprisingly, they're in good humour and they get a great reception.

Read reviews of the new album from Drowned In Sound and IndieLondon.

live stuff: world routes at the barbican, 26/5/07

On Saturday I went along to a live broadcast of Lucy Duran's excellent Radio 3 programme "World Routes", part of the Barbican's programme of events preluding Sunday's World Music Awards concert (watch/listen to this on the Radio 3 website). Surprisingly poorly attended, given that it featured free performances by two of this year's award winners. Maurice El Medioni's "piano orientale" is an interesting mix of Algerian and American styles developed in the bars of Oran during the in the years immediately following the end of WW2 when U.S. GIs were still in the city. Lebanese Ghada Shbeir's set of Arabo-Andalusian love songs, backed by some accomplished musicians (on ney, oud, mandolin, violin and percussion), received an equally enthusiastic reception from all present.

african dance

Splashed out on a new pc the other day so last night I thought I'd put my new CD burner to the test. Rooting through the African music in my CD collection, I put together a compilation of some of my favourite tracks:

1. Tony Allen: Isenla (from "Lagos No Shaking")
2. Letta Mbulu: Mahlalela (from "Hugh Masekela presents the Chisa Years")
3. Manu Dibango: Sun Explosion (from the "Very Best Of")
4. Femi Kuti: Truth Don Die
5. Femi Kuti feat. Jaguar Wright (both from the "Best Of")
6. Emmanuel Jal & Abdel Gadir Salim: Baai (from "Ceasefire")
7. Four Brothers: Vimabyi
8. Four Brothers: Rudo Imoto (both from the "Best Of")
9. Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens: Nyamphemphe (from the "Best Of")
10. Letta Mbulu: Macongo (from "Hugh Masekela presents the Chisa Years")
11. Tony Allen: Kilode
12. Tony Allen: Moyeye (both from "Lagos No Shaking")
13. Toumani Diabate's Symmetric Orchestra: Single (from "Boulevard de l'Independence")

Next week: I buy an iPod...

another saturday night

Sad news tonight that Charlie Gillett is having to give up his Saturday night radio show on BBC London due to ill health. He's been an (almost) weekly staple of mine for the last few years and, along with WOMAD, is pretty much responsible for introducing me to world music. Good to see he's carrying on with his BBC World Service show but I'm not sure I trust BBC London to replace him wisely.

live stuff: cheikh lo at the queen elizabeth hall, 20/5/06

The programme for the London African Music Festival describes Cheikh Lo's music as an "unmistakeable kaleidoscope of African traditions, reggae, jazz, funk, flamenco and Latin rhythms". I'm no expert but I can't spot any flamenco here. There is the occasional Latin tinge, but it seems to me that most of the music he plays tonight is African through and through. Many of the QEH crowd seem to agree that his version of "Afropop" ought to be danceable but there's always some slight dislocation of the beat and looking around no-one is really going for it dance-wise, the most we get is a gentle swaying from side to side. It's quite hypnotic though. They call it "mbalax", apparently...

under my thumb

My musical activities this week have been taken over by an assignment I've had to do for my master's course. As an introduction to one of the basic research methods in ethnomusicological study, our task was to transcribe a piece of non-western music into some kind of written notation. Before the advent of recorded sound this was the only way that field workers had to document musical styles they discovered in indigenous communities in the developing world.

The mbira is a kind of "thumb piano" (as they're popularly known in European and North America) which I've been learning to play for about six months. They're played in various forms in many parts of Africa but the particular instrument I have been learning is played by the Shona people who live in the northern part of Zimbabwe in the southern half of the continent. Mbira music is used as an important part of the bira religious ceremony in which the Shona consult the spirits of their ancestors and ask for their guidance in everyday matters. The trance-inducing properties of the music help mediums to become possessed by the spirits.

Although playing the mbira is not technically too difficult (and I haven't become possessed by any hostile spirits yet either!), the sounds produced are actually quite complex, particularly when several instruments play together. So it made a good case study to write about and I found out a lot of things I hadn't picked up while learning to play the instrument.

- More info about the mbira and Shona music (mbira.org website)
- More info about Zimbabwe (BBC website)
- Some recordings (Catalogue of the British Library Sound Archive)