1 September 2010, World Cafe

1 Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara – Mariama Trance (Real World)

Juldeh Camara, Justin Adams and Martyn Barker’s stripped down and extended version of their song, “Mariama” (first put out on their “Tell no lies” CD). I absolutely love the immediate, raw but still crystal clear production. It comes of an EP just out on Real World called “The Trance Sessions” – so far, one of this year’s most compelling releases, I think. 3 tracks – all long, all killers.

2 Hasil Atkins – I could never be blue (Dee Jay)

Many people have pointed to the early rock and roll sound in Camara’s and Adam’s music – Bo Diddley gets mentioned a lot. Bo Diddley was a pioneer rock’n’roller, and perhaps more than others, his approach came from the blues. One of the greatest rock n rollers, in my book, Hasil Atkins, must have heard him. Atkins was from West Virginia, quite a way from Mississippi – accounting for the old timely country overlay. Atkins plays all the instruments … simultaneously.

3 Sweet Talks – Sasa Abonsam (Soundway)

Soundway re-issued the Sweet Talks’ “The Kusum Beat” originally from 1976, earlier this year. It’s mainly built on traditional rhythms from Upper Ghana. The Sweet Talks struck it big in the late 70s and in fact wound up in Los Angeles to record their biggest hit – Hollywood Highlife Party in 79. We’ll hear from that some time in the future.

4 African Brothers’ Band International – Owuo nim me (Ambassador)

The African Brothers International Band was another great highlife band from that period. They’re from Eastern Ghana – the tune coming up, “Owuo nim me” seems to be from about 1973. It’s billed as traditional, rather than Highlife.

5 Michel Boyibanda – Sassa 1 (EMI/Pathe)

Michel Boyibanda is another off-shoots from TPOK Jazz – one in long line of incredible singers in Franco’s band. In 1978, Boyibanda put out of LP of original compositions “Le retro de Boyibanda Michel”. His band probably contained many TPOK members. It’s a palpable demonstration of why TPOK Jazz was so utterly brilliant – Franco managed to attract the greatest musicians of the day from the wider Congo area.

6 Lola Martin – Edamise oh (Soundway)

The French Caribbean is one of the lesser places of origin of the Congolese rumba. Here the Congolese rumba was arguably as much of influence as the other way around. In fact the Congolese band Le Ry-co Jazz spent a number of years in Martinique in late 60s picking up and transferring sounds. From around that time, Lola Martin was based in de France in Martinique. “Edamise oh” is a traditional song that she gives a biguene treatment. The roots of Antillean biguene lie in the meeting of “hot” jazz from New Orleans and Paris, high society dance music of the capital cities of the Antilleans and African rhythms transferred through the slave trade.


7 Thai Thanh – Bung Sang (Sublime Frequencies)

From Vietnam in the early 70s that was Thai Thanh with the tune “Bung Sang”. It comes off the very recently released Sublime Frequencies collection “Saigon Rock and Soul: Vietnamese Classic Tracks 1968 – 1974”. Sublime Frequencies says of it, “a gripping soul ballad reflective of life during wartime”.

The Sublime Frequencies label have a great catalogue of all sort of things – including street and home recording and re-issues of small run lost local labels, sound collages of recordings made on the streets Syria, collages of radio stations in India, and field recordings. They call themselves “explorers dedicated to acquiring and exposing obscure sights (they also do DVDs) and sounds from modern and traditional urban and rural frontiers … not documented sufficiently through all channels of academic research, the modern recording industry, media or corporate foundations”. Check out their website.

8 Omar Souleyman – Mandel Metel Il Sukkar Ala Il Shai (I don’t like the sugar in the tea) (Sublime Frequencies)

Omar Souleyman is from Northern Syria. The song comes from an album covering 15 years of live recordings called “Jazeera Nights”. He plays Syrian Dabke (regional dance and party music), Iraqi Choubi and a bunch of Arabic, Kurdish and Turkish styles.

9 Troupe Majidi – Khoudrini (lemchaheb) (Sublime Frequencies)

Troupe Majidi recorded live in 2005 at the Jemaa El Fna, a massive, somewhat borderless square and market place area in the old quarter of Marrakech. Sublime Frequencies say: “Electrified banjos and mandolins red-lined to the max through amps powered by moped batteries”.

11 Ashimunur Kurmanjiang – The Mountain’s Pine Trees (Sublime Frequencies)

From another recent Sublime Frequencies release “Ethnic Minority Music of Northwest Xinjiang”

10 Mahaleo – Dihy (Mahaleo) (Shananchie)

Mahaleo are sometimes called the Beatles of Madagascar – although luckily the Madagascan element far outweighs the Beatles element. Rakoto Frah supplies the opening caprice on the sodina flute, Dama Mahaleo, the composition and vocals – and US string players Henry Kaiser and David Lindley are subtly in the mix somewhere. It comes off volume 1 of Kaiser and Lindley’s collection of Madgascan music, “A world out of time”. According to Tom Moon in his great book “1 000 recordings to hear before you die” the lyrics are about a very old woman dancing with a young woman symbolizing the circle of life.

11 Graham Coxon – Perfect Love (Transgressive Records)

Graham Coxon, the guitarist from the Britrock band, Blur, released an album of stuff inspired by Bert Jansch and Davy Graham in 2009 called “The Spinning Top”. Thanks to Sheer Music for supplying it.

12 The Be Good Tanyas – Scattered Leaves (Nettwork)

The Be-Good Tanya can inadequately be described a Canadian old timey folk group.

13 Tony Joe White – Rainy night in Georgia (Warner/ESP)

Like most of the music I play in this show, reggae has a good deal of its roots in American Soul and Blues, and even jazz. And reggae, even after it was fully formed, has always an affinity for soul.

Watty Burnett and Lee Perry did had a go at remaking the country-soul chestnut “Rainy night in Georgia” in the mid 70s.

Tony Joe White wrote the song in 1962.

14 Brook Benton – Rainy night in Georgia (Atlantic)

Brook Benton roasted the chestnut with a version that became a massive come back hit for him in 1970.

15 Watty Burnett – Rainy night in Portland (Island)

Lee Perry and Watty Burnett continue the roasting process with the super chilled and extended version they call “Rainy night in Portland”.

16 The Congos – Ark of the Covenant (VP Records)

Perry brought Burnett into The Congos during the recording of the LP Heart of the Congos, which many believe to be one of greatest reggae albums. Up till that point the Congos were Cedric Myton and Roy Johnson – after The Congos parted ways with Lee Perry, from what I make out Watty Burnett left the group.

17 Getatchew Mekuria, the Ex and Guests - Sethed Seketelat (Terp)

Getatchew is a veteran Ethiojazz sax player, the Ex a Dutch band and the Guest are a brass players from around the Netherlands.

18 King Tubby – Dubbing my way

Comes off a collection called “The Fatman Tapes volumes 1 and 2”

19 Tiken Jah Fakoly – L’Afrique doit du fric (Barclay)

Tiken Jah Fakoly, originally from the Ivory Coast, with his own band. The song “Africa owes money” basically posits a neo colonialist explanation for Africa’s current woes.


20 Moses Mchunu – Kuhle Ukuzenzele (Gallo)

Moses Mchunu’s maskandi infused mbaqanga. “Kuhle Ukuzenzele” has a kind of boeremusiek feel, and its certainly about life in the country. Recorded in the mid-70s for Motella (Gallo) – it has West Nkosi stamp-of-quality production. More info is available on the Electric Jive blog. Incidentally the African Music Store in Long Street, Cape Town, has some Moses Mchunu in stock and lots of other great stuff from the golden age of mbaqanqa.

21 Issa Juma and the Super Wanyika Stars – Maria (Sterns)

We’ve listened to a bit of Benga from Kenya on this show in the past. Wanyika is another modern guitar-based style from East Africa. It’s a kind of Swahili rumba, directly inspired by the all the congolese rumba bands that passed through or took up residence in Kenya, especially Nairobi, in the 70s.

Issa Juma was one of the most inventive players and composers on the scene. This year Sterns released a collection of Juma’s stuff from the 80s called “World defeats the grandfathers – Swinging Swahili Rumba 1982 – 86”. Some lyrics from Maria: “This world is big, don’t just follow people/It defeated our grandfathers, where will you be able (to have different outcome)”?

22 Trembling Bells – Ravenna (Honest Jon’s Records)

Trembling Bell off the one of the best folk releases of the year “Abandoned Love” – lovely retro folk rock from Glasgow.

23 Karan Casey and John Doyle – The Bay of Biscay (Compass Rccords)

Karen Casey and John Doyle, the Irish bits from the Irish-American group “Solas” with something from their 2010 release “Exiles Return”. Old time and bluegrass stalwart Dirk Powell produced the album in Nashville, and provided some the extra instrumental and vocal backing.

24 Joanna Newsom – On a good day (Drag City)

A short, sharp shot of Joanna Newsom. Recently in his weekly Business Day column, Richard Haslop pointed out how this 108 second tune off Newsom’s new triple LP “Have one on me” is a sort of “wondrous charming” microcosm of Newsom’s music – packed with ideas and “ideal for converting the impatient”.