1 January 2014, World Cafe

1 Frigg – Polkka V (Displeasement Polka) (Sibelius Academy Folk Music Recordings)
Album: Polka V

2 JPP – Speedy Slam (RockAdillo)

Album: String Tease

Two short, sharp, fast and furious mass fiddle tunes from Finland.  Frigg which is actually at Finnish/Norwegian band) Polkka V came out in 2013.  JPP basically invented the Finnish fiddling tradition and Speedy Slam is from 15 years earlier  At core of both Frigg or JPP is the same family, the Jarvela – one or two generations apart.

3 Renaud Garcia-Fons – Camino de Felicidad (Enja)

Album: Beyond the Double Bass

Garcia-Fons is a French bassist of Catalonian decent. He’s known for musical explorations across Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Flamenco as well as classical and jazz traditions.  His daughter, Solea Garcia, does some wonderful Flamenco tinged singing on “Camino de Felicidad”.   

4 Esma Redzepova – Abre Babi Sokerdzan (Vlax Records)

Album: Stand Up, People

One of greats of Yugoslavian music in the 70s from one of the best collections of 2013 – “Stand Up, People” – basically Roma music from Tito’s socialist state between 1964 and 1980.  If nothing else, there seems to be some consensus that Tito was actually pretty good at tolerating and supporting the Roma populace.

5 Koby Isrealite – Crayfish Hora (Suite Part 4)

Album: Blues from Elsewhere

Koby Isrealite is an Isreali-born South London multi-instrumentalist – and I mean that – he plays just about everything string, wind, key and skin based – including his favourite, the accordion.  And he’s a played in a bunch of settings too – classical, jazz and speed metal.   His new album, called appropriately “Blues from Elsewhere” is some kind of Balkan, middle-eastern, south Asian rhythm and blues concoction. 

6 Monsieur Doumani – Cypriot Sousta (Monsieur Doumani)

Album: Grippy Grappa

The Cypriot band Monsieur Doumani put out one of the most original albums of 2013 – free wheeling arrangements of traditional songs for the bouzouki-like tzouras often strummed with some fury, and trombone and flute. 

7 Cigdem Aslan – Bir allah (One God) (Asphalt Tango)
Album: Mortissa

Turkish-born, and now London based singer Cigdem Aslan put out a cold-stone instant classic in 2013 – her take on rembetika across the Turkish-Greek divide, sung in both language, backed by some musicians with deep knowledge and subtle ability.

8 Omar Souleyman – Mawal Jamar (Ribbon)

Album: Wenu Wenu

Omar Souleyman is no stranger to this show, thanks to the label Sublime Frequencies.  They took him from basically only playing at weddings around Syria - and he’s been incredibly successful at that, his cassette releases recording those wedding over the last 20 years are numerous and very popular – to playing around the world.  In 2013 he released his first studio album, with his long-time keyboardist Rizan Sa’id at his right hand. 

9 Debruit & Alsarah – Alhalim (Soundway)

Album: Aljawal

Another fascinating album from 2013 is a teaming of French musician and producer, Debruit and Sudan-born and now Brooklyn-based singer Alsareh. They’ve been experimenting and refining their sound over the last two years. 

10 Padraig Rynne, Donal Lunny & Sylvain Barou – Lesnoto Horo (Rib Records)

Album: Triad

For some reason I haven’t seen any hype about an album that three great Irish musicians put out in 2013.  It’s Triad, by Donal Lunny who should need no introduction, Padraig Rynne, a magnificent concertina player, and Sylvain Barou whose been punting Breton music in Ireland for some time now.   

11 Linda Thompson – Paddy’s Lamentation (Topic Records)
Album: Won’t be long now

The classic Irish song, “Paddy’s Lamentation”, which dates to the time of the American civil war, from Linda Thompson fabulous new album.   

12 Lisa Knapp – Hunt the Hare Part II (feat. Alasdair Roberts) (Navigator)

Album: Hidden Seam

Speaking of great English singers, Lisa Knapp, part of the new generation of singer and songwriters inspired by the English song tradition put a pretty great sonically adventurous record in 2013 produced by Gerry Diver (who we’ve heard here before and who happens to be her husband).  “Hunt the Hare” is a duet with the fabulous Scottish musician Alasdair Roberts.  More from him in February.

13 The Young Tradition – Wondrous Love (Fledg’ling)
Album: Oberlin 1968

Live recordings of a concert given by an a capella trio of English traditionalists and rule breakers, The Young Tradition, in 1968 at Oberlin College in Ohio, surfaced recently and were put out on the label Fledg’ling in 2013. 

14 Catrin Finch, Seckou Keita – Robert Ap Huw Meets Nialing Sonko (Astar Artes/Mwldan)
Album: Clychau Dibon

Harp collaborations were something of a trend in 2013 and one of the best was between Welsh harpish and Catrin Finch and Senegalese kora player, Seckou Keita who now lives in Nottingham. 

15 Sidi Toure – Ay Takamba – My Takamba (Thrill Jockey)

Album: Alafia

2013 saw a spate of releases from Malian musicians working through the fundamentalist take-over in the north of the country, which for now at least has thankfully been pushed back.  Guitarist and singer Sidi Toure hails from Gao, a city in the northern most part of Mali.  His latest album “Alafia” which means “Peace” is out on the Chicago-based, predominantly post rock label, Thrill Jockey.

16 Bombino – Imuhar (Nonesuch)

Album: Nomad

Bombino, the Tuareg group from Agadez, Niger, put out a fabulous album in 2013, produced by Dan Auerbach in his Nashville studio.  At the centre Omara Moctor who has personal affected by many of the Taureg rebellions in Niger.

17 Lobi Traore – Jama (System Krush)

Album: Bwati Kono (In the Club) Vol 1

One of greats of so-called Mali blues, Lobi Traore.  In Lobi Traore’s case mali blues means a mix of Bambara rhythms and Jimi Hendrix guitar.  Traore died unexpectedly in 2010 and a bunch of live, nightclub recordings are beginning to emerge – they’re actually far fuller sounding and more adventurous than his studio outings.   

18 Ebo Taylor & Uhuru Yenzu – Victory (Mr Bongo)

Album: Conflict Nkru!

In 2012 I was pretty enamored with Ghanian highlife and afro-beat veteran, Ebo Taylor’s release “Appia Kwa Bridge”.  In 2013 the label Mr Bongo reissued something from 1980 – Conflict Nkru! – which is a kind of looser, funkier affair than the usual highlife. 

19 Jupiter & Okwess International – Mwana Yokatoli (Out Here Records/Proper)
Album: Hotel Univers

Jupiter & Okwess International from Kinshasa put out their first international release in 2013 – up there with the best of the year.    

20 Le Grand Kalle – Naweli Boboto (Sterns Music)

Album: His Life, His Music

Joseph Kabasele might not be as well known as Franco but he basically invented Congolese rhumba in the 1956. His recordings have been quite difficult to get up until Sterns released a double-disc retrospective.  Le Grand Kalle is the handle he often went by. 

21 Christine Salem – Maloki (Cobalt)

Album: Salem Tradition

Christine Salem is one the most recent, but one of the most creative purveyors of Maloya music from Reunion.  Maloya is rooted in slave music and Christine Selem takes it into other dimensions by cutting it with rhythms from mainland Africa and singing in a bunch of languages – Reunion creole, Malagasy, Comoran and Swahili. 

22 Dora Juarez Kiczkovsky – A la Una yo Naci (Tzadik)
Album: Cantos Para Una Diaspora

Heading to Mexico where Dora Juarez Kiczkovsky lives.  Juarez traces her roots to Eastern Europe, Spain and Argentina and Israel and tries to link all those cultures to the music of Mexico through her interpretation of traditional Sephardic songs.  “A la una yo naci” is sung in Ladino.

23 Siba – Canoa Furada (Leaking canoe) (Mais Um Discos)

Album: Avante

Siba is Sergio Roberto Veloso de Oliveira and was born in Recife into a family of musicians and poets and one of the founders of the manguebeat movement in the 90s which combined traditional Northeastern Brazilian with western pop music – following on from the Tropicalia movement of the 60s and earlier 70s.  Since then he’s sought to expand his music even further. 

24 The Skatalites – Smiling (Spectrum Audio UK)

Album: Top Deck Presents: Ska Instumentals

2013 saw the release of a bunch of totally fantastic collections of classic ska track from the 60s.  The Top Deck label was one of the first ska labels – it was formed in 1960 by two brothers, Philip and Ivan Yap.  Every track on the two cd collection “Top Deck Presents Ska Instrumentals” is worth hearing. 

25 Don Drummond – Green Island (Soul Jazz)

Album: Studio One Ska Fever! (More Ska Sound from Sir Coxsone’s Downbeat)

Trombonist and composer Don Drummond was one of the greats of the ska scene but his career was cut short in 1965 when he was ruled criminally insane after being convicted of killing his longtime girlfriend.  He died in prison in 1969.  His tune “Green Island” is on another magnificent collection of ska – “Studio One Ska Fever”.

26 Preservation Hall Jazz Band – Halfway Right, Halfway Wrong (Sony Legacy)

Album: That’s It!

One of the main keepers of the flame of parade-based jazz from New Orleans, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, in 2013 released their first album of self-penned songs and tunes – “That’s It”.  Jim James from My Morning Jacket, who’s had a long association with the band, co-produced the album, and there a bunch of luminary co-writers too – including Paul Williams. 

27 Nick Lowe – Silent Night (Proper Records)

Album: Quality Street: A Seasonal Selection for All the Family

Who would have thought Silent Night could sound so groovy.  Nick Lowe’s version is on his new album, which is actually a Christmas album.   

28 Leyla McCalla – Mesi Bondye (Dixiefrog)

Album: Vari-Colored Songs

Staying in the NOLA neck of the wood, Leyla McCalla, a sometime member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, lives New Orleans now.  Her 2013 album is mainly based on Langston Hughes poems, includes some old Creole songs from the area. 

29 Stein Urheim & Mari Kvien Brunvoll – Sound of his motor (Jazzland Recordings)

Album: Daydream Twin

Stein Urheim and Mari Kvien Brunvoll are from Norway.  I really like their album from 2013 – Daydream Twin. That song was called “Sound of his motor”.

30 Chris Wildman – Eagle-man (self-released)

Album: Solo Flight

Loyal listeners will remember Chris Wildman who presented this show a few years ago.  In 2013 he brought out an album of his own compositions for solo piano called “Solo Flight”.  Contract Chris at chris.musicplay@gmail for more details.

4 December 2013, World Cafe

1 Jupiter & Okwess International – Yaka (Out Here Records/Proper)
Album: Hotel Univers

Jupiter & Okwess International have been going in Kinshasa from early 90s but only just brought out their first international release.  They’re being marketed as part of the Congotronics scene – Staff Benda Belili, the Kasai Allstars, Konono No1 - the music of the multiple rural ethnicities of Kinshasa played on amplified instruments on the street at distorting high volumes.  The hype goes that Jupiter Bokondji got his edgy chops playing in East Berlin rock bands in the early 80s – he’s diplomat’s son. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 Owiny Sigoma Band – Jonny Ra Ha (Brownswood)

Album: Power Punch

Continuing with more new edgy African sounds this time from Kenya: the Owiny Sigoma Band are teaming British post-rock musicians, the Elmore Judd Collective, and nyatiti player (the nyatiti is kind of lyre) and teacher Joseph Nyamungu and drummer Charles Owoko who met and recorded their first album in 2011 in the village of Owiny Sigoma (hence their name) under the auspices of “Art of Protest”, a voluntary organization promoting local music.  Their new album called “Power Punch” and was recorded in London and it’s definitely a punchier affair than their first. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate – Tanama (Localization Records)

Album: Faya

Rounding off our little look at the noisier side of African fusion is the wah wah kora playing of Sekou Kouyate, the Guinean who plays with Ba Cissoko and London-based New Yorker rapper-guitarist Joe Driscoll. 

4 Vieux Farka Toure – Kele Magni (Six Degrees)
Album: Mon Pays

Turning things down a notch, Vieux Farka Toure, like most Malian musicians contemplates the recent events in his country on his new album.  He’s from the Timbuktu area – pretty much of the epicenter of the fundamentalist take over.  Sidiki Diabate, a kora player like his father Toumani Diabate’s son, features heavily on the album. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 Etran Finatawa – Ahewalen  (Riverboat)

Album: The Sahara Sessions

The fundamentalist incursion into Mali occurred on the back of some kind of nationalist Taureg uprising – one of many that have occurred in the region over the years.  Etran Finatawa, from Niger have both Taureg and Wodaabe members – the Wodaabe being another historically nomadic group with its own language, history and traditions – and their reaction was to head for the desert and record a set of subdued fireside largely acoustic jams that reflect a cross-cultural solidarity of people stuggling in the face of modernity, conflict, poverty and arbitrary national borders.  On a sadder note, one Etran Finatawa’s co-founder, Bagui Bouga, died recently on tour in Switzerland.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6 Tamikrest – Itous (Glitterbeat)

Album: Chatma

 Tamikrest, although a relative young band, are emerging as one of the greats of Taureg rock.  After the incursion they are living in Algeria and their album, Chatma (sisters), deals the courage of Tuareg women and the suffering of the past year.  The magnificent singer Wonou Walet Sidati, who cut her teeth in Tinariwen, is in full flight and they conjure a wonderfully heavy, dubby sound. 

7 Sons of Kemet – Going Home (Naim)

Abum: Burn

Global fusionists with their set up of double drums, tuba and various reeds - the great Seb Rochford is one of the drummers. 

8 David Buchbinder – La Roza Dos (Tzadik)

Album: Walk to the Sea

Trumpeter David Buchbinder is from Canada and for the Ladino song “La Roza” he teamed up with the Cuban pianist, Hilario Duran.  It comes from a lovely album out on the label Tzadik called “Walk to the Sea”.

9 Gabriele Coen Jewish Experience – Leena from Palestinab (Tzadik)
Album: Yiddish Melodies in Jazz

Staying with the label Tzadik, but exploring the nexus of Jewish music and jazz a bit more overtly, the Gabriele Coen Jewish Experience with the 1920’s Con Conrad and J Russel Robinson tune, “Leena from Palestina”.  Gabriele Coen plays various saxes and clarinet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10 Sezen Aksu – Kacincam Seni… (World Village)

Album: Optum

Sezen Aksu is one of the greats of Turkish pop music.  She became ultra famous in the 70s when she performed songs she had written herself and since then has apparently sold more than 20 million albums. She is also known for her daring – singing in Kurdish when it was officially banned in Turkey. Optum was release in 2012. 

11 Monsieur Doumani – The Forest Ranger (Monsieur Doumani)
Album: Grippy Grappa

Monsieur Domani are a young Cypriot trio who play guitar, bouzouki-like tzouras and variety of woodwinds and do fabulous free-wheeling arrangement of traditional songs. 

12 Rena Stamou – Bed of Pain (Mississippi/Change Records/Tompkins Square)

Album: Bed of Pain: Rembetika 1930-55

“Bed of Pain” -  an absolute classic rembetika tune recorded in 1950 by Rena Stamou, one of the most famous rebetisses, who was 19 at the time, and written by the great bazouki innovators in the genre – Vassilis Tsitsanis.  The song was apparently inspired by a rich married women with whome Tsitanis had an affair and who died of TB shortly after.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13 Cigdem Aslan – Pane gia to praso (Asphalt Tango Records)

Album: Mortissa

The combined Turkish and Greek origins of rembetika have been much discussed, and Cigdem Aslan, a Turkish Kurd who now lives in London, celebrates these origins together with Jewish and Armenian ones on her album.

14 Cuneyt Sepetci and Orchestra Dolapdere (LM Dupli-cation)
Album: Behriye Ciftetellisi

Orchestra Dolapdere is named after a Roma area of Istanbul and clarinet player Cuneyt Sepetci is main star.  They play modern takes on classic Turkish Roma music as well as folk songs from Albania, Macedonia and Spain.  They have a collection called “Bahriye Ciftetellisi” out on A Hawk and A Hacksaw’s own label called LM Dupli-Cation.

15 Meridian Brothers – El Jazz Del Chupasangres (Staubgold)

Album: Devocion (Works 2005 – 2011)

The Median Brothers is basically mainly Eblis Alvarez (although he’s helped by fairly constant group of musicians) and he’s appeared on a bunch of international releases recently, but he did three albums of quirky, experimental electronically based re-inventions of classic urban Columbian music between 2005 and 2011 not available outside of Columbia until now.  “Devocion” is a collection of that stuff.

16 Chico Cervantes y su Conjunto Internacional – Cumbia de la paz (Caliente)
Album: En la Onda de Chico Cervantes

The tune is from 1973.  The singer is Cesar Cerventes.

17 Nana Vascencelos – Berimbando (Far Out Recordings)
Album: 4 Elementos

Heading further south to Brazil, Nana Vasconcelos is one the most famous percussioinists and folk-jazz musicians of the last 45 years and he’s still going strong.  One of his best instruments is the berimbau – a bow with the resonator and hitting stick – basically the same as the instrument found in Southern Africa (called an uhadi here) and most famously played by Madosini.  This is a berimbau piece as its name would suggest. 

18 Bessie Jones – O Day (Mississipi Records)

Album: Georgia Se Island Singers: Join the Band

The Georgia Sea Island Singers are from the island of St Simon, one of string of islands that run from South Carolina to Florida.  This a 1960’s recording made by Alan Lomax of “O Day” with singer Bessie Jones at the forefront.  There’s some fabulous fife playing and voices used in lieu of drums, which were banned when this music was being forged in the 19^th century.

19 Brushy One-String – Chicken in the Corn (RiseUp Original Version) (RiseUp Entertainment)

Album: The King of One String – Acoustic

Sticking in the same sonic neck of the woods and in the general geographic neighbourhood - Brushy One-String is from Jamaicia and as his name suggests plays a one-string guitar (the low E string in case you were wondering). He mashes things up nicely.  His most well known tune is “Chicken in the corn” – a sort of highly jaunty country-blues rap reggae.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20 The Lee Thompson Ska Orchestra – Fu Man Chu (Axe Attack Ltd)

Album: The Benevolence of Sister Mary Ignatius

Lee Thompson and Mark Bedford from the ska-revival Madness convened some sessions to have a go at playing the ska and early reggae tunes that inspired them in their youth.  A pretty great album resulted.  “The Benevolence Of Sister Mary Ignatius” named after a teacher at the Alpha School for Boys in Kingston, Jamaica, where the first ska musicians received their music education.  Desmond Dekker song “Fu Man Chu” was first recorded in 1968.  Rootsy dub producer of the moment, Mike Pelanconi – aka Prince Fatty – does the production honours.

21 The Abyssinians – Declaration of Rights (Studio 1 Records/Jamrec Music)

Single

Speaking of roots reggae, one of the best exponents were The Abyssinians and one of their best songs is Declaration of Rights. 

22 Hannah Martin & Phillip Henry – The Nailmaker’s Strike, Pt 2 (Dragonfly Roots)

Album: Mynd

Devon-based Hannah Martin and Phillip Henry’s fabulous intertwining of the Declaration of Rights and trad classic Poverty Knock.  They call it The Nailmakers Strike and it commemorates an 1862 worker march in Bromsgove. 

23 Linda Thompson – Never put to sea boys (Topic Records)

Album: Won’t be long now

Linda Thompson has new album out and she’s enlisted most of her family in its making – Jack, Kami, Muna, Teddy and ex-husband Richard.  “Never put to sea boys” is a tradish sounding shanty she co-wrote. 

24 Qetiq – Qizdar (Dreyer Gaido)
Album: Qetiq: Rock from Taklamakan Desert

Qetiq are a Uyghur band from Xinjiang in NW China and have come up with a rather fetching mix of rock and traditional music from the region.  “Rock from Taklamakan Desert” is their first international album.

25 German Khatylaev, Claudia Khatylaev – The Sacred Bird (L’Oiseau sacre)

Album: Arctic Spirit (Music from the Siberian North – Sakha People)

From way north - Sakha or Yakutia which is part of Siberia – German and Claudia Khatylaev have been on a mission to preserve the music of Sakha and been collecting songs and instruments and creating ensembles and repertoires for years now.  Artic Spirit: Music from the Siberian North is a fairly epic sounding collection of some of their work. 

26 Spiridon – Ajanyum Artyha (Cinq Planetes)

Album: Guimbardes

The khomus, a kind of jaw’s harp, is the national instrument of Sakha and Spiridon Spiridonovich is a key player.  This should blow your head off. 

27 Kelompok Kampungcan – Hidup Ini Seperti Drama (Light in the Attic)

Album: Mencari Tuhan

Kelompok Kampungcan were a sort of psychedelic folk band using instruments of their own making and operating in the late 70s and early 80s in Indonesia --- and were banned at the time for their effort.  The re-issue label Light in the Attic released their almost impossible to find album “Mencari Tuhan”. 

28 Arve Henriksen – Saraswati (Rune Grammafon)

Album: Place of Worship

A cracking track off Norwegian trumpeter Arve Hendriksen’s new album. 

2 October 2013, World Cafe

1 Los Desterrados – Esta Noche (Enkalador)
Album: Dos Amantes

Los Desterrados (The Exiles) are a six piece from London who draw their inspiration from Sephardic music, with all its multiple sub-categories arising in places where the Sephardic Jews moved to after their expulsion from Spain – Greece, Turkey, the Balkans and North Africa.  That was “Esta Noche”, sang in Ladino, the Latin-based language of the Sephardic - it seems to be some kind of tarantella. 

 

2 Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino – Tira Cavallu (Puglia Sounds/Discovery)

Album: Pizzica Indiavolata

Speaking of tarantella, more from Canzoniere Grenanico Salentino (check out August 2013).  They from the Puglia region of southern Italy and play a style called pizzica – similar to the tarantella and sung in the Greek dialect called Griko.  The new album, “Pizzica Indiavolata” is making waves, and it’s not difficult to see why.  Obtain forthwith.

3 Moussu T e Lei Jovents – Mon drapeau rouge (Le Chant du Monde)

Album: Artemis

The Marseilles based group with sounds inspired by the melting pot of 1930s Marseilles when blues and jazz rubbed shoulders with music from Caribbean, North Africa and Brazil and folk songs in Occitan and Provencal.   There’s also heavy does of ragamuffin in there – they are after all an offshoot of the Massilia Sound System.   “Mon drapeau rouge” is a tribute to Marseilles socialist tradition: “Pass me the red flag, let me hang it from the shutters, pass me the red flag and the black one, while you’re at it”.

4 Didier Laloy & Fabian Beghin – Ambriose’s Forest Party (Homerecords.be) (Fabian Beghin)

Album: Cryptonique

Heading to Belgium now, for an incredible interplay between chromatic and diatonic accordions. One of Beghin’s tunes off their 2008 outing. 

5 Radio Cos – Sete Cuncas (Fol Musica)

Album: Radio Cos

Radio Cos is from Galicia, North Western Spain, and essentially two singer-pandeireteiros, Henrique Peon and Xurxo Fernandes.  Henrique Peon is in fact Mercedes Peon’s brother, and just as enthusiastic as learning from and recording musicians in Galicia’s villages as her.  He draws on a rawer, old sound on this CD and is joined by accordionist Xan Pampin, violinist Nikolay Velikov and Pedro Lamas on various reeds and bagpipes. 

6 Ilaiyaraaja – Aa Kannula

Aa Kunnula

I was totally blown away when I found this old track by Ilaiyaraaja, the great composer for the Tamil film industry based in Chennai.  Rather than in Tamil, this song appears to be in Telugu, the speakers of which live just to the north of Chennai in Andhra Pradesh state.  It’s sung by SP Balasubrahmanyam Janaki.

Here’s clip from the related movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8iC-MV7Ivo

7 Shankar Jaikishan / Rais Khan – Raga Bairagi (EMI)

Album: Raga Jazz Style

Shankar Jaikishan with the sitar player Rais off their ground breaking 1968 album which helped invent the subgenre Indo Jazz.  Shankar Jaikishan is in fact a duo – Shankarsingh Raghwanshi and Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal - who composed a mass of music for the Hindi film industry between 1949 and 1971.

8 Bachar Mar Khalife – Mirror Moon (Infine)

Album: Who’s gonna get the ball from behind the wall

We have sort special mini-focus on Beirut now, starting with something ultra-current – Paris-based and schooled classical pianist and percussionist, Bachar Mar-Khalife, the son of renowned Lebanese oud player, Marcel Khalife, and his radical interpretation of one of his father’s songs.

Here’s a clip of Bachar with his father, Marcel, on oud, brother, Rami, piano, and Bachar, on percussion doing the same tune: http://vimeo.com/51993055  
 

9 Fairuz – Marreit Beil Shawari (Voix De L’Orient) (SACEM)

Album: Rajioun

The most legendary of Beirut musicians is singer Fairuz, who’s been going since the 50s.  “Marreit Beil Shawari” is unbelievably from the early part of her career.  She was part of the three-person team (“the trinity”) with the Rahbani brothers, Mansour who wrote the lyrics and Assi, who became her husband, composed and arranged the tunes. 

A brilliant streamed podcast on Afropop Worldwide about Fairuz can be found at: http://www.afropop.org/wp/hipdeep/

10 Ziad Rahbani – Chirak  (Voix De L’Orient) 

Album: Bil Afrah

Fairuz’s son Ziad Rahbani also started coming in on the action in the 70s.  As well as a lyricist and composer, Ziad is also a playwright and political commentator.  “Chirak” is something he put together in 1972, based on an Armenian folk song.  He plays the accordion on the song.

11 Yasmine Hamdan – Shouei (Crammed Records)

Album: Ya Nass

Yasmine Hamden is another Beirutian now based in Paris.  Her praise song for Beirut from her new album called “Ya Nass”, meaning “Oh people”.  “Beirut, a flower out of season, what a waste if it withered.”

12 Jeroen Van Vliet & Sikeda – Al-Kirbah (Challenge Jazz)

Album: Thin Air

Leaving Beirut … some of might have been lucky enough to see Dutch pianist Jeroen van Vliet play with Carlo Mombelli and Kesivan Naidoo at the Mahogony Room in Cape Town in July or indeed other venues around the country.  If not (or even you did), check out this clip capturing their the Jo’burg stint of their tour.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnXGhZsWAOA&feature=share

Van Vliet is a fantastic player and composer who’s actually been to South Africa quite a few times since the 90s.  “Al-Kirbah” is he put together with a group called Sikeda for the North Sea Jazz Festival in 2008.  Sikeda is a six piece which includes Iranian born percussionist Afra Mussawisade.

13 Simo Lagnawi – Tourklila (Waulk Records)

Album: Gnawa London

London-based Moroccan Simo Lagnawi with his arrangement of a traditional Gnawa tune on which he plays all the instruments – the gimbri, qaragebs (castanets), and clapping.  It’s from a superb album of basically stripped down traditional Gnawa, called “Gnawa London” out on Waulk Records.

14 Djeli Mah Damba, Baba Sissoko – Djasere (Goodfellas)

Album: Baba et sa maman

One of the sources of Gnawa is the music of the Senegambia region, and I’m not sure we can get more authentic than the music of Djeli Mah Damba Koroba, a veteran singer from the Bamana areas of Mali, and her son, Baba Sissoko, who now lives in Italy.

15 Amadou Diagne – Aida (Waulk Records)

Album: Yakar

Senegalese singer, songwriter and guitarist, Amadou Diagne’s, who now lives in Bath in the UK.  His new album, “Yakar”, is another brilliant release on Waulk Records, produced by Griselda Sanderson who also produced Simo Lagnawi’s album.  Sanderson plays violin – and, I think you’ll agree – her playing really gels with the music and is a huge part of its excitement.

16 Dieuf-Dieul de Thies – Aling Na Djimbe (Taranga Beat)

Album: Aw Sa Yone Vol 1

Mbalax is probably Senegal’s most well known musical export, and a new Dakar-based label, Taranga Beat, has been exhuming forgotten gems from the dawn of mbalax in the 70s, especially from the city of Thies.  Their latest find is the band Dieuf-Dieul de Thies.

17 The Garifuna Collective – Alagan (Cumbancha)
Album: Ayo

The Garifuna Collective, located in Belize in the Caribbean, the cultural collective that Andy Palacio belonged to, with something off their brand new album, “Ayo”, which means “Goodbye”.  There was some question about what would happen to the Garifuna Collective after Palacio died unexpectedly in 2008, but luckily they’ve come through.  Ivan Duran who let up Stonetree Records, which is based in Belize and one of the main forces in keeping Garafunan culture and music alive, produced the album. 

18 Celia Cruz – Chango (Soul Jazz)

Album: Mirror to the Soul: Caribbean Jump-Up, Mambo and Calypso Beat 1954-77

Staying in the Caribbean, one of the greats of Cuban music is Celia Cruz – known as the Queen of Salsa.  She left Cuba in 1959 following the coup and ended up being one of the voices for NYC-based Fania Allstars in 1970s, which was one of the main forces behind the NYC Salsa scene.  Here is something that doesn’t sound like normal salsa, which is probably why I like it.  I found that on the new Soul Jazz collection called Mirror to the Soul: Caribbean Jump-Up, Mambo & Calypso Beat 1954-77.  It’s film, book and CD project.


















19 Chicha Libre – Juaneco en el Cielo (Barbes/Crammed)
Album: Canibalismo

Chicha Libre are a Brooklyn based group who take chicha, the music that developed in the slums of Lima in Peru in the late 60s and 70s that combines surf guitar with Andean folk, as their point of departure.  All kinds of samples and sequencers are deployed on the fine 2012 album, “Canibalismo”. 

 

20 Bomba Estereo – Rocas (feat. B’Negao) (Soundway)

Album: Eleganci Tropical

Bomba Estereo have taken things to even trashier dance spaces building on the Afro-Caribbean tradition of their home city, Barranquilla, on Colombia’s Caribbean coast.  Some of you might have been lucky enough to see them in South Africa and Swaziland earlier this year.  “Rocas” is with Brazillian rapper MC B Negao.  Singer Liliana Saumet is the group’s irrepressible front person. Wish all dance music was this good.

21 Congo Nutty feat Rebel MC, Tenor Fly, Daddy Freddy & Nanci Correia – Get Ready (Ninja Tune)

Album: Jungle Revolution

Congo Nutty used to be Michael West aka Rebel MC and started this life as mover and shaker in the UK rap and hip hop scene.  Later he was a pioneer in London’s jungle scene.  After converting to Rastafarianism he dropped out of music and went to go and live in Ethiopia.  Luckily he’s back now and firing on all five, bringing all his musical legacies together with the great Adrian Sherwood behind the mixing desk. 

22 The Jamaican’s – Ba Ba Boom (Heartbeat)

Congo Nutty’s “Get ready” draws heavily on a classic rock-steady track by The Jamaicans.   

23  John Holt – Ali Baba (Treasure Isle)

24 Tommy McCook & The Supersonics – I Shave the Barber (Pressure Sounds)
Album: Pleasure Dub

Errol Brown’s quite fantastic 1974 dub remix of John Holt’s 1969 classic Ali Baba.  The dub version is called “I shave the barber” and credited to the great Jamaican sax player Tommy McCook and one of his backing bands, The Supersonics. 

25 Clinton Fearon – One Love (Stern’s Music)

Album: Heart and Soul

Staying in Jamaica … well sort-of … Clinton Fearon started his career playing bass and guitar and supplying his wonderful baritone in one of the great reggae bands of the 70s – The Gladiators.  He now lives in Seattle and has recently taken to doing stripped down versions of songs he wrote for The Gladiators.  Here’s a fine example from his latest album, which I promised a few months ago. 

26 Alex McMurray – All my rivers (Threadhead)

Album: I will never be alone in this land

Alex McMurray is singer songwriter living in New Orleans and steeped in its various traditions.  “I will never be alone in this land” really oozes this tradition.  You’ll see in action on the Season 2 of the HBO series Treme. 

27 Mavis Staples – Far Celestial Shores (Anti-)

Album: One True Vine

Speaking of singer songwriters steeped in Americana as I so often do, I thought it would a good idea to listen to Nick Lowe, who is in fact English, sometime.  Mavis Staples, one of the greats of soul, provides a good opportunity – she did a fabulous version of one of his gospel songs on her new Jeff Tweedy produced album “One True Vine”. 

28 Bill Frisell – A Beautiful View (Okeh/Sony)
Album: Big Sur

The inestimable Bill Frisell from his really great suite of new tunes that he wrote at Glen Deven Ranch on the Big Sur coastline in California.   

29 Unni Boksasp Ensemble – Reveenka (Unni Boksasp)

Album: Kvite fuglar

Norwegian Unni Boksasp started singing traditional songs, but has moved on to write her own songs which are very much in the tradition. 

30 Christian Wallumrod –  Banadsbangla (ECM)

Album: Outstairs

From composer, pianist and harmonium player Christian Wallumrod with his usual startlingly beautiful combinations of Norwegian folk, early church music, modern classical, improv and, here, Indian devotional music.