2 April 2014, World Cafe

Programme airs on 2 April 2014, 10 - 12pm South African time on Fine Music Radio, 101.3 Fm in the Cape Town area or via live stream http://infant.antfarm.co.za/fmr/fmr-player.asp

1 De Temps Antan – Petipetan (L-Abe)
Album: Les Habits de Papier

De Temps Antan are a power-house trio plying Quebecois music – fiddle, guitar, bouzouki, accordion and pieds percussion or seated clog dancing (although not on “Petipetan”).  And of course those magnificent voices. 

2 Blowzabella – Fulmine (Green Linnet)

Album: Vanilla

I’ve always been very partial to the diatonic button accordion playing of Andy Cutting, and was very pleased to discover this solo tune on an old Blowzabella album from 1990 called “Vanilla”.  The album first came out when Cutting joined the band at the age of 21.  The tune is “Fulmine”.  Blowzabella are another kettle of fish -  usually involving hurdy-gurdy - which I’m saving for the next show.

3 Melrose Quartet – Come and I will sing you (Private label/artist)

Album: Fifty Verses

Melrose Quartet consists of two terrific English trad duos – Nancy Kerr and James Fagan and Jess and Richard Arrowsmith.  “Come and I will sing you”  is obviously a very old round, which seems to be linked to “Green grow the rushes, o”.  Check out wikipedia for possible hidden meanings http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Grow_the_Rushes,_O

4 The Bad Shepherds – Humours of Tullah/Teenage Kicks/Whiskey in the Jar/The Merry Blacksmith   (Monsoon Music)

Album: Yan, Tyan, Tethera, Methera

The Bad Shepherds play seriously inspired English and Irish trad versions of unlikely songs, many of them from the punk canon, if there is such a thing.  The Undertones classic “Teenage Kicks” is in a medley with “Humours of Tullah”, “Whiskey in a Jar and The Merry Blacksmith” and it’s from their 2009 album “Yan, Tyan, Tethera, Methera”, Cumbrian shepherd’s dialect for “One, two, three, four”.

5 Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas – Keys to the Cellar (Greentrax)
Album: Abundance

Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas are a duo who’ve been around for a number of years playing music inspired by and drawing on the Scottish and Irish fiddling tradition – he a Scottish fiddler (mainly) and she an American cello player.  Dominick Leslie supplies the deft mandolin playing.

6 The Gloaming – The Old Bush (Real World)
Album: The Gloaming

Speaking about inspired re-imaginings of Irish music, The Gloaming have come up with something really great.  The Gloaming are one of the great duos of Irish music – fiddling Martin Hayes and guitarist Dennis Cahill, plus hardanger fiddler, Caoimhin O’Raghllaigh and pianist Thomas “Doveman” Barlett. Sometimes singer Iarla O’Lionaird joins them, but not on this tune. 

 Agnes Obel – Katie Cruel (Prt 1 Live in Copenhagen) (PIAS)

Album: Philharmonics (Deluxe Edition)

Danish singer/songwriter Agnes Obel, recorded live in Copenhagen.  Over the years, I’ve played a number of versions of this American trad song, and there’ll be another version next month.

8 Pokey LaFarge – Close the Door (Third Man)
Album: Pokey LaFarge

Pokey LaFarge is a whiz with all kinds of Americana – Western swing, twenties jazz and country blues, he plays a bunch of instruments and he knows how to turn a witty, sardonic phrase too.  Here’s his take on health care in the US today. 

9 Adrian Raso & Fanfare Ciocarlia – C’est la vie (Asphalt Tango)

Album: Devil’s Tale

Sticking with gypsy swing or French Manouche, a grand pairing of Toronto guitarist Adrian Raso and the 12 piece Romanian brass band, Fanfare Ciocarlia. 

10 Tigran Hamaysan – Drip (Universal/Verve)
Album: Shadow Theater

Certainly more jazzy, but also heavily inspired by folk songs, this time from Armenia.    

11 Boban and Marko Marcovic Orchestra – Sljivovica (Piranha)
Album: Gipsy Manifesto

The Boban & Marko Markovic Orchestra are one of the greatest Serbian gypsy brass bands.  That is a remix dunkelbunt (alias of Ulf Lindemann), a producer and DJ who specializes in transforming Balkan music in all kinds of interesting ways often with a reggae undertow. 



12 Adama Koita – Fantainfalla Toyi Bolo (Transgressive)
Album: Africa Express Presents: Maison Des Jeunes

Keeping with the theme of guest producers, Damon Albarn, the guy from Blur a million years ago who has a long history of poppy collaborations with Malian musicians, brought a lot of luminary producer types to a youth club in Bamako in the middle of 2013 to work with local up-and-coming musicians.  “Africa Express Presents: Maison Des Jeunes” is the result. 

13 Tinariwen – Chaghaybou (ANTI-records)
Album: Emmaar

Tinariwen’s new album just out was recorded in Joshua Tree in Mojave Desert – still a desert, but not in the northern regions of Mali and surrounds, where the band have recorded in the past.      

14 TP Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo – Mirielle (EDL 12)

single

A few months ago I played an obscure single by a true, and perhaps under-sung, great of African music – Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou from Benin.  Mirielle is another obscure single.  Lohento Eskill is the singer.  And there’ll be more music from them next month.

15 La Yegros – Trocitus de Madera (ZZK)
Album: Viene de Mi

That’s something you don’t hear that often – trip-hoppy cumbia produced in Argentina.  La Yegros had a smash hit across Latin America a few years ago with “Viene de Mi”, the title of her internationally released album.  From the same album, here’s another catchy tune. 

16 Los Corraleros – Juana Patino (Discos Fuentes)
Album: Cumbias Solamente Cumbias

So I guess now we can play more cumbia.  Here’s something from the cradle of cumbia – the Colombian Atlantic Coast - and its heyday - the late 60s and 70s.  It’s from a 1976 collection on Discos Fuentes called “Cumbias Solamente Cumbias”. 

17 Zara McFarlane – Police and Thieves

Album: If you knew her

British Jazz singer Zara McFarlane’s wonderful version of Junior Murvin’s “Police and Thieves”.  That’s to mark Junior Murvin recent passing on the 2^nd of December last year. 

18 The Upsetters – Emotional Dub (Pressure Sounds)

Album: Lee Perry and the Upsetters present Roaring Lion

Lee Perry recorded the original “Police and Thieves” in 1976 and the song became a hit, so I thought I should also play a Murvin-Perry collaboration.  Here is something off a new collection of Perry obscurities from the Black Ark in the 70s on Pressure Sounds: a dub workout with some powerful Murvin vocals, “Emotional Dub”.

19 Prince Jazzbo – Prophet Live (Black Wax)

Album: Natty Passing Thru

2013 also saw the death of another reggae great – the toaster and dub producer Prince Jazzbo, in September.  “Prophet Live” is to the backing of “Satta massagana” from a lovely album called “Natty Passing Thru” also from 1976.

20 Dawn of Midi – Ymir (Thirsty Ear)

Album: Dysnomia

Dub is definitely one of the inspirations of Brooklyn based Dawn of Midi.  They play everything on piano, bass and drums but with a very different approach from normal piano trios.  There’re bunch of other influences in there too.  “Dysnomia” is one of my favourites from 2013.

21 Driss El Maloumi – Makan (Contre-Jour)
Album: Tawazoun

Driss El Maloumi perhaps the greatest living oud player.  He’s from Morocco and plays in the style of the legendary Munir Bashir.  On percussion is his brother, Said and Lahoucine Baquir.

22 Souha Abdel Amir – Kolli Ala Al Makshouf (Be honest with me) (Sublime Frequencies)

Album: Choubi Choubi! Folk & Pop Songs from Iraq vol 2

Sublime Frequencies have just put out a bunch of new albums, and we’ll be dipping into these over the next few months.  “Choubi Choubi! Folk & Pop Songs from Iraq Vol 2” collects songs recorded between 1980s and early 2000s in Saddam Hussain era Iraq. 

23 Oman, Doeleh & KOE Sabri – Tjikadjangan (Dust-to-Digital)

Album: Longing for the Past: The 78 rpm Era in Southeast Asia

Like Sublime Frequencies, Dust-to-digital is a collection label, but it specializes in vintage stuff often on 78 rpm and the packaging is ultra lavish (Sublime Frequencies is decidedly b-grade although their info and write ups are great).  Oman, Doelah and KOE Sabri are from Indonesia.

24 Burma Orchestra Saing Waing – I want you (Buda Musique)

Album: From Another World: A Tribute to Bob Dylan

The Burma Orchestra Saing Waing putting Dylan’s “I want you” through the wringer – from a collection of cruel and unusual versions of Bob Dylan classics.

25 Hong Thong Daw U-Don – Isan (Sublime Frequencies)

Album: Siamese Soul: Thai Pop Spectacular Vol. 2

From another Sublime Frequencies collection, this time from a few years back. 

26 The Maniapoto Voices – Patare Tainui (Zodiac Recordings)
Album: Songs of the Maori

The Andrew Sisters born in a Maori village? Well you don’t have to imagine that.  Kay, Kelly, Laura and Hinerangi Hikuroa were them.  They called themselves the “The Maniapoto Voices” and recording was made in 1966.

27 Kiyoko Itoh - ??     (Showboat)
Album: 23 Hour Woman, Love In

Kiyoko Itoh from Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan did a brief stint has one of The New Christy Mistels when the American folk group toured Japan before heading back to the US with them – and then reinvented herself a some kind of orchestral torch songster.  That’s from an album called “23 hour woman, love in” released in 1971. 

28 Nik Bartsch – Module 4 (Tonus)

Album: Hishiriyo

Swiss pianist Nik Bartsch with one of his John Cage inspired pieces from this 2006 album.