4 June 2014, World Cafe

1 Amparo Sanchez – La Flor De La Palabra (Wrasse Records)
Album: Alma De Cantaora

The Spanish singer, Amparo Sanchez, with Dominican born Spanish rapper Arianna Puello.  “La Flor de la Palabra” translates as something like “Flower of the word”, and seems to be based on sort kind of leftist manifesto – one of the co-authors is “Subcomandante Marcos”.  Given Sanchez’s general cynicism, I think some irony is deployed here.

2 Simon Diaz – Caballo Viejo (Celebration Sounds)

Album: Caballo Viejo: The Best of Simon Diaz

Simon Diaz, a massively important figure in modern Venezuelan folk music, died a few months ago at the age of 85. In the 40s he started to revive by the style called “musica llanera”, music of the plains playing the four-stringed cuarto, which he taught himself to play, in ensembles with the small Venezuelan harp and maracas.  “Caballo Viejo” (The old horse) is his most famous song – a story of an old man who falls for a younger woman.  I’m afraid to say the Gipsy Kings turned this into their hit “Bamboleo” – the original is a gem, though.

3 Aniceto Molina – La rolita (Musart)

Album: A lo Corralero

A 1975 tune from the Colombian singer and accordionist, famous all across Latin America.

4 Anibal Velasquez y su Conjunto – Mi fosforito (Industria Nacional del Sonido Ltda)
Album: Golpe Currambero

Another fantastic Colombian accordionist from more or less the same time as Molina.  His conjunto includes his brother, Jose, singing.  He’s from Barranquilla, also called “Puetro de Oro”, the entry point and melting pot for all kinds of Caribbean sounds in Colombia.

5 Meridian Brothers – Te Odio (Te Amo) (Staubgold)

Album: Devocion (Works 2005- 2011)

A wonderful concoction by the Meridian Brothers, at the centre of which is Eblis Alvarez, who’s based in Bogota and actually started out in 1998.  In the mid 2000s he studied at the Danish Royal Academy and Institute of Electric Music, and this recording dates from directly after his studies. 

6 Seun Kuti and Eqypt 80 – Higher Consciousness (Because)

Album: A Long Walk to the Beginning

Eqypt 80 is the original band of Fela Kuti, Seun’s father.  The band of veterans are as razor sharp and rock hard as ever on Seun’s brand new album.  . 

7 Mar Seck – Li Loumouye Nourou (Taranga Beat)
Album: Vagabonde: From Super Cap-Vert to Number One: Unreleased recordings 1969 – 1980

Mar Seck is a veteran singer from Senegal who played a number of bands in the 70s including “Etoile de Dakar”.  This tune dates from around the late 70s and features Barthelemy Attisso on guitar, who joined Orchestra Baobab. It’s a on collection of previously unreleased recordings by Mar Seck out on the fairly newly established re-issue label “Taranga Beat”.

8 Catrin Finch and Seckou Keita – Ceffylau (Artes/Mwldan)

Album: Clychau Dibon

Welsh classical harpist, Catrin Finch, and Senegalese kora player, Seckou Keita, came up with a terrific set of tunes and arrangements in 2013.  “Ceffylau” means “Horses”.

9 Julie Fowlis – Danns’ a Luideagan Odhar (Dance Dun-Coloured Slattern) (Machair records)
Album: Gach Sgeul: Every Story

Julie Fowlis rendition of traditional song from her home area, the Hebrides, in northern Scotland.  Backing her are the fiddle power-quartet, Rant, who we listened to here a few months ago. “Gach Sgeul” is Fowlis’ new album.    

10 Sarah-Jane Summers & Juhani Silvola – Bodaich Bheag Abriachan (Dell Daisy Records)

Album: Sarah-Jane Summers & Juhani Silvola

Scottish fiddler, Sarah-Jane Summers, and Norwegian guitarist, Juhani Silvola, put out a fantastic set of tunes recently.  “Bodaich Bheag Abriachan” is a traditional tune.

11 Monkey and a Harp – Molecatcher (MoonrakerUK)

Album: All life is here

Monkey and a Harp are a trio from the NW of England and “The Molecatcher” is a traditional tune. 

12 Liz Green – Rybka (Play It Again Sam)
Album: Haul Away!

Sticking in the NW of England, here’s something from Liz Green in a Kurt Wiell style – “Rybka”, from her new album.

13 Jaakko Laitinen & Vaara Raha – Unta Vai Totta (Playgound Music Finland)

Album: Lapland-Balkan

Jaakko Laitinen & Vaara Raha (Counterfeit Currency) with the style of music that combines Finnish ballroom-folk with music from the Balkans, Turkey and Middle East.  “Unta Vai Totta” translates as “Dream or reality”. 

14 Rafter – Kusterica vs Markovic (Asthmatic Kitty)

Album: It’s reggae

Rafter Roberts or just plain “Rafter” is based in San Diego and usually puts out oddball pop songs, but for his 2014 outing he’s got seriously into dub, and results are fantastic.  The title of the tune “Kusterica vs Markovic” references Balkan brass, I would think.

15 Clinton Fearon – Blame Game (Chapter Two Records)

Album: Goodness

Over the last year, we’ve listened to a bunch of songs from the singer and bass player of 70s mainstay reggae band The Gladiators, Clinton Fearon.  He left them in 1987 and set up shop in Seattle.  His new album is a good one.  

16 Addis Pablo – My Father Version (Jah Solid Rock)
Album: In My Father’s House

Addis Pablo very consciously and perhaps conscientiously carries on the legacy of his father, Augustus Pablo – or has his mother would known him, Horace Swaby.  Addis is backed by the Austrian band “House of Riddim”. 

17 Quantic – Arada (feat. Dereb the Ambassador) (Tru Thoughts)

Album: Magnetica

Dereb Desalegn (aka Dereb the Ambassador) was born into a family of musicians in Ethiopia and now lives in Sydney; Will Holland (aka Quantic) who produced and co-wrote this fine track, was born is Bewdley, Worcestershire and for the last 7 years has been living in Cali, Colombia.  As Quantic, the DJ and compiler, he’s been plumbing vintage Columbian sounds, and as a musician and producer using Colombian music as springboard for all kinds of sonic explorations. 

18 Hirut Beqele – Ewnetegna Feqer (L’Arome Productions)

Album: More Ethiopian Soul and Groove: Ethiopian Modern Urban Music Vol. 3

Something from the classic age of Ethiopian music. 

19 Debo Band – Habesha (Sup Pop/Next Ambiance) (Jonah Rapino/Bruck Tesfaye)

Album: Debo Band

Debo Band are from Boston, and their 2012 album seems to have largely overlooked.  It’s pretty much an instant classic, infusing Ethiojazz and soul with even more density and heaviness from the psychedelic end of the spectrum.  “Habesha” was written by the band’s singer, Bruck Tesfaye, and Jonah Rapino, their electric violinist.

20  Mara Aranda – Morenica (Bureo Musiques)
Album: Sephardic Legacy

Over the years I’ve played a bunch of stuff by the Spanish group “L’Ham de Foc” from Valencia, who combine music from around the Mediterrean, the Balkans and the middle east, often with the strongly medieval feel.  They sort of imploded in 2006, and their singer Mara Aranda has since specialized in Al Andaluz and Sephardic music. 

21 Sainkho and Garlo – Nostalgy Tyva (BP12)
Album: Go to Tuva

Sainkho Namtchylak is basically a veteran of Tuvan scene, having produced a mass of albums and performed in all kinds of settings, a number of them quite experimental.  In 2011 she teamed up with French bass player and composer, Garlo Jo and their new album, “Go to Tuva” has just come out.    

22 Violins Barbares – Saturday yurt fever (World Village)

Album: Saulem ai

Violins Barbares are a French-Bulgarian-Mongolian trio.   

23 Hanggai – High Trees (Harlem Records)

Album: Baifang

A few years ago I was touting an album by the Beijing-based band, with Mongolian connections, Hanggai.  Well, they’re just released a new album which is much heavier and epic than the last one.  This is a quieter, folkier tune. 

24 John Zorn/Abraxis – Sacred Emblems (Tzadik Records)

Album: Psychomagia

A palette-cleanser composed by John Zorn.  Apparently the music was inspired by the writings of medieval Dominican friar, philosopher, mathematician, poet and astronomer, Giordano Bruno, and Chilean filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowski.

25 Anoushka Shankar – Lasya (Deutsche Grammophon) (Anoushka Shankar)
Album: Traces of you

That’s something from Anouska Shankar’s new album dedicated to her father, Ravi Shankar.

26 Susheela Raman – Karunai (World Village)

Album: Queen Between

Susheela Raman cut her teeth playing punk music, but she’s serious about combining all kinds of Indian folk, devotional and classical music from across the subcontinent, and usually does it a totally fresh and unstuffy way. “Karunei” is a Tamil song from her new album.