August 6 2014, World Cafe

1 Mamani Keita – Kanou (World Village)

Album: Kanou

Mamani Keita together with guitarist Djeli Moussa Kouyate (from the Rail Band) and ngoni player Moriba Koita (who’s played with the greats like Salif Keita and Kandia Kouyate).  That’s from Mamani Keita’s latest, which is very good. 

2 Anansy Cisse – Aigouna (Riverboat)

Album: Mali Overdrive

Continuing with new releases from Mali, here’s something from Anansy Cisse off his debut international release.  Cisse is based on Bamako now, but up until recently ran his own recording studio in Dire in the north of the country which churned out pop music – autotuned ‘n all.  He was forced out in late 2012 by the militant Islamist incursion.  Luckily for us, he managed to put together some his own stuff, which is based on traditional Fulani and Songhai music, and came to the attention of the label via an online “Battle of the bands” competition.  This is his celebration of all things Fulani. 

3 Tamikrest – Tisnant an Chatma (Glitterbeat)

Album: Chatma

A magnificent Tuareg rock band with “Tisnant an Chatma” (The suffering of my sisters) off their 2013 album.

4 Kankou Kouyate – Yamore (Transgressive)

Album: Africa Express Presents Maison des Jenues

Kankou Kouyate is a young singer from Mali, the niece of ngoni whiz Bassekou Kouyate, which I guess is why she gets to be backed by power ngoni trio called Groupe Gambari.  Here she is doing a Salif Keita tune, “Yomore”.  Love those subtle jazzy chords in there – such this side of good taste. 

5 Toumani Diabate and Sidiki Diabate – Lampedusa (World Circuit)

Album: Toumani & Sidiki

 “Lampedusa” is an Italian island and a target destination for African emigrants usually coming on overloaded, rickety boats.  Toumani & Sidiki wrote the tune to commemorate the death of 300 people in one accident round about the same time as the insurgency crisis was breaking in Mali.

Sheer Music is distributing the “Toumani & Sidiki” album in South Africa, and they tell me it’s in all good record stores now.  So you know where to get it – and get it, you must.

6 Aziza Brahim – Espejismos (Glitterbeat)

Album: Soutak

Aziza Brahim is a Sahawari from the Western Sahara who is now based in Spain, and on her album, Soutak (Your Voice) she combines Sahawari traditional music with music from Mali, Spain and Cuba, where she lived as a teenager. “Espejismos” is Spanish for mirages.

7 Noura Mint Seymali – Hebebeb (Zrag) (Glitterbeat/Shellshock)

Album: Tzenni

The absolutely stunning Noura Mint Seymali from Mauritania from her exuberant, estatic album.  She started out backing probably the greatest Mauritanian singer of modern times, Dimi Mint Abba, who was her stepmother.  She backs herself on the ardine, a 9-stringed harp, and the blistering guitar is courtesy of husband, Jeiche Ould Chighaly, who also plays the tidinet, a traditional guitar-like instrument. 

8 Nashaz – Khartoum (Ziryab Records)

Album: Nashaz

Nashaz is the brain child of New Orleans born and Brooklyn based oud player, Brian Prunka, who studied with Palestinian oud master Simon Shaeen. It’s said that his style is too subdued and respective even though he clearly knows his Arabic scales.  Personally, I think Nashaz conjure up a great fusion of Arabic classical music and trad jazz. 

9 Haggai Cohen-Milo – The Garden (Tzadik) 

Album: Penguin

Sticking in Brooklyn, a composition by Israeli born bassist Haggai Cohen-Milo.

10 Seu Jorge – Carolina (Mr Bongo)

Album: Carolina

Carrying on from last month’s Brazillian mini-focus, the gruff eminence of Seu Jorge, as usual surrounded by the sweetest of Brazillian sounds, the samba.  Luckily there’s a funky undercarriage to prevent us going totally nuts – in fact, in turns out to sound not unlike Jorge Ben on his samba funk classic, Africa Basil, which we sampled last month.  Hardly an accident, as Jorge Ben co-wrote the tune.  Carolina, released in 2001, was Seu Jorge’s international debut. 

11 Arnaldo Antunes – Ela E Tarja Preta (Mais Um Discos)

Album: Role: New Sounds of Brazil

Another great of Brazillian pop and rock music, maybe not that well-known.  His career goes back to the 70s and he’s actually also a well known poet, and here’s a happy connection, he’s released an album with Toumani Diabate about two years ago.  The tune is on a collection out on “Mais um discos” or “Another label” – a fantastic label rooted in classic Brazillian 60s and 70s, but driving it forward in all kinds of interesting ways.

12 Mestre Cupijo – Caboclinha do Igapo (Atracao Fongrafica)

Album: Sons da Amazon: Siria

Siria is a relatively obscure style of Brazillian music that comes from northern state of Para.  It’s a kind of street parade music that combines music from the quilombos, which were settlements of escaped African slaves, with Amazonian music.  Alto sax player Mestre Cupijo is one of the most well known exponents. 

13 Karol Conka – Boa Noite (Mr Bongo)

Album: Batuk Freak

Karol Conka with producer Nave and their combination of rap and baile funk.  Apparently the song is mixed into some FIFA video game soundtrack developed by EA Sports.  Despite that, it’s pretty fantastic.

14 Meta Meta – Alakoro (Mais Um Discos)

Album: Role: New Sounds of Brazil

Meta Meta is a Sao Paulo based group heavily influenced by Candomble music from Bahia.  Here they combine forces with the Afrobeat master drummer, Tony Allen, for some typically exploratory stuff.  It’s on the Mais Um Discos label – won’t you know.

15 Woima Collective – Marz (Kindred Spirits)

Album: Tezeta

Ten piece German based Woima Collective play some potent Ethio Jazz.  “Tezeta” is from their 2010 album, but they have a new one out. 

16 Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou – Tenkou! Why feel sorry (Buda Music)

Album: Ethiopia Song Piano Solo     

90 year old Jerusalem-based Ethiopian nun Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou has become quite a cult figure since Ethiopiques released a collection of her compositions for solo piano in 2006.  The tune “Tenkou! Why feel sorry!” was recorded in 1996.

17 Dub Collossus – Addis to Omega (IRL)

Album: Addis to Omega

On its latest outing Dub Collossus has been forced by economic circumstances to press ahead without their Ethiopian contingent given the cost of airfares and visas, but still a tincture of Ethiopian pentatonic-ness in there – the wonderful Horns of Negus are still them too. PJ Higgins is on vocals – “From Ethiopia to Londonium, from Adam and Eve to Armaggidion”.  As the Financial Times has observed “probably the first dub concept album about the banking crisis”.  More from PJ Higgins in later shows … she’s on a roll at the moment.

18 Trinity meets Dillinger – Jesus Dread (Blood and Fire) 

Album: Yabby You ‎– Jesus Dread 1972-1977

DJ and producer Trinity and toaster Dillinger – Jesus Dread in the mid 70s, produced by one of the greats of dub, Yubby You.

19 Rico Rodriguez – This Day Dub (Ghetto Rockers PRE 1)

Album: Man from Wareika Dub

The composer and trombonist Rico Rodriguez from a dub version of his landmark 1976 album “Man from Wareika” in which he took jazz into the heart of reggae – before jazz had only really been brought into 60s ska.  Someday we’ll listen to the straight version of “This Day”. 

20 Little Axe – Come Here Dog and Get Your Bone (On U Sound) 

Album: If you want loyalty buy a dog

Little Axe is the incarnation of singer and guitarist Skip McDonald that fuses blues, reggae and dub - strongly aided and abetted by producer Adrian Sherwood.  Here’s a short contemplation of what it’s like to be a young musician. 

21 Willie Watson – Mexican Cowboy (Acony)

Album: Folk Singer Vol 1

One of the founders of the Old Crow Medicine Show, Willie Watson, went solo some time ago and has just released this first album – a truly wonderful collection of old time classics, some more well than others.  You have to love that claw-hammer banjer there.

22 The McIntosh County Shouters – Sign of the Judgement (Smithsonian Folkways)

Album: Wade in the Water: African American Sacred Music Traditions Vol I-IV

According some very serious notes on the Smithsonian Folkways website: “The southeastern ring shout is probably the oldest surviving African American performance tradition on the North American continent”.  Anyway, it was thought to have totally died out until it was rediscovered in 1980s in McIntosh County on the coast of Georgia.  “Shout” actually describes the movement while singing and not the singing – deriving from the Afro-Arabic saut which refers to the movement around the Kabaa in Mecca.  Here, thanks largely to the HBO series “True Detective”.

23 tUnE-yArDs – Rocking Chair (4AD)

Album: Nikki Nack

“Rocking Chair” is Merrill Garbus’ uncanny channeling of sounds the Georgia Islands and the Carribean.  Got more than a couple of critics somewhat queasy. 

24 Hurray for the Riff Raff – Good Times (An Outlaw’s Lament) (ATO)

Album: Small Town Heroes

New Orleans based Hurray for the Riff Raff off their 2014 release.   

25 1982 – 02:01 (Hubro Music)

Album: A/B

1982 is an improvisional trio from Norway with hardanger fiddler Nils Okland, harmonium player, organist and pianist, Sigbjorn Apeland and drummer Oyvind Skarbo.

26 Benedicte Maurseth and Asne Valland Nordli – Ales (ECM)

Album: Over Tones

Benedicte Maurseth who plays the Hardanger fiddle and sings and vocalist Asne Valland Nordli are both from the Hardanger fjord in Norway.  Their improvisations are heavily inspired by traditional music from the area.