4 March 2015, World Cafe

1 Tony Allen – Ewa (Jazz Village) 

Film of Life

Tony Allen’s utterly enthralling drumming – the definition of funk – relaxed and groovy, and at the same time tightly wound looking for release where ever possible.  Allen helped launched Afrobeat on the world in the late 60s with Fela Kuti, taking highlife-jazz to next level with large dollops of added funk.  “Ewa” is a minor instrumental perhaps, but it makes for a killer opening track for this show.

One of those album highlights of 2014 that in the January show I promised we’d continue to look at in March.  There’re a bunch more we’re going be listening to.

2 Aziz Sahmaoui and University of Gnawa – Mazal (World Village)

Album: Mazal

Like Tony Allen, Moroccan Aziz Sahmaoui lives in France.  He’s been exploring the connections between gnawa and chaabi music from this homeland, and Senegambian music with his band of mainly Senegalese musicians, The University of Gnawa, for a few years now.  The connections are far from speculative.  Gnawa was developed by the descendents of slaves from the Senegambia region. 

3 Simo Lagnawi – Sahara Wiya (Riverboat Records/World Music Network)

Album: The Gnawa Berber

Simo Lagnawi, like Aziz Sahmaoui is a Berber, plays the three string bass lute, the guembri, and lives away from his country of birth, in Simo’s case, in London.  Simo also does this wonderful combo of castanet playing and aerobic dancing that be checked out on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwCPqXV3Cdg

4 Mattis Kleppen – Tamatant Tilay/Nordafjells (Ora Fonogram)

Album: Resjemheia

And speaking of bass playing rooted in West Africa, fretless acoustic bass player Mattis Kleppen was a guest of Derek Gripper in December last year at “Straight No Chaser”.  Mattis talks about noticing a striking similarity between touareg music and the hardanger fiddle music of his home town in Norway. And he puts this down to the harsh conditions in both of these areas, and the rugged determination of their people.  The similarity also has a lot to do with repetition and quarter tones.

5 Kasse Mady Diabate – Toumaro (Six Degrees Records)

Album: Kirike

Veteran griot Kasse Mady Diabate backed by crack musicians on the traditional Malian instruments – the ngoni, balafon and kora, - the kora is played by one of greats, Ballake Sissoko.  Cellist Vincent Segal produces and adds his otherworldly cello into the mix.  From another great record from 2014.

6 Djessou Mory Kante – Fakoly (Stern’s music)

Album: River Strings – Maninka Guitar

Another fabulous album of 2014 was the purely instrumental record by Guinean session guitarist Djessou Mory Kante. The whole thing is very clean and open, with Kante’s guitar buoyed by some very subtle rhymic interplay between backing guitars and ngoni. 

7 Noura Mint Seymali – Tzenni (Glitterbeat)

Album: Tzenni

Mauritanian Noura Mint Seymali, the step daughter of the great singer Dimi Mint Abba, put out one of the great albums of 2014.  The scorching guitar supplied by Seymali’s husband, Jeiche Ould Chighaly.  The thing was recorded in Brooklyn, New York, by Tony Maimone, an ex-member of the great Cleveland rock band, Pere Ubu.

8 Martha Tilston – Lovely on the water (Squiggly Records)

Album: The Sea

In January Show, I promised something off English singer and guitarist Martha Tilston’s fine traditional 2014 album, “The Sea”.  “Lovely on the water” is a duet with her step mother, Maggie Boyle who died shortly after the album came out, who also supplies the flute.

9 The Furrow Collective – Wondrous Love (Cadiz)

Album: At our next meeting

The hymn “Wondrous Love” is sometimes called a folk hymn and was published in Virginia in 1811.  From yet another great release from 2014.  Alasdair Roberts is the main voice.  The other group members are also quite famous – Emily Portman, Lucy Farrell and Rachel Newton.

10 Peter Rowan – Restless Grave (Omnivore)

Album: Dharma Blues

Here’s some non-religious spiritual country blues off Peter Rowan’s latest.  On backing vocals is Gillian Welch, and Dave Easley’s on that terrific pedal steel.

11 Anais Mitchell – Young man in America (Wilderland Records)

Album: Xoa

Anais Mitchell from her 2014 album of stripped down new versions of her songs from throughout her career.  “Young man in America”, originally off an album of the same name she says is about Americans being like orphans.

12 Chris Smither – Train Home (Signature Records)

Album: Still on the levee

Chris Smither, of a much older generation than Anais Mitchell, (he turned 70 recently) produced a similar sort of album in 2014 – new versions, sometimes much fuller than the original, though, of songs from his 45 year old career.  The album is called is “Still on the levee” – he is from New Orleans – and we’re going to listen to is “Train Home” with the legendary New Orleans musician Allen Toussaint on piano.

13 C W Stoneking – We gon’ boogaloo (Caroline)

Album: Gon’ Boogaloo

All way from Melbourne 2014 that was C W Stoneking from my favorite records of 2014.  Compared to his 2008 release, “Jungle Blues”, a terrific record as well, he’s ditched his horn section, turned up Fender’s amp and broadened out his palette from his obsession with 1940s calypso.  He still has one toe in the Carribean though, like the boogaloo.

14 Lord Cobra and Pana-Afro Sounds – Rocombey (Soundway)

Album: Panama! Latin, Funk and Calypso on the isthmus 1965-75

A wonderful calypso singer from Panana, Lord Cobra, with his stone classic

15 Rodrigue Milien et Sound Groupe Combite Creole – 6eme Lecon (Strut Records)

Album: Haiti Direct: Big Band, Mini Jazz & Twoubadou Sounds, 1960-1978

One of the many of wonderful tracks on one of the best and most diverse collection of vintage tunes that came out in 2014. 

16 The Lions Meet Dub Club – Easy Dub (Stone’s Throw)

Album: The Generation in Dub

One of my favourite dub albums of 2014 was by the Los Angeles 12 piece reggae band The Lion.  It a dub version of their 2013 record “This Generation”.  Produced by Tom Chasteen of the Dub Club, who dubbed it live with mixer, old school stylee. 

17 Kalbata & Mixmonster – Echo Minott – Outta Road (Freestyle Records)

Album: Congo Beat the Drum

Some of the most compelling new dancehall you’ll hear: Kalbata and Mixmonster, who are actually from Tel Aviv, with veteran Jamaican toaster Echo Minott, who’s been around since the dawn of dancehall. 

18 Dub Gabriel feat PJ Higgins – Silent Warrior (Destroy all concepts)

Album: Raggabass Resistance

Over the last few months we’re listened quite a bit of the fabulous reggae and soul singer and toaster PJ Higgins.  Here she is again with producer Dub Gabriel with something from 2013

19 The Bombay Royale – Hooghly Night Patrol (Hope Street Recordings)

Album: The Island of Dr Electrico

Another bunch for Melbourne “The Bombay Royale” with their take on Bollywood – brass and old school synth (if there is such a thing these days) to the fore.  Yes, it’s also from 2014.

20 Susheela Raman – Sharabi (World Village)

Album: Queen Between

Susheela Raman nearly always comes up with something arresting. Her 2014 record has come nifty stuff including this clash between the Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali group, who are basically Nusfrat Ali Khan’s nephews, and Kutle Khan Rajasthani folk group.  You’ll also hear Vincent Segal’s cello in there.

21 Ros Sereyothea – Jas Bong Ju Am (World Music Network)

Album: The Rough Guide to Psychedelic Cambodia

One of the greats of Cambodian music from any era.

22 Hayvanlar Alemi – Hadron Collider Twist (Unrock)

Album: Twisted Souvenirs

Something seriously psychedelic from Turkey.  Hayvanlar Alemi hail from Ankara and have been going since 1999.  “Twisted Souvenirs” is another great release from 2014.  Check out their website for some pretty wonderful free downloads.

http://hayvanlaralemi.org/

23 Forabandit – Dil (Buda Musique)

Album: Port

Forabandit, with Ulas Ozdemir from Istanbul on baglama, Sam Karpienia from Marseilles on the mandocello, and Bijan Chemirani, from the great dynasty of Iranian percussionists.  From Forabandit’s 2014 album. 

24 FatDog – Terre Neuve/Isdalen (Riverboat Records)

Album: New Found Land

Sticking with the transnational and transgenre fusions, FatDog draws its members from Sweden, Norway and England and from across the jazz-folk divide – their name being an amalgam of Fattigfolket, a jazz trio, and Doggerland, a folk trio.  And they have no straight percussion – although the hurdy-gurdy, concertina and cittern play percussively.  Here’s their version of “Terre Neuve/Isdalen”

25 Piers Faccini & Vincent Segal – Mange Pou Le Coeur (No Format)

Album: Songs of Time Lost

English painter and songwriter, Piers Faccini and cellist Vincent Segal, again (for the third time tonight, in case you’re not counting) with their recent version of Alain Peters classic tune “Mange pou le ceour”.  Although Alain Peters died quite young, in his 40s, he had long career in Reunion starting out with  pop music, and then Maloya, before washing up on the streets of Marseilles in the mid 80s and dying there in mid 90s.  He seems to have written this song just before moving to Marseilles. 

26 Terje Isungset & Arve Hendriksen – Looking Through (Icemusic)

Album: World of Glass

Norwegians, percussionist Terje Isungset and trumpeter Arve Hendriksen playing something on all glass instruments created by glass art students at the Estonian Academy of Art.