WorldBeatUK (16th Show) - Broadcast Notes (15/6/11)
Tagged with: WorldBeatUK Glyn Phillips Battlefield Band Rachel Harrington Tanja Tzarovska Perunika Trio Nisos Max Pashm Quiné Kerieva Krar Collective Samuel Yirga Krosscolor Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars Cumbancha Brassafrik Barriobeat Saa Andrew Dartington Home
_large.jpg)
WBUK16 (15/6/11) - SHOWNOTES
1 "Intro-Mat"by Matchatcha from the album "Nyekesse" (Melodie)
Hi there! You're listening to WorldBeatUK on Rhubarb Radio - I'm Glyn Phillips and I've got two hours of great music lined up for you this evening -including: electroswing from Italy, acapella from Bulgaria, Greco-Turkish fusion from the Czech Republic and americana from, well, America!
There's also a Macedonian chanteuse who sings in English, a British gypsy who sings in Roma, a Portuguese percussionist steeped in Mozambican rhythms, electrified Ethiopian harp, dancehall reggae from Sierra Leone via Canada, soukous from Sierra Leone via the USA and more latino-balkan fusions than you can shake a brass band at!
If that wasn't enough, I've some drum'n'brass afrofusion from Belgium, wonderful ethiojazz from Addis Abbaba, a focus on the music of South America's only English-speaking country Guyana (both jazz and reggae) and the UK's Ska Cubano and DJ Max Pashm jump aboard the Orient Express!
But before all that, welcome to the show and straight up I’m previewing a forthcoming new album from Scotland’s famous folkers - and torchholders for over four four decades for Caledonian Celtic music - The Battlefield Band.
The Battlefielders have recently recruited a new member, multi-instrumentalist highlander, Ewen Henderson and is mostly, as you would expect, traditional Scottish folk music. And very good it is too, although they also do an interesting reinterpretation of an Otis Redding Soul classic, “That’s How Strong My Love Is” as well as tunes from Ireland and Brittany.
The album, called “Line Up” is due to be released on July 25th this year and is on the Temple Records label This is the opening track - a medley of three tunes: “Raigmore”, “Long Run” and “The Clansmen Mourning”:
2 “Raigmore / Long Run/ The Clansmen Mourning” by the Battlefield Band from album “Line Up”) - www.battlefieldband.co.uk
The term ‘americana’ has gained a lot of credence recently as a catch-all for american folk music both modern and traditional. And there’s nothing wrong with that; like terms such as ‘world music’ and ‘salsa’ and ‘jazz’, it’s a useful thumbnail label when approaching an unfamiliar and vast musical territory, or equally for beginning to market and promote complex musical and cultural developments to people who otherwise might run a mile.
Oregon-raised Rachel Harrington’s music can be said to encompass many aspects of ‘americana’ - from traditional folk tunes brought over from Europe and American country laments, to gospel, bluegrass and modern acoustic tales.
Rachel (who by the way has a loyal following over here in the UK due to her acclaimed live performances and is also a close friend of Lindisfarne’s Rod Clements) sings, plays guitar and also guitjo - yes, that’s right, a guitjo: a cross between a guitar and a banjo! I actually own one - I can’t play it, but it makes me feel good just knowing I’ve got one!
This is from her first album “City of Refuge” (Skinny Dennis Records) - a jaunty little tune to get you tapping your feet, called “Truman”.
3 “Truman” by Rachel Harrington from the album “City of Refuge” (Skinny Dennis Records)
Incidentally the album that the last tune was taken from - “City of Refuge” - has been described as “a homage to the people who have slipped through the cracks of modern music: dreamers, thieves, drunkards, sinners and good-old fashioned romantics”. You can find out more about Rachel Harrington at her website: www.rachelharrington.net.
Rachel’s got a new album out at the moment called “Celilo Falls” (Skinny Dennis Records) and from that I’ve chosen a track called “House of Cards”:
4 “House of Cards” by Rachel Harrington (Celilo Falls)
Macedonian singer/songwriter, Tanja Tzarovska, released her latest album “No Record of Wrong” last month. It’s sung entirely in English, has some covers of tunes by people like Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen, etc, but also has elements of East European music floating through it, like a scent caught on the wind. This track is called simply “Home”.
5 “Home” by Tanja Tzarovska from the album “No Record of Wrong” (Amaris River/Cadiz Music)
To the east of of the mountainous state of Macedonia, lies Bulgaria and from there we come across a wonderful tradition of choral acapella groups - especially all-female ones. Going back in the 80s and 90s Bulgarian and East European female groups were all the rage in world music circles (think Trio Bulgarka for instance), but you don’t hear them so often now, but here’s your chance to see what all the fuss was about.
This is a young Bulgarian group called Perunika Trio. Their name stems from the Slavic god of Thunder, Perun and his beautiful young wife Perunika, so beautiful that the Slavs named the Iris after her. The Perunika Trio are well named - and that’s all I’m saying on that point.
Musically, they perform perfect harmonies and hauntingly evocative pieces from the great slavic traditions of Bulgaria, Macedonia and Russia. The girls are based in London now, but that doesn’t detract from the sonic pictures they create of the great plains, vast forests and mountain ranges of Eastern Europe.
They are on extensive tour of the UK this Summer so look out for them - I shall be looking forward to hearing them at the HOME Festival at Dartington, Devon (Fri 24th and Sat 25th June). This is from their album “Introducing… Perunika Trio” and it’s a track called “Rekoh Ti, Tsone”:
6 “Rekoh Ti, Tsone” by the Perunika Trio from the album “Introducing… Perunika Trio” (World Music Network)
And of course, south of Macedonia and Bulgaria lie Greece and Turkey and it’s from here and Asia Minor in general that the next band draw their inspiration. Nisos are a relatively new band formed originally by clarinettist and composer Nikos Koulouris and percussionist and kaval player Tomas Rossi. The name Nisos means 'island' in Greek and refers to the physical and cultural isolation of where the band currently resides in the Czech Republic, far away from their homelands.
However, they carried their passion for the Greek and Byzantine music and culture of Asia Minor with them and have since added lyricist and vocalist Sofia Prusali as well as members who play bouzouki, saz, ney, oud, bass, and Cretan Lyre and Cretan Lute. Their professed aim is to speak to the heart by the means of music, regardless of the language. You be the judge. This track is called “Piji” from their album “Nisos”:
7 “Piji” by Nisos from the album "Nisos"
A final geographical link now in my Eurasian chain: the engine’s steaming, the luggage is firmly strapped onto the racks and the guard’s got his whistle to his lips! All aboard! This is the Night Train to Istambul!!
8 “Istambul (Not Constantinople) (Max Pashm remix) - Ska Cubano - “Ajiaco! the Remix Album”
Well, I enjoyed the ride anyway! That was a 21st Century version of the 1930s classic “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)”, here performed by Ska Cubano but given a remake-over by veteran British remixer Max Pashm, who I’m also looking forward to seeing at the Home Festival in Devon in a couple of weeks.
Now then, from Portugal, Joaquim Teles aka Quiné is a percussionist and composer. This next track is from his 2008 debut solo album called “Da Côr Da Madeira” which loosely refers to ‘wood-coloured music’, in which Quiné uses the Timbila (a Mozambican xylophone) amongst other organic woody sounds to take us on a percussive fusion journey from Portugal to Mozambique. Also on the album are the flautist Paulo Marinho and a quartet of backing vocals. This is called “Maputos”
9 “Maputos” by Quiné from the album “Da Côr Da Madeira” (Quiné - 2008)
Don’t forget you’re tuned into Rhubarb Radio transmitting from theCustard Factory in Birmingham, England. My name’s Glyn Phillips and you’re listening to WorldBeatUK a weekly journey around the globe in search of the best in world music and the sorts of sounds you wouldn’t normally come across on the radio. Don’t forget to join me every Wednesday 7-9pm as I take you around the world in weighty grooves.
Now, over the last couple of weeks I’ve mentioned the Celebrating Sanctuary Festival to be held in London on 19th June on the South Bank as part of Refugee Week, and I’ve ben playing music from some of the musicians taking part in that. Well, to round off my focus on that I’ve got a couple of tracks lined up.
First off is one of the new voices of the UK Roma scene, Kerieva who I understand is of mixed Irish Romany and Manouche gypsy descent. You can find out more about her and the issues she’s passionate about as well as her music at these two sites: www.kerieva.blogspot.com and www.soundcloud.com/kerieva.
Kerieva often sings in Romany and this one’s no exception. It’s from her 2010 album “Stand Aside” on Rala Records and besides Kerieva on vocals, strings, guitar, tacaneo, palmas, harmonium, accordion and Irish harp, the album features Indo-jazzer Arun Ghosh on programming, keys, and clarinet, Rastko Rasic on drums and Dr Das on bass. This is called “Ceraina” (Chera-INa)
(1) 10 “Ceraina” by Kerieva from the album “Stand Aside” (Rala Records CD001 June 2010)
[CONTINUOUS]
(2) 11 “Gurugenya” by the Krar Collective from the album
And that last track was also by a group playing at the Celebrating Sanctuary Festival in London this weekend, the Krar Collective, originally from Ethiopia and now based in London. The krar refers to the Ethiopian harp played there by Temesgen Taraken and with the traditional kebero drums played by Amare Mulugeta and vocals by Genet Asefa. That track was called “Gurugenya”.
And from that funky and electrified, but still quite traditional Ethiopian performance to some right on the money Ethiopian jazz with a dub sensibility.
This is the excellent young Ethiopian pianist Samuel Yirga, who’s part of the brilliant Dub Colossus who I’m very excited about indeed (and have been booked for this year’s Womad at Charlton Park). Samuel’s due to release an album in his own name later on in the year called the Habasha Sessions, so here’s a little taster of how it might sound. This track is called “Habasha Diaspora (Addis Piano Mix)” and I’m majorly loving it! You’ve been told!
(3) 12 Habasha Diaspora (Addis Piano Mix) by Samuel Yirga
[CONTINUOUS]
(4) 13 “Jazz” by Colgrain Whyte
And from one piece of great ethiopian jazziness to a slice of Guyanese jazz pan heaven. That last track was by a steelpan jazzman by the name of Colgrain Whyte who hails from Guyana in South America.
Now Guyana’s one of those countries that many people are not sure where exactly it is or really anything about it. You could be mistaken for thinking it’s in the Caribbean, but it’s actually far away on the Northeastern coast of South America facing the North Atlantic and sandwiched between Venezuela, Brazil and the former Dutch colony of Suriname.
But it seems to look towards the English-speaking Caribbean islands rather than it’s Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch-speaking neighbours for cultural influence. And so soca and reggae are very much in evidence in this large English-speaking outpost as well as indo-guyanese chutney music.
The next track is by Eze Rockliffe also from Guyana and it’s a lovely piece of laid-back reggae from a singer who’s been gently rocking it since the 1970s at least. This track is called “Suki Bajendo”.
(5) 14 “Suki Bajendo” by Eze Rockliffe
[CONTINUOUS]
(6) 15 “No Love” by Tennicia
And at the other end of the age range to Eze Rockcliffe, in the last of my trio of Guyanese musical treats, that was the lovely young singer, Tennicia and a reggae number called “No Love”.
All three of these artists, jazzpan player, Colgrain Whyte, and singers Eze Rockliffe and Tennicia are on Guyana’s own Krosscolor label and agency and you can find out a bit more about them and other artists at www.krosscolor.com.
Ok, ready for some soukous? But this time from Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars. They’re in the UK at the moment and you can catch them on Sunday 19th June at the Africa Oye Festival in Liverpool and also performing in Hull as part of the Refugee Week celebrations there on Wednesday the 22nd June - that’s if you’re not listening to me on my next show!
This is from their last album “Rise and Shine” on the Cumbancha label and a track called “Tamagbondirsu” - get yer dancing shoes on kids! It’s time to soukous!!
(7) 16 “Tamagbondorsu” by Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars from the album “Rise and Shine” (Cumbancha)
[CONTINUOUS]
(8) 17 “Djamaa” by Brassafrik from the album “Brassafrik” (A-Shams)
That was a track called “Djamaa” by the Belgian-based afro-fusion band Brassafrik from their eponymous album on the A-Shams label. With a four-piece African percussion core led by the tama and djembe player Babs Jobo and trombonist Stefaan Blancke heading the 6 piece brass section they create explosive skin and horn dance music.
They’ll also be in the UK this summer - certainly at the Durham International Brass Festival (4-8th July) and you can find out more about them at www.met-x.be
Returning to Sierra Leone for a moment here’s another African refugee making music in a foreign land. This time it’s Saa Andrew Gbongbor a young singer who fled Sierra Leone, spent time in a refugee camp in Gambia and eventually being rehoused in a small Canadian town in New Brunswick.
Saa like so many people around the world has been very influenced by the music of Jamaica and prefers to play a form of dancehall reggae. This is his tune “Butunneh Banda” from the album of the same name.
(9) 18 “Butunneh Banda” by Saa Andrew from the album (Butunneh Banda)
OK we’re heading into the last furlong of the show, so let’s get the party started! A couple of tracks by a remixer whose work I’m really loving at the moment.
This is Rude Hi Fi of Barriobeat fame and a catchy little bit of latinobalkandubrap-ting-and-ting called “Niente Minkia Cacata!” - just grab yourself a dance partner, hold ‘em close, very close and start rocking it, y’hear!
(10) 19 “Niente Minkia Cacata!” (ft Rude Hi Fi & Don Skal by Barriobeat)
[CONTINUOUS]
(11) 20 “Santo Precario” (Balkan Cumbia remix) by Barriokatz/Fat Kat Disco (Barriobeat).
Yeah, yeah, wasn’t that a groove?! Barriobeat’s Balkan Cumbia remix of “Santo Precario”.
Don’t forget you can hear Brummie Ska band the Heels this Sunday 19th June at the Leamington Peace Festival which is a free one-day festival 11am-6pm at the Pump Rooms in Leamington Spa near Warwick.
This is the last one - those Italian electro-retro cool-cats Mixer Pirillo and the Sweet Life Society want you to swing it babies! This is “Artichaut (Chinese Man)”. Enjoy and see y’all next week!
(12) 21 “Artichaut” (Chinese Man) mixer Pirillo edit by The Sweet Life Society
WorldBeatUK (11th Show) - Broadcast Notes (11/5/11)
Tagged with: WorldBeatUK Glyn Phillips Sierra Leone Monosonicos Sergent Garcia Zulu 9.30 Canteca de Macao Blind Boys of Alabama Johnny Cash Maria Kalaniemi Mariza Neblina Sound JuJu Maguaré Juicebox Vetex Slivo Electric Club Zephyrus Hippo Cumbancha Strut Aito Fexomat
ShowNotes for WBUK11 - 11/5/11
1 “Intro-Mat” by Matchatcha from album “Nyekesse” (Melodie)
WELCOME BACK to another edition of WorldBeatUK - the 2 hour world music show that brings you the best music from around the globe, from today, yesterday and often even a glimpse into tomorrow! I’m Glyn Phillips, you’re tuned into Rhubarb Radio coming live from the Custard Factory in Digbeth, Birmingham, England and this is WorldBeatUK!
First up this evening is a track from a new CD which was only released yesterday. It’s an album of remixes by DJ Logic - and the original album they were taken from was called “Rise and Shine” which came out last year on the Cumbancha label, by Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars.
I’ve played some of their stuff before on the show, which is a mixture of traditional West African music with roots reggae. The band has a fascinating history, having first formed in one of the refugee camps during and following the wars in Sierra Leone. They’re now based in the United States and enjoying some well-deserved respect and attention and are currently on tour around the States.
The “Rise and Shine” album was quite a big hit for them worldwide last year and so they’ve teamed up with DJ Logic to do so remixes for this sort of extended EP called “Rise and Shine Remixes” (also on Cumbancha) which was released yesterday on iTunes and Amazon. This track is one of the more traditional offerings; it’s called “Muloma”.
2 “Muloma” by Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars & DJ Logic from album “Rise and Shine Remixes” (Cumbancha)
And staying with Africa this is Moneyman and the Super 5 International from an excellent album called “Nigeria 70 - Sweet Times: AfroFunk, Highlife and JuJu from 1970s Lagos” which is due to be released on the 23rd May by Strut Records. This track is called ”Life”
3 “Life” by Moneyman and the Super 5 International from the album “Nigeria 70 - Sweet Times: AfroFunk, Highlife and JuJu from 1970s Lagos” (Strut Records)
And from Lagos, Nigeria to Nottingham, England! There are so many bands out there now being influenced from the incredible explosion of music now available from all over the world, and often mixing up all kinds of different influences, rhythms and instruments into their sound.
I came across these guys called Monosonicos on SoundCloud a few weeks back and was taken by one of their latin-meets-afrobeat tracks; but here I’m going to play you a sort of soca-cumbia with some romantic vocals and their trademark steelpan (which I love).
It’s a pity the sound’s a bit low and slightly muddy, but it’s enough to know that they’ve put a lot of thought into the music and are probably well worth seeing live. So, this is the Monosonicos from Nottingham in the UK and a track called “Loca”.
4 “Loca” by Monosonicos
CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS
5 “Yo Soy Salsamuffin” by Sgt Garcia from album “Una y Otra Vez (Cumbancha)
Ok that was the great Sargento Garcia, one of the leading lights of the whole European Mestizo sound. I’ve been following his work for some years now and he always manages to produce some really interesting pieces.
For this new album, he’s signed to a new record label - the North American world music specialists, Cumbancha. The album is entitled “Una y Otra Vez” (Time and Again) and was released in Europe in March and will be in the Americas next week.
As ever El Sargento sings in a mixture of Spanish, English and French and mixes up salsa and dancehall reggae in his trademark salsamuffin style (as you just heard) as well as experimenting with rumba, rock, punk, bolero, and much more. I wouldn’t say it was necessarily a better album than any of his previous ones, but it’s just as good - which is praise enough!
OK, let’s stay with more of this European mestizo sound - where Latin America meets Reggae and Dub meets Rock and beyond, for the next two tracks.
The next band have carved themselves out a name in Europe and especially in their native Spain. This is Zulú 9.30 from Barcelona - who I played last week - and the track that I promised from their new album “Tiempo al Tiempo”. This is “La Tierra Tiene Hambre” - The Land is Hungry!
6 “La Tierra Tiene Hambre” by Zulu 9.30 from album “Tiempo al Tiempo”
CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS
7 “Green Yin” by Canteca de Macao from album “Agua Pa’ La Tierra”
First you heard Zulu 9.30 and “La Tierra Tiene Hambre” and that was followed by another band from Barcelona, Canteca de Macao (which, when I first came across them, I assumed to refer to a choral group from the Portuguese enclave of Macao near China - but which I found out later was actually a spoonerism of ‘manteca de cacao’ or cocoa butter in English!).
Anyway, that was their track “Green Yin” (presumably a seasick Billy Connolly . . . !) from their 2009 album “Agua Pa’ La Tierra” on Warner Music Spain.
We’re going to leave Europe behind now and get some religion in our lives! Come on boys and girls, let’s go to Church! All the way to the rich red soil of Alabama in the Southern United States and the most excellent Blind Boys of Alabama!
For seven decades this band has been wowing audiences with their amazing gospel choral sound. They only have one original member of the band left now, but it doesn’t change their pedigree and quality one iota.
The Blind Boys have teamed up with young Country singer and Producer, Jamey Johnson to make an album of Country-Gospel (released two days) called “Take The High Road” (on Saguaro Records and Proper Records) - No! Don’t run away - it’s really good!! Seriously!
Here the Blind Boys team up with the Oak Ridge Boys on the title track “Take The High Road”.
I’ve written a full in-depth review about it on the world music website: www.worldmusic.co.uk - check it out.
8 “Take The High Road” by The Blind Boys of Alabama from album “Take The High Road” (Saguaro/Proper Records)
Wasn’t that wonderful! The Blind Boys of Alabama in conjunction with the Oak Ridge Boys and “Take the High Road” from the album of the same name - just released two days ago.
Hey, the service ain’t over yet! Sit back down in that pew, you sinners! You all look like you could do with your own “Personal Jesus"; Johnny Cash certainly does, and Goofee’s the man to supply him . . .
9 “Personal Jesus” by Johnny Cash (Goofee Remix)
CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS
10 “Hold To God’s Unchanging Hand” by Irma Thomas from album ‘Rough Guide To Louisiana”
Yeah, that was Irma Thomas from Louisiana and a track called “Hold on To God’s Unchanging Hand” from the album “Rough Guide to Louisiana”.
Very much a change of place now - we’re flying over to the Finland by the light of a silvery moon to hear the wonderful Maria Kalaniemi, a singer and accordionist of Swedish and Finnish descent who will play us a tango from her new album “Vilda Rosor” (that’s Wild Rose in English) which was also released a couple of days ago on the 9th May in the UK, (from Aito Records).
This track is called “Under Fullmanen” (under the full moon) . . .
11 “Under Fullmanen” by Maria Kalaniemi from album “Vilda Rosor” (Aito Records)
And if it that wasn’t beautiful enough. Just listen to this. In every show I try and include at least one song of almost indescribable beauty, one that hits you at every emotional and spiritual level and this next track is one of those; by one of my all-time favourite singers, the queen of heart-string pulling fado and saudade - who else but, Mariza.
If you were really lucky you would have had the chance to see her live last night right here in Birmingham. I was unable to go, sadly! And I’m trying not to think about it too much; but if you’ve never heard her before, just open your heart and let this song in.
It’s one of my favourite songs of hers “O Gente da Minha Terra” (the people of my land) but delivered in a very unusual way - not to the usual and bewitching background of Portuguese guitars, double bass etc that I’ve heard her sing it to before - but to nothing but the subtle piano accompaniment of Tiago Machado. This is true sonic beauty . . .
12 “O Gente da Minha Terra” by Mariza from album “Fado em Mim” (World Connection)
CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS -
13 “You Don’t Know My Name” by Alicia Keys (Jejah mashup)
[CHANGE THE CD HERE!!!!]
You’re tuned into Rhubarb Radio and are listening to “WorldBeatUK” with me Glyn Phillips at the helm for two hours of the best world music from around the planet.
First up you heard Mariza’s “O Gente da Minha Terra” and then after that Jejah’s reggae mashup of Alicia Keys’ You Don’t Know My Name” - I love Alicia Keys and I also love that remix using Neblina Sound’s Operator Riddim!
While we’re in that reggae vibe let’s stick with the Spanish mashers and mixers for the next couple of numbers coz this is Barcelona’s Neblina Sound System again and a laid back Spanish language song by “Oli” called “La Mente” which utilises the Zurie Riddim.
14 “La Mente” by Oli (Neblina Sound)
OK final reggae mashup of the night. It’s by Spain’s Neblina Sounds again; this time from their album “Intergalactic Mashups” and, you’d better believe it, it’s none other than Bob Marley that gets the Beastie Boys treatment! “Could YOU be Intergalactic?”
15 “Could You Be Intergalactic” by Bob Marley vs Beastie Boys (Neblina Sound)
This next one’s a promo taster from an as yet unreleased album called “In Trance” by the band JuJu - a collaboration between the UK guitarist Justin Adams and Gambia’s ritti master Juldeh Camara - it’s sort of Gambian Rhythm and Blues with a metal edge - but trust me, it’s very good! The album’s going to be released in the UK next Tuesday on May 17th by Real World Records; this is a track called “Nightwalk”.
16 “Nightwalk” by JuJu (Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara) from album “In Trance” (Real World Records)
West Africa again and going right back in time 30 years now! From the 1981 album “Show Me Your Love” this is some lovely old Ghanaian Highlife from the Opambuo International Band of Ghana and a track entitled: “Hu Anim Ase Nkyene”.
17 “Hu Anim Ase Nkyene” by Opambuo International Band of Ghana from album “Show Me Your Love”
CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS
18 “Navidad Negra” by Maguaré from album “Retro-Cumbia” (Zephyrus Records)
One of my favourite afro-colombian tunes there, “Navidad Negra” (Black Christmas), in a 2010 remake by the Belgian based band Maguaré and their wonderful Colombian singer Paola Marquez - I do love her voice - from their album “Retro Cumbia” on the Belgian Zephyrus label - besotes a mis zefiranas: Paolita y La Marangita!
And to follow that, from the Dutch label Hippo Records, this is a funky piece of retro-boogaloo from Juicebox off their album “Canned Boogaloo”; this is called “New York Soul”. Yeah, Baby! Aúuuuuuuuu! Take your latin swing and just add that afro-thang!!
19 “New York Soul” by Juicebox from album “Canned Boogaloo” (Hippo Records)
Back to Belgium and some Balkan style brass from the huge brass band Orchestre International du Vetex - this is “Vetex on Fire III” -
20 “Vetex on Fire III” by Orchestre International du Vetex
We’re firmly in Tipsy Gipsy territory all you tsiganophiles! Fancy a drink?
21 “Hey Hey” by Fexomat
Ha ha ha!!! Loads of you couldn’t handle last week’s offering of gypsycore from Fexomat, so maybe you found that a little easier on the palatte - slightly more quaffable perchance?
OK, that’s about it . . .
[Goodbyes etc]
Just time to leave you with this from France’s Slivo Electric Club. A lovely bit of contemporary gypsy style music called “Gypsy Kopath”. Enjoy!
See ya’ll next week. Spread the words, peeps, tell all yer friends. And remember: it’s all about the music!
22 “Gypsy Kopath” by Slivo Electric Club
WorldBeatUK (5th Show) - Broadcast Notes (30/3/11)
Tagged with: WorldBeatUK Rhubarb Radio Glyn Phillips Yancouba Diebate Kedjevara Luisa Maita Antonio Zambujo Show of Hands Namgar Myrddin Bongomatik Bombino Sargento Garcia Soundways Jolly Boys Terrakota Cumbancha Slamboree M'siou Rigolitch Zaperoko
_large.jpg)
Playlist notes for 30th March 2011
1 "JINGLE 1" ("Intro-Mat" by Matchatcha)
Welcome to my fifth WorldBeatUK and the first on the new weekly slot of Wednesday and in the new timeslot of 7-9pm UK time.
Lots of goodies coming up tonight, including . . .
Tuareg Desert Rock from Niger, Baiao from Brazil, Fado from Portugal, Flamenco from Belgium, Dutch R’n’B latino, English Folk, Siberian Folk, Franco-Colombian cumbiaton, Puerto Rican Plena-Guaguanco, Colombian cumbia-guaguanco, Mento from Jamaica, Calypso from Balsall Heath and some absolutely corking Balkan Bangers and Mash-ups to name but a few!
So lock yourself into the station, turn up the speakers and enjoy the ride!
First up tonight is Chris Velan - a Montreal-based singer-songwriter and lawyer who produced a documentary film about a group of refugee musicians from Sierra Leone. Here he teams up with the subject of that film, the oh-so--logically named Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars, on an almost Paul Simon-esque track (and that’s not a criticism) on the Cumbancha label called: “Iñez”.
2 “Iñez” - (5.29) - Chris Velan & the Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars (Cumbancha)
We’re staying in Africa for a little while now, and this next track comes from Senegal. It’s off a demo sampler from the French label Pure Son’g and features one of their artists, Yancouba Diebate, a wonderful kora player on a lovely piece entitled “Lannaya”
3 “Lannaya” - (4.15) - Yancouba Diebate - (Pure Son’g)
OK, last one now from Africa for a while and this is from the Akwaaba Music label. To mark the 2nd anniversary of their existence they’ve released a double album called “Chop Our Music - Akwaaba 2 year Anniversary Super Release!” - a CD containing no less than 50 songs gleaned from their roster of artists, many of whom I’d never heard of before - quite a treasure trove of artists and different styles from all over Africa from really traditional sounds to the overtly poppy and from dance dynamite to the ubiquitous hip-hop fusions. The track I’ve chosen for tonight is by Kedjevara from the Ivory Coast and is an uplifting dance piece called “Tchoucou Tchoucou”.
4 “Tchoucou Tchoucou” - (4.19) - Kedjevara - (Akwaaba)
A couple of quick announcements for people who’ve recently left us for the Great Gig in the Sky, firstly to the 97 year old Pinetop Perkins, American boogie-woogie pianist best known for his stints with Muddy Waters and Robert Nighthawk who was still gigging until very recently and who passed away last week.
And secondly the Brazilian singer/composer/writer and visual artist Lula Côrtes who was best remembered for his collaborations with Zé Ramalho (in particular the legendary album “Paêbirú”) as well as his solo work; Lula sadly died from throat cancer last Saturday in Recife aged 61.
However a big shout out for someone who’s still very much with us! Birmingham’s own Andy Hamilton, Jamaican jazz saxophonist, who’s just celebrated his 93rd birthday last week with a couple of gigs and is still to be found playing his own brand of Caribbean Jazz in the Midlands. Long may he do so.
Andy famously used to play for Hollywood legend, Errol Flynn back in Jamaica and near the end of show I’ve got another Errol Flynn connection with Jamaican mento superstars The Jolly Boys, who actually have Flynn’s widow in one of their recent videos . . . So stay locked into WorldBeatUK for that because it’s going to be a real treat!
OK, now a treat for lusophones and lusophiles with the next couple of tracks; first up is the rising star of Sao Paulo in Brazil, the beautiful Luisa Maita, who is being championed by the American label Cumbancha.
This version is from last year’s hit album “Lero-Lero” (although they’ve recently released an interesting remix version of the album called funnily enough “Lero Lero Remixed”!), but this is taken from the original; it’s a song set to the baiao rhythm of north-eastern Brazil and it’s called “Fulaninha” - which roughly translates as ‘Jane Doe’ to Americans, and translates to us in the UK as “Whatshername”; of course, if you’re listening to me from my motherland of the Black Country, it translates as “Wosserfairce”...
5 “Fulaninha” - (3.36) - Luisa Maita - “Lero Lero” (Cumbancha)
. . . CONTINUOUS . . . .
6 “Readers Digest” - (3.27) - Antonio Zambujo (Zouma Records)
You’re listening to WorldBeatUK on Rhubarb Radio, with me Glyn Phillips, your host amidst a planetful of world music.
Now, you’ve just heard the wonderful Portuguese Fado singer, Antonio Zambujo from his last album, “Guia” on the WorldVillage/Harmonia Mundi label and a quirky, whimsical song called, strangely enough, “Readers’ Digest”. You can read my review of his Copenhagen concert at www.worldmusic.co.uk/reviews and look for Antonio Zambujo.
For those who might not be familiar with it, Readers Digest is - or certainly was - a small pocket sized booklet which contained articles and abridgements of classic stories for people who wanted to increase their knowledge of the world around them and in particular didn’t want to look stupid in front of strangers because they hadn’t read the most important novels in the English language. They could read these stripped down versions, gen up on the key points and also increase their vocabulary - a sort of original “Dummies Guide to…”
Readers Digest was sold to combat the fear of social embarrassment due to ignorance. This leads me nicely onto the next track which is entitled “Ignorance”. It’s by Birmingham’s very own steel pan virtuoso Jamma who belongs to one of the two main steel pan families in Brum - in this case Balsall Heath’s Stewart family which includes his brother Norman (who founded B’ham’s most famous steel pan orchestra, The Maestros), Jamma (3 x British Steelpan Solo Champion) and Jamma’s son Jamani.
This is a track Jamma first wrote back in the early 90s after an incident where was refused the opportunity to sit in on his steel pan at a local jazz club and mocked by the organiser, because they didn’t consider it a real instrument and certainly not a jazz instrument. Jamma wanted to take the steelpan (the only new acoustic instrument to be invented in the 20th Century) out of the stereotypical Caribbean themed event situation (all ‘Yellow Bird’ and ‘Hot Hot Hot’) and say this is a valid instrument for soloing in jazz just as much as a sax or guitar. Still he turned adversity into creativity - in this case using the traditional calypso format in its role as social commentary and satire. This is from his album “The Sun” and it’s called “Ignorance”.
7 “Ignorance” - Jamma - “The Sun”
Next up is a song also about ignorance - or in this case to give its full title: “Arrogance, Ignorance and Greed”. This is one of England’s finest folk duos, Show of Hands (made up of Steve Knightley and Phil Beer) and their award winning song which garnered them the 2010 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards’ ‘Best Original Song’ award). It was also featured recently on Andrew Marr’s political show on telly and was performed at last Saturday’s ‘March For The Alternative’ down in London.
You could say that Knightley and Beer’s song is is a form of English Calypso - certainly in intent if not in form - as Show of Hands deliver a scathing portrait of the current crop of monied ruling classes, Bankers, MPs, City Traders and CEOs who think they can ride roughshod over the majority of ordinary, decent folk, plunge us in to huge debts, recession and redundancy and then run off scot-free to their hedge fund protected lives with obscene bonuses and payoffs and expect the rest of us to bail ‘em out. There’s a lot of angry people in the world at the moment! This is from their recent album of the same name: “Arrogance, Ignorance and Greed”.
8 “Arrogance, Ignorance and Greed” - (5.00) - Show of Hands
OK, let’s get away from all this frustration and travel far from the UK, very far and remote indeed. and 8 timezones to the East of Birmingham. Namgar are a band with their origins in Buryatia province in the remote lands of Siberia, East of Lake Baikal and North of Mongolia, a country with whom the Buryatians share many cultural roots. From a land of grassy plains and huge blue skies this great band often fuse a punk energy and rock attitude onto their Buryat and Mongolian music; however this next song of theirs, from their 2008 album “Nomad” finds them in very traditional form as lead singer and founder, Namgar Ayushievna Lhasaranova sings about the “Orphan Camel Colt”. Listen out for the beautiful bowed instrument the Morin Huur (or horse-head fiddle in English) as well as the traditional Siberian Jews’ Harp and flutes. I’m dedicating this beautiful track to my good friend of over 30 years, Ana Georgievna
9 “Orphan Camel Colt” - (5.36) - Namgar - “Nomad”
I don’t know about you but that certainly had my spirit having an out of body experience over the wind-blown steppes of Siberia. Just beautiful.
And since I’m in that mood and we’re all now operating on a higher receptive plane, here’s a track that just blows me away every time I hear it. You might remember last week’s show when I played music from and talked about the amazing Belgian gypsy jazz band, Waso, and the two musical dynasties of the Limberger and de Cauter families that formed the basis of it. Well this comes from the pen of the youngest son of the brilliant multi-instrumentalist Koen de Cauter, Myrddin de Cauter - or to me ‘Myrddin’ [Welsh pronunciation] since it is the Welsh name for Merlin.
Myrddin grew up exposed to the North and Central European tradition of gypsy music as well as musettes, waltzes and chanson and originally played clarinet with his family; however at an early age he fell in love with flamenco, switched to guitar and became prodigiously talented on it, renowned not just for his stunning guitar technique, but more importantly for the sheer depth of his compositions and performances.
I beg you not to go and put the kettle on for a cup of tea or leave the room for the next 5 minutes and 3 seconds. Just lay back and float away . . . this is music to leave you gasping for breath as you are carried away upon the musical currents, the swells of emotion, and the virtuosic rip-tides that drag you under their spell. Off his 2009 album “Lucia Nieve” on the Zephyrus label this is “Ama”.
10 “Ama” - (5.03) - Myrddin - “Lucia Nieve” (Zephyrus)
You can catch Myrddin in London next Tuesday at the Notting Hill Arts Centre. I would dearly love to get him up here to Birmingham at some point; so if any of that has moved you, get in touch and let’s make plans somehow.
OK, staying near to Belgium let’s go North into Holland and a real find for me - a wonderful piece of R’n’B latino from a band called Bongomatik and a very cool, very funky track called “Adivínalo”.
11 “Adivínalo” - (3.02) - Bongomatik
. . . CONTINUOUS . . . .
12 “Miedo y Terror” - (7.38) - Truco y Zaperoko
. . . CONTINUOUS . . . .
13 JINGLE 2
Before the Jingle you heard the sounds of a combination of two great Puerto Rican bands Truco y Zaperoko and a track called “Miedo y Terror” (Fear and Terror) a fantastic track which fuses Cuban rumba guaguanco with the plena tradition of Boricua. I’ve been a huge fan of Zaperoko’s work for a long time and their first two albums are amongst the treasures of my vinyl collection.
OK, moving on now from the lush Caribbean to the harsh dry desert land of Niger in Saharan Africa and this is a track from Tuareg desert rocker Bombino from his brand new album on the Cumbancha label released just over a week ago on the 22nd of March called “Agadez”. Soon to become internationally well known via the release of a documentary film about Tuareg culture entitled “Agadez, the Music and the Rebellion” in which he features this is Omara Bombino Mouctar on a track which translates as ‘My Love’ and is called “Tar Hani”.
14 “Tar Hani” - (6.31) - Omara ‘Bombino’ Moctar - “Agadez” (Cumbancha)
Yeah that sounds like a really interesting album: Bombino from Agadez. And yet another new release on the Cumbancha label. This is a guy I’ve been a fan of for some years now: Bruno Garcia - better known to his fans in Francophone countries as Sergent Garcia and those in Hispanophone ones as Sargento Garcia! World famous for his trademark salsamuffin sound developed out of mixing Jamaican and Cuban music, for his new album he’s immersed himself into the vibrant Colombian music scene with predictably interesting results. The new album’s called “Una y Otra Vez” (Time and Time Again) recently released by Cumbancha in this country (but not until May 17th in the Americas) and this track is called “Mi Son, Mi Friend”.
15 “Mi Son, Mi Friend” - (4.15) - Sargento Garcia - ”Una y Otra Vez” (Cumbancha)
Sticking with Colombia and moving from 21st Century cumbiaton back half a century or so to the golden age of cumbia, this is another track from one of my favourite albums of the moment Soundways’ “Cartagena! Curro Fuentes & The Big Band Cumbia & Descarga Sound of Colombia 1962-1972” and a cumbia guaguancó by Puerto Rico y su Combo (Puerto Rico here being the name of a person, not the island) and a real potboiler of a track entitled “La Cumbia del Pescador”
16 “La Cumbia del Pescador” - (4.21) - Puerto Rico y su Combo - “Cartagena!” (Soundways)
. . . CONTINUOUS . . . .
17 “Balk To The Future” - (3.40) - Slamboree
You’re tuned into WorldBeatUK on Rhubarb Radio with me Glyn Phillips - 2 hours of the best world music from all over the planet!
You were just listening to the future of Balkan music - a track called “Balk to the Future”! Now there’s a Rhubarb Radio connection to that track since it’s by a brand new band called Slamboree which includes Birmingham and Rhubarb’s very own DJ Marc Reck (alongside DJ Mike Freear) and an all singing, all dancing, all trapeze-artist, circus juggling, band that fuse performance art with live music and dj and vjs to present a multimedia explosion all within one band. Slamboree have to date only just performed their debut gig up in Hebden Bridge to great acclaim. So watch out for them at a venue near you this Spring and Summer.
And since I’m in a Balkanesque mood, how about this. Ever wondered what you’d get if you mashed up the Amsterdam Klezmer Band with British supergroup Queen and Ozzie rockers AC/DC?? Well France’s M’siou Rigolitch has. This is “Back in Balk’”.
18 “Back in Balk” - (3.16) - M’siou Rigolitch
You know, I can’t get enough of M’siou Rigolitch - really loving his stuff at the moment! This is his remix of a Balkan Beat Box tune featuring MacManu and Charly B and it’s called “Bulgarian Lioness Call Me”
19 “Bulgarian Lioness Call Me” - (3.51) - Balkan Beat Box
Wasn’t that just GLORIOUS!! Oh, yes! Much earlier on in the show I mentioned that we’d be having some Jamaican Mento on the show and that time has arrived. Now then, I love this band. I’ll say it again, I love this band. Once more, I LOVE this band!
60 years or more ago, before dancehall, before reggae, before rocksteady, before even ska, there was Mento. Jamaica’s national music form - often confused by tourists as calypso. But mento nevertheless and all those years back in Port Antonio a loose group of musicians performed together in various line-ups, to tourists, to locals, to each other, even to Errol Flynn. This gradually coalesced into a band called the Jolly Boys and despite various lineup changes it still exists today even though half of them are septuagenarians, even octagenarians! (you see the power music has to keep us all young!).
Well, I was privileged enough to see them a few months ago right here in Brum at the HMV Institute and you can read all about that gig by going to my world music website: www.worldmusic.co.uk and looking up in the Reviews section for the Jolly Boys. This next track is off their recent album called “Great Expectation” on the Jamaican GeeJam label where the Jollies take iconic tunes from the worlds of rock, pop, punk etc and re-do them mento style; This track in particular sounds as if it was actually written for them; it’s enough to send a certain beehived songstress reaching for the bottle . . . Don’t worry, you’ll recognise it!
20 “Interlude” - (0.23) - The Jolly Boys - “Great Expectation (GeeJam)
. . . CONTINUOUS . . . .
21 “Rehab” (4.35) - The Jolly Boys - “Great Expectation (GeeJam)
Didn’t you just love that!! I certainly did! OK, Pretty much at the end of the show now.
This last track is a real treat. Portugal has been putting out some great music recently and this to me is one of those gems. The band’s called Terrakota, the track’s called “World Massala” from the album of the same name on the Ojo Records label. And it’s just that - a real masala of rhythms, flavours and cultures. Enjoy - I know I will!
22 “World Massala” - (4.09) Terrakota - “World Massala” (Ojo Records)
1
