WorldBeatUK (13th Show) - Broadcast Notes (25/5/11)
Tagged with: WorldBeatUK Glyn Phillips Rhubarb Vampisoul Chico Trujillo La Big Landin Palmeras Kanibales Hamilton Loomis Roger Innis Jamie Little Sondorgo Lena Kovacevic Joanne Vance Sexto Sentido Olufemi Hijaz Va Fan Fahre Zephyrus Ieye Yeska Gypsy Sound System Strut
WBUK13 (25/5/11) Show Notes
1 “Intro-Mat” (1:47) - Matchatcha - ‘Nyekesse’ (Melodie)
You’re tuned into Rhubarb Radio, I’m Glyn Phillips, and you’re listening to WorldBeatUK - two hours of the best world music from around the globe!
On the show tonight - for your delectation and delight - I’ve got music from Cuba, Texas, Serbia, Nigeria, Belgium, South Africa, Ecuador, Hungary, Jamaica, Ghana, South Africa, Iran, California and Poland.
But we’re kicking off tonight with a couple of tracks from some re-issue compilation albums that I’ve been featuring over the last couple of weeks. The first track is from the album “Highlife Times Vol 2” which features Highlife music from Ghana and Nigeria from the 1950s and 1960s. It’s a compilation on the Spanish Vampisoul label and this track is a fusion of Highlife and Charanga by the band the Ramblers International, it’s called “Muntie”.
2 “Muntie” (5:21) - The Ramblers International - ‘Highlife Times Vol 2’ (Vampisoul)
Same vein, but this one’s from the album ‘Nigeria 70: Sweet Times, Afro-Funk, Highlife & Juju from 1970s Lagos‘ on the Strut Records label and this is Ali Chunkwumah and his Peace Makers International and a number entitled “Henrietta”.
3 “Henrietta” (4:40) - Ali Chunkwumah & His Peace Makers International - ‘Nigeria 70: Sweet Times’ (Strut)
Well you don’t have to go to Nigeria or Ghana to hear some good highlife or afrobeat because Holland’s very own Mdungu have got it going on over here in Europe. This is the title track of their album on the Zimbraz label. Afro What!?
4 “AfroWhat!?” (4:55) - Mdungu - ‘Afro What!?’ (Zimbraz)
[CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS]
5 “Los Luchadores Jump” (4:42) - Los Flamers feat. House of Pain (Le Cumbianche Disco Remix)
That was a little bit of glitch-cumbia from Los Flamers featuring House of Pain called “Los Luchadores Jump” - all about the Mexican wrestling phenomenon known as ‘lucha libre’ where fat blokes dressed in silly costumes and lycra-covered faces jump around all over each in heavily choreographed performance-fights . . .
Nothing new to those us of brought up on Saturday afternoon British Wrestling during the 1960s and 70s through the likes of Big Daddy, Giant Haystacks, Mick McManus, Catweazle and of course, the Mystery Man himself: Kendo Nagasaki! (or just plain old Peter Thornley to his neighbours!)
Ok sticking with some wonderfully cheesy cumbia now, this is another example of the new wave of cumbia from South America’s Southern Cone countries - in this case, Chile’s Chico Trujillo - one of the leaders in la cumbia chilombiana and latin ska. This track is from their album "Chico de Oro" (Golden Boy) and a number entitled “Sombrero”:
6 “Sombrero” (4:48) - Chico Trujillo - ‘Chico de Oro’
Like many people who listen to this programme, I like me ska. Oh yes! I’m not a big fan of the 3rd wave of ska - the sort of million-miles an hour, shouty-punky stuff; I much prefer first wave Jamaican ska - more laid back: sort of Skatalites, Jackie Mittoo, Don Drummond, you know who I’m talking about.
However, there’s some great stuff, now coming out of South America, so I offer you a couple of bands from Venezuela. First up from their 2007 album “Skaterriza” is La Big Landin Orquesta and a piece of latin ska based on a very old Brazilian choro tune called “Proezas de Solon”:
7 “Proezas De Solon” (4:02) - La Big Landin Orquesta - ‘Skaterriza’
[CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS]
8 La Culebra (4:02) - Palmeras Kaníbales - ‘La Ruta’
So, first up was La Big Landin Orquesta from Venezuela and “Proezas de Solon”; and after that the wonderful Palmeras Kaníbales also from Venezuela, and from their 2006 album “La Ruta” an old Cuban tune called “La Culebra”. Wasn’t that magnificent! Just the kind of band I’d love to see live.
Talking of which, after last week’s show I went up to the Adam and Eve pub right here in Digbeth to see a band on spec that I’d never seen before. I knew the bass player, the highly talented and very funny Roger Innis - who I’d spent the afternoon doing photoshoots with, along with the rest of our new band The Funkawallahs - more of which in weeks to come! - and he’d said he was playing that evening with a blues/funk/rock band and to come along after my show.
And boy, oh boy, was I glad that I did! The band consisted of Roger Innis on bass, Birmingham’s own Jamie Little on drums and two Americans - a Mr Strat Doyle on sax and the most excellently named Hamilton Loomis from Texas on guitar, vocals and gob-iron (that’s harmonica for those of you who don’t come from the Black Country!). Easily, but easily one of the best live bands I have seen in years . . . Easily!
What a night! The band were tighter than a duck’s backside - and that’s watertight! The sax player could almost have blown up an entire tornado in the pub and Hamilton was just outstanding. Perfect. Just perfect, in everything he did. Half the crowd there were excellent Brummie musicians themselves - enough to form 3 or 4 more bands - a tough crowd under normal circumstances; but this band were just stupidly good!
And it was all free!! Honestly, Brum’s a great place for music - you jus’ gotta search it out. I won’t go on, except to say that this next track is by the aforementioned Hamilton Loomis Band from their album “Live in England” (on Ham-Bone Records). Obviously, as with all live recordings, it is but a pale imitation of the real experience, but it’s all I got. This is called “Best Worst Day”.
9 Best Worst Day (4:23) - Hamilton Loomis Band - ‘Live In England’ (Ham-Bone Records)
You’re listening to WorldBeatUK right here on Rhubarb Radio, with me Glyn Phillips bringing you 2 hours of great world music every Wednesday evening between 7-9pm UK time.
From Digbeth to Dakar, from Birmingham to Belgium, from England to Ecuador WorldBeatUK brings a whole planet to your ears!
[mention ChatnGo/Facebook, shout-outs etc]
Söndörgo are a group from Hungary and this is taken from the forthcoming album “Tamburising: Lost Music Of The Balkans” on the World Village UK label. The release date for this has recently been confirmed as 27th June 2011 here in the UK on CD and digitally worldwide.
Their trademark instrument is the tambura - not the stringed drone instrument of Indian music - but a small mandolin-like instrument of the Serbian and Croatian communities resident in Hungary. In fact the band’s whole sound is distinct from the usual fiddle-led line-up of Hungarian tradition. This track is called “Opa Cupa”:
10 Opa Cupa (3:48) - Söndörgõ - ‘Tamburising: Lost Music Of The Balkans’ (World Village UK)
Yep, the wonderful traditional sound of the balkan tambura and vocals as played by Söndörgö from their album “Tamburising: Lost Music of the Balkans”. Well, I’m going to play three rather beautiful contemporary tracks from female singers now.
Staying in the Balkan area, the first one is an artist I played last week, the lovely Serbian singer Lena Kovacevic. Last time I played her singing in Srpksi; but she’s also pretty nifty in English too! So this is from her 2009 English language album “Haunt Me” and a jazzy track called “Shine Your Light”.
11 “Shine Your Light” (4:18) - Lena Kovacevic - ‘Haunt Me’
Lovely! Now, this next artist is the Ecuadorian singer, guitarist and composer Joanne Vance (not to be confused with the English painter of the same name). Yes, I know, it’s not the most hispanic sounding of names, but whilst her mother is Ecuadorian born and bred, her father was from North America.
Joanne makes mature jazz-tinged music which I would call pop, except that her songs have a greater depth and resonance than what you would normally expect from that term. You can hear the influences of people such as Ani DiFranco, Tori Amos, Jeff Buckley etc on the one hand and South America’s homegrown acoustic rockers such as the Argentinians Luis Alberto Spinetta and Pedro Aznar (both of whom I used to listen to back in the 80s) on the other.
But be under no illusions, this is no throwback or copycat music; Joanne is very much her own boss and this comes over in the confidence of her delivery and the maturity of her compositions. She’s a complete modern woman.
Which for me, is a strange thing to come to terms with since, I have to confess, I used to know her when she was just 10 years old (some 20 or so years ago!). Joanne and her sister Carrie and their lovely mother, Cecilia spent a year or so living right here in Birmingham whilst Ceci studied at the University. Jo’s mother would come along to the now legendary latin all-nighters at Los Andes where I cut my teeth DJing in the late 80s/early 90s. Happy times indeed.
So I was stunned when after two decades I made contact with Ceci and realised that little Jo (all goofy glasses and braces on her teeth when I knew her) had grown up - and to be a wonderful musician too.
So, I think they are listening to the show right now, out there in one of my favourite cities of the world, Ecuador’s capital, Quito - the second highest capital on the planet - way up in the South American Andes. Pues, chicas, Jo, Carrie y Ceci - besos de mi, saludos desde Birmingham y espero vertes un dia de estes!
This track is from her album “Silencios Incómodos” (Uncomfortable Silences) and it’s called “Versión Editada”:
12 “Versión Editada” (3:42) - Joanne Vance - ‘Silencios Incómodos’
[ CHANGE THE CD OVER!! - CHANGE THE CD OVER!! ]
Beautiful! Joanne Vance from Ecuador. You can find out more about Joanne from her website: www.joannevance.net.
And now the third in my trilogy of lush female singers. This time we’re going North from Ecuador to the Caribbean and touching down in La Habana, Cuba. And that’s where we’ll find one of my absolute favourite bands of the moment, the four girl vocal phenomenon that is Sexto Sentido (Sixth Sense in English).
I’ve played them quite a bit on this radio show and on the one I used to co-present before, and shall continue to do so. Quality is quality and these girls have it by the bucketful. They’re currently riding high in Cuba after having had their single “Guajiro” at No 1 in the Cuban charts for 7 weeks - which I also played on my last show.
Just to let you know the music you’re hearing is a UK exclusive - I’m the only person to be allowed to broadcast the music from their forthcoming album in this country, after hearing and writing about the band when I met them last year in Copenhagen.
Sexto Sentido are four Cuban singers and multi-instrumentalists, composers, arrangers to boot. Very, very talented ladies indeed. Oh, and beautiful too! You can read my review of their concert at Charlie Scott’s Jazz Bar in Copenhagen at www.worldmusic.co.uk/reviews if you want.
In the meantime this is from the soon to be released album “The Way” - which they’ve produced entirely themselves and is a mixture of lush, complex and sophisticated self-penned English and Spanish songs in a variety of styles. This is a jazzy bossa entitled “En Tu Cuerpo” (In Your Body):
(1) 13 “En Tu Cuerpo” (4:08) - Sexto Sentido - ‘The Way’
Sexto Sentido there from Cuba - and definitely more from them in the weeks to come.
OK, let’s move on and get some more Highlife dancing music in. This is an old track from West Africa - Ghana’s Melody Aces (not to be confused with the Belfast dance band of the same name!) from the album “Stars of West Africa - Highlife Hits” and a lovely lilting track - probably from the 1950s or maybe early 60s - called “Emase Puro O” [ ‘émashay puro-oh’]:
(2) 14 “Emase Puro O” (2:48) - Melody Aces - ‘Stars of West Africa - Highlife Hits’
Now, this next track popped onto my mat a few days ago entirely unsolicited and I thought, ‘Ok? Let’s see’. And what a pleasant surprise it was. The artist is called Olufemi, originally from Lagos, Nigeria and now operating out of South Africa - a singer, saxophonist and composer - and plays what he calls African South West Fusion. This is Olufemi’s debut album; it’s called “Just in Newtown” (referring to a part of Johannesburg I think).
It’s a good album, with a variety of musical styles - although I’m not yet sure whether that is its strength, or its weakness. It goes from straightahead jazzy soprano sax pieces (which wouldn’t sound out of place on a David Sanborn or Kenny G album - or at times even like Brum’s own Alvin Davis or Julian Smith aka Joolz Gianni) - right up to soukous-tinged dance pieces and afrobeat-fused workouts. Definitely a pan-african approach to his music.
However, the musicianship is good and there’s some very enjoyable tracks on it - including this one, which has a distinctly South African flavour. This is Olufemi and a track called “Thando Lwami”:
(3) 15 “Thando Lwami” (4:12) - Olufemi - ‘Just In Newtown’
Change of flavour and place on these next few tracks. I’ve been digging into my Persian music albums recently and came up with these offerings from a sampler entitled “Persia: Ancient Roots of Music”. The first piece is called “Agitation” and is by Kazem Davoudian from his album “Pearl”.
(4) 16 “Agitation” (2:02) - Kazem Davoudian - ‘Pearl’
[CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS]
(5) 17 “Blue of Dream” (2:02) - Farivar Kosrhavi - ‘Abi-e Ro’ya’
The track you just heard was by the Iranian Farivar Kosrhavi from his album “Abi-e Ro’ya” and translates as “Blue of Dream”.
Moving from Iran, but still staying in the Middle East by association is this next piece, by the band Hijaz. This is a six-piece group based in Belgium but consisting of various nationalities and cultural influences. Their music draws upon North Africa, The Mediterranean, India, the Middle East and European jazz traditions and infuses their latest album with a richness and a palette of flavours which allows them to endlessly serve up tantalisingly different musical courses.
This is probably the most jazzy piece I’m playing tonight and features the piano of Greco-Belgian Nico Deman - but for the non-jazzers amongst you, don’t let that put you off. It’s very accessible still - there’s some great oud playing from Moufadhel Adhoum and Indian tabla pitted against kit drums and bass as well. This piece is called "Mr J.P.S." from Hijaz’s album “Chemsi” (which means Sun) on the Belgian Zephyrus label.
If you’re in London or the South East of England this weekend you can actually see Hijaz live in concert at the Union Chapel, London this Saturday 28th May. This is their debut in the UK and their manager tells me that they’re very excited about performing over here.
[ The link for that is here: http://bit.ly/eDOjp5 ]
(6) 18 “Mr J.P.S.” (5.31) - Hijaz - ‘Chemsi’ (Zephyrus)
And also on the Zephyrus label from Ghent in Belgium here’s their flagship band Va Fan Fahre and a track from their last album - “Al Wa Debt” - which did really well on the European world music charts last year. It’s often been described as ‘balkan brass goes Arabic’. Zephyrus have just announced that they are now allowing free downloads of five of the tracks from the album.
[Just go to the following link to download that:
http://www.vafanfahre.be/database/index.php?q=node/23 ]
So here are Belgium’s Va Fan Fahre with the Arabic singer Aicha Haskal and a track called “Ya Habibi Taala”:
(7) 19 “Ya Habibi Taala” (3:04) - Va Fan Fahre - ‘Al Wa' Debt’ (Zephyrus)
[CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS]
(8) 20 “La Kumbia de Los Peregrinos” (3:52) - Grupo Kual (Le Cumbianche Disco Remake)
Couldn’t resist a bit of electro-glitch-cumbia ! That was the Le Cumbianche Disco Remake of Grupo Kual’s “La Kumbia de Los Peregrinos” - just to get you all stirred up!
And now a jingle to promote the forthcoming Reggae City 2011 Festival here in Birmingham on Saturday 11 June at the Rainbow - just round the corner from where I’m sitting here in the Custard Factory, Digbeth.
(9) 21 Reggae City Festival Ad Jingle (1:05)
[CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS]
(10) 22 ”I Know” (3:15) - Ieye - ‘Fever Grass’ (Shengen Clan)
OK, that was one of my favourite female reggae singers of the moment - Ieye from Jamaica - and a track called “I Know” from her album “Fever Grass” on the Shengen Clan Imprint Label. Lovely stuff.
Quick couple of announcements now: Birmingham’s own ska and reggae favourites, the Heels will be performing mid-afternoon at next week’s Lord Mayor’s Parade on Bank Holiday Monday 30th May - so keep an eye out for them if you like your ska in a Skatalites stylee!
Also the following weekend you can catch the debut of el combo Kilombo - a brand new band formed from members of both the Heels and Flame Of Fervour at the Wagon and Horses in Adderley Street in Digbeth - again just around the corner from the Custard Factory.
That’s on Sat 4th June and it’s a night called Subvert, featuring also the dub band Relative, DJs Skeleton, Marc Reck (also from Rhubarb Radio), the Jam Jah DJs Robin Giorno and Bongo Damo, as well as Christy, Dodgy Greg and Stalingrad.
And it’s all FREE! Yep, not a penny for all that music! Keep an eye out for Kilombo’s drummer - he’s a right dodgy geezer. I’m sure I’ve seen and heard him before somewhere . . .
In the meantime, here’s one from the Gypsy Sound System’s Psio Crew from Poland - a little number from the “Iskra” album - this is “Dobry Gooral”:
(11) 23 “Dobry Gooral” (2:51) - Psio Crew - ‘Gypsy Sound System - Iskra’
Just got time now for goodbyes etc . . .
[THANK YOUS, SHOUT OUTS, REMINDERS, ETC]
I’m going to leave you with a brilliant latino band from Los Angeles. They are called Yeska (which is a play on the words ‘Yes!’ and ‘Ska’ and is also the Chicano slang word for ‘weed’).
Their music is what you get when you cross jazz with afro-cuban music with ska! Skafrocubanjazz of course! And that’s the name of the album that this track, “Skaliente”, is from. Don’t be fooled by the gentle ska montuno beginning - because about 3 and a half minutes in this bubbling piece of latin ska turns into an absolute monster!!
(12) 24 “Skaliente” (6:32) - Yeska - ‘Skafrocubanjazz’ (Aztlan)
WorldBeatUK (12th Show) - Broadcast Notes (18/5/11)
Tagged with: WorldBeatUK Glyn Phillips Rhubarb Radio World Music Juanafe Moneyman Julio Sosa JuJu Kim Sinh Tlahoun Gessesse Vampisoul Strut Mdungu Lena Kovacevic Svang Ieye Sexto Sentido Almeida Girl Easy Star Monosonicos Paratiisin Pojat El Hijo de la Cumbia
WBUK12 - SHOW NOTES (18/5/11)
1 Intro-Mat (1:47) Matchatcha from album 'Nyekesse'
Welcome - Coming up . . .
2 La Makinita (3:48) Juanafé - ‘La Makinita’ (Oveja Negra; 2010) - Cumbia
Chile to Argentina
3 La Mara Tomaza (3:53) El Hijo de la Cumbia - ‘Freestyle de Ritmos’ - Cumbia Argentina
Staying in Argentina
4 Mano A Mano (3:17) Julio Sosa - 30 Aniversario 1964-1994 - Tango
Still in Argentina . . .
5 Chacarera Del Puestero (2:27) Los Puesteros - Chacarera
Due to technical probs last week … going to replay “Life” - Moneyman - Nigeria 70" album
6 Life (6:17) Moneyman And The Super 5 International - ‘Nigeria 70: Sweet Times’ (Strut Records) - African (Nigeria)
And from Nigeria to Gambia - or more correctly where Gambia meets the UK. The next band is called JuJu and includes Britain’s Justin Adams on electric guitar, bendir and backing vocals) and Gambian Juldeh Camara (on lead vocals, ritti and talking drum - and here I must apologise because last week when I played another track from JuJu I confused the nyatiti which is a harp with the ritti which is the one-string fiddle which Juldeh is an expert on). So this next track is also from their forthcoming album “In Trance” on the Real World Records label and will be released in the UK on the 13th June. This bluesy track is called “Waide Nayde”.
7 Waide Nayde (5:09) JuJu (Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara) - ‘In Trance’ (Real World)
A real treat now - the guitar work of the Vietnamese multi-instrumentalist Kim Sinh, has been the stuff of legend and cult status for a a few years now - but mostly amongst American rock and jazz guitarists, who can’t see how this septuagenarian Vietnamese gentleman who has not been brought up on blues seems to be steeped in the Delta sound! The truth is that his music is actually from a traditional vietnamese theatre music called Cai Luong first created in the 1920s.
Kim was born in 1930 in Hanoi, Vietnam and plays all manner of instruments both traditional as well as violin, hawaiian guitar and specially tuned guitars that are reconstructed to use Vietnamese music scales. Enough talk, just listen to this. The track is “Liéu Duong Hoang Thiên Khúc” and it’s from the album “Music from Vietnam 4” on Caprice Records. Eat your heart out Jimmy Hendrix!
8 Liéu Duong Hoang Thiên Khúc (4:35) Kim Sinh - ‘Music from Vietnam 4’ (Caprice Records) - Vietnamese Guitar music
9 Tule Meilla Vaan - Come On Over (3:32) Paratiisin Pojat - ‘Paratiisin Pojat’ (Poko Records; 2008) - Finn-Mex
Another treat from a forgotten age now as we hear the Ethiopian singer Tlahoun Gessesse who died just over two years ago, being accorded a state funeral attended by tens of thousands. Regarded as one of the most popular of Ethiopia’s Golden Age in the 60s, he was known just as ‘The Voice’. This is a track called “Sema” (and thanks to Rhubarb Radio’s own Soesmix Edan for introducing this to me) and is from the album ‘Ethiopiques 3, Golden Years Of Modern Ethiopian Music 1969-75’ on the Buda Musique label.
10 Sema (4:19) Tlahoun Gèssèssè - ‘Ethiopiques 3, Golden Years Of Modern Ethiopian Music 1969-75’ (Buda Musique)
Last week I played you a track from Nottingham’s own tropical band, Monosonicos, and here’s another from the multicultural, multinational band, which mixes afrobeat and latin rhythms with Spanish lyrics and steelpans etc. Very interesting. This is called “Sin La Luna” (or Without The Moon).
11 Sin La Luna (4:23) Monosonicos - Latin/afrobeat
The next two tracks come off an album I received recently from the excellent Spanish re-issue label Vampisoul. The album’s called “Highlife Times Vol 2” and is another one of the recent releases of excellent 1960s and 70s highlife from Ghana and Nigeria which is currently enjoying a renaissance in popularity. The first track I’m going to play is by “Bobby Benson & his Combo” and reminds me of old Jamaican rhythm and blues in a way. This one’s called “Taxi Driver”
12 Taxi Driver (3:25) Bobby Benson & his Combo - ‘Highlife Times Vol 2’ (Vampisoul 129) - Highlife
[CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS]
13 Ogiobo (5:43) Sir Victor Uwaifo & his Titibitis of Africa - ‘Highlife Times Vol 2’ (Vampisoul 129) - Highlife
The last track you heard was also sfrom the album “Highlife Times Vol 2” on the Vampisoul label and was called “Ogiobo” from the wonderfully named Sir Victor Uwaifo & his Titibitis of Africa! Yep, that’s what I said.
Sticking with the whole afrocentric groove - here’s a modern take on it. From Holland the band is Mdungu and taken from their album “Afro What?!” on the Zimbraz label this is "Boolow Gambia".
14 Boolow Gambia (5:36) Mdungu - ‘Afro What?’ (Zimbraz/Music & Words MW3035) - Afro
15 S’ Mediterana (3:41) Lena Kovacevic - ‘Dobar Dan Za Pevanje’ - Serbian Jazzy
Balkan Connection
16 Haidukka (4:53) Svang - “Sväng” (Aito Records AICD005; 2004) - balkanesque
Bill Withers tune (Gil Scott Heron also)
17 Mama’s Hand (3:50) Ieye - ‘Fever Grass’ (Shenghen Clan) - Reggae
Jamaica
18 Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (4:33) Easy Star All-Stars Feat. Frankie Paul - Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Dub Band (Easy Star Records 1018)
also for Lucy
19 Barfly (4:25) Almeida Girl & Descarga - ‘Llanita’ (KAMOCD1) - Salsa
20 Guajiro (3:22) Sexto Sentido - ‘The Way’ - RnB Cubana
Sexto Sentido and the succes of "Guajiro" in Cuba: seven weeks at No 1 in Cuba and another 7 weeks at No 3 (just behind Don Omar’s Danza Kuduro and Shakira!); the video of this won the Lucas Award (like a Cuban Oscar for videos) and hit international latin american charts too - and that’s without being released on an album or available digitally yet! The girls intend to release their third album called “The Way” with this track on, in the summer in Europe. So I’ll be playing more from them in the run up to that over the coming weeks.
OK, here’s another angle on the Latin scene - the mashup between traditional afro-latin forms such as cumbia with contemporary electronic-driven styles such as dubstep; this is a tune by Tony Camargo entitled “Año Viejo” (the old year) refixed by bootlegumachine into a piece of ‘raverton’. Enjoy!
21 Año Viejo (5:44) Tony Camargo (bootlegumachin refix) - Raverton
Thank yous and goodbyes. Announce the Rea River Soul night.
22 Oye El Consejo (3:26) Ibrahim Ferrer - ‘Buenos Hermanos’ (World Circuit WCD065; 2003) - Son
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
WorldBeatUK (9th Show) - Broadcast Notes (27/4/11)
Tagged with: Worldbeatuk Glyn Phillips Rhubarb Sergent Garcia Show of Hands Susana Seivane Anxo Lorenzo Ojos de Brujo Gnawledge Camarao de Rama Gypsy Groovz Owiny Sigoma Tamikrest Dub Colossus Shawn Lee Quique Neira C-Sharp Ebo Taylor Imam Baildi Bongomatik Strut
WBUK9 (27/4/11) Show Notes
1 Intro-Mat (1:47) Matchatcha Nyekesse (Melodie)
Hope you’ve all had a good Easter and enjoyed the good weather; now that it’s turned a bit colder, hopefully you’ll all be thinking “Nah, bit parky this evening, think I’ll stay in and be warmed up by the groovy choonz and tropical vibes on WorldbeatUK!” So without further ado and maybe even a little bit of adon’t, we’ll kick off with El Salsamuffinero Mayor, Bruno ‘Sergent’ Garcia, and a track from his new album (“Una y Otra Vez”) out on Cumbancha. This one is called “El Baile del Diablo” - The Dance of the Devil.
2 El Baile Del Diablo (4:00) Sergent Garcia Una Y Otra Vez (Cumbancha)
Now that last tune was all about the devil’s dance that the politicians and the world’s leaders indulge in as they continue to muck our lives around - as El Sargento says: “One Step Forward, Two Steps Back”. Well this next group also wrote a song criticising those same politicians, leaders and power-hungry people - the track was called “Arrogance, Ignorance and Greed” off the album of the same name by English Folk giants Steve Knightley and Phil Beer of Show of Hands and I played that one a few weeks back.
So now another one off that same album, but this time spelling out their views (which I happen to share) about Creationism. This is called “Evolution”. With the rallying call of ‘Nail your colours to the mast’, the message is “The finger points in one direction, that’s natural selection”
3 Evolution (3:26) Show Of Hands Arrogance, Ignorance and Greed
(Hands On Music, 2009, HMCD29)
Well to show a bit of balance here’s a tune that’s related to a religious theme. It’s called “Camiño Longo” which means the ‘long route’ and is from an album (on the Do Fol Musica/Boa label from Spain) called “Cantigas de Camiño”. The album, which comes with an exquisite little hardback book, is dedicated to music based around the famous Pilgrims Route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain’s Northwestern region of Galicia. This is the beautiful singer and bagpiper Susana Seivane.
4 Camiño Longo (4:01) Susana Seivane Cantigas Do Camiño (do Fol Musica/Boa)
There’s been so much good stuff coming out of the Spanish region of Galicia that I’m including it as one of the three points of what I consider to be Spain’s Golden Triangle of Creativity (which also includes Catalunya in the North-East and Andalucia in the deep South of the peninsula).
Here’s yet another example from Galicia - the brilliant bagpiper Anxo Lorenzo and a track from his debut album “Tirán” (which also include guests appearances from Ireland’s Eoghan Neff on violin and England’s most famous exponent of the Northumbrian pipes, Kathryn Tickell). The album’s released on the Spanish Zouma Records label. This track is also called Tirán.
5 Tirán (ends at 4.10ish) (4:30) Anxo Lorenzo Tirán (Zouma)
Ok, over to the second point of my Golden Triangle: Catalunya, home to Barcelonan super-group Ojos de Brujo. They hit the scene with a bang just 10 years ago and have consistently delighted the world music fans and confounded their detractors with their very personal, idiosyncratic and uncompromising approach to music, business and life.
Word has it that they’re finally splitting up to concentrate on personal projects and so have just released what is, I suppose, their final album (which is released by Warner Brothers Spain). Some critics have accused them of laziness because it contains only two new tracks, the other 11 having all been released before on their other albums.
But the title kind of gives it away: “Corriente Vital: 10 Años” (which roughly translates as ‘the Essential Current - 10 years); it’s obviously a retrospective - but with a band of the quality of Ojos de Brujo, there’s an amazing back catalogue to choose from - so there’s definitely no fillers here!
What they’ve done is to hand all the tracks over to different producers and allow them to remix them as they want. So, yes, it is a new album - it’s like meeting up with an old friend for a last dance; they just happened to have had their hair redone and put on a new outfit - but they still move just as well as before! This track is “Todos Mortales” - originally from their 2009 “Aocaná” album - but here remixed and featuring Roldan from Orishas.
6 Todos Mortales (3:23) Ojos De Brujo Corriente Vital 10 Años (Warner Music Spain)
Staying in Spain still, we’re heading South to the final point of my Golden Triangle of Spanish Creativity, to the huge province of Andalusia on the South Coast, the jumping off point for the Moorish influx that so influenced Iberian culture.
And high up in the Sierra Nevada, the home of the amazing Moorish palace and gardens of the Alhambra you’ll find one of the most stylish, yet also most funkiest and bohemian of Spanish cities, Granada.
This is home to a brilliant band - or maybe I should call it a project - called Gnawledge. Put together by American musicologist Canyon Cody and rapper Gnotes, they fuse Andalucian flamenco with North African Gnawa music and jazzy hip-hop sensibilities and more, so much more, utilising a cast of top flight Granadan musicians including Juan Habichuela “El Nieto” on guitar, Otoman Almerabet on Laúd, Eneko Alberdi on guitar, DJ Doblegota on Scratch and loads more amazing musicians. I absolutely LOVE these guys! This is from their “Granada Doaba” album (on the Gnawledge label) and a track called “Perro Cruzado”.
7 Perro Cruzado (3:57) Gnawledge Granada Doaba (Gnawledge)
Ok, we’re going to leave Spain now, but just to show how difficult that is, this next track is a wonderful piece of maracatú-flamenco from Brazil! The band is called Banda Camarão de Rama and is based around the Miguez family: father, Gilvan, daughter, Aline and son, Daniel from Belo Horizonte, in Minas Gerais. The track is entitled “A Bala”.
8 A Bala (2:57) Banda Camarão de Rama
Complete change of pace and place now as we head back over the Atlantic to Europe and back to that Balkan Gypsy Music Festival in Guca, Serbia I mentioned a couple of weeks back. This is part of a 35 minute long jam between 75 balkan brass musicians and 10 nyabinghi drummers; the track is called “Hot Water Festival” (this is part 4) and it’s from the album Gypsy Groovz Orchestra Goes Tutti Mundi: “Night Train for Lovers and Thieves” on the German Network Medien label.
9 Festival Tople Vode Part 4 (3:10) Gypsy Groovz Orchestra Night Train for Lovers and Thieves (Network)
- - - CONTINUOUS - - -
10 Margaret Okudo (dub) (4:18) Owiny Sigoma Band Owiny Sigoma Band (Brownswood)
That last track was called “Margaret Okudo” by the Owiny Sigoma Band, and is from their forthcoming album. There’s an interesting story attached to it:
Two years ago on the eve of the inauguration of President Obama, five musician friends from London who’d know each other since school days pitched up in Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa as part of a loose, informal collaboration organised by the voluntary organisation Art of Protest to promote local Kenyan musicians and partner them with British ones to see what came out of it all.
The London lads met with the phenomenal teacher and player of the East African nyatiti - an 8 string lyre - Joseph Nyamungu, a man steeped in traditional Luo music; he in turn introduced them to drummer Charles Owoko - also steeped in Luo rhythms and the 7 piece got together to find common ground in a disused factory in downtown Nairobi - the only studio big enough to take them all - since most studios in the capital cater only for rap and RnB productions, ie a computer and one mic!
They named the band after Joseph’s grandfather, Owiny Sigoma. Next year they reconvened in Nairobi, this time as a 10-piece band and recorded the album at the Kenya National Theatre - a collection of gloriously loose afro-grooves which sway between Luo and London.
Most of the songs are written by Joseph and based on Luo folk songs. However they must have done something right, because they were picked up by Brownswood Records and championed by none other than Gilles Peterson, who’s really into the drum and bass heavy sound, and Damon Albarn of Gorillaz fame, who also pops up on a couple of the tracks on the album. The album’s also called “Owiny Sigoma Band” and is due to be released next week on the 2nd May on the Brownswood Records label.
Ok, sticking with Africa, but this time shifting over to Mali, here’s a band I’ve also played before. Part of the new generation of Tuareg Desert Rockers, this is the young band Tamikrest, from Saharan Mali, and a track from their new album released only two days ago by Glitterhouse Records. The album’s called “Toumastin” and this track is entitled “Tidit”.
11 Tidit (4:15) Tamikrest Toumastin (Glitterhouse Records)
- - - CONTINUOUS - - -
12 Wey Fikir (4:20) Dub Colossus Addis Through The Looking Glass (Real World)
Wasn’t that dreamy and beautiful! You’ve just heard the brilliant Dub Colossus, an Anglo-Ethiopian collaboration between Nick Page, aka Dubulah of Transglobal Underground and Syriana, and masses of fantastic Ethiopian musicians from the Addis Ababa scene (which includes jazz and rock and hip-hop and soul as well as traditional music).
The wonderfully delicate vocals on there were handled by Ethiopian pop star Tsedenia Gebremarkos. So much great music on that album - it really repays listening to again and again to extract all the hidden flavours! I’m absolutely loving it! That track was called “Wey Fikir” from the album “Addis Through The Looking Glass” by Dub Colossus and it too was released only two days ago on the 25th of April and is on the Real World Records label.
Well, I can only really follow that with a track by Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra - who incidentally will be appearing at Birmingham’s Mostly Jazz Festival on Friday 1st July this year - and what else but a dark, jazzy piece called “Ethio” from the album “World of Funk” on the Ubiquity label.
13 Ethio (3:42) Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra World Of Funk (Ubiquity)
- - - CONTINUOUS - - -
14 Afrodesia (2:41) The Afro Soul-Tet Afrodesia (Ubiquity)
That last track - drenched in tropical rain storms - was an old track called “Afrodesia” from the heyday of jazzy afro-psychedelia and was by the Afro Soul-Tet from their album also called “Afrodesia”. Originally a very limited pressing of between 500-1000 on the Banyon label from Los Angeles sometime between 1968-71, it’s now been reissued by Ubiquity Records.
Something different now. This is a track I’d originally planned to play last week, but my interview and live session with Brazilian percussion genius Renato Martins overran somewhat and I had to drop it. Well, now I can reinstate this lovely piece of Chilean reggae - this is from the king of South American reggae, Quique Neira - off his album “Jah Rock” (on the German label GLM) - and a track entitled: “Dar y Recibir” (To Give and To Receive):
15 Dar y Recibir (4:35) Quique Neira Jah Rock (GLM)
And from a classic reggae style to very much up-to-date Jamaican reggae-pop with a latin-cum-RnB feel; this is C-Sharp - a band I’ve played a lot this year - and probably the most clubby commercial piece I’ve heard of their’s, with at least one verse in Spanish too! They’ve got a new album coming out this year called “The Invitation”. This is called “Dancin’ Like Crazy”.
16 Dancin Like Crazy (3:14) C-Sharp
- - - CONTINUOUS - - -
17 Calypso Cha Cha (2:52) Count Lasha & His Calypsonians Soundman Shots: The Caribou & Downbeat 78's Story (Snapper Records)
Ha ha! Bet you didn’t see that one coming did you? From contemporary Reggae pop to the sound of 1950s Jamaican mento (masquerading as Calypso) mixed with Cha Cha Cha taken from some rare 78’s! Very early fusion then!
And yet people forget that there has always been quite a bit of influence between the neighbouring islands of Jamaica and Cuba. Very many Jamaicans went to work on the sugar plantations in the East of Cuba and learnt Spanish and soaked up the rich cultural soup of Santiago de Cuba and took this back to JA; similarly I met many old Cubans who had learned English either from Jamaicans or in Jamaica themselves.
That was Count Lasha and his Calypsonians from a great compilation double album on the Snapper Records label called “Sound Man Shots: the Caribou and Downbeat 78’s Story” and a track entitled, funnily enough, “Calypso Cha Cha”.
Ok, sticking with the whole half-a-century ago feel, this is from one of my favourite labels, Soundway Records, (who recently released the excellent Colombian compilation of 1960s tunes called “Cartagena!”); this time it’s still in the Caribbean but looking at the French speaking Caribbean and an album released in 2009 called “Tumbélé! Biguine, Afro & Latin Sounds from the French Caribbean, 1963-1974”, which concentrates on the French-speaking and - to this day - still French-administered islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe. A fantastic retrospective of yet another hidden part of the Caribe.
However, the track I’ve chosen is actually by a band from Haiti who happened to spend a few years living and working in Martinique and who recorded several LPs there, mostly heavy ‘compas’ for the Hit Parade label. The band is called Les Loups Noirs de’Haïti (the Black Wolves of Haiti), the track was recorded in 1972 and is a manic biguine written by Gardner Lalanne and featuring some bizarre, almost psychedelic, approximations of a jet plane taking off, with crazy sax, distorted guitar and a rhythm section that is almost tripping over itself with excitement. Absolutely love it! This is called, appropriately enough, “Jet Biguine”.
18 Jet Biguine (3:26) Les Loups Noirs D'Haiti Tumbele (Soundways)
Wonderful madness! OK, in the last of my oldies (for the moment at least) this is a funktastic, groovalicious slice of Ghanian Afrobeat from someone who I’ve featured before on this show, Mr Ebo Taylor from the excellent album “Life Stories - Highlife and Afrobeat Classics 1973-1980” - a double album of Ebo’s work with different bands and all very, very enjoyable. It’s on the Strut Records label and was released a few weeks ago. The track I’ve selected has guitar maestro Ebo Taylor alongside Uhuru-Yenzu and a track called “What Is Life?”
19 What Is Life? (4:38) Ebo Taylor & Uhuru-Yenzu Life Stories -
Highlife & Afrobeat Classics 1973-1980 (Strut)
Did I say last of the oldies? Well, Yes and No. Those Greek brothers Lysandros and Orestis Falireas, better known as Imam Baildi (who incidentally take their name from a middle eastern aubergine dish which translates as “The Priest Faints”) - well, these inveterate mashers and mixers of rebetiko have worked their magic on yet another old Greek tune this time it’s the singer Meri Lida and a track called “Thlipsi”.
20 Thlipsi (Remix) (3:20) Meri Lida/Imam Baildi The Imam Baildi Cookbook (EMI Greece)
Ok, we’re slipping up to the last 20 minutes or so of the show, so let’s press on. This band I discovered only recently - and I’m so glad I did. They’re from the Netherlands, they’re called “Bongomatik” and they play the most delightful mix of latin, funk and pop.
This is off their eponymous debut album (and if you’re wondering why I’m using all those big words again - ‘eponymous’ is just another word for ‘self-titled’ - Aw, come on guys, there are thousands of words in the dictionary, it’s a crime not to try and use them all!).
It’s a great album, a whole lot of fun, highly recommended, not long released. It’s published by No Can Do Music on the Distribution label and this track is called “Donde” (if you like Cuba’s Omara Portuondo you’ll recognise it… eventually!).
21 Donde (5:11) Bongomatik Bongomatik (No Can Do / Distribution)
Continuing with the Cuba connection, this is a band that England’s Tumi Music label are pushing a lot. They’re called To’ Mezclao (which means “All Mixed Up”) and that reflects their musical standpoint - since the album covers salsa, latin pop, son-fusion, latin house, reggaeton, merengue, cumbia and bachata.
Naturally, the album is called “Hibrid” (or Hybrid), it’s on the Tumi Music label. They’ll be touring the UK this summer between mid-June and mid-July and promise to be a very exciting band live. The track I’ve chosen is a piece of latin pop called “Mango Bajito”
22 Mango Bajito (3:11) To'Mezclao Híbrid (Tumi Music)
Sticking with latin this is one of my all-time favourite salsa tracks. Of all the salsa dura - or hard salsa - tracks, this is one of the most ‘dura’. It’s by Mr Hard Hands himself, Ray Barretto. It’s from the double album compilation “Fania Records 1964-1980: the Original Sound of Latin New York” released this year by Strut Records. And the track is the MONSTER tune that is: “Indestructible”
23 Indestructible (4:14) Ray Barretto Fania Records 1964-1980:
The Original Latin Sound of New York (Strut)
Thanks to one and all etc…
I’m going to hand over to Olbi Iyah and his show “Version Galore” with reggae of all sorts and styles and periods. And to ease you into that, this is probably my favourite track of the night. This is LUSHNESS personified! Mr Sonny Bradshaw and the Sonny Bradshaw Seven from the Trojan Sixties Box Set 1, this is “Love is Blue”. Good night, see you next week for more worldly grooves!
24 Love Is Blue (3:19) Sonny Bradshaw Seven Trojan Sixties Box Set 1
WorldBeatUK (8th Show) - Broadcast Notes (20/4/11)
Tagged with: WorldBeatUK Glyn Phillips Rhubarb Renato Martins Ialma Imam Baildi marco Andre Fandango Duende Taraf Echocentrics Dub Colossus Surinder Sandhu Appietus Mangwana Stars Grupo Socavon Ophex Manteca Real World Otrabanda Ubiquity Boris Gaquere Salah Ragab
Show notes for WBUK8 (20/4/11)
1 “Intro-mat” (1.47) Matchatcha “Nyekesse” (Melodie)
Hi and welcome to another WorldBeatUK, with me Glyn Phillips and 2 hours of the best world music from around the planet. Coming up on the show tonight a very special guest from Brazil, music from Lithuania, Chile, Colombia, Ghana, Ethiopia, Mexico, Brazil, Greece, and even Birmingham! First up though ever wondered what it would be like to Dance like a Galician?
2 “Dance Like a Galician” (3:13) Ialma “Simbiose” (Do Fol Musica/Boa)
That was the Galican female quintet Ialma from their new album Simbiose on the Do Fol Musica/Boa label and the track of course was their reworking of the Bangles’s “Walk Like an Egyptian”. So how would a self-confident resident of Cairo walk? I think he’d follow Salah Ragab’s example and do the “Egypt Strut” of course . . .
3 “Egypt Strut” (3:57) Salah Ragab “The Imam Baildi Cookbook” (EMI Greece)
(Imam Baildi Remix feat. BnC & Lady Faye)
- - - CONTINUOUS - - -
4 “Pequeno Dicionario do Amor” (3:55) Marco André “Beat iú”
That last track was by Amazonian musician, Marco André off his wonderful 2007 album, “Beat iú” and was called “Pequeno Dicionario do Amor” (Small Dictionary of Love). As you might have guessed that was a Brazilian piece, which provides a nice intro to my special guest in the studio this evening. From Sao Paulo, Brasil, the brilliant percussionist and composer, Mr Renato Martins!
Hi Renato, Tudo Bem? I’m very glad you could fit a visit in to “WorldBeatUK” here at Rhubarb Radio on your trip to the UK.
§§§ (Renato answers here - but I don’t have the transcripts)
Now, I’d better explain that I first met Renato many, many years ago in the early 1990s right here in Birmingham. So, Renatinho, can you explain to the listeners how it was you came to leave Brazil and what brought you to the UK and to Birmingham in particular?
§§§
Can you say a little of what you found musically here in Birmingham and also what bands and musicians you worked with here?
§§§
[Mention that we used to play together in the Sabri Ensemble with Sarwar Sabri (tabla), Chris Conway (Keys), Martin Speake (Sax) and later on Birmingham’s own Alvin Davis (on soprano sax), myself Glyn Phillips on percussion and Renato Martins on percussion too and Surinder Sandhu on sarangi (who I’ll be coming back to later on in the show).]
§§§
How long did you stay in Birmingham and where did you go afterwards?
§§§
This is probably a good point now to play some of your music. You’ve brought a couple of your albums along and some of your fantastic udu pots which I’m hoping you’ll play live later on in the show. So what track are we going to go with first?
§§§
5 “Indiaiá” by Renato Martins from the album “Indiaiá”
You’re listening to WorldBeatUK with me, Glyn Phillips, bringing you 2 hours of the best world music from around the globe, right here on Rhubarb Radio coming from Birmingham UK.
Now then, Renato, can you tell me what you’ve been up to since you ended up living in Belgium. In fact first can you tell me what took you to Brussels and what has happened to you since.
§§§
OK so let’s hear something from your more recent output. Tell me about this track:
§§§
6 “Fala Seu Luis” by Renato Martins
I’m going to return to Renato later on in the show and we should be hearing him perform for us live on air using his Udu pots which I’m very excited about.
But first I’m going to share some more great cds with you and this next piece is by a Mexican/Arab/Spanish quartet called “Fandango, Duende y Taraf” from their 2005 album, “Las Tres Orillas del Atlántico” (The Three Shores of the Atlantic), on the Mexican Alebrije label.
The band’s aim is to explore the interplay between three different but interrelated musical cultures: the Fandango of the Son Jarocho tradition of Veracruz in Mexico, the duende (or mystical spirit) of the Andalusian flamenco tradition of Southern Spain and the ‘taraf’ which comes from the North African Arab Al’Andaluz tradition. This is a beautiful track and it’s named after one of the great cities of Andalucia: “Granada”
7 Granada (6:40) Fandango, Duende y Taraf Les Tres Orillas del Atlántico (Alebrije)
Yeah, that was the group Fandango, Duende y Taraf and a track called “Granada” featuring Abdelm’jid Moutana on Moroccan oud or lute, Angel Chacón on Spanish Guitar, Vihuela (a form of lute-like guitar played in Spain with 12 paired strings) and the Jarana Jarocha (an 8 string instrument typical of the Vera Cruz region of Southern Mexico), Armando Montiel on Percussion and J. Cristóbal Pérez Grobet on double and electric bass. If you can find their music please check them out - they’re certainly on YouTube.
[Speak to Renato again. Introduce next track (“Pixaim”) by Renato Martins and his Belgian collaborator Boris Gaquere].
8 “Pixaim” by Renato Martins/Boris Gaquere Duo
This next track is off a brand new album on the American Ubiquity label called “Sunshadows”. The band is the Echocentrics and is based around the work of producer Adrian Quesada of Brownout fame. It’s a good representation of the increasingly common form of world music that utilises a melting pot of influences to create something almost indefinable. The album’s blurb states that it’s for fans of Quantic & his Combo Barbaro, Karen Elson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Bonobo, Ennio Morricone, Thievery Corp, David Axelrod and Shawn Lee (who I featured on the show a few weeks ago). If that isn’t a cultural mashup I don’t know what is.
This track has more of a latin funk meets afrobeat meets Brazilian folk vibe to it and features the vocal talents of Tita Lima the daughter of Liminha, the bass player for Os Mutantes. The album was released last week and this track is entitled “Mundo Penqueno” or Small World:
9 Mundo Pequeno (4:11) Echocentrics Sunshadows (Ubiquity)
Now, then a few weeks ago as a special preview, I played you a wonderful re-working of Althea and Donna’s tune “Uptown Top Ranking” by the Anglo-Ethiopian band “Dub Colossus”, from the upcoming album “Addis Through the Looking Glass” (a follow-on from their debut album “A Town Called Addis”).
The new album is due out next week on the 25th April on the Real World Records label and is very much a mixture of styles and musicians, all beautifully recorded I might add. It goes from atmospheric jazz-dub instrumentals to breathy love songs and earthy traditional pieces along with jazz, funk, brass band and of course reggae. It’s all produced by Nick Page better known as Dubulah from Transglobal Underground and features a veritable slew of contemporary Ethiopian talent.
I’m going to play you the track “Guragigna” which features Sintayehu “Mimi” Zenebe on lead vocals and is described in the liner notes as a ferociously funky Ethiopian song that sounds “like a blue taxi going at full speed with no brakes during rush hour in Addis Ababa”. Oh, well, wish me luck: Taxi!!
10 Guragigna (5:15) Dub Colossus Addis Through The Looking Glass (Real World Records)
Dub Colossus will be bringing an expanded 12 piece band to tour the UK this summer and are already booked to play the Womad festival at Charlton Park in late July.
Ok back to our special guest tonight on WorldBeatUK, world renowned Brazilian percussionist, Renato Martins, originally from São Paulo, but now a resident of Brussels (via Birmingham of course!).
We’re going to do a little live feature now utilising just Renato and a beautiful and intriguing percussion instrument and I’m going to ask Renato to describe it:
§§§ [Renato talks about the Udu Pot (or ‘moringa’ in Portuguese)]
What are you going to play Renato? OK, the mic’s all yours:
§§§
11 Sampraladebão (percussion piece performed live in studio on Udu pot by Renato Martins)
[His sponsorship by Latin Percussion, any plugs he wants to do, etc, reminder that we’ll be round the corner at the Old Crown at Digbeth after the show.]
[Feed into the connection with Surinder]:
Earlier on I mentioned that Renato and I used to perform together. In that same band almost 20 years ago was one Surinder Sandhu, originally from Wolverhampton and now an internationally renowned composer, bandleader, producer and musician in his own right, with three highly acclaimed albums under his belt and a new one almost finished which I shall certainly feature when it’s out later this year which is from his new Funkawallahs project, which aims to fuse the ethos, energy and fun of the great funk bands of old (such as Earth, Wind & Fire, Parliament and James Brown) with the global palette of cultures and sounds that shows such as this one revel in. I’m very excited about the project - particularly because I’m on the album and in the band!
In the meantime however I’d like to play a more meditative piece from his last album “The Fictionist” on the Saurang label and this is called “To You (A Mother’s Love)”
12 To You (A Mother's Love) - Surinder Sandhu from the album "The Fictionist"
[Shout outs to people - reminder of who they’re listening to - any more speech from Renato]
Ok let’s pick the tempo and the energy up a bit now and this is a track from the recent album: “Chop Our Music - Akwaaba 2 year Anniversary Super Release!” on the Akwaaba label and is a number to really shake yer bits along to. This is “Sala” by the band Appietus featuring D-Flex, Screw-Face & Mohamed.
13 Sala - (5:14) - Appietus - “Chop Our Music - Akwaaba 2 year Anniversary Super Release!” (Akwaaba Music)
Staying with the Dutch label connection, last week I played you a piece of music from the so-called Dutch speaking Caribbean in the ABC islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curação off the coast of Venezuela - a piece of papiamentu son from Oswin Chin Behilia. Well, his label, Otrabanda Records, based in the Netherlands has a wealth of little known stars and styles in its archives.
This next track is off a terrific 2007 album called “Bokoor Beats - Vintage Afro-beat, Afro-rock and electric Highlife from Ghana” from the archives of musician and studio engineer John Collins who during the 1970s recorded and played with countless great Ghanaian bands. This track I adore and is called “Atiadele” by the Mangwana Stars. It’s a total groove, music lovers!
14 Atiadele (7:12) Mangwana Stars Bokoor Beats
Now don’t say that that didn’t get you grooving!! Now, same label, Otrabanda Records, different album; this is the sound of Colombia’s Pacific coast, the sound of the marimba - utterly, utterly compelling! The album’s called “Pacifico Colombiano”, the band’s called Grupo Socavon and the track is called “Homenaje a Justino”.
15 Homenaje A Justino (5:32) Grupo Socavon Pacífico Colombiano
16 Danca da Lituania (2:35) Ophex
Ok, you just heard the sound of some Lithuanian samba and folk music given the Baile Funk treatment by DJ Ophex - just going to prove that almost everything is musical grist to the producer’s mill these days!
Thanks to special guest, Renato Martins, and remember: details to all the music I play can be found on the website: www.worldmusic.co.uk/radio; thanks to all who listened in and especially those who commented.
Don’t forget the special Rhubarb Radio Presents open day event at the Hare and Hounds Kings Heath , Birmingham, THIS Sunday 24th April - upstairs in the big room - come and find out about us, and how you can be involved in Rhubarb, meet the presenters, see live bands, and watch us actually broadcasting live from the event. Midday to almost midnight - come along, I’ll be there and will be doing a special one hour WorldBeatUK live from the Hare & Hounds - loads of good stuff, check it out on Facebook.
Otherwise tune in next week, Wed 27th April (7pm - 9pm) and meet me here when I’ll be clipping yer tickets for another 2 hour journey around the world! All aboard!
Going to leave you with some UK latino drum bass madness now. Formed for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Festival in 2001 by Colombian singer Martha Acosta & bassist Javier Fioramonti, the band Manteca released this heavenly slice of dancefloor locura from their 2009 album on Freestyle Records called “Planet Latino”. Are you ready? “Tremendo Boogaloo”
16 "Tremendo Boogaloo" (4:03) by Manteca from the album "Planet Latino"
WorldBeatUK (7th Show) - Broadcast Notes (13/4/11)
Tagged with: WorldBeatUK Glyn Phillips Rhubarb C Sharp Seth Lakeman Berroguetto ialma Serjao Loroza Parno Grazst Gypsy Groovz Blind Boys of Alabama Michel Ongara Oswin Chin Behilia Jolly Boys Bellon Maceiras Imam Baildi Azucah Manteca Rudeboy Rigolitch Huun Huur Tu
Show notes for WBUK7 (13/4/11)
1 Intro-mat (1.47) Matchatcha Nyekesse (Melodie)
Welcome back to another edition of WorldBeatUK right here on Rhubarb Radio. My name’s Glyn Phillips and for the next two hours I’ll be taking you on a musical journey around the oceans of world music.
On the show tonight we’re going to be sailing down to Galicia in Northwestern Spain for some fantastic folk-fusion, cruising over to the Caribbean for some reggae and mento from Jamaica and some papiamentu son from Curação, riding the iron horse to hear some gospel from Alabama, and on up to Canada for some afro-jazz fusion and ska, and somewhere along the way we’ll be calling in at Brazil, Kenya, Greece and two widely differing parts of Russia (St Petersburg in the Northwest and Siberia in the South East) as well as attending a wild gypsy festival in Southern Serbia. Just don’t say I don’t ever take you out anywhere…!
First up tonight let’s get it on - and get in the mood - with some ‘Lovers Rock’ from Jamaica’s C-Sharp - this is “My Love”:
2 My Love (3.35) C-Sharp
Well, ya feelin’ all loved-up now? Ready for a change of pace? This is England’s current face and voice of young English folk, Seth Lakeman, and the rocking title track off his 2010 album called “Hearts & Minds”:
3 Hearts & Minds (3.53) Seth Lakeman
And talking of folk music, last week I played you some glorious folk music from Galicia: the remote, verdant, Celtic region of Spain.
It went down so well that I’m returning there for a number of tracks tonight, kicking off with the first Galician band that really rocked my boat - the multifarious, multi-talented Berrogüetto and a track from their brilliant 2001 “Hepta” album on the Spanish Boa Music label.
This is called GaliATmatiasDOTtacom - or it might even be Galiamatiastacom - difficult to tell! Anyway, wrap yer lug’oles round this!
4 Galiamatiastacom (3.42) Berrogüetto Hepta (Boa Music)
And sticking with Galicia a wonderful band of women called Ialma. In celebration of their 10 year anniversary these five beautiful singers or ‘cantareiras’ have just released a new album “Simbiose” (which means “Symbiosis”) on the De Fol Musica label, which fuses traditional folk with everything from rap to medieval music. This particular funky jazzy song is entitled “6am”.
5 6am (3.40) Ialma Simbiose (De Fol Musica)
The Galician language, Galega, is very similar to Portuguese, and Portuguese is also the language of Brazil. Which takes me very nicely onto the next track.
Serjão Loroza is a singer/composer from Rio de Janeiro who is also a comedian, as well as an actor of stage, film and TV. He’s well known for his tracks in the ubiquitous Brazilian style of MPB (musica popular brasileira) as well as samba, rap, soul, funk, reggae and beyond.
This laidback tune - with a peculiarly Brazilian reggae undercurrent - is from a live concert by Serjão and his band Us Madureiras and is entitled “A Dois Passos de Paraíso” (Two Steps from Paradise) . . .
6 A Dois Passos do Paraíso (3.44) Serjão Loroza Serjão Loroza & Us Madureira
Last Friday (8th April) was officially the International Day of the Roma and I’d like to give a shout out and a BIG big up to Rhubarb Radio’s very own ElliNoire and her Balkanic Eruption night. If you weren’t there, you missed another winning combination of gypsy joy and balkan madness.
I’d especially like to mention the Romany Diamonds from Poland, a trio of Roma musicians who mesmerised the audience using just an acoustic guitar, an accordion and the astounding voice of the violinist. He was no mean violinist either, I can tell you! All the more amazing considering they had to follow a very large, amplified Balkan-style wedding band called Aistaguca from Nottingham! So if you get the chance check them out!
OK so that must mean it’s now time for some Gypsy music. Parno Grazst are a Hungarian Roma gypsy ensemble founded in 1987. Their name means ‘White Horse’, whereby white is a symbol of purity and the horse a symbol of freedom. Their debut album “Rávágok a Zongorára” which translates into English as the much-easier-to-say: “Hit The Piano” reached No 7 on the World Music Chart Europe in Oct 2002. This is the title track from that and I’m dedicating it to the lovely ElliNoire whose balkan show you can hear on Rhubarb Radio tomorrow at 1pm. Opre Roma!!
7 Rávágok a Zongorára (2.44) Parno Grazst Rávágok a Zongorára (ie ‘Hit The Piano’) PPR Records
More Roma madness, this time from Serbia and the wonderful Gypsy Groovz Orchestra led by trumpeter Ekrem Sajdic. They are joined here by no less than 7 other ensembles on a huge jam which was recorded and made into a compelling album. This is the first part (“Djul Zulejha”) and the third part (for which I don’t have a name) of a 35 minute piece called “Festival Tople Volde” (which translates as ‘Hot Water Festival’), recorded last year, I think, at the Guca Festival.
Their management described this recording to me as - and I quote - “made by 75 brass musicians from South of Serbian village Vranjska Banja and 10 nyabinghi rastafarian drummers of freedom who played together on live 35 minutes long song as 1-100 catharsis.” Nope, I don’t understand what that means either - but who cares, the music’s great! The album is on the Network label and is called “Night Train for Lovers and Thieves”. The Gypsy Groovz Orchestra Goes Tuttimundi!
8 Festival Tople Volde (Pt 1: Djul Zulejha) (2.10) Gypsy Groovz Orchestra Goes Tuttimundi Night Train for Lovers and Thieves (Network)
- - - CONTINUOUS - - - - - -
9 Festival Tople Volde (Pt 3) (4.06) Gypsy Groovz Orchestra Goes Tuttimundi Night Train for Lovers and Thieves (Network)
Now, the last few weeks I’ve been trying to balance the music on the show between uptempo and slow, between country and urban, and between dancefloor fillers and those of a more medit-at-ive nature and there’s usually one tune every show that demands a certain level of aural attention and openness of mind, yet delivers in turn a special spirituality or transcendency. The next track is one of those. It’s a collaboration between the Bulgarian vocal group Angelite, the Moscow Art Trio and the Siberian overtone singers Huun Huur Tu. Recorded at a live concert (always so much better than dead ones, I find!) this track - called “Fly Fly My Sadness” - is 10 minutes and 28 seconds of ethereal sonic beauty . . .
10 Fly Fly My Sadness (10.28) Bulgarian Voices Angelite, Huun Huur Tu & The Moscow Art Trio Gone To The Dogs sampler (Jaro)
Well, that certainly was music for the soul - and this next track is too, although in a more overtly religious sense. From Central Asia and Eastern Europe we’re going all the way to the Deep South of America and to the Blind Boys of Alabama.
Formed over 70 years ago in 1939 (yep, that’s what I said: 1939) by a group of young men from the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind, they have consistently poured out heartfelt gospel and RnB songs full of lush harmonies and deep roots, decade after decade. In that time they’ve won five Grammy’s, as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and profoundly influenced countless artists from the genres of gospel, blues, rock’n’roll, soul and rock.
This track is a preview taken off their forthcoming album to be released on May the 9th called “Take the High Road”. It’s on the Saguaro Road Records label and is distributed by Proper Records and it’s the first time the Blind Boys have released a traditional country-gospel album.
Co-produced by Jamey Johnson it features guests spots by Willie Nelson, Lee Ann Womack, The Oak Ridge Boys and Hank Williams Jr amongst others. However the track I’ve chosen features just the Blind Boys themselves, so that you can really hear what all the acclaim is about.
So come on, scrub your neck, comb your hair and put on your Sunday best, boys and girls - let’s go to church: “Jesus, Hold My Hand”!
11 Jesus Hold My Hand (4.31) The Blind Boys of Alabama Take The High Road (Saguaro Road/Proper)
- - - CONTINUOUS - - - - - -
12 Nashanga (5.15) Michel Ongaro Senta Lain
- - - CONTINUOUS - - - - - -
13 Intro-Mat (1.47) Matchatcha Nyekesse
You’re listening to Rhubarb Radio. I’m Glyn Phillips and this is WorldBeatUK - 2 hours of the best world music coming at you live from the Custard Factory in Digbeth, Birmingham, in the United Kingdom.
Before the jingle break you heard the sounds of The Blind Boys of Alabama with “Jesus Hold My Hand” followed immediately by - coincidentally - another blind musician: multi-instrumentalist Michel Ongaro from Kenya and a track called “Nashanga” from his album “Senta Lain” - which mixes up traditional Kenyan benga music with soukous, gospel and cuban son - and that’s on the Dutch label Hippo Records.
If you’re wondering what the music is that I use as my theme tune for WorldBeatUK that came after that and you hear at the start of the show, it’s called “Intro-Mat” and is by Congolese guitar supremo Diblo Dibala and his band Matchatcha.
Details of all the tracks that I play can be found on my own world music website: www.worldmusic.co.uk - couldn’t be simpler! (so go to: www DOT World Music DOT co DOT uk) FORWARD SLASH ‘radio’ and look for the details there. We usually post them straight after the show - or by the next day at the latest.
OK, let’s set sail again and take our imaginary clipper up the Baltic Sea past Estonia and Finland onto Russia where we’ll dock in the ancient city of St Petersburg. There we’ll find a band called the St Petersburg Ska-Jazz Review playing a South African melody done Russian ska stylee!
If any of you own or once owned a 1962 album called “Swinging Safari” by Bert Kaempfert & his Orchestra then you might well recognise the melody. This is called “Skokiaan”!
(14) Skokiaan (3.23) St Petersburg Ska-Jazz Review Too Good To Be True (Megalith)
Lot of fun, lot of fun, the St Petersbug Ska-Jazz Review and Skokiaan!
Well we might have disembarked from the ship, but it’s time now to get on yer bike! Toronto-based Canadian band Mr Something Something are as well known for their methods of powering their shows as for their music. The band have taken the energy-wasteful music industry head on and are seriously trying all kinds of ways to reduce their carbon footprint. And one of those ways is via their Soundcycle system.
Audiences at their shows are asked to personally power the band using 10 special bicycles hooked up to dynamos that can create a current of about 200 watts per bike. The energy is stored in a bank of batteries and used to run the band’s equipment during concerts; the audience volunteers each spend about 10-15 minutes on average cycling during a show and it’s proved a big hit with them, giving a new outlet for dance floor activism.
And the music? Well it’s a sort of loose blend of jazz and afrobeat. Check it out. This is from their last album “Shine Your Face” and it’s called “The Antidote”.
(15) The Antidote (5.13) Mr Something Something Shine Your Face
When British people think of the Caribbean the default image is usually of Jamaica - or maybe Barbados, Trinidad, St Lucia or any other of the English speaking West Indies.
There are those who might be into latin american music and who will add Spanish speaking islands such as Cuba or Puerto Rico into the equation, or Francophiles who will mention Haiti, Guadeloupe and Martinique to the list.
But how many people are familiar with the Dutch speaking Caribbean? - Oh Yes, it exists! - in particular the islands of Aruba, Bonaire & Curação - or as they are often known: the ABC islands. ABC. Aruba, Bonaire, Curação… Geddit?
The great little Dutch label “Otrabanda Records” have long since sought out and tracked down all manner of artists and musics that deserve better attention and in the weeks to come I hope to play some of their recordings from the Pacific Coast of Colombia as well as vintage afrobeat, afrorock and electric highlife from Ghana.
But today I’m going to play you a piece by one of Curação’s most revered musical icons, Mr Oswin Chin Behilia from his album on Otrabanda Records called “Liber”.
The music shares many similarities with Cuban son - and there is a vibrant interchange between the ABC islands and their much larger neighbour, Cuba, to the North and with their nearest neighbour, Venezuela, to the South; but you’ve probably never heard the language before - it is the indigenous creole language of the islands called Papiamentu - a hybrid between Cape Verdean creole, Portuguese, Dutch, Spanish, English, Sephardic Jewish Ladino, Arawak and various African tongues. This track is “Den Bo Kushina”.
(16) Den Bo Kushina (3.32) Oswin Chin Behilia Liber (Otrabanda Records)
Staying in the Caribbean and a group I featured two weeks ago this is the fantastic Jolly Boys from Jamaica and another track from last year’s “Great Expectation" album on the GeeJam label. The last time I played their version of Amy Winehouse’s hit “Rehab”; this time Steely Dan get the jollification treatment.
Some people, like my mate Neil, don’t like Steely Dan;
I, however, do - connected forever in my mind as they are to a wonderful summer spent hitch-hiking around Europe and in particular an amazing car journey through Western France on a warm balmy evening rolling along the French highways against a deep peachy-orange sunset and to a soundtrack of East St Louis Toodle-oo, Show Biz Kids, Bad Sneakers, Reelin’ In The Years, Bodhisattva and Rikki Don’t Lose That Number. Yes, I know, all terribly indulgent - but it’s my show and I’ll play what I like.
This time The Jolly Boys work their stripped-back mento magic on Steely Dan’s “Do It Again” - quite an appropriate title for a band who take their name from a strap-on female pleasuring device . . . (Steely Dan, that is! No, seriously!)
(17) Do It Again (3.21) The Jolly Boys Great Expectation (Gee Jam)
And talking of Doing It Again - here’s a track that I’d promised you all last week and had to pull at the last minute. From one of my favourite French producers, mashers and remixers of the moment, this is M’siou Rigolitch and his metal-reggae mash-up of Martinique’s Papa Tank and Australia’s AC/DC (yep, you heard right!) and a track called “Back In Babylone”.
(18) Back in Babylone (4.13) M’siou Rigolitch (AC/DC vs Papa Tank)
- - - CONTINUOUS - - - - - -
(19) Ska Father (1.54) Rudeboy Shut Up and Dance (Socan / Stomp Records)
Yes, yes, yes! That was the sound of Canadian ska band Rudeboy from Ottawa and off their 1998 album “Shut Up and Dance!” - a track I’m sure loads of you recognised as the theme from the Godfather film - that was the “Ska Father”.
Here’s another upbeat offering - returning to the Galician focus I had earlier on, this is a great number from the Bellón Maceiras Quinteto from their recent album “Folk Fusion” on the De Fol Musica label - called “Licantropia”’.
(20) Licantropia (4.09) Bellón Maceiras Quinteto Folkfusion (De Fol Musica)
- - - CONTINUOUS - - - - - -
(21) Azul Graso (3.53) Berrogüetto Hepta (Boa Music)
And there you had another track from a Galician band I played earlier, Berrogüetto, from their "Hepta" album and a special guest adding a bit of Hungarian groove on the cimbalom, Kalman Balogh, and a fantastic piece called “Azul Graso”.
Now here’s a piece of folk from the other end of Southern Europe, in this case Greece, as the international mash-up phenomenon that is the Falireas Brothers’ band: Imam Baildi take a traditional song by Dimita Galani and give it the cumbia dancehall treatment courtesy of MC Yinka. This is “Ta Hartina” and I defy you not to bounce up and down to this!
(22) Ta Hartina (4.16) Dimitra Galani (Imam Baildi rmx) The Imam Baildi Cookbook (EMI Greece / Sonic Bids)
Coming up towards the end of the show now - just another couple of tracks or so to go!
From the free download compilation album “Azucah Selectah” on the Latino Resiste! label and project, this is a mad piece of latin jungle by DJs Caballo and TMFK, featuring a compelling guajeo and some heavy, heavy, heavy effects!! “Azucah!”
(23) Azucah! (4.12) Caballo & TMFK Azucah Selectah
And if that wasn’t enough for you this is another mad drum’n’bass treatment of urban latin funk. Formed for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Festival in 2001 by Colombian singer Martha Acosta & bassist Javier Fioramonti, the band Manteca released this heavenly slice of dancefloor locura off their 2009 album on Freestyle Records called “Planet Latino”. Are you ready? “Tremendo Boogaloo”!
(24) Tremendo Boogaloo (4.03) Manteca Planet Latino
WorldBeatUK (6th Show) - Broadcast Notes (6/4/11)
Tagged with: WorldBeatUK Rhubarb Glyn Phillips Refugee All Stars Lek Sen Ebo Taylor Rusty Shackle Juan Sebastian Larobina Terrakota Juan Carmona Guadi Galego Mercedes Peon Edu Krieger Renata Jambeiro Carmen Souza Poly-Rythmo Fanga Barrio Tres Goldmaster Deladap
WorldBeatUK (6th Show) - Broadcast Notes (6/4/11)
1 Intro-Mat / Jingle - Matchatcha - Nyekesse (Melodie)
On the show tonight: we’ve got a bit of an african and afrocentric groove going on with some great 1970s afrobeat and contemporary vodoun afrobeat both from Benin, some retro-sounding afrofunk from Paris, as well as music from the diaspora: Brazil, Cabo Verde, and afro-latin gems from Cuba and New York; however we’re going to kick off with what is probably one of the most influential of all african descended music outside of the Blues/Rock/Jazz line and that’s reggae. Except this time we’re not heading over to the Caribbean but staying on this side of the pond.
From Sierra Leone this is the Refugee All Stars from last year’s “Rise and Shine” album on Cumbancha and “Jah Come Down”:
2 Jah Come Down - 5:21 - Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars - “Rise & Shine” (Cumbancha)
Hot on the heels another African reggae offering this time from Senegalese Lek Sen, now based in Paris and a track featuring Kiddus I and also Amadou Bagayoko of Mali’s Amadou and Mariam fame. This is from his 2010 album “Burn” (no, nothing to do with Deep Purple all you rockheads) on the French specialist Reggae label Makasound. This is called “Sa Nitee”.
3 Sa Nitee - 4:05 - Lek Sen Feat. Kiddus I & Amadou Bagayoko -“Burn” (Makasound)
Now a couple of weeks or so ago I was very excited to play a track from a great album called “Life Stories - Highlife & Afrobeat Classics 1973-1980”, highlighting the career of Beninese guitar genius Ebo Taylor. This is another great album from the Strut Records label who have a wealth of hidden gems from Africa that they are gradually getting down, dusting off, buffing up and dazzling us with. This particular track was apparently sampled by Usher - no idea on which song, but if you know, drop me a line via the chatbox on the front of the Rhubarb Radio homepage. No prizes, but I’ll give you a shout out if you recognise it.
4 Heaven - 6:04 - Ebo Taylor - “Life Stories - Highlife & Afrobeat Classics 1973-1980” (Strut Records)
Love that. Ok change of tack now away from Africa and down to Wales! Hooray! Now my good friend, ace fiddler, Twmpath queen and namesake Sian Phillips (no relation - although of course, how can anybody named Phillips with ancestry in South West Wales say that they are not related?!). Anyway, the lovely Sian (organiser of Oxfordshire’s BloxFest - more of which another day) sent me a track by a young Welsh band to listen to and here they are, with their own special brand of Folk’n’Roll, this is Rusty Shackle (www.rustyshackle.com) and a little belter called “Bandit Down”:
5 Bandit Down - 3:20 - Rusty Shackle - (www.rustyshackle.com)
- - - - - CONTINUOUS PLAY - - - - - -
6 Les Mangeux de Morues - 6:06 - Juan Sebastian Larobina
Yeah, love that last track. Yet another example of the mestizisation of world music, an Argentine born, Mexican raised, Canadian resident, Juan Sebastian Larobina, with special guest Quebecois accordionist Yves Lambert on a rollicking number called “Les Mangeux de Morues”.
And keep in the same mix it up vein musically speaking, this next track is a little bobby-dazzler!! I played the title track from their album last week, “World Massala” (on the Ojo Records label); but one track just wasn’t enough. So I’ve returned to it and selected this fantastic pot-boiler. This is Portuguese world music band Terrakota and “Kay Kay” (pronounced Kie Kie - rhymes with ‘eye’)
7 Kay Kay - 5:39 - Terrakota - “World Massala” (Ojo Records)
Last week I raved about the Belgian flamenco guitarist, Myrddin de Cauter, who as I speak is currently in London. Well, here’s another treat - much more in the style of Andalusian flamenco this is French born, gypsy descended, 3 x Grammy nominated guitarist Juan Carmona (distant cousin of the Habichuela Carmona’s of Ketama fame) and a beautiful track from last year’s “El Sentido del Aire” album on the French “Le Chante du Monde” label, featuring the vocal acrobatics of the great Duquende and one of Spain’s great jazz and flamenco pianists, Chano Dominguez. This is a ‘tangos’ entitled “Limosna”. Someone once said to me: ‘No se puede vivir de limosna’ (you can’t live on charity), but I almost feel I can live on this.
8 Lismona - 4:35 - Juan Carmona - “El Sentido Del Aire” (Le Chant du Monde) - tangos
- - - - - CONTINUOUS PLAY - - - - - -
9 Dum Paterfamilias - 5:10 - Guadi Galego & Vaamonde, Lamas & Romero - “Cantigas do Caminho” (FOL)
There is a little known region of Spain in the Northwestern corner that is greener, richer and more mysterious than the rest of the Iberian peninsula. This is the region of Galicia, the Celtic Corner of Iberia,where they speak a language closer to Portugese than Castilian Spanish.
One of Christian Europe’s most sacred centres of pilgrimage has stood there for centuries - the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and people have flocked there from all over Europe using the famous Camino (or Path) to this remote region. The last track was by Galician bagpiper and singer Guadi Galego with her trio Vaamonde, Lamas and Romero and a track called “Dum Paterfamilias” from an excellent album dedicated to songs of the pilgrims’ route; “Cantigas do Camino” on the FOL label.
On the same label is the one-woman band and veritable force of nature that is Mercedes Peon who I saw in Copenhagen last year. She’s at the avant-garde of Galician experimentation in folk and this is from her recent album “Sos” and a track called “Deroran”
10 Derorán - 3:21 - Mercedes Peón - “Sos” (FOL)
- - - - - CONTINUOUS PLAY - - - - - -
11 Intro-Mat / Jingle - Matchatcha Aimer La Danse Nyekesse
[Didn’t finish my notes this week in time - so freestyled the rest. Ahem! You’ll need to see a transcript of the show to know what I said . . .]
12 “Correnteza” 4:34 Edu Krieger “Correnteza”
13 “Oxóssi” 3:27 Renata Jambeiro “Jambeiro”
14 “Afri Ká” 5:41 Carmen Souza “Protegid”
15 “Holonon” 3:21 Orchestre Poly Rythmo “Cotonou” Club (Strut Records)
16 “Bassi Te” 5:55 Fanga “Sira Ba” (Underdog Records)
17 “Suave Me Gusta” 4:32 Barrio Tres “3am en La Habana” (Nueva Onda)
18 “Calle Luna Calle Sol” 3:46 Willie Colón - “Fania Records 1964-1980: The Original Latin Sound of New York”
19 “She’s The One” 4:12 Robin Del Castillo “Pa’ Mi Tierra “
20 “Train To Zion” 4:13 G T Moore & the Goldmaster All Stars “Alpha”
21 “Sign Your Name” 3:33 Goldmaster Allstars “Crossroads”
Now a head’s up for a couple of events happening this week at the Hare and Hounds, on Kings Heath High Street, Birmingham. First up is tomorrow night when Rhubarb’s coolest of cool cats, Shelley “I’m NOT the Boss!” Atkinson presents another Honeycomb Club, upstairs at the Hare and Hounds, featuring the heavy sounds of Birmingham’s very own ALTERNATIVE DUBSTEP ORCHESTRA alongside: RELATIVE DUB, Destroyers’ violinist LEIGHTON HARGREAVES MENDI SINGH on tabla.
As well as this expect DJ FEVA and MAXWELL 45 (alongside resident DJs: 3 x World Champ DJ SWITCH, THE DOCTOR and MALICIOUS DJ and visuals from BLENDSTATE'S LIAM d'AUTHREAU, as well as the usual great atmosphere. As Shelley points out the audience is as important as the music ...AND if that wasn’t enough …it’s the birthday of Rhubarb’s own globetrotting DJ ARIES - so expect some junglist homage! You can catch Shelley’s wonderful Sunday City Music Box right here on Rhubarb Radio every Sunday afternoon between 2 and 4pm.
Now if you like all things, Gypsy, Roma and Balkanic then here’s a shout out for the return of the great Balkanic Eruption, the first one of 2011 - on Friday 8th April (9pm-2am) at the Hare and Hounds, High Street, Kings Heath, probably the most happening venue in the West Midlands.
It’ll be featuring live music from Aistaguca (a 7-piece super high energy Balkan Gypsy Wedding Band) and also the Romany Diamonds (a Polish Roma Trio playing heart-thumping Gypsy Tunes) alongside DJ’s Chromatouch, and Uncle Zitty and probably Vjs etc.
It’s all in celebration of the International Day of the Roma and there’ll be a special screening of the short film “Be Roma or Die Tryin’”. Tickets are only £5 in advance, more on the door available via the ticketsellers.co.uk. Balkanic Eruption is put on by Rhubarb Radio’s very own hot mama ElliNoire and you can also catch her weekly show right here on Rhubarb Radio every Thursday at 1pm-2pm.
22 “Milaab” 5:22 DelaDap! (featuring RFB) “Gypsies United” (sampler)
23 “Back in Babylone” 4:13 M'siou Rigolitch (AC/DC vs Papa Tank)
WorldBeatUK (2nd Show) - Broadcast Notes (7th March 2011)
Tagged with: WorldBeatUK Glyn Phillips Rhubarb Courtney John Macire Sylla Sierra Leone Petrona Martinez Thornato Shawn Lee Carvalho Baba Zula Gevende Va Fan Fahre Trilhos Batucada Tabala Ophex Saf Vetex Phil Beer Hijaz Farka Toure Tango Fado
Hi everybody,
Since February 2011 our editor, Glyn, has been broadcasting a weekly world music show called “WorldBeatUK” (Wednesday 7pm –9pm, UK time) on Rhubarb Radio live from Birmingham, England. After some requests from some of our regular listeners we are going to try an experiment - we shall be posting the full show transcripts (within our WorldMusicUK Blog section) to help our listeners find references to the past shows artists and to get a feel for the vibe of the show.
It will also help any listeners that missed a particular WorldBeatUK show to catch up on all the musical gems that Glyn finds. Let us know if you find it useful, as we really do appreciate the feedback, and look forward to giving you many hours of world music pleasure. And for any agents, world music PR staff, record labels, etc, please feel free to email us with any World Music artistes you might like us to feature.
Regards, Dylan.
**********************************
So following are the notes for the WorldBeatUK show broadcast on the 7th March 2011. (We have no notes for the first one until we can transcribe the show).
Notes for Second WorldBeatUK show (07/03/11) –
1 VOICE OVER 1 [Theme music for the show is "Intro-Mat" by Diblo Dibala's band Matchatcha from the album "Nyekesse" (Melodie)]
Welcome to another edition of WorldBeatUK right here on Rhubarb Radio with me, Glyn Phillips! Coming up on the show tonight we’ve got music from Portugal, Colombia, South Africa, Turkey, Belgium, Mali, Argentina, New Zealand, Jamaica, Sierra Leone, Guinea Conakry and even some Kizomba from Handsworth Wood right here in Birmingham!
But right now let’s kick off with some Belgian Brass Band music! Well, kind of . . . !
2 "Moliendo Cafe" - Orch Int du Vetex - 'Flamoek Fantasy'
That was the huge brass ensemble Orchestre International du Vetex and their version of an old salsa hit, “Moliendo Cafe” off the album ‘Flamoek Fantasy’.
Staying in Belgium - and why not? - this next track is by a guy called “Saf”, off his album on the Zephyrus label - also called simply “Saf”. He’s been described as a sort of Belgian Tom Waits, combining Flemish wit and satire with musette, tango, waltzes, chanson and gipsy-swing. I’ve no idea what he’s singing about, - my sum total of Flemish being “Alles Kits Achter Der Rits” - but I really don’t care, because I love the way he just pulls you in to his Ghentish world. This track is called “t’Vertellement”.
3 "t’Vertellement" - Saf - 'Saf'
Here’s another face of the country that gave us Belgian chocolates, Belgian waffles and Tintin! Baloji is a rapper originally from Lubumbashi and Kinshasa in Congo and was previously the MC with Starflam. From his album “KInshasa Succursale” this is a wonderful track that goes by no less than three names: “Le Jour D’apres” (The Day After), Siku Ya Baadaye, and even “Independence Cha Cha”. Check out also the video on YouTube - B-a-l-o-j-i. Baloji!
4 "Le Jour D’Apres" - Balojji - 'Kinshasa Succursale'
Now then, if you’re into English Folk music at all, you can’t have failed to have come across the names Phil Beer and Steve Knightley of the duo “Show of Hands”. Phil was recently voted Musician of the Year 2010 in the Spiral Earth Awards, so I thought I’d play something celebrating that. This next track is off his 2010 box set album, named aptly enough, “Phil Beer Box Set One” released on his own Chudleigh Roots label. It’s the first in what should be a long series of archive material from Phil’s illustrious career, with some great fellow folk musicians thrown in to boot.
And because this is a world music show, and I like to mix it up a bit, I chose a track from the early 90s when Phil and Steve together with English accordionist and concertina player, Dave Townsend teamed up with some fine Chilean musicians Mauricio Venegas, Vladimir Vega and Sergio Avila in a project called “Alianza” (which is Spanish for “Alliance”); I was lucky enough to be able to see that show in Birmingham’s mac when I worked there - and it resonated with me on a couple of levels; firstly I was playing percussion with Birmingham based Chileno-Peruvian outfit Caliche at the time so I was very much into the folk side of Latin American music, and secondly because whilst living in South America during the mid-1980s I found out that my great-grandfather had actually lived and worked in the Atacama desert over 120 years ago.
So this connection between the British Isles and the far-flung reaches of South America, and the amazing journeys in sailing ships which Welsh, English and Chilean sailors took across the vast seas of the Atlantic and Pacific via Tierra del Fuego and the treacherous Magellan straits, up to central and Northern Chile, was brought wonderfully to life through this alliance of musicians. For landlubbers the seas are enormous barriers, but for the sailors they are merely pathways to another world. This track is called “Santiago”.
5 "Santiago" - Phil Beer (& Alianza) - 'Phil Beer Box Set One'
Now, if you board a ship in Chile’s Valparaiso, go up the Pacific coast of South America from Chile past the Atacama Desert and Peru, over the equator and past the mangrove swamps of Northern Ecuador you’ll eventually end up in the Colombian port of Buenaventura; from there go inland to the salsa city of Cali, and you might hear something like this . . .
6 "El Chontaduro" - Nancy Murillo - 'Tia Tova'
That was the sound of the Paris based caleña Nancy Murillo and a track called “Chontaduro” off her ‘Tia Yova’ album. You can find that on the French Label “Pure Son’g”.
More from Colombia later, but in the meantime I want to return to Belgium - or rather a mythical land that lies somewhere between Belgium, the Levant and North Africa. This is a jazzy track by the band Hijaz off their just released album ‘Chemsi’ on the Zephyrus label, and is named after an idyllic Tunisian town called “Sidi Bou Said”.
7 "Sidi Bou Said" - Hijaz - 'Chemsi'
And while we’re on a jazzy fusion tip, have you ever imagined Portuguese Fado mixed with jazz sensibilities? These guys have. This is the band Fado em Si Bemol (which translates as Fado in B minor) and a live track with a brazilianesque groove called “Fado Tropical”.
8 "Fado Tropical" - Fado em Si Bemol - 'Fado em Si Bemol'
Let’s leave Lisbon and sail South West to another great port, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and what else but the shimmering, soul-searching, sultry sounds of … TANGO! This is another band I had the honour of experiencing some years ago - one of the finest contemporary orchestras of Argentine tango, El Sexteto Mayor and a track off their ‘Vida, Pasión y Tango’ album (on the Intuition label): “Oblivión”.
9 "Oblivión" - Sexteto Mayor - 'Vida, Pasion y Tango'
Now, today, the 7th of March 2011, is exactly five years to the day of the death of one of Africa’s most famous and celebrated musical sons. I’m talking of course about the Malian guitar legend Ali Farka Toure. Born in 1939 and the only surviving child out of 10, Ali Ibrahim Toure was nicknamed “Farka” (which means ‘donkey’) by his parents in respect of his tenacity and stubbornness, presumably in managing to survive. He found international success relatively late in life and was still working as a sound engineer until 1980. The British record label, World Circuit (of subsequent Buena Vista Social Club fame) took him on board in 1990 and the rest as they say is history.
After the amazing success of “Talking Timbuktu” with Ry Cooder, Ali practically gave up his international career and went back to being a farmer on the banks of the River Niger, where he felt happiest. It was five years before he cut another album, 1999’s “Niafunké” and Ali refused to leave his village, let alone his country, so World Circuit built a studio on his land and recorded the album there!
A few years after that a French film crew went to find Ali in his village and shot a documentary about his life on the farm, interspersed with impromptu footage of him playing music. This absorbing film, shot by Marc Huraux and called simply “A Visit to Ali Farka Touré”, has been re-released on the Digital Classics label and can be found on their website DigitalClassics.co.uk or on Amazon, etc. It’s beautifully shot and really gives you a feel for what grounded this great guitarist in the soil of Mali. This next track was recorded not long before he died of bone cancer and is a duet with the great Malian kora player Toumani Diabate; it’s called “Ai Ga Bani”.
10 "Ai Ga Bani" - Ali Farka Touré - '2006 BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music'
From Mali to South Africa now and probably the most famous acapella group ever to come of out Africa, the legendary Ladysmith Black Mambazo, survivors of the apartheid era who shot to fame after being featured on Paul Simon’s “Graceland”. Like Ali Farka Toure they express their love for the land and agriculture on their new album called “Songs from a Zulu Farm" (out on the Proper Records label). This track is typical of their vocal style and is all about “Uthekwane” - an ugly bird who believes in her own beauty.
11 "Uthekwane" - Ladysmith Black Mambazo - 'Songs from a Zulu Farm'
Complete change of direction now: Ever wondered what you’d get if you crossed Bach with Brazilian Baile Funk? Ophex has . . .
12 "Bach Goes Baile Funk" - Ophex
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13 "El Toche y La Cotorra" - Sexteto Tabalá - 'Con Un Solo Pie'
Ok, that last track was called “El Toche y La Cotorra” (‘The Bird and the Parrot’) by the afro-colombian palenqueros Sexteto Tabalá (it’s from their album “Con Un Solo Pie” on the OM Producciones label). They play a mix of bullerengue, porro and baile cante as well as son palenque music, which is related to - but distinct from - the more famous Cuban son: there are no guitars, or tres, and the double bass is replaced by the tumba drum and the marimbula (similar to the marumba box of jamaican mento). In fact the cultural traditions of the area of San Basilio de Palenque have been considered so important that the entire region and its traditions have been declared a “Master Piece of Oral Heritage” by UNESCO in 2005.
Now Colombia is bursting with unbelievable rhythms and musical traditions, the most famous of which is ‘Cumbia’ from the country’s Caribbean coast. So, let’s take some cumbia and drop it thousands of miles away in New Zealand in the hands of the Batucada Sound Machine and see what happens: it changes, it becomes... “Cumbia del Cambio” . . . !
14 "Cumbia del Cambio" - Batucada Sound Machine
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15 "El Choclo" - Fabricio Gatta
16 Voice Over 2
Welcome back. Before the break you heard the beautiful tango “El Choclo”, performed by the Argentinian pianist Fabricio Gatta.
Next up, just to prove that it’s not just fado that comes out of Portugal this is “Celta 1” by Trilhos off their album “Avariação”
17 "Celta 1" - Trilhos - 'Avariação'
So, a shout out going to Michael de Schryver over in Ghent - hope you’re enjoying the show so far; if not then this should buck you up: More Belgian brass madness - Va Fan Fahre’s first tune off their second album (“Zet Je Maar”): This is “Mashki”!
18 "Mashki" - Va Fan Fahre - 'Zet Je Maar'
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19 "Celick Comak" - Gevende
The last track was from Turkish psychedelic folk band Gevende entitled “Celick Comack” who sing their songs in a language they’ve completely invented themselves;
Following that, we’ve got their stablemates on Pasion Turca roster, pioneers of Turkish psychedelia and an amazing live band, Istanbul’s very own Baba Zula. Imagine if Hawkwind and Gong had been genetically transplanted into Asia Minor replete with electric saz, mind-zapping visuals and costumes, psychebelly dancers and some heavy-weight moustaches that make even Lemmy look like he’s only got teenager’s bumfluff on his top lip! Look for them on the Doublemoon record label. This track is called “Abdulcanbaz”.
20 "Abdulcanbaz" - Baba Zula
You think all world music is made elsewhere”? Then think again. Birmingham is just dripping with great musicians brimming with ideas. Handsworth’s Rob Carvalho has offered us up this Kizomba track: “One More Dance”.
21 "One More Dance" - Carvalho
Staying in Britain, London-based American composer Shawn Lee once again brings out his Ping Pong Orchestra to record another album on the Ubiquity label, this time called “World of Funk”. Featuring Clutchy Hopkins and Dengue Fever’s Cambodian singer, Chhom Nimol this is “Ghost In The Rain”:
22 "Ghost In The Rain" - Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra - 'World of Funk'
I’m sorry, I can’t resist it anymore - I jus’ gots to go back to Colombia! Right back to the village of San Basilio de Palenque and the Thornato remix version of “Sepiterna” by the great afro-colombian singer Petrona Martinez - la reina del bullerengue
23 "Sepiterna" - Petrona Martinez (Thornato rmx)
Last week I played a strange sexy tune called “Jungle Fever” by the Belgian based afro-Colombian band, Maguaré, which got some good feedback from you guys out there. The singer of that band, Paola Marquez, is also in another band on the Zephyrus label called ‘El Sur’, but they come from a very different Latin American tradition, that of the nueva trova. This is a beautiful ballad entitled “Canción de las Simples Cosas” - Song of the Simple Things . . . Esto es para ti, Marangita...
24 "Canción de las Simples Cosas" - El Sur - 'Música con Fundamento'
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25 "Living Stone" - Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars - 'Rise and Shine'
You’ve just heard the Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars from last year’s hit album on Cumbancha, ”Rise and Shine”, and a track called “Living Stone” - geddit? We are the Living Stone? Livingstone? “Livingstone, I presume”… Well, I enjoyed the pun, thanks guys.
Swiss based, but Conakry Guinean-born chanteuse Macire Sylla’s latest album ‘Talitha’ on the French Pure Son’g label is full of bubbling grooves and catchy afro-pop. This is a new version of an older song of hers called “Aidara”.
26 "Aidara" - Maciré Sylla - 'Talitha'
Getting near to the end of the show now. I’ve been receiving some really interesting releases and pre-releases from Jamaica recently and very much ‘hot off the press’ is Courtney John’s album “Made In Jamaica” and the wonderful lovers’ rock tune (with a great video to boot - check it out on YouTube), “Lucky Man”.
27 "Lucky Man" - Courtney John - 'Made In Jamaica'
*** Well thanks for listening. See you all next week!
I’m going to leave you with this ‘interesting’ little track. Enjoy the rest of the evening!
28 "Don’t Worry, Be Happy"- Bobby McFerrin, Cobra, Beanie Man
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