Spin the Globe World Music CD Reviews September = 2006

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World Music CD Reviews, September=20 2006
Album of the=20 Month
	R=E9gis Gizavo, Louis Mhlanga, David = Mirandon:=20 Stories Marabi buy CD/hear = samples
Who doesn't marvel at the world of musicians? = They=20 travel, they meet players from other nations, even = other=20 continents. And once in a while, they form bonds that = blossom=20 into amazing collaborations. Think Taj Mahal and = Toumani=20 Diabate's Kulanjan. Bob Brozman and = Takashi=20 Hirayasu's Jin Jin/Firefly. Hukwe Zawose = and Michael=20 Brook's Assembly. To the list of = favorite=20 cross-cultural collaborations, add Stories.=20 The tale in this case is that of Zimbabwean = guitarist=20 Louis Mhlanga (see solo album review below), Malagasy=20 accordionist R=E9gis Gizavo, and French drummer David = Mirandon.=20 The latter two have played together for a decade, but = the tale=20 of how they met, and how Mhlanga joined up with them, = is one=20 you won't read about in the liner=20 notes. Indeed, only five of the 12 songs are given = any=20 description in the notes, which include no lyrics. Yet = this=20 leaves me curiously unperturbed. Perhaps it's the = rootsy yet=20 immanently catchy melodies, or the way the three = musicians=20 play like old friends. The sparse notes imply that the = album=20 was recorded "live" with no overdubs, though my ears = hear a=20 bass line that is neither accordion nor guitar. = Regardless of that minor detail, what you do = get is=20 master musicians working beautifully together. Among = the most=20 catchy pieces are the irresistible "Mari Hakuna" and=20 "International Rumba," both penned by Mhlanga (who = wrote the=20 majority of the songs on Stories). Gizavo = shines on=20 "Efa Olo Be (Be Responsible)." Mirandon, who provides=20 brilliantly subtle percussion throughout the album, = gets a=20 moment in the spotlight on the brief-but-satisfying = "F=E9n=E9lus."=20 Each of them deserves credit, but the real story here = is how=20 musical brothers can be born in different nations, yet = will=20 still manage to discover each other and create from = that=20 discovery beautiful sounds. Very highly recommended.=20 =A92006 Scott Allan Stevens, Earball=20 Media
THIS JUST IN! ... New = World Music=20 CD Releases
*Louis Mhlanga: World = Traveller=20* (Sheer Sound / Calabash) buy CD \| hear=20 samples/buy mp3s Like so=20 many great guitarists, Louis Mhlanga is self-taught, = and=20 started young (age 10). He learned by copying pop and = rock=20 music by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The = Rolling=20 Stones, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple. He also studied = African=20 guitar traditions, and like fellow Zimbabweans Oliver = Mtukudzi=20 and Thomas Mapfumo, he transferred the patterns of the = mbira=20 to his chosen instrument. On=20 World Traveller, his third solo album, = Mhlanga shows=20 a sophisticated side and brings in friends from his = travels:=20 Orchestra Baobab is featured on the opening "Rhumba = All The=20 Way, a lilting invitation to dance with shimmering = guitar. A=20 different guitar flavor kicks in on "Spreading Some = Love"=20 featuring Jamaican axeman Ernest Ranglin." The slow = "Kamba=20 Kemaziso" features the distinctive guitar of Habib = Koite (and=20 nods to "All Along the Watchtower"), along with the = acoustic=20 bass of Mhlanga's longtime collaborator Eric Van der = Westen.=20 =93My music is just an expression of my experiences = and the=20 connection I have with day-to-day events. Mhlanga = says. "It is=20 also about the happiness I feel when I=92m able to = reach other=20 souls through my music.=94 In a=20 flurry of southern African talent, he reaches out to = Busi=20 Mhlongo, Oliver Mtukudzi, and Chiwoniso, all of whom = are=20 featured on the rhumba "Zuva." The album also features = the=20 catchy Mhlanga originals "International Rhumba" and = "Mari=20 Hakuna" -- which you can find in different versions on = Mhlanga's new collaboration Stories, reviewed = above.=20 Get this as a complement to Stories, or just get it. = Highly=20 recommended. I just hope I get a chance to see this = amazing=20 artist perform live some day. Pauliina Lerche: Malanja=20 (Ruote) buy CD/hear samples Her second=20 solo album finds singer/multi-instrumentalist Pauliina = Lerche=20 more in touch with her Finish/Kerelian roots, and less = prone=20 to experimentation than on her previous = Indian-flavored=20 Katrilli and in her work with Kriya. She = plays=20 accordion, kantele, violin and deltar, accompanied by=20 accordion, acoustic guitar, vibraphone, kaval, low = whistle,=20 Estonian bagpipes, dobro and Carnatic violin. Lerche = grew up=20 in the musical hothouse of R=E4=E4kkyl=E4 in Northern = Karelia, which=20 has produced numerous ethnic/folk music groups, the = most=20 famous of which is V=E4rttin=E4, in which she played = in the=20 original line-up. In addition to her solo career she = also=20 sings and plays violin in Burlakat, a group that sings in the = Karelian=20 language. Various Artists: Palm World = Voices:=20 Spirit (Palm Pictures) buy CD/DVD & hear = samples Various Artists: Palm World = Voices:=20 Mandela (Palm Pictures) buy CD/DVD & hear = samples Dear Palm=20 Pictures: First, I want to say how much I admire = your Palm=20 World Voices series of releases. Sure, some cynics = might=20 accuse you of mining your back catalog for these = compilation=20 releases, but even if that's true, you've clearly put = a lot of=20 additional effort into them. There's the music CD and = the DVD=20 replete with on-location video and sound from around = the=20 planet. And the amazingly detailed National Geographic = fold-out map with photos, drawings, and heaps of info. = And the=20 detailed 40-50 page booklet with more history and = context, all=20 bundled in an attractive (if somewhat flimsy) case.=20 Still,=20 aspects of these releases have been hit or miss. Just = as=20 Baaba Maal was better than = Africa, I find Mandela = more=20 engaging than Spirit. Frankly, I was = surprised upon=20 opening the latter to find that it wasn't -- as I = supposed --=20 a general celebration of the spiritual traditions of = the=20 planet, but rather an ambient music-and-video perusal = of the=20 "people of the desert" with a strong emphasis on the = Middle=20 East. I wonder if this was a marketing decision, a = concession=20 to the supposition that it would be difficult in these = times=20 of war and terror to sell something labeled as Arabic = or=20 Middle Eastern? I'm sure=20 the Mandela project was free of such complications. = Nelson=20 Mandela is today so widely revered as the key that = opened the=20 door to a modern, one-man one-vote South Africa, that = who=20 wouldn't want to hear, watch, and learn more about = him? His=20 story is really the story of modern South Africa from = his=20 royal birth to his 27-year imprisonment to his triumph = as the=20 first freely elected president. The president of all = South=20 Africans. The DVD, with images from the pre-transition = violence to the celebratory inauguration ceremony, = marvelously=20 conveys the highs and lows the nation has experienced. = The CD=20 with 26 pieces of music from the likes of Vusi = Mahasela, The=20 African Jazz Pioneers, The ANC Choir, The Specials, = Johnny=20 Clegg and Savuka, and many others is a delight. And I = love=20 that you've concluded it with the stirring "Black = President"=20 by the late Brenda Fassie. This is truly a powerful = and=20 fitting multimedia tribute to one of the great and = inspiring=20 leaders of our age. Your Palm=20 World Voices projects may have a few flaws, but = overall=20 they're wonderful contributions to global = understanding. I=20 wish you every success with this series. Various Artists: Afro-Uruguayan = Rhythms:=20 Candombe (Surmenages World = Rhythms) buy DVD/CD Why would=20 someone want to parade through the streets carrying a = drum big=20 and heavy enough to hurt their back? That's the = question posed=20 by Pablo Cu=F1a, director of "Comparasa Ruanda" on the = DVD part=20 of this percussion-drenched package. His answer: "When = you=20 start playing, one enters Candombe magic bubble, where = its=20 original religious and mystical aspects can still be = found,=20 generating an energy that makes you find your inner=20 strengths." Grammar aside, anyone who has drummed = knows what=20 he's talking about. And while Uruguay's candombe may = not be as=20 well known as similar Brazilian or Cuban rhythms, it's = no less=20 powerful. As the scenes of neighborhood processions = show, it's=20 the people's music. This=20 CD/DVD combo is a great point for starting or = continuing your=20 exploration of candombe. The CD comprises 15 pure = percussion=20 tracks both solo and ensemble, so you can hear and = learn about=20 the drums separately and as an ensemble. The DVD also = includes=20 an introduction to the various drums and how to play = them,=20 along with musician interviews and scenes from = candombe=20 processions (think carnival!). Two quips: 1) The live=20 procession scenes are overdubbed, so you don't get to = hear the=20 actual drumming from the groups you're watching; 2) = the DVD=20 chapters aren't quite as listed. Otherwise, this is an = excellent production that should be at home in the = collection=20 of any drummer or world music fan. More on=20 candombe: Candombe at wikipedia condombe.com *Albert Kuvezin and Yat-Kha: = Re-Covers=20* (World Village) buy CD/hear samples "It wasn=92t=20 until the sounds of Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, and = Slayer=20 reached his homeland of Tuva=97a remote area of = southern Siberia=20 nestled between the Altai and Sayan Mountains=97that = Kuvezin=20 found the musical bridge between his voice, his = heritage, and=20 the universe." So says the promo material, and hearing = this=20 album of rock covers done in booming kargyraa, who are = we to=20 argue. Either you'll love this or find it baffling and = incomprehensible. The tracklist tells the story: = Tracks: When The Levee Breaks (Led = Zeppelin) Man Machine (Kraftwerk) Ramblin=D5 Man (Hank Williams) In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (Iron Butterfly) Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division) = Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles = (Captain=20 Beefheart) Song About A Giraffe (Vladimir Vysotskiy) = Orgasmatron (Motorhead) Will You Go, Lassie, Go? (trad., = from the=20 McPeake Family) Toccata (Paul Mauriat) Black Magic Woman (Carlos Santana Version) = Exodus (Bob Marley) Play With Fire (Rolling Stones) Song Of Mergen (Alexei Tchyrgal-Ool) = *Izaline Calister: Kanta = Helele=20* (Network) buy CD/hear samples Wowed as=20 we were at Calister's first album, this follow up = (subtitled=20 "Afro-Caribbean rhythms and ballads from Curacao Part = 2") is=20 no disappointment. Tight arrangements and songs = ranging from=20 the festive "Mi So Den Boso / Come Eat and Drink" to = the=20 Cape-Verde-pensive ("Bisami Si / Say Yes") highlight=20 Calister's songwriting strength, and the wisdom of the = various=20 arrangers she employs for different musical styles. = Highly=20 recommended. Various Artists: The Rough Guide = to the=20 Music of Malaysia (World Music = Network) buy CD/hear samples What may=20 surprise about the music on this new compilation is = the degree=20 to which this music doesn't sound Asian at all. Middle = Eastern=20 influences abound, as do Bollywood themes. A result of = Malaysia's centrality in regional trade, the sounds = also=20 reflect the nation's multicultural identity, with a = population=20 of Indian, Chinese, Malay, and others. This disc will = contain=20 surprises for even the jaded world music palate. = *Elisete: Gaagua/Longing=20* (self-released) buy CD/hear=20 samples Simply=20 put, where else are you going to get Portuguese-Hebrew = reggae-pop? Only, I assert, from someone like = Brazilian-born=20 Elisete Retter. The emotion of the title track refers = to=20 Elisete's nostalgia for her homeland, even as she = solidifies=20 her roots in her adopted Israel (where she's lived for = 15=20 years now). With a light, buoyant Brazilian vocal = style and=20 solid arrangements (that admittedly sometimes veer too = far=20 into bland pop territory), Longing is a = pleasant if=20 not groundbreaking cultural mashup. *Gani Mirzo: 1001 Noches=20* (World Village) buy CD/hear samples Born in=20 Qamishli, Kurdistan, Gani Mirzo now teaches at the = Liceo=20 Conservatory in Barcelona. In the wake of the sacking = of the=20 National Library of Iraq during the 2003 US invasion = of Iraq,=20 he collaborated with Comediants theater-troupe leader = Joan=20 Font to create a multimedia work. This is the = soundtrack to=20 that production, which revolves around an emblematic = book.=20 More than a million books were lost, among them = thousands of=20 copies of The Thousand and One Nights. This book, Font = says,=20 contains it all: "the abuse of power, travel, = infidelity, the=20 Baroque world, myths and legends that are still alive. = ... To=20 deliberately erase the traces of a civilisation is a = shameful=20 act, however doing so for bastardly interests, under = the guise=20 of democratic ideals is a crime against humanity." The = music=20 by Mirzo (oud), Neila Ben Bey (voice), Chandra Naraine = (percussion), Juan Jose Barreda (flamenco guitar), and = Sergio=20 Menem (cello) is rich and haunting. Also mysterious, = as the=20 liner notes include no specific information on the 24 = songs.=20 An engaging work, but it makes me want to see the full = production. Where's the DVD? *Richard Khuzami: Fused=20* (Dahdoo Records) buy CD \| hear samples/buy mp3s Richard=20 Khuzami was raised in New York, but has roots in = Lebanon. This=20 album draws from many traditions, including funk, = jazz, and=20 Bollywood, most with a Middle Eastern musical = foundation. His=20 website has lyrics to all the songs, from the = amped-up,=20 percussion-drenched intro "Bazaar Bop" to the=20 multicultural-themed duet (triet?) "Mayflower Daughter = Marrakesh Lover" with singers Li Chauviere and Emrah = Yilmaz,=20 to the self-explanatory "Faruk's Funk." The song=20 "The Serpent" (no relation to Snakes on a Plane) is a duet between=20 Arab-American Maurice Chedid and Israeli-American = Dorit.=20 Khuzami says the lyrics are "a plea for sanity in an = insane=20 part of the world: If we all practiced the basic = tenants of=20 our related religions, then all the manipulations of = demigods=20 on all sides would have no success: Respect and = tolerance:=20 with it we can move mountains, without it we can only=20 destroy." Well, yeah. Nice message, and a great find = for=20 lovers of Middle Eastern percussion and/or Arabic pop. = *Nikitov: Vanderlust=20* (Chamsa) buy CD/hear samples For an odd=20 collection of musicians with roots in classical, jazz, = latin,=20 rock, and Balkan music, Nikitov is straight outta = Haarlem. And=20 New York. Led and managed by vocalist Niki Jacobs, the = group=20 spins through 14 tight and twisting Yiddish tunes on=20 Vanderlust (which of course is Yiddish for "a = desire=20 for travel/adventure"). From traditional songs = ("Ruymeynien=20 trink Melodye," "Di Alte Kashe") to originals such as = the=20 instrumental "Hora di Gitar," this warmly recorded = album=20 captures a wide emotional range from joy to sorrow and = back=20 again. The Buddhist Monks: My Spirit = Flies to=20 You (Universal) buy CD/hear samples Do=20 Buddhists lack sex appeal? Are they just old men = chanting in a=20 musty temple? Those are questions you might ask if you = were=20 defining the problem to which this this album is, = perhaps, a=20 solution. The monks of Sakya Tashi Ling Monastery in=20 Catalonia, Spain, recite mantras for purification and = health,=20 and it's these mantras that were recorded in a 10-hour = session=20 of "consecutive chanting." Turns out, many more hours = of work=20 ensued, perhaps also in a marathon session, judging = from some=20 of the dicey decisions made in adding overbearing = beats and=20 electronic bits to the monks voices. I'll concede that = the=20 mixes are fairly tame by some standards, not thumpy=20 dance-floor monstrosities. Yet I feel about this as I = do about=20 remixes of Ladysmith Black Mambazo: With vocals that = are so=20 inherently powerful, you risk weakening them by adding = to=20 them. Even if the music is well arranged and the = women's=20 voices are hip and soulful. The chanting here often = becomes=20 mere percussion for songs that want to be pop anthems, = or=20 soulful ballads. My Spirit Flies to You is = too much,=20 too slick, too overproduced. Frankly, it's trying too = hard. It=20 may have some crossover appeal, and it might even = serve as a=20 gateway to world music for some mainstream listeners. = But=20 world music fans, beware. =A92006=20 Scott Allan Stevens, Earball=20 Media

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