"I can't explain in words," says a voice a couple of times, in one of the songs. I think the same thing is valid for the satisfaction one gets from the whole albume. Mercan Dede uses the rhythms and the moods present in sufi music, and creates an above-all-feelings music that just becomes an eternal delight to listen. It's important to note that Mercan Dede believes in sufi philosophy and shows his appreciation throughout his original electronic style. For those, who are trying to choose which of his albumes to purchase, I'd recommend 'Seyahatname'. Mercan Dede made two more albumes after 'Seyahatname', 'Nar' and 'Su', released lately. 'Nar' is also recommended highly. By Burak Kilic
Sowing New Seeds, Strengthening Old Roots Wardruna is a Norwegian musical constellation set out to explore and evoke the depths of Norse wisdom and spirituality. Musically Wardruna has its main focus on the cultic musical language found in the near-forgotten arts of galder, seidr and the daily acts of the cultic life, mixed with impulses from Norwegian / Nordic folk music and music from other indigenous cultures.
The upcoming album entitled ‘gap var Ginnunga’ will be the first in the planned Runaljod trilogy that will interpret the runes of the elder futhark. The subsequent albums will be entitled ‘Yggdrasil’ and ‘Ragnarok’. Each album will feature eight runes, but not in accordance with the order of the three aettirs (families), which is most commonly used. ‘gap var Ginnunga’ will feature the following runes:
Hagal Bjarkan Thurs Jara Laukr Kauna Algir Dagr Recordings partly take place outdoors at locations relevant to the different runes. The instruments we use are mainly old and historical instruments, such as deer-hide frame drums and ceremonial drums, mouth harp, clove / hoof rattles from deer and goat, bone flute, goat and cow horns, Hardanger fiddle and bowed lyres. More unconventional inputs like trees, stones, water, fire etc. are also employed to enhance the nature of the rune being ‘portrayed’. -Kvitrafn, 2007
Gaahl (Vocals)
Kvitrafn (Vocals, All Instruments, Samples, Lyrics)
Lindy Fay Hella (Vocals)
Hallvard Kleiveland (Hardanger Fiddle)
Review by Henry Lauer
Runa means mystery, and to me the word mystery conjures a dark, cloud-stained horizon, a pregnant foreboding, a sense of awe in the face of the wilds of nature. This album is an exploration of the spirit of the runes (eight of them to be exact), and insofar as it evokes exactly these same images…I have to pronounce it a brilliant success.
Despite the black metal background of several of Wardruna’s members, this music bears little resemblance to metal, excepting insofar as it shares black metal’s ability to evoke the misty horizon of mystery. The music is woven from repetitive beats, layers of droning tones (flutes, keyboards, and who knows what else), and some very powerful singing. It brings to bear traditional European musical forms, elements of what I would call “world fusion,” and also more modern music production techniques.
Thus we have the mournful ecstasy of Hardanger fiddle; a range of percussive forms that take down-tempo or world-fusion in a very organic, primal direction; and vocals that range from powerful recitations (almost like runic rapping) through to some compelling throat singing (which again sends the aesthetic and appeal of this very Northern album’s reach well beyond the borders of Europe).
The music is intensely ritualistic, with cycling rhythms and circling patterns of drone and melody subtly building to intense effect. It easily draws the listener into trance, head nodding gently, feet stamping, wordless chants on lips. As waves of naturalistic samples, chimes, mouth harp, horns, and throat-sung runes caress the listener’s ears a sense of mythic time becomes all-enveloping.
Therein lies the genius of this album: in fusing traditional and non-traditional elements Wardruna have afforded themselves the perfect musical toolkit for invoking a mythic sense of history. This distillation of mystery conjures an epoch that almost never was…yet one that always seems to hover nearby, ineluctable but palpable, if we can but still our minds for a moment.
Otherworldly yet earthy, dream-like yet compelling – this album gathers paradoxes with a deft touch, drawing us away into the depths of ancient memory. The passion, reverence, and sincerity of its treatment of something as sacred as the runes is to be greatly admired, and this album is pretty much a must-own for anyone interested in the pre-Christian roots of Europe (and for everyone, really).
The best part is that Wardruna have promised this to be the first in a trilogy of albums, so we can be virtually assured that we can look forward to much more of this brilliant band’s creative output.
Review by Don Snowden Recorded in Paris in 1978, On Verra Зa is the first recording by the fully matured Orchestra Baobab. The rumba influence is pronounced on the opening "El Son De Llama," but mostly the Latin tinge has now been absorbed into a distinctive group sound, with upbeat, sprightly songs like "Africa" built around choppy, syncopated riffs flavored by horns and a galloping rhythm guitar. "Sibam" follows that blueprint, but the tempo is faster and there's a stronger percussion presence than the light norm here. The title track is the masterpiece in this vein the vocal blend makes the endlessly repeated riff broken up by brief solos not only bearable, but so totally hypnotic it sticks in your head for days. The slow, mournful "Tante Marie" boasts two-sax horn parts and a moody guitar melody the opening to Barthelemy Attisso's solo opening even sounds a little bit like something from the third Velvet Underground album, of all things. "El Fuego" has more of a Latin lilt and exceptionally good voices, while the horns and those vocal harmonies again really cut through on the highly infectious "Digon." It's hard to pinpoint precisely what makes Orchestra Baobab's vocal squad sound so special probably a combination of the quality of the different voices and the unforced naturalness and sincerity of the singing. The highly compressed sound that prevents the music from punching hard probably keeps On Verra Зa from being a great album, but it's a highly enjoyable one and certainly put Orchestra Baobab on the road to the Bamba bomb.
After a year of musical soul-searching Africando have returned with arguably their best recording so far. It is hard to know if it is because the multi-cultural band was galvanised by the premature losses of Alfredo Rodriguez (who arranged three of the album’s songs) and Beninois crooner Gnonas Pedro. Or is it the result of the maturity they have accumulated in the last 15 years, allied to the injection of new blood, in the form of Senegalese singers Basse Sarr and Pascal Dieng, and American salsero Joe King?
Be that as it may, this is a wonderful descarga (jam session), full of improvisation and bite. It once again brings North American salsa back to its African roots, via the studios of Miami, Paris, Abidjan, Bamako and Dakar. This is appropriately summed up in the album title, since “Ketukuba” means “from the origins to Cuba” (in one of Benin’s numerous languages).
One of these origins is the West African percussion patterns that went on to become the “clave” in Cuba. This 3-2 rhythm is at the heart of Cuban “son”, a beat that evolved in the music cauldrons of New York’s Spanish Harlem and Puerto Rico. Africando have reaped the cumulative riches of these successive migrations. They distil them in eleven tracks that maintain a breakneck yet refreshing tempo. They are perhaps the only band in the world capable of allying Mandingo melodies with salsa and present them in the Lingala, Mandingo or Wolof languages.
“Viens Danser sur le Son Africando” epitomises this graceful osmosis. This Mandingo salsa is the most African of the songs and is illuminated by the clarion-like voice of Sekouba Bambino. But there is also the scintillating “Mario”, a song from Kinshasa that the legendary Franco made into a transcontinental hit. The salsa transformation of a classic rumba is likely to hit dance floors on three continents - though few will understand that it is about the misadventures of a Latino gigolo abandoned by all the women he attempts to seduce.
The lyrics vary from tales of a beautiful Fulani woman (“Coumba Peul”) to hardnosed warnings to leave the singer alone (“Bogne Sirala”). Yet it is the warm pleas for friendship, humanity and tolerance that stand out. There is the moving “Fatalikou”, an “African lament” about a sterile woman that is my personal favourite; the Wolof tune “Dieguema” calls for support in moments of solitude; the salsa-driven “Ker” is an ode of gratitude to a father from his son (“you are my tree, my shadow”); while the guaguanco song “Sagoo” is a rallying call for peace and solidarity between humans. Unfortunately, the slightly cheesy arrangements here betray the lofty message.
But this album’s merry mixture of guajira, guaganco, rumba and salsa is a rich enough message in itself, and it glosses over such quibblings. Latino swing married to African voices … what more can the aficionados and the non-initiates ask for as the European winter gloom invades our horizon? Well, the genteel Gnonas I met in December 2003 would have been pleased with his warm farewell gift.~Daniel Brown
AfroCubism is the long-awaited collaboration between Cuban and Malian musicians meant to take place when the Buena Vista Social Club was born. Songlines describes it as "a quite superb coming together of Cuban and Malian traditions to create something that sounds excitingly fresh and new." The Guardian calls it "an elegant, gently exquisite album"; the Observer says it's "a delight.
BBC Review: Jon Lusk 2010-10-08 Belated collaboration between Malian and Cuban musicians results in a fine album.
It’s not always a disaster when plans go astray. Fourteen years after the celebrated sessions in Havana that gave rise to the Buena Vista Social Club, AfroCubism is a re-imagining of how that record might have sounded if the original idea of a collaboration between Malian and Cuban musicians had worked out. In the event, the Malians didn’t arrive, so the project became almost purely Cuban, and spawned the eponymous mega-hit. Of course, many of those involved are sadly no longer with us. Even so, AfroCubism brings together core members of the originally envisaged group with several Mali-based luminaries. Although the material is equally divided between the two cultures, the predominant ambience of AfroCubism is West African. In fact, the sound and arrangements often recall the lovely instrumental album Ballad of Manding (2007) by the inexplicably obscure guitarist and ngoni player Zoumana Diarra. The best-known figure on AfroCubism – and arguably the group’s leader – is guitarist and singer Eliades Ochoa, who featured on Buena Vista Social Club’s version of Chan Chan. He opens the vocals with a beautifully relaxed take on Al Vaivén De Mi Carreta, a song he once recorded with its composer, Cuban troubadour Ñico Saquito. In a deft symbolic gesture, the other main singer Kasse-Mady Diabaté takes over in the second half, gently moderating his usually stern griot tone to suit the vibe. Kora maestro Toumani Diabaté maintains a surprisingly discreet presence throughout, only really cutting loose on his own fine composition Mali Cuba, and later on Benséma. Djelimady Tounkara will be familiar to fans of the Super Rail Band, and his fluid, mildly psychedelic electric guitar is especially impressive on Djelimady Rumba. Lassana Diabaté drops breathtaking runs on his balafon (wooden xylophone) into many of the pieces. The other major star is ngoni specialist Bassekou Kouyate, who startles by switching to an amplified bass version of his instrument on the spooky and atmospheric Dakan. Horns, a rhythm section and backing vocalists fill out the arrangements. World Circuit’s two decade-plus exploration of the long history of musical exchange between Cuba and West Africa didn’t necessarily guarantee the success of AfroCubism, but these players seem to have overcome considerable cultural differences and generated good chemistry together. If the ego issues that often beset such supergroups can be kept in check, this probably won’t be their only outing.
Amazon.com --Christina Roden Azam Ali, who was born in Iran and raised in India, also sings lead for Vas. Given her background, her attraction to Western medieval traditions (she cites the German abbess-composer Hildegard von Bingen as a major influence) makes perfect sense. After all, European early music was largely built on the Middle Eastern sounds and instruments brought home by returning crusaders. At times, Ali's vocals recall the great Spanish mezzo Montserrat Figueras, who explored the same connection but in a more earthbound, sensual manner. By comparison, Ali is an ethereal force, soaring white-winged and untouched over pungent period strings and percussion. She is equally at home in Latin, French, Ladino (the lingua franca of the Judeo-Spanish tradition), Galician (from Northern Spain and closely resembling Portuguese), and Arabic. This eclectic set will definitely thrill fans of ambient, new age, and world music, but adventurous classical listeners might also want to give it a try.
01. Lasse Pour Quoi (Anon. early 14th century, French Provencal) 02. La Serena (Sephardic, Juedo-Spanish) 03. Breton Medley (Instrumental, Brittany) 04. O Felix (12th century, Latin) 05. Ben Pode Santa Maria (13th century, Galician-Portuguese) 06. O Quanta Qualia (12th century, Latin) 07. Sackpipslat (Instrumental, Sweden) 08. Aj Ondas (Early 14th century, Galician) 09. A Chantar M'er (Late 12th century, French Provencal) 10. Inna-l-Malak (Byzantine, Arabic) 11. El Rey De Francia (Sephardic, Judeo-Spanish)
The solo project of Azam Ali, released as Portals of Grace, is an eclectic collection of medieval music. Most of the 11 compositions on this CD are either of Eastern origin or have been selected for their "oriental ring."
Before moving to Los Angeles, Iranian-born Azam Ali was raised in India and it is obvious that her musical taste was shaped by her Persian heritage and exposure to the musical legacy of the Indian Subcontinent. Both a vocalist and trained instrumentalist (Azam has studied the santour with Manoocher Sadeghi), her performance focuses on melody rather than lyrics, using her own voice as an instrument. She first experimented with this in a formation called Vas, in which she worked with the versatile percussionist Greg Ellis.
Portals of Grace combines songs dating back to 12th-14th century France and southern Europe, with instrumental interpretations of Breton and Swedish music. The result is a musical composite of surprising coherence. Who could have guessed that elements from the Celtic and Nordic tradition can be successfully integrated with Latin chants and vocal performances based on lyrics taken from the Iberian region of Galicia, France and the Sephardic Jews from Moorish Spain? Only the origin of "Inna-l-Malak" puzzled me. I am not sure what to make of its description as being at the same time Byzantine and Arab. However, in spite of that confusion the number became one of my favorites, together with the recording of "La Serena." Both interpretations betray Azam's firm rooting in a musical tradition that can be traced back to the Islamic world of the Middle Ages, where traditions from East and West found a fertile soil. It was the genius of that civilization, which made a fusion of cultural expressions that were Islamic, Christian, Jewish -- even pagan -- in origin possible.
With this project Azam has taken up that challenge once more. The CD's title creates the impression that the repertoire is of a truly spiritual nature. Without a doubt that was the intention and purpose of the original compositions that lie at the basis of Portals of Grace. This production, however, is clearly trying to achieve a certain effect: to evoke a mood rather than appeal to spiritual sensibility in a narrow sense. That is not to say that Azam Ali has fallen short in her endeavor. On the contrary, Portals of Grace is soothing for the soul. by Carool Kersten
This is the second new recording by percussion master Babatunde Olatunji for Mickey Hart's series "The World." In contrast to the preceding DRUMS OF PASSION: THE BEAT, which featured a modern rock-guitar sound lent by Carlos Santana, THE INVOCATION features eleven percussionists and seven vocalists in a work of rhythm and rapture. A review in Musician said of the album, "Its immense sound scalds you until you feel the humidity coming out of the ground....It resonates like a polyrhythmic high mass."
Olatunji's association with Rykodisc was brought about by producer and Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart, who was a Long Island high schooler when he first experienced Olatunji's magic. As he told Downbeat: "Olatunji was the one who turned me on to talking drums; he was a big influence on me. Now here I am almost 30 years later, playing with him and producing him. It's full circle."
"One of the finest duos in the world" (Guitar review, New York)
The European press has repeatedly hailed Renaud Garcнa-Fons as being, “the Paganini of the double bass”. The Franco-Spanish bassist performs on a custom built, five-string contrabasse (tuned E,A,D,G,C), which gives him a sweeping range, even superceding the high notes of the cello and his playing register can ascend even as high as the violin. Especially during his frequent solo sojourns, you’ll often find yourself exclaiming, “I can’t believe that’s a double bass!”
Born in 1938, Pedro Soler began playing guitar with exiled refugees from Andalusia who came to Toulouse after the Spanish Civil War. He performed in flamenco companies, studied with masters, and later accompanied celebrated flamenco singers and dancers. As a recording artist of over 50 years, Soler is one of the most honored flamenco artists.
”A work where the guitar reigns supreme in the shock encounter between the two very different worlds of classical music and the purest andalusian tradition, and the blend of composed and improvised music.”
"In collaboration with the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra, Diego Carrasco, Pepe Luis Carmona, Macanita, Esperanza Fernandez, Guadiana, Diego Amador, Joaquim Grilo"
Biography
Juan Carmona is a virtuosic flamenco guitarist who has been showered with accolades over the course of his career and, though he is best known as a fiery live performer, he has several albums to his name, among them the Grammy-nominated Orillas (2003). Born in 1963 in Lyons, France, of gypsy descent, Carmona took an interest in guitar playing at a young age; at age ten he was given his first guitar by his father. Enamored of the instrument, he traveled to the land of his ancestors, Jerez de la Frontera, Andalusia, a city of approximately 200,000 in the south of Spain that is generally considered the wellspring of flamenco music. There he dedicated nearly a decade of his life to flamenco, learning from and playing with legends of the style. In 1988 he won the first of many distinguished awards, the Jerez de la Frontera International Competition, and a year later he was awarded a diploma from the Jerez Flamenco Foundation, given to him by living legend Manolo Sanlucar. The Villa Médicis Hors les Murs honor followed in 1990, as did the Don Antonio Chacón trophy and more. In 1994 he won perhaps his most notable award to date, first prize in the Madrid de Paco de Lucía Competition.
Carmona commenced his solo recording career in 1996 with Borboreo, a tribute to Jerez de la Frontera overseen by Isidro Muñoz and released by L'Empreinte Digitale, and he also returned to his native France that year. He formed his own band, Juan Carmona Grupo, and dedicated himself to live performance, touring all over the world, from the United States to Russia. He also began seeking out a broad range of musical collaborations, teaming up with jazz and classical musicians as well as contributing scores to numerous films. His recording career in partnership with L'Empreinte Digitale continued in the wake of his solo debut: in 1997 he collaborated with Françoise Atlan on Falla Lorca, a collection of Spanish folk, and with José Mendez on Entre Dos Barrios, an album in the jerezana style; in 1998 he released the solo album Antes...; in 1999 he collaborated with Giraldillo for Cosa de Dos, a collection of sevillanas; in 2000 he released his second solo album, Caminos Nuevos, and in 2002 he released his third, Orillas.
Though he was already well established within the flamenco community, Carmona broadened his audience considerably with Orillas. Billed as a tribute to Morocco and Andalusia when the two regions were one united kingdom divided only by the Mediterranean Sea, Orillas was nominated for a 2003 Latin Grammy Award in the category of Best Flamenco Album. His next album, Sinfonia Flamenca (2006), was also nominated for a Best Flamenco Album Latin Grammy. A blend of composed and improvised music where the worlds of classical and Andalusian music collide, Sinfonia Flamenca features the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra, among numerous other collaborative guests, and was released by Le Chant du Monde. The French label proceeded to reissue some of his key back catalog titles, including Orillas, the following year.~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi
"Good music is good no matter what kind of music it is." Miles Davis
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