Various Artists - Huambo Música Sessions

First published in Songlines Magazine issue 99, April/May 2014.

Various Artists
Huambo Música Sessions
PangeiArt (57 mins)

From spicy semba to the hip club beats of kuduro, Angola’s urban music styles are often those that we hear loudest in the world music circuit. For the Tsikaya ‘Músicos do Interior’ project, however, it’s the music of Angola’s rural areas that deserves wider attention.

Tsikaya aim to create an audio archive of the sounds and music of the Angolan countryside, and in their second release, the focus is on the central province of Huambo. The seven artists featured on Huambo Música Sessions cover a range of styles and present the musical diversity in Huambo Province, from the lively female percussion and vocal choir of Grupo Katiavala, to the Congolese-inspired dance band Banda Crescente and the joyous guitar picking of Alimba Okimbo.

A striking feature of these rural styles is how far they are from the typical Lusophone sound – there’s little room for saudade here. Instead, their sound is much more similar to other southern central African styles; some of the album’s more brooding tracks even conjure up shadows of the music of Angola’s far-distant Caribbean relatives the Garifuna.

Huambo Música Sessions is an amazing album from a fantastic and worthwhile project. Open your ears to the inside sounds of Angola!

Various Artists - The Rough Guide to Best African Music You’ve Never Heard

First published in fRoots issue 369, March 2014

Various Artists
The Rough Guide to Best African Music You’ve Never Heard
World Music Network (2CD, 100 mins)

The Rough Guide to Best African Music You’ve Never Heard is the latest release to come out of the World Music Network’s popular battle of the bands competition, which aims to bring lesser-known world music acts to wider attention.

True to the compilation’s name, the musical standard here is very high, and most of the tracks are taken from recent releases by up-and-coming African artists. Also included on the album is some as-yet-unreleased material and a track by the unfortunately obscure 1970s Senegalese band La Sahel. The two most effective tracks on this album, however, are provided by red-hot kora player Noumoucounda Cissoko and Moroccan multi-instrumentalist Simo Lagnawi, giving hints as to the wide range of styles being played in the continent today. Cissoko channels a pure Senegalese funk in 'Noumou Koradioulou', whereas Lagnawi’s 'Baniyorkoy' tends to the traditional, a beautiful example of the bluesy, esoteric gnawa grooves.

Unfortunately, despite the quality of the tracks included, it doesn’t really feel as if the African continent as a whole is particularly well-represented. Although it does feature tracks from most areas of the continent, eight of its fourteen tracks are from Mandé cultures, so at times it does feel a little West Africa-heavy.

Included as a bonus disc is Junk Funk by Sotho Sounds. This Lesotho band’s light-hearted album was included in fRoots’ playlist in November/December 2012, and its playful use of homemade instruments fits well with the vibe of the record it’s packaged with.

In the end, this is a great album to listen to, and a good way to sample the next generation of African stars. If you’re not a huge fan of West African music, though, there may be better releases out there for you.

(Please note that on the album’s packaging, Simo Lagnawi is misspelt ‘Simo Lagwani’)

Various Artists - The Rough Guide to Arabic Café

First published in fRoots issue 369, March 2014

Various Artists
The Rough Guide to Arabic Café
World Music Network (2CD, 113 mins)

The seventh in the World Music Network’s Café series, and the second edition of this title, the Rough Guide to Arabic Café aims to recreate the ambience that one could expect in the coffee houses of the Arabic world.

Oddly, the focus of this compilation seems not to be on Arabia but rather North Africa: the vast majority of tracks included come from this region, with only three from the Middle East. Regardless, all of the tracks from this album are very enjoyable, and there are a few lesser-known gems in there too. The order of the first few tracks, however, seems rather misjudged. These tracks are still entertaining but they don’t really convey a relaxing ‘café’ atmosphere, being fairly up-tempo and busy.

Nevertheless, from around its midpoint, the album seems to hit its stride. The rest of the tracks gel together well, and create a vibe that could be expected in the stated beverage emporium. The two tracks that work most effectively here are 'Isfahan' by Daramad and 'Tahrir' by Ramzi Aburedwan. Daramad bring a jazzy feel to Persian classical music in a sympathetic and effective manner (although their inclusion in an ‘Arabic’ compilation is rather baffling) while Aburedwan’s tight ensemble of buzuk, accordeon, oud and percussion present some positively hip-shaking Palestinian sounds.

Also packaged with this album is Jordanian folk ensemble Dozan’s 2008 release Introducing Dozan. This bonus album actually seems to fit the idea of the ‘Arabic Café’ somewhat better than the Rough Guide itself, filled with relaxed yet interesting – and actually Arabian – pieces.

Overall, this package contains some great music as well as giving some sense of atmosphere. It is perhaps let down by the order of compilation, which, given a shuffle, could well have produced an all-pervading ambience that would have made this record extra-special.

Bagpuss: The Songs and Music - Cecil Sharp House, London

First published in Songlines Magazine issue 97, January/February 2014.



Bagpuss: The Songs and Music
Cecil Sharp House, London
20th October 2013

Oliver Postgate is arguably the king of children’s television. His shows such as Ivor the Engine and The Clangers are rightly held as classics, but probably his most fondly remembered work was a series of stories about an old, saggy cloth cat named Bagpuss. The music in Bagpuss was integral to the show and the English- and Scottish-style folk songs brought with them whimsical tales of such characters as Uncle Feedle, the ragdoll with an inside-out house; and the porcupine who sailed around in a balloon.

Indeed, it was these original songs and stories that were performed at London’s Cecil Sharp House for one of their family folk events. The concert was presented by the Marvellous Mechanical Mouse Organ – which comprised of the original composers and performers Sandra Kerr and John Faulkner, alongside Sandra’s daughter Nancy Kerr and her partner James Fagan (themselves a rising folk duo).

The musicians performed perfectly for their target audience, each taking on the role of a character from the TV show and encouraging all the little mice in attendance to sing, dance and clap along (which even some of the older mice couldn’t resist) as well as holding their rapt attention throughout some of Postgate’s wonderful tales.

All in all, it was a lovely afternoon of music and storytelling, and it’s encouraging to see a roomful of young children having fun and enjoying folk music. Some even knew all the words to the songs already – the next generation of folkies are starting early!

Photo: Bagbuss, by Fluffymuppet. Used under licence CC BY-NC 2.0.

Mvula Mandondo - Ambush

First published in Songlines Magazine issue 94, August/September 2013.

Mvula Mandondo
Ambush
Self-released (61 mins)

Having first cut his teeth as percussionist in Remmy Ongala’s legendary Orchestre Super Matimila, Ambush represents Saidi Kanda’s first release as a bandleader. He doesn’t limit himself to percussion either, adding thumb pianos, hedungu (harp-lute) and homemade guitar into the mix, as well as vocals.

Mvula Mandondo are the fruit of a collaboration between Kanda and British multi-instrumentalist Edward Shearer, and this album presents a mix of soukous, Caribbean, Latin and even West African music, all interwoven with styles from Kanda’s native Tanzania.

Indeed, the band are at their best when the Tanzanian roots shine through most clearly. This is illustrated in probably the most effective track on the album, ‘Hinongo’. The piece is based around Kanda’s ilimba (thumb piano) and features traditional-style vocals in the ancient language of kiZalam, both of which work perfectly alongside a fast and funky reggae backing, realised through Shearer’s bass and drums.

While some of the more soukous-laden tracks end up feeling somewhat unoriginal, the salsa-inspired pieces are amongst the album’s best listening. The track ‘Tsunami’ (based on Kanda’s musings on the Bosnian civil war) starts with a groove that brings to mind Senegal’s Orchestra Baobab before picking up the pace and introducing Spanish guest singer Rafael Berrio.

At times it can seem as if the duo has tried to include too many different styles on one album, which can feel slightly lacking in cohesion. Ambush isn’t perfect, but it includes some gems and does work as a promising debut.

Africa Oyé 2013 - Sefton Park, Liverpool

First published on Musika.uk.com in June 2013.



Africa Oyé
Sefton Park, Liverpool
22nd & 23rd June 2013

Africa Oyé is the UK’s largest free African music festival. Having previously featured world-famous African musicians such as Baaba Maal, Remmy Ongala and Bassekou Kouyaté, Oyé have also presented artists from the African diaspora in the Caribbean such as Culture and Luciano, and been the stage for the UK debuts of Tinariwen, Ba Cissoko and more.

This year, the organisers had all the incentives they needed to stage a bumper edition of the festival – not only was 2013 Oyé’s 21st birthday, last year’s event got rained off and had to be hastily rescheduled and moved (in a much-reduced format) to an indoor venue. The weather was kind to the festival this year, and, while it was showery and blustery enough to make the audience a bit uncomfortable, the party went ahead as planned, in Liverpool’s Sefton Park.

Unfortunately, the first of the two days got off to a disappointing start. Marred by overly-bassy sound, the first three sets became somewhat of a chore to listen to. It was the penultimate band of the Saturday, Son Yambu, who finally managed to get the festival flowing, their old-style, trés-led Cuban son warming up the soggy crowd in time for that day’s headliner, Osibisa. The Ghanaian veterans brought their trademark mix of disco, rock and West African and Caribbean sounds, including their hit ‘Sunshine Day’ and a cover of Miriam Makeba’s ‘Pata Pata’, to finish the day on a high note.

Cape Verdean hip-hop and reggae outfit Jay opened the Sunday (without the sound problems that plagued their set the day before) to a smaller, but no less appreciative crowd. Two funky Ghanaian acts followed, Yaaba Funk and Atongo Zimba, the former presenting hip-shaking highlife, and the latter giving the crowd an updated version of North Ghanaian traditional music, with the help of former Stone Roses guitarist Aziz Ibrahim and blues collaborator Ramon Goose. Typically groovy Afrobeat from Dele Sosimi set the stage perfectly for the highlight of the festival, Mokoomba. As opposed to the Shona bands that dominate Zimbabwean music, Mokoomba sing in the Tonga language, and seem to be capable of playing any style of music, from jit, jive, isicathamiya and soukous, to reggae, blues, and even hints of heavy metal. They’ve been hailed as the ‘next big thing in world music’ and that’s hard to argue with after the show they put on, rounding off a much more enjoyable second day to the festival.

A successful weekend of great music then, somewhat marred by technical difficulties early on, but with a line-up to keep you dancing all day long - and there’s certainly something to be said for only having one stage so you don’t miss anything, too. Perhaps the festival didn’t present the stellar line-up that may have been expected, but as a charity mostly reliant on government and council funding, Africa Oyé certainly showed that they can continue to put on a great party despite low funding – a feat they will doubtless continue to recreate for another 21 years or more to come.

Photo: Yaaba Funk at Africa Oyé 2013, by Graham Morgan. Used with permission.

Orchestra Super Mazembe - Mazembe @ 45rpm, Vol. 1

First published in Songlines Magazine issue 93, July 2013.

Orchestra Super Mazembe
Mazembe @ 45rpm, Vol. 1
Sterns Music (77 mins)

Orchestra Super Mazembe may be one of the most influential bands in African music. They were one of the first exponents of the Latin-influenced Congolese rumba lingala (or soukous) to up sticks and move to Kenya, where their music evolved into what is now known as benga. This in turn crossed over to Zimbabwe, transforming into sungura and jit jive. You’d be hard pressed to find them in a record shop outside of the African continent, though.

Mazembe @ 45rpm, Vol. 1 remedies this by presenting pieces taken from 45rpm releases from the late ’70s – the most common way of disseminating music at the time. None of the tracks are shorter than six minutes long, each containing both A and B sides of the single, the two parts of the same song blended seamlessly.

The pieces reveal a wide range of moods, from the danciest grooves of ‘Okova’ to the more relaxing ‘Izabela’, but they all have the common soukous spices – interweaving high-pitched guitar melodies, effortlessly tight harmonies and an overall aural sunniness. Oddly enough, the compilation neglects what was perhaps the band’s biggest hit in Kenya, 1977’s ‘Kasongo’, but the tracks that are included are solid gold.

Another inclusion is a detailed 15-page booklet, with band biography and song explanations created with help from another soukous legend Samba Mapangala, who features on the album himself, taking vocal duties on the track ‘Mwana Mazembe’.

Although the sound reproduction can be a bit scratchy at times, this can be forgiven in lieu of the great music contained within. Bring on Volume 2!