Various Artists - The Rough Guide to Ethiopian Jazz

First published in Songlines Magazine issue 122, November 2016.

Various Artists
The Rough Guide to Ethiopian Jazz
World Music Network (55 mins)

The eclectic Rough Guide series turns its attention to the wonderful world of Ethiojazz.

The trap of focussing only on Buda Musique’s landmark Éthiopiques series has been avoided, but this leaves the genre’s golden era somewhat under-represented. Two members of the old guard – Mulatu Astatke and Getatchew Mekuria – are included with more recent projects, but many greats are missing, notably Mahmoud Ahmed.

Of the young guns showcased here, most continue the musical legacy of the master Astatke. The inclusion of Samuel Yirga’s intense and brooding piano exploration aside, it may have been fun to feature some of the more out-there young exponents.

The tracks on this album are presented in their unedited, extended forms, up to eight minutes in length. This decision is a double-edged sword: it’s a delight to appreciate the full listening experience as intended without the unceremonious fade-outs of abridged tracks; on the other hand, it means that only nine tracks are included, as opposed to the 12-18 that are usually found on Rough Guides. As such, the spectrum of Ethiojazz presented is not as broad as it otherwise could have been. One album can only ever hope to scratch the surface, but perhaps this one could have scratched just a little deeper.

Sunburst - Ave Africa

First published in Songlines Magazine issue 119, July 2016.

Sunburst
Ave Africa
Strut Records (2CD, 108 mins)

The 1970s were the time for dance bands in East Africa, but Sunburst weren’t one of the ten-a-penny. Hailing from Tanzania, they eventually relocated to Zambia, and gained a reputation as a red-hot crowd puller.

And red-hot they clearly were. Although the roots of the dance band explosion lie in Congolese rumba, Sunburst set themselves apart by taking more influence from rock, psychedelia and soul than Latin styles, and their recordings even show reference points from roots reggae and taarab – all held together tightly by a strong East African root.

The band was short-lived, lasting only six years from their beginnings in 1970 to their eventual drifting apart, and with this release, Strut Records manages to cram their entire recorded output (29 tracks) onto two CDs. The first disc is dedicated to their only album, 1976’s Ave Africa; the second compiles early radio sessions and singles. Released as a standalone album at the end of their career, the first disc is understandably the tighter and more sophisticated of the set, but the second still contains gems, and provides interesting comparisons to track the group’s musical development.

This is a wonderful album. Get out in the sun, relive these perfect 70s sounds and dance!

Deltino Guerreiro - Eparaka

First published in Songlines Magazine issue 119, July 2016.

Deltino Guerreiro
Eparaka
Kongoloti Records (42 mins)

Eparaka is the debut album from young Mozambican singer Deltino Guerreiro. It’s been two years in the making, and the final result is sweet and laid-back.

Sounds on the album come from all over, but it remains overwhelmingly Lusophone: as well as local styles, Guerreiro draws heavily from Brazilian bossa and samba, as well as elements from modern Portuguese and Angolan music. The influence of soul also hangs heavily across the band’s grooves and a sprinkle of jazz is occasionally and tastefully applied, too. Over all of this floats Guerreiro’s dulcet tones; his voice has an oddly James Taylor-esque vibe; it’s soft but assured, and full of feeling.

Electronics flow through the album – a drum machine and some programming here, a synth and some studio trickery there – but it all slots in well to the mix. Despite this, and the occasionally full arrangements, the album’s overall feel is surprisingly acoustic, as if the whole thing could be rerecorded with acoustic guitar, piano, double bass and percussion and keep the same vibe.

With Eparaka, Deltino Guerreiro has made an album that’s ideal for a chilled-out, warm summer’s night, and that gets even better with relistening.

Introducing Fantastic Negrito

First published in Songlines Magazine issue 119, July 2016.



What happens when a down-on-their-luck pop-R’n’B singer leaves the music world in tragic circumstances and turns their hand to farming (both legal and otherwise), before feeling that creative spark again? Well, if that singer is Xavier Dphrepaulezz, they re-invent themselves as Fantastic Negrito, one of the hottest talents on the American blues scene.

Back in the 90s, Dphrepaulezz’s R’n’B sound landed him a million-dollar record deal, but after a not-successful-enough first album, that deal turned into major label hell and Xavier (as he was then known) turned his back on music. 20 years later, and under the guise of Fantastic Negrito, he is making the airwaves buzz anew.

The sounds of Dphrepaulezz’s childhood were jazz, blues, classical and traditional African music – his Somali-Caribbean father forbade popular music, calling it a corrupting influence. The singer says this childhood exposure to the blues fell on unappreciative ears: “I wasn’t ready to hear it as a youngster, I thought it was terrible. But after I turned 40, and I’d buried a couple people and I’d lived through tragedies, and I’d lived life, for some reason it just resonated with me so much, spiritually – because I had lived!”

The birth of Fantastic Negrito was a classic rise from the ashes. When a car crash left him in a coma for three weeks, he decided life’s too short to make music you don’t believe in. It was five years later, singing to his infant son, that he realised what music he did believe in. Since this musical rebirth, Fantastic Negrito’s music is like looking into an alternate dimension of 21st century blues, where 70s middle-of-the-road blues-rock never happened. “It’s blues but it’s got a gospel-punk delivery – some guy called me the punk rock Al Green!”

“I was entrenched and indoctrinated into viewing music differently from such a young age…the things I didn’t really dig as a kid really came back as an adult”. With this musical progression, Dphrepaulezz is looking back – and the link to African music is still there. Asked what sounds he’s digging at the moment, there’s no hesitation: “Songhoy Blues. They’re amazing. I met them in Australia and we jammed together. I’ve been a fan ever since.” It’s a partnership that he wouldn’t mind developing. “I like all collaborations, as long as they’re real. It would be interesting because there’s a different school of thought going on in terms of the approach to the music, it’s fascinating.”

Fantastic Negrito’s first album only came out in June, but the music has already been heaped in hype: he won NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest out of 7,000 entrants, provided the theme tune for hit drama series Hand of God and was personally invited to perform at Bernie Sanders’ New Hampshire rally. And that’s on top of his recently-finished 43-date tour, which took in four continents over 45 days (“it was hardcore!”).

So after a life of reinvention, what’s next? “Who knows? I never knew there would be a Fantastic Negrito. It’s just happening now and I’m enjoying it. It’s not bad!”

Photo: Fantastic Negrito, by Bruce. Used under licence CC BY 2.0.

Legends of Ethiogroove - Songlines Playlist

A playlist curated for Songlines Magazine in May 2016.



Ethiopia’s musical system has evolved over thousands of years and its music is some of the most distinctive in the world – the use of the characteristic qañat (five-note scales) immediately mark a piece as Ethiopian.

This unique musical culture is treasured by Ethiopians, who retain this sound even when mixing in international influences, thus creating the famed ‘Ethiogroove’. From the jazz, soul and funk of 60s and 70s Addis Ababa to hip-hop, reggae and heavy metal of the 21st century, the Ethiopian sound shines through.

This playlist aims to represent a range of Ethiogroove across three categories: the classic early recordings from the Swinging Addis era; the sounds of modern Ethiopia; and Ethiogroove as it exists outside of its motherland.

'Track title' – Artist (Album)

1. 'Shellèla Bèsaxophone' – Getatchew Mekurya (Éthiopiques, Vol. 14: Getatchèw Mèkurya)
2. 'Ametballe' – Bole 2 Harlem (Bole 2 Harlem, Vol. 1)
3. 'Mètché Dershé (When Am I Going to Reach There)' – Mulatu Astatke (Éthiopiques, Vol. 4: Ethio Jazz & Musique Instrumentale (1969-1974))
4. 'Min Alu' – Kuku Sebsebe (Tinish Geze Sitegn)
5. 'Eré Mela Mela' – Mahmoud Ahmed (Éthiopiques, Vol. 7: Mahmoud Ahmed (1975))
6. 'How To Save a Life (Vector of Eternity)' – Mikael Seifu (Zelalem EP)
7. 'Siberber' – Shewandagne Hailu (Sitotash)
8. 'Migoten Manyawkal' – Bezunesh Bekele (Bezunesh Bekele Greatest Hits (Ethiopian Contemporary Oldies Music))
9. 'Habdahlak' – Teddy Afro (Yasteseryal)
10. 'Ayrak' – Jano (Ertale)
11. 'Dewel' – Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics (Inspiration Information 3)
12. 'If That Is What You Want (Melkam Keholnelich)' – Invisible System (Punt (Made in Ethiopia))
13. 'Man Yawqal Yebeten' – Hirut Bekele (Éthiopiques, Vol. 3: Golden Years of Modern Ethiopian Music (1969-1975))
14. 'Ambassel' – Dub Colossus (A Town Called Addis)
15. 'Sebebu' – Aster Aweke (Aster)
16. 'Tezeta' – Seyfu Yohannes (Éthiopiques, Vol. 1: Golden Years of Modern Ethiopian Music (1969-1975))
17. 'Qen Sew (For My Father)' – Ethiopian Records (Qen Sew EP)
18. 'Sema' – Tlahoun Gessesse (Éthiopiques, Vol. 3: Golden Years of Modern Ethiopian Music (1969-1975))
19. 'Gud Fella' – Gigi (Gigi)
20. 'Nanu Ney' – Ester Rada (Ester Rada)
21. 'Che Belew Shellela' – Getachew Mekurya & The Ex (Moa Anbessa)

Listen to the playlist online here.

DJ Katapila - Trotro

First published in Songlines Magazine issue 118, June 2016.

DJ Katapila
Trotro
Awesome Tapes From Africa (44 mins)

When Brian Shimkovitz asked Ghanaian DJ Katapila if Awesome Tapes From Africa could rerelease his 2009 tape Trotro, the DJ was surprised – that tape had never been released, but was a hit in the pirated music shops of Kumasi. So here we are.

Katapila makes electronic dance music – various different vibes can be heard here, from acid house and early techno to more modern sounds such as azonto. More subtle influences come from Ghanaian traditional rhythms and international styles such as salsa and zouk. Altogether, the sound is actually rather minimalist, which usually works in its favour. It can sometimes go a bit far, though – some tracks are barely more than a drum-machine loop.

All sounds heard on this record come from Katalipa and his electronic wizardry. But there’s an element that made the album difficult listening for this reviewer: the grating and incessant use of high, pitch-shifted vocal samples. It’s quite interesting for a few pieces, but by the end of the album it becomes very irritating.

In the correct environment – in a club, or as part of a DJ set – any of these tracks would probably go down well, but they don’t stand up as an album for focussed listening.

Oumar Konaté - Maya Maya

First published in Songlines Magazine issue 117, May 2016.

Oumar Konaté
Maya Maya
Clermont Music (CD: 49 mins; Digital: 55 mins)

Hailing from Gao and living in Bamako, Oumar Konaté is part of the new generation – the Young Malian Artists; musicians taking conflict in stride and making music with an international gaze, while never leaving their traditions out-of-reach.

Since his first album, 2014’s Addoh, with its large band and numerous guest musicians, Konaté has concentrated his group down to a trio: himself on guitars and vocals, Cheick Siriman Sissoko on bass and Makan Camara on drums. The album’s liner notes state that the group is “a power trio on the level of Cream or Band of Gypsies”. What a claim. It’s one that’s basically impossible to live up to despite the group’s proficiency, although Hendrix’s legacy can be heard very clearly in Konaté’s solos.

Over the entire album, the Malian-ness (Malinity?) seems to decrease: for the first five or so tracks the sound is very rooted in the Mandé styles, but by the end the tracks are straight-up rock. The two aren’t blended as well as they could be, leading to disappointing ‘what ifs’. A low-level reggae does permeate throughout to good effect, however.

Handy hint: if you buy the album as a digital download, you get two extra tracks.