Fendika - Birabiro

First published in Songlines Magazine issue 126, April 2017.

Fendika
Birabiro
Terp Records (47 mins)

Azmaribetoch are the centres of Ethiopian traditional music, places to enjoy the songs, dance and stories of the azmari troubadours. The Fendika azmaribet, run by dancer and artistic director Melaku Belay, is one of the most renowned in Addis Ababa, and with its house band recording and touring internationally as two ensembles – Fendika and Ethiocolor – their reputation is now extending worldwide.

Reflecting Addis Ababa’s standing as a cultural hub, Fendika’s repertoire expands across the many regions and ethnicities of Ethiopia, and their third album shows it off well. Birabiro captures an authentic aural experience of the azmaribet. The ensemble is small and acoustic – the music is made from just voice, kebero drums and overtone-rich masenko fiddle. But together they provide a whole range of atmospheres, from dark and bluesy on the track ‘Zelesegna’ to the party vibe of ‘Yewolaya Weyo’. It’s just a shame that we’ve not yet found a way to give the full impact of dancers on CD or vinyl.

So the next time you’re in Addis Ababa, head over to Fendika azmaribet for a great evening of music and dance – in the meantime, get this album and go there with your ears!

Alma - Root Salad

First published in fRoots issue 405, March 2017



There are worse surroundings in which to discover new music than a cosy pub in the middle of Lancashire, filled to the brim with folk music experts. But it was there in the Holden Arms in the village of Haslingden that I first saw Alma perform, as part of the 2016 English Folk Expo (EFEx).

They played at the invitation of the EFDSS, and from the beginning of their set, it was obvious that their choice of Alma was spot-on. A trio of two fiddles and a guitar, the band were completely tight from the first note and continued to take their audience on a whistle-stop tour of European and Middle Eastern folk dances.

Alma are fiddlers Emily Askew and John Dipper and guitarist Adrian Lever. All three are highly experienced and knowledgeable in English folk, but Alma’s music is perhaps best described as instrumental folk from around the world, performed with an English accent. They still explore English tunes, but their repertoire also reaches much further, with pieces from France and Sweden, all the way to Bulgaria, Tunisia and Iraq.

The decision to expand from our isles was inspired by Emily’s participation in the Ethno summer schools: “people came from all over the world and shared their folk music. Being inspired by their music directly and live, it made me want to hear more and delve into it.”

While the traditions from which Alma’s tunes originate are usually very clear, the sensibilities with which they are performed are distinctly English. It is hard to define how, exactly. It’s in the small things: the way the melodies are ornamented and the rhythms are felt, and how the harmony and interplay is constructed.

But it cannot be said that Alma don’t treat these tunes with respect. The background of each piece is researched before arrangement. John: “It’s really important to us that it’s not considered pastiche. It’s important to know what each tune does. With all of the stuff that we play, we know about the dances concerned and how the music works for that dance.” This respect and research can be heard in the music, and stops it from sounding like Brits on holiday performing cheap knock-offs.

As important as the group’s repertoire is their instrumentation. The concept of the fiddle is at the heart of the group: the project came from Emily in 2014, with the idea of exploring the disparate traditions of fiddles and similar instruments around the world. Around a year later, the trio was formed. This set-up works perfectly for their music, giving each musician a vital role while still leaving creative room to manoeuvre. Adrian says, “we work quite intuitively and through improvisation. We try to be three voices, as much as we can be,” and indeed, their techniques end up sounding like musical conversations. It’s not uncommon for pieces to branch out into three distinct countermelodies, each player making their own integral contribution to the melodic whole.

With their line-up finalised and their sound taking shape, it was time to record their debut album. But nothing’s that simple. “We had a bit of a nightmare with it!” recalls John, “We recorded it all in September 2015 and when I came to edit it, I was listening through to individual tracks thinking ‘that’s weird, there’s BBC Radio 4 all over there’ and then I found there was taxi radio on another track, and disco radio on another, all at the same time. It was nutty!”

While an avant garde radio mashup may have turned some heads, it wasn’t Alma’s sound. After a refund from the recording studio, they ended up re-recording the whole thing in a living room bedecked with duvets, carefully positioned around a sofa and with Adrian stood in the fireplace. It was this recording that became Varieties, released on RootBeat Records in July 2016.

Now with one album under their belt, they’re already looking to the future. Their showcase at EFEx went down a storm and has already seen them added to the 2017 Shrewsbury Folk Fest and Towersey Festival line-ups, with more big festivals to be confirmed. A second album is already on their minds too. “We’re still in our early stages – we’d only just become the trio when we started recording the debut album,” says Adrian, “so we’re looking forward to finding different ways of arrangement and sound to see where we can take it.” These different ways include adding songs to their repertoire. This seems like rather a big shift, but the ideals behind the group remain, as Emily explains: “We’re looking at songs from around the world to connect to the theme of the tunes we’ve been doing. We’re currently looking at a Serbian song that Adrian sang at his wedding – me and John said ‘we have to try that together!’”

Tunes or songs, it is obvious that Alma will continue the musical globetrotting and passionate arrangements that make their music so special.

Whoever said that nothing good can come from a trip to the pub?

Yishak Banjaw - Love Songs Vol. 2

First published in Songlines Magazine issue 125, March 2017.

Yishak Banjaw
Love Songs Vol. 2
Teranga Beat (46 mins)

In 1986, Yishak Banjaw sat down at home to record an album of traditional Ethiopian music, using a borrowed Casio PT keyboard, live and direct into a single tape player. What he created was a wonderful style that resembles what we’d now call chillwave or minimal wave.

The overall sound of this album is magnificent: the timbres of the melody take on different personalities, from dreamy and Hammond-like to swirling and raspy; layers of repeating patterns add a psychedelic flavour as they float above tinny electric drum beats. Combined with the slightly stretchy and sibilant tone lent by the transfer from cassette, the whole album is given that warm, washed-out vibe so strived for by today’s -wave producers.

And under all of these aesthetics lies a solid base of Ethiopian identity. The tracks are all strongly linked to the culture’s traditional soundworld, and the distinctive pentatonic scales and the melodic rhythms make it difficult to mistake this music’s origin.

With this re-release on the Greek/Senegalese label Teranga Beat, Love Songs Vol. 2 becomes Banjaw’s very first album outside of East Africa. It’s a real treat. Hopefully we will be able to hear Vol. 1 sometime soon!

The KutiMangoes - Made in Africa

First published in Songlines Magazine issue 125, March 2017.

The KutiMangoes
Made in Africa
Tramp Records (46 mins)

The KutiMangoes started with a simple musical goal in mind: Fela Kuti meets Charles Mingus. Such giants in their field are inevitably impossible to live up to, but this Danish five-piece certainly give it a good go.

For their second album, the KutiMangoes are joined by a special guest, Burkinabé vocalist Patrick Kabré. With this collaboration comes the addition of many more influences from Mandé styles. As well as recording in the studio in Copenhagen, sessions were also captured on location in Bamako and Ouagadougou – hence the album’s title.

From that process comes a riotous album. It has some really special touches: you can’t go too wrong with an electric trombone solo, as heard on the track ‘This Ship Will Sink’. Another highlight is ‘Hunting’, a piece based on Malian hunters’ music. Featuring guest Diakaridja Mariko, who provides vocals and donso ngoni (hunter’s harp), it builds up a solid groove with some great interplay between sax and Rhodes.

The addition of Mandé music to Afrobeat works well and sets it apart from the crowd, although the jazz element of the group’s style is downplayed a little here, and only particularly evident now and then. But don’t let that stop you dancing!

Damakase - Gunfan Yellem!

First published in Songlines Magazine issue 125, March 2017.

Damakase
Gunfan Yellem!
Captain Pouch Records (33 mins)

‘East meets West’ is a common theme within world music fusions, but it’s rare to hear one like this: Damakase’s sound arrives from the blending of Ethiopian and Malian styles. The heart of the band is the collaboration between masenqo (one-string fiddle) player Endris Hassen and guitar and banjo player Cory Seznec (a Franco-American musician who lived in Ethiopia for several years), and their chemistry shines through.

The track ‘Wassorai Asho Mada’ is where the combination is smoothest and most complete. The groove is Mali blues, the beat is Ethiopian, and Hassen’s masenqo jumps between the two, exploring the realms of its West African cousins such as the soku, without ever leaving Ethiopia behind.

That’s just one example of the group’s intelligent and creative use of instrumentation. They’re everywhere: in the Ethiocentric tracks, gourd lute and ngoni take the place of the traditional krar, and there’s some fun bluegrass interplay between banjo and masenqo elsewhere.

Damakase have hit on a great fusion here, with Ethiopia and Mali both having their own very distinct and popular musicalities. The combination has fruit ripe for picking and the group do a good job with it. One wish for the next album: it would be great to hear some West African musicians involved too.

Henry Arteaga and the 4Elementos Skuela - WOMEX 16 Professional Excellence Award

First published in the WOMEX – World Music Expo 2016 delegate guide.



Music has always been more than just music. Communication is a large part of it, of course, whether it is communicating stories, morals, political messages, comedy or even concepts and emotions that cannot be expressed any other way. In this manner, music can cause a lot of change, personally and further afield. But sometimes, the real power of music is to create change in the world by the simple fact of how enjoyable it is to make and be around. Henry Arteaga has harnessed this power to create good wherever he can.

When Arteaga was growing up in Medellín, Colombia, the city was considered the most dangerous in the world, irrevocably connected in the international consciousness to Pablo Escobar’s infamous cartel, and to the extreme poverty that grew around their corruption. In this environment, hip-hop began to appear, being used as a tool for the young generation of Medellínos to (re)claim the space and to project their personalities within their own scene.

Inspired by this growing interest in hip-hop, Arteaga became a breakdancer, a b-boy. Known as JKE (or El Jeque, the Sheikh), his moves gained him a reputation, and he soon began informally teaching the art to local kids. The group grew and grew, becoming known as Crew Peligrosos, and eventually people started calling it a school. And so the idea stuck. Despite a complete lack of outside funding, the Peligrosos’ school went on in leaps and bounds, securing a permanent meeting-place after a local school principal saw first-hand the difference they made and offered his facilities. Together, the Crew began to rap and teach the disciplines of MCing (rapping), DJing and graffiti alongside b-boying – the four elements of hip-hop which lent the school its official name: 4Elementos Skuela.

When Henry met fellow MC, P Flavor, Crew Peligrosos were transformed into a multimedia hip-hop performance collective. Nowadays the Crew consists of a band with numerous MCs and DJs, 20 b-boys and -girls and four graffers. They have released two albums, tour internationally and have collaborated with hip-hop stars such as Afrika Bambaataa and Emicida, as well as musicians from the full spectrum of Colombian music, from traditional musicians to symphony orchestras.

And at the heart of all this – enjoyment. When he was younger, Arteaga’s father made sure to impress upon his son: “this neighbourhood is a mirror. Whatever you do, you will see reflected”. Henry certainly took that advice to heart, and shows it through his work with the Skuela. Arteaga himself has said that ‘getting kids off the streets’ is not the aim of the initiative. It has that outcome, but simply as a consequence of the positive atmosphere created within their environment. When people see the passion and pleasure that Arteaga and the Crew give to their scholars, they want to join in. Art provides an alternative. The school is now a magnet for hip-hop artists (in all their forms) from around Colombia: old hands offer to share their knowledge; prospective protégés come looking to soak it up. All the classes are free, as they always have been. The Skuela now has over 400 regular attendees, and more than 4,000 have already passed through their ranks. Not all students leave, either. Some stay on and join the ranks of tutors – this way, the Skuela is self-sustaining. As long it is wanted or needed, it will exist.

The city that Henry Arteaga teaches in is not the same as it was when he started. Medellín is not even among the 50 most dangerous cities in the world now. It has become a cultural hub of Colombia and South America, even achieving the title of UNESCO Creative City for Music in 2015. And the 4Elementos Skuela, over its 17 years, has certainly made its mark on the population by its sheer revelling in the enjoyment of music and the hard work of its founder.

It is for these reasons that Henry Arteaga is being presented with the WOMEX 16 Professional Excellence Award on behalf of the 4Elementos Skuela and everyone involved with it. The Award is not an achievement – it is simply an acknowledgement of the real achievements, which can only truly be put into words by people they have touched. These two quotes from Skuela students really tell the whole story:

“4Elementos Skuela is very important for me because it has taught me many values. It has taught me to grow as a person.”
Laura Ibarra

“Before knowing 4Elementos Skuela and Crew Peligrosos my life was meaningless. Since I was introduced to breakdance, I haven’t stopped training because it has become part of my life, and the shelter of solace from my troubles.”
‘Murdoc’

Photo: Henry Arteaga receives the WOMEX 16 Professional Excellence Award, by Eric van Nieuwland.

Calypso Rose - WOMEX 16 Artist Award

First published in the WOMEX – World Music Expo 2016 delegate guide.



Calypso (along with its younger offshoot ‘soul calypso’, or soca) has long been known as the sound of Trinidad and Tobago, evolving from styles brought to the Caribbean by slaves from West and Central Africa and mixing with the popular American music of the early 20th century. With a heavy focus on lyricism, comedy and double-entendre, calypsonians originally occupied a role similar to griots, spreading the important news and gossip amongst different communities. The position has evolved into a more strictly entertainment role today, but the focus on topicality remains: until recently, calypsonians were expected to write twelve pertinent songs per year.

For a long time, calypso was a man’s game, a no-go area for women. That is no longer the case, and for that, we have Dr. McCartha Sandy-Lewis, Calypso Rose, to thank.

Growing up during the ’40s and ’50s in Tobago, Rose was the class clown, making up calypso verses about her friends, teachers and the gossip of the playground. As her reputation as a calypsonian grew and she began to write full songs, her father (a Baptist minister) and the local women’s church groups objected, calling it the devil’s music. But with a personal recommendation from the ‘Father of T&T’ Prime Minister Eric Williams (“you’re good, very good! You’re going to make it in the world!”) and by incorporating religious themes and melodies into her calypso for 1963’s Hurricane Flora, their tune eventually changed. This skill, being able to meld to her audiences’ desires while remaining steadfast in her message, is precisely why Calypso Rose is such a leader in her field.

Prime Minister Williams’ prediction came true, and Calypso Rose became the most successful female calypsonian ever. After winning the title of Calypso Queen five years in a row and being stripped of the Trinidad Road March prize after the organisers could not bear the thought of a woman winning, she decided to compete for the title of Calypso King in 1978. That the competition is now named Calypso Monarch shows how momentous Rose’s win was. She was the first woman ever to win the prize, and remained the only one until 1999.

Staying true to calypso’s origins, Rose’s lyrics balance the subjects of partying and politics – often together. As well as opening the scene for women by her very presence, many of Rose’s songs sing of female empowerment and shine a spotlight on the hypocrisy and double-standards perpetuated by the male-dominated calypso world. Where women were once only viewed in relationship to men – always admiring them, nagging them or cheating on them – Calypso Rose celebrated the woman’s independence with wit, style and class. That's not to say that her subjects are not racy, or even crude; the opposite is true, they are often gleefully so and revel in this fact, the exact reason her opponents thought calypso unfit for women, yet aspects that are celebrated and loved when performed by men.

As well as social change, Rose’s music has also led to real political change: in the 1970s, her song ‘No Madame’ highlighted the plight of domestic workers in Trinidad and Tobago (the vast majority of whom were women). It gained international recognition, pressuring the country’s government to introduce new protections for such workers into law, paving the way for similar laws across the Caribbean.

She is obviously most well-known for the calypso for which she has done so much to pioneer, but Rose is not afraid to look towards other styles – from calypso’s child, soca, to punta from Belize and the now pan-Caribbean sounds of reggae and ska. It is a sign of her greatness that she excels in all. Her adaptability has led to her taking to some of the most prestigious stages in the world (including at WOMEX 06 in Sevilla!) and even to performing with world-class artists from all over the globe, from Michael Jackson and Dolly Parton to Miriam Makeba and Bob Marley.

As a calypsonian, Rose has won every award going. In fact, it’s been claimed that she is the most decorated calypsonian ever. As well as countless competition and carnival medals, she has also been honoured with national awards by the governments of Trinidad and Tobago, Belize and Liberia for her services to culture. She is truly a living legend, in terms of her composition, performance and service to fans and human beings in Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean and the world – it is an honour for us to add the WOMEX 16 Artist Award to her already heavy mantelpiece.

And with a new album, produced by Manu Chao and Ivan Durán, released this year and at least 70 shows booked for 2017 already, Calypso Rose is not slowing down. But then, she doesn’t need to: “I am bringing joy to the hearts of the people. The people are giving me energy, and I am giving them back the energy. That is why I am on stage with my hands up in the air!”

Photo: Calypso Rose live at WOMEX 16, by Jacob Crawfurd.