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KALYANJI AND ANANDJI
THE BOLLYWOOD BROTHERS (Saregama CDNF 138096-7)
Maybe it's an acquired taste, but I am really hooked on the music of these two guys. Most of us in the West were oblivious to Bollywood films during the golden age and so can only sigh over Rehka or chuckle at Helen in retrospect. Before I went to India I had begun to get into their popular cinema & certainly a big boost was the appearance of two discs in 1998: Bombay the Hard Way & Electric Vindaloo that showcased the work of these talented composers (Dan the Automator added beats and sampled some dialogue from the films to string it together). Kalyanji and Anandij, the Shah brothers, worked from the 1950s right through the '80s, but the '70s was a special time in Bollywood. They got into American gangster movies, James Bond spy thrillers and spaghetti westerns, but more importantly they began to mimic the funk music of Isaac Hayes (the theme from "Rafoo Chakkar," included here, is a straight lift), the orchestral miasmas of Lalo Schifrin, and anything else that seemed remotely hip at the time. The soundtrack to this "Brownsploitation" era was was filtered through their own musical sensibilities so you have a hybrid of a huge orchestra with Carl Stalling marimba breaks, Venetian mandolin, or Herb Alpert trumpet grafted onto what sounds like Gujarati folksongs. Some of it is goofy; some quite enchanting. These modest brothers -- like Stalling -- were workmen first and foremost, striving to provide the right musical ambiance for a film and never seemed to notice that their music was massively successful. There is a little overlap with Bombay the Hard Way (where the music was used without credit), but here is the untreated sound and the cabaret number with evil cackling leaps out at you. Lata, Asha, Kishore Kumar and Mohd. Rafi are the main vocalists. Of course the music makes you want to see the films. Disc one ends with a culture clash: at a puppet show an Anglophile girl in miniskirt with a cigarette and a glass of whisky is singing "Twinkle twinkle little star" and other nursery rhymes while the Desi hero mocks her. I found it on YouTube, but be warned it is rather irritating. There are better songs from that movie, Purab aur Pachhim, here and here. The second disk strays into more traditional territory, though there's still those big orchestral gestures. "Dum dum diga diga" sounds a lot like Shankar Jaikishan who composed many of the hits of the '50s, and indeed it was a pastiche demanded by the combination of actor Raj Kapoor and singer Mukesh who usually sang his part. Everyone expected it to sound like a Shankar Jaikishan number so the Shah brothers gave it to them. "Yeh time time ki baat hai" is a brilliant novelty number (cabaret with xylophone) with a spoken intro in English (Asha Bhosle & chorus) that is a hoot. if I were more technically adept, I'd make a little MP3 of it to amuse myself. A well-sequenced and memorable pair of discs to help you in your filmic pursuits.
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KING KIKI
ZILIZOPENDWA (Ujamaa Records URKIKI01, from Stern's)
EMBALA SASA SHIKA BREAK (no cat no, from Natari)
Some things definitely get better with age: whisky, cheese, and Tanzanian "muziki wa dansi" among them, and some music is so hard to find that when you do find it you have to grab it. Swahili rumba is one of the most enduring and wonderful sounds. The drumming is light, the guitars lyrical, the vocals heartfelt, the saxes bleat prominently. I am constantly tweaking my East African discographies and discovering more and more music from the classic bands of the 70s and 80s, but there are a few survivors still making music in the tradition. Over a decade ago RetroAfric put out the great Shikamoo Jazz volume one and I have been hoping for the sequel ever since. At the same time Dakar Sound put out Leila by Bana Maquis, a group comprised of survivors from the great Maquis du Zaire. The 11 cuts on King Kiki's Zilizopendwa: Maestro of Tanzania compilation from Ujamaa demonstrate the range of his talents as performer and songwriter and underline the prominence he still holds in the Dar Es Salaam club scene. For four decades, he and fellow Congoman Ndala Kasheba (who died in 2005 at 58) were in and out of the great ex-pat bands like Orchestre Safari Sound (then Safari Nkoy) in Tanzania. Kiki toured East Africa first in the 60s with Orchestre Fauvette, sang with African Fiesta Sukisa for a spell, then, moving to Dar Es Salaam, he played with Maquis du Zaire, and then formed his own band King Kiki Double "O", all of whom are sampled on the Zilizopendwa compilation. Inevitably, in the context of classic rumba, there are comparisons to be made to Franco and Mbaraka Mwinshehe: the Zilizopendwa album has a great staggered Franco lead as the musical leitfmotif for the opening cut (though they shout out Jean Bosco Mwenda, which may be a more accurate touchstone for their sound, as he is one of the giants of the finger-picking style derived from likembe). The success of Congolese musicians in East Africa was due to the immense popularity of Franco and other bands: local bands imitated the Kinshasa sound and so when authentic Congolese musicians showed up they were treated as royalty. The more than 200 musicians from Eastern Congo that headed to Dar Es Salaam in the 1970s were also familiar with Kiswahili and could adapt their snappy rhythms and sweet melodies to the local taste. Strife drove musicians out of Kivu and Katanga, but if they made it to their own capital they couldn't survive without rich patrons and an inside grasp of the politics of the club scene, so many of the bands went to Burundi or Uganda. But then there was Idi Amin and other serious obstacles to their continued success, so Tanzania was an optimal destination. The music evolved away from the Congolese rumba into its own sound that evokes warmth and happiness with the pulse of it. It conjurs feelings of dancing the night away in a sweat while insects batter against preternaturally bright lights in the dim air, as smells of cooking mingle with kerosene, paraffin from lamps, and the rich red earth that is not far away from the tiny bit of civilization perched tentatively on African soil with its toes in the Indian Ocean.
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MAVROTHI KONTANIS
STO KAFESLI SOKAKI (self-published)
WOODEN HEART
Greek-American oud player Mavrothi Kontanis celebrates the music of refugees in two discs released on his own label. The repertoire is drawn from Greek, Armenian and Turkish music in the classical Ottoman era when the Aegean was bordered by one mighty kingdom. In the twentieth century ethnic identities emerged and the social fabric cracked. At the same time recorded music set down traditional folk melodies for the first time. Largely self-taught, Kontanis has learned a lot of material from old 78s and imbued them with a freshness. He is backed by some talented young Greek Americans on clarinet, violin, kanun and percussion.
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DJIVAN GASPARYAN
PORTRAIT: THE SOUL OF ARMENIA ( Network 495121)
The duduk is a woodwind, like an oboe, and is one of the loveliest sounds devised by man. Djivan Gasparyan has spent most of his 80 years perfecting his grasp of this soulful sound and has been performing for 60. When he was a lad the local cinema played Russian silent movies and instead of the piano or fiddle accompaniment heard in the West, a small duduk ensemble played along, captivating the youth. Though mostly shepherds played the instrument, Gasparyan became a street musician trying to support his orphaned brothers and sisters. At 21 he joined the National Armenian Song and Dance Ensemble and learned their entire repertoire in two days for an upcoming concert. Soon he was a renowned soloist and by the 1980s influential producers of a hip younger generation, like Brian Eno and Peter Gabriel, were noticing him. Now his sound is quiet familiar from movies like Gladiator, The Crow, and Dead Man Walking. This double disc set is a retrospective of his life's work. Haunting melodies abound. The Mugham (Arabic: maqam) arrived in Armenia from Persia in the 12th century, this is a tonal scale system with differing relations between tones and scales and is familiar from the oud repertoire. It is also the basis of improvised tunes. By the third track the guests turn up, first Andreas Vollenweider with his harp (not too objectionable). Then Michael Brook and even Nusrat turn up for gigs with the master. When Eno licensed an album of Armenian Folk Tunes played by Gasparyan in 1989 Queen Elizabeth 2 stuck it in the deck of her Landrover and dubbed it a royal favourite. I guess that means he can have a little gold crest embossed in his apricot wood duduk. Things get a lot less engaging when there's a different focus, like Jesse Cook and his noodly jazz guitar. And of course there's the new-agey synth you'd expect from an album called "Naked Spirit," but don't let that deter you. Gasparyan has had a rich and varied career, he is probably grateful and gracious for invitations to collaborate. One short collaboration that I found really engaging is with Erkan Ogur (who plays the dede baglama: don't ask me what that is), from an album entitled Donus Yolu, that I will look for, or from his previous Network CD with his own trio: Heavenly Duduk. I prefer the solo material, and there's plenty of it here, but the producers decided to give a slice of his whole oeuvre. It's worth exploring.
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WENDO KOLOSOY / ANTOINE MOUNDANDA
RUMBANELLA / VICTORIA BAKOLO MIZIKI
THE VERY BEST OF CONGOLESE RUMBA: THE KINSHASA-ABIDJAN SESSIONS (Marabi 46923.2)
This is a revolving showcase of four acts, and a remix of the EL CONGO BRAZZA KIN album and Wendo's ON THE RUMBA RIVER. If you don't have any Wendo or Moundanda it makes a great introduction, but for me the best part of this disc is its variety and the flavour of early rumba imparted by the Rumbanella selections. They are not Kékélé, and other (electric) bands have done similar material better -- like Soukous Stars, even Kanda Bongo Man -- but their take on African Jazz standards is wonderful and vibrant. From Tabu Ley's debut "Kelya" to his "Sey Sey," from Kwamy's "el Congo," to Dechaud's "Africa Mokili Mobimba," and from Jean Bosco's "Massanga," to Dr Nico's "L'age et l'amour" and his "Ngalula," their taste is impeccable and the acoutic delivery simply gorgeous.
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INGOSI STARS
LANGONI (daqui EE02EE)
This is Luhya Music from Kenya, subtitled "from village to town". It is traditional music, played on traditional instruments, and is a rewarding slice of vibrant folk music. While listening I kept hearing echoes of the Georgia Sea Islanders and other black American music, but I think there is a thread that unites all great folk music no matter its origin. The album is a testament to the perseverance of the producer, Denis-Constant Martin, who first met the performers in Kenya in 1980 and never forgot the impact of their wry songs about life in the slums of Nairobi. Returning in 2000 Martin ran into Mzee William Ingosi Mwoshi again, quite by chance, and arranged for him to perform in France at the Festival des nuits atypiques. This was most fortunate for the Kenyan because he was in an advanced state of cancer and on arrival in France was hospitalized and an operation quickly performed which saved his life. Ingosi plays the shiriri, a one-stringed fiddle. He was a favourite performer of Jomo Kenyatta and wrote a much-loved song about Independence, "Mwana wa mbeli (the first born)" with which the CD opens. His pal, Joshua Mwami, master of the itunga, or Luhya lyre, had passed away since the producer first encountered them, but Ingosi's son, Jackson who has mastered the guitar, also plays the 8-stringed lyre with great accomplishment. This thoroughly enjoyable disc is handsomely packaged and includes all the song lyrics in translation.
Quickies:
Albums reviewed so far in 2008 (I note where they are filed because some may be confusing, like Cheb i Sabbah who lives in San Francisco, but his music is filed under India this time around), or Dengue Fever whose Cambodian pop is based in Los Angeles):
Gabi Lunca Songs from a bygone age filed under Gypsy
Debashish Battycharya Calcutta chronicles filed under India
Joe Gibbs retrospective filed under Jamaica 3
Abyssinians Satta filed under Jamaica 3
Etran Finatawa Desert Crossroads filed under Mali
Toumast Ishumar, also filed under Mali, as the closest country
Kékélé LIVE filed under Congo 3
Chicha Libre Sonido Amazonico! filed under Peru
Dengue Fever Venus on Earth and concert review filed under USA
Wendo Kolosoy On the Rumba River filed under Congo pt 3
Rough Guide to Congo Gold filed under Congo pt 3
Les Amazones de Guinée Wamato filed under Guinée
A. R. Rahman Jodhaa Akbar soundtrack filed under Bollywood 2
Madhuri Dixit Aaja Nachle soundtrack filed under Bollywood 2
Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar GO MARKO GO! filed under Gypsy Brass
Le Trio Joubran Majaz filed under Arabia (old world)
Moussu T et lei Jovents Invente a la ciotat filed under old world misc
Ojos de Brujo Techari Live filed under Spain
Cheb i Sabbah Devotion filed under India
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