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VARIOUS ARTISTS
sense of fun, of pleasure, in making the music a copy of the Black Eyed Peas’ tune Pump It –
and as with their live performances certain but yes, this was a Greek rembetika song
Theme Time Hour With Your Host Bob
tracks inspire the listener to jump up and from the 1920s originally!
Dylan – Season 2 Ace Records CDCH2 1225
dance. The orchestra must be complimented
One of the favourites on here is De Mas
on not simply reinterpreting well known
Here’s the distillation of the songs played on
Syghoro, written by singer-songwriter Nikos
numbers by Bregovic, the Taraf etc., and
the theme-based radio show’s traipse
Portokaloglou who has three songs includ-
Gruen’s silvery fiddle playing gives the music
through the jukebox of Bob Dylan’s imagina-
ed: this is one of the most heartbreaking
an edge that stops the orchestra simply
tion, and among the themes for the second
songs, from a live recording. Sopa Ki
becoming background music. I believe this
series were… well, the nominal subjects hard-
Akouse, one of her first hits, has been given
was essentially recorded live in an old church
ly matter really without the comic between-
a very modern jazzy touch – she sings about
and for that it sounds fine but the promise
song exposition of Dylan’s arch mock-cornball
not being able to write any songs for you as
hinted at here could really blossom if the LGO
drawl, so suffice it to say that members of his
she doesn’t know any rhymes or magical
could find a way of being recorded at some-
nugget-picking team (Eddie Gorodetsky,
lyrics, but sing is what she can do. There are
where like Abbey Road. For anyone interest-
Dylan’s manager Jeff Rosen and Ace records’
also several songs by George Andreou, her
ed in a strong British interpretation of East
Roger Armstrong) have trawled through
long-time partner, composer and producer
European music – or simply an atmospheric
some great, good and at times fairly obscure
whose two hits Gia Mian Agapi Hanese and
album – then Ajde Gadje (Let’s Go Non-
choices to produce another exuberant cele-
Na M’agapas are her signature songs.
Gypsy) is definitely worth your time.
bration of all the roots music tributaries that San Psemata will only disappoint if you
flow into the raging river of American popu-
www.londongypsyorchestra.co.uk,
were expecting a purely folk music journey
lar music (and beyond).
www.magicviolin.co.uk
through her career. But the third CD contains
Rhythm and blues is the hub around
Garth Cartwright more of the traditional aspect, with Tzivaeri,
which the collection revolves, liberally spiced
and Neratzoula and Stis Naousas To Kastro
with rockabilly, soul, gospel, reggae and
both arranged by clarinet player Manos
blues (with chanson and yé-yé a Francophone ELENI TSALIGOPOULOU
Ahalinotopoulos. Also here are songs by two
supplement to Cajun). Country and jazz are
of the biggest names in rembetika, Vasilis
particularly strongly represented genres this
San Psemata Sony/BMG Greece 886974 09292
Tsitsanis and Apostolos Kaldaras.
time round, sharing around a third of the 50
Eleni Tsaligopoulou starts her ‘best of’ compi- www.tsaligopouloueleni.com,
tracks, and there’s something of a novelty –
lation with an out-of-breath song with www.sonymusic.gr
or humorous – element running through the
accordeon rhythms and beats, swinging
selection too.
Elisavet Sotiriadou
between modern pop and Greek traditional
Witness Hal Swain & His Band and their music. It’s a good choice, showing her diversity
knockabout 1930 hit Hunting Tigers Out In as a singer and what the album is about: the
India (“Well, I see nothing to hinder ya”) or mix of old and new, covers and original songs,
LES TRIABOLIQUES
Red Ingle’s drunken corruption of The Sons that established her as one of Greece’s best Rivermudtwilight World Village 468088
Of The Pioneers’ Cigarettes And Whiskey singers with her trademark voice. San Psemata
And Wild, Wild Women. Humour also literally translates as ‘Like Lies’, or rather how
Justin Adams, Lu Edmonds and Ben Mandel-
abounds in Little Esther’s smoky Aged And something is unbelievable, referring to her 20
son, the three members of Les Triaboliques,
Mellow Blues (“I like my men like I like my years as a recording musician. I first saw her in
stare out of the CD cover photo shrouded in
whiskey…”) and Loretta Lynn’s combative concert, probably two decades ago in Stock-
darkness, their faces starkly lit. Appropriate
Fist City, while Ricky Harper takes a rare lead holm when she was touring in Europe with
for a group who describe their music as “dusk-
on Buddy Johnson & His Orchestra’s light- George Dalaras, and this album of her best
core” and “twi-fi”. Those expecting the Bo
hearted Louis Jordanesque romp A Pretty repertoire displayed across three CDs demon-
Diddley-isms of Adams’s collaboration with
Girl (A Cadillac And Some Money). strates why she has lasted for so many years.
Juldeh Camara or the sunnier charms of
All that and there’s serious stuff from The very best example of where she
Edmonds and Mandelson in Blue Blokes 3 are
lesser known names, and some biggies too, mixes old and new is Ta Paidia Dis Geitonias
in for a gentle surprise. This is music in a minor
including Louis A and Billie H as well as James Sou (featured on the recent fRoots 33 CD), a
key, drawing on African, Arabic, blues and
Brown, Mose Allison and Edith Piaf. With an song about the kids in the neighbourhood
folk idioms for a pleasingly nocturnal set that
evocative introduction from one Billy Bragg ridiculing the singer because they have seen
brings to mind Ry Cooder, Marc Ribot and
(romantically riffing on the conceit that Dylan her stumbling around drunk yet again. This
(especially) Adams’s pre-Camara solo work.
might have chanced on these tracks in his dial- traditional song sourced from Marika Papagi- Most of the material was composed by
twirling Duluth youth) and a who’s-who of ka is given a new lease of life by the group the trio, aside from a couple of traditional
roots experts and fans providing the track Imam Baildi (see fR306) who are experienced tunes and a cover of Don’t Let Me Be Misun-
notes, Theme Time Hour Volume Two is a fine in remixing rembetika songs. Tsaligopoulou’s derstood. Highpoints include the gently
compendium of an absorbing radio series. interpretation of Misirlou, a song more wide- haunting closing track Phosphor Lane and the
www.acerecords.co.uk
ly known thanks to Dick Dale on the Pulp Fic- more urgent Black Earth Boys, but pretty well
tion soundtrack, has little added to it other everything chugs along, aided and abetted by
Con Murphy
than her fantastic voice, sounding to me like percussion contributions from producer Rob
LONDON GYPSY
Eleni Tsaligopoulou
ORCHESTRA
Ajde Gadje Gun Records gun502-lgo
Under the direction of London-based Ger-
man fiddler Gundula Gruen, the London
Gypsy Orchestra have built up quite a repu-
tation as a live act over the past few years.
Essentially a collective of string musicians
who love East European music – “London
musicians under the spell of Eastern Europe
and the Balkans” the cover states – the LGO’s
debut album is both beautifully packaged
and a very pleasant listen. Across 12 tracks
they interpret a selection of folk pieces that
range from Russia, Macedonia, Hungary,
Georgia, Germany, Romania, Bulgaria,
Turkey, the Czech Republic and a piece of
music from Kusturica’s knockabout Balkan
comedy Black Cat, White Cat. Oh, there’s also
a klezmer medley. Which means the LGO
range far and wide in their enthusiasms.
They really are an orchestra with some
30+ musicians playing on this CD. That most
of them are amateurs and do this as a hobby
rather than a vocation is not to be faulted –
the playing here is fresh and lively if perhaps
not as dynamic as one might expect an
orchestra to sound. That said, there’s a real
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