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SPAKKA-NEAPOLIS 55 MAVIS STAPLES
Janus Soulfingers 8 016670 291749 [bar code] Live: Hope At The Hideout Anti Inc Anti
6993-2
Spakka-Neapolis 55 is a renamed version of
the Neapolitan band Spaccanapoli. They
MARIA MULDAUR
formed in 1999, had their debut album Lost
Souls released on the Real World label in Yes We Can! Telarc CD-83672
2000 and changed their name in 2004.
The musical style of Spakka-Neapolis 55
RUBY TURNER
is anchored in the Neapolitan tradition, but
I’m Travelling On RTR Productions RTR 003
with many other influences. There is some
traditional material, but the majority of the
VARIOUS ARTISTS
songs are new compositions with music sup-
plied by Antonio Fraioli and lyrics by either
Classic African American Gospel
Pasquale Russo or Annapia Ferrara. The songs
Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40194
mostly explore social inequity and political
injustice. Poco E O Tiempo looks at greed,
Mavis Staples stands alongside Mahalia
poverty, violence and wars and ‘A Riffa is an
Jackson and Aretha Franklin as one of the
operatically styled song about the riffatore
great female gospel singers. Nurtured by her Photo: Dave Peabody
who walk the streets of Naples offering
father, Pops Staples, as part of the family
small-time gambling opportunities. Both
group The Staple Singers, Mavis has, over the
these songs have Nando Citarella appearing
years, firmly forged her prominence as a solo
as guest vocalist.
artist. She continues The Staples tradition of
combining gospel-influenced music with
The title of Scampia comes from the
social comment. This live set reworks a
name of a lawless and deprived borough on
couple of her father’s songs Why Am I
the northern outskirts of Naples and the song
Treated So Bad and Freedom Highway plus
denounces the inaction of local politicians. Mavis Staples
J.B. Lenoir’s Down In Mississippi, a song
Canzone Precaria has a contemporary
rhythm, an Arabic-flavoured melody and a
which Pops took to be his own. The
There is much inspirational music on
lyric about the precarious position of tempo-
traditional items include Wade In The Water,
Classic African American Gospel, a 24-track
rary workers. Interspersed with these con-
We Shall Not Be Moved and Will The Circle
CD of material from the Smithsonian
temporary songs of social conscience are the
Be Unbroken, all rejuvenated by Mavis’s
Folkways vaults. Ranging from performances
traditional tarantellas Uelli Uelli and Mon-
soaring vocals backed by a sterling band led
recorded at the end of WW2, to modern
temarano Dream, the driving dance rhythms
by Rick Holmstrom’s inspired guitar playing.
gospel from the late ‘90s, this collection
of Ahi Lu Core Meu and the compulsive Pun-
With a number of arrangements credited to
covers the primitive to the urban and much
jabi-like drumming of the wonderful N’atu
Ry Cooder and the recording mixed for
else in-between. There’s a number of known
Sole, which features the renowned Azerbai-
maximum impact by Rob Schnapf, Live: Hope
names, many of whom are blues singers
jan singer Alim Qasimov.
At The Hideout packs a definite punch and
(Leadbelly, Little Brother Montgomery,
catches a magnificent Mavis in all her glory.
Janus is the two-headed Roman god that
Sonny Terry), some familiar gospel
simultaneously looks into the future and into
www.mavisstaples.com, www.anti.com
performers (Fisk Jubilee Singers, Brother
the past. Like this ancient deity, Spakka-
Maria Muldaur’s Yes We Can! is activist John Sellers), but it’s the inclusion of
Neapolis 55 draw on history and tradition to
all the way and features The Women’s Voices recordings by the more obscure artists
help them examine and interpret the mixed
For Peace Choir and a number of guest (Horace Sprott, Rev. Willie Gresham, The
prospects of their celebrated but troubled city.
singers including Joan Baez, Odetta, Holly Thrasher Wonders) that makes this simply
www.spakka-neapolis55.it
Near, Bonnie Raitt, Phoebe Snow and, umm, one of the best compilations of gospel music
Jane Fonda. But Maria isn’t swamped by choir to have been winged my way. Every time I
Michael Hingston
and guests and this is very much her album. play Bishop Bowen and the Combined
Covering such songs as Make A Better World, Gospel Choirs’ I Heard The Voice Of Jesus
LA BANDA DEL PEPO
Masters Of War, Pray For The USA, We Shall Say, the world stops revolving for four and a
Be Free, or Why Can’t We Live Together, half minutes. Just amazing!
Tanto Por Hacer Nufolk NF 011
there’s no prizes for guessing the agenda
www.folkways.si.edu, via Egea UK.
here but good arrangements, a fine band
From Murcia in southern Spain, La Banda Del
(The Free Radicals) and Maria’s great vocals
Dave Peabody
Pepo is led by singer-songwriter Pepo
make this album a good musical experience.
Sánchez and plays his songs, with appealing
Just take the track the CD title comes from,
energy and efficiency, in styles between fla-
Allen Toussaint’s Yes We Can, Can that has
MASCARIMIRI
menco and rumba with links to North Africa
the band set up a fine funky groove and
and beyond.
Dieci Anni – Live Tour Dilinò CD 012009
Maria easing into the first verse with Bonnie
Key to the septet’s sound, surrounding
Raitt and Linda Tillery harmonising and As the title suggests, this live album marks
Pepo’s strong, slightly flamenco-husky lead
interjecting; then Bonnie takes the second the tenth anniversary of Mascarimiri and was
voice, are José Antonio Aarnoutse’s flamenco
verse, Joel Joffe adds some slide guitar and recorded at four different gigs between June
guitar and Efrén López’s range of fretted and
the track is gliding along like an Airstream and October 2008. Mascarimiri are from the
other strings including Azeri tar, baglama,
trailer glistening bright on the open road.
Salento region in the deep south of Italy.
fretless guitar, hurdy-gurdy, cümbüs and saz,
plus plenty of percussion. (This information
www.telarc.com, via Proper Note in UK.
They adapt local traditional forms (especially
the dance form pizzica) to include electronic
has to be gleaned from tiny booklet type in
Ruby Turner has been out on the road
sequencing and other musical styles. Titles
dark blue on black.) Backing singer Carmen
touring with Jools Holland & His Rhythm And
such as Pizzica Rai and Pizzica Dub give a clue
Hernández takes the lead on one number,
Blues Orchestra but she’s gone back to her
to some of the genres that they incorporate.
Javier Ruibal’s El Amor.
roots of her early days in the Pentecostal
A lurch into dated over-the-top rockismo
church to make this album in tribute to those
The four members of the band play
for the title track, with big drumkit and
gospel pioneers who’ve been a personal
acoustic instruments that include guitar, man-
squeeing synth lead lines, is something of an
inspiration. Kicking off with This Train,
dolin, flute, bagpipes and frame drums
embarrassment, and coming as the closer it
echoing Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s classic
known as tamburi and tamborreddhu (the
erases memory of the more interesting tracks
version, Ruby works her way through
latter looks like an oversized tambourine).
that came before. But, overall, it’s easy to see
another 14 gospel standards. The backing
Most of the live set consists of versions of
why the CD made it into the European world
musicians provide suitable accompaniments
songs that can be found in their original form
music airplay chart.
although they are rather subdued at times,
on their four studio albums. The electronic
but this does leave plenty of space for Ruby’s
input is an element of creativity in the studio,
I’d expected the included DVD to be con-
mellifluous voice to weave its magic on track
but it is restrictive in the live performance
cert footage, but in fact it’s well over an hour
after track. And on two inspired tracks: Live
and the four musicians struggle to reproduce
of ‘making-of’, consisting of endless talking
So God Can Use You and the segued Jesus
the richness of the texture that is a distinctive
heads from Pepo and the other band members
On The Mainline / Atomic Telephone, Ruby
element of their recorded output.
interspersed with not very interesting informal
multi-tracks herself to sound like an a
They are reputed to be a great live act,
clips, without any actual substantial perfor-
cappella quartet. But maybe the real
but the atmosphere doesn’t fully translate to
mance; a pointless, self-regarding exercise that
standout item is Take My Hand, Precious
CD and one of their excellent studio albums
diminishes rather than augments the CD.
Lord where Ruby, lifted by the interplay of
may be a better starting point to appreciate
www.galileo-mc.com, distributed in the
Christopher Holland’s organ and Jool’s piano,
Mascarimiri’s original take on Salento tradi-
UK by Discovery: www.discovery-records.com
really lets her spirit rise.
tional music. www.mascarimiri.com
Andrew Cronshaw www.rubyturner.com Michael Hingston
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