fR316 PAGES 77-79 1/9/09 13:04 Page 2
79 f
1 BandAdriatica Maremoto (Finisterre FT 1 Various The Rough Guide To The Music
50) The audio impression from the CD is a big Of Cuba (World Music Network RGNET 1225
Italian band of brass, reeds, cello etc. drawing CD) Presuming to represent Cuba’s deep and
on Adriatic musics from Italy to Albania but diverse musical heritage with a mere 13 tracks
mainly fast Balkan-style brass with jazz excur- is necessarily misleading, even if augmented
sions. Hot and accomplished, but vocals much with a welcome bonus disc showcasing Cuba’s
less so, shouty or struggling to keep up and in most celebrated son ensemble, Sierra Maestra.
pitch. 2 + Rotta Per Otranto (dvd) Enlight-
But if there’s a hole where your Cuban music
ening, though, is the DVD of the band’s boat
knowledge ought to be, Rough Guide offers
trip to Tirana, Durrës and Dubrovnik working
first aid. Enhanced CD; booklet in English,
with local musicians including lijerica player
Spanish and French.
www.worldmusic.net
Ivo Letunic of Croatia’s Kries. No subtitles, but
2 Jochen Roß & Jens-Uwe Popp The Ten
the band members come across as likeable
Islands (own label no cat. no.) Accomplished
and keen to relate to other musical cultures.
album of Scottish music (traditional and con-
www.finisterre.it, distributed by Egea UK.
2
temporary) from classically trained German
Wholehearted Ripe And Bearded (own
duo on mandolin and guitar, accompanied by
label WHOCD 001) Pete Luscombe and John
Canadian singer Lisa Winn, Moroccan percus-
Oke Bartlett present an accomplished and
sionist Rhani Krija and excellent double-
1 Various People And Songs Of The Sea
well-balanced collection comprising quality
bassist Guido Jäger. Thoughtful, interesting
(Greentrax CDTRAX338) Drawing on the
trad-flavoured contemporary songs (Bellamy,
arrangements are matched by sensitive play-
Greentrax back catalogue, this collection of
Pratt, Temple, Ryan, Tams), a handful of
ing.
www.the-ten-islands.com
songs reflects the cultural heritage of Scot-
Barty’s fine originals and some trad arrs. Cer-
@ Larry McDonald Drumquestra (MCPR
land’s fishing history. Includes tracks by Davy
tainly living up to their name: attractively
Music CPLM301) The veteran Jamaican side-
Steele, McCalmans, and the Cast. Will appeal to
robust, suitably honest and direct. Well sung
man moves centre-stage, accompanied by
anyone who enjoyed the Radio Ballads album
indeed.
www.myspace.com/wholeheartedduo
guests including Sly Dunbar and Toots Hibbert,
Singing The Fishing.
www.greentrax.com 2 Various Borders Tunesmiths (Borders Tra-
with disappointingly blandtastic results. The
2 Broom Bezzums Under The Rug
ditions LTCD4003) Nine traditional Borders
CD’s high point – Crime Or Music – is decent
(Steeplejack Music SJCD011) Second album
musicians were commissioned to collectively
enough soulful reggae, but its low point –
from English duo. Fiddle, guitar, Northumbri-
produce new music inspired by the Borders.
World Party – brings to mind Hiphopopotamus
an pipes and mandolin accompany robust
This live concert recording features fiddles, cel-
vocals on powerful songs, both traditional
los, viola, flute, pipes, accordeon, harp and gui-
Vs Rhymenoceros, as featured on Flight Of The
and self-composed. Their gutsy delivery suits
tar. The influences range from Scottish tradi-
Conchords. For percussion-fusion-rap-jazz
their material, much of it about exploitation
tional to classical, jazz and Balkan Gypsy. foot-
completists only.
www.mcprmusic.com
and workers’ rights. Catch them live this
stompin.com/products/cds/borders_tunesmiths
1 Si Hayden Sabaca (Silvery SRCD024) Hay-
November!
www.broombezzums.com 1 John Mulhearn The Extraordinary Lit-
den is a very accomplished guitarist, with a
1 Hal & The Big Five Umoya (Halspirit
tle Cough (own label 880992149242 – bar
good range of styles and moods. However, all
DIGI CDXX2) Nice harmony singing from five
code) Debut album from Mulhearn, a stal-
eight tracks on his fifth album are in the same
Sowetans and two tracks mixed by Bill
wart of the Scottish solo piping circuit. Here
tuning and key, which can’t fail to produce an
Laswell can’t quite command attention. Wor-
he reinterprets classic Scottish pipe tunes
element of sameness and thus dilute the possi-
thy, but more melody and verve needed.
using electronics, samples, found sounds and
ble impact of his playing.
www.sihayden.com
www.halspirit.com
a range of added voices and instruments.
@ Dave Bordewey & Dave Young New
2 The Oxford Waits Love’s Holyday
Sounds like Kraftwerk on acid and malt Day (own label no cat. no.) Trad-rooted
whisky.
www.myspace.com/thelittlecough Worcester duo branch out into contemporary
(Beautiful Jo BEJOCD 54) A delectably jaunty
romp through the circle of the seasons as por-
1 Various Por Los Campos De Cuba: 25
with original songs by Bordewey, trad arrs and
trayed in early music, all by way of a finely
Guajiras Inmortales (Tumbao TCD 320) Tap-
instrumental tracks. The originals, though not
balanced sequence of songs, rounds, bawdy
ping classics such as Trio Matamoros, Los Com-
without charm, tend to espouse rather sim-
ballads and dance tunes, performed with typi-
padres, Septeto Habanero, Guillermo Porta-
plistic sentiments. The recording also seems
cal flair and gusto by this accomplished and
bales, and Ñico Saquito, Por Los Campos
curiously limp, lacking that vital spark despite
vibrant band. Entertaining, refreshingly infor-
essays the poignant punto versifying (record-
committed singing and playing (guitar, fiddle,
mative and highly enjoyable.
www.bejo.co.uk
ed 1932-1959) that many listeners first
melodeon, concertina, mandolin). www.folk-
2
encountered decades later via the Buena Vista
music-bordewey-young.co.uk
Tandoori Hill Brave Shyness (Playing With
Social Club. Nostalgically illustrated booklet in
Music PWM 1) Compositions on Indian forms by
Spanish, French and English. UK distribution
DVD
Swedish 5-string banjoist Bengt Johansson
via Discovery:
www.discovery-records.com
played with Emma Reid’s fiddle, Emma Johans-
2 Peter Finger Peter Finger (Wonderland
son’s alto flute and Petter Berndalen’s ever-
1 Transkaakko Kulo (Aarnihauta AH001)
WV002) Nicely shot video of German guitar
acute percussion. Smart, creative and natural,
Drifting away from the Balkan and other
meister in concert in 2008, with a trio of set-
the instrumentation and Swedish trad perspec-
roots influences of their previous CD Sato, ting-based tracks included. As befits the
tive pulls it west from India in sound, to a new
which was meaty, energetic and innovative founder of Acoustic Music records, the play-
land that occasionally seems slightly Bulgarian.
female-vocal-led original Finnish rock, this ing is smooth and precise, with Celtic and
www.myspace.com/tandoorimusic
one disappointingly seems to have lost the Spanish influences balancing the more
2
impetus, material and production and impressionistic pieces Finger is known best
Beccy Owen Down With Gravity (Fairy
become becalmed in the rather ordinary. for; all in all, a pleasant package. www.won-
Snuff no cat. no.) A Tyne-based singer and
www.transkaakko.com derland-records.de, distributed by Discovery.
writer to stand comparison with Eliza Carthy,
Owen’s words are graced by transparent
Transkaakko
piano-led accompaniments, her phrasing
sometimes recalling jazz divas. Kate Rusby
and Richard Dawson figure on one track
each.
www.beccyowen.com
1 Samba Toure Songhai Blues: Homage
To Ali Farka Toure (Riverboat TUGCD1054)
Does what it says on the tin. Rich, dusty vocal-
ising in the style of AFT or Afel Bocoum with
backing from a sterling support cast of
Malian musicians. Just lacks the couple of spe-
cial moments needed to put it ahead of the
pack.
www.worldmusic.net
2 Various Shivering Sands & Scavenging
Birds: Songs & Tunes From The Leigh Folk
Festival 2009 (Thames Delta MUD002CD)
Excellent sequel to 2008’s collection: for just a
fiver you get 18 tracks (nearly two-thirds pre-
viously unreleased) by a diverse array of artists
at this year’s LFF. Only four also appeared on
last year’s, the rest new but at worst interest-
ing, ranging from nu-folk to eccentric, deep
trad to psych-folk, jazz improv, world and
Americana.
www.leighfolkfestival.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92