55 f


Robin. Then there’s the rattling malbar (or tanbour) drums and shawm-like oulke horn that punctuate the epic Sapèl La Mizér, art- fully evoking the island’s strong Tamil culture. Other highlights include the spooky 20- minute Salim, and Voulvoul, a slow bluesy piece with deep backing vocals, slithering bob (the local version of the berimbau) and softly booming roulér.


The high, nasal voices of Corsican group


A Filetta on A Pagjhella Di L’Impiccati / Sin Bénwa initially grate, but the skilful way the two narratives are woven together slowly begins to make sense. Waro met the group at a festival in Calvi several years ago, and the fact that they are both ‘island musicians’ concerned with poetry and politics isn’t quite enough to convince me this is a musi- cal marriage made in heaven. Nevertheless, things get pretty close on A Merula, a delightfully economic Corsican folk song. The other less successful collaboration is the English language rap on Mandela by South African Tumi Molekane, who sounds like any number of sulky American MCs.


The lack of any sleeve note translations means that the full significance of Waro’s still compelling narratives is somewhat lost on those of us who don’t speak Kreol. It’s a flawed, complex and over-long record that by turns taxes, beguiles and engages; you will need to be a patient listener.


www.africolor.com Jon Lusk


DALLA Cribbar Dalla Records DACD05


This Cornish outfit has been proudly fly- ing the flag for the region’s indigenous music over the course


of ten years and three albums; indeed, band member Neil Davey was (with his group Bucca) one of those responsible for kick-start- ing the Cornish traditional music revival back in the 1970s. Now Dalla returns for a further persuasive invocation of the magic of Corn- wall; Cribbar is a lively and compelling por- trait of its music and traditions, on which multi-instrumentalist Neil is joined once again by clarinettist/ singer Hilary Coleman and singer/ darabuka player Bec Applebee, along with new recruit, guitarist and crowdy crawn player Steve Hunt.


Through a well-engineered sequence of tunes and songs, the flavour of Cornish tradi- tions is authentically evoked in performances that are uplifting, committed and energetic. Those class acts Tanglefoot and Churchfitters might most immediately spring to mind as ready-made comparisons, but Dalla unques- tionably possess their own distinctive and piquant regional identity. Cribbar’s opening track has a strong link to Neil’s childhood home; the sound of the Huer’s Horn ushers in an account of the troyls (parties) once held at Newquay harbour’s fish-cellars. The disc then goes on to parade before us a veritable local pageant incorporating a bewildering, and intensely satisfying, variety of music. First there’s several rollicking sets of tunes, bring- ing in the traditional kabm pymp (Cornish five-step), oll adro, jowster and furry dance; some are given an almost klezmer feel by Hilary’s clarinet, some showcase Neil’s daz- zling bouzouki playing, while others include guest musicians on accordeon, viola or gaita bagpipes. And the invigorating Talla Rooz might be thought of as a Cornish equivalent of Gaelic mouth music.


As respite from the dances we’re treated to a gorgeous, hypnotic chiming Ann Tremel- lan (a Cornish version of Barbara Allen), a sensitive rendition of “witchy” Maggie May (the late-19th-century American song popu-


larised in Padstow by Charlie Bate), a vivid dream-inspired composition of Hilary’s (Turn- ing Of The Tide) and a pot-pourri segment of the dramatic music from Bec’s one-woman theatre show telling the story of Cornish highwaywoman Mary Bryant (was she a dis- tant relative, I wonder, of master Cornish songwriter Roger Bryant, whose rousing Fal- mouth Packet forms the basis of an earlier track?). Throughout, Dalla prove to have a keen ear for innovative instrumental and vocal blending while making great capital out of their traditional sources. Cribbar! I cry – for this mighty wave of Cornish music is breaking on your shore: so prepare to be engulfed by the tide.


www.dalla.co.uk David Kidman


NIDI D’ARAC Taranta Container Tarantulae TA003


It is now 12 years since the band Nidi D’Arac released their first album of con- temporary interpre- tations of southern Italian tarantella and their latest album, Taranta Container, is largely a reworking of earlier material. Nidi D’Arac have re-recorded seven songs making them closer to the way they now sound on stage and also included are remixes by five artists of a variety of nationalities.


Generally, I am not a fan of remixes, but these mostly add a different slant without destroying the feel and spirit of the original. London-based Gaudi adds a heavy dub vibe to Ci Fice Lu Mundu, Parisian DJ Click intro- duces rhythmic electronica to Ipocharia, Por- tuguese remixer Mr Tos gives a textured, ele- gant treatment to 29 Giugno and Klama is given a particularly inventive and sensitive treatment by Piers Faccini. Only the remix of Quarante Tarante? by Amsterdam’s Streamer Pilot disappoints as the imposed rhythm works against the original track and they use too many dance music clichés. The one remaining track is a version of Il Ballo Di San Vito by Italian singer Vinicio Capossela, reshaped in Nidi D’Arac style and retitled Cer- chio Si Apre Cerchio Si Stringe.


The rhythms of the dance music of the Salento region appear to naturally lend themselves to integration with contemporary beats and Nidi D’Arac do a great job in keep- ing the music relevant. The remixes take this


Dalla


one step further and make their music even more accessible to an audience unfamiliar with tarantella. If you are already familiar with the work of Nidi D’Arac, then this fasci- nating and varied album is an enjoyable revis- iting of some of their best songs; if not, it is a great place to start. www.nididarac.com


Michael Hingston


VARIOUS ARTISTS Cumbia Beat Vol.1 Vampisoul VAMPI CD 116


Cumbia Beat? Well kind of… “Experi- mental guitar driven tropical sounds from Peru 1966-1976” is


what it says on the front right-hand corner of this nicely packaged double CD from Madrid’s retro-cool Vampisoul label. We’re talking chicha here, the twangy Peruvian sound recently made hip again thanks to New York’s Chicha Libre and our own Los Chinches. 25 original short and swingin’ tunes that range from bouncy, brassy cumbia to amped-up, surf-guitar twisters (kind of like The Ventures on an Amazonian adventure) with a constant pulse of chatter- ing percussion and a bit of just-on-the-right- side-of-cheesy Farfisa organ thrown into the mix for good measure.


According to the notes in the fulsome CD booklet (complete with lots of kitschy period photos), Peru’s obsession with tropical dance rhythms can be traced back to Perez Prado’s visit to Lima in the ‘50s, which brought on a local wave of mambo-mania, mutating into other Latin American dance styles including Colombian cumbia. Add some indigenous Peruvian rhythms and the sounds of US and UK beat groups heard on long-wave radio and chicha was born.


This isn’t the first easily available chicha compilation, that was the excellent single disc Roots Of Chicha put out on Chicha Libre head honcho Olivier Conan’s Barbes label a couple of years back. But this new release doesn’t replicate anything on there. Certainly not for the serious ethnomusicologist, this is magpie music (you’ll hear a lift from The Beatles here, a bit of the Peanut Vendor melody there) but as such, it’s a lot of fun and well worth a bit of tropical exploration, if twang happens to be your thang. www.vampisoul.com


Uk distributor: Shellshock Jamie Renton


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