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ROY BAILEY
room thunders on, keyboards and guitar wind Where Are You Going? is a mesmerising
unceasing trails around everyone and every- strum. Rhythm isn’t something commonly
Below The Radar Fuse Records CFCD407
thing, band and audience unite in melodic associated with music from this part of the
communion. Then they are gone. Scotland is world, and the percussion throughout is sub-
It’s now eight years since Roy Bailey released
lucky to be this relevant and vibrant. tly atmospheric; only on the late Hector
Coda, the album he insisted was his farewell
Zazou’s closing remix of Mountain do digital
to recording. Once Martin Simpson had
More cheers… more whistles, encore.
beats really come to the fore.
joined the family and offered his services on
Now though, there’s quiet come down, a
guitar, however, that was a vow he was never
misty wash of electronics and woodwinds, a The absence of any lyric translations in
going to keep and, seemingly doing more live
cool breeze on the worn hothouse. They lull the sleeve notes is a little vexing, but also
work than ever, he was drawn back in 2005
punters to the exit and car park. That’s how it underlines how brilliantly evocative these
with Simpson and John Kirkpatrick to make
is with Peatbog Faeries Live, you’re exhausted
songs are. For instance, what’s he singing
Sit Down & Sing. And now, topping even that
and exhilarated all at once. A work of won-
about on the lovely, yearning Ilgai? The press
opus, he’s rounded up Simpson and John K
der, possibly the finest in-concert recording
release says it deals with annual nomadic
again, along with Andy Cutting, Donald
you’ll hear this year.
migrations, and other pieces suggest the gait
Grant, Andy Seward, David Ferrard and Kellie
www.peatbogfaeries.com of a horse, or at least have that ‘going some-
While to make an album so impeccable, it
where’ vibe common to a lot of Central Asian
Simon Jones
must surely merit consideration as the best
music. That’s a small quibble. This is a lovely
thing he’s ever done.
and deceptively simple album that reveals ever
more of its layered charms with each listen.
As soon as John K guides his accordeon
MAMER
into the opening bars of that most gorgeous
www.realworldrecords.com
of Scots traditional songs, Road To Dundee, it’s
Eagle Real World CDRW165
Jon Lusk
like being sat in front of a log fire with a tar-
‘Chinagrass’ is the
tan blanket over your lap preparing to listen
name this intriguing
to a much-loved 73-year-old uncle regaling
musician from Xin- MIMMO EPIFANI
you with tales of his adventures. Not that it’s
jiang province in
all cosy and comfy. Bailey didn’t get where he
Zucchini Flowers Finisterre FT48
north-west China
is today without putting a few noses out of
gives his highly original and accessible music.
The zucchini (cour-
joint and there’s plenty of politics to get the
Mamer grew up absorbing the Kazakh folk
gette) is used as a
blood boiling, with material drawn from some
music of the grasslands. Having virtually
vegetable
of Bailey’s favourite songwriters including Si
founded China’s equivalent of an ‘alt. coun-
(although it is actu-
Kahn (Gonna Rise Again), Leon Rosselson (his
try’ scene with his band IZ, he has adapted
ally a fruit) and has
adaptation of Charles Causley’s Timothy Win-
traditional songs for this atmospheric solo
golden blossoms that can be cooked or used
ters), two by David Ferrard and four character-
debut, which has a vivid sense of place.
in salads. So in many ways, Zucchini Flowers
istically edgy songs from Jim Page. The most
contentious of these is Palestine, sung with a
The production team of Robin Haller and seems an appropriate title for this album.
beautiful economy by Bailey that underlines
Matteo Scumaci were also behind last year’s Mimmo Epifani and his collaborators use the
the human damage and grief at the heart of
accomplished debut by Mongolian/ Chinese instruments of the mandolin family to pro-
Page’s sensitive argument; Anna Mae paints a
band Hanggai. This time they’ve woven their duce acoustic music that is bright and attrac-
heart-rending picture of the 1976 murder of
programming, percussion, bass and guitars tive like the flowers and although the music
the American Indian activist Anna Mae
into the fabric of Mamer’s music in a way that is rooted in the traditions of the Salento area
Aquash, and Page’s acidic lyricism is also bril-
sounds more organic. of southern Italy, it draws on many other
liantly executed by Bailey on his politicised
Mamer’s bass voice is often multi-tracked
styles making it (like the zucchini) slightly
adaptations of When Johnny Comes Marching
and at times is deep enough to suggest the
ambiguous in its genre.
Home and Deportees (Collateral Damage).
kargyraa ‘throat-singing’ style popularised by Most of the tracks are composed by Epi-
Add in something old (Ian Campbell’s
Albert Kuvezin of Tuvan band Yat-Kha, and he fani and are dance tunes, serenades or
still poignant Old Man’s Tale), a bit of trad (a
does rope in Ilchi of Hanggai for a bit of ‘prop- pizziche (the pizzica is a southern Italian
quietly mournful Handsome Molly), a touch
er’ throat singing on Proverbs. Mamer plunks dance similar to the tarantella), but with
and strums on a variety of guitars, bouzouki, some varied extra ingredients. The opening
of romance (Ferrard’s Take Me Out Waltzing
Jew’s harp and the two-stringed dombra lute, track Cucuzza E Acqua has a southern Italian
Tonight), a big chorus (Tom Paxton’s recent
occasionally joined by other traditional instru- dance rhythm, but Epifani’s strident and
How Beautiful Upon The Mountain) and a
ments such as the sinuous-sounding ghijek fid- earthy voice and the mbira ostinato gives it
feel-good/ borderline cheesy singalong
dle on Man and the startlingly breathy end- an Afro-Brazilian flavour. The instrumental In
(George Papavgeris’s Friends Like These). All
blown flute (sybyzghy) on, err, Flute Song. Santa Pace has an attractive folk melody, but
this and some gorgeous contributions from
the supporting cast – a very approachable
There are also a couple of charming
Epifani’s mandolin fills draw on Charlie Park-
album, but be careful, it still bites.
instrumentals that depart more from tradi-
er-like bebop lines, Garbato E Saporito is a
tional formats. Celebration features Bela
pizzica given a Jamaican dancehall treatment
www.roybailey.net; via Proper.
Fleck duelling on his banjo with Mamer, and
and La Pizzica Delle Fate is a fascinating a
Colin Irwin
cappella composition that begins simply with
the solo female voice of Giorgia Santoro
Mamer
“zuzzuvio” (all the guest musicians are given
PEATBOG FAERIES
nicknames) and gradually builds layers of
voices in a style reminiscent of the work of
Live Peatbog Records CDBOG005 Italian experimental composer Luciano Berio.
So there you are down at the front. Lights
Mimmo Epifani draws on some broad ref-
dim… house music fades…then the chant
erences and amply demonstrates how acous-
begins: “Peatbog Faeries! Peatbog Faeries!”
tic music can provide rich and broad textures.
Steady beat, it gets quicker, faster still. Then
www.finisterre.it, via Egea Music UK.
cheers and whistles; applause as figures
Michael Hingston
move through the gloom on stage. At the
sharp note of a pipe suddenly there is
pyrotechnic splendour, aural fireworks, all
hell breaks loose. This is all splendidly allur-
LE VENT DU NORD
ing, instantly addictive. Welcome to the gig, Mesdames Et Messieurs! Borealis BCD194
be it Durham or Edinburgh.
The Peatbog Faeries are masters of show
The vibrant Québécois scene has already pro-
and atmosphere. Their music – pumped, hi-
duced one group that went on to world dom-
energy – is an amorphous thing, it shifts shape
ination; now here is another that is on the
and mood almost with a will of its own.
cusp of achieving the same thing. Whereas La
Changeling-like, one moment it is a full-
Bottine Souriante achieved their widespread
fledged Highland march, next heavy duty
success after more than doubling the size of
Scots funk, again reel-time jazz gone ambi-
the group and adding that wonderful beefy
ent, even a traditional session in an island bar.
brass section, Le Vent Du Nord seem to be
The challenge to your appreciative facilities
getting there without changing their basic
never stops for a second, not until, drenched
format – punchy tune playing accompanied
and breathless piper James Morrison steps up
by driving foot-tapping and fine singing,
to the mike to announce the last number,
mainly of call and response songs.
where he, fiddler Adam Sutherland and the
Mesdames Et Messieurs! enables them to
Wayward Boys brass section go bonkers,
fulfil a long-held ambition of bringing out a
bouncing around like pinballs. The engine Photo: Doug Kanter
live album. In the summer of 2008 the band
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