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JUGALBANDI From Is To Was Sonicmine SMINE101


Or, ‘It Came From Edinburgh’... this collabora- tion between former Shannachie member, multi-instrumentalist Gordon Irvine and improv/rock guitarist Chris Kant is a terrific debut for the duo. From the opening track, Baglamarama, which does what its title implies – jangling baglama at a point where the Balkans meet the Mississippi Delta via adventurous ‘60s bands like Kaleidoscope – you know you’re in interesting territory; and the invention and wide-ranging influences continue at the fore.


Among the original pieces there are


jazzy, light shuffles on With The Greatest Of Ease and the title track, slinky slide guitar on El Gato, and mutated guitar blues of which the late Don Van Vliet would have approved on Waverley, most of which feature the strong and always appropriate drumming and percussion of Denis Lynch, the third leg of the tripod.


When they reach into traditional influ- ences, the fun really starts: Paddy Fahey’s Reel takes on pan-Arabic overtones; Tradition Times Two has a measured grace about it, and Lord Mayo –well, I never knew one could turn it into a martial tango but Jugalbandi have convinced me it’s the most natural thing in the world.


If pushed, the duo could be lumped together with the likes of Spiro in the UK and the Henrys and Fernwood on the North American continent, but that’s only to say they’re instrumental bands who share a sense of adventure and think that the only thing that fits into a pigeonhole is a pigeon. Sly and witty, this is a very impressive album.


www.jugalbandi.co.uk Ian Kearey JOSEPH COUDERC VARIOUS ARTISTS


The Complete Pakeezah Saregama GNCIN 138171-2-3


Kamal Amrohi’s 1971 masterpiece Pakeezah (Pure Of Heart) was one of the most troubled productions in Indian cinema history. First sketched in 1958, shooting began in 1964. By the time it appeared its original “music direc- tor” (composer) Ghulam Mohammed was dead and the marriage of Amrohi and Pakeezah’s lead actress Meena Kumari was beyond revising. They set their differences aside to complete the picture, now ranked amongst the 100 best films from India and, in at least one chart, anywhere. It ranks as one of the Bombay film industry’s two finest tawaif-, that is, courtesan-themed films. On its release in February 1972, it received a lukewarm reception commercially, immedi- ately revised by Meena Kumari’s death in late March 1972.


Its ingredients include society’s hypo- critical seesaw bobbing between the lure and loathing of the historic role of the tawaif, the unfairness of life and women’s identity being defined by male dominance, the cycle of history repeating itself (artfully assisted by the theatrical device of having Kumari portray both daughter and her mother who died in childbirth), and cine- matography of the saturated colour kind. Plus music of the most extraordinary kind, sung by, amongst others, Lata Mangeshkar, Mohd Rafi, Vani Jairam and Parveen Sul- tana, and composed by Ghulam Mohammed and his guru, one of India’s supreme melody makers and music directors, Naushad Ali.


The melodrama may have been clunky for post-modernists but the music never is. The feel is classical but Naushad adroitly switches between sarangi, sitar, Hawaiian guitar, bansuri (bamboo flute) and tabla to


Chanteur du Ségala Cordae/La Talvera GEMP 67


If Joseph Couderc were English and he approached traditional songs in this manner, he would probably end up on the Veteran label. In fact, the whole production, booklet, notes, vintage photos has the feeling of a John Howson production. Perhaps this is a bit more lavish than John could afford, but if we look at the sponsors’ logos, we see that this really worthwhile album has financial support from national government arts funding as well as from regional authorities in Tarn and Midi-Pyrénées. Of course, ventures in the Occi- tan language assume large political and socio- political significance, hence such support.


The utterly admirable Daniel Loddo and Céline Ricard from La Talvera have recorded and produced this. They met Joseph when he was 85 in 2004, so we are listening to an old man’s voice, but to a voice that resonates with the authenticity of the tradition. Many of his songs seems to be carried by tunes that are used for dancing in his area and they reflect these – often in bourée rhythms. The comprehensive booklet gives the Occitan words of all the 32 items included here along with translations into French.


www.talvera.org Vic Smith


BRIAN O hEADHRA An t-Allt Brechin All Records, CDBAR011


The ability to convey sensual, trembling, pas- sionate emotion is not common among Scot- tish Gaelic singers, and the notable exceptions tend to be female. Rarer still are the male singers who are able to go beyond perform- ing a song to actually expressing it. It needs a kind of abandonment. This album confirms


Jugalbandi


create the moods and to bring the past into the present. The Complete Pakeezah includes passages of dialogue and you are welcome to coast through them. But, for example, on the first disk of this three-CD set the Yeh dhuan sa kahaan… dialogue track has a background pentatonic instrumental theme that archly conflates tawaif and geisha. This magnificent set also settles the matter of the Pakeezah Rang Barang LP material – with its contribu- tions from Shamshad Begum and Shobha Gurtu, amongst others – as being “songs recorded for, but not used in Pakeezah”. Clas- sic pre-Bollywood, classically treated. The Bombay film melting pot is where modern- day world music really started.


www.saregama.com Ken Hunt


Brian O hEadhra’s status as the most vocally talented and versatile male singer in Scottish Gaelic. His warm, sweet voice brims with feel- ing, and, compellingly, he seems to inhabit the songs he sings, becoming part of them.


This is a powerful collection of love songs, some joyous, some grief-stricken, some composed by Brian, some traditional, and some contemporary songs by others. Grace- ful, glowing accompaniment is provided on guitar, accordeon, acoustic bass, piano, glock- enspiel, harmonica, shruti box and additional vocals. Tha Mi Nam Shuidh’ is a traditional Irish song of unrequited love. Brian’s Scottish Gaelic version is heart-melting. And his soul- ful Gaelic rendition of Richard Thompson’s Dimming Of The Day is simply a revelation. I think I prefer it to the original.


If being the most engaging male vocalist in Gaeldom were not enough, this album also showcases Brian’s prodigious talents as a songwriter. Fathainn (Rumours) is a strikingly original song about the evacuation from St Kilda: the verses describe the gossip of the mainlanders talking about the strange refugees in their midst, the chorus expresses the anguish of the bewildered evacuees. The masterstroke is the tune-change for the cho- rus – a haunting, klezmer-like refrain. Brian’s gift for composing beautiful tunes is at the heart of Caidil Ri Mo Thaobh (Sleep By My Side), a tender love-song to his wife, in which the lady herself (Fiona Mackenzie) provides additional vocals. Equally moving is Tri Rion- nagan Beaga (Three Little Stars), the melody exquisitely conveying the overwhelming emotion of travelling homeward towards wife and children.


Brian closes the album with a definitive performance of a classic song of unrequited love ‘S Truagh Nach Do Rugadh Dall Mi (Alas That I Was Not Born Blind) by the tragic 18th Century love poet William Ross, for whose work Brian is the perfect voice.


www.brianoheadhra.com Paul Matheson


JOHN BROMLEY From Higgin Chamber Own label


For anyone who’s heard Kimber’s Men the voice is unmistakeable. John’s rich bass seems made for singing sea songs and shanties. That said, this CD contains much more than that in several ways. There are 20 tracks reflecting John’s wide range of folk influences and all having significance to John over and above their mere musicality. This collection includes both traditional and modern tracks including three by Archie Fisher and one by Stan Rogers. Those fans of John’s singing will be delighted to find that his Old Man River is included showcasing his powerful dark brown voice.


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