85 f THE YOUNG ’UNS
Another Man’s Ground Hereteu Records YNGS30
The Young ’Uns all turn 30 this year which is enough to make you feel quite old. There is nevertheless as much youthful vigour as ever in what they do. The three Teessiders have carried the banner for largely unaccompa- nied harmony singing for a decade now, since first starting to visit those strange places called folk clubs and falling under the spell.
In many ways, this fourth album is their best. The mix is much as before; Sean Cooney’s meaty songwriting, often dealing with big and difficult subjects, like ‘honour’ killing in The Streets of Lahore, plus a wide range of songs, modern and traditional, that they get to grips with in their distinctive way.
Despite a light dusting of accordeon, guitar and piano, it’s really all about the har- monies – and they have never sounded better. Even fairly familiar material like Between the Wars, Tom Paine’s Bones and Tenting Tonight comes out fresh and vital in this minimalist setting. There’s no doubt about my personal favourite, though. As one of those who, if forced to choose from a field of so many con- tenders, would regard School Days Over as arguably the best song Ewan MacColl ever wrote, the prospect of its glorious tune getting the YU treatment is a spine-tingling one. It doesn’t disappoint. The harmonies are sub- lime, so much so that it might even overtake Dick Gaughan’s version as the benchmark. After all, there’s only one of him.
Just one grumble. A running time of 32:48 is, by CD standards, ungenerous in the extreme..
www.theyounguns.co.uk Dave Hadfield
THE KHOURY PROJECT Revelation Enja Records ENJ-9611 2
Over the past year or so, there has been a real glut of great Arabian or Middle Eastern jazz albums – recent records by Hijaz, Majid Bekkas Trio and L’Hijâz’Car have set the bar high. Now, Revelation by the Khoury Project can join their ranks.
The core members of the ensemble are the Jordanian Brothers Khoury – Basil, Osama and Elia – who bring violin, qanun and oud, respectively. For this project they are joined by double bass, jazz and Arabian percussion.
The elegance of the Khoury Project’s compositions is evident from the off, with the imaginatively-titled opener Intro an intricate qanun solo with Arabian melody above com- plex chords that bring to mind ballad-jazz pianists. As the album continues, the group’s nuance becomes apparent: all the core ele- ments of Arabian classical music and jazz are retained, meaning that their combination with each other seems so natural that at times one can forget that the traditions are from opposite sides of the world.
There are also other themes explored throughout the album, with a couple of pieces reflecting flamenco (especially their version of Paco de Lucía’s Zyryab, recorded live in Paris), and these additional influences are handled with ease. It’s difficult to pick a highlight from this record, the pieces are con- sistent and all seem to have equal value to the album as a whole.
Is there something about Arabian music or jazz that make their fusions so often suc- cessful? It just seems to work. Take nothing away from these musicians though: it is a com- bination that requires knowledge of many musical languages as well as virtuosity, and Revelation is another great example of this.
www.enjarecords.com Jim Hickson
BASSEKOU KOUYATE & NGONI BA Ba Power Glitterbeat, GB CD 023
The new album from the ever effervescent Bassekou Kouyate sees the world’s foremost ngoni player on fine form, backed all the way by his aptly named band Ngoni Ba. Beyond Ngoni Ba however, this record features a wealth of guest musicians
who represent a veritable smorgasbord of West African musical royalty. Samba Touré contributes guitar on Fama Magni while upcoming star Adama Yolomba can be heard singing on Waati.
And from the opening riff of opening
track Siran Fen the tone is set on this record. As would be expected, Bassekou’s delicate vocals and machine-gun ngoni are there, ren- dered beautifully by Chris Eckman of Tamikrest fame. Also featured, however, are a range of more Western-friendly sounds, wah wah ped- als and electric guitars.
When done subtly, as on tracks like
Musow Fanga and Abe Sumaya this fusion works brilliantly. The West African rhythms and harmonies sound simultaneously con- temporary and timeless. Sometimes the approach is less subtle as on Aye Sira Bla which, for me, works less well.
Overall though, Ba Power is a record that lives up to its moniker (‘Ba’ means
Bassekou Kouyate
strong or great according to the press release) and marks another step forward for an artist who is gradually emerging as one of the great Malian musicians. A combina- tion of powerful rhythms and spellbinding riffs, Ba Power promises to be one the albums of the year and Bassekou’s appear- ance at the Cheltenham Jazz festival, one of the gigs of the year.
www.bassekoukouyate.com/ Liam Thompson
VARIOUS ARTISTS
The Rough Guide To African Rare Groove Volume 1 Rough Guides RGNEYT1323CD
Rare and special, left-field tracks with extra poke, swoony music known only to obses- sionals. Sounds good, eh? The anthology quickly establishes its credentials with a tinny highlife that turns out to have a grip and riff of great potency. Then a marrabenta from Mozambique, then a fuzz guitar anthem from Ethiopia, both characterised by the mar- vellous abandon of the singers. And so it goes on – a sort of Louie Louie rumba, a guitar solo that sounds like a bellzouki, a superbly loose and yearning flute and guitar blues from SA that just about holds together: every song has something memorable to enjoy. These are the sort of flaky tracks that go too far. Unknown classics for connoisseurs. Not MoR.
www.worldmusic.net/africanraregroove Rick Sanders
Photo: Thomas Dorn
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