55 f BITORI Legend of Funaná Analog Africa AACD 081
Many of us, when we think of the music of the Cape Verde Islands think of the lovely female voices inter- preting Morna with its influ- ences from Portuguese fado. This album brings another genre to our attention; this album’s subtitle calls it “The
Forbidden music of Cape Verde Islands”. The 40 minutes of this album shows us its vibrancy and vitality.
Victor Taveres, aka Bitori, introduced the two-row melodeon into Funaná in the 1950s, a form that was unpopular with the colonial authorities because of its association with the Cape Verde independence move- ment. Here he is pictured playing the Hohner pokerwork model so common in England. The style calls for a repeated pattern of notes in chordal sequences that allow the singer to soar and improvise over the top and alternate this with refrains. The singer in this case is a much younger man than Bitori. Chando Gra- ciosa has a searing, cutting voice and he attacks the lyrics in a commanding way that brings life to the subjects which, we are told, deal with the hardships of rural life in their islands.
The pair of them travelled to Europe in 1997 seeking an audience for their music and it was in Holland that this album was original- ly recorded and given a limited release in that year.
The elderly Bitori travels to Europe this summer to reunite with Chando, Sadly, their tour does not come to the UK.
www.properdistribution.com Vic Smith
GADARENE Volume Two: Live In 2016 Gadarene
Mission statement “ultra- modern, ancient tunes” pro- vides the perfect tag line for Gadarene’s driving English fire. A busy, having-fun set of instrumentals rounded up, herded together from diverse manuscripts and 300 years by adding weight with
dubstep, reggae and the odd electronic groove. In truth they probably never play the same piece the same way twice so this live set
Gadarene
recorded with a predictably enthusiastic audi- ence at The David Hall in South Petherton shows musicians sparking off each other in no small order. Opener An Italian Rant is five minutes plus of sprightly flute glancing off a Euro-fiddle invasion, whilst drummer Si Paull gives some heft to the bottom end before the tune morphs into a bluebeat undercurrent: a gloriously raucous beginning. Things get bet- ter yet as Matt Norman’s mandolin plays chase round The King’s Head Hornpipe (hear it on this issue’s fRoots 60 set) and a melodi- ca – yes, a melodica – provides the counter- point. They even manage to shimmy up onto a box to clog and step dance making an echo- ing thunder. At times the trill of Jon Dyer’s breathy flute veers off into a prog jazz spiral as he extemporises a reel, waiting to be brought back into the regular beat by the drums and booming bass of Laurel Swift.
A generous dose of playfulness is present throughout, proving that Live In 2016 is not just the work of talented musicians, it’s the product of a splendidly vibrant unit who take chances and pull more than rabbits out of the hat.
www.gadarenemusic.com
Simon Jones
RUSALNAIA Time Takes Away Cambrian CAM007
A far heavier affair than its pastoral predecessor, the second album by this transatlantic duo sees Shar- ron Kraus and Gillian Chad- wick set aside their dul- cimers for electric guitars. Recorded in Wales by Kraus and Michael Tanner (United
Bible Studies, Plinth, etc), Time Takes Away is a record located somewhere on the sonic ley line that connects Mandy Morton’s 1978 folkcult classic Magic Ladywith (sometime Kraus collaborator) Meg Baird’s current Heron Oblivion project.
Opener (and single) Cast A Spell builds in intensity from a spoken incantation (“seven stars she wore…”) to a thrilling crescendo with pummelling drums, while the insistently melodic Take Me Back features scorching early prog-style keyboards, and Driving is car- ried on the interplay between acoustic gui- tars. Recorders and autoharp add the right amount of pastel folk shades to the electric primary colours throughout.
The lyrics are personal, incisive, filled with poetic imagery – “Orange and coriander beauty…” (The Honeymoon Is Over) and fre-
Photo: Ian Anderson
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