f130 L’ALBA
A Parulluccia L’Alba/Ma Case/Socadisc VOC5404
The great Malagasy accordeonist Régis Gizavo died, far too young, on July 16th 2017, in Cor- sica while touring as a member of this Corsi- can vocal and instrumental group. He’d long had involvement with Corsican music, playing with another well-known group, I Muvrini, for eight years and appearing on six of their albums in the 1990s.
L’Alba, while featuring that soaring, melismatic Corsican male tenor singing, are also instrumentalists, using guitars, Indian harmonium, clarinet and bass guitar. Under- standably, the band doesn’t want to be trapped in the traditional format, but, while keeping that essence, aims for evolution and a wider musical palette. With most of the material their own, generally featuring a lead voice with the others as backing vocalists, it’s a smooth, elegant, warm Mediterranean sound.
Perhaps the most striking tracks, though, in international terms at least, are those where the glorious a cappella Corsican har- mony is to the fore: Spunnati Scaluni, in which the voices stand before they’re joined by Gizavo’s accordeon, and the darkly dron- ing closer, Sti Buchji Di Notti.
Living on a Mediterranean island, it’s impossible to be unaware of the tragic migrant boats, and, as far as I can tell as a non-Corsican speaker typing the lyrics into Google Translate, that seems to be alluded to in the song Lampidusa. But perhaps not; while this is the band’s debut album and the first time it’s been released commercially, according to the press release it was recorded “a few years ago”.
www.l-alba.com Andrew Cronshaw
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Vaughan Williams In Norfolk Vol 2 (Ed. Alan Helsden) (CD-Rom) Musical Traditions MTCD255
You have completed an enormous amount of detailed research on a rather specialised sub- ject. You want to share it in a way that brings together and presents all the elements – text, music, photos, maps, lists etc. A book would meet the need but this is a specialised subject and would not create the sales that would
justify the cost. Anyway, there is a frequent need for cross-referencing… Eureka! You produce it in short run HTML CD-Roms.
Alan Helsden and Rod Stradling have arrived at an ideal way of presenting the material. The tune for each of the 93 items collected by RVW in the south of Norfolk on his visits between 1908 and 1911 is presented in a clear manner and an accompanying MIDI tune file is provided for each. We know that this collector, while fascinated by the tunes and how versions changed, paid fairly scant attention to the words so Alan provides these from other sources – recordings of other East Anglian singers, from broadsides and from books all carefully sourced. The result is some very pleasing lyrics being suggested for fine melodies, some of which are unique.
In addition Alan examines the date and
sequence of RVW’s collecting trtips in 1908, 1910 and 1911 to come up with suggested itineraries for each trip as well as maps, vin- tage photos and postcards that show the locations he visited and the flat lands he cycled through.
The last of the categories is “Thanks” and therein lies the only disappointment in that after such meticulous work, Halsden does not share with us with something head- ed with a title such as “Findings”, “Impres- sions” or “Conclusions”.
www.mustrad.org.uk Vic Smith ISMAIL TÜRKER &
DURMUŞ TÜRKER Sevdalı Köy Türküleri (Village Folksongs About Love) Acoustic Music Records 319.1579.2
Looking at the front cover, pessimism about the quality of the music would be under- standable. But you can’t judge a book… so we move on, noting that it’s a pity that the booklet notes are in Turkish and German only, while the lyrics are only in Turkish.
The songs are settings by Ismail Türker of poems by his uncle, Durmu¸s Türker (who lives in Anatolia I suppose). Ismail plays saz (baˇglama, pronounced baalama), sings and plays some background percussion. On some songs he’s accompanied by Martina Binnig on violone and transverse flute. Ismail is (apparently) the only saz teacher in Ger- many, where he’s lived for the last eighteen
years. The songs are sung and played in a classical Anatolian folk style – acoustic, strict, portentous. I say classical because I doubt that it’s an old tradition to perform folk music this way, I suspect that it’s a style which has developed in the Republican years with the rediscovery of folk music as a national music. No matter. What counts for me is how the music moves me.
And I am moved by many of the songs. The singing feels inside the words, and the playing balances the singing. And though the approach respects the form so much as to be formal, still a good half of the pieces are love- ly, and the others are pleasant. Mostly melan- choly song alternating with mostly melan- choly saz. An album for collectors of Anato- lian folk, without the overt passion of say Ne et Erta but very listenable.
acoustic-music.de Nick Hobbs
KALÁSZ BANDA Dúzs 2017 Fonó FA397-2
Sohase Vétettem is twelve minutes of con- tained, compressed delirium, violin whining bravely above a heavy and unerring groove. But a stir into a desperate dance is wholly unheralded, uncertain, and beautifully placed, complete with the steps, claps and shouts of a dancing trio. For all its deliberate and occa- sionally savage roughness, the soar is hypnotic.
All but one of the tracks are similarly epic in length and scope, apparently simple and familiar Hungarian music pulled kicking – and occasionally screaming – into surrepti- tious and affecting change. Their narratives, journeys and influences reflect the revelatory forays into tradition of violinist and focal point, Máté Kalász, who has achieved a brave but respectful licence to reappraise the sources and styles of wider Transylvania and beyond. “Folk music is a miracle that has always been in motion and remains in motion” is a Kalász credo that fuels the big music of his record.
A subtle string core drone evokes authentically unforgiving and melancholic landscapes and traditions. But such emptiness slowly blends into a consciously vast and determinedly romantic feel. Many of the album’s lyrics are a variation on ‘I would love you but it’s not allowed’, and all the highs, lows, simplicities and complexities in this lyric are orchestrated and played.
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