tango (serbia)

not entirely sure about this group named kal
they claim to be the hottest gypsy band in serbia
something to do no doubt with being a bunch of good-looking lads
probably have the ladies swooning as they make their music
what struck me is the similarity with the most famous tango group
being the argentinian group gotan project
there's the similar looking chap on acoustic guitar
the accordian/bandoneon - compulsory for tango music
the attention to lighting and the stage show is similar
the crowd would be inter-changeable with a gotan audience
and of course the music is very similar
here's what songlines magazine had to say about serbian tango

the tango may have been born in beunos aires
but it very soon found adoptive homes in paris, berlin, russia, finland and turkey
it's the only dance we've chosen to feature twice
to reflect the extensive tango diaspora

not much to go on there and no mention of kal in their writeup
but i kind of like this group so they get the nod
this would be a quieter tune in their repertoire
easy to imagine them cranking it out at speed
go kal
(45 of 50)

andy palacio r.i.p.

some very sad news
another january death
not someone i knew personally
but certainly someone i admire
andy palacio was a musician from berlize (south america)
i was first exposed to his music quite by accident
when attending the rainforest world music festival in borneo
the cd shop there had some music from his label called stonetree records
the artwork and packaging was very appealing
(something digital downloading can never replicate)
further investigation revealed reference to a unique style of music
given the name of garifuna also the name of the people who practice this style
most appealing was that the music is centered around acoustic guitars
given a mix of african and caribbean styles
which relates directly to the ancestry of the garifuna people
a couple of cd's were bought at the festival
which i enjoyed so much i wrote to the label
and expressed my enthusiasm for the music
not long after a bunch of cd's arrived in the mail
the owner of the label, ivan duran, sent them to me with a thank-you note
quite humbled i was at his generosity
so in a very minor way i feel slightly connected to his loss
seems they have acheived some significant recognition
there's a huge world music festival every year held in spain
last year andy palacio and ivan duran were honoured with the womex award
for the group or individual representing the best in world music
maybe on the back of that a world tour was organised and underway
when andy palacio suffered a stroke in alabama
and was brought back to his beloved berlize
to die in his country of birth
on january the 19th
he was 47 years old
so sad
some relevant links follow
wiki entry for andy palacio
obituary in the times
web site of stonetree records
and here is a superb youtube video of the man and his music

the longest day

these days you can get very cheap international flights
as long as you are prepared to travel at any time of the day
budget constraints and the need to fly christchurch to sydney
had me flying out at 6:30am
which meant checking in at 5:00am
which meant leaving the family home at 4:00am
which meant about 2 hours sleep after the usual late night session
trying to get as much done as possible pre-departure
the other problem with cheap fares
is that they will sting you anyway they can
typically on baggage exceeding already tight limits
so for an extra 3 kilos another $30 was added to the fare
uh-oh - 3 months of very cheap living has come to an end
heading back to sydney and already the dollars are flowing
but no other complaints re run-for-your-seats airline
australia had just celebrated a public holiday for australia day
so allowing for a 2 hour time difference
i flew into a city waking up from a long weekend
which gave me some assurance of a gentle return to work
met at the airport by my nz travelling companion
and chauffeured to the office for the first of many days
it's been very wet in sydney over this summer
as a complete contrast to the nz summer
relentless, continual, desperately needed rain
which is why no-one seemed too dispirited by it all
from my experience rain and sydney-siders do not mix
but after a long period of drought conditions the change was welcome
i don't know if it is possible to get jet lag from a 3-hour journey
i can't recall experiencing it on any other occasion
but on this day i was feeling quite lethargic
so by the time end of day rolled around
and my driver obliged me with another ride
i was feeling quite literally under the weather
ready for crawling into a nice cosy bed even in daylight
and shutting out the world for a much needed sleep
but my current circumstances dictate that alone is not an option
my nearest and dearest friends have taken me in
and much catching up required of elapsed months
not much memory of the hours spent thereof
except the consumption of fine food
some beer and wine in there also
and then collapse into bed
after a
very
long
day
...zzz...

the summer of 49

this day being the last day for a while in nz
arrived here exactly 100 days earlier from australia
time out required to re-group on a number of fronts
finances, health, (over)commitments, relationships all needing attention
spent a month or so here in the previous year (the summer of 48)
and thoroughly enjoyed the time in the home country
so this year it seemed opportune to stretch it a bit further
good to be close to family
not so good being away from friends
but good to pull in the head a bit
living back in the family home has some advantages
first and foremost is the material gain
or more appropriately the lack of material loss
sydney is an expensive place to live
it may not be as bad as paris or tokyo or london or......
but rent a place, feed the face, partake in the rat-race
and the money goes out quicker than it comes in
no wonder credit cards are maximised all over the place
and the screws are now going in tighter with interest rate rises
which means renters are at the whim of rentees
but i digress - left that all behind in october 2007
bolted it to the family home in regional nz
no rent to pay, home-grown-and-cooked food
entertainment options limited
so struggling for a change for ways to spend money
access to a car for long-haul trips
but preference has been to walk, walk, walk
have pounded the pavement relentlessly
mostly to the local swimming pool for some laps
which requires a walk through the local domain
a very large area with plentiful plant life
ponds=ducks, grassed areas=dogs
walkways=people strolling
a long summer of beautiful hot days
exposure to the relaxation technique of tai chi
means finding a quiet spot by the water
with the setting sun in the face
and working through some exercises
mostly focused on breathe in, breathe out, repeat
the iriver has been the constant companion
some 1,200 songs from some 100 albums stacked in there
have it playing in random play mode on all my walks
which i have concluded is not very random
one of the great mysteries of the universe
is how does this device always know what i want to hear
even without me knowing what i want to hear
yes obviously they are all favourite albums
so the chances of getting a favourite tune are quite high
but the number of times the best song off an album
gets tossed up constantly amazes me
in a moment of software developer madness
i started logging the frequency of the tracks
trying to establish a pattern so as to find the bug
but then just as quickly gave up on this exercise
pointless, silly, unproductive, meaningless
but still a sign of the times
time on my hands
is good
for today

tango (argentina)

been looking forward to digging a little bit on this one
at least for a change a musical style that has a familiar name
another one in the list of 50 rhythms documented by songlines magazine
here's what they had to say about tango in their article

the dance groove of buenos aires lowlifers
was given glamour by carlos gardel and virtuosity by bandoneon supremo anibal troilo
but is was bespectacled pianist osvaldo pugliese
who emphasised the strident beat of the dos por cuatro (or 2/4)
as argentinians call tango
his 60-odd year career bridged the golden age
and the evolutionary explorations of astor piazzolla
last year beunos aires tangueros dedicated the whole year to pugliese
born 1905 died 1995

my big interest in tango stems from a french-argentinian group
that i own a few cd's of and have listened to repeatedly
they were one of the headline acts at womadelaide last year
the gotan project owe a lot to tango (not least their name)
their trademark sound also comes from the bandoneon
though at least live there is only 1 on stage
unlike the following clip recorded in 1985
showing osvaldo pugliese at the piano
the man credited with keeping tango alive
and carrying it forward for future generations
this concert was recorded in buenos aires
with no less than 10 bandoneon players on stage
(44 of 50)

yorro-yorro

michael leunig never fails to impress
not only does he draw the best cartoons
but he can tell a great story as well
found the following as part of an article
in the melbourne age on this australia day
a story certainly worth remembering
so presented here for my posterity

I once lived in a small town in central Victoria, and there it was my good fortune to dwell in a house across the street from a little old lady named Mrs Heggie. She was a bright soul and I often found her rustling about like a wren in her front garden and took delight in chatting with her about whatever was at hand. One autumn morning we were talking about the news: a ghastly story of a young woman taken by a crocodile in the Prince Regent River of north-west Australia.

"Frightful creatures those big crocodiles," offered my neighbour, and I told her how I had only just recently met an old indigenous man from that country and how much he had enchanted me as he spoke about the beautiful dangers of life up there in the Kimberley.

"Oh yes, and who would that be?" inquired Mrs Heggie in the most excited and unusually pointed way.

"David Mowaljarlai was his name," I replied.

"Oh, and how is David these days?" she inquired in a matter-of-fact voice.

After a moment of blank incomprehension, I told her that he seemed fine and thought that perhaps she had misheard me or was having a mixed-up dotty moment and inquiring after somebody in her imagination.

"Do you know of David Mowaljarlai?" I asked.

"Oh yes, he was such a lovely young man; he rescued me from the plane crash."

What then followed in the sunshine of our quiet little street was Mrs Heggie's astonishing story.

She had worked on a mission in Kimberley during the 1930s where cyclones and pirates could suddenly descend from the sea to terrorise the community, and where the giant black crocodiles roamed freely along the river banks and shores of a wild land.

One day she had made a long and difficult journey in the region to attend to some practical business and was offered a quick ride back to the mission in a biplane piloted by a Salvation Army missionary.

"He was a good pilot but a dreadful navigator," recalled Mrs Heggie.

The plane got lost and ran out of fuel, resulting in an emergency landing on a mangrove flat surrounded by deep water and crocodiles in the Prince Regent River.

"We sat on the wings for nearly a week listening to the crocodiles underneath us at night and drank water we collected from the fabric of the plane. The Salvation Army man lost his nerve and I had to spend all my energy trying to calm him down. He was a terrible sook and this annoyed me very much.

"I told him that David from the mission would find us, as I believed he would. David and I had a special understanding of each other and he always seemed to know where I'd be.

"One morning I looked up and there across the water at the edge of the bush was David with his lovely smile. He had found us. He had the most beautiful smile. But you know, to this day, whenever the Salvation Army people come collecting at my door, I give them a donation but I always feel annoyed because of that pilot behaving like a frightened child — he really wasn't much help."

In later life David Mowaljarlai travelled the country and spoke urgently and eloquently of his concern for the wellbeing of white society, which he could see was suffering from a loss of spirit and an incomprehension of the land in which it lived.

His integrity and wisdom often included an important word from his Ngarinyin language: a word that could be very useful to this country in these depressed and anxious times. I use it often.

"Yorro-yorro" is the word — and it means "everything standing up alive" or "the spirit in the land that makes everything stand up alive".

Mrs Heggie had lots of yorro-yorro.

"Each day faces you like a murderer," said Mowaljarlai also — but he said it as an enlivening truth to stimulate the spirit and to remind us of yorro-yorro.

It's a beautiful Wandjina country word to use on Australia Day — or any other day, for that matter. David Mowaljarlai gave it to us and left us with it.

When you've got yorro-yorro you don't need a flag.

random tunes part 16

i get a little bit anxious about playing this game
have this feeling that it's more repetitive than random
same artists popping up fairly regularly
but i like 'em and there's something to be learnt
listening to a tune with a critical ear
then trying to describe said tune in a few words
surprising really what can be gleaned from tunes
when paying more attention than as usual
when mostly the music is just background noise
so rolling the dice for this weeks top 10 list...
we shall overcome by bruce springsteen
ouch - not so many years ago this would have been unlikely
both the song and the singer would have been bypassed
but lately the ear has been turning a bit to roots music
this tune is from an album by the boss of pete seeger linked tunes
this would be quite a standard rendition of this standard but good for it
rain by not drowning, waving
from the classic and best album produced by this band titled tabaran
had the pleasure of seeing the band do a one-off concert a few years ago
where they played the album in it's entirety at womadelaide
they quite openly stated their belief in this album from now 20 years ago
this tune is a poignant tale of trying to sleep at night in the tropics of png
twilight rain by wanderlust
and just to prove the suspect randomness of these tunes another rain song
this one from one of the most underrated bands in australia
presumably because they have been lumbered with that horrible j word
in this tune it's not too hard to in fact picture an end of day shower
piano, cymbals, double bass all used to great effect to invoke images of falling rain
setting forth by eddie vedder
sean penn directed one of the better films from last year titled into the wild
enlisted his buddy eddie vedder to produce a suitable soundtrack
when i saw the film i was most impressed with the tunes he came up with
they just seemed to work in so well with the story of the man striking out
e.g. this short number is the opening tune with the title saying it all
fado tordo by mariza
at times like this i wish i could understand portuguese to do a translation
this tune is sung with such gusto and emotion it would be good to know what it is about
it absolutely rips along with the lady hardly taking a breath as she belts it out
but settling for an appreciation of her unique vocal style and the excellent accompaniment
and it becomes another fine example of the class of both her voice and music
on veut se marier by ba cissoko
another foreign language tune but in this case the vocals of less significance
this band is a classic case of voice as instrument in with the mix
the whole of the album this is from is just so brilliantly produced
with their koras, electric bass, percussion, harmonies all so clear and clean
real up-tempo, groove-based african (guinea) music of the most accessible kind
meissa by robert fripp and brian eno
there used to be a show on triple j on sunday nights dedicated to ambient music
where the host arnold frollows would whisper back announcements of the tunes he played
it was one of my favourite times of the week and a great way to divide play and work
this piece from the equatorial stars typifying the music favoured most by the legendary host
fripp pulling the most amazing guitar based noise and eno doing everything else no doubt
rollercoaster by m ward
young m ward should be a household name with the way he writes and performs
he just makes it seem so simple and every song is a unique little gem
here the tune just swings along so nicely over the 3 minutes it lasts
rollercoaster, can't find my friends on the ground - just lift me up and send me spiralling down
because you lift me up so high high high it's the most unbelievable ride
cornfield ablaze by prefab sprout
confession time - i really, really like prefab sprout and their perfect pop
they've churned out many albums of beautifully produced and catchy tunes
maybe some a bit dated now but songs like this will stand the test of time
here they parallel the story of unrequited love with a blazing crop fire
you took a match to my dry august days, how do i love you, let me count the ways
rock 'n' roll suicide by sue jorge
one of a bunch of covers of david bowie songs by this portugeuse singer
he being the deckhand with the acoustic guitar in the film titled the life aquatic
a strange but likeable film made more memorable with the soundtrack
apparantly mr bowie himself has been very complimentary about the tunes
as with this one sung in portuguese but with the english words already embedded

all over the shopfront on tonights random journey
which is the reason i probably like it so much
no decisions to be made re choice of listening
just take it as is comes
not a bad way to go
really

taiko (japan)

songlines magazine includes from japan the music known as taiko
in it's list of 50 rhythms of the world
described by the magazine as follows

nobody really knows its true origins
but it is believed taiko has been part of japanese culture since 600ad
the thunderous drums have been used in temples
traditional theatre, warfare and japan's summer matsuri festivals
traditionally taiko, which vary from handheld tambours to the giant odaiko were solo instruments
but since the 1950's they have been played in troupes which has led to a musical innovation
the father of modern taiko was a jazz musician daihachi oguchi
who was the first to combine different types of drum and overlapping rhythms
to create the exciting modern ensemble style

i was introduced to taiko at womadelaide in 2006
by a japanese-australian group with the clever name of taikoz
they performed on the main stage as the midday opening act
it was quite an enthralling and memorable performance
not the least because of the athleticism on display
similarly the perfection in delivery of the pieces
indicated a dedication to the art over many years
as there was quite a complexity in the rhythms
hammered out on varying sizes of taiko drums
the following clip is of the most dubious quality
but it's the best example i could find of taiko
and briefly shows taikoz at work in perth
en route to womadelaide in 2006 (or after)
(43 of 50)

death and a funeral

nz put on a state funeral for sir edmund hillary yesterday
which was broadcast live on national tv a-la a royal wedding
it was all done as expected in a very dignified manner
i wasn't glued to the tv set for the number of hours it went on
but i gave it my due attention and respect at a couple of points
firstly when i was drawn to the eulogy given by an old friend of sir ed
a gentleman from nepal named ang rita sherpa
who spoke with such dignity, eloquence and respect
about what sir ed had done for his country and people
that it brought a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye
especially when he summed it all up by uttering
his loss to us is bigger and heavier than mt everest
he was followed in turn by another nepalese man named norbu tenzing norgay
son of the late sherpa tenzing noray who scaled mt everest with sir ed
he similarly spoke of the love and respect his people had for him
when sherpas heard the news of his death
their grief spiralled into mourning only comparible to the death of a parent
there were more speeches and some rather sombre music
but the second thing that caught my ear and eye
was the performance of a haka as the casket was taken to the hearse
beautifully and passionately performed it also stirred the emotions
giving an indication of the esteem the man was held within maoridom
the whole thing kind of hung in my head most of the day
this morning i did the usual scan of a few online news sites
and got some impression of the international significance of his passing
especially turning to the online site for the melbourne age
where michael leunig had made his unique kind of comment on the ocassion
as today went on i also helped my own family prepare for a funeral
and learnt that another death had occurred on the other side
then tonight the evening news brought the sad story of heath ledger's death
so it's been a strange old day or 2 really with death looming large
thank goodness for the likes of michael luenig (above)
and some beautiful words from some humble people
to lead the way in respect of those who have moved on

the kite runner

read the book and have now seen the film
so did things in the right order i suspect
about a year ago i picked up the book at an airport
read it pretty well non-stop over a few days
a very readable story of 2 boyhood friends from kabul
with ethnic and cultural backgrounds bound to tear them apart
amir is the pushtan son of a rich and successul businessman
hassan the son of the businessman's hazara servant
the film opens with amir as a man and author
married, childless and happily living in the u s of a
he unexpectedly receives a phone call calling him back
reminding him it is not too late to correct a wrong-doing
we then travel back in time to boyhood life in kabul
before the russian invasion and taliban dominance
there's some great scenes of kabul at peace
the people mostly poor but enjoying life
the innocence of childhood well portrayed
as the 2 boys enjoy a genuine and touching friendship
including participation in a popular local pastime and sport
involving kite-flying and aerial warfare using the kites
so that the line is cut and the freed kite is then pursued
hassan is a champion kite runner with his knack at retrieval
but before long jealousy, bullying and racial vilification enter the scene
leading to a testing of then downfall of the boys friendship
shortly after the russians invade and life will never be the same
amir and his father flee via pakistan to america
the second part of the story is set in the u s
in part depicting the struggle of migrants in that country
one scene sees amir and father in a bar celebrating his graduation
beds are burning by midnight oil tellingly blasting in the background
quite a subtle use of the message in that song i thought
before long the phone-call sees us back in kabul with amir
on the search for the son of his now dead friend
and re-visiting places from his childhood
this contrast in times cleverly illustrates the destruction of war
and an explanation of the resurgence of an extremist group
for the taliban are now in power and reeking havoc
there is a very disturbing scene of their treatment of women
which i had remembered from the book and had hoped would be bypassed
but the director impressively stays true to the book
and the scene is included but not unnecessarily highlighted
which fairly well sums up the way the film has been made
there seems to have been fine attention to the detail of the book
but balanced with a need to tell the story fully and accurately
meaning that sometimes scenes move by fairly rapidly
with then some important points made but not emphasised
which is probably ok for a viewer familiar with the book
but could lead to misunderstanding for others
this of course is probably the largest problem
in trying to convert a book that takes several days to read
into a film that can be absorbed in 2 hours
but i think in this case it has been done excellently
including the final scenes of redemption back in america
making for a very absorbing and moving film

soukous (dr congo)

back in africa and a return visit to dr congo (zaire)
this time for a rhythm known as soukous
which to this untrained ear sounds very familiar
not because of any particular exposure or knowledge of soukous
but more so because it sounds similar to other african styles
where the guitar rings out a very repetitive riff
and the bass and percussion also have a strong beat
inspiring some serious hip movement
here is songlines magazine description of soukous

in the west it is still referred to as soukous music
but it's really just modern congolese music
a hybrid of classic old congo rumba with sumptuous vocal harmonies
and multiple interwoven guitars
and the faster sebene section of the song
where the guitars let rip underneath vocal animations
that encourage the sexy swivel-hipped movements of the dancers

papa wemba seems to be a major contributor to this style
but on doing a bit of research it turns out he has another career
was convicted of trafficking illegal (women) immigrants into france
so not someone i particularly want to pay much attention to
digging further revealed another musician named kanda bongo man
which reminded me of his name being on the program at womadelaide
for some reason i.e. clash of interests i did not see him perform
but found the following video of his 2006 performance at womadelaide
seems to have been a mid or late afternoon show on the main stage
so apart from providing a good reference point for soukous
this one shows off well the stage and crowd at the festival
(42 of 50)

huun huur tu

late sunday night at womadelaide 2007
the big act for the night was salif keita and band
drew a huge crowd to the main stage and wowed us all
thankfully that was enough for most of the crowd
my experience of womad is that the locals don't like late nights
much rather be tucked up in bed ready for the work the next day
than searching out some obscure music from out there in the world
but not me - i learnt several years ago to keep going
some of the most sublime moments of the weekend
have occurred sprawled out on the grass
under a beautiful star-lit sky
cool breezes wafting over a sunburnt body
coping quite nicely with a happily fed tummy
and a respectable intake of south australian red wine
the musical soul complete sated with a day's superb music
and then ready to be gently eased down by the final performance
last year some genius organiser included huun huur tu on the bill
they presumably flew halfway around the world for this show
to perform for an hour in front of a few hundred or so music fans
as usual i had no idea what to expect with this group
though throat-singing had been mentioned in the program
having seen the gyuto monks several years earlier
it seemed we were up for another fine festival closing act
but they were even better than expected
not only did they do the throat-singing bit
but they each played a traditional instrument
that gave the music a great beat, rhythm and organic feel
each member of the four piece group wore a different coloured satin outfit
looking to me very much like a take on sgt pepper
there was dialogue between the songs
mostly giving us a bit of insight to their home country
a place called tuvu nestled just above mongolia
these guys seem to be constantly touring the world
they have performed at a number of large festivals
and have recorded many albums of diverse songs
since the show i have discovered a piece of music
performed by an ex-member of the group named albert kuvezin
a cover of a well-known song titled when the levee breaks
which gives some indication of their place in the musical world
the following clip is from a french festival
has a bit of the band warming up out the back
and then on-stage delivering their unique music
memories of midnight sunday in adelaide's botannical gardens
blissed out on some beautiful soul music

ska (jamaica)

getting close to the end of this little project
linking a youtube video to each of the 50 rhythms of the world
as written up by songlines magazine sometime in 2006
it's been quite fun really as well as educational
have discovered some performers needing further investigation
and a few styles that have confirmed my previous tendency to avoid
more still that have enlightened me in some way mostly thanks to wiki
typically about where geographically the music has come from
there's been a few that i metaphorically screwed my nose up at
ska being one of them - i wasn't a huge fan back in the 80's
when it became a major success in the mainstream
thanks to madness, the specials and a few local acts
the allniters being the most famous as well as itchy feet
led by a chap by the name of tim freedman
here's how songlines described it in their article

sixties jamaican dance music, ska, has a jerky, see-sawing beat and matching 'shanking' dance
the underlying shuffling rhythm derives from the mento folk style and shares calypso's catchy lilt
milly small's 1964 ska-pop hit 'my boy lollipop'
coincided with the more musically sophisticated former jazz and r&b bands
whose classics were recorded in the kingston sound system studios
coxsone dodd immortalised the magnificent skatalites
prince buster brought ska to london
inspiring the two-tone ska of madness and the specials

no chance that milly small's hit is going to get the nod here
but the magazine did recommend a song by a group called the skatalites
apparantly the founding force of ska in the early sixties
seems the band is still together and performing internationally
though most of the original members have shuffled on
their trademark song seems to be a cover of the guns of navarone
found a clip of the band including a couple of original members
performing said tune at the glastonbury music festival in 2003
in a country that embraced ska and allowed it to flourish
i must admit i do like this original sounding ska music
(41 of 50)

zwartboek

translated to english a film titled black book
this one was on high rotation mid last year
but i just quite couldn't bring myself to watch it then
reviews were conflicting and war is not my favourite genre
but on this day it was on in a small theatre nearby
so off i went to have my own exclusive screening
the film is set in the later stages of world war 2
in holland the home country of director paul verhoeven
star of the film is a beautiful dutch actress named carice van houten
playing the part of rachel - a dutch jew on the run from the nazis
she joins a resistance group after the brutal murder of her family
then as a mole in nazi headquarters falls in love with muntz - an ss officer
and recognises another officer responsible for butchering her family
i knew about the plot of the film and so had braced myself
the wimp in me does not like watching war films
i find it all too sad what humans can do to each other
especially when we are aware of the horrors of war
and still go out and do it again and again
the film is all a bit of a muddle really
i just couldn't find any character i had empathy with
i know i was supposed to be impressed by the courage of rachel
but mostly i was feeling sympathy for the actress
the director had her at least topless in a lot of scenes
or looking gorgeous in some stunning dress and makeup
quite often grabbing a microphone to sing to the nazis
and for me not at all convincing as a woman of substance
her lover (muntz) was there to remind us nazis are people too
we learn that his family was killed by a british air-raid
and at that point he is no longer the enemy
about the same time we learn of deception
in the ranks of the resistance fighters
so about an hour into the film there's a lot going on
there's a lot of characters, names and languages
and betrayal and finger-pointing on both sides
at times i was struggling to keep up with it all
other times i felt annoyed with the heavy-handed dramatisation
or when a particular point was being made and made again
i actually thought the film descended into farce a couple of times
one scene in particular involving a large and angry crowd
in a multi-level warehouse taking it out on our heroine
reminded me of something out of mad max thunderdome
in fact dare i say that hogans heroes came to mind at least once
especially when the colonel klink type lookalike showed up
now while in panning mode - the music - ouch
big orchestra sounds in the big action scenes - too much
very well constructed scenes indicating the big budget
but then let down often by bad acting in simple scenes
and the whole thing just kept going and going and....
poor rachel finally broke into tears on the news of her lovers death
'will it ever end' she sobbed referring to the deaths around her
i'm not sure if that was meant as some kind of in-joke or not
but then as the film staggered on for another half hour or so
in the penultimate scene she sighs 'it is finally over'
...and a big phew from me on that too

rokia traore

setting the memory back 7 years to march 2001
and my first visit to womad in the city of adelaide
it was more by accident than design that i was there
i was in town on a semi-regular business trip
a good friend also happened to be in town at the same time
both of us had more than a passing interest in music
particularly music not of the mainstream
so we agreed to stay on over the weekend and attend womad
we went with absolutely no pre-conceived ideas
something i still carry forward on each annual visit
for then whatever is laid out before you is a gift
and not something to be measured against anything else
in the case of the numero uno attendence this was a good approach
i think i spent most of the 2 days and 3 nights kicking myself
why had i not made the effort to get here before?
answer - too late - but make sure you come back every time
even if it means at some future time rocking up in a wheelchair
which is entirely reasonable given platforms are set up for such attendees
in 2001 it was the hottest i have experienced womadelaide
40 degrees plus during the day with night coming as a relief
my memories are of the walk-through water-spraying frames
and banks of people clinging to shade under trees
with large empty spaces between them and the stages
the performers on stage dripping in perspiration
one hilarious lady in particular leading a gypsy band from eastern europe
reminding us she had come directly from her snow-bound freezing winter
but still gave her all on a minor stage in the blazing sun
stage 3 mid afternoon saturday played host to an african lady
a few hundred attendees braved the heat and parked themselves front of stage
myself and my companion included wanting to hear some african music
rokia traore is now regarded a world music superstar
whatever that means except that she performs in concert halls
very large concert halls in european cities e.g. paris
there's a brilliant dvd i own of her doing such a show
but in 2001 it was a small crowd on a very hot afternoon
on a small stage with an adequate sound system
shyness meant she rarely engaged the crowd
preferred to lock into giving her best vocally
or concentrating on playing her guitar
her backing band were with her completely
providing the unique sound that i now associate with mali
it was a totally exhilerating musical experience
opened my ears and eyes to a whole new world of music
as did other performers on that first womad weekend
the following clip is of this ultra talented lady
recorded at another womad festival
here showing much more confidence
but the same eclectic music and dance

random tunes part 15

enjoying a lovely summer in this part of the world
unusually consistently clear and hot days
makes for a memory of a tune from 1983 (?)
the long hot summer (just passed me by)
a fine song that was from the style council
which gives me the excuse to check out some more tunes
on this similarly classic summer night here and now
adduna by ba cissoko
these guys are a 4 piece outfit from guinea in africa
centred around 2 kora players, bass, drums
young guys with a great sense of groove and rhythm
beautiful production on the album makes for the complete package
great beat, clean sounds, wah-wah guitar, harmonies, etc, etc
diablo rojo by rodrigo y gabriela
mexican man and woman on acoustic guitars
making noises that just do not sound possible from a duo
the album this is from came with a dvd of them in concert
so there was proof that they were totally making all the sounds
as this one - tune plucked at speed, beat on the guitar body, thrashed chords, indescribable
ha umo musica do povo (there's a song of the people) by mariza
what can be said about this lady - how about she would eat celine dion for breakfast?
the thing i can't stand about the likes of cd is that she may have a brilliant voice
but there's not a miniscule of an ounce of soul in her body so neither in her music
this lady has it in spades - and the voice - and her beauty - sigh, gasp, melt, etc
i think this my favourite (so far) - listen and weep - literally
just because i like by laughing clowns
and for a complete change in style but sticking with the soul
mr ek also has it in spades and pours it into every tune he records or performs
if there's one band from the 1980's that sounds nothing like that era this is it
another typical clowns track where all musicians get their share of attention
ed leads but there's the raw sax, the gunfire drums, fluid bass and piano (chris abrahams)
bisbee blue by calexico
had forgotten i had this band's last album sitting in the iriver
saw them play at the basement last year - full 9-piece band on a small stage
at that time i was unsure of their music and came away very impressed
this tune is anchored in country/rock/pop territory and ok for it
it has a familiar beat, riff, chorus making for a very pleasant album track
anyone by joan as policewoman
joan wasser is the leader of this 3 piece from boston
apparantly she was jeff buckleys lover and inspiration for a few tunes
real life is the debut album of this lineup and it has a great appeal
on this slow number her voice is pushed to it's boundaries with simple but superb instrumentation
anyone can see through me - but you're not anyone
i am a beautiful and unique snowflake by triosk
i refuse to use the j word to describe triosk as that is what they are not
except in the sense that make noise, no vocals, double-bass, drums, keyboards
but adrian klumpes on piano is like a 4th member with his electronic gadgets
here he plays a beautiful melody on the piano while blips, scratches, noises are going on
then he hammers away on the same notes brilliantly supported by bass and percussion - superb
cruenza de ma by corou de berra
starts out like the intro to a major classical overture with serious viola intro
then the beat kicks in also on violin closely followed by the harmonising voices
corou de berra have hit a real chord with me with their beautiful music
no idea of course what they are singing about in their french dialect
but as here it's the richness in the instruments and voices that does the trick
confianzas by gotan project
a highlight act at last year's womadelaide was this french-argentinian outfit
they were loud - the bass in particular giving the old stomach-punch - but i like it like that
this one is so typical of their style - bandoneon leads, electronica grooves, sensuous vocals
in this case a lady talk-singing her way through the tune as another instrument
it all sounds just so french - so evocative and downright cool-smooth
fast boat to china by wanderlust
this 6 piece would be rich and famous if they were based in the u s of a
they compose and perform music that covers many different sources
some say they have captured the sound of australian jazz - whatever that may be
but for me they have an openness and appeal that may be of their 'multi-cultural' origins
as with this one - 8 minutes of all over the place music but still with feel and a theme

now that was fun with iriver tossing up a few new artists or songs
a very interesting mix of tunes has been delivered
but still need more in there - gotta get to it
might do some shopping tomorrow
unless it is too hot to go out
i'll take that also
hot summer
is good

samba (brazil)

get the impression brazilians love their music
another one of songlines magazine's 50 rhythms
comes from brazil - as does axe, bossa nova, choro, and forro
already covered in this process to put pictures to words
here's what songlines had to say about this style

samba was created by bahian emigres in rio de janeiro at the beginning of the 20th century
capeiristas, practitioners of the afro-brazilian religion of candomble
and festival troupes all brought their musical styles together
when they fused with portuguese instruments samba was born
like most brazilian rhythms, samba is in 2/4 and is driven by a deep pounding surdo drum
with an overlaying syncopated 'rat-a-tat' from a chorus of timbales
it remains at the heart of the music of rio's carnaval

which basically means we can expect to see some lively music
of which youtube threw up quite a few examples
but it's the quality thing again that made the difference
so wiki to the rescue to get some musicians associated with samba
jorge aragao seems to be a living legend of the samba style
wiki advises that his compositions are well covered
most major samba performers perform his music
he has been at it for over 30 years
and has recorded 12 albums in that time
i'm not sure that the following clip is pure samba
being a cover of a well-known internationally popular song
but he's the king of samba....and i like the tune
and very nicely arranged and performed here
(40 of 50)

tinariwen

been thinking about something else i can blog on about
there's a few projects underway that i enjoy doing
which i accept are either boring to anyone else
or can been seen as totally self-indulgent
amongst the thousands of people reading this blog (ahem)
but it's a blog - a web-log - an on-line diary
documenting things that are personally significant
something to look back on in years to come
and provide a memory jolt for a memory that needs jolting
especially as the grey matter starts cashing in on it's superannuation
as opposed to continually asking for or needing a top-up
so the plan here is to document some womadelaide highlights
not only for the aforementioned reason
but i live in hope that someone (anyone) else reading this blog
and is aware of my fondness for said musical festival
may as a result of this exercise decide to join me
in my annual expedition to the beautiful city of adelaide
and the wonderful musical event that is womadelaide
on in this year of 2008 during the weekend of march 7-9
in 2004 on the usual balmy saturday night i had made a choice
decided to park myself smack centre in front of the main stage
to check out an act written up in the program in an appealing way
basically the words nomadic, mali, desert, guitar, band did it for me
they came on stage dressed in their traditional tourag costumes
flowing garments from head to toe billowing in the night wind
beautiful brightly coloured and shiny guitars strapped on
then proceeded to take the crowd away trance-like
4 years later and i still remember the hypnotising effect
this band had in the way they played their music
i had the great fortune to see them again the next night
same result and a much bigger crowd - the word was out
have bought their cd's many times over since
to replace copies given to friends in need
the band has since moved on in stature
are now signed to a major european label
raved about and loved by all and sundry
including one chap by the name of carlos santana it seems
stumbled across the following clip of the band with him guesting
at a not insignificant music festival known as the montreux jazz festival
not sure what their blues based music has to do with jazz
but apparantly carlos s insisted on them playing there
presumably so he could share the stage
with this smaller version of the band
and claim he discovered them first
sorry buddy - it was me
womadelaide 2004
unforgettable
(now)

rakaia gorge walk

they made it - after 62 days and 3,200 of paddled kilometres
justin jones and james castrission waded ashore at new plymouth
to a huge welcome from an estimated 10,000 people on shore
including a traditional maori welcoming party performing a haka
and a spontaneous rendition of waltzing matilda by the crowd
some people say there were downright stupid for attempting the feat
i reckon they were incredibly brave taking on the cruel sea
i get nervous in daylight in perfectly calm seas close to shore
imagine the feeling at night in a storm in the middle of the ocean
they must have known the risk, calculated their chances and went for it
and it has all paid off - totally impressive for sure
made me feel downright lazy - so time for an adventure
consulted the list of walks in the region and decision made
drove to the twin bridges over the rakaia gorge
parked the car, strapped on the bumbag
donned sunglasses, hat and headphones
with the lifeline attached to the iriver mp3 player
and set off on an estimated 3 hour return journey
the track works it's way up the northern side of the rakaia river
the departure point also marks the start of the gorge
so at times the track was close to the swiftly running water
or following a trek through trees and occasional tussock
the track would be hundreds of metres above the river
with impressive views of the river, gorge and nearby mt hutt
variety is the feature of this walk as it works its way to the end point
one minute out in the scorching sun in the tussock and dust
next minute squelching through mud in forest cover
the destination after 1.5 hours is an exit out on to the riverbed
where a wade into the water is tempting but ill-advised
for it runs fast and deep and demands respect
so instead a sit down and lunch break is taken
along with a few photos of the impressive gorge walls
then decision time - take a jet-boat ride back (the quick way)
or re-trace the steps via a lookout point (the slow way)
no choice really so back to the track and the climb to the lookout
the sign said 15 minutes which would be accurate for a cross-country runner
30 minutes later and i was above the tree-line and taking it all in
followed by a steady descent to join up with the track
this time taking a bit more interest in the flora and fauna
some pretty wild flowers, flax, toi-toi plants
flutter-bys, frolicking fantails, a dive-bombing bumble bee
no chance of snakes, goannas, lizards in this part of the world
as i was thinking just as i come across the local nasty creature
a baby hedgehog right in the middle of the track
stared me down (up) and went on the attack
bit my shoe with all the strength it could muster
soooo cute, even it's prickles were soft - laugh out loud indeed
made my day really and on with the return journey
close to the end point i found a private spot high above the river
did my newly discovered and enjoyable tai chi chi kung exercises
which had a jet-boat way down in the river stop and investigate
probably thought i was in some kind of pain or trouble
but really just soaking up the sense of the moment
before heading back to the car for a 4 hour round trip
a blip compared to the kayakers who inspired me
but a great little adventure anyway
to be repeated for sure

in rainbows

the seventh studio album from wonderband radiohead
unlike about 1.2 million other people worldwide
i did not take up the option to download it
and name my own price in the process
i bought my copy on good old cd format
it's the touchy-feely trophy-collecting thing you see
i just can't get past the concept of the complete package
or maybe i just want to see cd's continue as a medium
or more likely i want to see cd shops continue to exist
something to do with my vested interest there
but really i do like looking at the artwork
and the credits...and the lyrics...really
radiohead are up there as an all-time favourite
they are highly original, seriously influential
and pack a mean sound that i always enjoy turning to
no matter what other type of music i may be delving into
be interesting to hear this album in virgin play mode
15 step
full-on electronica and drum machine intro
thom going all falsetto on vocal input
a jazz guitar sound added to the mix
and other assorted instruments adding bits
a loose, relaxed, mixed-up, radiohead-only-ish starter
bodysnatchers
dirty, distorted guitar laying down the background here
all sorts of other noises including a hammond-ish organ
going at rapid-fire pace and thom almost lost in the mix
halfway through it drops back to a much cleaner sound
then rocks it's way through to the big-guitar band conclusion
nude
slowed right down, stripped right back, thom right out front
lightly strummed electric guitar, various other electronica
could this be radiohead in love song territory?
now that you've found it - it's gone
now that you feel it - you don't
weird fishes/arpeggi
impressive electric jazz guitar noises start out this one
some rapid-fire repetitive drum sequences from phil selway
thom's voice strong and given the echo treatment
accompanying himself with extra backing vocals mixed in
typical radiohead - lots going on and totally unique
all i need
quite a swing feel to this one - punting here at a 7/8 timing
thom again singing with total confidence and nicely produced
this is a fine tune - another love song it seems - you are all i need
great use of echo allowing his voice and other instruments to breathe
including the superb use of grand piano in the later stages - special
faust arp
a throwback to 60's beatles sounds here - voice and strings
quite a short number (relatively) at just over 2 minutes
acoustic guitar used as the main instrument
including a very nice solo mixed right out front
and backed up with massed strings a-la orchestra
reckoner
phil selway on drums given his moment in the spotlight
all sorts of percussion sounds in the mix with thom's falsetto voice
electric guitar joins in and works nicely together to the halfway point
everything drops out to a strange and not very likeable bridge part
before returning to the familiar mix and feel until the end
house of cards
another slow number with simple instrumentation
echo wound up to the max for vocals and the odd noise mixed in
i don't want to be your friend, i just want to be your lover
no matter how it ends, no matter how it starts
forget about your house of cards, forget about your house of cards
jigsaw falling into place
pseudo flamenco guitar playing leads in a standard rock band sound
takes about 2 bars to figure out this one is going to go somewhere
thom sings a couple of verses and steps back from the microphone
band moves up a gear as does thom for the next couple of choruses
repeat again and by the end everyone is giving all to the tune
videotape
piano intro not unlike the sound of the edge on the october album
continues to be the main part of the tune while thom sings on
some quite strangely timed drumming added in
not sure what the lyrics are about but what the heck
seems like quite a good outro to the album really

impressions - yes - they have done it again
delivered an album of great consistency
affirming the concept of that format
no real standout tracks on first listen
which is just fine by me
repeat plays necessary
looking forward to that

sama'ai (middle east)

sad day in kiwiland today with the death of sir edmund hillary
at the age of 88 after an amazing life including conquering mt everest
on my early evening wonder i was reflecting on the occasion
it occurred to me that he was a person beyond reproach
these days our iconic figures dominate in some way
they are successful at sports, politics, business
are maybe even an art - music, writing, acting
but probably not revered across the board
as with sir edmund - respected by all
young and old, male and female, rich and poor
locally and internationally
he led a life of immaculate integrity
and throughout claimed his commonness
no wonder nz is in mourning today - vale sir edmund
it's a shame tibet does not get a mention by songlines magazine
in their definition of the 50 rhythms of the world
would have been appropriate at this time to zone in on that
but alas sticking with the program instead finds us in turkey
and a style known as sama'ai described by songlines here

though the name originally comes from turkish (saz semai)
the development and refinement of this mecurial 10/8 pattern
with strong beats on 1, 3, 6, 8, 9 and 10
is steeped in the arab classical tradition
the way in which a player interprets this during a taqsim (solo improvisation)
is an acid test of musicianship
too heavy an emphasis on the strong beats and the piece becomes leaden
too light a touch and the inner pulse is lost

spent quite a while viewing many youtube videos
a lot of examples of this style but not many worthy of repeat plays
until i encountered one that sounded and looked appealing
it shows a large ensemble titled ensemble tahir aydogdu
he being the leader of the group and playing the kanun
which is the stringed instrument played laid horizontally
it has 26 courses of strings each course with 3 strings - 78 strings
the tune being played by the core trio is titled muhayyer kurdi saz semai
which i suspect is a standard in this part of the world
the other 2 instruments are an oud (guitar) and keman (violin)
3 experts at work weaving their magic
(39 of 50)

rokku mi rokka

translated from senegalese to english means give and take
or more precisely according to the man himself
you give me something, i give you something
in reference to his countries part in the world
this is the 22nd album from youssou n'dour
the so-called lion of african music
discovered and nurtured by peter gabriel
had a hit single with neneh cherry titled 7 seconds
performed at womadelaide a few years back
records on the prestigious nonesuch label
starred in the recent film amazing grace
is held in high esteem by all and sundry
on this album he has done a springsteen
reformed his original band from years ago - super etoile
including several members of the equally famous orchestra baobab
4-4-44
calpyso kind of feel and slick production
his unmistakable high, fluid, clear voice dominating
the equally familiar dondo drum is the dominant african instrument
amongst a host of flutes, guitars, percussion and brass
a great up-beat, building tune to start the album
pullo ardo
stripped back to electric guitar, percussion, bass mostly
there's also a piano-accordian (or african equivalent) working away also
amazingly clean production again which seems to be a youssou trademark
this one has a kind of almost zydeco feel to it - for obvious reasons
would be a real singalong tune if you could speak the language
sama gammu
the kora is introduced on this very west african sounding tune
distinctive looping percussive rhythm gets the head nodding
his voice backed up with some equally impressive male voice harmonising
the kora is in the tune from start to finish including the big climax
same as always - the sum of the parts makes for a totally unique tune
bajjan
heading off into almost experimental electronica territory
it may well be the sound of real instruments
but the core of this tune sounds like someone noodling with electronica
and various other instruments hanging off that - tapped drum cymbals the most obvious
but in the end it's that voice again - rising to the challenge on this fun little tune
baay faal
kora heaven again and the introduction sounding very familiar
have to say it again - stunning production with various instruments given space
simulated or actual string sounds worked into the mix
voice as instrument an equal on this occasion and not dominating
again no idea what the lyrics mean but who really cares - if feeeeeels fine
sportif
caribbean kind of feel introduction to this one with light instrumentation
bass, drums, backing vocals kick in and there's the kora again
the emphasis seems to be on the vocals which are as clear as a bell
at times like this it would be even better to understand the language
but let it go, get into the groove, enjoy the music and vocal dexterity
tukki
he sure has a very distinctive voice - he is rated as a great tenor
this tune again has minimal/background instrumentation
meaning his voice is the standout instrument and filling the song
a looping catchy bass line holds this tune together
the orchestra baobab influence coming through with the other guitar sounds
lett ma
can't pick it but this one sounds quite familiar - maybe orchestra baobab again
starts out very gentle, with voice then guitar only
builds to another very nicely produced tune with a strong beat
vocal harmonising/overlaying going on to add to the appeal
can imagine this being a live favourite with it's easy dance feel
dabbaax
bit odd this one - attempting to mix it up i suspect
has sent most of the band packing and has various acoustic instruments being played
a very repetitive riff played on the acoustic and his voice again dominating proceedings
the bridge part of the song to me doesn't quite fit but a small issue really
in the end quite a pleasant and easily-consumed song about....something
xel
the return of the piano accordian leads in this song
band kicks in with a big drum sound and vocal harmonising
a very distinctive verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-etc type song
another case of better appreciation would be had understanding the lyrics
but still quite catchy though not as impressively produced as other tracks
wake up (it's africa calling)
album closer and a real throwback to a sound from the 90's
the familiar voice of neneh cherry comes in doing her sing-rap
youssour sings in english repeatedly wake up this is africa calling
it's not 7 seconds and it's a real departure from the other tracks
it's ok but sounds quite out of a place - seems a blatant marketing intervention

quite a good album overall - will stand up to repeat play
though you would have to like his voice for that
strikes me it's one of those like/leave voices
you either like it....or.....leave it
still - he has my respect
22 albums down
more to come
no doubt

semba (angola)

a day that deserves to be written off and forgotten
computer hardware hassles and subsequent battling with software
so for a bit of pleasure returning to a more enjoyable exercise
having a little bit of a look at some music of the world
back to west africa - another new style discovered
songlines magazine described semba as follows in their 50 rhythms of the world

in angola, the word means 'navel'
so you can guess the kind of sensuous dance step it describes
angolans will proudly tell you that it's the beat that gave birth to brazilian samba
characterised by lilting but propulsive rhythms, percolating acoustic guitars
fluid, upper-registered bass lines and hypnotic hand-held percussion
it also has something in common with other musical styles from portugal's former colonies
including the morna of cape verde

i went looking on youtube for semba music
came up with quite a few interesting videos
and the usual bunch of very dodgy live recordings
using a hand-held camera at a concert somewhere
but there was one that i found quite drawn to
a tune titled maiorais performed by bonga kuenda
bonga is another african musicican of repute
forced into exile for his out-spoken views
during angola's fight for independence from portugal
and still critical of the government now in power
the video has a quite surreal look about it
beautiful people in a beautiful country
and the music has a uniqueness about it
with a lot of the attributes mentioned above
so presumably a fine example of semba
(38 of 50)

the rules of cricket - sledging

try as i might there's no avoiding the BIG issue of these days
shock, horror - the australian cricket team is in trouble
not because they are losing but the manner in which they are winning
seems the old school has determined they have crossed some invisible line
that which determines the spirit in which the game has always been played
their win-at-all-costs approach and attitude has now gone too far
and the australian psyche has been embarrassed by their behaviour
there's calls for sackings of captains
and dumpings of umpires
and abandoning of tours
and intervention from above
i can only begin to imagine what talkback radio is like at the moment
sighting a few letters to the editor gives an indication of the stirred passions
no doubt the old saying re 'it's just not cricket' has been aired repeatedly
but that to me is the point
it is just cricket
which is why i'm with leunig
his fine sarcastic wit rises to the occassion
and delivers yet another piece of incisive commentary
beautifully illustrating the silliness of all the fervour
surrounding this over-rated (and all over the ratings) game
and at the same time suggesting how ineffectively
the seriousness of racial vilification
is being dealt with in the game
typical leunig double-edged stuff

sledging is not permitted
the word monkey is particularly forbidden
the mimicking of apes, chimps and monkeys in front of opponents
is a matter for the umpire's discretion
snide looks, leering, funny walks and all whooping and knuckle-dragging
will come under intense scrutiny
supercilious gestures, back-flips, tongue-dangling
and running in small circles in a crouching position while screeching
will warrant a caution

laugh out loud
brilliant
as usual

random tunes part 14

self-indulgence time again with this fun exercise
play tunes at random on the iriver mp3 mega machine
listen, think, comment on that which comes out of the box
i have never been that taken by the lyrics of songs
the music is the big appeal for me - the feel!
but forcing myself to be a bit more critical
leads to a better and deeper understanding
not only of the music but quite often the lyrics also
well that's my theory and i'm sticking to it
caravan by wes montgomery
my favourite guitarist pat metheny is a big fan of this man
which led me to purchasing his most recognised album titled movin' wes
recorded in 1965 before his untimely death at age 45 in 1968
he's out in front of a big band - lots of brass, percussion - and swing
serious soloing going on at speed on his jazz guitar - nice work
come one come all by the laughing clowns
another eclectic piece from the 3-cd anthology set of the clowns music
rapid-fire bass guitar and duelling drums introduce this tune
ed then takes over vocal duties with minimal and slow instrumentation
then the brass kicks in and works it's way into the tune
the tune ends as it starts - perfect jazz-alternative-rock music
ave maria by corou de berra
and leading to a complete change in feel and ambience
a sumptuous, rich, emotive mix of voices from this french outfit
this is not the wedding song but presumably another classic version
starts with the 6 men and women in the group harmonising a cappella style
violins and a single quiet drum come in as perfect accompaniment - beautiful music
carousel by iron and wine
sam beam is the man behind this group - professor of film and cinematography
from the deep south of america - anti-bush and uses his music accordingly
has a real handle on production as his albums are put together brilliantly
this is a nice slow number with the emphasis on 70's-ish vocals and few instruments
reminds me of someone - seals and crofts maybe but not entirely
born to be blue by wes montgomery
there you go - 2 in this session from the man not heard that often
though the more i listen to his music the more i like it
this one is slowed right down with light backing from the big band
upright bass, an occassional piano, a few stabs of brass
but wes right out front being mr dexterity on his electric jazz guitar
ha palavras que nos beijam by mariza
the one and only mariza - sigh, gasp, weep, etc
i.e. behave in the true fado spirit for this style from portugal
the english translation for this song is 'there are words that kiss us'
less than 3 minutes of musical bliss with her emotional voice only in first gear
matching the light instrumentation - gorgeous - and the song too
fly by alabama 3
just sometimes an album comes along that is totally original
this very non-english outfit from england delivered one recently
one of the most chopped-up, mixed-up, superbly produced albums heard recently
this lead-in track has rich vocal harmonising, funky beats, soul/gospel backing, humour, etc
typical of the rest of the album - move over moby - the new play has arrived
baby, you're my light by richard hawley
not sure about the rest of the world but this man is basically unknown here
for no apparant reason though he's not alone there - blame radio i guess
he writes and performs tunes that sound like classics on the first listen
this one is just such an obvious and perfectly written/performed song
reminds me of the appeal of that mental as anything classic - but much, much better
a wolf at the door by radiohead
they put out an album a year or 2 ago titled com-lag for the japanese market
containing out-takes, b-sides, album rejects, etc - i.e. undervalued work
but for me it contains a bunch of tunes that are as good as anything else they have done
in this one a single organ leads in thom doing a monologue type vocal delivery
full band kicks in and then we have another superb, unique, radiohead-only tune
four hours in washington by m ward
some people say this fellow is the new bob zimmerman - a big call but he can churn them out
i have 3 albums so far loaded into the iriver - each containing original and damn fine tunes
here he accurately describes the frustration of insomnia
as he sings us through the hours of the night in a hotel room - drumming the feature
reminds me of seeing him at the metro last year with 2 sets of drums on-stage - awesome (man)

that's it - all over for another session
fun had as usual but realising
more albums needed
the iriver is hungry
only 3% loaded
cd collection
needs work

son (cuba)

staying on the island of cuba for another episode of this project
putting sound and vision to songlines magazine 50 rhythms of the world
they suggested a group called sierra maestra as a good example
which reminded me i actually saw the group perform in sydney in 1996
at the excellent metro theatre and presumably a good night
the memory of the concert was somewhat overshadowed
as it was also the night of the australian federal election
in which the legendary paul keating was taken out
and the now despatched john howard was installed as pm
thinking back to that night there was a sense of foreboding
seemed like the clock was about to get turned back
little did we know he would hang around for so long
and do so much social damage to the country
but back to the music and the style of son
here's what songlines magazine had to say

son, grandfather of salsa, is cuba's national music
a sensual couple dance, it's timbric blend of afro-cuban and spanish influences
involves multiple layers of percussive polyrhythms
held together by the key clave time line 1-2 1-2-3
sung verses develop into a second montuno section where the singer improvises lines
answered by a band chorus

popping sierra maestra into the youtube search engine
delivers up all sorts of interesting videos
and not many of them musical
seems there is a mountain range in cuba called sierra maestra
used most famously by fidel castro and che guevara
as a base for their cuban revolution
i also found the following clip
a fine example of son i suspect
from another respected son (oops) of cuba
polo montanez - killed in a car accident
on the way to super stardom in his home country
looks like he is miming the song on a tv show
and it does sound kind of poppy
but i like it anyway
(37 of 50)

barack obama wins (part 1)

man he can give a speech
it was like he had won the ultimate prize
not just the first state in the first part of the process
to select the candidate that will stand in the november election
some interesting statistics out of the iowa caucus election (as they call it)
an underwhelming 12% of registered party members bothered to vote
something like 230,000 people in total on the democrat side
though a huge increase on the numbers in 2004
37% of the democrats voted for barack obama
so about 85,000 people gave barack the nod
the most interesting statistic is that iowa is 95% white
so from that you would assume he has overcome the race barrier
some other interesting facts about the man of the moment
he is aged at just 46, born in honolulu, kenyan father, american mother
spent a number of school years in jakarta, indonesia
and has travelled extensively throughout other parts of the world
has lobbied for legislation regarding climate change and arms control
on democracy now tonight they played all the speeches
from the main contenders in each of the 2 main parties
all the same stuff really - america will be great again, etc
but if the next president is elected on oratory skills
which let's face it is a huge factor on the day
then barack obama will romp it in
it was all quite impressive speech-making
it seemed to be straight off the cuff
no specifics mentioned about his policies
just a lot of rousing united we stand kind of talk
and a few lines about hope that may well reverberate historically
i can't remember the last time i watched a u s president
give a speech that seemed even slightly sincere
it made the other guys (and girl) sound flat and rehearsed
hillary did well with 30% - apparantly iowa likes blokes in charge
have never elected a woman to any significant office
so maybe she can claw it back in other states
the other good news from the day is bye-bye rudi
giuliani came 6th in the republican vote
maybe they don't like divorcees in iowa either
not sure about this huckabee dude
he who won the republican vote in iowa
he who has made some startling comments
mainly in reference to who one chooses as a sexual partner
and other issues that were discussed in some past century
before anyone had even heard of climate change
and other slightly more significant challenges today
not sure what barack obama will do about those problems
but you have got to suspect his age for one is a factor
they say as in the recent australian federal election
the so-called youth vote is now of huge significance
they want someone with some long term planning
seems the youngest candidate from either party
may well win the ultimate prize
it's going to be a long year
lots of barack-ing yet
as per the big speech
we live in hope

i am legend

2 things convinced me to take a gander at this film
the similarly (near) futuristic film titled children of men
which to me was moving, believable, worrying, and excellently done
it gave a none too pleasant view of how our world is developing
secondly a little article i read on new years day
with some predictions of what will happen of significance in 2008
apparantly someone will announce the development of a synthetic organism
yay - plug in some microprocessors and we can make like um robots
with the inherent function of self-repair
they could be used for all sorts of interesting things
like fighting wars - no goodies will die - just the baddies
anyway a bit of leap forward in my imagination there
but it did spark an interest in this near future film
as it is about one man left alive on the planet in 2012
following the outbreak of a man-made anti-cancer virus
that went horribly wrong and turned humans into mutant zombies
will smith takes the lead role in the film
which is actually based on a book of the same name
written in 1954 by richard matheson
and set then in a futuristic 1976 to 1979
the book has been credited with starting the zombie genre
this the latest in several attempts at making a film of the book
has copped a fair amount of criticism for it's deviation from the story
for example the author intended the title to indicate a story or a fable
will smith has successfully turned the title into a personal annointment
a kind of chest-beating, heroic, dude takes on all kind of character
the opening scenes set the tone for the rest of the film
all the action is set on the island of manhattan in new york
he's the ultimate boy racer in the ultimate boy-racer's car
speeding through empty streets doing crazy manouvers
armed with some kind of high-powered hunting rifle
loyal dog by his side (a german shepherd of course)
hunting down a pack of antelopes (where did they come from?)
during the day he hits golf balls off the wing of a jet fighter
gathers food from crops of corn (they have those in manhattan?)
or else raiding the pantries of homes for tinned food
he also visits the local video rental store
and has an endless supply of dvds at his disposal
playing in the background at times and featuring familiar films
the cynic in me says for the point of cross-promotion
our hero continues to work as it turns out he is a top viralogist
as he continuously states mostly in flashbacks to his family
this is my ground zero and i can fix this
those flashbacks show him bidding farewell to his family
with their last act together being a prayer
god is mentioned quite a few times through the film
particularly when a woman miraculously appears to save him
as he is under attack from the (yawn) scary monsters
at one point it occurred to me that wil smith
made for a very realistic lookalike of barack obama
and maybe unfairly i went looking for a connection
between him as the commander-in-chief with his weaponry
and the zombies (baddies) as the enemy of the u s of a
i.e. those muslims that similarly are out there in overwhelming numbers
nothing so blatant was in the film but possibly a sub-text going on
his attractive saviour claims god has sent her to save him
and in turn he uses all the weapons and his super-human skills
to protect her and her young child from the vampirish zombies
the film shoots, blasts and explodes its way to the big conclusion
whereby he heroically sacrifices himself to the zombies
so she and her child will survive and escape
to the human colony in upstate vermont
carrying the vial of blood with the cure
the final scene shows her at the colony
and it seems mankind will survive
so maybe there will be a sequel
i am legend too
groan

womad (adelaide)

the countdown has begun to womadelaide
womad - world of music and dance
peter gabriel dreamed up the concept
and impressively and thankfully converted dream to reality
adelaide hosts the first womad event for the year
closely followed by an event in new zealand
there is one in spain in may of each year
ditto in on the italian island of sicily in july
2 in the uk in the same month
singapore hosts womad in august
and finally the canary islands are hosts in november
my first womad experience was in 2001 in womadelaide
heaven on earth for this music junkie
so a promise was made to myself at that event
come back every year no matter what
so far so good and i never, ever regret that pact
it used to be a bi-annual event
so as to not clash with the also bi-annual adelaide arts festival
but in 2003 popular demand made it an annual event
so every second year adelaide is oozing with events and people
2008 is a year when both events are on
so for 2 weeks there's comedy, theatre, street performances
buskers, fringe theatre, talks, exhibitions
and music, music and more music in various formats
womadelaide is a 3 day event this year from march 7-9
it all kicks off on friday evening in the botannical gardens
i love the feeling of walking through the gates for the first time
a sort of 'home again' feeling comes over me
and then time slows right down for another 2 glorious days
i usually stay at the classic austral hotel in the middle of the city
there's a lot of history attached to this place i'm told
the downstairs bar has hosted many bands over the years
the ultra-basic accomodation upstairs is entirely adequate
providing all that is necessary over the weekend
a room with a bed and a common bathroom
there are cafes galore downstairs in rundle street
and it's an easy 10 minutes stroll to the womad site
the organisers to their credit stick to a successful format
so really every year it's the same except for the performers
though in one sense even they are the same
there's always 1 or 2 big names that are at least known of
and then any number of unknown overseas performers
filled out with an equal number of local groups
that typically have a roots, acoustic, jazz or folk based element
john butler trio have performed (pre mega fame days)
similarly the cat empire before they became a hot item
for me it's the middle ground that i zone in on
the unheard overseas acts that can knockout
they are there because they have been invited
they have been invited because they deliver
they are stage and crowd savvy
and have perfected a faultless set of music
there's countless examples of such performers
and just for my own indulgence
i'm going to document them in this blog
as a completely separate exercise
but for now think 2008
cesaria evora is the star
9 weeks and counting
can't wait

salsa (cuba)

a stinker of a day here in mid south island new zealand
33 degrees which is close to meltdown point for kiwis
but a beautiful sunset when the sun finally set at 9:15 ish
twas a beautiful orange glow that lit up the sky
was out walking but alas no camera to record the moment
maybe tomorrow but what are the chances?
seems ages ago i started this little exercise
inspired by an article in songlines magazine
july/august edition of 2006 (from memory)
50 separate and distinct rhythms in the world
my thinking was now that looks like fun
take each one and find a suitable clip on youtube
and post it on the blog for posterity
getting well through them now
here's what they had to say about salsa from cuba

salsa is a trunk-full of rhythms drawn from the afro-cuban traditions
and particularly the fundamental son and it's derivatives
brassy guarachas, romantic boleros, guitar-based guajiras
and the african percussive guaguancos
which remain faithfully authentic, or fully mutated
fifties mambo orchestras' arrangements
were americanised by young latino new yorkers in the 70's
famously for the fania label which became synonymous with salsa
but geographical variations include peurto rico's laid back swing
and colombia's tropical brightness

there is one name that came up repeatedly in reference to salsa
celia cruz - otherwise known as the queen of salsa
born in 1925 and working up until her death from cancer in 2003
hugely successful in cuba and then internationally
found the following clip of her doing a very well-known tune
but in true salsa style complete with the big band
and also demonstrating the importance of dance to salsa
very summery music i reckon
suits the day today
(36 of 50)

new years day 2008

this is about as much a cliche as is auld lang syne
but at least for me it is a lot more relevant and memorable
this from the u2 - the band i took an instant affection to
in 1981 with the release of their excellent debut album titled boy
followed shortly after with the brilliant album titled october
musically i don't think they ever got better than that
world opinion, fame, record sales would suggest otherwise
they have always been a phenomenal act live
and this tune seems to be a staple of their live act
just as much as it is a staple of my every new year's day
can't help but have it planted in my head
with lyrics that always have current significance
the embedded video is the original video for the song
the band performing in the snow in poland
showing all the potential and individuality
they delivered in spades in years to follow
happy new year to all



all is quiet on new year's day
a world in white gets underway
and i want to be with you
be with you night and day
nothing changes on new year's day

i will be with you again
i will be with you again

under a blood-red sky
a crowd has gathered in black and white
arms entwined, the chosen few,
the newspapers say, say, say it's true
and we can break through,
though torn in two, we can be one

i will begin again, i will begin again
oh and maybe the time is right
oh maybe tonight

i will be with you again
i will be with you again

and so we are told this is the golden age
and gold is the reason for the wars we wage
though I want to be with you
be with you night and day
nothing changes on new year's day