19-02-2020 > WORLD:MUSiC:MiX # 33 selected ETHNiC FUSiON tracks 1996-1984

AFRICANDO

19-02-2020 > WORLD:MUSiC:MiX # 33 selected ETHNiC FUSiON tracks 1996-1984 # WmW:   Africando, The Klezmatics, Danyel Waro, Mahotella Queens, Strunz & Farah, Oliver Mtukudzi, Rabih Abou-Khalil, Astor Piazzolla, Los Lobos, Pata Negra, Issa Juma And Super Wanyika Stars, Dead Can Dance, Lizzy Mercier Descloux

M  U  S  I  C / WmW

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1996-1984

Africando represents a cross-cultural collaboration between top-ranked, New York-based, Latin musicians and African vocalists. 
Africando
Gombo (Boncana Maïga / Nicholas Menheim) 5:10
Diaraf 5:37
from Gombo Salsa 1996
On Gombo Salsa, Africando moves into even higher and hotter musical territory. The band continues to polish its radiant mixture of classic mambos, sones, boleros, and cha-chas. However, on this album listeners do not hear the voice of Pape Seck. He died unexpectedly in 1995 before the release of their second album. His raspy, gritty voice will never be forgotten by all music lovers the world over. His phrasing and timing, combined with an earthy, sensual feel, place him among the immortals. With his irreplaceable loss, Africando decided to employ other great soneros from Africa and Cuba. The result is the strong vocal front line of Medoune Diallo, Nicholas Menheim, and Ronnie Baro. Bolstering this lineup is the venerable veteran Gnonnas Pedro from Benin, who assures listeners that in the music lies the truth...

Inimitable N.Y.C. band blends klezmer music and socially conscious lyrics with contemporary rock, funk, and avant-garde jazz.
The Klezmatics
Man in a Hat (The Klezmatics / David Lindsay / Traditional) 3:03
Khsidim Tants (Traditional) 4:17
from Jews with Horns 1995
Picture the Reverend Horton Heat with a yarmulke, if you like. Or "Fiddler on the Roof" with Coltraneian complexity. Just don't expect somber religious music. The Klezmatics' brand of Jewish klezmer is as spirited as it is spiritual. The fast numbers, which dominate their third album, are frenzied celebratory drinking songs -- a true revival of the community spirit which spawned this eastern European brand of folk music. All that happiness poses a sequencing challenge: Where do you put the few downbeat stylistic diversions (a Yiddish labor song from 1889; a thunderously moving, jazzy clarinet improvisation; an eerie poem with a classical arrangement)? Jews With Horns suffers a little for hiding most of its variety at the end of the album. But that's a quibble in the face of such top-notch musicianship...

Danyel Waro was born and raised at the Ile de la Réunion, a French territory in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar. A descendant of French colonists, he is the most renowned proponent of the Maloya, a compound rhythm which had its origin in chants of enslaved workers on the sugar cane plantations, a sort of "blues à la Réunion." Maloya is seen as a strong force of Réunion identity and was at times even banned by the French authorities governing the island. Whereas the archaic Maloya consisted first of all chants sung over traditional percussion instruments, Waro must be credited with having expanded the Maloya style to transport a message and through his performances, music, and lyrics, live up to a new unity. 
Danyel Waro ‎
Batarsité 8:05
Tikok 7:15
from Batarsité 1994
...WARO was born in Le Tampon on the southern slopes of the volcano that forms the island of Réunion and exemplifies the island’s heritage as someone who is of mixed race having been descended from both colonists and slaves. Having grown up in the most primitive conditions with no running water, no electricity and subjected to a hard life of eking out a living from the land, the lack of luxuries left its toll on WARO’s psyche which has forever connected him to the land and the plight of a colonized island that still suffers from the ramifications of the historical injustices. These traditional musical forms have been used as a political weapon to sharpen the psyche and instill a sense of pride amongst the people who have suffered from the fervent,  even militant dominion of France’s iron fist throughout the centuries....

The Queens, often heard in concert and on record with deep-voiced "groaner" Simon Mahlathini, represent the South African township style with absolute perfection. Established in 1964 as a session harmony group, they came to prominence in the '70s with their tough vocal style and rock-solid mbaqanga backing band.
Mahotella Queens
Women of the World (Eileen Butler / Mike Pilot) 3:01
Africa (Allan Schlosberg) 4:28
from Women of the World 1993
Although usually heard backing the groans and surging vocals of Mahlathini, the Mahotella Queens can certainly perform on their own. A working unit since 1964, they show on this new release that their harmonies and leads deserve attention on their own. There are celebratory praise songs such as "Africa" and the title track...