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Life in Diplomat's Family Shows in Mali SInger's CD
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Arkansas Democrat, Life in Diplomat's Family Shows in Mali SInger's CD >>
The singer Rokia Traore of Mali released one of 2009’s most fascinating albums to date earlier this year.
Tchamantche (Nonesuch label; the CD gets a grade of A) is a word that means balance. It’s a perfect title as the singer balances African and Western music, delicate and complex sounds, tradition and individuality, tenderness and tension. The diplomat’s daughter skillfully employs understatement, choosing mostly to sing quietly to mostly acoustic-based music.
English translations are provided in the booklet, allowing a listener to appreciate the quality of her lyrics. For example, on the title song: “We arrive in this world somewhere between the past and the future/And we evolve by wavering between more and less.”
Traore’s music will appeal to fans of Tracy Chapman, Zap Mama and Cassandra Wilson. Traore sings in the Malian language Bambara and in French, with one song in English — a spare, bluesy take on a George and Ira Gershwin ballad, “The Man I Love.”
Here are some other world music albums worth your consideration:
Warsaw Village Band, Infinity, Barbes, B+
Few bands radiate a joyous love of music-making better than this Polish ensemble. The fusion of Polish traditional folk with soul, klezmer, funk, rock, Celtic, Gypsy and African music makes for thrilling, at times almost chaotic, listening.
Violinist Wojtek Krzak and cellist/singer Maja Kleszcz lead the band through a fine program that includes the lovely “Circle No. 1,” the lively dance tune “Polska Fran Polska” and the wild “Skip Funk,” which may have you thinking Bjork is sitting in. Only rarely does the group stumble ... when they try to play blues, for example, on “Little Baby Blues.” But that aside, there’s a lot to like on Infinity.
Fareed Haque, Flat Planet, Owl, BMixing the music of India with jazz, rock or other styles is hardly anything new — Miles Davis, the Beatles and others have trod this path before.
But India’s talented guitarist Fareed Haque and the Flat Earth Ensemble have a spirited collaboration that is often smooth and jazzy, yet sometimes evocative of Bollywood as it stirs into its brew tasty morsels of soul, raga, jazz improvisation and cool beats. Check out the funky “Big Bhangra” (with its George Benson-like riffs) and the striking “Bengali Bud.”
On Ka’a Davis, Seeds of Djuke, Livewired, B
Jazz and Afropop find some common ground on this offering by guitarist and composer On Ka’a Davis, who sows seeds of jazz-laced Afrobeat and funk with a spiritual message.
Jazz hasn’t had the impact on African pop that soul and hip-hop have, although the late Nigerian musician Fela Kuti and various Ethiopian musicians have tapped into jazz. Cleveland native Davis, formerly of Sun Ra’s Arkestra, has written a fascinating group of songs that are funky, improvisational and, while they embrace dissonance and free jazz styles, the songs retain an engaging groove that keeps Seeds accessible. Try “Ain’t Nobody Teach Nobody Nothin’.”
Raquel Bitton, Boleros, RB Music, B+
Fans of the music of the tango, Buena Vista Social Club and the singers of the Cape Verde Islands will find much to like in Raquel Bitton’s latest.
It is billed as a French-Latin jazz album and is sung in French and Spanish. It is romantic and sexy; Bitton’s passionate voice is supported by a 30-piece orchestra. Highlights include “Besame Mucho,” the yearning “Solamente una Vez” and “Nadie.” 06/07/09 >> go there
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