African Virtuoses - The Classic Guinean Guitar Group (2007)

ARTIST`````African Virtuoses

ALBUM`````The Classic Guinean Guitar Group

GENRE`````African Folk, World, Latin Influenced

YEAR````````2007

Why

Life would be beautiful if it sounded like this.

Info:

After rushes on gnarly West African music over the past year-- particularly records by Saharan trance bands Tartit, Etran Finatawa, and the fierce Tinariwen-- the focus is sliding down the coast's bulb. This comp of lyric acoustic guitar work from the Diabate family is the third Guinean release Sterns Africa has offered this year, alongside a reissue of a Bembeya Jazz Ensemble retrospective and a singles collection from the Guinean state-run label Syliphone.

Review from Pitchfork:

Not to say that it's protest music, because it's not. If anything, the central charm here is how damn unhurried and relaxed the Diabates sound. Even when they ornament-- and the music is so harmonically and rhythmically simple that it's almost all ornament-- it's more amble than flash; on the closing "Solo Virtuose", Papa Diabate has about seventeen minutes all to himself, so he spreads out, sometimes lapsing into arpeggios alongside brother Sékou for the sake of mutual hypnosis.

Read the rest.

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Babatunde Olatunji - Drums Of Passion (1959)

ARTIST`````Babatunde Olatunji
ALBUM`````Drums Of Passion

GENRE`````African, Worldbeat, Traditional

YEAR````````1959

Some info
Babatunde Olatunji was a virtuoso drummer who became a sensation in the '60s with his albums of traditional Nigerian drumming and chanting. If Olatunji debuted in today's environment, he would be subjected to much tougher scrutiny and evaluation regarding "authenticity" than he received in the '60s. His heralded albums, particularly Drums of Passion, weren't quite the innovative event some claimed. They were fine LPs, but also contained a heavy dose of show business and sanitized playing that would be duly noted today, particuarly in the specialist press. Still, his albums reportedly were very influential on John Coltrane. They were among the few international releases to not just make the charts, but remain on them for years.

The popularity of Drums Of Passion and More Drums Of Passion predated the '60s black nationalist movement and Afrocentricity of the '80s and '90s. They also had some impact in jazz circles, though they weren't as significant as the Afro-Latin revolution initiated by Mario Bauza, Machito and Chano Pozo.

Album Review from allmusic

Having come to the U.S. from his native Nigeria to study medicine, percussionist Babatunde Olatunji eventually became one of the first African music stars in the States. He also soon counted jazz heavyweights like John Coltrane ("Tunji") and Dizzy Gillespie among his admirers (Gillespie had, a decade earlier, also courted many Cuban music stars via his trailblazing Latin jazz recordings). And, in spite of it being viewed by some as a symbol of African chic, Drums of Passion is still a substantial record thanks to Olatunji's complex and raw drumming. Along with a cadre of backup singers and two other percussionists, Olatunji works through eight traditional drum and chorus cuts originally used to celebrate a variety of things in Nigeria: "Akiwowo" and "Shango" are chants to a train conductor and the God of Thunder, respectively, while "Baba Jinde" is a celebration of the dance of flirtation and "Odun De! Odun De!" serves as a New Year's greeting. The choruses do sound a bit overwrought and even too slick at times (partly due to the fact that most of the singers are not African), but thankfully the drumming is never less than engaging. The many curious world music fans who are likely to check this album out should also be sure to look into even better African drumming by native groups like the Drummers of Burundi and the percussion outfits featured on various field recordings.

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Paroplapi - La Finestra Dell'Ultimo Piano (2005)

ARTIST`````Paroplapi
ALBUM`````La Finestra Dell'Ultimo Piano
GENRE`````World

YEAR````````2005

Some badly translated info
This group, with an unusual name, suggests the beginning of the XXI century the meeting "music-language" coming from the shores of the Mediterranean. Paroplapi draws its inspiration particularly in France and Italy, which represent areas of origin of members of the group. Voices and meanings. The practice and study of this repertoire, highlights the strong ties between the people and values in common, so are no longer the only musical traditions of a region thatartists exploit, but rather a cultural, evolving in the name of unity in diversity. Individual carriers of these directories for many years, members of the trio Paroplapi met in order to offer a broad spectrum of the Latin folk songs, the anthology of what collective memory has gathered on the edge of time.

From http://www.rambles.net
Paroplapi is the name of an Italo-French folk trio that is like a ray of sunshine, and one of the most popular Italian world-roots music groups. The name comes from "little Cecilia, whose words often collide with her lips," daughter of one of the band members, and performer on this CD.In Italian, French and Provençal-Occitan, Paroplapi's sound is a joy.On La Finestra dell'Ultimo Piano, their second CD, the vocals of Samuela Gallinari and Gael Princivalle blend nicely. Giorgio Albiani's guitar adds another dimension. The CD also features standout hurdy gurdy, bagpipes, accordion (Paolo Simonazzi), mandolin (Silvio Trotta), pipe (Stefano Tartaglia) and a host of guests too numerous to mention."A Come Armatura" ("A for Armour") the first song featured, is a nursery rhyme song featuring the children of the band members --- well coached as it turns out -- interwoven with Gallinari's fine, clear Italian soprano. This is the true gem of the record, though not the only first-class track. It's a catchy, lively alphabet song right out of traditional Tuscan lore.Princivalle, whose voice has the timbre of an Occitan Gordon Lightfoot, sings on several tracks including "Maremma," a dialogue between a shepherd and his beloved, from Emilia-Romagna; his voice blends well with that of Gallinari, in complex harmonies.Songs such as "I Disertori" (Italian) and "La Palombe" (Franco-Provençal, originally from an Arabic source) are timely calls for peace, against war. The former is particularly well-done, with Gallinari on vocals, accompanied by the accordeon: "We don't talk about this war / as long as eternity / to conquer a leaf-sized land / how many brothers have died already."Matteo Belli is featured in the role of Dante in "Dante e Arnaut," the concluding track and one of the more interesting, with spoken word over instrumental.


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Wu Fei - A Distant Youth (2007)

ARTIST`````Wu Fei

ALBUM`````A Distant Youth
GENRE`````Avantgarde, Chinese Contemporary, Traditional, World
YEAR````````2007

What?

Born and raised in Beijing, Wu Fei is a virtuoso composer, vocalist and guzheng (Chinese zither) performer. She spent her formative years at the China Conservatory of Music before coming to the US in 2000. A Distant Youth is her debut CD, recorded in the Italian Alps, Venice, Parma, and Guerrilla Studio in Oakland, CA. Wu Fei has composed music for solo instruments, string quartets, choirs, orchestras, modern and traditional dance, film, and various chamber ensembles. She is also featured on Fred Frith's newest album of film music entitled Eye to Ear II, which received high acclaim from The Wire in April 2004. Debut record "A Distant Youth" ranked #88 out of 913 on World Music Chart Europe (critics pick) 2008.

















Wu Fei website Wu Fei @ myspace

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Hossam Ramzy - Sabla Tolo Vol. 2 Further Journeys Into Pure Egyptian Percussion (2003)

ARTIST`````Hossam Ramzy

ALBUM`````Sabla Tolo Vol. 2 Further Journeys Into Pure Egyptian Percussion
GENRE`````Africa, Instrumental, World
YEAR````````2003

Biography:

Hossam Ramzy is an Egyptian professional percussionist, composer and music arranger. Hossam Ramzy's friends call him "The Egyptian Rhythm Ambassador". He recorded his first solo album, An Introduction To Egyptian Dance Rhythms in 1987. This album was a break from his career as one of the most sought-after session percussionists of his generation. His CV at the time read like a who’s who of '80s music - Boy George, Marc Almond, Peter Gabriel and Killing Joke were just a few of his clients. After achieving this success, Ramzy decided to look deeply at his own musical roots. He said that his intention was "to record, document, enhance and contribute to the rhythms and compositions of a musical and dance culture that was slowly being eroded by the desire for progress, modernisation and superficial Westernisation". Ramzy was convinced that a vital musical and cultural tradition and heritage would be lost if many of the compositions that he knew and loved so deeply were not recorded for future generations. He recorded 22 CDs from 1987 to 2007.

Website

Tracklist:

01 Wana Be-ied Annak (When I am not Near You)
02 Harrira & Basboosa
03 My Brazilian Pearl
04 El Esma Wel Ma-soom (Our Fate)
05 Amar El Sahara (The Moon of the Sahara)
06 Wady Samba Ala El Malfuf (Samba over Malfuf)
07 Halloween
08 Oyoun El Fallaha (The Eyes of a Fallaha)
09 Ya Gama-a (Calling all the Group)
10 Hawary Al Qahira (The Back Streets of Cairo)
11 La' Bel Hadawa (No, Cool and Gently, Please)
12 Ya Sha-eyya (You Naughty, Playful Girl)
13 Rakataka

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Sir Victor Uwaifo and his Titibitis of Africa - Jackpot (1981)

ARTIST`````Sir Victor Uwaifo and his Titibitis of Africa

ALBUM`````Jackpot
GENRE`````African, Joromi, Highlife, World
YEAR````````1981

Biography:

Sir Victor Uwaifo is a Nigerian musician, writer, sculptor, and musical instrument inventor, born in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria in 1941. He is famous for his joromi music. His song Joromi has legendary status among his fans and his performances are characterized by his ability to play the guitar with both his feet and also his tongue. Uwaifo made history in Nigeria when he won the first Golden record in Nigeria, West Africa and Africa (presented by Philips, West Africa) for his song "Joromi" in 1996.

Artist Website

Tracklist:

01 Iranm' iran

02 Ovbialeke bolozo

03 Ewere noyoyo

04 Kpomokpa nagan bie

05 Ogiobo

06 Sakpaide special

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