ChordStrike

Buena Vista Take 2: Malian & Cuban Musicians Combine

In 1996, World Circuit Records owner Nick Gold and his co-producer Ry Cooder traveled to Havana with the intention of teaming musicians from Mali with local Cuban artists to make a record exploring the musical links between the two cultures.

But the Africans' passports were lost and the project had to be scratched. With studio time booked, Cooder and Gold decided to record the Cubans on their own and the result was Buena Vista Social Club, which has sold millions of copies worldwide and was listed in 2003 by Rolling Stone as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

This happy accident is not dissimilar from banjo-player Béla Fleck’s Throw Down your Heart, the 2009 project wherein Fleck traced the lineage of the banjo to its African roots. He traveled to Uganda, Mali, Tanzania and Gambia to capture the sights and sounds of African music.

Several musicians were featured in both projects, linking Africa’s musical heritage to Latin America’s and the west's.

Fourteen years later Gold and Cooder have finally recorded the album they intended, AfroCubism. Kora player Toumani Diabaté, who also appeared on Fleck’s album, said "My dream since I was young was to open a new door for African music… to bring this music out of Mali and meet other cultures with it.” With music as the lingua franca, it appears these musicians are bringing their dreams to fruition.

--Court @ SoundUnwound

SoundUnwound's editorial team write about the latest big music news and quirky stories which catch the eye. We also post a selection of these news stories on Chordstrike; for much, much more, visit SoundUnwound.com, the new music site from IMDb and Amazon. Follow us at twitter.com/soundunwound.

Lhasa De Sela: 1972-2010

This week brought the sad news that Montreal-based singer-songwriter Lhasa De Sela passed away on New Year's Day, after a 21-month battle with breast cancer. The American-born artist had a one-of-a-kind upbringing with her Mexican father and American mother, spending most of her childhood traveling between the two countries, developing her unique and decidedly pan-cultural artistic skills that led her to sing in English, Spanish, and French. From her official site:

    "Lhasa's unusual childhood was marked by long periods of nomadic wandering through Mexico and the U.S., with her parents and sisters in the school bus which was their home.  During this period the children improvised, both theatrically and musically, performing for their parents on a nightly basis.  Lhasa grew up in a world imbued with artistic discovery, far from conventional culture."

Lhasa released three albums in her short life, La Llorona, The Living Road, and one of my favorite albums of last year, and her first in English, the beautiful, simply titled, Lhasa. If you've never heard her stunning voice, do yourself a favor and watch the video for "Rising" below. Rest In Peace, Lhasa.

--Alan Wiley

Manu Chao Records Album with 'Radio Crazy'

Johnny Cash was famous for recording his seminal album in an American prison, Radiohead was famous for introducing a revolutionary pay-what-you-want model of album release, and Manu Chao has taken elements of both to record and release his latest album, Viva La Colifata. Chao took himself to La Borda, a psychiatric hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which is famous for its revolutionary patient-run radio station Radio La Colifata – literally “Radio Crazy,” a name chosen by the residents themselves. During a series of music workshops he got to know the patients, and the end result is a 20 track album inspired by and featuring the stars of Radio La Colifata. Psychologist and creator of the radio station Alfredo Olivera confirmed: "The process was very positive, not only because it tackled the social stigma of mental illness, but because it helped people leave the hospital and develop their own autonomy. Chao is not a psychologist or a psychiatrist but he knows how to listen to the rhythm of each person.” The album is available via a special website which uses the In Rainbows optional payment system, and all proceeds raised will go to the hospital and its radio station.

Here's Manu's "El Hoyo" performed to a raucous crowd in Spain last year...

ManuChao_ Monforte_170508_02_ElHoyo from pcas on Vimeo.

And an interesting 6-minute documentary in English about Radio La Colifata (embedding disabled) here.

--Hazel @ SoundUnwound

SoundUnwound's editorial team write about the latest big music news and quirky stories which catch the eye. We'll be posting a selection of these news stories on Chordstrike every week; for much, much more, visit SoundUnwound.com, the new music site from IMDb and Amazon. Follow us at twitter.com/soundunwound.

World Music Wednesday (Actually Thursday): Celtic Music

First, an apology—I was supposed to post this yesterday, but time got away from me, and “World Music Wednesday” has become…“World Music Thursday.”  At least this week. 

Anyway, I was perusing our free world music MP3 samplers yesterday evening, and the first one that I happened to download was Alula’s Celtic Sampler Summer 2009.  I was wary at first (I’m picky about my celtic music!), but it turned out to be a lovely collection, and I decided that I had to write about it.

I’ve always loved celtic music.  I’ve had a thing for celtic mythology ever since I was little, and traditional celtic tunes are full of stories.  When I think of celtic music, I still have romantic visions spring to mind—of wandering bards, mummers, and céilidhs.  My love for celtic music deepened when I lived in France; I would make regular jaunts over to Brittany, where I’d sit in dark pubs, soaking up live music over tangy cider brut and a savory buckwheat galette.

So it’s no wonder that celtic music has remained lodged in my psyche.  Celtic music is difficult to define accurately, since the term itself is extremely broad and general (kind of like “world music.”)  For the purposes of this post, I’ll define celtic music as the music of the Celtic Nations (Ireland, Scotland, the the Isle of Man, Wales, Cornwall (southwestern England), Brittany (western France), and Galicia (northwestern Spain).

In researching celtic music, I discovered that it’s far more complex than I have space to describe here (sadly), so for the time being, I’ll provide you with a brief synopsis of Irish music, since much of the music on the Alula sampler is based on traditional Irish music.

Many Irish folk songs originated in rural areas and evolved over time.  The human voice is an important component of Irish music, and one of the most prevalent styles of traditional Irish vocal singing is known as sean-nós (“old style.”)  Sean-nós singers have marvelously flexible voices, and their vocals normally soar and dip, creating a pure, haunting, and melodically rich listening experience. 

Instruments used in Irish music include the Irish harp, the bodhrán (a drum with a goatskin frame), uilleann pipes, the tin whistle, the fiddle and the accordion.  I’m partial to the fiddle and tin whistle, both of which feature in the sampler.   Download it free (for a limited time only), and check out all the free samplers here.

--Bri Nguyen

August is an exciting month here at ChordStrike.  We've put together our World Music Event and our editors’ picks for the 100 Greatest World Music Albums of All Time, and in honor of these internationally-themed occasions (and frankly because I’ll use any excuse to blog about world music), I’ve created a month-long miniseries of blog posts called “World Music Wednesdays." Each Wednesday this month, I’ll highlight a different genre of world music. Suggestions welcome!

Free MP3 Downloads: 29 Free World Music Samplers

What's cheaper than travel and almost as good a way to get your cosmopolitan bona fides up to snuff? Try 29 free world music samplers. As part of our World Music Festival, we're offering free music downloads from more than two dozen labels and artists, including a few personal favorites (pictured below, click to download) from Soweto Gospel Choir, JDub (Israel), Tuff Gong (RIYL Bob Marley), Luaka Bop (RIYL David Byrne), ESL (RIYL Thievery Corporation):

Download any or all of the free samplers (totaling hundreds of free song downloads) from here. Bon voyage...

     -- Jason Kirk

World Music Wednesday: Music from Malaita (Solomon Islands)

This week’s installment of World Music Wednesdays comes courtesy of my fellow ChordStriker Alan Wiley, who came across the video below while burning the midnight oil earlier this week.  He sent it to me, and I was so intrigued that I immediately scrapped what I'd been planning to write about in favor of this vid.  It’s amazingly cool.

I wasn’t able to find much background info on the video, but I did discover this much: it was made by French ethnomusicologist Hugo Zemp in Malaita (one of the Solomon Islands.)  The people in the video are from the 'Are 'are ethnic group, which is known for complex panpipe music.  Originally, the ‘Are ’are produced music by striking hollow bamboo sticks of varying sizes on coconut shells, but this method has evolved over time (in the video, the players strike bamboo sticks on rocks, and my research has revealed that the 'Are 'are also play panpipes by blowing into them.)  This method of music-making might seem simple, but it’s really quite complex; as you can see in the video, players harmonize with one another, and single players can grip multiple bamboo pipes with their fingers and toes in order to produce multiple notes at once.

If you like world music or watching videos on the web, chances are you’ve heard a sampling of music from Malaita before.  Electronic/new age duo Deep Forest used a vocal sample from a recording made by Zemp in their 1992-93 hit, “Sweet Lullaby.”  Zemp’s original recording features a woman named Afunakwa singing a traditional lullaby called “Rorogwela.”   “Sweet Lullaby” was popularized in 2005 when it was used as the background music for two viral videos made by Matt Harding (of Where the Hell is Matt? fame.)  Check out one of Matt’s awesome dancing vids below.  Yes, they've been around for a few years, but I still love watching them.  They somehow exemplify what world music means to me--discovery, joy, celebration...I could go on and on.

--Bri Nguyen

August is an exciting month here at ChordStrike.  We've put together our World Music Event and our editors’ picks for the 100 Greatest World Music Albums of All Time, and in honor of these internationally-themed occasions (and frankly because I’ll use any excuse to blog about world music), I’ve created a month-long miniseries of blog posts called “World Music Wednesdays." Each Wednesday this month, I’ll highlight a different genre of world music. Suggestions welcome!

Image above via justview.info

100 Greatest World Music Albums of All Time

We're back with another 100 Greatest list, and this time, to coincide with our World Music Festival event, we've chosen the 100 Greatest World Music Albums of All Time.

"World music" is an exceptionally wide-ranging term. Does world music mean music that’s not in English? Does a world music artist have to create music from his/her own particular country or ethnic background? What about "big name" world artists (like Enya, Celtic Woman, Bob Marley) who have had mainstream Top 40 hits? In the end, we came up with the following criteria:

• Broadly speaking, world music is not traditionally Western. We’ve chosen albums featuring music from a particular region, culture, or heritage.
• Albums can include lyrics in English and/or Top 40 hits, as long as the music itself draws from non-western rhythms, instruments, or melodies.
• One album per artist
• No EPs or singles—this list is about albums
• No greatest hits collections or compilations except in cases where no actual album was available, or where the collection acts as a proper album. Bob Marley’s Legend, being a greatest hits compilation album, did not make our list, but Catch a Fire did.

Of course, our editors exercise their judgment regarding quality and/or historical significance. If you disagree with our choices (and there's a good chance you will), let us know in the comments below, or on the customer discussion on our list landing page.

This list is MP3s, but if you prefer CDs, you can find the list here.

1. Andy Palacio & the Garifuna Collective - Wátina
2. Bulgarian State Television Female Choir - Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares
3. Fela Kuti - Live!
4. Abdoulaye Diabate - Djiriyo
5. Konono No1 - Congotronics
6. Os Mutantes - Everything Is Possible
7. Black Uhuru - The Dub Factor
8. Jorge Ben - Forca Bruta
9. Huun-Huur-Tu - The Orphan's Lament
10. Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club
11. Bob Marley - Catch A Fire
12. Mahmoud Ahmed - Ethiopiques, Vol. 7: Ere Mela Mela
13. King Tubby - Dub From The Roots
14. Paco de Lucia - Entre Dos Aguas
15. Astor Piazzolla - Tango: Zero Hour
16. Solomon Ilori - African High Life
17. Willie Bobo - Juicy
18. Gal Costa - Gal Costa
19. Sara Tavares - Balance
20. Ravi Shankar - The Ravi Shankar Collection: Live: Ravi Shankar At The Monterey International Pop Festival
21. Sevara Nazarkhan - Yol Bolsin
22. Ali Farka Touré - Red & Green
23. Amalia Rodrigues - Art of Amalia
24. Nanae Yoshimura - Art of the Koto, Vol. 1
25. King Sunny Ade - JuJu Music
26. Salif Keita - Amen
27. Mariza - Fado Em Mim
28. Tito Puente - Dance Mania
29. Franco - Originalité
30. Etoile De Dakar - Volume 4 - Khaley Etoile
31. Ja Man All Stars - In The Dub Zone
32. Cheb I Sabbah - La Kahena
33. Rachid Taha - Diwan
34. Pham Duc Thanh - Vietnamese Traditional Dan Bau Music
35. Khaled - Sahra
36. Think of One - Camping Shaabi
37. Asha Bhosle - Precious Platinum
38. Ali Akbar Khan - Traditional Music of India
39. Liliana Barrios - Troileana
40. Tania Maria - Via Brasil vol.2
41. David Nzomo - Songs from Kenya
42. Cesaria Evora - Cesaria
43. Toumani Diabate With Ballake Sissoko - New Ancient Strings
44. A.R. Rahman - Lagaan
45. Paolo Conte - Reveries
46. Taraf de Haïdouks - Taraf de Haïdouks
47. Marcel Khalifé - Promises of the Storm
48. Ernest Ranglin - Below The Bassline
49. Joyce - Just a Little Bit Crazy
50. Puerto Plata - Mujer de Cabaret
51. Tinariwen - Aman Iman: Water Is Life
52. Ghazal - Lost Songs Of The Silk Road
53. Kandia Kouyate - Kita Kan
54. Antonio Carlos Jobim - Wave
55. The Congos - Heart of the Congos
56. Thomas Mapfumo - Spirits To Bite Our Ears
57. Willie Colón & Ruben Blades - Siembra
58. Bassekou Kouyate - Segu Blue
59. Amadou & Mariam - Welcome to Mali
60. Augustus Pablo - East of the River Nile
61. Ofra Haza - Fifty Gates of Wisdom: Yemenite Songs
62. Dhafer Youssef - Electric Sufi
63. Olatunji - Drums of Passion
64. Los Amigos Invisibles - The Venezuelan Zinga Son Vol. 1
65. Celia Cruz, Johnny Pacheco - Celia & Johnny
66. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Shahen-Shah
67. Eddie Palmieri And Friends - The Sun of Latin Music
68. Seu Jorge - Cru
69. Youssou N'Dour - Immigrés
70. Kodo - Live at the Acropolis
71. Ibrahim Ferrer - Buena Vista Social Club Presents Ibrahim Ferrer
72. Lama Gyurme - The Lama's Chants
73. Elis Regina/Tom Jobim - Elis & Tom
74. Koçani Orkestar - Alone At My Wedding
75. Idan Raichel - The Idan Raichel Project
76. Cheo Feliciano - Cheo
77. Tomatito & Michel Camilo - Spain
78. Issa Bagayogo - Mali Koura
79. Hermanos Ayala - Bomba de Loiza
80. Hugh Masekela - The Lasting Impressions Of Ooga Booga
81. Peter Tosh - Legalize It
82. Peru Negro - Zamba Malato
83. Flaco Jimenez - Squeeze Box King
84. Waldemar Bastos - Pretaluz
85. Rodrigo Y Gabriela - Rodrigo Y Gabriela
86. Orchestra Baobab - Pirates Choice
87. Hugh Mundell - Africa Must Be Free by 1983
88. Vicente Fernandez - El Hijo Del Pueblo
89. Walter Ferguson Gavitt - Mr. Gavitt: Calypsos of Costa Rica
90. Gamelan Semara Pegulingan - Music of Bali
91. Djivan Gasparyan - I Will Not Be Sad in This World
92. Kassav' - An-ba-chen'n La
93. Andy Statman - Between Heaven And Earth: Music Of The Jewish Mystics
94. Ami Koita - Songs of Praise
95. Tom Ze - Danc-Eh-Sa
96. Ruben Gonzalez - Introducing…Ruben Gonzalez
97. Gotan Project - La Revancha Del Tango
98. Vieux Farka Touré - Fondo
99. Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Gift Of The Tortoise: A Musical Journey Through Southern Africa
100. Frankie Kennedy & Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh - Altan

--Alan Wiley

World Music Wednesday: Flamenco

Because I harbor a secret desire to be a flamenco dancer, and because I have an ardent love of Spanish poet and playwright Federico García Lorca (a celebrator and composer of flamenco music himself), I’ve decided to write about flamenco for this week’s installment of World Music Wednesdays. 

I’ve attended a couple of local flamenco performances in the past few months, and each time I’ve found myself wholly captivated by the fiery passion of the music and dance.  I come away from every performance with images flashing in my mind’s eye—the guitarists’ nimble fingers, the dancers’ swirling skirts and seductive eyes, the staccato sound of stomping reverberating in my ears.  Flamenco is, to me, an enticing dichotomy—an explosion of energy channeled into precise steps and elegant movements, a whirling, stylized maelstrom of mystery and drama.  I love flamenco, but it frustrates me; watching it makes me feel like I’m witnessing some sort of wild force that’s being tamed and controlled and held in check--but just barely.  It keeps me on the edge of my seat, and yet I'm constantly on the verge of leaping up and letting loose.

Flamenco is said to have developed out of the Gypsy (Gitano) culture of Andalusia (a region in southern Spain) in the 16th century, although it was most likely shaped by Arabic, Jewish, Christian, and Andalusian folk musical traditions as well.  Over the next few centuries, however, flamenco became almost exclusively associated with the Gypsies, and was largely overlooked by the wealthy upper class.  During its “golden age” (1869 – 1910) however, flamenco thrived as an art form.  Musicians and dancers honed their craft by performing in “music cafes” (cafés cantantes), and flamenco guitar became a celebrated genre in its own right.

Flamenco in its basic form consists of three primary elements: el cante (the song), el baile (the dance), and la guitarra (the guitar, popularized worldwide by such virtuosos as Paco de Lucía.)  The interplay between a flamenco guitarist, singer, and dancer is a fascinating study in communication, with the guitarist using his/her fingers, the dancer his/her body (stomping feet and languid, twirling hand movements), and the singer his/her voice.  Check out some of flamenco performance clips below , and stay tuned for next Wednesday’s post.

--Bri Nguyen

World Music Wednesday: Tuvan Throat Singing

August is an exciting month here at ChordStrike.  We’re set to launch both our World Music Event and our editors’ picks for the 100 Greatest World Music Albums of All Time in the next few weeks.  In honor of these internationally-themed occasions (and frankly because I’ll use any excuse to blog about world music), I’ve created a month-long miniseries of blog posts called “World Music Wednesdays." Each Wednesday this month, I’ll highlight a different genre of world music. Suggestions welcome!

Today’s genre of choice: Tuvan throat singing.  I discovered this style of singing, also known as overtone singing, when I was in high school, and I remember being immediately mesmerized by its weird and wild wonderfulness.  Eerie, beautiful, and primitive, it was like nothing I’d ever heard before.  I felt as if I had suddenly encountered a wild creature, like a panther, in a forest, and was standing motionless before it, half in fear, half in awe and fascination.  It was the first time that I’d experienced music as a physical entity—as if the sounds emanating from the singers’ throats were alive and tangible.

And no wonder.  Tuvan throat singing is an ancient practice which is believed to be rooted in the shamanic traditions of Tuva, a small, culturally distinct region which is now part of present-day Russia.  Centuries ago, before being colonized by China, Mongolia, and Russia, Tuva was part of the vast Turkic Empire in Central Asia.  The Tuvans developed rich oral and musical traditions which were shaped in part by their connection to nature and their belief in spirits.  Shamans used throat singing to commune with spirits, and shepherds would imitate the sounds of animals, wind, and water while wandering the high steppes and taiga forests.  The environment in which throat singing is performed is of particular importance; the music is intended to resonate within the natural acoustical environment of a cave, cliff, or steppe (where sound carries a great distance.)

Throat singers achieve their unique sound by manipulating their vocal folds, which enables them to produce a distinct melody by amplifying certain overtones and de-amplifying others.  As a result, throat singers can produce two or more tones (ranging from a low, bass-like vibration to a flute-like whistle) simultaneously—essentially singing in harmony with themselves. This is a remarkable feat which is almost never heard in Western music.

Check out some of my favorite throat singing performances below, and stay tuned for next week’s installment of World Music Wednesdays.  For more info on throat singing, check out this neat Scientific American article.

--Bri Nguyen