CD-reviews

Majorstuen are; Jorun Marie Rypdal Kvernberg (fiddle), Andreas Ljones (fiddle and viola), Gjermund Larsen (fiddle and viola) Tove Hagen (fiddle and cello) Ragnhild Furebotten (fiddle) and Synnøve Sæmundsdotter Bjørset (fiddle and viola). (All fiddles are Flat Fiddle not Hardanger Fiddle).
Majorstuen is part of the new generation of Norwegian fiddlers. It is a six piece group, with respect towards the traditions. Norwegian fiddle music is basically dance music. Each district with different, distinct styles, and each of the six members come from different traditions. All of them are also highly trained, studying folk music at Musikkhøgskolen. What makes the new generation something else is an urge to bring music out, out of the "folk-music-ghettoes". Revitalize the music in the modern society. Majorstuen does this by adding a tiny bit of show biz at stage. Plus; they arranges the tunes in an other way, with viola and cello at some tunes. Adding a touch of folk-rock, and of chamber music. Many arrangements are built up on catchy riffs. This is within the trads, its the way of doing it that makes it new. Every tune at the album have traditional origins. The members have picked them up from other fiddlers, brought them to the group, and then re-arranged them in a collective creative process. 
One of my favourites are "Sorgens Ø" (the Island of Sorrow), a low tempo number with a melancholic athmoshere.
Many of the readers are unfamiliar with Norwegian Fiddle traditions (I'm a Norwegian myself). I guess your asking, then what is this music? It is sparkeling Norwegian water, no bubbles but still sparkling. The music if full of joy, happines, humour, - also melacholy and sadnes, performed by skilled musicians. There are a lot of these new generation groups in Sweden and Finnland, in Norway there are few. But thats not a problem as long as we have the charming Majorstuen.
The sound is nice and rich, recorded "live", in a church with a natural ambience.

Buscavidas starts with the powerful and danceable Na Galizia da Festa (Party in Galiza), a cheerful song sang by the drummer Vias (also called in concerts "Pulpiño", or "little octopussy"), who is also in charge of the programming and keyboard, and plays musical saw in some of the tracks (and its one of the most spectacular points of the concert). After that, it comes Calle Mambo, and heterodox mambo sang by Nacho, also guitar and trumpet player, followed by the tropical rhythms (introduced by bagpipe) of Mira como vai. Esa Penita is a rumba with ragamuffin taste, with the Tanja at the accordion, Vias at the diatonic accordion, Xan at the bagpipe and the zanfona by Oscar.

The fifth track in Buscavidas is the shaking Gassentanz, composed by Tanja inspired by klezmer and gipsy music, played by her at the accordion, Uli at the bass and mandolin, Xan at the bagpipe, Nacho at the guitar, Oscar at the zanfona, and Vias at the drumms, with a strong and constant bass drum. This track, personally, makes me breathless because of its autenticity and beauty.

The next song, Buscavidas, is something like a explanaiton of their life, always travelling and figthing to make a living with the music, encouraging the listener to behave freely in despite of the difficulties. After that it comes the "Muñeira Mexicana". Muñeira is one of the most popular traditional rhythms in Galiza, and you can wonder what does the "mexicana" add to this muñeira ... The work of the bagpiper Xan is quite remarkable in this song.

In the middle of the CD there is I tako Idemo ("together", in croatian), one of my favourite tracks in the CD, with the saw by Vias and the wonderful trumpet by Nacho and accordion by Tanja. The croatian lyrics are composed by Doris Wasmer, and it describes a hopefull love story. Can de Palleiro is the next track, another statement of intentions that shows widely the influence of the circus music in the band, an outburst of streng, with the captivating mix of the bagpipe and trumpet and the constant heartlike beat of the bass drum.

Next it comes the most ska and rocklike song, Bonny and Clyde, with Iñigo Muguruza at the guitar, and Vias singing in English about the violence and the war that USA impose. After it, Ries y Lloras (You laught and you cry, in Spanish) contribute to bring again the happyness, talking about party and friendship.

O Pisirilo is an accelerated Galizian "pasodoble", a 2/4 rhythm very common in Spain. It is followed by La oveja negra (the back sheep), another danceable song with hard bass drumm, and after that Nacho introduces sweetly with the ukelele Moreniñ@, a rumba about the effect of the obssesion about a girl. The next song is Mazurka para Kepa y Amaya - Muñeira de Aboal Vazquez, a song by Vias and Oscar, member of the Galizian group Os Cempés, dedicated to Kepa Junkera, Amaya Oreja (a basque percussionist) and Aboal family (responsible of the Galizian cultural association Aboal).

The last track is Garbancito (little chick pea, in Spanish), an strange flamencolike song, sang by Miguelón Ladrón de Guevara, with a kind of singing more similar to Mick Jagger than Camaron, with their typical shameless. And attention to this last track!!! Some seconds after the end of Garbancito, there is a bonus track, a duet between zanfona and musical saw, playing a version of the Napolitan song "Oh Sole Mio". Amazing!

Buscavidas is a coloured and eclectic work, full of energy, but sensibility too, thought to make you dance and have fun, but also impregnated with the phylosophy that moves this band of valiant clowns, with that simplicity that generates a tenderness sensation while listening. They are five, but seem twenty, don´t ever lose them in concert!

Do you want to know more about O Jarbanzo Negro? Take a look at EthnoBass´ interview with O Jarbanzo Negro.

Forward Kwenda, Mbira player, singer and composer, is from the Shona culture in Zimbabwe. "Svikiro - Meditations From An Mbira Master" was recorded in US in 1997. Erica Azim from Mbira.org is a important contributor. She plays kutsinhira mbira (second mbira) or/and sings at half of the tracks. She is also co-producing. In Zimbabwe, the mbira is considered a "telephone to the spirits", an important part of the bira rituals. The music at this album comes directly from these old traditions. It is built up around small melodic themes, rolling over and over. Sometimes another mbira turn up, and then the magic starts. In the hands of Forward Kwenda this simple looking instrument turn out to be a complete instrument. Sometimes it has a near percussive effect. The sound varies a lot, from a bell like effects from the metal keys, to a more wooden sound from bamboo keys. It even has a guitar like sound (like old fashioned electric jazz guitar). The large (low tuned) mbiras has a discrete bass sound.
The buzzing sounds and the repeated melodies of the mbira are supposed to have a healing effect. It may have. It sure is thrilling. But what really gets to me is Forwards fragile, sensitive voice, it lingers my soul. This is true healing music, not the New age nonsense.

The Nangape was recorded in Quebec near twenty years earlier. One warning first. The hypnotic athmosphere depends on a reproduction. Don't try this recording at bad stereo setup. At my computer it sounds flat, and boring. I know many will disagree with me on this, even call me snobbish. But thats my honest opinion.
It is concidered a classic, and now it is re-released at Onzou records. Yaya Diallo is from Mali, the instrumentation is completely different. Diallo plays percursion (djembe, dounouba, tama and conga) and the balafon. Djembe and balafon are central instruments in the West African manding culture. Sylvain Leroux contributes at 3 out of 5 tracks at flute. The balafon and the flute are the only melodic instruments. And Diallos style at the balafon is more percursive than melodic. Below lays the tama drum (talking drum) with its singing steady beats. Both musicians are good, very good. Leroux with his floating soft tone, and Diallo with his elegant shifts in temp and his dynamic performance.

I beleave what actually gave me the idea of reviewing these recordings together, is some similarities in sound of mbira and balafon. I'm talking about the buzzing sound. At the mbira from the attached metal beads strung on a wire, or bottle tops or shells. At the balafon it comes from the calabash resonators below each bar.
Anyway. These recordings come to me when I was feeling a bit down. I was in need for healing. Forward Kwenda managed to linger my soul. and Yaya Diallo put me back on the track, gave me energy.

Orgànic, Spanish Ethnic CD for 2002?
 

Let´s see, it is still February, but Miquel Gil´s CD "Orgànic" (released by Sonifolk) will surely be one of the greatests works in this kinds of musics in Spain, in 2002, and probably, one of the prettiest and more complete releases in some years, comparable in quality to the shocking Mercedes Peon´s "Isué". Miquel´s voice is one of those that seem to arrive from the border between earth, sea and sky, a deep voice, powerful and weighted as in cante jondo voice, that contrast with the joyness and luminosity of the music and the lyrics. Texts in català languaje, full of subtle and suggestive images that carries you to convincing contexts, sometimes thought winding footpaths, sometimes throught the sunniest ways.

Orgànic´s instrumentation includes some of the traditional instruments from the east coast of Spain, dolçaína, gralla, xirimia (different versions of a double reed aerophone, related to oboe), some Middle Eastern instruments like ud, guimbri, and some other ones (buzuki, acustic guitar, electric bass, drumms, accordion…). Miquel Gil has created a work that fits perfectly the tradition and the modernity, with a bright panmediterranean sound, accompanying himself with inspired musicians all in the frame of a mutual understanding. An absolute wonder that gets deeper and deeper every time you listen to it, an unpaymentable present to the musical world and to your soul.

This cd is an odyssey across the African continent. The general idea seems to be to introduce the listener to the more pleasant, laid-back and urban part of African music. The main focus in most of most the songs is the good melody. As always at Putumayo, it is more than a cd. It is also a little book with very good and informative texts, introducing the artists and the melodies. It is a journey, of 10 songs from 8 countries. I'll guess it also haves appeal to first time listeners, I consider it as a very good place to start researching this diverse continent. Artists like Oliver Mtukudzi, Habib Koite and Les Go de Koteba is already known at the world stage. But I have also made some new interesting acquaintances.

Marrakech is a melting pot in the arab world. One thing is certain, this is refreshing. It is a blend of traditional arab music styles, and modern western styles. There are also elements from related styles in the northern African area, of sub-Saharan music, even elements of Southern America. Like a good cup of tea it is bitter and sweet. Even though it is mixed, it still have a strong character of the area it grows out of. Anyway this music makes me happy, it makes me dance. (Ok, people knowing me, know that I'm lying now - I'm not a dancer, but I'm moving in my chair, that's something, isen't it?) And what is even better, it is reaching the western world, in London this music is one of the hottest things at the discos, we are told.

Like at most modern compilations this CD have covernotes with valuable info about the artists.