Flutes Over Bombay

VIJAY RAGHAV RAO
Flute and Sitar Music of India (Empire Musicwerks)

Every song in the Indian classical tradition tells a story. “Raga Malkauns” is the tale of Siva performing Taandava, a dance to invoke self-satisfaction and inner conquest. It is believed, if performed correctly, the raag conjures helpful spirits. Listening to Vijay Raghav Rao’s performance of this 34-minute edition, his audience must certainly have concurred. Long out of print, this four-track recording opens with this gorgeous flute backed only by the traditional drone and then, suddenly, an emphatic tabla. It is a meditation on pure sound, delightful and introspective. For Rao, who studied under sitar maestro Ravi Shankar for 30 years, this recovered album is a prime entry point to the man betrothed with numerous sonic accolades, including the performance of India’s National Anthem in 1947 Delhi after British occupation ended and serving as musical conductor for the film Ghandi. The following songs include a two-part suite for sitars, and a closing meditation raga. That last track, like the first, is a slow moving beauty, though here, due to the sitar’s high-pitched strums, the archaic recording system rears its distorted head. The middle songs seem oddly out of place: backed by a large, cinematic folk ensemble, the entire vibe goes from relaxed to chaotic, also suffering from poor recording quality. Obviously this half-century old recording did not have digital access, but in some ways the first and last song would have sufficed as one record, the middle another. The latter would be an enjoyable, though somewhat generic, output. The true genius of Rao’s work shines in the analog glory of his passionate flute playing. In the yogic devotional tradition there is no separation between the player and music played – the very sound of their instrument is divine. Rao’s interpretation of this seminal piece is proof positive.

New Zealand to New York

One of the more innovative entities on the global reggae scene, New Zealand-based Fat Freddy's Drop, is finally seeing light in the states. Based on a True Story has already broken much ground in their home territory. Besides spending 42 weeks of one year on the Top 10, 11 were at number one (breaking the old record held by, of all groups, Crowded House). Quango, with another solid release by Djosos Krost (reviewed a few days ago), has stepped up to give it life in America. Since receiving their excellent four-song live record Live at Matterhorn in 2001, and subsequently being turned onto the soulful, now-defunct Trinity Roots, FFD has been one of my top releases of 2006. Unlike conventional pop records, they borrow the clean production and smooth lyrical hooks indicative of radio sounds while extending each track to eight minutes. Most appealing is Joe Dukie's vocals, immediately inviting and poetically inclined. The addition of horns and stactatto guitar/keyboard stabs set against the landscape of heavy dub basslines and jazzy intonations on teh rhythmic end prove this band to be exceptionally talented. Dropping on Nov 7. Online at www.fatfreddysdrop.com.

Marisa Monte Works Double Time

MARISA MONTE
Infinito Particular (Metro Blue)
Universo Ao Meu Redor (Metro Blue)

Brazil boasts few stars bigger than Marisa Monte, and for good reason. She has given the planet an inside ear into numerous forms of her homeland’s traditional music, showing how it evolves in beautifully tempered four-minute snippets. Her 15-year career has seen accolades pile up, including the hugely successful Tribalistas project with master percussionist Carlinhos Brown and impressive poet Analdo Antunes. Both lend helping hands on these companion releases, one honoring the samba tradition while the other revisits unfinished tracks over the last decade-and-a-half. Monte dreamed up Universo Ao Meu Redor after birthing her first child, a possible reflection of the coincidence of creation: herself giving life as does countries birth musical forms. In that vain she conceived a collection of never-recorded, obscure sambas, offering them permanent history. David Byrne signs on to help, as does Yerba Buena bandleader Andres Levin and a whole host of Morelenbaums. Her lullaby signature, indicative of earlier releases (Memories, Chronicles and Declarations of Love), shines on the title track. Throughout the album the acoustic production, especially utilizing the gorgeous cavinquinho playing, backed by an occasional DJ scratch or distorted vocal section, creates a scratchy surface underlying a depth few artists can create. Such the same for Infinito Particular, an album with even more guests: sambista rocker Seu Jorge, arrangements by famed composer Philip Glass, and, yes, more Morelenbaums. Monte’s proficiency on numerous instruments (ukulele, bass, kalimba, metalofone and autoharp) is extraordinary. The only greater virtue on these recordings is her voice. With that, she acquires fans with grace and ease.

Street Music from India

VOICES FOR HUMANS, ANCESTORS AND GODS (Topic)

In 1996 the British Library Sound Project assigned Rolf Killius to journey through India to record street music that is regionally popular, though relatively unknown beyond the continent. A decade and 400 hours later and the label somehow chopped it down to 13 rough, raw and gorgeous songs. This CD is truly a gem, breaking outside the three most popular exports of Indian music: the Hindustani and Carnatic tradtions; Bollywood’s global rule; and the ritual chants of bhakti yoga (not to mention the Asian Massive and Underground electronica). The call-and-response “Chenchu Lakshmi,” a tale of love lost and suicide, opens brilliantly. Performed by musicians of the Daasari community in the southeastern region of Andrha Pradesh, the tinny clicks of symbols and grating vocals prove penetratingly lucid. Many of these songs follow similar format – sudden breaks with lyrical interludes, tempo and tonal changes out of seeming nowhere. This is an emotional music, guided not by structure as much as feeling, which builds a solid foundation. The remainder of the folk material covers funeral songs, tales of naming babies and earthly creation, and stunning numbers from the Odissi and Orissa traditions, like the harmonium-led bhajan “Loda mo na thila golaka.” A dedication to Vishnu, the repetitious lyrics remind listeners “I only want your blessings, nothing else.” In the philosophy of Vedic and Hindu culture, the individual is but a part of a whole in which no separation between subject and object exists. Hence when they sing for each other, they sing for the entire planet. Thanks to Killius’s sturdy ear and own devotion, this elegant and rich album is reaching the intended audience.

From Peru to Brazil, Ethiopia Between

NOVALIMA
Afro (Quango)

Using slave songs and the cajon – a wooden box drum originally created from shipping crates – as a foundation for this eloquent, minimal electronica project, four producers explore the longtime folk sounds of Peru. Connecting Africa and South America sonically and socially, this outfit catalogs bits of local lore with additions of synthesizers, congas and excellent vocal sections. Swinging between the vivid (the jazzy, downtempo “Chinchivi”) and club ready (the trucking “Candela”), extending the community work of singers like Susana Baca into future forays, Afro is at once artifact and testament, and more poignantly, a simply beautiful record.

BOLE 2 HARLEM
Bole 2 Harlem Vol 1 (Sounds of the Mushroom)

Throwing a futuristic headnod to classic Ethiopian jazz and funk, producer David Schommer stepped into the studio with a clear vision in mind. With the help of vocalists Maki Siraj and Tigist Shibabaw, as well as his incredibly clean programming abilities, he created one of the most unique takes on modern Ethiopian music this side of Bill Laswell. Hip-hop and soul vocal hooks are scattered throughout, but the overall effect is a caravan of nomadic spirits banging on heavy percussion, penetrative bass loops and catchy harmonies. When the horns come blaring in, the anthemic battle cry is complete.

CEU
Ceu (Six Degrees)

On her MySpace page Brazilian vocalist CeU claims her sound to be “like nothing you’ve ever heard before.” This is not in jest. Her debut uses samba as a platform, but the direction she takes it (along with the help of excellent producer Apollo Nove) is completely fresh. The soundscapes devised, pulling from jazz, Brazilian percussive traditions, Afrobeat and bass-heavy midtempo electronica, merit a record of their own. Here, however, it’s CeU’s voice, long, painfully sensuous syllables on “Roda,” upbeat bursts of poetry with “Rainha” and her catchy acoustic rendition of “Concrete Jungle,” that is the true diamond.