Stars Over Kuwait

DAOUD & SALAH AL-KUWAITY
Their Star Shall Never Fade (Magda)

While popular media focuses on the Arabic world through imagery of bombs and terror, the untapped reservoir of arts is barely allowed to surface. Yet this is precisely what is needed in American media: to promote the artistic, and coincidentally human, aspect of a side of the world predominantly exposed by visions of war. There are few better musicians to introduce than Daoud & Salah Al-Kuwaity, two Jewish brothers born in Iraq that would dominate the Middle Eastern music scene for much of the 20th century. Their family was among the first Jewish residents of Kuwait, and in 1918 their uncle returned from Indian with a violin and oud for the youngsters. They never turned back: after initial success in nightclubs in Basra the family moved to Baghdad where, eventually, preeminent musicians such as Eygpt’s Oum Kalthoum and Muhammad Abed-el Wahab turned to the brothers for compositional help. The Al-Kuwaity’s songs turned into some of their most cherished. Their Star Shall Never Fade, a two-CD topography of their extensive musical terrain, is a prosperous introduction to their work. It is a broad perspective, hinting at their focuses in cinema (they recorded music for an Arabic version of Romeo & Juliet), court music (having played at King Faisel’s coronation ceremony), and, of course, devotional songs. They remain essential components of Iraqi folk, with their lyrics of faith and redemption still played on national radio. These analog recordings, dusty and crackling, shine with a certain luster. Whether through the piercing vocals or Daoud’s exceptional performance on oud, it shows a side of Iraq we need to hear.

The Androgynous Roma

DONA DUMITRU SIMINICA
Sounds From a Bygone Age Vol. 3 (Asphalt Tango)

Adding to their ongoing survey of rare Eastern European Gypsy recordings, Dona Dumitru Siminica’s dream-like falsetto proves an excellent choice at number three in this Asphalt Tango series. Common themes run throughout this trio of albums, most notably many of the lautari musicians being exchangeable. Turns out Siminica crawled through pubs and cafes searching out talent, a standard practice in Romania in the ‘60s (as were fierce drinking bouts after performances). The style for which women swooned to Siminica’s feet was dubbed muzica lautareasca – “quiet suburban songs.” Apparently his stature was that of a Bucharestian Pablo Neruda, the feminine sex unable to control heart flutters when his tongue let fly this poetry. In many ways these songs are not far from Parisian café music; even the accordion adds the dramatic, mournful effect of a sad Sunday afternoon. Equally difficult is it to distinguish Siminica’s vocals from a female voice, adding to the androgynous effect. Even when he adds a bit of bass, as on the heartbreaking, downtrodden “Afare E Intuneric,” he can’t resist ascending to high notes before long. His violin playing is equally potent – and equally depressive. Of course sadness is cathartic; sometimes by pushing through pain we recover solace. This idea is symptomatic of Siminica’s entire career, first by continuing his familial tradition of bricklaying, then through laying foundations in song. The slow crawl of the piano and bass create the sonic circumstances under which Siminica became a master. Relatively unknown outside the small circle of the lautari, as so many of Eastern European artists are, this bygone age is dutifully, and enjoyably, being rediscovered.

Global Beat Fusion on Pop Matters

My new column, Global Beat Fusion, launched today on PopMatters. I'm very excited to be part of the site, which covers one of the widest ranges of entertainment on the web. They have been a household name for many for some time, a great resource to tap into to see the best and newest of what's going on in the arts. My monthly column will feature the top stories in international music, as witnessed with my first piece, Desert Trance. Focusing on the trance-inducing blues and percussive music of sub-Saharan and Northern Africa, the piece hones in on the music of Tinariwen, Etran Finatawa and Tartit. Check it out for yourself, and stay tuned in for more.

The African Sound of Harlem

BOLE 2 HARLEM
Bole 2 Harlem Volume One (Sounds of the Mushroom)

Ethiopia has long exhibited a range of folk music, considering each of the 80 tribes have their own slant on regional music. Last century a few key occurrences occurred within all of Africa, affecting both culture and music produced. With the rise of recording and performance technology, state-sponsored orchestras tended to define the music played in each country (in many, as was the case of Ethiopia in the ‘80s, the only music allowed). As the orchestras moved past the ‘70s and drum machines, guitar effects and synthesizers made their way from European laboratories to African soil, the gritty, rootsy folk strains became blaring guitar-driven popular music.

This was not the case everywhere, for the heartbeat of life – percussion – remained relevant, especially in the sounds unique jazz pioneers like Mahmoud Ahmed were championing. While today Ethiopia remains one of the more obscure African genres in America, a few labels and artists have pumped life into standards and breakthroughs, most notably Buda Musique’s Ethiopiques series and vocalist Gigi. Both have journeyed back in time before synth-heavy pop, reissuing unknown classics and recreating new tracks with old influences. And while a burgeoning hip-hop scene exists as well, little has become known overseas compared to the influx of Malian, Moroccan, Senegalese and South African forms.

Enter Bole2Harlem, which makes sense of a few threads of Ethiopia’s rich history. Besides making the obvious African parallel to hip-hop, producer David Schommer and vocalist Maki Siraj inject a bit of dub and reggae: the connection being Emperor Haile Selassie’s influence on Bob Marley and the birth of that song form. The pair does not refuse any sound, Ethiopian or American, weaving strains of reggae, hip-hop, electronica and the familiar horns and call-and-response vocals dear to Ethiopian folklore. With an ear attuned to the importance of bass, Schommer programs an excellent range of soundscapes for this diverse recording.

Joining Siraj on vocals is Tigist Shibabaw, Gigi’s little sister, who cut her teeth in NYC club culture on the progressive Man.De.Ng debut Elektrik. Here she gets to show the strength of those powerful vocal chords, letting fly an infectious hook on the title track; when joined by Fray on the bouncing “Ahmet Bale” the true genius of this fusion emerges. Siraj maintains an inspired performance throughout, although a few sporadic sing-songy verses prove dated. Such disparate elements seep through here and there, making the album a bit more pop-oriented than necessary. But those are only sections or instrument choices, never full songs. The remix near the end could use a little touching up, though a reworking of the title track, this one dubbed “Harlem2Bole,” makes gorgeous use of a lucid kora part and minimal beat architecture.

Credit Schommer and crew for keeping the integrity of such a range of sounds intact, while displaying their own with self-releasing this distinct album. It really cannot fit into any category, as is true of a good amount of electronic-based global music today. Through viral marketing and one damn good volume behind them, Bole and Harlem – chosen because they are entry and exit points in their respective countries for innovative music – once again serve as a portal from past to future sounds.

Walking Through the Desert

ETRAN FINATAWA
Introducing Etran Finatawa (Introducing/WMN)

The success of Tuareg blues/rock group Tinariwen informed the wider world to the influence of musical styles mixing with African desert folk music. The band, which formed in 1992, launched a political and social assault on Malian and Algerian governments, using fuzzy guitars and metaphorical poetry to plead the case of nomadic peoples. Twelve years later and two separate groups – comprised of six Wodaabe and four Tuareg musicians from Niger – united to battle the racial injustices their respective cultures had been enduring. Whereas it took Tinariwen over a decade to break into the Western market, Etran Finatawa, “the stars of tradition,” began touring Europe in 2005, the year after their first jam.

Credit Tinariwen for opening those doors, but give equal accolades to the incredible musicianship showcased on Etran Finatawa’s international debut. The bluesy electric guitars are prevalent, though the focus remains on percussion, bass and the droning repetitiveness of superb chants and poetry. In short, this is a record one really feels. Producer Chris Birkett, who recorded the band live in one room while on their European tour, does an exceptional job at capturing the lush textures of the azakalabo (water-flooding calabash), akayaure (metal rings on a metal plate, worn on legs) and the occasional lilt of the odiliri, a traditional flute. His bass playing helps fill out the low end, a special addition considering only six of the band’s 10 musicians made it to France.

With the background instrumentation so tight, there’s plenty of room for the guitars and vocals to roam. The six-string playing is excellent, constantly weaving and ducking into handclaps and the calabash. It’s really the vocals driving this project, though; all members sing, mostly in call-and-response format. The leader is Ghalitane Khamidoune, faintly reminiscent of Baaba Maal in tonal structure though worlds apart in approach. Much like the Gnawa of Morocco (Birkett’s bass also adds a sintir feel), these songs are healing: “Ronde,” which almost mimics the overnight lila ceremony of the Gnawa, and “Maleele,” about a beautiful girl that comes to dance in call to spirits. The constant bass and handclaps coupling with the back-forth chanting make it a truly hypnotic track.

The most trance-inducing number, however, is certainly the closing “Heeme.” A song honoring the culture’s camel races, it is too short at just over four minutes. Again like Gnawa, or possibly qawwali, it has that special gravity in which 24 minutes would be more appropriate. Alas, it is just a taste of a band, and region, that is coming to light on an international stage. And this is a platform we hope to hear more from soon.