Songs From Easter Island

The sheer range of music in our world is a reminder both of the vast differences and striking commonalities between the roughly 8.3 billion of us who inhabit this little blue planet in a massive, expanding universe.  Any of us occupying our tiny portion of the globe or even in a larger country that is still a fraction of it can too easily get caught up in what we listen to from our societies and not engage enough with others.

This is one reason why so-called "world music" is so fascinating because stepping outside of ourselves and our society can be so enriching and, hopefully, equip us with a better understanding of how others live in places we likely will never see.  Another aspect that is striking is how areas that have more isolation, fewer resources and limited technology maintain their musical heritage or adapt it, as the case may be.  

In the "western" world, complexity is often celebrated as the highest achievement in music, with so much of this worthy of engagement and support, though some of the most popular performers are those who strip sound to basic elements (beat, rhythm, rhyme, simpler melodies, etc.), such as in the electronic, hip-hop or pop realms.  Essence is often a good reminder of what more strongly affects a listener, whether dancing, sitting, or both.

This Musique du Monde entry from the French Buda Musique label is an excellent example of how "simple" music can be among the most enjoyable and powerful as Songs from Easter Island presents 15 songs sung by a family on the landform, part of the South American nation of Chile and sitting some 2,200 miles from it, being one of the most isolated places on earth (as a part-Hawaiian, this blogger somewhat identifies with this).

Producer Gerard Bages writes, in the liners, that the island, best known for its monumental statues, embodies for many visitors a blend of "mystery, fantasy, irrationality and emotion."  There is, however, no irrationality to this beautiful music and, after Bages reviews some of the culture and history of the island, including its language of Rapa Nui, which he wrote would soon be supplanted by Tahitian and Spanish, he observed that "these 15 authentic songs, sung by the Hotu family and carefully recorded in one of the island's numerous grottos, are the few fragmented and last witnesses of the rich Easter Island traditional history."

Bages adds that the "special beauty of an unknown language" includes the use of "phonetic nuances" as well as rhyme and rhythm and other elements that "are perfectly combined to give a particular charm reflecting a tradition of freedom from care, of love, gai[e]ty, and poetry inherited from the Polynesian ancestors of the Easter Islanders."  Notably, he concludes by asserting that "we modern [people] must also learn from this civilisation and its tragic end, to enlighten us and make us ecology conscious, to help guide our future choices and the development of our great island, the earth."

That's a big ask, understandable as it may be, but enjoyment of this wonderful music at least, hopefully, helps bring more awareness to the amazing diversity of societies on our island, as well as the fragility of all of them, even if some feel they are indestructible.

Orissi Dance Music: An Ancient Performance from Orissa

This is another stellar release in the JVC (Japan Victor Corporation) World Sounds series with great music, generally called Odissi, from the eastern state of Orisha in India that accompanies a form of classical dance that, as the liners note, "is known for the sculpture-like poses of the dancers" and which was said to be influenced by temple sculptures.  

It is added that this form of dance and music began with temple prayers with maharis, or young women who danced for the gods while residing in the religious edifices.  In later times, however, the performance of orissi took place in courts and at festivals, but, despite the location changes, the components remained intact.

While the music here is by those from Orisha, the notes remark that the use of raga melody and tala rhythms originated with the Karnatic tradition of South India, though elements also come from the state of Bengal to the north.  The five instruments include the pakhawaj, a dual-headed drum; the violin, the bansuri, or flute; the manjiri, or gong; and the harmonium, while there are also male and female vocals.

The pieces consist of two pallavi, in which "a simple rhythm gradually grows in complexity" and "the vocal line forming the melody consists entire of meaningless syllables," which, to this listener, means that the voice is one of the instruments.  The third tune, a dashaavatara is a hymn from the Gita Govinda and concerns a description of ten incarnations of the god Vishnu.  Yami He, or "To Whom Shall I Go?" also is taken from that ancient work and is about a female shepherd waiting for the arrival of the god Krishna.  Lastly, Yahi Madhava ("Go Over There") reflects the shepherd reprimanding the god after arriving following an assignation with another woman.

Being a massive country within a subcontinent, India has a remarkable diversity in its music and the Orissi Dance Music recorded here in 1986, with the troupe performing at a JVC studio in Tokyo, is representative of a merging of styles from adjoining areas of the Orisha state.  The performances are exquisite, including the singing as well as the instrumental playing and the sound quality is stellar.  Multiple listening is a treat because it is both an aural excursion to eastern India, but also time traveling through a tradition dating back many centuries.

Caribbean Island Music: Songs and Dances of Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica

The relationship of Caribbean nations to the United States is often historically fraught with all manner of complexity and complication in terms of economic and political challenges (and the use of "shithole countries" to describe some of them should be an embarrassment far more forcefully countered), with American "intervention" in such places as the Dominican Republic and Haiti in the early 20th century being just one example of a fairly distant past issue, while Kari Lake's very recent nomination to be ambassador to Jamaica a striking development given that nation's generally good ties with this country.

With music truly being an "international language," the cultural connections between the Caribbean and  our society should be strengthened.  This, hopefully, better improves understanding, especially as so many immigrants in recent decades have added greatly to our diversity and democracy.  With this being the 250th year of the Declaration of Independence and some balanced reflection on that founding document and American history at hand, listening to this remarkable early 1970s recording from the Nonesuch Explorer Series is a reminder of how we might find ways to enhance our ties, rather than sunder them.

John Storm Roberts, who handled the recordings, points out in his liner notes that "the rich and various music of the Caribbean lies among a spectrum from country worksongs and lullabies to 'sophisticated' urban dance music of international influence," this latter most notably from many African sources, as well as those from England, France and Spain.  

Roberts programmed the selections so that "this album offers examples of the three major traditions—Afro-Hispanic, Afro-British, and Afro-French—and ranges from rural to urban music, and from the large European to the largely African."  He acknowledges that "no single record can give an adequate impression of Caribbean music," so this highly enjoyable and edifying disc is really an aural snapshot of a very diverse portion of the world with so much interaction and interrelationships.

It should also be noted that there are only two tracks, out of 18, from Haiti, but these, from the Orchestre Jazz Corondo of Port-au-Prince, are very exciting and reflect urban popular music from more than a half-century ago.  Eight tunes in the last section of the album are from Jamaica, but from the rural sections, so no reggae or ska here, but they are remarkable in representing dance, game and work songs found in the country areas of the island nation.  As for the Dominican pieces, the first two are heavily African-inflected and most of the remainder show the strong influence of Spanish tradition and are also mainly rural.

Roberts was a British anthropologist so his approach to the recordings was generally to embed in communities and so, as the sleeve observes, the performances included "incidental dialogue, passing vehicles and barking dogs," so the field work is very distinct from the more pristine environment of the studio and adds greatly to the enjoyment in terms of the feeling that the listener is there as the music is made and not at a more distant vantage report—something that makes so much of the Nonesuch Explorer series remarkable.

Iran: The Masters of Traditional Music, Vol. 1

The war in Iran, regardless of the views of who is at fault or not, is mostly a tragedy for the people of that amazing country, which has offered so much in the cultural realm for millenia.  This blogger's first exposure to the stunning music of the Persian people came in 1990, a few years before my wife and I began our relationship and there are fond memories of listening and discussing some of these performances with my late father-in-law, who hailed from Hamadan and then lived in Tehran before migrating to the United States in the late 1950s.

This recording from the stellar Ocora/Radio France label dates from 1979, the year that the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was overthrown in a revolution led by the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and which was followed by the establishment of the Islamic Republic now attacked by the United States and Israel.  It features a quintet of pieces by Dariush Tala'i on tar and setar, Mohammad Musavi on the ney and Majod Kiani on the santur.

The depth and breadth of this music is also a reminder of the influences that span large segments of our little blue planet and defy borders, boundaries, ideologies and politics.  These masters deliver stunning performances with beautiful melodies, great technical skill, and a high degree improvisational ability.  As the liner notes explain, an effort was undertaken in the mid-1800s to preserve ancient musical concepts from throughout Iran, yielding a repertoire called radif.

This involved collating many melodic ideas, as well as the structures of tunes in modes, so that there are up to 300 of the first and a dozen modal systems and most of the radif are comprised of solo pieces in five genres.  There is, however, ample room for master musicians to express their own styles, including methods of improvisation.  This latter means that this trio of players are able to both follow the strictures of tradition while providing a freshness in their performances and delivering music remarkable for its richness as well as skill.

As this conflict continues, it is well for us to remember that the Iranian people are enmeshed in a terrible crisis not of their own making or desire, but their culture, including the incredible music in this recording, remains above the fray.

Anthology of the Music of Niger

Niger is a large landlocked nation of more than 26 million persons in the northwester portion of Africa, bordered by Benin and Nigeria to the south, Chad to the east, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west and Algeria and Libya to the north.  Four-fifths of the country is within the enormous Sahara Desert, so most of its people, almost totally Muslim, reside in the southern and western sections, the Sahel, with its capital, Niamey, in the southwestern corner along the river that gives the country and its neighbor their names.

This recording, another from the many released by the Ocora label in France, which ruled Niger as part of its West Africa colonies, was made in 1963, just a few years after the nation's independence, and it features thirteen pieces from various portions of the country.  This is music pared down to its essence, with soloists and ensemble vocals, a few kinds of lute and flute-type instruments, and percussion including hand-clapping.  The works reflect a variety of aspects of life for varying tribal groups in Niger and are  highly immersive and very compelling.

Topics of the songs include elements of weddings, tribal epics, a eulogy of workers like camel-drivers, a tale of a renowned hunter, religion and magic, love, praise of various kinds and the last, a remarkable one involving a game called charaou, in which a young man from the Peul people who is publicly lashed with a whip and encouraged by those observing with music and chanting to maintain his courage.  Other tribal groups represented are the Sonrai, Djerma, Touareg, and Hausa.

The percussion is often rhythmically complex and rich in its variations of sound and the instruments are also of great interest, but, for this listener, the most fascinating aspect is the great variety of vocalizations, including some remarkable solos as well as the choral work by different sized ensembles.  It was, obviously, brilliant that this music was recorded when it was, just after Niger became a new republic, though like many African nations after European colonialism, political struggles continue and are compounded by the increasingly drastic effects of climate change.  

This amazing recording captivatingly captures a great range of what was performed by tribes throughout the country and exposes those far away to incredible sound worlds greatly removed from their own.

Madagascar: Pays Antanosy Sarandra

Madagascar, an island off the southeastern portion of Africa (and probably only known to most Americans because of the 2005 film of the name) is more culturally related to the Indonesian archipelago a few thousand miles east across the Indian Ocean though it is also deeply tied to France because of the colonial control asserted by that European power for about six decades until independence came in 1960 and also has strong religious affiliations with Islam.

The Malagasy people include the Antanosy, who largely occupy the southastern end of the island, and this recording from the great Ocora label focuses on sarandra, a genre of singing that the liner notes compares to the performances of Andalusian flamenco vocalists in northern Spain.  Moreover, it is said that the genre "really comes into its own when performed at funeral wakes" as "this music plays the role of memory" and involves "a sort of emotional commentary on the deceased" and relationships with the living and ancestors.  The singing is also described as blues-like and employs many notes to a syllable in the lyrics and it is telling that "the Antanosy say they love musical expression because it makes them cry."

Instruments include the sosoly, a type of flute broadly called the sodina, and is related to the ney used extensive in Arabic music; the kabosa, or lute, and which also came from the Arab and Persian migrations of long ago and another word used is mandaly, akin to mandolin; the langoro, or membranophone, which is a two-skin cylinder-shaped drum hit with a pair of sticks; and, occasionally, the atrañatra, a xylophone played only by women and situated on their legs, jejo bory, or short lute, and the lokanga, or fiddle, though these have been falling out of favor.

A little more than half the tracks, the first 11, were recorded in Paris in 2006, while the remaining nine were captured in various locations in Madagascar between 1998 and 2000 and, while the instrumental portions can be quite remarkable, it is the vocalizations that are the most striking and evocative.  As with other music in areas of the world that are totally, or almost completely, unfamiliar, hearing this album is an incredible experience, opening vistas that help bring at least a modicum of understanding about what brings people from very different backgrounds together through the universal language of music.

China: Uyghur Music

One of the great tragedies of our time is the terrible treatment of the Uyghur people of the province of Xinjiang at the furthest western edge of China, with the government engaging in horrific efforts to suppress their culture and "reeducate" and indoctrinate them into Han Chinese society.  We can only hope that, ultimately, the cultural and social practices of the Uyghur will persevere in the face of such tyrannical actions, including the music.  

This recording from 2011 and released seven years on the incredible Ocora label of Radio France presents a dozen pieces, including the Chong Näghmä and the Dastan Näghmä, multi-movement works, and a Mäshräp vocal based on a Sufi poem.  Given the long history of these Muslim people, the musical ties extend throughout central and eastern Asia, including to Persia, Tajikistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan and other areas.

Vocals by men and women and instrumentation on frame drums and percussion, lutes and fiddles reflect a long tradition of complex and compelling music that is truly intoxicating to hear.  Hearing this music is a direct experience of how the famed Silk Road from Persia to China manifested its influences, just as music from India and the Middle East traveled, through the lute instruments from the sitar to the guitar, southwest through the northern portions of Africa to Spain via the incredibly rapid Muslim spread and then made the leap to the New World.

The muqam. or system of melodies based on arrangements of pitches, uses scales on which improvisation is developed and refers to these motifs during pieces that can often be quite lengthy.  So, on this October 2011 recording, the Chong Näghmä takes up well over a half hour and the Dastan Näghmä is just more than 23 minutes in length.  The mäshräp is a specifically male performance for social occasions typically one of significance for bonding Uyghur men.

Sadly, the repression of the Muslim Uyghurs threatens all aspects of their society, including their music, though one hopes that resilience will keep this remarkable tradition going in the face of oppression.

Alim Qasimov: Azerbaïdjan

Along with the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the Pakistani Qawwali master singer, Alim Qasimov, who hails from Shamakha in the Central Asian republic of Azerbaïdjan (often rendered as Azerbaijan), is an amazing vocalist.

Qasimov did not come from a family of musicians, but his performances in the mugham tradition led him to the heights of recognition in his country while he was in his mid-twenties, including several genres as well as in playing the framed drum, or daf.  He has toured much of the world, including in Iran, where the mugham form began.

On this 1992 album from the remarkable Radio France label, Ocora, Qasimov is accompanied by the Mansurov brothers, Eisah on the kamancha, a bowed string instrument, and Malik on the tar, a plucked lute.  The trio, honing their skills in a partnership developed over years, perform seamlessly and telepathically, conveying the beauty and complexity of Azerbaijani mugham.  

Qasimov is obviously the central figure and his technique is stunning, projecting great clarity, enunciation, tone and emotion, as well as his remarkable improvised vocal effects.  It is said in the very informative liner notes by Jean During (who discusses Azerbaijani music, the instruments and the pieces) that, as is often true of master musicians, Qaismov and the Mansurovs were best appreciated in a large-scale live setting became of the impact they had on audiences.

Japan: Nagauta

This is another incredible release on the Ocora label from Radio France and features four long pieces (nagauta), ranging from 12 to over 31 minutes, of pieces performed in the Kabuki theater, along with classical dance.  Intense vocals accompanied by the shamisen, a three-stringed lute, and flutes along with three types of drums, provide a fascinating sound palette, though anyone who isn't attuned to the instrumental tunings and singing style, much less the length of the songs, may struggle with this music.

The Kineya Ensemble includes a quartet of vocalists and shamisen players, a flautist, and five drummers while the four works date from 1774, 1834, 1856 and 1933, with the first three dating to before Westernization became a priority in Japan to preserve its independence and prevent what happened to China at the hand of Western colonizers.  The 1930s piece, composed as the country was heading into the military dictatorship that led to Japan's near-ruin in World War II, draws from classical tradition, but did not accompany dance or theatrical presentation.

For this listener, classical Japanese music is fascinating and mesmerizing and, among the many recordings heard from that country and tradition, this is among the most interesting.  Kudos to Ocora for its issuing of this release in 1997 as part of its phenomenal roster of world music albums.

Ocora: The World of Traditional Music

This 6-disc box set is an incredible global tour of traditional music by the great Radio France label, Ocora.  For anyone interested in so-called "world music," this is a veritable feast for the ears and everything here is worthwhile and well-performed and recorded.

The first disc "From Mali to Madagascar" covers sub-Saharan Africa, with selections from fifteen countries, so the range geographically and in terms of varied traditions is very impressive.  Disc 2 is "From Morocco to Mongolia" and, while the coverage from North Africa to Mongolia seems unusual, the idea seems to follow the paths of Islamic movement as well as the Silk Road.

Disc 3 is of the music of the Indian subcontinent, including Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.  While the classical music of Northern India is well known, through Ravi Shankar, for example, and people may know the amazing Qawwali singing of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, there is much more to experience, including the Karnatic and other music of the southern part of India.

The fourth disc, "From Laos to Japan" covers eastern Asia and some of the most interesting material, aside from somewhat better known Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese and Korean examples, comes from the music of Laos and Vietnam.  Some of us who really are fascinated by the Gyuto tantra ritual performances know that many people may not find that particularly musical.

Disc 5 embraces European music, while the last is of the Americas.  For someone from these parts of the world, the interest may be with the first four discs, as this was the case for this listener, but there are really some great performances on these discs, including from eastern Europe, Yiddish songs, Albania and other areas not generally as familiar as other areas with the fifth, while much of the South American music and that from the Caribbean is fantastic.  

This set can be a little hard to find and is not inexpensive, but is well worth the money for those who have an interest in or want to explore traditional music from around the world.  It is definitely a global tour well worth taking.

Folk Songs of Nepal

This is an extraordinary recording taking the listener to one of the most isolated nations on the planet, Nepal, generally only known because of its bordering the massive Himalayan peaks like Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain.  Featured here are the folk songs of the tribal groups of the Newars and Tamangs Sherpas.  Ethnomusicologist Stefano Castelli wrote in the liners that "preference was given to social rather than musical values" in choosing the material, so the lyrics of some reflect class and economic concerns, often relating to the exploitation of town laborers or general struggles to make enough money, while some songs deal with the overall conditions of humans, and a heart-wrenching letter to a soldier from home.  Other songs are of courtship and love or relate to religious and philosophical themes and sentiments.

Of course, a listener not knowing the language won't get much out of the social aspect unless particular attention is paid to the translated lyrics and Castelli's admittedly interesting summaries.  The musical interest is in the solo and duo vocalizations that, in general, are reminiscent of singing found in other parts of the world, such as the interior of Africa, or in Papua New Guinea, where isolated tribes sing of everyday themes with very little accompaniment, save percussion or rudimentary string and wind instruments.  In this case, it is all percussion, but often utilizing everyday items like benches.

A song like "Song of Manu Tamang" has an appealing melody that sounds similar to folk tunes from the West and its striking story of is of the title figure, who was homeless after being abandoned by a German woman who promised to take him back to her country, but left him in Kathmandu, where he was a thief and sold LSD to make a meager living.  He also sang another tune with the same title rendered in Italian that was a courtship song with modern references to jeans and radios.  Another highlight is "Jhyaure Evening" and its percussion helping the singer stay on track and the succeeding "Jhyaure of Dharma" with its unusual backing vocalization.  The "Jhayangri", a three-part piece nearly 12 minutes long of shaman therapy by the titular figures who are mysterious nomadic healers, is fascinating with its drums, bells and chants, evocative of ancient practices.

Folk Songs of Nepal is another great release of world music from Lyrichord and provides a remarkable musical glimpse into a mysterious country so far removed from our own.

DJ Cheb i Sabbah: Krishna Lila

DJ Cheb i Sabbah (born Haim Serge El Baz) (1947-2013) was from Algeria and of Berber and Jewish descent, but his long career involved the melding of many types of sounds from Africa and Asia, most notably from India.  After some years as a DJ in Paris and New York, he settled in San Francisco and adopted the moniker by which he became well-known as well as by his nickname Chebiji.

He made a series of recordings for the Six Degrees label, based in San Francisco, that deeply explored his passion for beat-driven electronics, Indian and north African music, including the excellent Krishna Lila, which has two parts, "The South," and "The North," reflecting the general variations between Carnatic and Hindustani musics in India.  There are no long ragas or other forms and the pieces are shorter for the first part and more extended for the latter with a specific emphasis on bhajan, or devotional and spiritual songs in praise of the Hindu god Krishna.

Sabbah worked with several ensembles of Indian musicians to seamlessly blend the distinctive forms from the northern and southern parts of that vast nation with subtle electronics and, thanks to the ever-present Bill Laswell, some sympathetic bass guitar to create a compelling and mesmerizing musical experience.  The performing is fantastic, the production is excellent, and the album incorporates its disparate elements with nuance and deep respect for its historical classical Indian sources.

Being a DJ, Sabbah puts an emphasis on rhythm and groove, but the electronics and bass are in full support of the classic instrumentation (violin, harmonium and the vina, a sitar-like instrument) and vocals.  Karsh Kale, an Indian who plays traditional percussion as well as a Western-style drum kit, also provides more rhythmic punch, but, again, in service to the music.  Sabbah's approach is a deeply respectful fusion of sounds and Krishna Lila works beautifully because of his commitment to the core of India's traditional classical music with a subtle modern touch.

The Hugo Masters: An Anthology of Chinese Classical Music, Volume 2

Aik Yew Goh, who hails from Singapore but moved to Hiong Kong, launched the HUGO label (the word is a play on his name) to record and release a wide range of incredibly broad spectrum and history of Chinese music, classical and contemporary.  Eckhart Rahn, a native of Germany who started the Celestial Harmonies label based in Tucson, Arizona, approached Yew Goh about a "Hugo masters" concept, in which the latter would select tracks from his voluminous HUGO library for a four-disc series.  Each disc focuses on instrument types, so the first, highlighted here previously, concerned bowed strings.  The second, featured in this post, takes in plucked strings, while the others are for wind instruments and percussion.

These amazing recordings were not released outside of Hong Kong and the representative material and excellent performances are complemented by the latest recording technology available in the early 1990s.  The instruments here are from the lute, zither and dulcimer families, with the former including the main example of the p'i-p'a, as well as the luiqin (a smaller version of the p'i-pa), the zhongruan (a medium size lute), and the san-hsien (which has a longer neck and three, instead of four, strings.  The ch'in, another popular mainstay of Chinese music, is a zither with seven strings and thirteen studs, while the cheng is smaller with higher pitches and has generally sixteen strings.  The dulcimer is the yanh ch'in and there are two bamboo sticks used to strike the strings along five sound bridges.  There are fast and dramatic pieces representing battles and war, gorgeous melodic excursions evocative of nature like "Petrel," suites with ranges of emotion and elegant courtly works.  Virtuosos performing on ths remarkable album were mainly from Shanghai, with others from Nanjing, Guangzhou, Suzhou and Beijing and the entire series is phenomenal, with the third and fourh volumes to be highlighted here in the future.

Mohammed Aman: The Tradition of Hejaz (Saudi Arabia)

Having just read Karen Armstrong's history of Islam, this was a good time to revisit this excellent recording of the traditional music of the Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia by the powerful singer and oud player Mohammed Aman and ensemble, released by the French label Ocora in 2001. Aman is said in the very informative liners by ethnomusicologist Jean Lambert to be "the last exponent in a long line of hijazi style musicians" and performs pieces both a capella, accompanying himself on the oud, a lute-like instrument, or with an ensemble utilizing the qanun, or zither, the violin, and a variety of percussion instruments, like the tar, darbuka, masga and naqrazan.

The first piece, sung solo by Aman and a prime example of his mastery of melisma (the singing of a group of notes for one syllable in a lyric), is a religious poem about the holy city of Mecca, while songs concern pilgrimage sites including Mecca, love poems, and a paean to the prophet Mohammed, some of these including lines dating back to the 8th century, whereas the "Ya ahi al-hawa" or "To People of Passion," has a poem written by Ibrahim Khafaji (1926-2017,) who composed the national anthem of the country.  As stated by Lambert, the history of music from the Hejaz has not been well documented or known but "thanks to the generosity of Mohammed Aman and his musicians, music-lovers in both the Levant and the West now have access to this heritage."  The Ocora label has many amazing releases of music from around the world and this is an excellent example from the Middle East.

Shahmirza Moradi: The Music of Lorestan, Iran

This very impressive recording by sorna (a double-reed wind instrument) master Shahmirza Moradi and his son Reza, accompanying on the dohol (drum) includes the performance of a half-dozen dance pieces, recorded live in early 1993 in Paris, from the long tradition of this fascinating music from the Lorestan province in western (or south-western, as stated in the liners) Iran.  Moradi (1924-1997) was from Dorud, a county seat and was a member of the Lur peoples, who number about five million in that area of country.  

Renowned for his amazing skills in maintaining circular breathing, a powerful projection of sound, and his considerable improvisational skills, Moradi displays all of his immense talent and ability on these lengthy tracks and, with concentrated listening and the following of his assured, flowing and technically brilliant lines, the pieces don't seem to go as long as they are.  This is all the more remarkable given that the sorna has a limited range of one octave and one note above, but that's a testament to Moradi's awesome playing.  His son's accompaniment also keeps an excellent rhythm over which the master weaves his stunning lines.  Moradi was a wonder and this album is a distinct pleasure to hear and to appreciate the incredible performance, which must have been quite an experience to hear live.

The Music of Uzbekistan

Thirty years ago, when it was decided to expand musical horizons by listening extensively to jazz, classical and world music and less so to "rock," or whatever seemed to fall within that increasingly irrelevant term, it was the exposure to music from all parts of the world that easily became the most exciting element.  Much of what has been collected over those three decades is broadly given the designation of "folk music," as distinct from "classical music," and which generally seems to mean performances outside of concert halls and other venues and more likely to be found at community events, like ceremonies, festivals, weddings and other gatherings, or at work, play and elsewhere in daily life.  In much of the world, that's how many people experience music and that is often the most fascinating to hear given how "professionalized" music is in most of the "West."

Ask 100 people to point out Uzbekistan on the map and it seems certain that all but perhaps a very few would have no idea.  Yet, this Central Asian country, a part of the Soviet Union until the early 90s and north of Iran and Afghanistan, has an amazing history, much of it tied to its central location on the fabled Silk Road, the ancient trade route between the Middle East and China (a previous post here, in fact, was of a two-disc recording of music from points along the Silk Road) and the control of this area by many empires and states.  What is heard on The Music of Uzbekistan, re-released in 2002 by ARC Music, are fourteen pieces reflecting native styles but heavily influenced by the instrumentation and music of other places on that trade route or from controlling empires.  Persians, Turks and Chinese, in particular, left their stamp on the region, both in the "folk" and "classical" music senses with instruments like the ney, chang, tanbut, and surnai, among others being introduced from outside sources, yet stamped with the Uzbek manner of composing and playing.  Recorded in 1970, during the Soviet era, by Deben Bhattacharya, a remarkable figure from Benares, India, who developed a great expertise in ethnic music, poetry and dance, this album is a fascinating window into an ancient culture and its stunning music.

Music of the Bansuri: A Flute of Rajasthan

As noted here before, when, in 1990, world music became a prime area of interest, the JVC World Sounds sampler ordered from a magazine ad was a true eye-opener, revealing not just an enormous range of music from all over the planet, but an exposure to a wider world beyond the miniscule one experienced day-to-day.  Not much later, the purchase of Venu, a Rykodisc World 360 release from the amazing Hariprasad Chaurasia, who is still with us at age 82, was the first hearing of the bansuri, a bamboo flute with tremendous expressiveness, and his prodigious technique was a wonder to behold.

This album, recorded in New Delhi in June 1989, from the JVC series features the brothers Rajendra and Ajay Prasanna, whose father Raghunath was a legendary performer on both the bansuri and the shehnai, this latter often described as somewhat akin to an oboe.  The two tracks here include the "Poorbi Dhun," a folk song running over 17 minutes, followed by the "Raga Marwa, a tour-de-force of some 36 minutes duration with the usual gradual development leading to a powerful and dramatic conclusion.  Rajendra plays on the left channel and Ajay on the right and their playing is gorgeous, in synchronicity, in trading phrases and in soloing.  They are accompanied by Ratan Prasanna (another brother?) on the tabla and Onkar Nath on the tambura and enhanced by the delicate plucked string tones of the surimandle and these performances are excellent throughout.

Souad Asla: Lemma

This is a great recording, issued in 2018 under the Musique du Monde series from Buda Musique and Universal France, and comprises a remarkable ensemble of eleven women, led by Souad Asla, from the Saoura region of southwestern Algeria not far from the border with Morocco, with most coming from the city of Béchar or the nearby town of Kenadsa.  This is a harsh region of the Sahara, but occupied with people who have a rich culture among trade routes and, more lately, coal mines, which drew a diversity of workers and others from southenr Europe, as well as Berbers, Jews and sub-Saharan blacks.

The word lemma refers both to the ensemble and to gatherings that, as the very informative liners states, the purpose of which "is to meet and together ward off the spell that threatens to spoil the unity of the moment."  This music is very much a unity, the tightly devised rhythms for percussive instruments and hand-claps, the chants and singing, and the lyrics which are largely tied to everyday activities and events.  It is hypnotizing, mesmerizing and evocative of deeply-rooted tradition, which Asla and her troupe are devoted to preserving amid dramatic change and for which they are to be thanked and commended.

Deadline: Down By Law

Manu Dibango, a Cameroonian composer, saxophonist and vibraphonist, died last week in Paris at age 86 of the COVID-19 virus.  He first achieved fame in the early Seventies for his propulsive "Soul Makossa" which hit the streets of New York like wildfire and which may be best known to later generations for its refrain of "mamase, mamasa, mamakossa" that Michael Jackson and Rihanna appropriated, among others.

A dozen years or so later, his Electric Africa album, released in 1985, was produced by bass player Bill Laswell, whose work with Celluloid Records included work with other African groups like Toure Kunda, whose 1984 live album Live Paris-Ziguinchor was an early foray into "world music" for this blogger, though it didn't register that Laswell produced that record.

Dibango then appeared on another Laswell endeavor, Deadline, with the bassist teaming with jazz and blues drummer Phillip Wilson (Art Ensemble of Chicago, Anthony Braxton, Julius Hemphill, Paul Butterfield Blues Band) to create a remarkable fusion of African, funk, and electronics.  There are the usual diverse participants as per Laswell's modus operandi, including the legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius, percussionists Aiyb Dieng and Steve Turre, cornetist Olu Dara, keyboardist Bernie Worrell of Parliament/Funkadelic fame, bassist Jonas Hellborg, and Butterfield.

Dibango appears on "Afro Beat," "Boat Peoples" and "Makossa Rock" with his signature sax and vocal sounds and the latter, spanning 11 minutes, is the high point of a strong album, with a groove that is endless.  Really, though, the record is uniformly excellent (with "Boat Peoples" another highlight) and Laswell and Wilson, in their co-producing roles, made great use of the stellar performers and their diverse instrumentation.

Any loss to this COVID-19 pandemic is to be regretted and mourned and Manu Dibango is one of those to be missed for his distinctive contributions to bringing well-balanced fusions of African and western musics. 

Camarão Plays Forró: Dance Music From Northeastern Brazil

This is fabulous music from northeastern Brazil with emphasis on virtuoso accordion playing by Reginaldo Alves Ferreira, known as Camarão (shrimp in Poruguese because of a sunburn he once sported in the studio), who gets billing and a few pieces by Arlindo Dos Oito Baixos, whose work with the eight-bass button accordion is featured on four pieces.

Released in 1998 on the great British label Nimbus, which has issued so many remarkable recordings of world music, this album's music employs several styles including forró, baião, xote, arrastapé and chachado, which are basically unknown to most foreign listeners who identify Brazilian music with the samba and bossa nova.

This is also more country music, though migrants seeking work and better opportunities have brought the music of the northeast to the large cities of the south.  Accompanying the accordions on these pieces are light percussion on the triangle, cow bells and bass drum, while some guitar and vocals are interspersed, giving the tunes additional variety.

Camarão was quoted in the liner notes about the importance of not "modernizing too much" and keeping tradition in a way that was "essentially simple and direct," while he strives to "play music that smells of the land" in his native Pernambuco town of Caruarú.

In America, we think of dance music as often very beat heavy, whereas this music is light and airy, with the mastery of the accordion sensitively complemented by the other instruments and the vocals also treading softly but with much melodic emphasis.  This is a gorgeous recording not often heard here and a welcome addition to the fine collection of world music offered by Nimbus.