ukvibe

Yoshi’s in Oakland, California has been the setting for some of the most memorable recorded live albums in recent years, the Dee Dee Bridgewater, George Coleman and Oreogon albums immediately springing to mind. However, this latest reunion between Gary Burton and Pat Metheny must rank among the very best of all. This harks back to the 1970s quartet that Gary Burton led and featured both Metheny and bassist Steve Swallow, both present here. To this prestigious line up is added Metheny group drummer Antonio Sanchez and what a musical storm this ensemble cooks up. It was after listening to Gary Burton’s ‘In concert’ album from 1968 that Pat Metheny was motivated to play jazz and he is in truly inspired form here throughout. The near eighty minute recording features a whole host of wonderful compositions such as Carla Bley’s ‘Olhos de gato’ which receives a delicate latinised treatment. One of the highlights is a fabulous reworking of Duke Ellington’s ‘Fleurette africaine’ with Metheny and Burton in turn stretching out, and this was truly a judicious selection for the quartet to attempt and pull off with such aplomb. Contender for virtuoso track is ‘Missouri uncompromised’ on which the interplay between Burton and Metheny recalls the duo between McCoy Tyner and Bobby Hutcherson on late 1960s Blue Note classics. Best is possibly left for last on the marathon thirteen minute version of ‘Question and Answer’, which ends with a stunning Metheny solo on synth guitar to rapturous applause, and was the title track to the seminal trio recording between Metheny, Roy Haynes and Dave Holland. Factor in a beautiful ballad rendition of Keith Jarrett’s ‘Coral’ and you have one majestic live album. This latest coming together of minds between Gary Burton and Pat Metheny seems destined to become a contemporary classic. Tim Stenhouse

During the mid-late 1960s Chicago-based bluesman Paul Butterfield attempted a fusion of American blues and Eastern influences resulting in the seminal album ‘East-West’. On a more modest scale, but no less fascinating is this excellent offering from American guitarist Gary Lucas and singer Najma Akhtar recorded in New Jersey. Lucas was formerly a guitarist with Captain Beefheart and also collaborated with Jeff Buckley on ‘Grace’. In some ways he can be likened to John McLaughlin who has had a lifelong love affair with Indian classic music. However, unlike McLaughlin who has studied extensively with Indian classical master, Lucas wisely remains within the blues sphere, though inevitably on such a cross-cultural fusion makes concessions to blend in with the Indian instrumentation and vocals. The lengthy ‘Woh Dhin’ features a folk-blues guitar riff throughout with soloing and wailing vocals exemplifying perfectly the musical marriage on offer. Akhtar in turn is certainly no novice and has worked outside the traditional field with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant among others. One of the most interesting fusion of sounds is to be found on ‘Strings on Naya Dhin’ where folk-blues guitar and tabla combine over a vaster musical landscape that seems to be influenced in part at least by Bollywood film soundtracks. In contrast ‘Fragrance’ has a distinctly country-folk feel reinforced by the use of slide guitar. English vocals are provided by Akhtar on the blues-inflected ‘Special Rider Blues’ while echoey vocals predominate over a tabla and sitar backdrop on ‘Aksar’. In some respects this recalls the Taj Mahal project of a few years back bringing together blues and African traditional sounds, yet is a good deal more ambitious in successfully combining Indian and blues sounds. A potential candidate for rootsiest album of the year. Tim Stenhouse

Very interesting collaboration this, Najma is obviously well known for her collaborative work with Page and Plant, Peter Gabriel etc while Gary, a brilliant guitarist, has a hugely impressive CV having been part of Beefheart’s Magic band as well as writing with Jeff Buckley on ‘Grace’. This album is a perfect sum of its parts, for instance the fusion of Najmas gorgeous voice, tabla and Gary’s bluesy guitar on ‘Daaya’ is just delightful. Well worth investigating.  Graham Radley

Dakar born rapper Sister Fa is unusual in that there are precious few women rappers in West Africa despite there being a large hip hop scene locally with an estimated 2,000 rap crews in Dakar alone. The songs on offer here are message laden and range from campaigns against female genital mutilation on the title track to the life of women in the Senegalese countryside. The opener ‘Milyaba’ impresses with its combination of kora and beats with lyrics in both Wolof and French while ‘Amy Jotna’ is French-influenced rap with a male vocalist very much out of the Youssou N’Dour school joining in. Perhaps there could be a greater use of traditional instrumentation (djemebe and kora are in evidence sporadically)to make the songs more melodic in nature. Possibly Sister Fa does not yet possess the wittiness of say MC Solaar in musical prose, but this is a promising debut that bodes well for the future and a shining example of Senegalses music in the twenty-first century where influences are just as likely to be urban New York as Dakar or Bamako. Tim Stenhouse

Here is an interesting singer from the little known Burkina Faso (a small land-locked country that borders several other west African nations, notably the Ivory Coast and Mali) who might be best described as an acoustic African blues singer, albeit not of the conventional west African variety. Deme started as a guitarist in the Supe Mande Orchestra in Ivory Coast’s capital, Abidjan, in the 1980s before returning to Ougadougou in Burkina Faso where he played cover versions of Malian bands for a living. It was a chance encounter in 2005 with hip hop producer Camille Louvel that led to Deme being invited to play at a Waga hip hop festival and there a French journalist heard Victor perform. This laid the foundations for the present debut recording album. His voice does bear a certain resemblance to Salif Keita’s ‘Moffu’ album of a couple of years ago. Pared down instrumentation of bass, guitar and minimal percussion accompany Deme throughout this 2007 recording in the basic studio in Ougadougou which nonetheless has excellent quality sound. Deme lays down impassioned vocals on the driving ‘Dankan’ and a Latin-flavoured ‘Toungan’. More diverse is the flamenco-style guitar that greets the listener on the mid-tempo ‘Burkina Mousso’ and also features Senegalese talking drums. Lilting ballads are another forte of Deme with emotive vocals on ‘Sabu’ and mournful musings on ‘Cherie’. Overall this promising debut album with no less than fifteen songs has a melodic and relaxed feel that grows with each listen. An artist to watch out for in future and who is sure to be one of the revelations at this year’s Womad. Tim Stenhouse

Naim are making a name for themselves as an independent label that puts out quality releases and this latest offering will do little to damage that burgeoning reputation. Pianist Fred Simon has recorded with a whole host of contemporary jazz greats in his time and these include singer Kurt Elling, fellow keyboardist Lyle Mays, big band leader Stan Kenton and Ralph Towner among others. It is the latter who has exerted the greatest influence on Simon’s outlook for the pianist has featured in Oregon’s line up and on this new album (the third for the Naim label) has called upon the significant talents of multi-reed player Paul McCandless, an integral member of Oregon, as well as bassist Steve Rodby (from the Pat Metheny group and here doubling up as producer)and drummer Mark Walker (also a member of Oregon). If the music contained within broadly fits into the chamber-jazz appelation, this is a vastly reductionist view of what is quite simply some delightfully melodic music that conjurs up ECM and Windham Hill releases. Key tracks include the opener and title track on which McCandless excels on soprano saxophone on a tune devoted to folk legend Pete Seeger, the sublime and concise reworking of Miles’ ‘In a silent way’, and the gentle hues of ‘Simple psalm’. Fred Simon is an interesting musician who has devoted much of his career to composing for film, dance and television productions and there is an impressionistic ambience to the album that probably derives from this musical trajectory. The music itself is first rate, however, and as ever Naim have provided tasteful arty graphics in a gatefold sleeve. Make a point of checking this out and you will experience one of the summer’s most enjoyable albums.  Tim Stenhouse

Young Cape Verdean singer Lura has developed her own voice in recent years and in concert has sometimes opened for compatriote and modern day legend Cesaria Evora. Her promise was first brought to the attention of an international audience via the 2005 CD/DVD ‘Di korpu ku alma’ that included a live performance in Paris, and on the acclaimed 2006 CD ‘Im’Bem di Fora’. The latest offering showcases the rootsier side of Lura’s craft, though she differs quite radically from the older generation in her more diverse musical influences that range from Portugese pop through to jazz, and from African music to that of the Caribbean. It is the mid-tempo ‘Marinhero’ that immediately impresses with its change of tempo part way through and lovely use of accordion from Madagascan musician Regis Gizavo. Collective vocals and beautiful guitar work feature prominently here. A vocal tour de force is provided on ‘Um dia’ where the jazz inflections on piano and guitar come to the fore. Subtle, but catchy female vocal harmonies provide the icing on the cake. In contrast the well produced ‘Quebrod nem djosa’ could easily be off a Brazilian artists’ album from the 1980s. Lura excels in the ballad format and on the morna ‘Eclipse’ is accompanied by a pared down combination of piano and guitar. This becomes even more basic on ‘Terra’l’ on which the singer is accompanied solely by guitar. It is the storytelling quality of her gently lilting songs that permeates the subconscious with repeated listening. It has to be said that sometimes the fusion of rhythms does not quite come together as illustrated by the rock influence on ‘Na nha Rubera’. Otherwise this is an excellent album of concisely framed songs that enable the listener to hear the multiple facets to Lura’s voice. Tim Stenhouse

Part of a three box set series at this juncture, ‘Evolution of Dub’ is the smart way to collect four all-time classic dub albums from seminal figures in dub history. All are reproduced in their original facsimile sleeves with a clear and crisp re-mastering. The two King Tubby albums, ‘Dub from the roots’ and ‘The roots of dub’ are self-recommending and have previously been re-issued by Moll-Selekta, but not as well packaged. However, for dub neophytes they are simply the first place to start. Intermediate and advanced students of the art of dub will be tempted by the other two albums on offer, both of which have not been issued on CD previously and the super rare vinyl originals are much sought after collectors items. Of these ‘Dub Serial’ by Joe Gibbs is probably the least well known and is of course a collaboration with engineer Errol Thompson, better known under their collective guise of the Mighty Two. Before they became famed for their special effects dub albums, the two produced this album which features earlier cuts, but the signs are already there of the pair reworking the classics. Bubbly rhythms abound as illustrated on a lovely revisiting of the classic Abyssinians cut on ‘Satta Massa Gana version’ and on the early cut to Dennis Brown’s ‘Money in my pocket version’ on which minimalist bass and dub feature with the occasional organ. An earthier dub is present on ‘Love me girl version’ while there is a supremely catchy guitar riff on ‘Rainy night in Georgia’ which successive generations of reggae artists have become attached to. In contrast ‘Dubbing with the Obsever’ with its iconic eye cover is dub from the mid-1970s with radical reworkings of Niney the Observer productions from the likes of Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs and a host of other cream of the crop vocalists. Niney’s 12” singles are much sought after items and after the excellent compilation of these by Dave Katz, it is great to find and hear the original dub album from Niney. Indispensable dub at a bargain price. As with the entire series, this comes accompanied in a boxset with extensive sleeve notes on the history of dub in general and the individual albums contained within more specifically.  Tim Stenhouse

Composer and saxophonist Steve Lehman has impeccable musical credentials and studied under both Anthony Braxton and Jackie McLean before becoming a Fulbright scholar (like Bill Clinton)and then lecturing in Paris. On his 2001 album debut ‘Structural Fire’, the title aptly summed up Lehman’s approach to music and the ambience he was seeking to create. This latest offering is no less exploratory, but the compositions are tightly structured and with all bar one piece being self composed. If one had to describe the music stylistically, then it would be post-bop taking a leaf out of Jackie McLean’s freer mid-1960s albums for Blue Note such as ‘Destination Out’, ‘Action’ and ‘Let Freedom Ring’, but with a distinctive hip-hop sensibility in the drumming. If this sounds an odd combination, then it works extremely and surprisingly well, and opens up whole new territory. A case in point is the fascinating if all too brief ‘Dub’ where drummer Tyshawn Sorey excels on percussion with vibe chimes making an apperance and on the staccato drum rhythm of ‘As things change’. Of the lengthy pieces, ‘No neighbourhood rough enough’ is a fiery post-bop outing with Lehman soloing on tenor, and organised chaos permeates ‘Living in the world today’ with its incessant drum licks. An eery feel pervades ‘Echoes’ on which Lehman sounds resolutely McLean-esque on alto while the vibes take a prominent role in ‘Rudreshm’ with Lehman accompanying on alto. A terrific, fresh sounding album from a musician with a clearly focused mission and one that he executes with aplomb. An artist to watch out for in the future.  Tim Stenhouse

Recorded in Rabat, Morocco, this is an excellent fusion of jazz and traditional Moroccan gnawa music and pianist Joachim Kuhn has been keen to use his residency in Ibiza and its geographical proximity to explore the musical connections. Previously Randy Weston and Pharoah Sanders among others have covered similar territory. The result of a month long musical expedition by Kuhn is this album. The lengthy compositions are divided evenly between Kuhn and Bakkas (three apiece). Throughout his career Kuhn has been exposed to a variety of musical contexts from American saxophonists of the calibre of Michael Brecker, Joe Henderson and Ornette Coleman to French jazz musicians, and a key encounter with Rabih-Abou Khalil. Little wonder, then, that he should feel such at home in this cross-boundary setting that recalls the early 1990s ECM albums of Jan Garbarek, or possibly Zakir Hussein’s ‘Making music’. Most traditional in format is ‘Sandia’ with chanting and a minimalist piano intro before percussion and bass riff take over. The simple piano vamp over a modal-influenced bassline on ‘Foulani’ impresses with percussion and collective vocals once again coming to the fore. It is only part way in that Kuhn begins to stretch out on piano and the intensity gradually builds. By far the longest piece, weighing in at twelve and a half minutes, is the repetitive ‘One, two, three’ which once again is insp[ired by modal musical flavours and features Kuhn on alto saxophone and Lopez on tabla delving into freer form before returning to a more structured form.  An excellent collaboration of an album from a musician who, in a lengthy and distinguished career, has experienced life-changing moments from fleeing the old East Germany to recording for the seminal Impulse label and beyond. This album makes ideal listening for the promised summer heatwave. Tim Stenhouse

Here is an interesting re-issue for soul fans of the classic 1960s era. Detroit-based band the Metros enjoyed a somewhat brief recording career and listening to this album one wonders why. However, the music contained within has continued to enthrall soul fans to the extent that ‘Sweetest One’ has now become a real collectors’ item. This 1967 Chicago recording includes the cream of session musicians who cut their musical teeth at Motown. They include vibist Jack Ashford, pianist Joe Hunter and guitarist Dave Hamilton. With a lovely piano intro and Stax-inspired stabbing horns, ‘Unlucky sun’ is an album highlight and guaranteed to fill the dancefloor. No less intense is ‘Do the pied piper’ (not the Bob and Marcia reggae classic)which is very much in the vein of Wilson Pickett’s Atlantic period while ‘Til the end of the line’ features great bass and tambourines in addition to beautiful horn arrangements. Of course the highly prized 45 of ‘Since I found my baby’ will have northern soul fans in sheer ecstasy and they will be overjoyed to hear it in its original album context. Balancing out the album is a bluesy ‘Time changes things’ with saxophone solo and female background vocals as well as a gorgeous rendition of the country ballad, ‘Blue Velvet’ that David Lynch used in the film of the same title, and here showcasing baritone vocals. One would ideally have liked some of the additional 45s the group cut to provide an overview of their all too brief output, and at twenty-five minutes the CD is not too generous on the timing. However, this writer is at pains to stress that when the music is of this quality, other considerations become of secondary importance. An important re-issue, then, in the soul catalogue and one which rightly places the Metros in the lineage of the great Motown groups such as the Four Tops, Miracles and the Temptations.  Tim Stenhouse

Far beyond what you might expect from a conventional string quartet, the Kronos have long prided themselves on cross-boundary collaborations and on this latest recording have well and truly exceeded all expectations. The project is devoted to a musical exploration of music of the East, focusing on traditional songs as well as classical and light classical repertoire, and covers a number of countries from the Near and Middle East to the Indian sub-continent and beyond. The Kronos judiciously picked up on a choice cut from an Andy Kershaw ‘Rough Guide to the music of Iran’ with a revisiting of the lullaby ‘Jahle’ which is their unique take on Iranian song. It is the lushness of the strings that immediately attracts the listener’s attention on ‘Ya habibi ta’ala’, which is a 1940s classic from Egypt that the great Oum Kalsoum immortalised. So beautiful is the collaboration here that an entire album devoted to the singer’s craft would make an excellent future album. From Palestine comes a simple, but instantly catchy riff on ‘Taskweesh’ on which the quartet improvise over the plucked riff and beats are subtly weaved in. This has an epic film soundtrack quality to it. A survey of Indian music would not be complete without a raga and ‘Raga Mishra Bhairavi’ features an alap, violin solo interacting with the sitar in the background. Weighing in at almost seventy-nine minutes ‘Floodplain’ scores higlhy both in terms of quality and quantity. Destined to become one of the year’s best world fusion albums.  Tim Stenhouse

“Ian Ferrier is one of the core writer/performers in the North American performance literature scene"… Is how his website introduces us.  Ian Ferrier is a name unfamiliar this side of the Atlantic but which needs exposure in Europe and the UK for sure, so I urge you to investigate. This is jazz poetry, to pigeon hole it, a remarkable blend of spoken word eerily comparable with the legend that is Jack Kerouac but with wonderful musicianship beneath.  Every piece draws the listener closer in to this Canadian’s world and evokes more and more interest and curiosity as you drift in and out of the album.  For those of you who like that 70’s deep jazz sound this is for you, for those of you who like to be taken down a different road, this is a worthy journey to be taken by anyone.  Oh, and for those crate diggers out there, try ‘Tequila’ - but brace your little selves, this is no myth, this is Canada’s formidable jazz monster!

It has taken the world forty years to replace Kerouac, it’s now time to move on as the baton is now in the hands of Ian Ferrier.  Steve Williams