Womadelaide Review
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Live REVIEWS Live REVIEWS Jim Moray figures, and the touching ‘Sounds of Betty Bonifassi Goran Bregovic´ & Bijelo Square Chapel, Halifax, March 12 Earth’. He also included three items Dugme conjured up plenty commanded the of Yugo-nostalgia in London Never one to rest on his laurels, Jim from the False Lights’ album Salvor. stage at Babel Med Moray has recently been touring his ‘Crossing the Bar’ was the best of 2016 album Upcetera with strings, these; a setting of the Tennyson poem, woodwind and an electric rhythm which opens like a hymn and has an section. But he’s also a terrific solo impassioned melody. performer, with the happy knack of One song, ‘Flying the Cloud’, was breathing new life into traditional performed unaccompanied, otherwise songs. In an intimate setting such as he switched between guitar and the 18th-century Square Chapel, his keyboard. Catch him live if you can storytelling le# a lasting impression. and you will be treated to an evening "e agile singing voice drew one into of great music-making. the narrative, as he plucked high notes DAVID FORSDIKE out of thin air, and his introductions le# one marvelling at the sheer Babel Med diversi! of projects he has been Dock des Suds, Marseille, France, involved in: a role in the Elizabethan March 16-18 Session project at Hatfield House, "e 13th edition of Babel Med, Jean de Peña Jean singing in Anaïs Mitchell’s folk opera Marseille’s annual music expo, was Hadestown, re-assessing the folk-song a veritable blur of musical s!les, arrangements of Benjamin Britten at boasting 31 concerts of artists from 26 Aldeburgh, and forming a folk-rock countries and five continents. It was, Gokce Pehlivanoglu Gokce band for the 21st century with Sam however, the vocal talents of those Carter. Not to mention countless originally from the South of France Sampieri, which were rigged up to were witnessing something special. writing and production credits. that resonated the strongest. transmit various electronic beats, it was Backlit in an atmospheric red glow Moray opened with his thought- From Montpellier, a new and a visually striking show although a#er that cast eerie shadows across the provoking ‘It Couldn’t Happen Here’ promising Occitan polyphonic quartet a while, the e&ects and strobe lighting narrow room, the five-piece played before continuing with a mix of ballad Uèi (‘Today’ in Occitan) was founded distracted somewhat from their vocals. tracks from their instrumental arrangements – including a creepy by two singers who have spent ten In contrast, A Filetta from Corsica second album, Artifacts. It was an Marrabenta Festival Bow mixed the music with beats. huge enthusiasm. Bijelo Dugme, drummer Jim White. "e upbeat version of ‘Long Lankin’ – and his years touring with Lo Còr de la Plana. needed no accessories to demonstrate edgily surreal journey through the Costa do Sol Beach, Maputo, "e event closed with a free concert, being from multi-ethnic Sarajevo (as salsa-funk of Colombian collective La own songs ‘"e Straight Line and the Brandishing shield-like percussion the puri! and sheer power of the fictional ancient Ethiopian gardens Mozambique, February 3 which attracted 35,000 locals to the well as currying favour with the then Mambanegra had crowds grinning Curve’, with its gentle rising and falling instruments created by Denis naked voice. "e six singers who are of a place that composer, saxophonist Marrabenta, a dance music s!le born beachfront stage and was broadcast ruling Communist regime), always as they danced. Malian icon Oumou celebrating a 40-year-long career and flautist Nathan Daems calls the in the Maputo province, is a cultural live on national television. sang about Yugoslav uni! and on Sangaré delivered a fiery return to created an incredible intimacy and “Abyssinian A#erlife.” symbol for the whole country. "e STRUAN DOUGLAS this occasion such songs brought form, playing songs from her new spirituali! in the normally rowdy and Frontman and cornetist Jon annual touring Marrabenta Festival forth much Yugo-nostalgia. Dubbed album, Mogoya, with pitch-perfect cavernous Salle des Sucres. Birdsong, who previously toured has revived this dying tradition by Goran Bregović & ‘shepherd rock’ when they started flair. Bokanté, a blues/rock/jazz/West But the vocal revelation was Nice- with Beck, invited the audience to bringing it to the world stage. Bijelo Dugme out, Bijelo Dugme’s blend of rock and African outfit founded by Snarky born, now Montréal-based Bet! join the band in getting lost in the "e touring festival travelled to Hammersmith Apollo, London, Balkan brass still works brilliantly and Puppy’s Michael League, delivered Bonifassi whose latest project simply music. "ey then astounded them the 2,000-plus seater amphitheatre UK, February 23 the fine voices of Islamović and Tifa their second ever performance, entitled Lomax is an album of slave with two electri'ing tracks, ‘Helios in the town of Matalana. A train then Goran Bregović may have been a carried these songs of a lost nation promising more to come. songs collected by Alan Lomax in the Victor’ and ‘Alexandria’, which had took participants from Maputo to regular visitor to the UK with his e&ectively. “Remember Yugoslavia Two WOMAD discoveries stood out. southern US in the 1920s. Bonifassi’s everyone abandoning themselves to Marracuene, “deep into the soul of Weddings and Funerals Orchestra and how we were happy,” Bregović Jerusalem’s full-voiced Piyut Ensemble deep, gravelly voice and onstage the frenzied, psychedelic performance. Mozambique,” as festival director over the past two decades, but Bijelo said during the encore, and in today’s sang sacred Hebrew songs from the prowling were reminiscent of a young "e direction changed constantly and Paulo ‘Litho’ Sithoe described the Dugme – the Sarajevo rock band he world few would dispute Bijelo Saharan Maghreb, the parallels with Joe Cocker and she commanded the the s!le was eclectic: heavy African experience. "e festival closed formed in 1974 – have never before Dugme’s celebration of a golden era. their Saharawi-Gnawa counterparts stage, even if at times the rock guitar beats gave way to reggae and trippy with a three-day event on the Costa played here. Bijelo Dugme (White GARTH CARTWRIGHT both remarkable and heartening. solos tried to steal her limelight. Her dub rock fused with native Indian do Sol beach of Maputo that took Button) were the most popular rock Totally di&erent, and no less fabulous, versions of work songs such as ‘Black sounds. But at all times the playing place over the weekend of ‘Heroes’ band in Yugoslavia, splitting in 1989 WOMADelaide was William Crighton, a bearded Bet!’, ‘Rosie’ and ‘Old Hannah’ were was tight and the tempo ensured that Day,’ on February 3. With the stage then reuniting in 2005 and playing Adelaide, Australia, March 10-13 folk-rock singer from rural New South given a full-on funk workout and the the crowd were kept busy on their toes. overlooking the impressively clean to hundreds of thousands of fans in Celebrating 25 years’ worth of music, Wales, whose darkly beautiful songs passion and commitment she clearly To close, Simon Segers played a beaches, newly-built fish market the now former Yugoslav republics. multiculturalism and joy, a beacon of were buoyed by a crack band and felt for these songs was compelling. staggering drum solo with his eyes shut and arts and cra# market, audiences Occasional lucrative reunions have hope in a world wracked by ignorance the haunting harmonies of his wife JO FROST in entranced rapture. "e mood was enjoyed the water, sun, seafood and since followed and at Hammersmith, and fear, WOMADelaide is now more Julianne. With a debut album, Hope infectious and the crowd demanded music all on the same precinct. Bregović was joined onstage by Alen than just a want. It’s a need. "e Recovery, garnering starry reviews at Black Flower an encore. "e band returned with "e extensive line-up for this year’s Islamović and Mladen Vojičić ‘Tifa’ silver anniversary dawned fine in the home, international stardom beckons. Archspace, London, March 21 traditional Ethiopian instruments festival included 12 acts from all – the two singers who fronted the capital’s lea' Botanic Park, with a "e Philip Glass Ensemble played "ey’d come from Belgium for that Birdsong and Daems played generations of marrabenta. "e king of band throughout the 80s. "e rest of Welcome to Country delivered by an the soundtrack to the iconic 1982 this one night at a small venue in in rotation. Ethio-jazz aficionados marrabenta, 88-year-old Dilon Djindji the band were drawn from Bregović’s elder of the local Kaurna people, and film Koyaanisqatsi (a Hopi phrase the archway of an East London may not have been surprised by the set the stage alight with wild and Weddings and Funerals Orchestra (five a set by likeable songman Brushy One translating as ‘Life Out of Balance’), the railway tunnel, but the music and appearance of a washint, a small East energetic dance moves that exposed brass, drummer, two female backing String, whose single-string guitar and music and images rendered even more instruments they played had travelled African wooden flute played by the the complexi! and joy of the music. vocalists). "e evening’s repertoire was billowing Jamaican flag were hither powerful under a full moon strafed by Brooks Dianne even further. Ethio-jazz and Afro-funk Amhara people, but there aren’t many Middle generation musicians Stewart Bijelo Dugme’s hits and the capaci! and yon over the four days. passing clouds and the feeling that, masters Black Flower delivered a places in London where you can Sukuma and Ghorwane presented audience – almost entirely drawn Highlights were constant: the inside Botanic Park, WOMAD was dizzyingly brilliant set that, a#er only watch common seashells being played La Mambanegra at popular and island s!le marrabenta from London’s Yugoslav diaspora – turbulent instrumentals of Greek lauto putting the world to rights.