Peter Gabriel Headlines Global WOMAD Festival
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Music Among those on the WOMAD lineup are British-born South Indian singer Sheila Chandra; Russia's folk/classical Terem Quartet; and American rappers PM Dawn Peter Gabriel headlines global WOMAD festival Sheila Chandra is the British-born singer of South Indian BY MICHAEL SNYDER Peter descent who fronted the new-wavelraga-rock band Mon- Gabriel: He's CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER soon in the early '80s; Geoffrey Oryema is an exiled always had OLL OVER Beethoven, and tell Beavis and Butt- Ugandan singer and instrumentalist - a master of the a vision "thumb piano" - who lives in Paris, the Drummers of Head, Casey Kasem and everybody at the Grand 01' beyond most Opry the news. There's a whole world of music out Burundi is a percussion orchestra from a tiny African R entertainers' there that has nothing to do with grunge rock, heavy-metal country; and the Terem Quartet from Russia plays a power ballads, or country music. This is not to suggest that balalaika-charged blend of folk classical and traditional all Western pop is creatively bankrupt, but rather to glory music. in blasts of fresh sound from foreign lands. Other performers on the bill, Jamaican reggae stars Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers and Inner Circle, are no It's African high life and Jamaican reggae; it's ma and strangers to the U.S. Top 40. In fact, Inner Circle's recent, calypso from the Caribbean and samba from Brazil; it's success with "Bad Boys," the group's top-ten hit single, may Bulgarian folk music and traditional Celtic lamentation; it's be indicative of a major shift in American musical tastes. a flamenco from Spain and a raga from India. That means three songs by artists who specialize in Occasionally, it will sneak up the American charts in reggae have scraped the top of Billboard's pop stag& chart one form or another, usually Caribbeaa, sometimes in 1993. Like the Inner Circle track, UB40's version of the watered-down. But up until now, it's been considered a Elvis Presley favorite "Can't Help Falling in Love" novelty on our shores by all but a handful of open-minded more than 60 locales in 19 countries. Musicians from (currently at No. 1) and Snow's ragamuffin reggae tune pan-culturalfete. approximately 90 nations have taken the stage under the "Informer" have spent time at the pinnacle. It's world music - the melodies and rhythms that make WOMAD banner. In the past, Miriam Makeba, Mongo Santamaria, Kyu our brothers and sisters in other lands dance, sing, exult, Gabriel has been in and out as one of the directors of Sakamoto, Hugh Masekela and the Singing Nun were cry and ponder. When it's done right, no translation is the project, but his protean Real World record label was a aberrations on American radio. Suddenly, there appears to necessary. 1988 outgrowth of his involvement with WOMAD. Real be a market for all sorts of musical exotica in Western Next Sunday afternoon, the Bay Area will get a good World has coordinated recording sessions in conjunction civilization. The world-music sections at local CD stores are dose of myriad sounds from all points on the globe when with the various WOMAD festivals, giving a forum to expanding daily. As usual, the Bay Area - a hotbed of the touring WOMAD festival - headlining British rock star numerous worthy but obscure acts from remote outposts. multicultural activity - was ahead of the curve. Peter Gabriel -sets up in Golden Gate Park for a noon to 5 Despite having just finished his own triumphant "Secret On our turf, salsa parties and samba lessons have been p.m. concert, with masic and dance workshops and World" U.S. tour, Gabriel agreed to take the top slot on this chic for a number of years. Klezmer music and the blissful interactive computer exhibits. Cost is $10; kids under 12 are WOMAD swing through America in order to call attention swell of the Bulgarian Women's Choir are familiar sounds free. to the festival. around here. In the mid-'SOs, multiracial local bands, This is the local stop on the first North American tour "The fact that it would be headlined by Gabriel sold it to including the Looters, Freaky Executives and Zulu Spear, assembled by WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance) - some of the promoters," said Brooman, artistic director of fomented a dance-crazy cross-cultural movement with a nonprofit organization established in England during the WOMAD and one of the directors of Real World. "Peter has African, Jamaican, Latin and American strains and called it early '80s and dedicated to fostering awareness of always had a vision beyond most entertainers'. This is all "world beat." Even as far back as the '60s, Carlos Santana traditional and contemporary international art and culture about music enabling people to speak to each other across had achieved a Latin-rock synthesis in the local scene. in all of its diversity and magnificence. 2 cultures. It feels worthwhile supporting great artists and Today, there are quite a few Bay Area musicians who 8' WOMAD is a pet project for Gabriel, who has dipped taking them to new audiences, standing for musical push the envelope. Peter Apfelbaum's East-West jazz fusion .X into Third World rhythms and styles freely throughout his eclecticism in the face of narrowness." group the Hieroglyphics Ensemble, Ancient Future and its g recording career (his duets with Senegalese pop singer Besides Gabriel, there are other well-known Western new-age/Asian melange and the 10-woman Eastern Europe- 3 Youssou N'Dour on "Shaking the Tree" and "In Your pop musicians on the roster of artists slated to perform an folk choir Kitka leap to mind. Reggae Calendar 5 Eyes," the African folk influence on "Biko," etc.). full-length sets on WOMAD's two main stages. They include International, a local publication, lists as many events in ; Although the first WOMAD show in 1982 (conceived by Ireland's Sinead O'Connor, Crowded House from New one night as it used to list in a week. Furthermore, world .>O Gabriel with journalist Thomas Brooman) was a financial Zealand and Australia, Stereo MC's, James and ex-P.I.L. beat has seeped into techno and house music for the dance 5 failure, the organization retrenched and bounced back t3 member Jah Wobble from Great Britain, and the brainy clubs. u during the past decade to present a series of concerts at American rap group P.M. Dawn. Audiences are growing, and Doug Wendt is ecstatic. WOMAD takes place from noon to 5 p.m. next Sunday at the It's ho~edthey will broaden the WOMAD audience. Not Wendt is the San Francisco journalist and DJ who presides Polo Fieid in Golden Park. ) \ 11 of the participants are so familiar or conventional:,, 1 \ $1 ,\ \ \ \ , , WOMAD pop music for his Warner Bras.- distributed Luaka Bop, label. THE GRIEG JUBILAEUM 1 From Page 31 Luaka Bop also distributes a re- over the crammed-to-the-walls cording by Zap Mama - a stimu- world-music dance parties at the lating Belgium-based vocal quin- Kennel Club every Saturday and tet of five women of African and CELEBRATES THE ARTS Sunday night. "Pop and rock have European backgrounds. become so derivative," he says. World music is becoming all- Fall Season "It's all been done before. Ameri- pervasive. Industrial and new-beat ca was overdue for some new music from Belgium and Germa- August 26 - October 18 music." ny grind out of the loudspeakers KNUD KNUDSEN The charting reggae singles at underground clubs. Beautiful TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 AT 730 PM Concourse Gallery, Bank of America World Headquarters have been a source of satisfaction Yemenite singer Ofra Haza un- IVespri Sicilian! 555 Pacific Ave., San Francisco for Wendt, but he's still a little sheaths her sinuous voice on a (The Sicilian Vespers) ky GniSEPPE VERB cynical. "There's no doubt why series of dance-pop hits. The Gipsy wit)) CAROL WSS, CHRIS MERFHTT, September 9 - October 9 UB40 has its hit They did an Elvis Kings remake "Volare." Kanda JAMES MORRIS and TIMOTHY NOBLE PER MANING song. You have to pick something Bongo Man and his band sweep Also September 17,23,26(M), 29,October2 Stephen Wirtz Gallery safe and predictable to get air- into town to fire up a concert of New Production 49 Geary, San Francisco In ttatan with English Supertittes play. Snow is another story. The Soukous, the pop music of Zaire. ritt, Mobte, Morris, Loeke, Skinner September 12 guy is a white Canadian, but he's HE Wailing Souls, a pair of Alden, Steniberg, Mufin CHAMBER MUSIC singing Jamaican patois in a dia- boyhood buddies from the byagBfromTheLJ. andMay C. SOCIETY OF SACRAMENTO lect so heavy that MTV has to run T Jamaican ghetto, traverses Recital Hall, California State subtitles on a video of a song that roots-reggae music, r & b, blues, WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 15 AT 8:00 PM University was No. 1 in the U.S. for nearly a rap, rock, ska and electronic 8 P.M. Tickets (916) 443-2908 month." house music to score airplay on Harry BeMonte's ."Banana pop, urban, alternative and col- September 20 with KATHLEENBATTLE, FELICITY PALMER, Boat Song," the Andrews Sisters' lege radio formats. German-born MOLLIE SUGDEN. FRANK LOMRDO and NORWEGIAN STRING "Rum and Coca-Cola," Johnny guitarist Ottmar Liebert, who will MICHEL TREMPO~ QUARTET Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now," headline the Warfield on Satur- Also September 18,21,24,26,30,October3(M) Green Boom, San Francisco War Buster Poindexter's version of the day, earns a gold record in the In French witt) English Suprtitles Memorial and Performing Soca number "Hot, Hot, Hot," United States for his melting-pot Cast Battle, Palmer,* Sugdeny Lopardo, %&, SAntehal Arts Center, 8 P,M.