Sidi Goma The Reader’s Guide to WORLDMUSIC FESTIVAL CHICAGO 2005 28 CHICAGO READER | SEPTEMBER 16, 2005 | SECTION THREE CHICAGO READER | WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL GUIDE | SEPTEMBER 16, 2005 | SECTION THREE 29 For updates see www.chicagoreader.com. The Reader’s Guide to WORLDMUSIC FESTIVAL CHICAGO 2005 12:15 PM, RANDOLPH CAFE Cuban revolutionary imagery—Piña wears a By Peter Margasak friday 16 Che Guevara-style beret on the cover and Celso Fonseca refers to himself as “El Rebelde del Acordeon”—but given that he still lives the he big news about this year’s World Music 11 AM, CLAUDIA CASSIDY For two decades singer and gui- Festival is that there really isn’t any news. THEATER way he did before his success, in the same tarist Celso Fonseca has been a modest house in the roughest part of town, T Michael Orlove of the Department of R ubiquitous behind-the-scenes I’m not inclined to criticize him for his con- Lura presence in Brazil: he’s produced albums Cultural Affairs, who’s organized all seven festivals, flation of musical iconoclasm and political If you’ve only heard one piece of by Virginia Rodrigues, Gilberto Gil, and revolt. says that this year’s process was the smoothest yet— music from the Cape Verde Daude, among others, and the likes of visas came through, and for the most part artists R Islands, a former Portuguese Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa, and Carlinhos kept their commitments. (There was just one last- colony off the west coast of Africa, chances Brown have covered his tunes. Though he’s Lila Downs minute cancellation, by Venezuela’s Simon Diaz.) are it was morna sung by Cesaria Evora, also been making his own records for most the undisputed master of that beautiful, of that time, his performing career only The daughter of a Mixtec Indian mother The only serious trouble came early in the year, sorrowful song form. Similar to Portuguese began to take off a few years ago. Fonseca from Mexico and an Anglo father from when Orlove was trying to settle on a lineup: the fado, it’s the dominant style on Sao is a devotee of bossa nova in its purest Minnesota, singer Lila Downs named her low value of the dollar against many foreign curren- Vicente, Evora’s island, but hardly the only form, but he’s hardly a revivalist: inspired latest album Una sangre (Narada) in part one from Cape Verde: much of the music by guitarist Baden Powell, who opened up to remind us that all Americans are of cies meant that a number of overseas artists couldn’t on Lura’s third release, Di korpu ku alma the genre’s already liberal sense of harmo- mixed blood. She explores traditional offset the financial liabilities of making the trip (Escondida), is a more upbeat, African- ny even further, he pushes the music gen- music from both sides of the Rio Grande, without booking several more stateside gigs. derived style called batuku, developed on tly into novel territory. On “Perdi,” from paying special attention to the folklore of Serbia’s Boric Kovac, India’s Jaipur Kawa Brass the island of Santiago, where her father the recent Rive Gauche Rio her native Oaxaca, but unfortunately Una was raised. (Lura herself was born in the (Ziriguiboom/Six Degrees), he sneaks in sly sangre is burdened with overstuffed Band, and Spain’s Son de la Frontera were among Cape Verdean immigrant community in accents plucked from a whimsical mix of arrangements and awkward stylistic colli- those who declined invitations from the city. Lisbon.) The album is slick and bright sampled sounds—some indistinguishable sions—unwelcome distractions from her The final schedule is still the strongest in years, rather than rustic, with thoroughly con- from conventional percussion, some more voice, with its stunning range and throaty temporary arrangements, but the unique like whispering birds—and on a cover of the soulfulness. though, and includes several acts that seem certain rhythms—from the batuku, a galloping clop Damien Rice mopefest “Delicate” he livens to cross over to a more mainstream audience soon— that was once beaten out by women on things up with lighter-than-air vocals and Brazil’s Seu Jorge, Mali’s Amadou & Mariam, 6 PM, BORDERS ON NORTH France’s Nouvelle Vague—as well as many more who are steadfastly upholding ancient traditions, like Juan-Carlos China’s Qing Mei Jing Yue, India’s Sidi Goma, and Formell Palestine’s Trio Joubran. Many of the acts based in Juan-Carlos Formell clearly wants the States seem to have been chosen not because it’s to earn his reputation, not inherit relatively easy to get them to Chicago but because R it: the press materials for his new they’re genuinely groundbreaking: New York’s solo album, Cemeteries & Desire (Narada), say only that his father is the “leader of a Balkan Beat Box is at the forefront of the inter- popular dance band in Cuba.” (That’d be national Balkan underground scene, and Cuban the influential Los Van Van, which laid the expat Juan-Carlos Formell is developing an original foundation for contemporary timba music.) singer-songwriter take on boleros and trovas. Formell was raised by his paternal grand- mother and taught himself to play guitar, The unofficial focus is on Brazil. The fest has but aside from the Spanish-language lyrics booked plenty of Brazilian performers in the past six his songs have no real connection to Cuban years, but in quantity and quality the current offer- dance music. Instead he’s squarely in the ings probably match all of them put together: Seu singer-songwriter tradition, writing mod- ern boleros and updated trovas, the equiv- Jorge, Badi Assad, Celso Fonseca, Wilson das Neves, alent of country music in his homeland; his and Domenico + 2 will all give hotly anticipated per- delicate vocals and nimble guitar playing formances, and Domenico + 2 will also participate in also suggest bossa nova, with its complex a one-off collaboration with locals On Fillmore. The accent patterns and unusual harmonies. most important event, though, is surely the Millennium Park gig by Orquestra Imperial, a big- 6 PM, BORDERS ON MICHIGAN band revue of some of the country’s best talent. As usual the festival takes place at many different Amadou & venues around the city, and events are free and all- Lura Mariam ages unless otherwise noted. Advance tickets to Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam shows with an admission fee are normally available Doumbia, a blind couple from Mali folded stacks of clothing, to the funana, Ramiro Musotto’s pulsing hand percussion. from the venues; for more information call the city’s R who’ve been married for nearly 30 traditionally driven by the seductive rhyth- Still, the essence of Fonseca’s music is the years and making music together for most World Music Festival hotline at 312-742-1938 or elegant interplay between feather-stroke mic scraping of knives—still provide a of them, have long fused the region’s tradi- broad window on the traditional music of singing and deeply rhythmic guitar play- visit cityofchicago.org/WorldMusic. The early week- tional music with American blues and soul. Cape Verde. And Lura’s voice would be ing—the same combination that made Joao day performances at the Chicago Cultural Center’s Bagayoko was blinded by cataracts at age enough to hold my attention all by itself: Gilberto sound so revolutionary in the late 15, but not before a long stint playing gui- Claudia Cassidy Theater (Friday, Monday, Tuesday, on the brisk “Vazulina,” about a young girl 50s. This is Fonseca’s solo debut in tar in Les Ambassadeurs du Motel de Wednesday) and Preston Bradley Hall (Thursday) digging through rubble for coins so she can Chicago, and he’ll play unaccompanied. Bamako, one of the country’s greatest afford to get her hair straightened, she jug- will be broadcast live on local radio: Loyola’s modern bands and also home to Salif Keita gles tricky phrases with the precision and WLUW (88.7 FM) will air the 11 AM concerts, and and Kante Manfila during its long history. grace of a veteran jazz singer, and on the 12:30 PM, CLAUDIA CASSIDY the 12:30 PM shows will be heard as part of album’s token morna, “Tem um hora pa THEATER That experience seems to have primed him Continental Drift on Northwestern University’s tude,” creates a deep melancholy that to find pathways to many other styles, and almost rivals Evora’s. Celso Piña on his three previous albums with Doumbia WNUR (89.3 FM). they’ve pulled off daring fusions—like funk- This accordionist from the slums ing up the circular Malian blues popular- of Monterrey, Mexico, became a ized by Ali Farka Toure with an arsenal of Trio Joubran R star in the late 80s playing instruments from around the world, includ- Samir Joubran, a Palestinian oud cumbia—a regional style imported from ing horns, tabla, violin, the sweet-voiced master born and raised in Colombia that, much like norteño, banda, Portuguese cavaquinho, and the Arabic recommended R Nazareth, Israel, says his group was R and ranchera, remains popular with the zither called the kanun—but their current inspired by the popular guitar trio of Al working class—but lately he’s become an record, Dimanche a Bamako (Nonesuch), DiMeola, Paco de Lucia, and John unlikely icon to some of his country’s most tops them all. It’s not only their most McLaughlin, which blended jazz, rock, and forward-looking rock bands. A few years coherent and confident effort (and their flamenco with daring improvisatory flair.