The European Broadcast Union's Top 20 World Music chart for July includes some fascinating recent releases. With the summer festival season in full swing in Europe and North America, lots of bands have put out their summer releases to coincide with live events they are playing. The premier "World music" festival, Womad UK, has just finished, with several chart-toppers like Rokia Traore (see her album Beautiful Africa below) headlining the event.
Kobo Town tops the chart.
There's plenty of "feel good" music for the summer on the chart. Storming up the chart to top spot is a Trinidadian/Canadian band Kobo Town, which was founded by Drew Gonsalves. The band got its name from the historic neighbourhood in Port-of-Spain where calypso was born, and the album title refers to "jumbies", which are spirits known to all West Indians (both malevolent and good). These spirits are found on the band's "jukebox"', which blends music from the Caribbean's golden eras of music, from late 19th century chants and cowbells to minor key melodies from the 1930s to the rolling basslines of the early 1970s. Add in some dub, reggae and a shot of calypso and you'll get the idea.
I've heard two songs from the band so far, The Call and Postcard Poverty, and they are terrific. Also check out the band's website at www.kobotown.com and you can get to know a band that is clearly going places. Another band playing Caribbean music, Lord Mouse and The Kalypso Katz, is also in the top 10.
Some bands that were on the chart last time I reviewed new releases like Rachid Taha (Zoom), Yasmine Hamdan (Ya Nass) and Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni (Jama Ko) are showing strong staying power and remain high on the list.
There are, however, two outstanding albums on the chart that deserve a special mention. Firstly, Hotel Univers by Kinshasa-based Jupiter and Okwess International. Jupiter is an iconoclastic, well-travelled musician who once had a rock band in Germany. He returned to Kinshasa to create music for people who lived there and he's done this by developing a sound that seems to flow on from his counterparts like Staff Benda Bililli (some of whose band members play with Jupiter).
Apparently, he hangs out at the hotel, perhaps an African equivalent of New York's iconic Chelsea Hotel, meeting and talking with the hotel's residents.
His sound is smoother than Staff Benda's but the groove is just as insistent and irresistible (great percussion and intertwining guitars). I saw a documentary on Jupiter in which he claimed to not want to perform anywhere outside of the Congo region. I understand why he wants to do this but it's a pity the rest of us will not get to see him and his exciting band of musicians. At least we have his new album.
The other African album that I am keen to obtain is The Sahara Sessions by Etran Finatawa. This band, whose members come from land-locked Niger in West Africa, grew up on Jimi Hendrix, Santana and Ali Farka Toure, and formed from two hitherto antagonistic nomadic groups _ Toureg (Tamashek) and Wodaaba-Fulani. Producer Colin Bass, who created a Southeast Asian band for the London Olympics last year and was a founder member of the legendary band 3 Mustaphas 3, said recently that the musicians of both groups came together because they are concerned that the traditional music they play is disappearing, which is a problem for tribal and traditional musicians everywhere.
Recorded in the desert in Niger, this is a collection of haunting songs, driven by edgy guitars, calabash percussion and some fine singing. Highly recommended.
West Africa is also represented by Rokia Traore, Bombino and Samba Toure.
Asian musicians continue to enter the charts in ones or twos, which is better than 10 years ago when very few Asian bands reached the Top 20. Two are on this month's chart: Huang Qiang Zou Ban (Wild Tune, Stray Rhythm) by Da Wang Gang from China and Dance Of The Cobra by India's Jaipur Kawa Brass Band. The Chinese release is very moody and perhaps a little bit too introspective for my taste but that's not the case with the Jaipur Kawa Brass Band, which blasts the listener out of their earphones with a sound that is, well, brassy and sassy.
If you've heard the Gangbe Brass Band from Benin, you'll know exactly what I mean.
I thought the band played modern jazz when I heard them for the first time but tablas and sitars quickly joined the mix and the music veered off into a magical mix of brass and percussion _ these guys are a riot. I do hope a local promoter brings them to a festival in this region because they are fantastic. Brass band music has been in India for more than 300 years and has been thoroughly absorbed by local musical traditions, so it has a sound that is as unique as it is compelling.
This column can be contacted at clewley.john@gmail.com.
