On a recent trip to the UK, World Beat enjoyed a stopover in Manchester to check out interesting vinyl and scope new releases. Additionally, in Pwllheli, North Wales, where some of my family resides, I was also able to go crate-digging in the five charity shops in the town, which is about the size of Buriram. A short drive down the coast to Portmadog to Cobb Records was also part of the musical itinerary. Here are a few of the highlights.
Reunion Island singer/instrumentalist Danyel Waro has released his first album since his 2010 double, Aou Amwin (Cobalt Records), which I wrote about in an earlier column. Monmon (Buda Musique/Cobalt Records) is his first studio album since then and sees him return to his childhood roots with a stripped-down sound that features his high-pitched singing style, call-and-response vocals and spare percussion (many of the instruments he and his band play are homemade).
Waro, who was originally an instrument maker and who emerged on international stages in the early 1990s, performs a local Indian Ocean style of music called maloya. He told me many years ago that the music was developed from field chanting by sugarcane workers, which is reminiscent of the field hollers and work songs that provided some of the roots of blues and jazz; indeed, maloya has a bluesy feel to it, as well. His focus has always been on the harsh realities and history of Creole people in Reunion and his music reflects this.
Maloya was an almost forgotten style (it was banned by the French colonial administrators) before Waro and his contemporaries, like Ziskakan, breathed new life into it. And on his new album, Waro's return to his childhood haunts comes with a soundscape that illustrates so many aspects of his life in Reunion -- including food, the natural landscape and family life. There are some interesting influences from West Africa, Madagascar and India that crop up on tracks like Gabriyele and Familia, but my favourite tracks so far are the spellbinding rhythmic Madanm Baba, which has a groove that is hypnotic, rather like Gnawa music from Morocco, and Karinm, a lengthy a cappella duet that showcases not just Waro's abilities as singer but also those of female singer Florans Feliks Waro.
Waro, one of Reunion's key musical ambassadors, does not release many albums and this one is a gem. Highly recommended.
A companion compilation album might be Ote Maloya: The Birth Of Electric Maloya On Reunion Island 1975-1984 (Strut Records), which highlights the efforts of maloyan musicians to create a fusion with other sounds, especially US soul and funk.
Long-time readers know of World Beat's respect for Benin's finest band, the legendary Orchestre Poly-Ritmo de Cotonou. Analog Africa has released several wonderful compilations of the band's prolific output. Although released in 2013, I finally got the chance to check out the third compilation, The Skeletal Essences Of Afro Funk 1969-1980, which covers the band's recordings during their glory days. There are so many great grooves, powered by bass player Gustave Bentho and drummer Leopold Yehouessi, such as the James Brown-influenced Houton Kan Do Gome, AOO Ida and Pourquoi Pas? Readers can expect to hear some of these tunes at my next DJ night.
Kinshasa-based veteran Jupiter Bokondi released Hotel Univers a few years ago to great acclaim; he was also featured in a documentary by the French filmmakers who documented the rise of the wonderful and sadly disbanded Staff Bendi Bilili. His new album, Kin Sonic, is likely to propel him to even greater international fame as it continues to explore his amazing blend of Congolese rhythms and languages set to a solid root of pumping bass, percussion and, as you would expect from the Congo, riverine-like guitars. If you liked Staff Benda Bilili, this one is for you.
Finally, the vinyl find of my UK tour would have to be the reissue of the second album by Columbia salsa giant and producer Fruko, A La Memoria del Muerto. Released in 1972, the album features new singer Edulfamid Molina Diaz, aka Piper Pimienta. I've been after this album ever since I first played the title tracks during a DJ set, which resulted in spontaneous combustion on the dance floor. On this fascinating album, there is the pachanga-related title track, plus all kinds of supercharged versions of Bomba, hard-driving descarga (jam sessions) and, on this reissue, a Latin-soul song called Tihuanaco. Every track is a dance floor filler and is especially recommended for those who like the Nuyorican sound with a big Colombian twist.
This columnist can be contacted at clewley.john@gmail.com.
