Acoustic - 2010 - The Weekend Planet

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Acoustic - 2010

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Jamie Oehlers & Paul Grabowsky: On a Clear Day

08/08/2010
How to retain your musical 'freedom', whilst treating 'standard' tunes with love & respect? On a Clear Day sees tenor saxophonist Jamie Oehlers, pianist Paul Grabowsky & two other fine Australian improvisers answer that question, beautifully. Sam Anning plays the double bass & Ben Vanderwal the drums. This quartet delivers remarkably fresh treatments of tunes that are part of what Grabowsky calls 'the journey of every jazz musician', along with 'standards' that surprisingly few interpret. For a good example of the former, hear their Round Midnight. Their Lazy Afternoon is a nice example of the latter. A little background on this album is here: http://www.jazzhead.com/cms-jazzhead-records/on-a-clear-day-jamie-oehlers-paul-grabowsky.phps Jamie Oehlers official site: http://www.jamieoehlers.com Paul Grabowsky official site: http://www.paulgrabowsky.com

Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Segal: Chamber Music

01/08/2010
Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Segal's Chamber Music is truthfully titled, but the longtime friends 'chamber music' is novel. At night, in Mali, kora-playing griot & French cellist discarded any notions of 'genre' & explored music's 'essence'. You can discover more - & see some very nice photos of the session - here: http://www.bumcello.com/page.php?idR=connaitre&;idSR=sissoko_segal&lang=ANG See/hear the duo here: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&;videoid=60637959

Renee Rosnes & Bill Charlap: Double Portrait ( piano-centric weekend )

25/07/2010
It's "a delicate business", there's "a lot of nonverbal communication" & "clarity" is crucial when husband & wife apply 20 fingers to 176 keys. Renee Rosnes & Bill Charlap's loving hands make sublime duo music on Double Portrait, the heart of our piano-focused weekend's 2nd chapter. Individually, each is one of the finer, more sensitive jazz pianists. "Bill Charlap approaches a song the way a lover approaches his beloved" said Time magazine. "Rosnes offers exquisite balances of delicacy and power, witty and weighted ideas, assertiveness and deference" said Down Beat magazine. Together, they are a very special duo. A revealing, interview-based article about Renee Rosnes & Bill Charlap: http://jazztimes.com/articles/18490-bill-charlap-and-and-renee-rosnes Renee Rosnes site: http://www.reneerosnes.com Bill Charlap site, which includes link to audio interview with him & Renee: http://www.billcharlap.com

Jex Saarelaht: Fiveways ( piano-centric weekend )

24/07/2010
Jex Saarelaht is one of Australia's greatest improvising pianists & you've probably heard him on other people's records, but he's remarkably under-recorded as leader. Chapter one of our piano-centric weekend revolves around Fiveways - Jex's splendid new, 'live' quartet album. Fiveways was recorded at the 2009 Stonnington Jazz Festival. Its written notes were composed by Jex, who improvises & interacts with drummer Niko Schäuble, saxophonist Julien Wilson & acoustic bassist Jonathan Zwartz. 'Mr self-publicist', Jex is not. You can discover just a little about him & his new album, here: http://www.jazzhead.com/cms-jazzhead-records/fiveways--at-chapel-off-chapel-jex-saarelaht-quartet.phps

John McCusker/ Aidan O’Rourke ( revisited )

18/07/2010
The music of fiddlers John McCusker & Adrian O’Rourke's work is quietly ambitious - informed by Scottish traditions, yet new. Their Under One Sky & An Tobar offer highly distinguished gatherings of players & singers. An interview-based article about Under One Sky is here: http://www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/celticconnections/2009/interview-johnmccusker.shtml John's site ( 'new one coming soon' it has promised for a whee while, now ) http://www.johnmccusker.demon.co.uk Aidan O'Rourke's site: http://www.aidanorourke.net

Loudon Wainwright III: High Wide & Handsome. The Charlie Poole Project ( revisited )

17/07/2010
Only one man could have made High Wide & Handsome: the Charlie Poole Project to such crazy-perfection: Loudon Wainwright III. It's historical, hysterical, it'll make you laugh...a& you'll probably shed a tear, too. As a biographer noted, Charlie Poole 'packed several lifetimes of hard and fast living into his 39 years', which ended very badly in 1931. Six years earlier, his trio was paid a total of $75 for country music's first mega-hit record. Poole was a key influence on many more-famous musicians; they include bluegrass patriarch Bill Monroe, country songster Hank Williams and Rock and Roll hall of famers The Grateful Dead. To discover much more, spend some entertaining/informative time, here: http://www.thecharliepooleproject.com The project site has documentary and performance videos, free downloadable bonus cuts and an illustrated biography of Charlie Poole. A written biography, discography and further Charlie Poole links are here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Poole

Michael Riessler, Howard Levy, Jean-Louis Matinier: Silver & Black ( revisited )

11/07/2010
Our singular, featured, 'live' trio CD moved its publicist to pose questions that need no answer: 'Is it a jazz band? Is it a folk group? Is it a classical chamber trio?' Silver & Black is an amazing, happy meeting of three aces of reeds: bass clarinettist Michael Riessler, harmonica wizard Howard Levy ( who also plays piano ) & accordionist Jean-Louis Matinier. Discover a little more about this album, here: http://www.enjarecords.com/cd.php?nr=ENJ-9536& Howard Levy's official site: http://www.levyland.com

Maura O'Connell's Naked With Friends/ Sarah Jarosz's Song up in Her Head ( revisited )

04/07/2010
Maura O'Connell's Naked With Friends finds her 50-year-old Irish voice gloriously engaged with very diverse songs and other voices, but no instrumentalists. Sarah Jarosz's Song up in Her Head introduces a Texas teenager who sings like an ( adult ) angel and is already a virtuoso of various things, stringed. Maura O'Connell site: http://www.mauraoconnell.com An audio interview ( with 'live' performance, too ) with Maura is here: http://odeo.com/episodes/7368723-Maura-O-Connell-Interview-Part-1 and: http://odeo.com/episodes/7369413-Maura-O-Connell-Interview-Part-2 Sarah Jarosz site (includes videos of her, 'live' ): http://www.sarahjarosz.com To get a good sense of Sarah, read the article here: http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid:767430

Dhafer Youssef: Abu Nawas Rhapsody

27/06/2010
Paris-resident Tunisian, Dhafer Youssef plays the oud well, but what shines on Abu Nawas Rhapsody are his extraordinary singing & young Armenian virtuoso Tigran Hamasyan's piano. The album, declares Youssef, 'is about mysticism, sexuality, spirituality, & more than anything, love'. Abu Nawas ( aka 'Abu Nuwas' ) was a classical Persian/Arabic poet whose verses are still revered - & reviled - more than twelve centuries after he wrote them. A biographer-in-brief ( Hantu Laut ) recently described Abu Nawas as 'one of the greatest classical Arabic and Persian poets', before adding, 'He openly wrote about things that Islam forbade.' Dhafer Youssef says his new album is 'not only Abu Nawas' rhapsody, it is also my rhapsody. Maybe it is yours too.' He adds, 'what I seek is the Tajalli: the dream, the ecstasy, call it spiritual lust.' The other members of his quartet-of-four-nations are the Canadian double bassist Chris Jennings & ( U.S ) American drummer Mark Giuliana. Dhafer Youssef official site: http://www.dhaferyoussef.com A lucid brief biography of Abu Nawas: http://www.arabworldbooks.com/Readers2009/articles/abu_nawwas_bio.htm Different writers give very different accounts of him, his life, his importance. For an utterly colourless account that says nothing very pertinent ( but which will not offend anyone who is easily-offended ) read Encyclopedia Britannica. One site that has a few versions, non-bowdlerised: http://www.answers.com/topic/abu-nuwas You can hear two poems by Abu Nawas read aloud - & read English translations of them - here: http://www.princeton.edu/~arabic/poetry

Debashish Bhattacharya bonus: ( with )The Rough Guide to Indian Music

26/06/2010
The new edition of The Rough Guide to Indian Music is a 'must-buy' even for connoisseurs of Indian music...and of slide guitar. Its otherwise-unavailable bonus CD captures the world's greatest slide guitarist - Kolkata's Debashish Bhattacharya - in concert in his own city. The best 'bonus disc' these ears have ever heard comes from a 2002, all-night concert at the 50th anniversary Dover Lane Music Conference & Festival. The greater portion is Debashish Bhattarcharya's exploration of a much-loved evening raga. His brother Subhasis Battacharya plays tabla. A scholarly article - with cyberspace extras - on the raga in question: http://www.parrikar.org/raga-central/marubihag A one-page introduction to Indian music: http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/Culture/Music/Music.html A starting point for deeper exploration: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_India Debashish Bhattacharya official site: http://www.debashishbhattacharya.com/index.htm

James Sherlock's Solo/ Peter Petrucci's This Way Out

20/06/2010
Our guitar-centric weekend's 2nd chapter features 2 new Australian albums; each distinct, but both poised marriages of composition & improvisation. James Sherlock's archtop acoustic guitar is alone on Solo, whilst Peter Petrucci's This Way Out offers alert, intimate conversations for electric guitar & 3 other instruments. Peter's colleagues are double bassist Sam Anning, drummer-percussionist David Jones & tenor saxophonist Jamie Oehlers. Peter & James both present finely-crafted originals. They also offer creative 'covers', ranging from Miles Davis to The Stranglers. James Sherlock's site: http://www.jamessherlock.com Peter Petrucci's site: http://www.peterpetrucci.com

Dàimh: Diversions

13/06/2010
Dàimh's Diversions offers virtuosic, oft-propulsive instrumental sets & poignant songs, beautifully sung in Scottish Gaelic. Dàimh almost rhymes with 'naïve'; it means 'kinship' & this Dàimh is a Scottish-Irish-Cape Breton-Californian 'super' sextet. Dàimh videos: http://www.nme.com/artists/daimh Dàimh myspace: http://www.myspace.com/daimh Full-tilt website: As I type, it is allegedly 'coming soon' to http://www.daimh.net

Mike Nock Trio: An Accumulation of Subtleties

06/06/2010
Aptly titled, The Mike Nock Trio's An Accumulation of Subtleties offers mostly-spontaneous studio conversations, plus concert cuts where they play - & play around with - existing pieces. Pianist Mike & the Waples brothers - bassist Ben & drummer James - make beautiful, intelligent, heartfelt music. New Zealand-born, formerly US-resident, the Sydney-resident Mike Nock is a significant jazz individual in Australasia ...& well beyond. A superb pianist, he is also a deep & provocative musical thinker. Mike Nock is a noted educator too - one who challenges himself as well as his students & who learns from them, as he teaches them. Mike Nock's next birthday will be his 70th. He'd already lived more than 40 years before the older Waples brother was born. Mike Nock Official site: http://www.mikenock.com Its 'Mike Nock Trio' page links to biographies of James & Ben Waples. Issue 2 of Extempore - published in May 2009 - has a revealing, substantial interview with Mike Nock. You can read it - via the 'view past issues for free' prompt - here: http://www.extempore.com.au ( the current issue of Extempore - which includes a fine interview with Andrea Keller - is only accessible via purchase or subscription )

Kronos Quartet / Homayun Sakhi/ Alim & Fargana Qasimov: Rainbow

30/05/2010
The master musicians on Rainbow ( Music of Central Asia vol 8 ) are from utterly different 'schools'. But Kronos Quartet's 'note readers' make beautiful music with 'unpredictable' Azerberjaini vocalists & an Afghani instrumental virtuoso & composer who did not write down one note of his meticulously structured new work. The album's first half is the premiere recording of Homayun Sakhi's Rangin Kaman. Sakhi is a virtuoso of the emblematic Afghani lute, the rubab. His piece seeks to represent 'all the peoples and regions of Afghanistan and connect them to other parts of the world.' He created it with its particular players in mind - Kronos Quartet, plus his own trio. The second half presents songs from Azerbaijan. They've been around a while longer, but will be new to most Western ears. They're substantially new to any ears, any time, as improvisation is integral to mugham, Azerbaijan's 'classical' music. The singers have to be heard to be believed...and even then, your mind may boggle when you hear Alim Qasimov & his daughter Fargana Qasimov. The older Qasimov is one of the greatest singers on planet earth. Our planet has likely never before heard anything quite like the combined sound of Kronos Quartet plus Alim Qasimov Ensemble. The project's uncommonly vivid video press-release shows the music's actual making/rehearsing: http://www.akdn.org/videos_detail.asp?VideoId=88 Written background on this project: http://www.folkways.si.edu/magazine/2010_spring/cover_story-rainbow.aspx To know more about the Qasimovs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alim_Qasimov To know more about Homayun Sakhi: http://www.akdn.org/aktc_music_homayun.asp Kronos Quartet official site: http://www.kronosquartet.org

Ana Moura: Leva-Me Aos Fados

23/05/2010
Leva-Me Aos Fados ( Take me to the Fado House ) is the new, fourth album from the most rewarding young singer of Portugal's emblematic genre. Ana Moura is intense, yet very elegant, refined; the same is true of her excellent accompanists. The young fadista's admirers & champions include older fadistas, young & old fado connoisseurs & the general public. Mick Jagger & Prince ( who plans to record with her ) are also Ana Moura fans. Her take on fado ( 'fate' ) is pure, but not purist. Ana Moura avoids gimmickry, but treats fado as a living genre; she sings only words ( sometimes, new lyrics for old songs ) that ring true to her. On most songs Ana Moura has just three accompanists: Custódio Castelo on the guitarra portuguesa ( which is not a guitar - more akin to a cittern or mandola, it is wire-strung, with double-courses ) Jorge Fernando on the guitar-proper and bassist Filipe Larsen. Discover more, here: http://www.rockpaperscissors.biz/index.cfm/fuseaction/current.press_release/project_id/484.cfm Good quality, recent, 'live' videos here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oPip6_9qL8 Ana Moura official site ( in Portuguese ): http://www.anamoura.net Her myspace includes content in English: http://www.myspace.com/anamourafado

Patty Larkin: 25

16/05/2010
'I'm celebrating survival, but also joy & art & friendship' says Patty Larkin of her 25, an anniversary set, with a different friend on each of 25 new duo versions of her love songs. As guitarist & songster Patty has enormous peer respect, as evidenced by the roster on her intimate, all-acoustic, double-CD. Patty's guests include Bruce Cockburn, Rosanne Cash, Suzanne Vega, Beppe Gambetta, Mary Chapin-Carpenter & Chris Smither. Patty Larkin's site includes her observations on the project & each of her collaborators: http://www.pattylarkin.com A revealing, recent, interview-based article is here: http://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=arts&;sc=music&sc2=news&sc3=&id=104521

Rahim Alhaj and Amjad Ali Khan: Ancient Sounds ( revisited )

09/05/2010
Unfettered by frets, two species of lute almost literally sing on Ancient Sounds. The softer strings of an Iraqi master's oud engage with the wire strings of a Hindustani virtuoso's sarod, as Rahim Alhaj and Amjad Ali Khan combine forces, with peace in mind. Rahim AlHaj official site: http://www.rahimalhaj.com Amjad Ali Khan official site: http://www.sarod.com

Bela Fleck: Throw Down Your Heart - Africa Sessions ( revisited )

08/05/2010
The instant cure to negative notions about banjos: Bela Fleck's Throw Down Your Heart - Africa Sessions. His best, most ambitious album sees the ancestrally-African instrument's greatest American player in Africa's east as well as west. Bela's adventures in Mali and The Gambia yielded wonderful music with internationally-renowned west African singers and players. At least as wonderful are the fruits of his travels to Uganda and Tanzania, most especially Bela's encounter with an astonishing singer and multi-instrumentalist . You have almost certainly never heard of Anania Ngoliga, but the blind Tanzanian may well be this album's most remarkable musician. Bela Fleck official site: http://www.belafleck.com A good article on this project is here: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-cause4-2009mar04,0,2143297.story

Marc Copland ( solos / duos...first of two Copland-centric shows )

18/04/2010
Marc Copland is a true poet of the piano, for which ( as an adult, professional ) he forsook the saxophone, 'disappeared' for 10 years, then reappeared as a great improvising keyboardist. Tonight's program revolves around this 'piano whisperer', solo & in duet. Copland is one of the most probing & one of most sublimely lyrical pianists. His 'touch' is extraordinary; that is true of his feet as well as his hands. Marc Copland site: http://www.marccopland.com Its 'interview with Marc' prompt yields very revealing fruit.

Zulya: Tales of Subliming

11/04/2010
On Zulya's Tales of Subliming the songs are new, musically creative & psychologically acute. Their Australian/Tatar/Russian singer is their primary author, but behind them is something much older, within which 'a lot more is going on than we can see at first glance': fairytales. Zulya's music is richly informed by the culture in which she was raised, in central Russia. But that is just an element in the eclectic original music she creates with her internationally acclaimed ensemble. Zulya recently said, 'fairytales are about our journeys to achieve individuality in a symbolic form.' Speaking of her new album's sound Zulya said, 'much less piano accordion than before, and heaps more brass and distorted guitar. But I think it's very beautiful, even if I say so.' Zulya is now on an extensive national tour, as detailed on her site: http://www.zulya.com A recent & revealing interview-based article: http://tennantcreek.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/general/critically-acclaimed-singer-shares-her-musical-journey/1781023.aspx

Mayte Martín: AlCantaraManuel ( poems by Manuel Alcántara )

04/04/2010
Mayte Martín has been hailed as 'the best female flamenco voice of her generation', but her adventurous yet subtle embrace is not restricted to flamenco. AlCantaraManuel is her intimate exploration of the poet Manuel Alcántara's 'luminous universe.' Manuel Alcántara was born in Málaga in 1928. Mayte Martín was born in Barcelona in 1965. When asked how she picked the 12 poems on AlCantaraManuel, Mayte replied, 'I chose the ones that made my hair stand on end.' The singer-guitarist deploys a small ensemble, whose other members are not invariably all-present: guitarist Jose Luis Montón, violinists Olvido Lanza & Biel Graells, double bassist Guillermo Prats & percussionist Chico Fargas. Mayte Martín's site: http://www.mayte-martin.com She speaks about her new album in a revealing interview, here: http://www.deflamenco.com/revista/paginai.jsp?codigo=2550

Titi Robin: Kali Sultana ( revisited )

03/04/2010
Thierry ( 'Titi' ) Robin addresses 'a very loaded symbol' on his extraordinary Kali Sultana. 'She represents the beauty every artist seeks ... she can be very violent, but this violence also makes it possible to express and to resolve things.' Robin says 'It is very important to express the softest things as well as the most violent in my music.' An eclectic, original, self taught virtuoso of guitar, oud and bouzouq, Robin is French, but his key musical roots/routes are Rom/gypsy, Arabic, north African, Persian and Indian. His virtuosity is not wasted on flashy display. With also-excellent colleagues he seeks to tell a story: 'this music doesn't talk about music; it talks about our lives'. Robin's site has informative biographical/musical information, in English: http://www.thierrytitirobin.com/anglais/biographie.php

Giorgos Xylouris: If I Greet The Mountains

28/03/2010
Giorgos Xylouris spent some years in Melbourne, but home is a mountain village in Crete, where his is a very significant musical family. If I Greet The Mountains finds an arresting singer, gifted composer & highly-skilled lutenist right at home, in good company. Giorgos Xylouris site: http://www.myspace.com/giorgosxylouris An illustrated introduction to Cretan music & dance is here: http://www.sfakia-crete.com/sfakia-crete/crete-music.html 2010/

Sierra Maestra: Sonando Ya

27/03/2010
Long before Buena Vista Social Club ( a phenomenon this band helped hatch ) Sierra Maestra was already Cuba's pre-eminent acoustic 'roots music' band. On Sonando Ya they embrace young songsmiths, but the band's son-centric signature sound is not much-changed ...& delicious, still. Sierra Maestra began as a group of nine friends, in 1976. At first they were to play what was then widely popular in Cuba - some funk, maybe some Brazilian music. The father of two brothers suggested they play son instead. The two brothers are no longer on board, but five founder-members still are. The band's website: http://www.myspace.com/sierramaestra The new album's liner notes are here: http://worldvillageuk.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/sierra-maestra-sonando-ya-450011-pr-release-date.pdf A concise overview of the son genre is here: http://www.justsalsa.com/salsa/music/son/

Mary Gauthier: The Foundling

21/03/2010
The Foundling is the most personal album from one of America's greatest songsters. Born in 1962, Mary Gauthier found her mother 45 years later; a single phone call will likely remain their only contact, but Mary's song cycle is beautiful - rich fruit, not withered. Thanks to her March 2010 Australian tour, Mary's new album is available in this country before her own. Mary Gauthier's own notes about her new album are here: http://www.marygauthier.com/about/press-resources/ Mary's extraordinary life story is candidly & very well told by herself, here: http://www.puremusic.com/maryg1.html Her Australian tour schedule ( with 'live' links ) is here: http://www.soundpet.com/mary-gauthier-touring-2010/

Marta Topferova: Trova / Aníbal Arias : Escenas De La Cuidad

20/03/2010
Prodigiously unlikely, Marta Topferova's Trova offers fine 'Latin American' songs, sung in Spanish by their Czech-born author, who lives in New York. On Escenas De La Cuidad tango's octogenarian guitar virtuoso Aníbal Arias is 'live' in Buenos Aires, playing solo & in duo with four friends. Marta Topferova's site: http://www.martatopferova.com A revealing little interview-based article is here: http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2010/01/05/marta_topferova_blends_czech_heritage_with_latin_music The story behind Escenas De La Cuidad ( 'Scenes in the City' ) is here: http://www.winterandwinter.com/index.php?id=1622 An informative, quite poetic biography of Aníbal Arias is here: http://www.todotango.com/english/creadores/aarias.asp

Chris Wood: Handmade Life

14/03/2010
In a very different, very English way, Chris Wood is one of Mose Allison's very few peers: a fellow songwriter of genius. A superb singer/guitarist, he leads an unusual quartet on Handmade Life - Wood's quietly powerful 'reality check' against 'how virtual everything has become.' As one reviewer noted, 'from politics to vegetable patches, he has it covered.' Two new Chris Wood songs very tenderly address his wife. Two others are possibly the most potent protest songs unleashed in this young millennium. Chris's band-mates are drummer Andy Gangadeen, trombonist Robert Jarvis & cellist Barney Morse Brown. Chris Wood official site: http://www.chriswoodmusic.co.uk You can read a revealing interview, here: http://www.americana-uk.com/auk/index.php (once there, click its 'interviews' prompt, which will take you to the page which has the Chris Wood interview ) You can hear one - as Chris eats his post-gig supper - here: http://www.allanwilkinson.co.uk/node/544

Pat Metheny's Orchestrion / Duck Baker's Everything That Rises Must Converge

07/03/2010
Our mature-age guitar heroes' new albums are quite unlike each other's - or any other guitarist's. 40-plus years into his career Duck Baker issues a set of 'free' solos for nylon-stringed guitar, whilst Orchestrion finds Pat Metheny & his electric guitar in a room crammed with novel, robotic instruments. In both cases, hearing is believing! A good article on Metheny's current project/album is here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/arts/music/31metheny.html?ref=arts Pat Metheny official site: http://www.patmetheny.com Duck Baker site: http://duckbaker.com In addition to being an excellent, very eclectic player, Duck is a fine writer about music. His site's 'Duck's writings' prompt is worth following. He writes as well about John Coltrane as he does about the term 'Celtic.'

Lauren MacColl: Strewn with Ribbons

28/02/2010
In December 2004 an 18-year-old Scottish fiddler gained a discerning audience's 'pin-drop attention' & won BBC2's Young Folk Award. Five years later, Lauren MacColl's originals do not suffer in comparison to the ancient airs that she also plays exquisitely on Strewn with Ribbons. Lauren's MacCollective is a trio with guitarist Barry Reid & pianist Mhairi Hall. Their guests ( well deployed, sparingly ) are Chris Stout on viola, cellist Su A Lee & Donald Shaw on harmonium & accordion. Lauren MacColl official site: http://www.laurenmaccoll.co.uk

Vijay Iyer Trio: Historicity

27/02/2010
Jazz's most celebrated 'emerging' artist is a US pianist whose parents are from India. The most highly-acclaimed 'piano trio' set in many moons, Vijay Iyer's Historicity is highly adventurous, eminently accessible, exciting, intelligent, eclectic. Not a few tracks are 'covers', with the original tunes & emotional essence still present. But this trio has surprising, fresh perspectives on ( for example ) a Stevie Wonder protest song & a Leonard Bernstein-Stephen Sondheim classic from West Side Story. There is no cornball 'world music' posturing, but Iyer's very individual music is uncommonly worldly. Its roots are in Indian classical as well as in American, European & African jazz, classical & pop. On hearing our featured album by Vijay Iver, double bassist Stephan Crump & drummer Marcus Gilmore, The New York Times' Ben Ratliff exclaimed, 'Presto! Here is the new great jazz piano trio!' Vijay Iver's own, very rich site: http://www.vijay-iyer.com It links to many articles & includes - on its front page - a good video explanation of what Historicity is about, backed up by performance. A dense but very revealing interview with Iyer : http://www.jazz.com/features-and-interviews/2008/7/20/in-conversation-with-vijay-iyer An Indian article about him: http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/arts/the-wizard-of-jazz

Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate: Ali & Toumani

21/02/2010
Definitely not 'out-takes', Ali & Toumani is the very last album made by the great Malian songster-guitarist Ali Farka Toure. It is even better - more refined, more exploratory - than his much-praised first duo disc with compatriot, friend & kora virtuoso Toumani Diabate. This album was recorded in London in mid 2005. Ali & Toumani were on tour, in the wake of their much-acclaimed In the Heart of the Moon. Toumani decided they should make a second duo album, but did not forewarn his terminally ill friend. Says Toumani: I said to Ali, 'we've come to London earlier than anticipated so that you and I can make an album.' Really?!' he answered. 'Ok, that's fine by me.' Learn a lot more about this album & its making, here: http://www.worldcircuit.co.uk/#Ali_Farka_Toure_&_Toumani_Diabate::Ali_and_Toumani If the World Circuit 'extras' prompt proves wonky, you'll find a deal of its Ali & Toumani content, here: http://www.nonesuch.com/albums/ali-and-toumani

Karan Casey & John Doyle: Exiles Return

20/02/2010
'You can't hide anywhere' says Irish singer Karan Casey of the approach she & John Doyle take on the 'very exposed' Exiles Return. John also sings well & is a brilliant acoustic guitarist; he & she became famous as founder ( former ) members of the 'supergroup' Solas. 'Simplicity takes a lot more depth' says Karan. 'Karan's soul is in the music. We fit together, like hand in glove' says John. Dirk Powell produced the album. He occasionally plays double-bass & banjo. The only other player - very occasionally present - is Michael McGoldrick on flute & whistle. Discover a little about the making of this album, here: http://compassrecords.com/album.php?id=809 John Doyle's site: http://www.johndoylemusic.com Karan Casey's site: http://www.karancasey.com Much more revealing than its 'biography' is the Irish Times feature article, which is available via her 'biography' page.

Frøy Aagre: Cycle of Silence

14/02/2010
Cycle of Silence explains why our Norwegian featured artist wins praise for her 'special gift of blending the beautiful and haunting with the unexpected and complex.' Frøy Aagre's music & her soprano sax sound have an exquisite clarity, but it's nicely-impossible to detect the line between her composing & her improvising. Says Frøy, 'for this album I have deliberately used silence as an integral part of my music.' Each piece tells a particular story. Most relate to her love of travel & of nature. A cellist, a trombonist & a french horn player have nice cameo roles, but the core is a quartet that's been together for nearly six years. Frøy's regular colleagues are pianist Andreas Ulvo, double bassist Audun Ellingsen & drummer Freddy Wike. Frøy Aagre's official site: http://www.froyaagre.com A revealing, recent interview-based article is here: http://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2009111709481926876630 This youtube concert video captures her well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PRS8sSAn38

Sofia Rei Koutsovitis: Sube Azul

13/02/2010
A highly skilled, eclectic, wonderfully natural singer, Sofia Rei Koutsovitis is from Buenos Aires, resides in New York & is ancestrally Greek/Spanish. Her Sube Azul ( Rising Blue ) is an original 'collage' of many different Latin American folkloric & North American jazz elements. Official site: http://www.sofiamusic.com ( includes music & interview videos ) A very nice combination of 'live' musical performance & interview is here: http://www.wnyc.org/shows/soundcheck/episodes/2010/01/05/segments/147454

Martin Simpson: Bootleg USA

07/02/2010
Along with his Prodigal Son in Concert ( a wonderful, brand-new DVD ) Martin Simpson has just made readily available a splendid 1999-vintage, 'live' CD. Bootleg USA is a solo feast of mind-boggling finger-style & slide guitar, oft-in-tandem with an acutely lyric-sensitive vocal. Bob Dylan, Icarus, James Connolly & a hunted hare are among those well-served by Martin Simpson. Martin Simpson's official site ( recently upgraded ) : http://www.martinsimpson.com If you would like to see 'how he does it' here are links to videos of Simpson performing songs that also appear ( in different versions ) on Bootleg USA: Granmore Hare: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eAJP1JRk8s 61 Highway ( medley): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGgLuHmDhJ0&

Andy Baylor: Possum Stole the Pumpkin

06/02/2010
Andy Baylor did not even know who the Cajuns were when he fell in love with their music in 1978, in Melbourne. The love is now deeper and much better informed; Lafayette, Louisiana is where Andy wrote most of his exuberant, fiddle-centric, Cajun-accented Possum Stole the Pumpkin. Andy Baylor official site: http://www.andybaylor.com.au/index.php Its Andys Rave prompt will lead you to various articles by Andy. Particularly apropos are his Cajun Music & his Louisiana Journal...Excerpt. This is a well-linked place for more about Cajun music: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cajun_music

Márta Sebestyén: I Can See the Gates of Heaven

31/01/2010
I Can See the Gates of Heaven is the most personal, intimate album yet from one of the most eloquent singers. Its songs are mostly traditional & Hungarian, but Márta Sebestyén's marriage of secular & sacred threads proves singular, yet universal. You may not know her name ( in Hungary it's Sebestyén Márta ) but you almost certainly have been moved by Márta's vocal artistry. 'That song from The English Patient' is her. The film borrowed it from a recording she'd made in another context entirely, many years earlier. Tonight's show will divulge the real-life circumstance behind the way Márta sang it, a quarter of a century ago. Márta Sebestyén official site: http://www.sebestyenmarta.hu ( includes English content, but has a great deal more in other languages ) A revealing, very recent, interview-based article (in English ) is here: http://www.spinner.com/2010/01/12/the-voice-of-hungary-marta-sebestyen-finds-even-deeper-meaning/

Trains/'Trane: Bobby Hutcherson's Wise One/ Graham Wood's The G Train

30/01/2010
Our Trains'n'Trane show features two inspiration sources & two quintets. Veteran American vibraphone virtuoso Bobby Hutcherson was just a boy with a fake moustache when he met John Coltrane; Australian pianist Graham Wood has recently ridden the steel rails in Japan & the USA. All pieces on Wise One were either composed by John Coltrane, or memorably interpreted by him. They are beautifully refreshed by Bobby's horn-less quintet: himself, pianist Joe Gilman, guitarist Anthony Wilson, bassist Glenn Richman & drummer Eddie Marshall. Graham Wood's The G Train is a set of his own compositions, plus 3 spontaneous but coherent group improvisations. Graham's colleagues are trumpeter Matt Jodrell, saxophonist Carl Mackey, bassist Sam Anning & drummer Daniel Susnjar. Discover more about Bobby Hutcherson's new album here: http://www.kindofbluerecords.com/bobby-hutcherson-wise-one Discover more about Bobby Hutcherson here: http://www.answers.com/topic/bobby-hutcherson Graham Wood's site: http://www.grahamwood.com.au/Home.html

Ralph Towner/ Paolo Fresu: Chiaroscuro

24/01/2010
A beautiful, intimate, unamplified, unusual guitar/trumpet duo debuts at last! 15 years ago Ralph ( an Italian resident, American ) met the Sardinian trumpeter & said, 'This guy really understands melodies!...we should do some more work together.' Ralph used to play trumpet & French horn before he took up piano, then guitar. The latter two are his main instruments, but here Ralph is guitarist-only, playing a classical guitar, a baritone version & his 12-string, steel-stringed instrument. Paolo plays open & muted trumpet & flugelhorn. Most pieces are Towner compositions. Equally good are the exceptions: two spontaneous improvisations & a lovely, creative take on a Miles Davis/Bill Evans classic. Read about the making of this record here: http://www.ecmrecords.com/Background/2085.php Ralph Towner site: http://www.ralphtowner.com Although 2000-vintage, the interview you can read here is still very revealing: http://www.innerviews.org/inner/towner.html Discover more about Paolo Fresu here: http://www.fild.de/ufart/uf_pafr_e.html Paolo's own site ( mostly in Italian ): http://www.paolofresu.it

Oumou Sangare: Seya ( revisited )

23/01/2010
Seya means ‘joy’ & Oumou Sangare’s is very joyful, her voice magnificent, her musicians splendid. The Malian diva's original songs make listeners dance, whilst also making them think. If you think that ‘devout, African Muslim woman’ = ‘self-effacement/acceptance of sexual inequality/disapproval of women enjoying themselves in public’, then Oumou Sangare is living proof that this equation ain’t necessarily so! For (very) detailed background on this album, go to: http://www.worldcircuit.co.uk/#Oumou_Sangare::Seya::extras For Oumou Sangare biography, go to: http://www.worldcircuit.co.uk/#Oumou_Sangare::Biography BÉLA FLECK & OUMOU SANGARE TOGETHER IN AUSTRALIA ALERT ( Byron Bay, Easter, 2010, then Syd, Mel, Ad ) BYRON BAY April 1 through April 5, 2010 at Byron Bay Bluesfest. Partial list of performers now announced. It includes Bela in 'Africa Project' mode, with Oumou Sangare. I think it's essentially her band, with him as special guest Details/updates, here: http://www.bluesfest.com.au SYDNEY April 6th, Opera House Tickets through www.ticketek.com.au or www.sydneyoperahouse.com.au MELBOURNE April 8, Hamer Hall Tickets through The Arts Centre Box Office 1300 182 183 or www.theartscentre.com.au* ADELAIDE April 9, Festival Centre Tickets through www.bass.net.au or 131 246.

Martin Simpson: True Stories ( revisited )

03/01/2010
Martin Simpson has long been an astonishing, very eloquent finger-style and slide guitarist, but only in recent years have his singing and writing become likewise-uncanny. True Stories inhabits both sides of the Atlantic, is largely true to its title, and one of its new songs is a poignant, four-minute masterpiece. Martin Simpson’s official site: http://www.martinsimpson.com You can read a recent, interview-based, article here: http://seanbradbury.wordpress.com/2009/03/25/folks-prodigal-son-martin-simpson

Homayoun Shajarian and Dastan Ensemble: Live ( revisited )

02/01/2010
Homayoun Shajarian and Dastan Ensemble was recorded ‘live’ on Shajarian’s first tour as leader. The son of one of the world’s greatest vocalists is spine-tingling in his own right and nicely demonstrates a paradox: Persian classical music is older than the Western kind, but more ‘right now’, as improvisation is integral to Iran’s art music. Recorded in Berlin in 2008, this double-CD also offers superb playing. Dastan Ensemble is a quintet whose members play various lutes, hand drums and an upright violin. Homayoun is the son of Mohamed Reza Shajarian, with whom he previously performed as accompanying player and second vocalist. Background on and pictures of the artists here: http://www.blacksun.com/releases/14298a.htm If you wish to know more about Homayoun Shajarian and his living-legend father, this is a well-linked place: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homayoun_Shajarian Homayoun Shajarian’s English language blog-cum-unofficial site: http://hshajarian.wordpress.com

Past Programs

Acoustic - 2010

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