The Weekend Planet

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

Playlist

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Details of each track are presented in the following order:

BROADCAST TIME
TRACK NUMBER AND TITLE
COMPOSER
PUBLISHING AND COPYRIGHT DETAILS
RECORDING COMPANY AND CD NUMBER
distributor/ source details, like this, in lower-case
ARTIST AND CD TITLE
Duration of track
Description of track, in lower-case.
Where relevant, further info links to information, gigs/events/related programs

'THE WEEKEND PLANET' SUN 4.7.10
( first aired on October 4, 2009 )

2205
THEME:
details below, as per the original CD.. This cut is also on these compilations Ketama - 'Nuevos Medios Coleccion' - Nuevos Medios NM 15 820
( in Australia via MGM www.thegroovemerchants.com
worldwide, via: www.flamenco-world.com/noticias/nuevos.htm )
and ' Jarabi - the best of Toumani Diabate' (Hannibal 334352 )

CD CUT 1, 'JARABI'
TRAD, ARR TOUMANI DIABATE
HAMILCAR MUSIC LTD
HANNIBAL HNCD 1323
in Australia, some releases through Stomp Enquiries to: ben@stomp.com.au
worldwide: www.rykodisc.com
KETAMA, TOUMANI DIABATE, DANNY THOMPSON - 'SONGHAI'
0: 30 (excerpt)
retains a stately-Manding air, whilst also embracing flamenco elements. Toumani Diabate's kora, Danny Thompson's beautiful double bass & Ketama's flamenco guitars

2207
CD CUT 7, 'FISCHER STORE ROAD'
SARAH JAROSZ
SORAW MUSIC ( BMI )
SUGAR HILL SUG-CD-4049
in Australia through Shock. www.shock.com.au
worldwide: www.sugarhillrecords.com
SARAH JAROSZ - 'SONG UP IN HER HEAD'
2: 17
Bright, post-Appalachian instrumental for Sarah's 'mountain/claw-hammer/ole-timey/frailing' style banjo, with Jerry Douglas on dobro, fiddler Alex Hargreaves & bassist Samson Grisman.

SEGUE

2209
CD CUT 7, 'SHIPBUILDING'
CLIVE WILLIAM LANGER & DECLAN PATRICK MACMANUS ( AKA 'ELVIS COSTELLO' )
UNIVERSAL MUSIC/ MGB SONGS AND WB MUSIC CORP ( ASCAP )
SUGAR HILL SUG-CD-4018
in Australia through Shock. www.shock.com.au
worldwide: www.sugarhillrecords.com
MAURA O'CONNELL - NAKED WITH FRIENDS'
2: 19
Maura sings solo, at first, & then with a little response-lead vocal from Darrel Scott, plus a lot of the gospel choir voices of The Settles Connection. Elvis Costello & Clive Langer wrote this during ( or just prior to ) 'The Falklands War' of 1982.

LIKE TO SEE THE LYRIC?

It is here:
http://lyrics.wikia.com/Elvis_Costello:Shipbuilding

Background information is here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipbuilding_(song)

SEGUE

2211
CD CUT 6, 'BROUSSARD'S LAMENT'
SARAH JAROSZ
SORAW MUSIC ( BMI )
SUGAR HILL SUG-CD-4049
in Australia through Shock. www.shock.com.au
worldwide: www.sugarhillrecords.com
SARAH JAROSZ - 'SONG UP IN HER HEAD'
3:35
Darkly anthemic, plaint-protest song about what happened - and what failed to happen - after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Incredibly, its powerful singer-author was 17 when she recorded this.

Darrel Scott sings harmony & plays resophonic guitar. Sarah is the ac guitarist, Stuart Duncan the fiddler, Kenny Malone the percussionist & Mark Schatz plays ac bass.

2218
CD CUT 10, 'WEAKNESS IN ME'
JOAN ARMATRADING
IMAGEM SONGS LTD, ADMIN BY UNIVERSAL POLYGRAM INT. PUB, INC ( ASCAP )
SUGAR HILL SUG-CD-4018
in Australia through Shock. www.shock.com.au
worldwide: www.sugarhillrecords.com
MAURA O'CONNELL - NAKED WITH FRIENDS'
3: 08
Maura sings, absolutely solo. She nails the song - one she's sung in public for most of her adult life, but only now recorded. The author's original was on Armatrading's 1981 LP, Walk Under Ladders

LIKE TO SEE THE LYRIC?

It - & many Armatrading lyrics - are here:
http://www.armatrading.co.uk/official_site/index.asp?m=lyrics

SEGUE

2220
CD CUT 12, 'COME ON UP TO THE HOUSE'
THOMAS A. WAITS & KATHLEEN BRENNAN
JALMA MUSIC ( ASCAP )
SUGAR HILL SUG-CD-4049
in Australia through Shock. www.shock.com.au
worldwide: www.sugarhillrecords.com
SARAH JAROSZ - 'SONG UP IN HER HEAD'
4: 26
Sarah is much too smart to ape Tom Waits, but has a lot fun with his song. ( & Tom's wife's... ever since they wed, more than a few years ago, most 'Tom Waits' songs are co-writes with Kathleen Brennan ) Sarah sings lead & plays blues-funky mandolin, with Tim O'Brien's harmony vocal. Samson Grisman's fat-toned ac bass, Alex Hargreaves' fiddle & Kenny Malone's percussion.

2227
CD CUT 5, 'THE BLACKSMITH'
TRAD, ARR MAURA O'CONNELL
SONG: PUBLIC DOMAIN. ARR: TAKE IT TO THE PORCH MUSIC ( BMI )
SUGAR HILL SUG-CD-4018
in Australia through Shock. www.shock.com.au
worldwide: www.sugarhillrecords.com
MAURA O'CONNELL - NAKED WITH FRIENDS'
3: 40
...in which the woman is forsaken by the rake, then taunted by him: she has no witnesses to his false promises & so cannot force him to honour them. Maura & Tim O'Brien as a cappella duo: Tim as 'rake', Maura as woman wronged.

LIKE TO SEE ( A VERSION OF ) THE LYRIC?

It is here, with a little historical background:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blacksmith_(song)

SEGUE

2231
CD CUT 14, 'FATHER ADIEU'
ESTIL C BALL
PUBLISHER UNKNOWN
SUGAR HILL SHCD 3825
in Australia through Shock. www.shock.com.au
worldwide: www.sugarhillrecords.com
TIM AND MOLLIE O'BRIEN - 'AWAY OUT ON THE MOUNTAIN'
4:45
Tim's voice & ac guitar, with his sister's voice. Blues/gospel song with strange open, canon-like harmonies ... very hypnotic ... featuring guitar melody over drone bass This treatment of an 'acoustic, ole-timey American' song is inspired by the late great West African, Ali Farka Toure.

SEGUE

2236
CD CUT 1, 'GOYE KUR'
ALI FARKA TOURE
WORLD CIRCUIT MUSIC
WORLD CIRCUIT WCD030
in Australia through Fuse Music Group: www.fusemusic.com.au
worldwide: www.worldcircuit.co.uk
ALI FARKA TOURE - 'THE SOURCE'
6: 21
Ali Farka's declamatory-insistent vocal, lead elec &rhythm ac guitar & his one-string African fiddle ( njarka ) too. With him are Afel Bocoum, Hamma Sankare & Oumar Toure, all sing; the latter two also play percussion on calabash & congas, respectively. The lyric declares ( when translated )'Devotion is the root of all good work. You do not achieve anything without effort.'

LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ALI FARKA TOURE ( 1939-2006 )?

The 'Guardian' obit is here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2006/mar/08/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries

2246
CD CUT 2, 'JERICHO'
LIZ FRENCHAM
( PRESUMABLY ) APRA
DB 0001
self-issued
Available, direct via 'music' prompt at http://lizfrencham.com
LIZ FRENCHAM - 'JERICHO'
3: 05
AUSTRAL COMP & PERF: Liz sings & plays double-bass & bouzouki on a beautifully crafted song about looking for love. Saul Lewis plays French horn & David Ross MacDonald plays ac guitar.

SEGUE

2249
CD CUT 9 - 'UNA FURTIVA LAGRIMA' ( A FURTIVE TEAR )
DONIZETTI/ARR CHINDAMO
PUBLIC DOMAIN/CONTROL
JAZZ HEAD HEAD 090
http://www.jazzhead.com
JOE CHINDAMO - 'DUENDE: THE ROMANTIC PROJECT'
9: 02
AUSTRAL PERF AND ARR: Lightly swinging trio of Joe on piano, Sam Anning on double bass & Doug DeVries on acoustic guitar. A 'live', instrumental jazz take on Donizetti's romanza from L'elisir d'Amore.

LIKE TO SEE DONIZETTI'S LYRIC AND KNOW THE OPERATIC CONTEXT?

The words - and the background - are here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Una_furtiva_lagrima

2258
CD CUT 4, 'DIAMONDS AND PEARLS'
PRINCE ROGERS NELSON
PUB NOT SPEC
ECM 2019/ 1737345
in Australia through Fuse Music
www.fusemusic.com.au
worldwide: www.ecmrecords.com
MARCIN WASILESKI TRIO - 'JANUARY'
0: 31 ( excerpt )
The nominal leader of this equilateral Polish trio is its pianist, with drummer Michal Miskiewicz & double-bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz. Very lyrical/loving. The original was title-piece of the purple one's 1991 album. Yes, that Prince - the artist formerly known as 'the artist formerly known as Prince.'

----
11PM NEWS
-----

2305
CD CUT 2, 'OCHUN'
TRAD
PUBLIC DOMAIN. NO ARR CREDIT CLAIMED
MESSIDOR 15825-2
Import from USA. May or may not be currently available
JANE BUNNETT - 'SPIRITS OF HAVANA'
2: 57
Cuban prayer-song, gently-waltzed, w sweetly-formal piano from Hilario Durán, lovely vocal by the late Merceditas Valdes, massed percussion and Jane's restrained flute.

JANE BUNNET/SUPERB CUBAN SINGERS ABC RADIO NATIONAL ALERT

She/they are the key elements on The Weekend Planet of yesterday Sat 3.7.10. which revolved around Jane's Embracing Voices.

For four weeks after radio broadcast date you can listen to any edition of The Weekend Planet whenever you choose.
Simply demand the audio from our website.

3.7.2010 play-list is here:
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/weekendplanet/stories/2010/2929709.htm

YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT OCHUN AND SANTERIA?

A good place to start is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lukum%C3%AD

2310
CD CUT 1, 'SONG UP IN HER HEAD'
SARAH JAROSZ
SORAW MUSIC ( BMI )
SUGAR HILL SUG-CD-4049
in Australia through Shock. www.shock.com.au
worldwide: www.sugarhillrecords.com
SARAH JAROSZ - 'SONG UP IN HER HEAD'
2: 42
Early intimations of mortality, the ancient & the modern; the singer-author was 17 when she recorded this. Her deft, bouzouki-like octave mandolin, too. Also prominent are Jerry Douglas on slide resophonic guitar, mandolinist Chris Thile & Darrell Scott's harmony vocal.

SEGUE

2313
CD (DISC 1) CUT 14, 'NOTHING BUT THE SAME OLD STORY'
PAUL BRADY
RONDOR
BBC CD 844
VARIOUS ARTISTS - 'BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME'
5: 07
Paul Brady's Irish voice & v vigorous ac guitar, in duo with Donal Lunny's bouzouki. A passionate, angry song about anti-Irish prejudices. An incredible performance: this 1990-vintage, 'live' acoustic duet makes most 'heavy metal' sound like muzak.

LIKE TO SEE THE LYRIC?

The official version is at the bottom of the page, here:
http://www.paulbrady.com/lyrics/hardstation.asp

SEGUE

2318
CD CUT 8, 'ANACH CUAIN'
TRAD, ARR MAURA O'CONNELL ( a setting of a poem by Antoin Raifteiri )
SONG: PUBLIC DOMAIN. ARR: TAKE IT TO THE PORCH MUSIC ( BMI )
SUGAR HILL SUG-CD-4018
in Australia through Shock. www.shock.com.au
worldwide: www.sugarhillrecords.com
MAURA O'CONNELL - NAKED WITH FRIENDS'
2: 28
Maura begins alone, then an a cappella duo with Paul Brady. A 21st century version of a famous Irish Gaelic poem. It remembers the sinking of the Caisleán Nua on September 4, 1828, after leaving Annaghdown Pier for Galway. Nineteen people died. Twelve were rescued.

LIKE TO SEE THE LYRIC IN ENGLISH AND KNOW THE ACTUAL SHIPWRECK WHICH IS THE SUBJECT OF A FAMOUS IRISH GAELIC POEM?

The lyric is translated, with some background, here:
http://www.mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=267

Apparently, in 1978, the wreck may have been found. The story is here:
http://places.galwaylibrary.ie/history/chapter172.html

2323
CD CUT 4, 'MANSINNEEDOF'
SARAH JAROSZ
SORAW MUSIC ( BMI )
SUGAR HILL SUG-CD-4049
in Australia through Shock. www.shock.com.au
worldwide: www.sugarhillrecords.com
SARAH JAROSZ - 'SONG UP IN HER HEAD'
2: 50
Spritely 'newgrass' cum chamber-folk instrumental for Sarah & Mike Marshall's mandolins, with fiddler Alex Hargreaves & ac bassist Paul Kowert. Read its title s-l-o-w-l-y!

SEGUE

2326
CD CUT 9, 'I KNOW MY LOVE'
TRAD, ARR MAURA O'CONNELL
SONG: PUBLIC DOMAIN. ARR: TAKE IT TO THE PORCH MUSIC ( BMI )
SUGAR HILL SUG-CD-4018
in Australia through Shock. www.shock.com.au
worldwide: www.sugarhillrecords.com
MAURA O'CONNELL - NAKED WITH FRIENDS'
2: 30
Irish a cappella: a song poised between hope & despair. Love-versus-gold. Four Irish female voices, a cappella. Each sings lead & harmony: Maura with Mairéad Ni Mhaonaigh, Moya Breen & Mary Black .

LIKE TO SEE ( A VERSION OF ) THE LYRIC?

It is here:
http://www.answers.com/topic/i-know-my-love

SEGUE

2329
CD CUT 8, 'BLACK WATERSIDE'
TRAD,ARR LEAH COTTERELL & HELEN RUSSELL
PUB NOT SPEC
SELF-ISSUED
Leah Cotterell side: http://www.myspace.com/leahcotterell
contact: leahcotterell@optusnet.com
or: helenrussell@bigpond.com
LEAH COTTERELL & HELEN RUSSELL - 'FOOLISH THINGS'
3: 55
AUSTRAL PERF & ARR : Leah's deep voice, in duo with Helen's ac bass. A surprising but potent version of a trad folk song of love betrayed - one famously interpreted in the 1960s by Bert Jansch

2333
CD CUT 13, 'LITTLE SONG'
SARAH JAROSZ
SORAW MUSIC ( BMI )
SUGAR HILL SUG-CD-4049
in Australia through Shock. www.shock.com.au
worldwide: www.sugarhillrecords.com
SARAH JAROSZ - 'SONG UP IN HER HEAD'
2: 46
Beautifully sung, sing-song song. It does not run away from its author's youth. She sings it superbly & plays guitar. Chris Thile provides the male harmony vocal & mandolin.

SEGUE

2336
CD CUT 4, 'SOME PEOPLE'S LIVES'
RHONDA JO FLEMING ( AKA 'KYE FLEMING' ) & JANIS IAN
EAGLEWOOD MUSIC/ IRVING MUSIC/ TAOSONGS TWO ( BMI )
SUGAR HILL SUG-CD-4018
in Australia through Shock. www.shock.com.au
worldwide: www.sugarhillrecords.com
MAURA O'CONNELL - NAKED WITH FRIENDS'
2: 38
Maura sings lead, Alison Krauss sings harmony: a cappella duo. The original of this poignant song ( about what love/the lack of love can do ) was on Janis Ian's album Breaking Silence, issued in 1993.

LIKE TO SEE THE OFFICIAL VERSION OF THE LYRIC?

It is here:
http://www.janisian.com/lyrics/Some%20Peoples%20Lives.pdf

SEGUE

2339
CD (DISC 2) CUT 8, 'CHINNANJIRU KIDYE KANNAMA' ( YOU ARE LIKE A TINY PARROT )
GOPALKRISHNA BHARATI
PUBLISHER NOT SPEC (PROBABLY, PUBLIC DOMAIN)
ACCORDS CROISÉS AC 112 13
in Australia through Select Audio-Visual Distribution
http://www.savd.com.au/selectglobal
worldwide: www.accords-croises.com
KEYVAN CHEMIRANI - 'LE RHYTHM DE LA PAROLE II'
7: 14
A happy Carnatic ( south Indian) song of love & devotion. Superbly sung in Tamil by the liquid female voice of Sudha Ragunathan. Working astonishingly well with her musicians is the leader, playing the zarb ( aka 'tombak' ) - his Persian, goblet-shaped hand-drum.

2349
CD CUT 7, 'MOTU PSALM 75'
TRAD, ARR AARON CHOULAI
PUB NOT SPEC
THIS CD IS NOW AVAILABLE ONLY AT PERFORMANCES. INTERNATIONAL RELEASE DUE NEXT YEAR ON SUNNYSIDE RECORDS
( www.sunnysiderecords.com )
AARON CHOULAI, VADA AND TATANA VILLAGE CHOIR - 'AI NA ASI MAVARU KAVAMU' (WE DON'T DANCE FOR NO REASON)
7: 52
(AUSTRAL PERF AND ARR: Aaron's piano alone, and recognisably 'at church' - this is a setting of Psalm 75. Bass & brushes join, then the singers - from an island village near Port Moresby. Sweetly solemn, spacious, reverent.

LIKE TO READ THE ENGLISH WORDS OF THIS PSALM?

From the King James version, they read:

Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.

When I shall receive the congregation I will judge uprightly.

The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved: I bear up the pillars of it. Selah.

I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly: and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn:
Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck.

For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.

But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.

But I will declare for ever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.

2357
CD CUT 11, 'DEVOTION' ( OH IMMANUEL OF MINE/ AFTER SEEING YOU' )
THE FORMER HAS A DANISH TEXT BY H.A. BRORSON AND A TRADTIONAL NORWEGIAN MELODY. THE SECOND HAS A TRAD/ANON URDU TEXT AND A MELODY COMPOSED BY JAVED BASHIR
PUBS NOT SPEC.
KIRKELIG FXCD 308
no current Australian distributor
worldwide: www.kkv.no/english/index.html
SONDRE BRATLAND, JAVED BASHIR - 'DIALOGUE'
1: 42 ( excerpt )
Spare, reverent. Two male voices, alone together in Norway's biggest wooden church. Built circa 1250, the Heddal Stave Church contains Viking era wooden carvings. It's one of various locations in Norway, Pakistan & Syria where this album was recorded. Each cut entwines a Muslim & a Christian song. Sondre is Norwegian, Javed is from Pakistan.

Presenter

Doug Spencer

Producer

Doug Spencer