Interactive poll #22: The Africa edition

The Anders:  Kokoko! “Malembe” Well, this is a TON of fun!  Love that they made so many of the instruments as well as the music.  It’s very spirited, both modern and somehow also ancient in feel.  The washboard/guitar thing is very cool.   The Tractor.  I love that.  One could say it was very minimalist, as it made no sound at all, even though tractors are known to be a bit noisy. 

Samuel:  Black Bombaim “Africa II”  Lots of Dead Can Dance sounding clacky things in the background, with wonderful, fuzzy electric guitar over the top, then moving on into more intensity from both the percussion and guitar.  About halfway through, guitar drops out and it moves into a great sax solo with bass and the ever-present clackies. Smooth guitar chords and riffs in a much quieter way, with the sax duetting along.  Guitar intensifies again for quite a while, eventually they all quietly exit into deep space.  I liked it!

George:  Steward Copeland & Gizmo “Koteja”  This one has a fun sound to it (so much African music has an upbeat feel, doesn’t it?).  Very rhythmic with first an African melodic vocal, then a rap in English, back to the African melodic bits and call and response with the audience.  Electric lead and bubbling along under bass with very precise drumming undernearth. 

Easy Money:  King Sunny Ade “365 is my Number/The Message” Very gentle, village-y feel here, I love the soft blending of the vocals when everyone joins in singing with him.  The jam is very cool, as you’d indicated.  Lots of twisty guitar and a deep bass-y guitar twanging along, with tons of understated klicky-clacky percussion.  Gets very trance-y too, with guitar curlicue adornments, then they get all plinky towards the end as they gently fade away.

Greg: Ali Farka Toure “Savane” The modality kind of feels Middle Eastern, here, interesting hollow-ish guitar tone and interplay between that sound and a twangy kind of picked sound, plus some really low, bass-y notes.  Love his vocal quality as well.  Ladysmith Black Mambazo “Diamonds On The Soles of Her Shoes”  We carried this group many times on the buses.  All a capella, done in a light-hearted style, plenty o’ rhythm.  Miriam Makeba with Hugh Masekela “Soweto Blues” Beautiful, soulful vocals and you can’t beat Hugh Masekela’s style. This was done in documentary style, something we’ve not seen much of in these polls, but it only added to get more of the story, and then move back  to the music. 

Drew:  I knew what you brought would not disappoint.  Samite “Night Stories”  Begins with kalimba or marimba and some really gorgeous layered vocals, almost sounds prayerful.  Distant horn intersperses from time to time with those haunting vocals, as the kalimba sound continues as the foundation of the piece.  Little bits of harmonics drift in from time to time, reminds me of stars twinkling in night skies.  As far as I’m concerned, this could have gone on twice as long and still seem short.  Hamza El Din “Nagrishad”  This one, I will have to recuse myself from.  I have this on CD and have been lucky enough to see Hamza El Din live a couple of times in a very small, beautiful old church in Santa Cruz.  Just a wonderful musician, a completely authentic performance and mesmerizing piece. 

Lewian:  Tony Allen & Hugh Masekela “Never (Lagos Never Gonna Be The Same)” Jazzy piece (as expected), very infectious groove, staccato vocals, great understated drumming, too.  Sad and moving memorial piece, taking it all down to some of what life is all about.  Dissidenten “fata morgana”  Has the feeling very much of Moroccan village music (which I enjoy), but in a modern setting.  So much Middle Eastern music is geared toward dance, so the beat doesn’t bother me, it’s just a bit odd to my ear without the heavier sound of oud and dumbek.  Gives it a lighter touch. 

dwill123:  Soul Makossa “Mano Dibango”  Funky, repetitious vocals, steady beat throughout with horn punctuating, also repeating it’s own sound.  Vocals come back in and out, then there’s a more full horn section, which also repeats. 

suitkees:  Sunburst “Vijana”  Definitely more rock than we’ve been hearing thus far.  Interesting to hear a more “standard,” rock structure, but with a decidedly African edge.  I like the bass in this one a lot.  They close it out with a bit of a horn, then a fuzzy bass-y guitar solo.  Pili Pili “Hoomba Hoomba”  A jazz/rock-type setting here, which is nice to hear.  Lots of effected keys and horn in this with a steady conga player setting the pace.  Angelique is fun to watch in this live setting, also, when she finally gets a chance to add her part.  Afro Celt Sound System “When I Still Needed You”  Begins with some keys sounding vaguely concertina-like and a way-back-there drone underneath it.  Some guitar and bass starts building up and some drum and light cymbal-ly thing accenting the sound here and there.  Pretty, fairly deep female voice, with just a touch of vibrato, comes in about halfway in, building the tension nicely.  I really like what the acoustic guitar is doing underneath all of this.  This is my favourite of the 3 you brought this time.