A quick glance around the schedules

[Globaltruth]

Not quite dead yet

http://www.threebonzosandapiano.co.uk/

These boys are coming to a town near us soon. I'm wondering about going to see them - what does anyone reckon?

will it be:
a) old men being silly
b) an evening of riotous fun
c) a slightly awkward trip down memory lane
d) all of the above
e) something else

[johncorrigan]

http://www.threebonzosandapiano.co.uk/

These boys are coming to a town near us soon. I'm wondering about going to see them - what does anyone reckon?

e) something else

I'm sure it'll be in black and white and there will be a paucity of breeks present, Global! required I would suggest!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUq6ktf19WE

[Globaltruth]

I'm sure it'll be in black and white and there will be a paucity of breeks present, Global! required I would suggest!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUq6ktf19WE

Good call JC - think we've got to go
If only to try rid myself of this ear worm...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIGjUf4fppA

[Paul Sherratt]

My guess is :

http://www.dirtygarnet.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Sesame-Street-Dancing-D-Letter-D-for-Dance-.gif

[Paul Sherratt]

Actually I should have been able to have given a definitive answer - they played just down the road at The New Vic last year.
But I either forgot all about the date or wasn't able to go.

[handsomefortune]

thanks for the reminder globaltruth!

World Routes on 8th Jan (allegedly from 10-11), Lucy Duran introduces new albums of world music and a session with the Sakhioba Ensemble. The Sakhioba Ensemble is part of a new wave of groups exploring the choral heritage of Georgia. The country's rich and complex polyphony is thought to date from pre-Christian times, and the Sakhioba Ensemble are reviving ancient folk songs as well as the centuries-old repertory of church music.

i am absolutely ecstatic about this unique singing from the sakhioba ensemble, really tremendous. (although i heard something slightly similar, very early in the morning in mexico on a construction site ..... since all nations toil at heavy physical work, it wouldn't be that suprising if there were other worksong traditions that might also need preserving, or treasuring anew)? the ensemble exhibits superb singing, not a duff voice amongst them, (which i can't say for some of the strangled male opera singing from the ny met, that i accidentally heard over xmas)

Music critics and journalists Arwa Haider and John L Walters share their thoughts and reviews of new albums of world music

arwa's contribution was interesting i thought, and timely. after over a decade of new communities coming from the four corners of the world to settle here, we hear very little of their music new, or older .... (apart from if you know new settlers, or catch a blast of music from a passing car/etc) the reggae track with arabic singing was interesting in terms of the diy, home made approach of the music, and the ultra sensitive style of vocal....(though i suspect it may help appreciation not to understand the lyrics), but the quivering melodies were so unlike our home grown 'vocal bruisers' by contrast! as reggae goes, it was the ubiquitous sterile variety, that so often crops up all over the world...with a chorus of U2/edge-style guitar (ugh) ...but perhaps she'll get something better to sing over next time! or make her own backing tracks, probably be best for her, longterm. arwa's defence of (western) 'experimentation' by musicians on the compilation reviewed, was touching and annoying simultaneously, i thought .... of the stuff i've heard this far, i very much like lucy duran's approach, particularly the way she encouraged arwa and guests, and at one point lucy got very excited about archiving music ....which was deeply pleasant, and contagious in effect. i guess lucy's specific approach to world music put me in mind of charlie gillett, sorely missed.


and American author and broadcaster Banning Eyre (we usually like him - they should give him a chance on Wo3) reports on his recent time in Cairo, once the centre of the flourishing Arab music industry. He reports on the new interest in the music of the city's streets, as opposed to the commercially-produced sounds of the studios. This sounds interesting in the light of discussions elsewhere re politics and WM.

yes, really heartening to hear baning eyre's fascinating report from cairo. shame it's a one off though! what with the reggae track, and slightly ragga style of current cairo undeground music makers selected by eyre for world routes, the caribbean influence on so many different countries is apparently still enormous... presumably originating with bob marley onward? perhaps there'll be an egyptian bob along shortly?! ....though wasn't the 'studiotastic sounding' freedom track soppy as hell, as well as premature politically, and over produced, as discussed. i hope we hear a lot more from eyre, and particularly from egypt in 2012!

[Globaltruth]

Courtesy of BBC's media centre

Sunday 29th Jan. 10-11 pm. - WORLD ROUTES
2012 World Routes Academy with live performances by oud player Khyam Allami and veena player Hari Sivanesan (previous 'apprentices'), as well as the new apprentice and their mentor, who are announced at this special event recorded on the 27th (with, I think, forum poster Paul S in the audience...who hopefully will give us some insider info. soon after)
Launched in 2010, the BBC Radio 3 World Routes Academy aims to support and inspire young world music artists by bringing them together with an internationally renowned artist in the same field and belonging to the same tradition. The scheme targets forms of music and musical skills that are under threat to help preserve them.


World on 3 TUESDAY 31 Jan. until Friday 3rd Feb 11-12.30 - Oilrig's Late night sessions from Celtic Connections.
World on 3 hosts the Late Night Sessions for four nights during the final week of the Festival - from Tuesday 31st January until Friday 3rd February.
The line-up of the Late Night Sessions is always kept secret until the day of the event.
I have to say that we looked at the lineup and decided not to go - these shows vary between often self-indulgent jam sessions and sometimes magical moments when live music come into its own and the result is greater than the individual parts.... And no-one can tell which way it's going to go.


The Essay - The Sound & The Fury Mon. 23rd - Fri 27th 10.45 - 11.00 pm
The author and journalist Andrew Martin has a fear of loud sounds. In this week’s The Essay, he shares his thoughts on the noises that jar and annoy in the modern world - everything from piped music, to customer announcements and how to avoid them with earplugs and, in the final programme, on a retreat in deepest darkest Essex. Sounds fascinating, and I'm pretty much in agreement on most occasions, apart from some music of course....Deepest Darkest Essex sounds a scary place.



World Routes 22 Jan 10-11 pm.

This week, Lucy is in the town of Tulear in Madagascar. She meets musician, wrestler and magician Mandindry then takes a small boat to the remote community of Anakao where she meets a group who play mandolins stringed with fishing line. Lucy is also met with a bizarre challenge when she’s asked to kill a goat in order to visit the grave of renowned local musician Robert Rindy. I'm surprised this hasn't hit the media big time (Radio 3 announcer in goat killing shock). Perhaps she's watched that film & can knock them off with a steely stare. I would expect nothing less. All the music featured was specially recorded in or near the homes of the musicians on this mysterious and beautiful island. Some goats were hurt in the making of this show.

[Globaltruth]

And on Listen Again...

Don't forget to catch Eliza Carthy on The Verb, amongst a high quality lineup.
Excellent live performance.

(I'm guessing that Lat will be delivering a full review over on the Arts thread...)

[Oilrig]

You've seen the line-ups for the Late Nights, Global? Now that would take some doing

Shame I won't get to meet you then - I think we miss the mayhem of Showcase Scotland this year, so the Thursday and Friday nights will be marginally saner this time round. And we won't have the wrist-slitting essays just before we go on air as with 2011 - but then I think the CC audience got to love them in their own way...

[Globaltruth]

You've seen the line-ups for the Late Nights, Global? Now that would take some doing

.

I meant this really.

http://www.celticconnections.com/whatson

as opposed to those secret live nights....

and of course, looking now, there are loads of people I would like to see (esp. Lau, Kathryn Tickell, Frazer & Haas, Breabach, Blazin' Fiddles & Mary Gauthier, and many more) ...plus loads of new people - but when we decided the lineup was far from complete and at that point we weren't enthralled by the prospect of Martha & the Vandellas or the AWB. Probably we'll have to go next year as it'll be the last time we'll be allowed in without visas

[Lateralthinking1]

World Routes on 8th Jan

Interesting posts from the past week. I also enjoyed the last edition of World Routes handsomefortune. Would like to hear more reviews of world music cds each month. Perhaps an additional half an hour per month on World on 3. It doesn't happen in many other radio places. The guests were OK. Was that the John L Walters who gave us Einstein a Go-Go and produced Kissing the Pink? If so, how times change! I understand that a favourite place of Arwa Haider is the Undercliff at Saltdean. One of mine too. Makes for a nice afternoon following a morning in Rottingdean playing pitch and putt.

Baloji 5. A bit bland I thought. Ibrahim Maalouf 9. A terrific track and a whole new dynasty for Global to explore. Shiftz 5. I could respect it but it wasn't thrilling. Not entirely new either. It is also on the 2010 compilation "Babylon Bar Vol 2". Sambiasy & Samba 7. Nice and natural. Looking forward to comparing it with other music in the forthcoming programmes about Madagascar. On the live session, I thought the opener from the Sakhioba Ensemble was exhilarating but was slightly disappointed by what followed. It was impressive but it is the strongly choral polyphony that I like best as in Corsica and Bulgaria.

Banning Eyre was interesting on Egypt about the stifling of creativity under Mubarak. The big question, as always, is what emerges when it flows. The song from Hani Adel and Amir Eid sounded American. I don't like to see that in countries like Egypt. It just doesn't sound like freedom. Ditto, any overt hiphopification and that blasted auto-tune which should only have been used during those moments in Surrey when Cher was helped to conquer the world. Still, DJ Chippsy was wildly authentic - chaabi was mentioned while I was saying rai - and Mahmoud El Leithy had a nifty sufi thing going. The best two of the bunch by many miles.

World Routes Academy

So to the World Routes Academy. My request would be that they pick an apprentice who has personality as well as talent. They did wonderfully well to choose Hari Sivanesan whose musical journey was seriously informative while he also showed charm. They also need to find the new student some good mates. Hari's collaborations with Omar Puente and Synove Bjorset were highly memorable and among my radio highlights of last year. Sadly the parallel exercise on The Verb was poor because the performers weren't the right ones for the context. Here endeth lesson one.

[Globaltruth]

folk music reporting

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/worldfolkandjazz/9014912/A-feast-of-new-Folk-music.html

A slack and lazy piece of journalism from the Telegraph's Digital Culture Editor - seguing from an ok review (actually mainly factual reporting) of The Gift Band Cd to some blatant plugging for some pretty average groups (with one notable exception of course and, to be fair, I haven't found anything by Letka to listen to so they may be supremely fab).

Disappointing.

And here's one he missed (alternatively, here's my blatant plug)...

http://jimmoray.bandcamp.com/

worth a listen in my opinion. and, if you like it, you can splash out six quid and get yourself a little piece of digital culture

[handsomefortune]

much as i enjoyed reading your brisque 'lesson 1' lateralthinking1,

I thought the opener from the Sakhioba Ensemble was exhilarating but was slightly disappointed by what followed. It was impressive but it is the strongly choral polyphony that I like best as in Corsica and Bulgaria.

no, no, no - lat, tis the other way round! ;)

the first track, a bit like a choir, was not that special - (bulgarians probably do it better) but the melodies, yoddling, and other unfathomable patterns of communication between singing workers, as illustrated last, had me back listening again, and again, and again. i am guilty of physically forcing passing unsuspecting vistors to listen too ....! i don't know about you guys, but i have been practisiing my amatuer yoddling ever since... :)

if you mean the compilation albums made by the beeb of both archive, and newer recordings, which defo sounded a worthwhile purchase. whereas the compilation cd's made abroad with random tracks on, by eg 'egyptians' provide an ideal opportunity to feedback, let musicians abroad know that hiphopificaton is longterm a step backwards, and definitely not forwards. ie further backwards towards a grotesque 'universal sameification' exercise....and only those managing to successfully avoid this pitfall, by whatever means, might be roundly applauded on 'world routes' etc....ideally. though i think a whole new dynasty for Global to explore. is what we all seek in listening to the radio ... as this has been proven to be the case in the past.....long may specific efforts be made so that this prospect remains a possibility...in this sense banning eyre was ideal, and up to the task. however, having listened to an unrewarding 'world on 3' friday night, it illustrated perfectly why 'sameification' is both dangerous, and what's more mundane as hell. the 'bob dylan copy' featured, also supports this point perhaps?

the madagascar sesh last night was great, as i am a sucker for a theme - rather than darting about too much in one programme, theme-free. lucy duran got excited about all the right things, in terms of 'non hiphopification'....such as fishing line, and brake cable guitar strings, and the unusual style of playing ....madagascar came across as a genuinely fascinating place that's 'in the people, and in the music' (an idiosyncratic local understanding, as mentioned) a pivotal influence on the surrounding areas, and beyond. personally, could probably go a series on this place, and its magical effect on those who live there ...... as well as a beeb compilation cd of madagascan music recorded recently, and from archive material.

auto tune - imv at its best when used by the priest for his more predictable sermons, in the r4 comedy series 'the music teacher' ....(if anyone else caught this short mini series, they will be quite clear as to why i favour this specific useage)! i think using auto tune in case you go flat, or hit an especially naff section in a duff song, is to misunderstand the whole idea of song writing, live performance, and also the very notion of 'perfection'. let's just hope the new generation of homemade music makers grasp this, and reject auto tune, as well as other limiting gadgets, and universally ubiquitous, corporate-owned music styles! let's hear it for geographical specialities, such as lat's fave the nifty sufi thing

[johncorrigan]

personally, could probably go a series on this place, and its magical effect on those who live there ...... as well as a beeb compilation cd of madagascan music recorded recently, and from archive material.

hsf - I loved the three previous recordings from this series from Madagascar, as well as last night's show, but in particular I loved programme 3 which if you have not heard, I heartily recommend and if you have; well I still heartily recommend it.http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00ps0sh

[Lateralthinking1]

I haven't been to Madagascar yet but how true, hsf, about the yodelling. A good sharp edge is a man's best hedge against the uncertain vagaries of life but I never could sharpen no knife like the one who gave the advice "yodel-aye, yodel-aye, yodel-ooh".

Enough of one Corb Lund who is great live by the way. The Bob wannabe aside, I thought Lopa did well this week. I enjoyed the University of Gnawa in session - trance is what you make it - and always tend to like the latin. A yes then to Che Sudaka, Brazuka Fina, Carlos Orozco, Beny More and Mario Moita and a very big yes to Samba Chula de Sao Brazil who really appeal to me. Something perhaps about the fact that they are the last people standing in their field. It is so easy to identify with it.

The other two standouts were Oum Kaltsoum's song from 1926 and the wonderful "Baghdad" by Ilham al-Madfai. In fact, the latter was my favourite and it will be played several times this week. Bodes well for the imminent "World Routes On The Road" cd. There is also a piece on him on the BBC website that I would have provided a link to here but the server currently has a problem.