Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba continue to dominate the top spot on this month's European Broadcast union Top 10 World Music chart. The Malian, who has brought the ngoni or Malian lute, to global fame, is on a hectic summer touring schedule that sees the band play in European and US festivals. Catch him if you can but if you can't get his new album Ba Power.
The most interesting new entrant to this month's chart is the new release by the Buena Vista Social Club, Lost And Found. The veteran ensemble recorded an album in 1996 that led to global fame and a documentary by German film director Wim Wenders that garnered an Oscar. Sadly, the leader Compay Segundo and several others have passed away but the new release, which was taken from out-takes of the original recordings and live performances, continues their remarkable story. Definitely one for fans of classic Cuban music. I would also recommend that fans of Congolese music — as I've said often in this column, once you've tasted Congolese music your life, hips and feet will never be the same again — should check out Mbongowana Star's album From Kinshasa, with guests Konono No.1, the stars of "Congotronics" street style, a mash-up of sounds played on found and home-made instruments, and played through scratchy ancient audio equipment. Very different to anything else on the World Music chart, but very catchy.
Several fine albums turned up on the World Beat desk this past week, including some terrific Ethiopian instrumental jazz and funk from Hailu Mergia and some sizzling soul from Eddie Floyd who recorded at the legendary Stax studios in Memphis in the 60s. More on these two in later columns.
I was in a DJ show at Studio Lam earlier this month, with a focus on R&B and other music, such as mambo and mbaqanga (South African township jive) from the 50s. A good crowd turned up and it was delightful to see "young 'uns" jiving to piano blues, jump jive and Chicago R&B. Professor Longhair's New Orleans' classic Big Chief got one of the biggest cheers of the night.
I mention the gig because several of the songs I played that evening appear on a companion CD, Piano Blues, selected by Clint Eastwood, from the documentary of the same name he made for Martin Scorcese's film series on blues (check out the film on YouTube, it's excellent). I was recently handed a copy of this fine compilation. The CD traces the evolution of piano blues from small combo blues to boogie woogie and R&B and it features classic tracks from greats such as Art Tatum, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Ray Charles, Professor Longhair, Thelonius Monk, Dr John and Jay McShann. Highly recommended.
Finally, local label Zudrangma Records has several new vinyl releases out. On the Zudrangma's Thai music label, Paradise Bangkok, the eighth single in the series features a killer Waipod Petchsuphan track Ding Dong (the title was taken from the Italian sex comedy, When Men Carried Clubs And Women Played Ding Dong) on the A side and a surreal ranad track, A-Ba-Ni-Be from the unknown Super Ranat Band. Label owner DJ Maft Sai told World Beat that a new imprint, Eastern Connections, has been launched with the release of Ali New Biye by Northern Ethiopian singer Hanna Mekonnen and her band. The new tracks were recorded in Addis and mixed in London. He said that the new label will explore the musical connections between East Africa, the Arab Peninsula, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean.
The Paradise Bangkok Molam International band of Zudrangma Records heads off for a European tour with dates in London and the UK, Holland, France, Switzerland, Spain and Portugal. The band's last Bangkok gig before departing will be at Studio lam (Sukhumvit 51) on July 1st. Visit www.zudrangmarecords.com for more.
