Melos - Chants de la Méditerranée / Mediterranean songs

 

Artist:            Melos

Album:          Melos – Chants de la Méditerranée

Year:             2012

Line-up:        Keyvan Chermirani – artistic direction & percussions

                     Dorsaf Hamdani – vocals

                     Mohamed Lassoued – violin & rebab

                     Mohammed Rochdi Mfarredj – qanun

                     Drossos Koutsokostas – vocals

                     Kyriakos Kalaitzidis – oud

                     Kyriakos Petras – violin

                     Périklis Papapetropoulos – saz, bulgari, lavta

                     Juan Carmona – flamenco guitar

                     El Kiki – vocals

                     Sergio Martinez - cajon

Label:           Accords Croisés

μελος – 1. a member (a person in a group); 2. a limb; 3. a song, strain, the music to which a song is set, an air, melody (Lindell and Scott: Greek-English Lexicon)

The Mediterranean is truly a fascinating place in many ways but especially in the field of cultural history it holds a particular interest. The roots of the whole Western culture and civilisation are found in the Ancient Greece which was not summoned out of nothing but rather it was born in the course of over a thousand years as a result of interaction between the Mediterranean culture and the Arabic and Islamic cultures. The Mediterranean is not only a historical and cultural space of the researchers, historians and intellects but also the mystical and magical space of writers, musicians and other artists. All the numerous cultures of the Mediterranean form one singular and vast continuity where the same phenomena, thoughts and forms appear over and over again in different geographical locations and in different time periods. All these elements are rooted deeply in the space and time and thus one cannot separate one Mediterranean culture without taking account the greater network of cultural influences of the whole Mediterranean sea.

Melos is a project created by Saïd Assadi, the director of the French concert office, production agency and record label Accords Croisés and realised by the prolific Iranian percussionist and composer Keyvan Chemirani. Its' aim is to explore the endless Mediterranean culture and its' power through music. For this rather ambitious artistic pursuit of bringing together different musical traditions of the Mediterranean and modern compositions, Keyvan has not settled on gathering individual musicians from different Mediterranean cultures but has went even further by bringing in three whole ensembles forming a group of eleven people which features musicians from Spain, Morocco, Tunisia and Greece. The ensembles around the project have varied over the years around Keyvan but on this particular album we have the plessure to witness Juan Carmona and his ensemble, Dorsaf Hamdani and her ensemble and the Greek En Chordais joining forces to create something tremendous musically.

This record, simply titled Melos – Mediterranean songs, brings together three rich musical traditions of the different members of the project: flamenco from Spain, Greek music and maluf from the Maghreb region (Northwest Africa, west of Egypt). Additionally, other musical traditions and their elements are explored here going as far as to Armenia and all the way to India. Music presented here is an enchanting search of common musical grounds and counterparts of various music style and lyrical themes of the Mediterranean; Melos is a fascinating study of the similar musical modes and their functions and specially the rhythmic strength and possibilities which are exquisite and endless in the Mediterranean music traditions. Nevertheless, it is not only a piece of academic research but most of all an artistic creation. The one major problem with these kinds of fusion projects is the difficulty of mixing the two – and in this case various – different elements in one pot without it sounding contrived. The strength and the magic of Melos are that Keyvan Chemirani and all the talented musicians here succeed in making and piecing together songs which have all these different elements in them, and yet, they all sound natural. Here we have compositions which all at the same time have sounds and images of the past and the tradition, but still sound new and exciting, they might seem somewhat strange and foreign but are also somehow familiar. It is a piece of the mythical time which still can be found in certain parts of the Mediterranean.

Similar to the epic story of Homer's Odyssey, Melos is a musical and cultural journey where one sets off traveling the world and returns home, returns to oneself. The project is a glorious attempt to caress the whole Mediterranean culture and spellbind its' listener with its' magic never neglecting the integrity and the uniqueness of the cultures of its' individual members. Here the one who seeks might find a brief glimpse of the mythical time, the nature and the hidden.

Here is a 10-minute document about the project:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTZwB4N2c6E

Written by Παναγιωτιης

Taal - Skymind

Artist:        Taal

Album:      Skymind

Year:         2003

Line-up:    Anthony Gabard – electric & acoustic guitars

                 David Stuart Dosnon – bass

                 Loic Bernandeau – acoustic drums & lead vocals

                 Igot Polisset – electric & acoustic drums

                 Sebastian Constant – keyboards

                 Helene Sonnet – flute & vocals on Blind Child

                 Manu Fournier – violin & saxophone

                 Gaelle Deblonde – violin

                 Manue Bouriaud – viola

                 Mehdi Rossignol - cello

Label:       Musea

 

Imagination is the one weapon in the war against reality.

                                                              Jules de Gaultier

Every once and a while you run into bands and groups who are musically all over the place taking a wide range of influences from various different musical genres. As a result, you might get some totally batshit crazy, and yet ever so intriguing, mixture or just all mashed and messed up pile of confusion. However, on rare occasions you just happen to find those few hidden gems which are musically all over the map but somehow just manage to pull it off. One of those rare bands is the oddball and criminally unknown band from France called Taal.

Taal draws it musical influences from such genres as heavy metal, western art music, gypsy music, French jazz to name a few of the most prominent ingredients. Also, the line-up of the band with such instruments as the flute and saxophone completed with a whole string quartet in addition to the more traditional pop/rock groups' arsenal (guitars, bass, drums and keyboards) is one huge advantage that the band has in order to create very imaginative soundscapes. From these elements, the band is able to compose a surprisingly coherent and natural sounding whole earning the band its' own unique and impossible-to-copy style. The perfect manifestation of all the things so marvelous about Taal is their second album, and unfortunately the last as for now though the band stated back in 2007 that it was recording a new album, Skymind is creative, fun, humorous, complex, dynamic, beautiful, rocking and all around a fascinating album.

To describe comprehensively Skymind is not an easy task. Not only is Taal a very talented and creative group of musicians but they also have style: everything on Skymind is in a perfect balance and not one element in the enormous palette is misused nor overused, be it a certain musical instrument, a musical genre or any other musical element. Everything on Skymind feels justified and fits perfectly with what comes before and what comes after. Nothing on the record feels forced or contrived which is easily the case when mixing up so many different ingredients in one pot. On the other hand, while Taal showcases a certain discipline with its' music as the band manages to hold it all together perfectly, the music of the group is so spellbinding that it often brings me almost like a childlike enthusiasm and captures my imagination without any limitations. That is a power not to be underestimated. Skymind takes us truly on a musical ride where you go back and forth from more soft and gentle moods to more guitar driven rock feel. Skymind feels almost like a French musical carnival or circus where our imaginations are treated which such genres as rock, heavy metal, chamber music, gypsy music, French jazz, eastern music, electronic music, folk music... you name it.

Skymind is a delightful attestation of creativity, talent and originality; all features which are all to rare in the current musical industry. It is truly a progressive album as it mixes so many different elements seamlessly and all six songs here are unique little musical journeys and stories. If you are seeking something to get you again childishly excited about music, look no further friends. You will find it on Skymind.

Take a listen to the first track:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zKcDfUftVE

Written by Παναγιωτιης

Psarantonis - World Network Vol. 4: Crete – Son of Psiloritis

 

Artist:       Psarantonis & Ensemble

Album:     World Network Vol. 4: Crete – Son of Psiloritis

Year:         1991

Line-up:    Psarantonis (Xylouris) – lyra, vocals

                 Georgios Xylouris – eight-string lauoto

                 Achilleas Persidis – twelve-string lauoto

Label:       Network Medien

”Our home is up in the woods and in the caves of the mountains!”

There is no place quite like the island of Crete. It is a place where the legend, the myth, the past and the present are seamlessly merged. In ancient mythology it is believed to be the birth place of Europe as it was Zeus, the supreme god and the protector and ruler of mankind, who disguised as a bull seduced and kidnapped the Phoenician princess Europê and brought her to the isle of Crete. The myth also tells us that the roots of Europe lie in the Middle-East. Due to its geographical location it has also served a essential sea route to Egypt, Middle-East and Anatolia thus becoming a true melting pot of cultures in Europe.

On the northern slope of Psiloritis, the highest mountain slope of Crete (2,456 m), the village of Anogeia can be found – the last village before the majestic mountains. To outsiders the people of Anogeia might seem as reserved and rather silent. Yet, there is also open-mindedness and rebelliousness among its people. Historically, Anogeia and the neighbouring villages have been home to the mountain rebels who have fought against the Turks during the Ottoman rule of the empire and the Germans during the World Wars.

Anogeia has also been the home of the island's most famous lyra players and particularly the Xylouris family which has produced some of the most well-known musicians of Crete. The most famous member of the Xylouris family is considered to be the composer and singer Nikos Xylouris who died too early of laryngeal cancer. His bother Jannis also works as a musician but the third brother has now taken the family crown as the leading musician. He goes by the name of Psarantonis and has dropped the family name since he felt that only his late brother Nikos deserves it. Thus Antonios Xylouris adopted his grandfather's name, Psarantonis in which echoes the rebellious past of Cretans and the people of the villages on the slopes of Psiloritis. The grandfather of Antonios was known for his active resistance against the Turkish occupation in the 19^th century and thus earned him the nickname Psarantonis which is a combination of the name Antonios and the Greek word fish (ψαρα, psara) – the one who catches the Turks like fishes in the net.

In addition to singing, Psarantonis plays the principal instrument of Crete which is the threestringed fiddle lyra which is held on the thigh or the knee of the player. The strings are not pressed down against the neck as in the violin or the cello but grazed with the fingernails which allows fast and dynamic playing and the subtle use of ornaments. Normally, the lyra is accompanied by one or two lauotos; instrument similar to the lute with four or occasionally six double strings. On this record, Psarantonis is accompanied by Achilleas Persidis on twelve-string lauoto and Georgios Xylouris (the son of Psarantonis) on the more traditional eight-string lauoto.

The folk music of Crete bares some resemblance to its people: it might appear rough, harsh and monotonous at first but closer listening reveals the same unspoken magic which the whole island has. At the same time, the music of Psarantonis sounds almost ancient and rather strange, yet so familiar and new. People often refer to Psarantonis as the wild bard due to his looks, character and music. The dynamics of his music range from tender to temperamental, from gentle to wild, from almost a silent whisper and whisteling to moaning and screaming. His bow dances across the strings of lyra effortlessly. Even tough his repertoire includes performances of traditional Cretan folk music, the major part of his art is his own compositions and poems. His interpretations of traditional songs, his playing and singing are all very distinctive, independent and experimental by nature. This is also what makes him stand out as an artist to his own right.

If you are looking something which is old but new, strange yet familiar at the same time and something which captures the magic of Crete, this album is the perfect place to start your journey with Psarantonis.

Take a listen to the first track:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPPOdW1Zyhc

Written by Παναγιωτιης

Estradasphere - Palace of Mirrors

 

Artist:    Estradasphere

Album:  Palace of Mirrors

Year:      2006

Line-up:

              Tim Smolens: contrabass, electric bass, surf guitar, keys, mouth harp

              Jason Schimmel: electric & acoustic guitars, organs, lapsteel, keys, fuzz bass

              Timb Harris: violin, trumpet, electric & slide guitars, mallets, orchestral perc., mandolin

              Kevin Kmetz: shamisen, electric guitar

              Adam Stacey: accordion, piano, clavinet, rhoder, tack piano, melodica, organs, 

                                     synthesizer

              Lee Smith: drums

Label:   The End Records

Estradasphere is an interesting USA-based band of multi-instrumentalists that were most active in the early 2000’s. To best describe their style would probably be to compare it to those of bands such as Secret Chiefs 3 and Mr. Bungle – indeed, they are one of those bands that, when asked “what genre of music do you play?”, answer with: “all of them.” This of course makes for some wonderfully demented if not utterly insane musical experiences, but the album I will be talking about now is probably their most restrained and stylishly consistent one (although that’s not saying much when it comes to this band).

Released in 2006, Palace of Mirrors is the band’s fifth full-length album and at least for now the last one they made. The first thing that comes to mind when listening is that it is very cinematic. The album very much resembles a soundtrack, just without a movie to go with it. This does not make it feel incomplete, however, as the listener is free to imagine their own film to go along with the music. It’s actually quite uncanny how visual some of the songs are in this way. The amazing title track, for example, would of course be the main theme of the movie, heard alongside slow camera pans of the scenery in which the film will be taking place (the first 40 seconds or so would be heard on the DVD menu).

A few songs evoke the work of the great Ennio Morricone, which somewhat explains these soundtrack-like feelings I get from the album. But it’s not like Palace of Mirrors is only repeating film music tropes (although they are in there) – the band very much makes its own twist on things. The absolute standout track for me is A Corporate Merger, which starts off groovy but restrained, and in the end takes a sudden (and awesome) turn into metal in the last repeats of its main theme. Another very memorable track is Smuggled Mutation, which sounds like a metal band found themselves at the rehearsals of a violin virtuoso, and just decided to start playing along. The weirdness of Flower Garden of an Evil Man also reminds us that this is indeed no ordinary soundtrack album.

Palace of Mirrors for me hits a sweet spot in keeping its tone consistent while also exploring a huge variety of moods and musical styles. Just pop this into your headphones and transform any boring walk through town into an interesting cinematic experience.

The title track on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6Io220_J2I

Written by Those Who Know 

 

The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation - Succubus

Artist:      The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation

Album:     Succubus

Year:        2009

Line-up:   Jason Köhnen - bass

                Gideon Kiers – drums

                Eelco Bosman – guitars

                Hilary Jeffery – trombone, oscillators

                Charlotte Cegarra – vocals

                Sarah Anderson - violin

Label:      Ad Noisem

She is perfect. A disciple who mirrors my own image. The essence of evil. A devil on Earth.

The Killimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble is a Dutch musical project formed in 2000 focusing on creating new music for already existing silent movies. The music of the group has been labeled often as dark jazz which is considered as a form the dark ambient genre bringing influences contemporary slow tempo jazz mixing them with the dark atmospheres of Film Noir movies and soundtracks and the mysterious and surreal vibes of the movies and soundtracks of David Lynch. The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation is the alter ego of The Killimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble which focuses more on live improvisation still maintaining the drone and ambient elements in the sound.

On the 15^th of January 2009 the band entered the studio to let some steam out and to get into the mood and groove before going on tour. They did a 75-minute long improvisation session which was wisely recorded. Being film enthusiasts the members of the band were viewing a 1969 movie of Spanish film director Jess Franco called Succubus which would deservedly also become the title of the recording of this session. The movie itself is about a female artist who performs in a nightclub as dominating erotic love queen who stages sadomasochistic murders. The general ”plot” of the movie is very vague and hazy but later it is implicated that the woman under the control of a mysterious man who might be the devil himself.

As the music relies mostly on free improvisation influenced by the immediate moods and effects of the movies, the album is not intended to be a new soundtrack to the movie but rather a love-letter and homage to the original film. Yet, the music here perfectly captures the sensual, erotic, murky and at times the surreal atmospheres and moods which the movie has. Thus, the record becomes a very mesmerizing and otherwordly experience where it is rather easy for the listener to lose himself into this hypnotic world of sound. The bass of Köhnen and the drums of Kiers create the musically pulsating backdrop on top which we hear the mysterious and tempting vocals of Cegarra which consist mostly of whispers and chants instead of traditionally sung verses. The trombone has also a lot room here to create that jazzy mood and also those fascinating drones.

Succubus is absolutely an engrossing musical experience which is full of the eroticism, surreal atmosphere and ominous connotations of its original source material. As the music was recorded on one take accompanied by the movies, it is recommended that the listener takes his time to sit down and listen the album on one sitting – preferably at night and in the dark to truely get to the proper mood.

You can listen to the album and purchase it digitally here:

http://shop.tkde.net/album/succubus

Written by Παναγιωτιης

Miguel Angel Cortés - Bordon de trapo

 

Artist:        Miguel Angel Cortés

Album:      Bordón de trapo

Year:         2006

Line-up:    Miguel Angel Cortés – flamenco guitar

                 Carmen Linares – vocals

                 Esperanza Fernández – vocals

                 Arcángel – vocals

                 Juan Antonio Suárez ”Canito” - flamenco guitar

                 Cepillo – percussion, palmas, jaleos

                 Julio Blasco – bass

                 Carmen Cortés – palmas

                 Raquel Enamorado – backing vocals

Label:       Karonte

The one common problem of instrumental albums is that they easily end up being musically uninteresting, self-indulgent demonstrations of the performers technical proficiency over his instrument. You are also more likely to find an instrumental albums like this if you happen to play the particular instrument which the album focuses on. No where is this more evident than in the world of the guitar. Maybe it is because I have been playing the guitar in various forms for over ten years now and have grown bored most of the music which relies heavily on the instrument. Yet, there is no denying that there is a vast amount of guitar virtuosos who are making instrumental albums where the guitar is playing the lead role and the other instruments are merely on supporting roles. This does not only go for the electric guitar but I have noticed a similar trend of mundane technical acrobatics in the flamenco guitar scene as well.

The flamenco guitar has two distinct dimensions to it: There is the accompanying element which is yet divided into the accompaniment of dance and the accompaniment of singing. Then there is the element of solo playing. Every professional flamenco guitar player has done the demanding duties of accompaniment before moving to pursue the stardom of a solo guitar player. Thus one learns the almost endless intricacies of the rhythmic dimension of flamenco as well as the harmonic and melodic conventions. To exaggerate by generalizing I would say that most flamenco guitar players are divided into accompanists and solo players. While most flamenco guitar players continue to work with dancers and singers among their own personal artistic endeavors, the majority of them are profiled either as soloists or accompanists. Then again we are blessed with guitarists such Miguel Angel Cortés who is recognised as a master of both of these fields.

Miguel Angel Cortés was born in Granada in 1972 to a flamenco family with a large history of guitar players. It is not strange then that Miguel Angel would continue the family tradition by picking up the guitar himself at the young age of eight. By the time Miguel Angel was 14 he was already doing tours all over the globe playing for many distinguished dancers. In 1990 he began to work with one the most famous flamenco singers of all time, Carmen Linares with his brother Paco Cortés, who is also unsurprisingly a guitar player. In the most recent years Miguel Angel has rose to the public attention by providing his imaginative but rock solid accompaniment to such great singers as Estrella Morente, Esperanza Fernández and Arcángel not only doing shows and tours with them but recordings as well.

Speaking of recordings, in 1998 the first solo album of Miguel Angel Cortés was released titled Patriarca. I have not personally heard the album and it seems that it has remained more or less unknown among even in the flamenco circles. However, eight years later Miguel Angel released his second album Bordon de trapo which finally has brought his skills as soloist and the maturity as a composer to a wider attention. This album perfectly showcases the versatility of Miguel Angel Cortés: what Bordon de trapo offers us is the technically proficient playing with the whole variety of flamenco guitar techniques including rasgueados, picados, alzapua and Miguel Angel's trademark staccatos. Yet, at the same time the album treats us with great melodies, harmonies and compositions in general not forgeting the various different flamenco styles present here and the unique treatment they are given. In addition to all this, three frequent collaborators of Miguel Angel, Arcángel, Carmen Linares and Esperanza Fernández appear here providing vocals for couple of the tracks making Bordon de trapo a even more rich listening experience.

I bought Bordon de trapo myself in the early 2011 and even after two years I find myself coming back to it on a regular basis. The album is merely 33 minutes long but due to its limited running time it never gets boring and I might play the album through twice at one sitting. Bordon de trapo is an album which captures the beauty and dynamics of the flamenco guitar with a modern touch while also respecting the traditional roots of flamenco. It is a work of love for the guitar which serves the music, never falling to just express the technical supremacy that one truly dedicated to the instrument might have. I you have the chance to witness Miguel Angel Cortés performing live it is strongly recommended you do that since that way you are likely to witness the full potential of this amazing guitarist. Meanwhile, Bordon de trapo is definitely worth your time and money. Olé Miguel Angel Cortés!

Here is a theme from the album demonstrating the capabilities of Miguel Angel Cortés as a player and a composer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpDNa58-Nvk

and an other where you can hear and see him play masterfully for a singer:

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

Written by Παναγιωτιης

Ustad Vilayat Khan - Raga Bhairavi

 

Artist:         Ustad Vilayat Khan

Album:       Raga Bhairavi

Year:          1991

Line-up:      Ustad Vilayat Khan - sitar

Label:         Indian Archive Music

It occured to me one day that even tough our blog has been up and running for eight months now we have not yet written about any true Hindustani classical record. Surely, a vast majority of aural explorers have gone the phase in their musical lives where they have shown some kind of interest towards Indian music. Be it through the hippie phase with a psychedelic flavor of the Beatles or the spiritual and musical connections of Mahavishnu Orchestra, there are many of us avid musicians and listeners who have found at least at certain point of yours life the music of Indian fascinating.

I am no exception. In my late teens, I was overly captivated by Hindustani classical music. Going through my own hippie phase when I was listening to artists such as Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd I slowly started to moved towards progressive rock and jazz fusion. I remember watching The Monterey Pop and Woodstock festival documentaries over and over. Altough I always marveled at the psychedelic guitar acrobatic freak outs of Jimi Hendrix, the part which left the most bewildered and overenthusiastic to pick up my guitar was the concert of the Indian sitar maestro Ravi Shankar.

Ravi Shankar is without a doubt the most well-known musician of Hindustani classical music around the globe. When I was contacting the only sitar teacher in my neighbour hood while I was seriously considering taking the sitar and Indian classical music up, he advised me to listen to certain artists. One of them was Ustad Vilayat Khan. Along with Ravi Shankar, Vilayat Khan is one the most recognised sitar maestros of Indian. For some reason the media and fans have for some reason set up Ravi Shankar and Vilayat Khan as rivals but personally I do not see the reasoning behind this. Like many of the professional Indian musicians, Vilayat Khan was born in to musical family dating back to the 16^th century. Wanting to originally to be a singer it was however his mother who saw more fit that Vilayat Khan was to bear the family torch of sitar playing tradition. Thus, Vilayat Khan was taught from very early on in the family style called Imdadkhani Gharana.

The master recorded for 65 years making his catalogue almost impossible to go through in one lifetime. The record which I bought (I think it might have been on a completely random basis) is a recording of Raga Bhairavi. To aggravate, a raga is ”the tonal framework for composition and improvisation in Indian classical music”. The Bhairavi raga heard here is traditionally an early morning raga. The scale resembles the Phrygian mode in the western system of musical modes.One interesting notion to be made with this record is that has no tablas (the Indian percussion) nor does it have a drone provided by the tanpura. This is somewhat a personal trademark of Vilayat Khan as he fills out the silences with the strokes to the chikari strings in the sitar. I personally do not have the competency to evaluate in great detail the performance of Ustad Vilayat Khan on this record as Indian classical music is overly complex to the uninitiated ears. What I understand, Vilayat Khan was a traditional interpreter of these kinds of grand, basic ragas. He is also undoubtedly a virtuoso of his instrument but here there is no unnecessary showcase of the virtuosity to be found.

This record is a very pleasant and soothing solo sitar record and if you are interested to broaden our taste in Indian classical music, the musical stylings of Ustad Vilyat Khan are the perfect place to start.

Considering the vast recording career of Vilayat Khan I found it too time consuming trying to dig up an audio sample from this particular record. Please enjoy another performance of the same raga:

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

Written by Παναγιωτιης