This edition of Higher Ground features music by the Irish band Dervish, Ballake Sissoko and Vicent Segal, performers at Madison’s 2015 World Music Festival, Mario Bauza, Warsaw Village Band, Vieux Farka Toure, Haiti’s Beethova Obas, Daby Toure from Senegal, Mamborama, Joi Sound System, Eric Bibb, Hugh Masekela, Youssou N’Dour, Anoushka Shankar and more.
Opening with:
1. Alasdair Fraser/Natalie Haas ‘The Corrie Man’ Alb Tk 1 4.24
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Natalie Haas is one of the most sought after cellists playing traditional music today. She and Scottish fiddler Alas-dair Fraser have toured as a duo for over a decade before audiences at festivals and concerts worldwide and a Best Album of the Year at the Scots Traditional Music Awards in 004. Both will appear at the Madison World Music Festival this month beginning September 19th, 2015 details at uniontheatre.wisc.edu. The duo opens this edition of Higher Ground with, The Corrie Man.
Hilander’s Abundance, Culburnie Records, 2014
2. Aziz Sahmaoui/UniversityOfGnawa ‘InchAllah’ Alb Tk 1 3.56
On the work, InchAllah is Aziz Sah-ma-oh-oo-ee and his University of Gnawa band. Sahmaoui and company are now on tour in the U.S. with an appearance in Wisconsin September 23, 2015 at UW-Whitewater. Mazal, World Village, 2014
3. Vieux Farka Touré & Julia Easterlin ‘Little Things’ Alb Tk 1 3.23
World music superstar, Vieux” Farka Touré, the Malian singer and guitarist and the son of Grammy -winning Malian musician Ali Farka Touré is joined by American singer/songwriter from Georgia, Julia Easterlin on the composition Little Things. Touristes, Six Degrees Records, 2015
4. Boban I Marko Marković Orkestar ‘Caje Sukarije’ Alb Tk 1 3.33
Boban I Marko and the Markovic Orkestar, showcase a musical tapestry of Balkan brass music, Gypsy fiddling, Middle Eastern-sounding melodies spiced with a washing of the drumming style kindred to American funk music as revealed in the catchy tune, Caje Sukarije (Beautiful Girl). Gipsy Manifesto, Piranha Records, 2013
5. Beethova Obas ‘Rasanble’ Tk 4 4.27
When he first appeared on the Haitian musical scene in the nineties, Bay-toh-Vah Oh- Bah was immediately considered one of the most talented and inspired singer-songwriters of his generation. Oh Bah has forged an incisive form of blues with noted appeal to audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. The song Ran San Blay, Come Together calls on Haitians to unite. Music From The Chocolate Lands, Putumayo, 2004
6. Sohini Alam ‘Doyal Tomaro Lagiya’ Alb Tk 2 4.09
So-hini Alam, a British singer of Bangladeshi descent intones the tune
Do-yal Toe-mah-roe La-gee-ya, For You My Beloved. Khiyo, ARC Music, 2015
#1107 September 19, 2015 No. 2
7. Daby Touré ‘Ndema’ Alb Tk 13 3.31
Daby Toure’ raised in Senegal is no longer just an emerging artist. Toure’s star shines brightly as he takes center stage with opening track from his new 2015 release Amonafi, comes a song called Ndem about a man’s struggle to find work. He walks every day, he walks and walks, but every time he never finds work.
Amonafi, Cumbancha & Daby Touré, 2015
8. Vishtèn ‘Pour Jacob’ Alb Tk 9 4.06
More music by the Canadian roots music collective Vishtén and their revival representation of Acadian music, the ancestor of modernistic Cajun music. Vishtén’s style includes a touch of Appalachian bluegrass. Pour Zhay-cub, is fondly dedication to the son of one of the band members named Jacob. Mosaïk, Distribution Plages, 2012
9. Zedashe Ensemble ‘Si Vardisi’ Alb Tk 2 2.55
Another act participating in the 2015 Madison World Music Festival is The Ze-da-she Ensemble – a vocal and dance collective based in the eastern medieval fortress city of Sig-nah-gee, Cau-ca-sus Georgia. They are dedicated to sustaining polyphonic chants, unique to Georgia, that were largely lost during the Communist era. Their complex three-part melodies date back to pre-Christian times, comprising of music sung for the Orthodox liturgical services.
Intangible Pearls, Electric Cowbell Records, 2013
10. Joi Sound System ‘Amar Kahani’ Alb Tk 4 6.40
The United Kingdom’s Jo’s music sounds like the future according to some reviews. The original Asian fusionists were they say, always one step ahead of the game with their DJ-led mix of breakbeats and Eastern grooves, their electronic roots and real playing values, the way they would gig as both a sound system and as a fully-fledged band with vocals, keyboards, guitar, tabla, flute and sitar. Amar Ka-hani provides a musical glimpse of their futuristic philosophy where one love, one vibe are united they group says, with liberty. Joi Sound System, Real World Records, 2015
11. Raúl Rodríguez ‘Con La Guitarra El Blanco’ Sgls #111 Tk 14 3.19
Uniquely, Raul Rodriguez merges the Cuban tres guitar with two styles, Cuban son and flamenco, to create tres flamenco resulting in the work, Con La Guitarra El Blanco. Raźoe Son, Fol Musica, 2014
12. Mamborama ‘Es Solo Musica’ Alb Tk 1 5.24
Latin Jazz has its most direct and influential link to the music of the U.S., but its origins are largely rooted in Cuba while drawing on African dn European musical elements. Mamborama is a group, who started out playing together just for fun. They became a sensation. From their album Night of the Living Mambo comes Es Solo Musica.
Music Rough Guides: Out Of This World, World Music Network, 2004
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