Great Spirits

An Emerging World Music Star From South Africa

      In the past decade or two, a new breed of artists has been emerging on the world music stage. Unlike the giants of world music who emerged in the Seventies and Eighties--Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Bob Marley, Youssou N'Dour, Nusrat Fateh Ali-Khan, to name a few--this new breed functions like the American and European artists who interpolated and assimilated elements of various foreign musical cultures into their music. Everyone --even people in rather remote areas--is now plugged into the same global grid. Bottom line: if you have access to a computer--or even a mobile phone!--you are in touch with and immersed in music and culture from the entire globe. So artists such as Rokia Traore from Mali, Chieck Lo from Senegal, Manu Chao from Spain, Chino from Jamaica, Buika from Spain and many more make music that may be rooted in the musical culture of their homelands but they take musical elements from any number of other cultures to create something fresh and unique. Indeed some of the most compelling artists now emerging are progressive artists originating outside the Western world. 

     One of these artists is Simphiwe Dana from South Africa. Now thirty years old, she has just released her third album, "Kulture Noir," and it confirms her as sublime artist of great depth. She's been called "the new Miriam Makeba" but any strong new female vocalist in South Africa tends to acquire that label. Her vocal style, though grounded in some of the same vocal traditions as Makeba's, isn't all that similiar. Others have compared her to Erykah Badu, though that seems more based on her "look" and presentation; on her first two albums she sported a huge elongated headdress a la Badu; in truth she sounds nothing like Badu. Dana was trained a as graphic designer  so her album graphics, videos and personal presentation reflects an edgy, striking ambience, as seen in this video:

           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRm74OwziZ4

  More apt is the label "South Africa's answer to India.Arie."   On the first two albums, her sound incorporated South African traditional music and township styles, jazz and soul/R & B. At times she could present as a jazz singer:

         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNbjCmW5g4E

The new album feels more organic and skews that balance much more toward South Africa. But each track has elements from beyond the South African universe. The opening track, "Ndimi Nawe," is a stately 3/4 time groove created by acoustic piano, electric bass, acoustic guitar, trap drums, hand percussion, synthsizers, sitar, tabla and vocal chorus. Sung in Xhosa, it is a recognizable South African song form but the production and subtle contributions from the musicians take it beyond typical South African traditional or popular song. In the end it is uniquely gorgeous, led by Simphiwe's passionate, robust yet finely calibrated singing."Ndim Iqhawe Part 2", on the other hand, offers a gently rolling groove rooted in township jive and jazz anchored by strutting electric bass and jazz chords on the acoustic piano and chattering electric guitar. The groove intensifies as the musicians add inspired, unique embellishments with Simphiwe riffing and commenting vocally. "Zobuya nin iiNkomo" opens with a kora over electronic keyboard lines. Simphiwe sings with great deliberation and the results are unlike anything else I've heard. Perhaps the standout track on the album is "Undishiyilo", which is based on a slow, loping jive groove overlaid by strings and electronic elements, a percussion figure and trap drums. Everything about the track is understated, with Simphiwe laying in the groove, unhurried, until halfway through she soars up into the upper portion of her register, declaiming soulfully. The musicians move with her, intensifying the music in most subtle ways. It is simply mesmerizing.

      "Kulture Noir" is mostly slower tempos and overall a mellow, almost meditative mood. The sonic palette shifts from song to song but it all coheres into an organic whole. You hear familiar sounds and rhythms but Simphiwe and her cast of impressive musicians create novel uses for these familiar elements.

      Simphewe Dana has been touring in Europe for the past years but has yet to tour in America. As far as I know she has never performed here, though she has done some recording in the States. If she does make to America, run don't walk, to see her perform. Meanwhile, enjoy the three outstanding albums she's recorded to date, the impressive resume of an emerging star.

      

    

Treme'

      There's been a lot of publicity about the HBO tv series Treme', and deservedly so. Now in its second season and produced by the team that brought us the acclaimed series "The Wire", Treme is a slice-of-life, music-driven drama set in post-Katrina New Orleans and featuring an indelible cast of characters from diverse walks of life. Many people really don't know what the title "Treme''" refers to. It is a reference to the New Orleans neighborhood of Treme', a pivotal area adjacent to the French Quarter that has been of great significance in New Orleans history and culture. Treme', you see, may be the oldest African-American neighborhood in the country and certainly was the oldest residential area for "free people of color" in the slave-holding South. In New Orleans, under the sway of French law, a slave could under certain circumstance obtain his or her freedom. As such Treme' was a cultural cauldron. In the early 1900's Treme' including the area dubbed "Storyville", which became the officially designated area for legal prostitution. It was an entertainment district and musicians were an important part of the district's life. Jazz didn't start there but in the houses of ill-repute and adjacent inns, "piano professors" and small combos provided exposure for hot new musical styles. Even after legal prostitution was ended in the area, the district was a vibrant entertainment center, with many nightspots and bars featuring music. Then in the 1930's the buildings in the district were leveled to make way for the Iberville housing projects. A lot of history was wiped out but the neighborhood character remained unique--close-knit and a spawning ground of musicians.

      When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Treme' was flooded but did not suffer as much permanent damage as many other areas. But the authorities prevented residents of housing projects--including Iberville-- in the city from returning to their homes in the projects, under the guise of safety concerns. A plan was floated to demolish the projects and replace them with lower density housing. This plan was suspect since most of the projects were still habitable. It seemed dubious that the replacement housing could accomodate all the former residents of the projects and of course there was a question of what would the displaced residents do in the meantime--assuming they could afford the new housing options. Some residents did return to the Treme but post-Katrina edicts by city officials and aggressive policing made their lives difficult. It become common to hear stories of neighborhood residents being harrassed by police for simply sitting on their front steps, drinking a beer. In addition, traditional gatherings--parades staged by Social Aid And Pleasure Clubs, Mardi Gras Indian gatherings and brass band street parties--were targeted by the city. The cost of permits were increased to the point where these events were threatened.  Concerns about crime caused police to supress them. As a result, some of the oldest cultural traditions of New Orleans were undermined; their very existence was threatened. These traditions were and are the well-springs of New Orleans music.

        Real estate speculators began buying up property in Treme as, ironically, with the success of the television series, guided tours began bringing tourists through the neighborhood, even as the people of the neighborhood, whose forbears had helped create the neighborhood's culture, were being forced out. The very unique qualities that make Treme historic and cultural important are being wiped out at the exact moment that the district is being celebrated internationally.  A movement is underway to combat this trend and to support long-time residents. A documentary film "Fauborg Treme'''", which was begun prior to Hurricane Katrina, was completed and is available on DVD.

        New Orleans has a poor record when it comes to supporting indigenous New Orleans music. The current assault on one of the most culturally important parts of the city falls in line with that trend. New Orleans music has been nurtured by close-knit families and rich neighborhood relationships. If those familial and neighborhood grassroots relationshps are severed something irreplaceable will be lost. Watch the documentary, tune in to Treme' and get involved in the Treme' preservation movements. It is not yet too late!

The Irreplaceable Spirit Of Gil Scott-Heron

     Gil Scott-Heron has transcended this earthly plane...he was only 62. The news of his passing was shocking but not altogether surprising. I had seen him just last summer, performing at a small Philadelphia club called The Tin Angel. Gil had begun the show by coming out and telling jokes--one-liners--in a straight stand-up comedy mode, which was suprising. I hadn't seen Gil in person for close to two decades and his appearance startled me. He looked gaunt and worn and at least several years older than his physical age. His trademark Afro was gray...but his eyes still twinkled and he still had that mischievious smile.

       After ten minutes of quasi Borscht Belt joke-telling, he sat down behind a Fender Rhodes and began to sing and play, with that familiar, loose, jazzy sensibility, touching on some of his early classics. Between songs, as always, he delivered his ruminations, spiked with humor, irony and home truths. After several songs, he introduced a female keyboard player, and launched into a series of songs backed by their two keyboards. One by one, other musicians--a guitarist, a bass player, percussionist and saxophonist--strolled out and were introduced as they joined in the groove and guilt it until it was a pretty good approximation of the the Midnight Band. Toward the end of the set they jumped into a propulsive version of "The Bottle",  Gil's somber tale of alchohol addiction and its fall-out; it had been the first Gil Scott-Heron song I had heard.

     I guess you could say I came late to Gil Scott-Heron's music since when I had heard "The Bottle" in 1974, he already had three albums under his belt--the seminal "Small Talk At 125th St.", the classic "Pieces Of A Man", and "Free Will." And the version of "The Bottle" I heard first was the hit cover version by Brother To Brother. But I soon learned that the original was by Gil Scott-Heron, so I grabbed his new LP "Winter In America." , which contained the hit. The album was a revelation, a mix of jazz, blues, funk, poetry, rapping, singing, politics, spirituality and emotion. It was serious, angry, funny and thoughtful all at once. Gil was a writer at heart and his writer's eye kept him from lapsing into mere slogans. And he was just too intelligent and too honest to purvey easy answers or "feel good" platitudes. His intellect dealt easily and naturally with the conceptual realm but it was grounded in the reality of the streets, informed by the perspectives of the common man.

      Socio-political analysis was a driving force in Gil Scott's work but it was never an end in itself. On "Winter In America' there are tender songs such as "A Very Precious Time", "Song For Bobby Smith" and "Your Daddy Loves You", looking at love, the unlimited potential of a child to make a better world and the deep connections of family.  With Gil Scott you get a 360 degree perspective--revolutionary thinking leavened with humanism. Then there was "Watergate Blues", first-rate political analysis of the Nixon era that culminated in the Watergate affair and all that it revealed, that was both devastatingly incisive and often very funny--all set to a blues vamp.

     I got to see Gil Scott-Heron perform in the Seventies a couple of times, his band anchored by his long-time collaborator, keyboardist/composer Brian Jackson. Gil presided over the stage with an easy, commanding grace,  like a benign prince, tall, handsome, lanky, self-possessed yet engaging. He presented you with challenging ideas yet did so in a very entertaining way. There was nothing quite like the experience of Gil Scott-Heron and his band holding forth live

     In the Eighties I kind of lost track of Gil, after his "What's The Word, Johannesburg" anti-apartheid number. I began hearing that he had a crack habit, something that shocked me. If anyone could be invulnerable to drug addiction I had thought it would be Gil. He was too aware, too smart, too grounded, or so I thought. And he had written some of the most earing and true pieces about addiction. Besides "The Bottle" there was "Home Is Where The Hatred Is" (later recorded powerfully by Esther Phillips, herself a heroin addict), "Angel Dust", "Speed Kills", and others, so my reaction to hearing that Gil was caught up with addiction was dismay; "no, not you, Gi!" I thought. I didn't want it to be true it was. It undermined his health--probably contributed to his early death--and led to stints in prison which derailed his career, his personal life and his public voice. It just goes to show that anyone can be caught up.

     Media stories about Gil Scott-Heron's death tend to pigeon-hole him as a "godfather of rap", partly because his palette of monologues, poetry, and long narrations WERE, like the creations of The Last Poets, and the jive talk of R & B dee jays, seeming pre-cursors to the rap movement, and also because a number of rappers sampled his recordings and name-checked him as an influence. But Til was not very impressed with the work of most rappers (he once said "I can't accept the blame for it (rap)"). He took rappers to task for glorifying violence and negative attitudes toward women as well as for being superficial and not sufficiently mindful of history and the larger cultural context. Yet he was not blindly dismissive; he saw the potential and power of rap and argued that it should be used more constructively and intelligently.

     Casting Gil Scott-Heron as "godfather of rap" diminishes his art and his cultural significance. He was a writer (indeed both novelist and poet), musician and political commentator.  He was well-read and widely informed. He was a voice for the dispossessed and a tireless chronicler of the contradictions inherent in American society. His life and work was a constant reminder that revolutionary thought need not be humorless or without an appreciation for the vagaries of humanity. Indeed he demonstrated that revolutionary thought could be more effective, more persuasive with these qualities. Now Gil Scott-Heron is gone...and I wonder who will fill the voice his passing has created.

      In

What Is Gospel?

What is gospel music?  I'm stimulated to ask this question once again as I listen to the new CD by contemporary gospel music stars Mary Mary--among the biggest-selling "gospel" artists of the past decade. It is a question that has flared up generally and especially in the gospel community for at least forty years and, truth be told, even farther back if you think of the controversies occasioned by Sister Rosetta Tharpe and The Ward Singers performing in nightclubs in the Forties and Fifties. It's a question as old as the historically rigid divide between "the Lord's music" and the devil's music."

    I remember Ira Tucker of The Dixie Hummingbirds remarking to me in the late Seventies: "some of these new gospel groups, if you hear them from a block away, you can't tell if they're gospel or not." That was the time of the rising new "contemporary gospel" style championed by Edwin Hawkins, Walter Hawkins and Andrae Crouch--all of whom were shaking up the gospel world with a new sound that had elements of R & B and pop delivered in sophisticated arrangements. The controversy around them seems quaint today now that we have hip-hop gospel, heavy metal gospel, gospel jazz and any number of permutations that sound even less what some folk think gospel should sound like. There is irony in all of this since R & B, particularly what has been called "soul music", from the time of Solomon Burke (who was a minister) in the early Sixties through the classic soul era and into the Eighties, was essentially church vocal styles in the service of secular lyrics--songs about love desired, love gained or love lost. On the other hand, since then I've been told more than once that styles in gospel music usually derive from the previous generation's style of R & B, as if the fact that the style is no longer currently popular makes it permissible as a gospel vehicle. Maybe that's why George Clinton recently remarked that the true haven of real funk is in the churches!

     These days I've been shocked more than once listening to a gospel station and hearing a song in which the lyrics had such typical secular-sounding lines as "I want him so much, he loves me so good", etc. At some point you realize the artist may be applying these sentiments to God--but God is  often not mentioned. There are two ways to look at this. Many artists defend such ambiguous lyrics by saying that they are trying to reach people who are not church folk, especially young people, with the idea that they'll be seduced into listening to a positive message. More cynical observers might suggest that this is simply a ploy to get mainstream urban radio play and sell more records. The issue is only confused more by memories of hearing women in church calling Jesus' name in what can only be described as orgasmic tones!  Beyond the music, some of the hip-hop gospel artists strike poses on their album photographs that aren't much different than the "street thug" poses of secular hip-hop; if you look closely you might see that the gospel artist is dressed a little more conservatively or neatly perhaps. But the poses, the hard stare, the crossed arms, the aggressive posture communicates the "don't mess with me" attitude of the streets. At that point where does spirituality come in?

     So, what is gospel? Clearly, given the evolution of styles from church hymns and old-time shouts and moans, thorugh jubilee singing and the quartet style, "hard" gospel, the first wave of "contemporary" artists thorugh to Kirk Franklin's high-energy dance style, gospel cannot be defined simply by the musical style. And outside of African-American gospel you have pop, rock, country, old-time and many other musical styles used by gospel artists. So what really sets gospel apart from secular music?  I'd say two things: 1) gospel is singing about God and to God and delivering His Word (for Christians, the "good news") and 2) singing and playing gospel is a vehicle for exaltation, a transcendent state, tapping in and pouring out "the Spirit", something you hear and feel in the performance. So it would seem that true gospel must have one or both of these things. This can happen in, say, the qwaali music of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan of Pakistan, for instance, or in cantorial music or in old time hymns. The style does not matter.

     Which brings us full circle to Mary Mary's new album "Something Big"...is it gospel? The short answer: sometimes. The opening track, for instance, is a direct testimonial about the singers finding Jesus, who is identified by name. So, lyrically, that's gospel. The sound of the music is raucous, crunching pop rock with old blues licks...catchy, strongly sung..but I don't feel or sense exhaltation. Then there is "It Is Well", which is pretty much acapella, a lead vocal backed by electronically treated harmony vocals;  it sounds like ( and may be) an old hymn and the harmony of backing vocals has a very "old timey" feel. It sounds/feels heartfelt and pure. Other than that, most of the songs do not mention God and lyrically are not obviously different from secular music, though some fall into the "inspirational" category. Several tracks sound indistinguisable from typical current R & B/dance or pop/rock recordings in the overall production sound--which is on a par with the best of what's out there in the other genres. In short, with a couple exceptions, Mary Mary's new album is more inspirational pop/R & B/dance music than gospel. It is well done and, depending on your tastes, highly enjoyable. But if t his is labeled gospel then I can't help feeling that something has been lost.

A NEW INSPIRATIONAL REGGAE TALENT

      For lovers of classic reggae/roots reggae, the years since Bob Marley's passing have seen a gradual winnowing of great artists....with mainly the old guard carrying on the inspirational mode. But now and then a new light has appeared...Garnett Silk in the early Nineties inspired a new wave of roots-oriented artists...in the wake of his untimely death, Luciano stepped forward with some powerful recordings. Ironically African artists such as Lucky Dube and Alpha Blondy have perhaps been major torchbearers of classic reggae. In recent years there have been a few artists--I-Wayne, Tarrus Riley, Queen -Ifrica and others-- trying to step up in that space with varying degrees of success. They've all had their moments  but none have really been consistently impressive.Until now along comes Duane Stephenson.

      I first heard Duane Stephenson on a cut called "August Town" a couple years back; it was a really strong piece of social commentary inspired by a real event, when police shot up a dance in Jamaica. Impressed as I was by that track, I didn't pick up on  his first album. But did get his second one, BLACK GOLD, recently released on VP Records. It is a revelation, a presentation of quality in every respect from start to finish, a nice, varied set that plays through as a well-rounded album, unlike so many recent albums where it is just the same thing cut after cut.

        There are a couple different producers involved with BLACK GOLD but the bulk of tracks were produced by Dean Fraser in conjunction with Duane Stephenson, no surprise because Dean Fraser, Jamaica's iconic saxophonist, has been involved in some of the highest quality productions of the past several years, including Tarrus' Riley's breakthrough effort. Duane's voice is most often a wistful tenor but sometimes moving into resonant baritone. His phrasing is smooth, lyrical, with no waste motion, not a powerhouse voice but beguiling.

        The album ranges across a spectrum of styles. It opens with the heavy classic roots riddim of "Nah Play", a pointed commentary about the reality of "police and thieves in the street" and the accompanying violence, then shifts into a polished classic reggae backdrop for a grown-up love song on "Fire In Me." But the next cut, which philosophically addresses political leaders (with an intro from dub poet Mutabaruka!!) over a pretty bed of acoustic guitar and strings. "Deception", the succeeding track, also leads with acoustic guitar-led ballad about self-deception.  Other songs deal celebrating the virtues of a good woman, the conflict in the Middle East, a young girl-gone-bad, love, and daily tribulation. He displays his lyrical originality on "Sufferer's Heights", which begins by detailing the frustrations of a middle-class worker but then contrasts those frustrations with the more profound deprivation of a poor person. On cut after cut he ranges far beyond Rasta cliches or, indeed cliches of any kind. His writing shows thought, reflection, considered development. He does really a fine version of Dennis Brown's "Stay At Home", the afore-mentioned "young girl-gone-bad" song; his version, featuring a little rap by Queen Ifrica, rivals the Crown Prince's version.And he does a version of blues artist Bobby Bland's early Eighties hit "Members Only", which was popular in Jamaica. Clearly Duane Stephenson follows his muse wherever it leads and that's a beautiful thing. How many artists of any genre are doing that today?

      In this era of one or two good tracks on an album, Duane Stephenson's "Black Gold" is a fresh breeze, a reminder of what an artist can be in the hands of a true artist. Though I can't say he's broken new ground he has certainly shown that reggae is still a vital avenue for artistic expression. A pleasant looking dread who looks to be in his thirties, he's neither a heart-throb nor flamboyant in his personal style. He's just very real, very appealing, very solid. And in this day and time, that is a wonderful thing. It is too early to say if he has what it takes to capture audiences globally. He has yet to come up with a true breakthrough, signature hit. Until then, though, I am for one am going to enjoy "Black Gold" repeatedly.

Barbara & The Browns: Real Soul Gems

    I consider myself to be quite knowledgeable when it comes to R & B, soul, reggae, blues, and African music. But as much as I love the various musical styles under these categories , I have never been a fanatical collector. So there are various obscure gems that I don't have or haven't heard. Still, in this day when everything worth digging up seems to have been re-issued on CD, it is surprising when I come upon a really outstanding artist whose body of work is largely unknown to me. For that matter, it is surprising anytime you find something worthwhile that has not been previously issued on CD. It is actually kind of thrilling to know that that there are still great pieces of music to be discovered, even in these well-mind genres. One such artist is Barbara & The Browns, an R & B vocal group from the Sixties and the early Seventies. I had heard their name--encountering it first on the first volume of the Stax Complete Singles box set. There's a couple cuts on there but neither made a big impression on me. The minor hit "Big Party" just isn't a particularly great song. But browsing around YouTube these days--the ultimate treasure house of great obscurities--I chanced upon a Barbara & The Browns cut entitled "I Don't Have To Wait", posted by some beneficent music lover. I clicked on it and was rewarded by a warm, earthy slice of Southern soul balladry--really nice! Shortly after, I saw a rave review of a Barbara And The Browns compilation CD CAN'T FIND HAPPINESS--possibly in Mojo or In The Basement magazines--that gather together Barbara & The Browns' most notable releases over an eight year period from various labels, a collection curated by the good folks at Kent Records in the UK (God bless the UK soul fanatics, even as we forgive them their Northern soul deification of too many medicre obscurities!). A few mouse clicks on Amazon and the CD was on its way to my mailbox. The internet does have many blessings for the music lover.

     CAN'T FIND HAPPINESS brings together the best tracks from Barbara & The Browns' decade-long career which ended in 1972. THe CD includes five previously unreleased gems unearthed by Dean Rudland, one of those aforementioned UK soul fanatics, when he made a pilgrimage to Ardent Studios in Memphis, where most of these recordings were made. Amazingly only one of the five recordings on CAN'T FIND HAPPINESS managed to hit the charts, barely scraping onto the Hot 100 in Billboard. As good as Barbara & The Browns were--and they were very good--they never had a hit or anything close to a hit.

     Like so many great artists of the soul era, Barbara & The Browns started as a gospel group. The Brown family had ten children; Barbara and three of her sisters made up Barbara & The Browns. When they approached soon-to-be legendary producer Chips Moman, who had also a musician/engineer in the earliest days of Stax Records, about doing a gospel recording, he convinced them to record an R & B tune he'd written called "Big Party" and leased the master to Stax., where it became the groups only chart recording. Stax then put them together with Steve Cropper for a couple of songs but they did not hit. The group then when back to Chipos Moman, who was involved with the small ne label XL Sounds with its Sounds Of Memphis affiliate. It was a much a production company as a label becuase they frequently leased their productions to bigger labels such as Atco, Chess' Cadet subsidiary, Tower Records, MGM and others.

      Barbara had earthy voice that could soar but often had a raw edge. Shewas equally compelling on both ballads and uptempo material. The recordings on CAN'T FIND HAPPINESS embody classic Memphis soul sounds. The musicians on many of the tracks are the same great Memphis session players who played on on countless hit records for other labels--folks like Tommy Cogbill, Reggie Young and Gene Chrisman. Many of the recordings were done at Sam Phillips' legendary studio in Memphis. For me, the greatest moments on the CD are ballads, straight-to-the-heart, elemental tales of undeniable love and lust as well as the pain of love lost with titles such as "If I Can't Run To You I'll Crawl", "Things Have Gone To Pieces", and "It Hurts Me So Much(To Be Able To Look And TO Know I Can't Touch"). This is stick-to-your-ribs music for heart and soul. So I'm enjoying the heck out of Barbara & The Browns CAN'T FIND HAPPINESS. If you like classic southern soul music you will too!

Celebrating Lady T

   Earlier this week shocking news begininng popping out of internet outlets like a bad rash:  Teena Marie, known to her fans as Lady T, had died at the age of 54....it was shocking because she was way too young to die, and as far most people knew had not been experiencing any health problems (though news reports revealed that she had suffered a Grand Mal seizure around a month ago). The shock and impact of the news also had a lot to do the depth of meaning that Teena Marie held for millions of people. If the meaning of one's life is measured by the impact of one's death, then Teena Marie's life and music meant one hell of a lot. She was one of those artists who made great music, yes, but also had life-changing impact on those who heard her; she touched people's hearts and souls deeply. I was one of those people.

     As with so much life-changing music, I remember the exact moment I first heard Teena Marie's music.  It was in 1979 in my apartment in Germantown. A woman who was living me had just bought a new single--she bought the latest hot R& B/ disco singles each week. The record was "I'm Just A Sucker For Your Love"  with the flipside "Deja Vu" by Teena Marie, a new artist neither of us had heard of before. Though "I'm Just A Sucker For Your Love", a catchy piece of dance funk, was the hit, my friend played the other side for me first, saying "you have to check this out." "Deja Vu" immediately transfixed me. It was essentially a two chord vamp that ebbs and flows in waves that gradually build as Teena sings of mystical experiences, including the concept of reincarnation--hardly a typical lyric direction for an R & B ballad. The overall effect was hypnotic and transporting...but what really captured me was Teena's voice and vocal delivery. She threw herself into the song without any reservation or restriction--and she had the voice and range to soar.  Cliche adjectives such as "passion" or "soul" don't really do justice to the totally of Teena Marie's vocal expression. She made you experience what she was experiencing emotionally.

      That single--and the album it was taken from, WILD AND PEACEFUL--was on Motown Records. Teena's photo wasn't on the cover and at some point the buzz was that this great new R & B single on Motown was white. Much has been made by the media about this fact and it was sad to me that most of the recent media accounts of her passing have keyed in on this, as if it was the most important thing about her--the Queen of Ivory Soul etc, which diminishes who she was as an artist and a person. She was first and foremost simply a great singer and it so happened that her main medium of expression was rooted in soul/ R & B.  For the first few years of her career, her audiences were overwhelmingly African-American. And as I remember it, her race simply was not an issue. Yes, people remarked on the fact of her color once it became known but that was it. Black audiences accepted her because her music was authentic. She's wasn't simply doing a lesser or even competitive version of what Black artists had done or were doing. She created her own style rooted in gospel, r & b, jazz and soul and it was emotionally true.

      "Wild & Peaceful" was followed by a string of hit singles and three more magnificent albums for Motown in the space of three years that amplified and embellished the outpouring of passion and creativity and musicianship of her debut. She sang ballads, funk, quasi disco, jazzy fantasias and more. Her 1980 duet with Rick James (who had produced WILD AND PEACEFUL and was a mentor as well as, later, her lover) on "Fire And Desire" from his STREETS SONGS album is one of the most spectacular love ballad duets of all time--though, incredibly, it wasn't released as a single at the time. It showed off Teena's spectacular range, as well as highlighted another apsect of Rick James' artistry). In 198l, her huge dance/funk hit "Square Biz" featured Teena rapping in one portion, which was notable because it was a new thing for female artists to rap (though Debbie Harry had done it a few months earlier --but Teena's rapping was culturally more authentic), another case of Teena being on the cutting edge and tuned in to what was happening in black music.

       A dispute with Motown over their failure to release new material by her led to a lawsuit and Teena ended up on Epic Records in 1983 where, after some moderate successes, she exploded in 1984 with "Lovergirl."  Freed from the Motown system, she was very much in control of her artistry, writing, producing, arranging, leading the band and playing electric guitar in live performances, something which added another dimension to her persona and also opening up her image to rock/pop audiences. Her music took on more of a pop sheen but the essence was always the same, though "Emerald City", a "concept" album moved pretty far into rock territory.  Lyrically she was free to explore her metaphysical side.  I had the opportunity to interview her in 1984 just as "Lovergirl" was hitting, and I was impressed by her down-to-earth style and also the depth of her musical substance. She was happy that a writer was asking her questions about her musicianship and what went into the nuts and bolts of creating musically.

      With Epic, Teena achieved huge "crossover" success in that her music was heard on pop radio and her fanbase expanded to include a much larger proportion of white fans. But it was a double-edged sword because when her 1990 release "Ivory Soul" didn't have crossover hits, only R  & B hits, the diminished sales led Epic to drop her.  In 1994 she released "Passion Play", an adventurous album on her own label but didn't have much success with it. For next few years she concentrated  on raising her daughter but also began work on a new album, tentatively titled BLACK RAIN  But major labels weren't interested; she was 40 years old, which sadly, is considered "over-the-hill" in the music industry--especially for female artists, especially if you haven't had any big hits for ten years.  In 2000, I was approached by someone who asked if my company would be interested in releasing a new Teena Marie album, as we were getting into the adult R & B arena and were having some success on adult black radio.  He gave me a cd-r of the unreleased BLACK RAIN album and I immediately thought it was her best work since the "Lovergirl" period.  The thought of working with Teena was tremendously excited but we were very mindful of what it would take to properly re-launch her and at that point did not feel we could do the job necessary (a few years later we would have been more than ready!).  But I was happy--though somewhat bemused-- to see Teena land a deal with Cash Money Records, a success rap label. At first glance, it didn't seem like a great fit, but Cash Money was starting and adult R & B division and they did a good job of promoting LA DONA, Teena's first new album release in a decade. Very few veteran artist can match their earlier success when they release a "comeback" project but miraculously, LA DONA did. Containing some of the material I had heard on BLACK RAIN, it was musically strong and went gold, spawning a couple of hit R & B singles. Teena was singing as powerfully as ever and she picked up a new generation of fans to give with the first and second waves of fans who had stuck with her over the years.  A follow-up album a couple years later wasn't quite as successful, but still solid....and best of all Teena was performing in concert quite frequently.  I caught her at BB King's in New York City in 2008. When she first came out, for some reason she came around to the front of the stage and I didn't immediately recognize her. She was dressed down, with no flash and little make-up. Then she got on stage and delivered a two hour shows that gave us everything she had. She sang her hits, she sang new songs. She played guitar, she danced, she rapped and led the band.  It was an electrifying performance to a packed house.

      Last year she put out an ambitious, wide-ranging album entitled CONGO SQUARE, the title of which referred to the historic gathering place of slaves on Sundays in New Orleans, the one day they were allowed to come together to do the African-rooted drumming and dancing of their heritage. Many trace the roots of jazz to these gatherings.

      The last time I saw Teena was at the 2008 Rhythm And Blues Foundation Pioneer Awards, where she was honored with an Award, as was Chaka Khan and other legends. Teena was moved to tears by the award and then she performed a spine-tingling version of "Deja Vu" that brought the audience to its feet. Lady T was as magnificent as ever and that performance brought me full circle back that moment when I had heard her music for the very first time nearly thirty years before. She made you believe the reality of her experiences when she sang.  A huge number of her longtime fans are feeling a "hole in their soul" right about now. I am one of those fans.

 

The Vodoun Effect

   Prejudice is a terrible thing.  Way back in 1975, when I was living in Nigeria in the midst of the golden age of one of the most vibrant popular music scenes on the planet, I bought a couple 45 rpm 7" singles of a band from Benin (the country, not the city) called Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo de Cotonou, rumored to be that country's best popular music group. But the singles were unimpressive...undistinguished, somewhat out-of-tune, funky but aimless songs of the type I heard all the time in local Nigeria clubs. Compared to what I was hearing from the likes of Fela (then) Ransome-Kuti, Sunny Ade, Victor Uwaifo, Ebenezer Obey, Sonny Okosun, The Oriental Brothers and many more, Orchestre Poly-Rhyhmo de Contonou didn't seem worth bothering with. As a result, I paid no attention to other recordings by them that I occasionally came across. Flash forward to the New Millenium. In the 2000's, collections of recordings by Orchestra Poly-Rhythmo began to be reissued internationally on CD. A re-formed version of the band even came to New York and played a show or two. I didn't bother to check the reissues or shows out; I thought I already knew what Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo was all about and was not motivated to hear them. How wrong I was!

    By chance, I came across a couple of Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo tracks on compilations of West African Afro-pop and was struck by the uniqueness and appeal of their sound. As a result I recently laid out $18 with Amazon to acquire a collection of vintage Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo de Contonou singles called "The Voudoun Effect", issued by the redoutable Analog Africa label (www.analogafrica.blogspot.com) , which specializes on rescuing from oblivion rare African popular music that may only exist on vinyl copies in personal collections. In many cases, the original master tapes have been lost or were destroyed. In short, crucial swaths of Africa (and Arab, Asian and Latin) music history is being preserved by such CD re-issues by the likes of Analog Africa, Soundway(www.soundwayrecords.com), Sublime Frequencies(www.sublimefrequencies.com) etc, labels run by music hunters going out into the field and collecting rare vinyl from far-flung locales.

       Putting "The Voudoun Effect" into the cd player,  I wondered what I'd hear. The first track was nice but unspectacular, a catchy, light number rooted in local rhythms, with the predictable out-of-tune horns and sprightly electric guitar. The second cut immediately kicked things up with Afrobeat/juju rooted groove and intertwined Congo-style guitar; a couple minutes in, it became mesmerizing. Benin (formerly Dahomey) is a small country adjacent to Nigeria; it has a significant population of Yoruba peoples and/or people embracing Yoruba culture. That explains the Afrobeat/juju vibe in Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo's music. But their blend is fresh, eclectic, not simply derivative. Elements  of Congo (which is what the popular music styles of Zaire and Congo-Brazzaville was called back then) music, rock (psychedelic rock influenced many West African musicians in the early Seventies), funk, rhythms and melodies of traditional local musics, highlife, Afro-Cuban music, jazz and more were shifting components of Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo's sound. They were one of the most varied popular groups in West Africa     

     One track, "Nouessenename", began with a melody that seemed very close to a certain voodoo hymn I have heard. This is no coincidence as Dahomey was a center of the slave trade and slaves were taken from there to Haiti, among other places. What is called voodoo in Haiti is derived from the Dahomean varient of Yoruba Orisha religion. Essential to vodoun spirituality are some of the most complex polyrhythms on the planet. Thus, no surprise, Orchestra Poly-Rhythmo's music frequently uses these rhythms to create a hypnotic, transcental pulse. 

      For much of its heyday, Orchestra Poly-Rhythmo was under exclusive contract to one label--Albarika Store (which incidently was the label on the 45's I had originally purchased in 1975). But like many musicians around the world, Orchestra Poly-Rhythmo did side recordings for many other producers and labels. The recordings of "The Vodoun Effect" are drawn from these "moonlight" recordings from varioius labels. Compiler Samy Ben Redjeb has done a brilliant job of selecting the creme-de-la-creme of these recordings for this compilation; I'd say 80% of the tracks are excellent, many of them killer. Many of them instantly conjure for me the atmosphere of the many Nigerian outdoor bars or nightclubs I frequented during my three-year stay in Nigeria....a scene of scattered metal tables and chairs around a concrete patio underneath the stars, bottles of Heineken and Star beer crowding the tables, a swaying crowd of dancers undulating in easy-rolling waves to the rhythms churned out by the band ensconsed underneath a tin-roof overhang along one wall. The music would go on for many hours, the sounds reverberating into the night sky, earth-vibrating percussion and spare, hypnotic, repeated electric bass riffs, often played high up on the bass' neck, generating a vibration in the bellies and groins of the crowd. When the band was medicore, it was a tolerable way to while the night away; when the band was great it was heavenly, the whole scene cohering into something that levitated you. On the evidence of "The Vodoun Effect", a night with Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo de Cotonou in one of those clubs would have been heaven.

       Analog Africa has put out a collection entitled  "Echos Hypnotiques 2" of the band's Albarika Store recordings. I have not yet heard it but I'm going to get it. Soundway has a compilation entitled Kings Of Benin: Urban Grove 1972. I haven't checked for overlap yet. And there is a very enjoyable compilation of vintage music from Benin entitled "Legends Of Benin", featuring artists such as Gnonnas Pedro, El Rego, and Antoine Dougbe, none of whom were known to me previously. A collection entitled "African Scream Contest" brings together vintage tracks from Benin and Togo, including three from Orchestra Poly-Rhythmo de Contonou; this last collection is less exciting to me. Sometimes Western afficianado's of African (or other styles from around the world) become infatuated with obscure music as much for the idea of it as for the actual quality of the music. But even on that collection there is some nice stuff.

       Meanwhile, I could play "The Vodoun Effect" every day. I recommend it highly and strongly urge you to play it over a decent sound sytem with some good speakers to get the fully-effect. This is not ear-bud music! Thanks to Analog Africa for making this music available and saving a piece of African musical histry that might otherwise have disappeared!

 

 

 

LES NUBIANS NU REVOLUTION

Les Nubians are back!  After several years of low visibility the beguiling Afro-pop duo Les Nubians are on tour in America in advance of the projected 2011 release of their new album "Nu Revolution."  One of the more interesting artists to surface in the past fifteen years, Les Nubians have transcended what, in America at least, seemed like novelty status. For instance the probably were the only artist to have a French-language urban ac hit, with "Makeda" , a recording that sounded like nothing else on commercial radio.       

Composed of two French-born sisters, Helen and Celia Faussert, Les Nubians emerged as part of a wave of trans-cultural artists that has included the likes of Zap Mama and, more recently, M.I.A.--artists are draw on differently cultural currents quite naturally, given the globalized reality of human experience these days.  There is danger in this.....it is easy to be trivial, to blend superficial elements of different cultures with out tapping their deeper essence. an exercise in imaging and referncing. But when when this process stems from authentic experience, and the artist in question has sufficient talent to create something new out of different cultural elements, the results can be quite exhilirating.

Les Nubians came by their trans-culturalism quite naturally. Born of a Camerounian mother and French father, and growing up in cosmpolitan Paris, where large communities of Africans, Middle Easterners and Asians have for decades been a part of the Parisian kaleidoscope, they certainly were formed by a wide-ranging cultural experience. And then, in an interesting twist, the family moved to Chad, which was a much starker, an quite alien reality. It was there that they began to sing.

When they returned to Paris, they were on the scene, sponsoring poetry slams and singing acapella together.  In 1998 there first album was released in Europe to immediate acclaim and then in American in the following year.  The success of their hit "Makeda" in America was especially notable as mainstream America has generally been far more resistant than Europea to popular music sung in foreign languages and America's commercial radio has been far more segmented and homogenized. But somehow it all worked--the sister's exotic looks, Afropean fashion sense and the quite irresistible appeal of their music, which may have seemed lightweight at first but somehow worked. It was like a perfect souffle...all the ingredients in balance--various Afropop styles, hip hop, electronica, and European pop. They were invited to be guests on numerous other artist's recordings.

A second album followed in 2003, with the same appealing mix of sounds and rhythms as on the first album but not quite the same quality of songwriting...and then, nothing for several years, except the release of a poetry project featuring a number of poets.

The music of the new album Nu Revolution is more diverse...ranging from pure African percussion to electronicized semi-dance music. The quality of songs is quite good and the sisters sound as delightful as ever. 80% of the lyrics are in French, so there is no overt attempt to "dumb down" their sound for American audiences. It plays through as an album, an evolving experience. While we wait for the album to come out, Les Nubiens is crossing the U.S. on tour, having started on the West Coast and hitting New York City on October 15th. There I think they will be gratified to see that despite their years of reduced visibility, they have not been forgotten!

Lee "Scratch" Perry -- Genius

Reggae producer/auteur Lee "Scratch" Perry a/k/a The Upsetter is hailed as a genius and this is deserved. Not only has he been a prime architect of dub music but he created innovative, unique production techniques and brought the world some of the greatest works in reggae music (includind some of The Wailers' greatest works)--or any music (cf his work with The Clash and other rock/pop groups). That said, he has often diluted his greatness with a lot of not-so-great recordings as well his own eccentric, often downright crazy behavior over the years. As a result, not everything Scratch has done has been great, especially on his own solo recordings.

I thought of this yesterday when I was listening to "Vood-ism", a cd collection of some pretty obscure Perry productions from the 70's issued by Pressure Sounds out of the UK. There are quite a number atmospheric, vibey great tracks on it, most of them originally issued in very small quantities on 45 rpm vinyl in Jamaica. At the same time I was thumbing through David Katz's extremely informative biography of Scratch, entitled "People Funny Boy", after one of Scratch's solo recordings. And I reflected on the man I had the privilege of meeting and speaking with on a couple of occasions.

Scratch is now nearly 65 years old, and is in a pretty good place physically, emotionally and spiritually. First of all he is still here--a survivor when so  many of his peers have died or been killed. This is testimony to his survival instincts. He lives in Swizterland with his Swiss wife of many years, still makes music (though he professes not to be interested in working with reggae artists these days--despite that I got him to do a dub mix of the Horace Andy track on A Reggae Tribute To The Police project I was over-seeing.).  He still performs--but beware. A performance can range from an inspired, rootsy delight to an incoherent, off-putting disappointment, depending on his mood and the quality of musicians backing him.

I met him first in 1981 in a New York City apartment where he was staying for awhile. He had famously set fire to his Black Ark studio in Jamaica and was in the midst of one of most bizarre periods. I was supposedly there to interview him for my radio show but of course it wasn't exactly a normal interview. At that time he had the habit of writing slogans, philosophic statements and sometime spiritually-oriented gibberish anywhere and everywhere...he showed me the writing covering every blank spot on his sneakers as well as the walls of the apartment (he later was evicted from the apartment when he continued his wall-writing activities out into the hall). I was well aware that Scratch's "crazy" talk and behavior sometimes was just his fertile mind creating visions and situations that lesser minds didn't immediately understand...but which did make sense at some point. Lord knows he often did things in the studio that musicians thought couldn't possibly work but turned out to be brilliant in the end. Other times it was clearly a strategy to put off hangers on, would-be exploiters and others preying on them --and there were many of those, some of them dangerous, in Jamaica. But in our conversation I also got the impression that he started to lose track of the dividing line between "crazy like a fox" and just plain "crazy."  Some of this was fueled by herb-smoking but also for his heavy consumption of white rum during certain periods.

  But let's talk about the music. There's so much Lee Perry music on the market of varying quality I think it is worth pointing out some of the high points for those who'd like to really see his greatness. Regarding full album productions of other artists, obvious landmarks are his albums with The Wailers (Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer) known as "Soul Rebels" and "Soul Revolution" a/k/a "African Herbsman. Some say this is their finest work and I wouldn't disagree. Then there are masterpiece albums by The Congoes (Heart Of The Congoes), Max Romeo (War Ina Babylon), Jr. Murvin (Police And Thieves),Jr. Byles (Beat Down Bablyon) and The Heptones (Party Time). Of his own many albums I'd recommend  "Time Boom The Devil Dead", and "Battle Of Armegeddon". Of his instrumental and/or dub albums, whether under his own aegis or The Upsetters, I'd recommend "Super Ape", "Blackboard Jungle Dub" (one of the great dub classics), and any number of Upsetters collections on Trojan as well as "The Best Of The Upsetters" collections on Jetstar. But you have to check out some of the many compilations of his productions to really get to the nitty gritty--collections such as "Voodoo-ism", the "Arkology" multi-cd set put out by Island Records, Lee Perry & Friends "The Singles Collection Anthology 1968-1979), "Scratch On The Wire" and "Produced And Directed By The Upsetter."  Put on any of these, sit back, fire up some herb (or not, as per your wont), and immerse yourself in another world, Scratch's world, a world of no boundaries, a world where the interchange between the physical world and the spirit world is free-flowing. The essence of Scratch's world is the human spirit, the struggling, joyous, uncompromising human spirit navigating this most challenging earthly reality. Scratch has been navigating earthly reality for 65 years now and his here to tell his tale. It is a tale that may make you laugh, may make you cry or may simply inspire you by showing you things you've never seen before--but in any case a tale very much worth hearing!