Between the sea and the mountains – Grit's Three November recommendation.
Almost all the artists were unable to give a record release concert on a live stage in November. Neither in Belgium, nor in the Czech Republic, not to speak of Iran. But that doesn't stop us from recommending three rather introspective albums from these countries.
I. Las Lloronas
Delicate, very dynamic music is played by the Belgian trio Las Lloronas, which fuses world music with slam poetry. They let us dive deeply into harmony singing and predominantly melancholic melodies. Sura Solomon, Amber in 't Veld and Marieke Werner come from different countries and languages and share their passion for sociology, art and music but also for feminist poetry. Inspired by Lhasa de Sela or Ibeyi, Las Lloronas write their own lyrics and songs, travelling effortlessly through Spanish folk and Hip-Hop rhythms, Klezmer sounds, Blues, even into oriental soundscapes, and playing the clarinet, guitar, accordion and ukulele sparingly but precisely. It is about love, migration, the ego in the (now often missing) crowd or the search for tiny glimmers of hope for peace in the so-called Holy Land. The Las Lloronas musicians love traditional songs, and they have been soaking them up for years in cafés, village squares, living rooms. This singing is invulnerable, beautiful, proud and in solidarity, sometimes even out of tune, but always soulful. A thoughtful debut. Often quietly, in these noisy times, Soaked of Las Lloronas, a discovery.
=====
Album Soaked
Artist Las Lloronas
Label Muziekpublique
_by_Pepa_Niebla.jpg)
Photographer Pepa Niebla
_by Virgilio_Martini.jpg)
Photographer Virgilio Martini
_by_Pepa_Niebla.jpg)
Photographer Pepa Niebla
II. Hooshyar Khayam & Bamdad Afshar
The real sound of a Gwati song from the south-east of Iran, from Balochistan, you can listen in the end of album „Raaz“. Gwati music also serves for spiritual healing. The pianist and composer Hooshyar Khayam and the electronic musician Bamdad Afshar, for whom this was not the first encounter with traditional music, have combined traditional Balochian ceremonial music with contemporary music. Hooshyar Khayam found the local musicians and composed music around their impressive voices for piano and strings. For him, Gwati music changes the state of consciousness of the listeners. People in Balochistan believe that the wind, which comes from the sea causes physical and mental pain. These recordings focus on the few preservers of this traditional music from Balochistan and Sistan, but there are also dissonant moments, modern grooves and an experimentally played piano that sometines sensitively imitates traditional instruments like a Gheychak, or sinks into gentle dialogue with the lute Tanburak. Khodadad Shakkal Zehi Zang’shahi, now in his seventies, and perhaps the most widely recognized of all Balochi musicians, is recognized for his proficiency and knowledge of the repertoire, from complete cycle of Gwati to love songs of Likoo, the wedding music cycle Zahirook, and the heroic Kurdi Hamasi. The sound and groove of the percussion instrument Doholak, combined with the spiritual mood of the traditional singing, which often reminds of Indian ragas, remain in the ear. The album RAAZ closes the gap between the largely unknown music from the south eastern Persian province and today's listeners. Hypnotizing recordings of great masters who have strongly influenced a young generation of musicians from Tehran.
=====
Album RAAZ
Artist Hooshyar Khayam & Bamdad Afshar
Label 30M Records
Photographer_Gata_Ziatabari.jpg)
Photographer Gata Ziabathari
Photographer Dariush Gorgvand
III. Tara Fuki
"Open the door for a moment, butterflies are sleeping in the windows, the sun knows you don't want to hide...." sing Dorota Barová and Andrea Konstankiewicz in „Motyle“ (Polish: butterfly). Two women, two voices, two cellos, this is the duo Tara Fuki from Brno. Fragile, artistically composed songs, which develop a suave sound and reflect various emotions. For twenty years Dorota Barová and Andrea Konstankiewicz have been searching for ever new tone colours. So far they have sung Polish throughout, and on their new album, recorded during last summer, they also sing three Czech songs.
Tara Fuki shot the music video for this song in a dilapidated house somewhere in the nowhere. But Czech lyrics remain the exception, because Polish, with its tonal softness, gives the singers bigger wings. Their music radiates that the two know each other down to the last detail. There is a song about an endless autumn and a finale that sounds like a liberation from loneliness. In „Samoty“ and some other songs, for the first time one can listen the drummer and kalimba player Miloš Dvořáček. „Motyle“ by Tara Fuki is an album of great inner beauty and strength, highly recommended.
=====
Album Motyle
Artist Tara Fuki
Label Indies Scope
Photographer Zuzka Bonisch
Despre autor
GRIT FRIEDRICH este jurnalist freelancer din Leipzig, specializată pe muzica și cultura din Europa de Est și Sudest. Lucrează pentru mai multe radiouri printre care MDR KULTUR, WDR și Deutschlandfunk Kultur, ca și pentru casele de discuri Asphalt Tango și Oriente Musik. Are legături strânse cu România – cu muzicile tradiționale, nu în ultimul rând cele lăutărești, dar și cu scena multicul-turală contemporană.
Vezi mai multe articole scrise de Grit Friedrich
