More of Roy's Favorite Music
maintained by Roy Jones, music@hennapage.com
Don't open the door to the study and begin reading.
Take down a musical instrument."
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Anatomic
About ten years ago, an acquaintance handed me a CD he'd just bought
and said simply, "You have to listen to this!" I listened and I was
hooked about one minute into the first track. The CD was "Sound Magic,"
the first release by the AfroCelt Sound System. I've been a fan ever
since.
AfroCelt Sound System "Anatomic," their fourth release (not counting "Pod," a collection of remixes) is their best yet. I haven't had the CD long enough to pick a clear favorite, but the first track "When I Still Needed You" is some of the group's most compelling music-making and should be enough to make you an AfroCelt fan, if you're not one already. |
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Kulanjan
The liner notes for this CD aptly refer to guitarist-singer Taj Mahal
as a "troubadour." In some parts of the American south, he might be
called a "songster," a musician who's equally at home singing and
playing blues, gospel, spirituals, popular and folk songs and composing
his own songs as well. Toumani Diabate grew up in a famous family of
Malian bards and is one of the best-known masters of the "kora," a
harp/lute that is their traditional instrument. Their collaboration
takes a step beyond "cultural fusion" projects and shows how similar
musical styles and traditions are throughout the African Diaspora. Taj Mahal & Toumani Diabate |
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Ghazal "As Night Falls on the Silk Road"
Ghazal is a traditional poetic form most commonly associated with
ancient Persia. Love and longing are frequent themes of ghazal, as in
this line from one of the songs on this CD:
Kayhan Kalhor & Shujaat Husain Khan "I ask the beautiful stars and moon, where she has gone after changing my life." "As Night Falls on the Silk Road" is a beautiful mix of musical cultures and sonorities. The ghazal on this CD are sung by Shujaat Husain Khan, who also plays sitar, the traditional north Indian lute, and Kayhan Kalhor, renowned performer on the kamanche, the Persian "spike fiddle" with tabla, dholak and other percussion. The music is haunting...the playing and singing are excellent. |
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Shakti
In the 1970s, guitarist John McLaughlin, best remembered by my
generation for the "Mahavishnu Orchestra," did a stint with a group of
Indian musicans as part of the ensemble "Shakti." This CD is a
remastering of a legendary 1975 live recording. McLaughlin's playing is
breathtaking and the effect of the whole ensemble on "Joy" and "What
Need Have I for This..." dazzling.
John McLaughlin The performance and the recording stand up well, in spite of the passage of three decades. |
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Made in Medina
I first head Rachid Taha on one of my favorite Internet Radio streams
several years ago. I don't speak a word of Arabic, but Rachid's music
and the intensity of his singing were enough to overcome the language
barrier.
Rachid Taha The songs range in mood from the darkness of "Barra Barra" to outright defiance in "Foqt Foqt," to a call to the beloved in "Ho Cherie." |
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