North African CD Reviews

 North Africa: land of the Berbers, Taureges and Arabs, as well as other groups... a place so dominated by Arab/Islamic culture that the music usually sounds more of what we think of as Middle Eastern than what we think of as African. But this is physically, most definitely, still Africa, and some black African culture does penetrate in some places: though outside influence on the region's music is more likely to come from Europe in the form of electronic post-disco or 'techno' music, other influences are also evident, such as Cuban and reggae.

 Musicians and disc jockeys in dance clubs around the world are listening to each other more and more, and in some cases are remixing each other's songs: hence the entire 'groove' series in Putumayo, of which NORTH AFRICAN GROOVE is a part.

 Many of the singers and musicians on NORTH AFRICAN GROOVE no longer live in their cities or even countries of origin. Some have moved to Paris, several have moved to Cairo. Both cities boast a cosmopolitan atmosphere where people can more easily experiment with new sounds.

 The most popular musical style to come out of North Africa in the last three years is Rai, which originated in Algeria and quickly spread to nearby Morocco, then to France and the rest of the world.

 Rai's most famous and popualr singer/songwriter is Khaled, who moved to France and evolved his music to a point that after 20 years it hardly sounded North African at all.

 Long-time fans will be delighted to find that here Ya-Rai Khaled has returned to his old form: still modern, some hip hop and electronic influence, but with strong echoes of Algeria.

 Many of the artists on NORTH AFRICAN GROOVE sound like they have been listening to Rai and blending it with local styles, as well as favorite styles from outside of  North Africa such as the previously mentioned Latin (especially Cuban) and reggae.

 I loved Rai star Cheb Mami's 'Veins Habibi': is that an oud playing the lead instead of an electric guitar mixed with a very funky bass guitar? Perfect!

 Cut 7 features Cheb Jilani from Libya, the only modern song I've ever heard from a Libyan. 

 Many music fans in Latin America have fallen in love with Putumayo's Arabic releases, hearing the common ground between the musics of north Africa, Spain and Cuba. North Africans have been responding in kind, actually traveling to Cuba to record.

 Cross-cultural fusion continues at an increasingly rapid pace as NORTH AFRICAN GROOVE proves.

 As Putumayo's cds are fairly easy to obtain anywhere in the USA, NORTH AFRICAN GROOVE will most likely open up many eyes and ears to the new sounds of North Africa - and that's a good thing for everybody.

 Is the music Middle Eastern or African? Well, it's both - with shades of Ali Farka Toure, which sounds crazy at first: Toure lives in Mali, thousands of miles away from the Sudan, and is considered a premier black African guitarist, while Mustafa Al Sunni plays the oud, a Middle Eastern stringed instrument which is the granddaddy of the guitar.

 Like the Sudan, Mali is on the Southern fringe of the Sahara Desert. The further north you go in either country, the stronger the Arab and Berber influence: the farther South, the more black African influence.

 Though politically this makes for sporadic violence and bloodshed such as the disaster now occurring in the Sudan, it does make for a wonderful music mix in several countries, of which Mali and the Sudan are the two best examples being recorded.

 In both countries string musicians have been recorded playing with as little as one accompanist (such as in SONGS OF THE SUDAN, a sterling example), all the way up to kicking show bands with trap drums, electric guitars (or ouds), and horns, such as Abdel Aziz El Mubarak, or in-between small groups such as Abdel Gadir Salim.

 One thing nearly all these performers have in common is a wonderful blend of melody and rhythm that puts the music 'in the groove'.

 So even though SONGS OF THE SUDAN is a mellow acoustic recording (no electric or electronic instruments), it still makes the listener sway in his or her seat, but in a more subtle manner.

 Highly recommended from start to finish.

 Sudan is Africa's largest country: its peoples are diverse Nubians, Arabs, Berbers, Blacks, from city folk to country people living ancient ways of the land.

 THE ROUGH GUIDE TO THE MUSIC OF SUDAN's wonderful compilation gives listeners an honest eye-opening view of the spectrum of music Sudan produces.

 Some of the artists on ROUGH GUIDE TO THE MUSIC OF SUDAN will already be familiar to African or world beat music fans: artists such as the oud-playing singer/songwriter Abdel Gadis Salim and Abdel Aziz El Mubarak have already broken through to European audiences and to a lesser extent in America.

 Mohammed Wardi has been recording and performing for decades and has been an influence on many of the artists on THE MUSIC OF SUDAN.

 The rhythm and overall sound of much Sudanese music shows both an African and a Middle Eastern blend. The majority of singer/bandleaders on ROUGH GUIDE play oud: an instrument that came upstream from Egypt. The Nile River is the main highway connecting the Sudan with Egypt, the Mediterranean, and thus the outside world.

 Violins and horns are used together much like they were in the USA in the 1930s and 40s in Western swing bands. The violins don't act like a syrupy string section; they swing with the horns.

 Some of the cuts use sparse accompaniment such as Abdel Gadir Salim's 'Mal Wa Ihtagab'. Salim has recorded solo, in small groups and with a small orchestra: other Sudanese artists have done the same.

 Something different from most Sudanese recording is the sound of the female voice both as solo artist and in a chorus, such as the Omdurman Women's Ensemble, whose 'Dolaka Bet El Mal' sounds like a high-quality field recording with hand claps and drums being their only accompaniment.

 In a very different direction is Emmanuel Jal, a hot rapper protesting the use of child soldiers in so many of Africa's wars. The beat to his song 'Gua' is not the usual American hip hop, however: the beat's strongly African.

 Emmanuel Jal is currently collaborating with Abdel Gadir Salim on a recording that they hope will contribute to the peace process in this war-torn land: we look forward to more record companies putting out compilations of Sudanese music.

 In a way the Sudan is Eastern Africa's equivalent to Western Africa's Mali desert rhythms and savannah harmonies: both countries have a mix of North Africa with Central Africa, but both come up with something different - and terrific.

Moh Alileche is a Berber musician from Algeria now living in the US: the Berber people are spread across Africa in an area conquered by the Muslim Arabs, who still dominate this part of the world to such an extent that being an outspoken Amazigh (Berber) can be dangerous.

 Moh Alileche is one of the outspoken - or, out singing - ones: the lyrics of most of his songs are concerned with the possible extinction of his people's culture, though he also sings of hope for the future.

 Moh plays the mondo, a ten-string version of the mandolin but much larger (it looks like an oud, Daddy of the guitar, with doubled strings like a 12-string guitar.)

 The sound is more like an oud than a mandolin: any American hearing this music would immediately think 'Middle Eastern' or even belly dance music - which of course it could be used for - but listen closely: it has a North African quality that is subtly different from the musics of Armenia, Lebanon or Turkey.

 Sometimes I hear echoes of the music of black Africa's most northern groups: people from Northern Mali, Northern Nigeria or the Sudan; then at other times you could be in ancient Turkey or some other Middle Eastern country.

  Some tunes, like the title song 'Tarwa N'Timazgha', are quite haunting: the instrumentals on this cut are very minimal - not much more than a soft flute in the background.

 Things do pick up with violin and percussion later: cut 4  is an instrumental with a ney (a double-reed instrument similar to an oboe) in the foreground.

 There really is a nice variety of beats and instrumentation on TARWA N'TAMAZGHA: the moods continue to change from one end to the other. The female vocal on cut 6, 'When You Are Away', is a terrific addition to the sound.

  Orak Naa Naa features Abdel-Illahjim on oud and vocal with Peter Horcher on piano and percussion: the cd cover subtitles the recording as oud and piano, but Abdel (originally from Morocco) is heard singing throughout on ORAK NAA NAA, and only occasionally does his oud playing reach the listener.

 Their music is a fusion of various styles, with jazz predominating.

 Peter Horcher is a well-rounded pianist who obviously has a sense of humor (he throws a boogie woogie solo right in the middle of a jazzy workout): in this way he reminds me of Fats Waller, but is working with a broader palette: some rock piano reminiscent of Leon Russell can also be heard.

 The vocals and liner notes are in a language I assume is either Arabic or Amazigh (the language of the Berber people): sometimes it sounds like German.

 Listeners expecting some familiar Middle Eastern sounds like belly dance or rai may be disappointed, but ORAK NAA NAA is a fun recording and a lot less pretentious than many jazz recordings: it's a recommended pick and stands out from the crowd.