Abstract Index Playlist - November 18/09

One of the world's great guitar bands is back with album number 2 (for Western markets).

Sublime Frequencies has compiled another collection of Group Doueh's recordings, and it's another crunching set of noise-funk/rock. As with the first Doueh album, it's pretty difficult to mix this with other funk because of the midrange-and-up focus of the grooves, not to mention the ebb and flow of tempo. Most funk enthusiasts just don't care for this much REAL funk with their funk; there is no smoothness here - just raw, tense rhythm.

All this makes the sound more distinctive and rewarding for those who can devote forty something minutes to opening up to the vista of harsh sounds on display here. The sidelong "Tazit Kalifa" explodes the style into a 20 minute psyched-out ramble.

I was very fortunate to have secured an email interview with them courtesy of Hisham Mayet at SF. It has just been published as a Conversation at Exclaim.ca.

Podcast

nasil? na zaman? - hardal (shadoks)
times reprise - giant panda dub squad (no label)
crank two - johnny trunk (trunk)
all dead - shafiq husayn (spectre)
i can't sit and wait - 100 proof aged in soul (invictus)
is it love or desire - betty davis (light in the attic)
bang tik-a tik-a - etaoin shrdlu (standard form)
ragsa jaguar - group doueh (sublime frequencies)
atiadele - mangwana all stars (otrabanda)
victory - soul messengers (numero)
gimmee gimmee - bonjay rmx. by grahm zilla (no label)
untitled 3 - cracker and shoe (no label)
untitled 3 - ghostlight (inyrdisk)
tune for wind dog - lucky dragons (marriage)
pure love in your heart - andru branch and halfway tree (no label)
low dem - willi williams (drum street)
spliff long - baijie (truckback)
no cigarettes - mr. williamz (greensleeves)
strength in numbers - matt shadetek (gold dust)
dub missle - liquid stranger (interchill)
cara de no yo fui - ocote soul sounds rmx by ancient astronauts (esl)
move on up - greyhound (compost)

Huelepega Tonight!

Ack! I totally forgot to blog about tonight's INYRDISK showcase at the Boat. Kevin Hainey's noise label features us and three other simpatico sound sculptors - here's the details courtesy of Tad "Burn Down The Capital" Michalak:

INYRDISK SHOWCASE 2009

featuring:

GHOSTLIGHT (http://www.myspace.com/ghostlightband)
members of Mean Red Spiders. A free form improv. psych-rock experience. From spaced out soundscapes to intense psychedelic noise, free jazz whispers and crushing heaviness, Ghostlight weaves musical elements & genres together to create something otherworldly.

HUELEPEGA SOUND SYSTEM (http://www.myspace.com/huelepegasoundsystem)
David Dacks' "doombia" ensemble mixes cumbia with slowed down doomy dub drones. Drawing influences from the latin world as well as modern noise music, Huelepega pushes latin rhythms into a dissonant, boundless territory.

AYAL SENIOR's GLASS TOMB (http://www.myspace.com/glasstombs)
Ayal Senior's free-jazz space psych unit featuring a who's who list of Toronto's most accomplished out music masqueraders takes the back road approach creating soundscapes that creep up on your from a minimal pitter patter into a storm cloud of swirling noise & distortion. A serious raw driving force.

CAVE DUDES
Primal noise rock featuring members of Disguises, Women In Tragedy and Inyrdisk founder Kevin Hainey. First show in way too long. Expect crushing jams that don't bottom out, but scrape along mashing everything in their path.

All this for $5, seriously come out & support experimental music in Toronto.

Also FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=335661895202

416 - 2009

The ninth edition of the 416 Toronto Creative Improvisers Festival gets underway tonight at the Tranzac. I'm going to be MCing the Friday edition, which I helped program. Dougal Bichan will be stopping by the Abstract Index tomorrow at 7PM to talk about this jam packed celebration of some of Toronto's most innovative music.

Here's the description from the website:

The fest is a series of concerts, 3 a night over 4 days that feature some of Toronto’s finest improvising musicians. These improvisations often take the form of completely free-form spontaneous compositions, created entirely “in the moment, at the moment of performance, by the performers”. At other times, a drawing, or graphic, or other object may be used to inspire the music.

Tuesday, Nov. 17

9 pm
Lori Freedman solo- bass clarinet
and duo with guest Martin Tétreault

10 pm
Martin Tétreault solo - turntable
and duo with guest Lori Freedman

11 pm
Gordon Allen - trumpet, with a bunch of locals
Rob Clutton - bass
Tomasz Krakowiak - percussion
Ben Grossman - hurdy gurdy

Wednesday, Nov. 18

9 pm
Woodchoppers Orchestra
Dave Clark and friends, you never know who will show up. A collective of some of the finest improvisers hereabouts.They play with love in their hearts.

10 pm
Cracker & Shoe
Michael Keith - various strings
David Sait - guzheng

11 pm
Joe Sorbara's Other Foot First
Ken Aldcroft - guitar
Jay Hay - saxophones, clarinets
Nicole Rampersaud - trumpet, flugelhor)
Nate Renner - guitar
Ronda Rindone - clarinets
Evan Shaw - saxophones
Joe Sorbara - drums, percussion
Scott Thomson - trombone

Thursday, Nov. 19

9 pm
bitchin'
Dougal Bichan - guitar
Alan Bloor - bass, violin
Rod Campbell - trumpet, etc
Elliott Chapin - various winds
Jack Vorvis - percussion

10 pm
Quartetto Graphica
Mike Hansen - turntables
Arnd Jurgensen - guitar
Guy LeBlanc - electronics
Pao Torres - laptop

11 pm
Scarborough Streisand
Michael Keith - guitar
Chris Cawthray - percussion
Glen Hall - saxophone

Friday, Nov. 20

9 pm
Nick Storring - solo cello & electronics

10 pm
Amir Amiri - solo (Persian) santur

11 pm
Lamp Chops aka Simeon Abbott (prepared guitar) and Colin Fisher

midnight
Kyle Brenders Quartet
Kyle Brenders - woodwinds
Steve Ward - Trombone
Tomas Bouda - bass
Mark Seeger - drums

Saturday, Nov. 21

2 pm
416 Toronto Creative Improvisors' Pool Workshop
facilitated by Rod Campbell
Palmerston Library
560 Palmerston Avenue

Abstract Index Playlist - November 11/09

As I listen to Wayne & Wax, DJ/Rupture and other leading lights on the Afropop Radio documentary "World Music 2.0" I find myself blogging about a subject so world music 1.0 it's hilarious.

Now you probably know that I have more affection than most for the term 'world music'. It has aggregated and created a marketplace for audiences, artists, labels, media and other players who believe in cultural exchange through music. Of course the debate is always about the TERMS of this exchange - who makes the rules, who profits, and whether it's fundamentally a one-way system.

I have never known what the deal is with Arc Music's roster and their marketing techniques. They're a British company who release a truckload of discs every year, most of which are guilty of Photoshop 1.0 design. The greater part of these discs appear to be one-off licenses (I hope) from individual artists or fledgling producers. Its output is a mix of pop and folkloric material. Its folklore is often served up with easy-listening reverb, while its pop won't drive anyone out of the souvenir shop. This market is well established by the initial world music 1.0 conventions set up in the late 80s, then tweaked by Putumayo's success in the 90s.

What bugs me most is that too many of Arc's releases feature the style of music front and center, with the artist's name buried in the graphics. The message seems to be "here's an example of this music" in the tradition of Putumayo's compilations which reduce the individual personality of the artists to a function of the overall image or flavour.

I can't understand what's going on this disc. 'Yinguica' doesn't seem to be the name of a band; perhaps it too is a one-off. Percussionist Barry Van Zyl is a member of Johnny Clegg's band, and he's a frequent name on Arc releases. So the listener/buyer isn't even sure about this disc's intent beyond the promise of authentic-sounding 'Marrabenta'. Since this Mozambique-based music is one of Africa's lesser known party sounds but stops well short of digital boom bap, it's an opportunity for Arc to put out yet another variety of novel but unthreatening global grooves.

Fortunately, as with a small but steady proportion of the label's content, the music is worthwhile. Hard charging percussion dominates most songs, and the instrumentation is kept spare with bass, drums, and intertwining acoustic guitars. I'm no expert on the music so I can't judge its 'authenticity', but it's clear that the participants are actually working up a sweat in keeping with the "play it 'til your strings break!" ethos of Marrabenta posited by the back cover.

This won't set the blogosphere on fire, but it's further proof that there is plenty of credible music being put out by the gatekeepers of world music 1.0, even if the circumstances are sometimes obscure. Hopefully everyone is seeing a return on their investment.

In the meantime, check that Afropop doc - it's a good roundup of how disintermediation is the main characteristic of world music 2.0.

Podcast

sierra alone - the embassadors (nonplace)
tiny pyramids - ratchetorchestra (no label)
the alley of enchantment - dub rocket (touchbass)
nucleus roots - automaton (satamile)
aqua con sal - bronx river parkway (truth and soul)
ni nhi me le - yinguica (arc music)
serengeti - magic drum orchestra (lion hea...d)
ghost ride - muskox (standard form)
avante me fante - mahala rai banda (asphalt tango)
plovdiska rachenista - boban i marko markovic orkestar (piranha)
joe pill - electro morocco (blue jay way)
untitled track 3 - pink saliva (no label)
lower nile - arthur blythe (india navigation)
blues n' boxing - michael kemp (no label)
independent girl - demattos (no label)
hallelujah - leroy brown (dakarai)
different strokes - kiddus i (naya)
i sight - tarrus riley (vp)
bumpy's lament - richie phoe (balanced)
don't cry dubwise - jah warrior (tanty)
stalag 23 - tony dubshot (no label)
the attorney - tommy mccook and the supersonics (pressure sounds)

Abstract Index Playlist - November 4/09

Amid the chaos and hype of fundraising (please visit CIUT to make an online pledge - seriously, it would help this show a lot) was one serene yet pace-setting musical selection which gave hour 1 so much momentum.

This was the music of Muskox, a self described progressive jazz sextet based in Toronto whom I regret not having seen yet. 5 Pieces is one of the latest salvos of music from Standard Form.

You guessed it - the disc is five songs long. Whether experienced as a tight, focused suite or track by track, both the writing and playing are very strong. Despite the lack of a drumkit, these are highly rhythmic pieces. The percussive aspects of electric piano, vibes and banjo are deployed over math-rockish time signatures, but the overall effective is minimalist. On top of this thicket of pulsation are the airy cello, alto saxophone and even acoustic bass parts which create winding melodic statements. European classical, Appalachian folk and West African rhythms all creep into this hybrid, with a pleasing sense of understatement throughout.

I hope this merits some discussion when the Polaris 2010 chin-stroking sessions start to pick up steam.

There will be no podcast this week. Playlist is coming soon.

Fall Membership Drive - Wed November 4

CIUT's Fall Membership drive begins tomorrow and I'm in the hot seat on Wednesday November 4.

My guests for the affair will be the Simmer Down DJ crew, trumpeter Nicole Rampersaud and Uma Nota/Samba Elegua's Jonathan Rothman - maybe more if I can really get my shit together.

One thing you can count on is a massive, crazy diverse selection of CDs to be given away over the course of two draws during the show (7 and 8PM). To be eligible for the draw, you must become a member with a pledge of $25.

I need to attract 20 members to stay on the air... and it's always a battle. Why? Traditionally, open format radio shows are a harder sell than themed shows. Don't agree? Make a pledge and prove me wrong. I dare you.

Here's a partial list of the highlights, just to pique your interest...

Divine Brown - The Love Chronicles
Tinariwen - Imidiwan
The Warsaw Village Band - Infinity
Maher Shalal Hash Baz - C'est La Derniere Chanson
Anthony Braxton/Kyle Brenders - Toronto (duets) 2007
Noel Ellis - Noel Ellis
Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid - NYC
Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna
Mishka - Above The Bones
Souljazz Orchestra - Manifesto
Blah Blah 666 - It's Only Life!
Blaze - Spiritually Speaking
Ganelin Trio - Live At The Lithuanian Philharmony, 2005
Sara Tavares - Xinti
The Tony Wilson Sextet - The People Look Like Flowers At Last
Lina Allemano - Gridjam

You don't have to wait until Wednesday to contribute, you can go to http://ciut.fm right now and pledge securely. Tell 'em the Abstract Index sent you.

Thanks for your support!

Abstract Index Playlist - October 28/09

Over at Eye Weekly, I've written a feature about the totally original musical life force that is David Amram. He's still going strong more than five decades into a career which delves deeply into jazz, European classical, First Nations music, Cuban rhythms and all sorts of Asian influences. No doubt all of these musical interests will be on display during his guaranteed-to-be-anarchic performance at Toronto's Revival club this coming Tuesday (November 3).

I spent an hour on the phone with him. Asking him a question is like looking at a comet: he starts his answer from millions of miles beyond this planet, but as he zooms in, you can see it’s going to be brilliant. Then he loops back around for another tangential approach.

For someone on the cusp of eighty (the title of his next book is "David Amram: The First 80 Years"), he's super-sharp, perceptive and most of all incredibly enthusiastic about music. Reading the article, one might think that he is too much of an idealist to be believed, but damn, it comes from his unique life experience and we should all be so lucky at that age.

I got this album, a document of the US-Cuban rapprochement of 1977, a few years ago from my aunt. Killer Latin jazz of some complexity dominates the recording - just look at those players, they're up to the challenge. My fave track remains Broadway Reunion, which I played this week. It's a live recording of Amram's flutes alongside the legendary Los Papines drumming group captured live on Broadway (literally).

He's bound to bring that vibe to Revival; the one time I saw him live, he captivated with his mix of Rahsaan Roland Kirk-like free musical association and rambling storytelling style. Don't miss this gig.

bumble rumble - han bennink (atavistic)
new york - franck vigroux (d'autres cordes)
ochlophobie - galerie stratique (archipel)
people's republic - gold sparkle trio feat ken vandermark (squealer)
paper thin - viviane houle/coat cooke (drip audio)
slinger - muskox (standard form)
shromis simghera - darbazi (no label)
algodao - quarteto novo (odeon)
barely breaking even - universal robot band rmx by john morales (bbe)
broadway reunion - david amram (flying fish)
mario - franco & tpok jazz (rough guides)
elsa - sonido martines feat fefe (soot)
desacarga tiburona - los tiburones (tropical)
francophonie - canaille (standard form)
dock boggs - canaille (standard form)
sabotage - carlton patterson & king tubby (hot pot)

Abstract Index Playlist - October 21/09

This week I got a wonderful anthology of the music of groundbreaking mambologist Tito Rodriguez accompanied by a press release that said the Fania catalog has changed hands once again, this time to a company called Codigo (can't find a link, hmmm...). Fania titles had suffered from poor remasters and inconsistent distribution for years.

Three years ago, Emusica, an affiliate of the then mighty V2, acquired the rights to the catalog (which put the brakes on Spain's Vampisoul from distributing *its* Fania collections in the USA for the most part) and began an ambitious program of proper remasters, well informed compilations and issuing much unreleased material beyond the 4000 official albums in the catalog.

I'm speculating here, but since V2 underwent a restructuring in 2007 and merged with Fontana later that year, perhaps the Fania catalog somehow shook out of that deal. Here is a blogger with some other questions. In any case, this collection is up to the recent standards.

This is prime fifties and sixties dance fever stuff. You'll feel like you were at the Palladium. There is some fine Latin jazz Mark 1 when first rate bebop players were guest starring in orchestras like this one, and those of Machito and Tito Puente. Rodriguez' sound was a huge inspiration to the musicians who would become the Fania All Stars. They recorded an entire album in his honour following his untimely death in the early 70s. The All Stars version of his "Mama Guela" was a big hit (with jazz dancers in England, too) - it's represented here in a live version.

I'd never heard this week's cut "Esta Es Mi Orquestra" - it's a wonderful, imaginative audio treat from 1968. It's "A Young Person's Guide To The Latin Orchestra", in which Rodriguez salutes each member of his band and gives them solo breaks in which to strut their stuff. It's paced like a suite and dominated by Rodriguez' narration. He explains the purpose and personal context of each member of the orchestra - Cachao, of course, is a highlight. Rodriguez assumes on the role of master strategist, psychologist, coach, friend and above all musical director to these many men. For someone whose music preceded most of the 'progressive salsa' of the early seventies, this is as experimental a track as I've ever heard from him.

Take good care of the catalog, Codigo!

Podcast

esta es mi orquestra - tito rodriguez (fania)
de la timba a pogliotti - pupy y los que son son (egrem)
margarita - toto la momposina (astar)
music - titi (unknown)
conjoined - demdike stare (modernlove)
combat rhythm - two fingers (ninja tune)
di trees - aidonia & tarrus riley (no label)
love and special dub - autonon (fresh poulp)
sound killer - liquid stranger (interchill)
wild (remix) - meat beat manifesto (thirsty ear)
deft - phantom orchard (mego)
ducheng - david sait/ladonna smith (no label)
new day - leroy gibbon (dakarai)
pollution - john clarke (wackies)
time tuff - i roy (unknown)
get our own piece - gisto (wassabi)
black madonna dub - dubmatix (interchill)
mr. money man - pulshar (phonobox)
make it with you - pat satchmo (high school)