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& REVIEWS LA KAHENA MUSIC a Oar ara 2005 (66mins) A f i ix Degrees, , 5 (66mins’ Reviewed by Richard Giles Distributors: Aust—MRA; USA—Six IN THE HEART OF THE MOON Degrees Records, tel (415) 626 6334, by Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté _http://www.sixdegreesrecords.com World Circuit, UK, 2005 (59mins) enturies of Arab music is captured on Distributors: Aust—MRA, tel (07) 3849 this Six Degrees album by Algerian- 6020; UK—World Circuit, tel (0)1689 born Cheb i Sabbah, an avant garde world 870 622, http:/www.worldcircuit.co.uk — music emissary who was originally a DJ. Wwo superb African players create their The eight songs on La Kahena feature dif- own commemoration of the ancient ferent female vocalists and music from vari- Malian traditions in what will become a ous regions. The CD is named after a leg- renowned CD of the early 21st century. Ali endary 7th century Algerian freedom-fighter plays blues guitar and Toumani plays the who was both Berber and Jew, as is Sabbah. kora, and together their blending and natural La Kahena fiercely commanded Berber spontaneity are incomparable and astonish- armies against invading Arab warriors. ing, especially considering there were no Sabbah takes the recordings and adds every- rehearsals. World Circuit has done us a big _thing from Bill Laswell's jazz bass and tech- favour by bringing them together. no drum-machine beats to children's sounds and a host of instruments to make something THE VERY BEST OF NORTH AFRICA one can meditate, dance and even pray to. A by various artists fantastic, stimulating, genuine mix. Nascente, UK, 2005 (2CDs, 126mins) Distributors: Aust—MRA Entertainment, by various artists tel (07) 3849 6020; UK—Nascente : Music, tel 020 7612 3300, website Putumayo, USA, 2005 (SOmins) Distributors: Aust—MRA; UK— Putumayo, tel 07759 600495; USA— Putumayo World Music, tel 800 955 9588, http://www.putumayo.com http://www.demonmusicgroup.co.uk thorough collection of North Africa's musicians featuring contemporary sub- Saharan music artists, many of whom have J \ . come onto the world stage and perform to ali has one of the great musical lines of sell-out audiences. You'll find names such Africa, and many tribes have preserved as Khaled, Amr Diab, Rachid Taha, Souad and evolved their musical traditions over the Massi, Orchestra National de Barbes, Hamid centuries. Putumayo 5 Mali collection pre- el Gnawi, Ali Hassan Kuban, Natacha Atlas Sents the griots with their troubadour her- and many others, together on an album that itage, the Touaregs with their desert blues, is an exciting treasure trove of the very best the powerful vocals of the wassoulou musi- North African music " cians from the south, and the soulful Bambara hunter's music. Featured instru- ments are the kora (harp), n'goni (small gui- SLEEPING LO TUS tar), balafon (xylophone) and tamana (talk- by Li Xiangting ing drum). Artists include Issa Bagayogo, Real Music, USA, 2005 (60mins) == Moussa Diallo, Tom Diakité, Habib Koité, Distributors: Aust—New World Music, — Mamou Sidibé and Idrissa Soumaoro. tel (02) 9565 4522; Europe—MCC, tel According to Jacob Edgar of Putumayo, +49 4102 898202; USA—Real Music Mali will be the next Cuba! Grab this CD! Records, tel (303) 415 1040, website http:/www.realmusic.com Pres Li Xiangting is acknowledged as the most important of the modern guqin players of the Chinese tradition. The guqin is a seven-stringed zither-like instru- ment that can generate over 100 harmonics and its history goes back over 3,000 years. By the middle of the 20th century, the gugin had become almost lost, but since then Professor Li has revived it. The other instrument he shares on the album is the xiao, a vertical bamboo flute. Li has rescued the lost art and is one of the very few people to improvise on the guqin, and certainly the only master player to do so. Ancient and serene music for relaxation. MUSIC Reviewed by Richard Giles IN THE HEART OF THE MOON by Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté World Circuit, UK, 2005 (59mins) Distributors: Aust—MRA, tel (07) 3849 6020; UK—World Circuit, tel (0)1689 870 622, http://www.worldcircuit.co.uk 'wo superb African players create their own commemoration of the ancient Malian traditions in what will become a renowned CD of the early 21st century. Ali plays blues guitar and Toumani plays the kora, and together their blending and natural spontaneity are incomparable and astonish- ing, especially considering there were no rehearsals. World Circuit has done us a big favour by bringing them together. THE VERY BEST OF NORTH AFRICA by various artists Nascente, UK, 2005 (2CDs, 126mins) Distributors: Aust—MRA Entertainment, tel (07) 3849 6020; UK—Nascente Music, tel 020 7612 3300, website http:/Awww.demonmusicgroup.co.uk thorough collection of North Africa's musicians featuring contemporary sub- Saharan music artists, many of whom have come onto the world stage and perform to sell-out audiences. You'll find names such as Khaled, Amr Diab, Rachid Taha, Souad Massi, Orchestra National de Barbes, Hamid el Gnawi, Ali Hassan Kuban, Natacha Atlas and many others, together on an album that is an exciting treasure trove of the very best North African music. NEXUS = 73 OCTOBER — NOVEMBER 2005 www.nexusmagazine.com