Chuck & Albert

Energie (2009)

Canadian duo Chuck & Albert have a new album titled Energie that gives new life to ancient French-Acadian songs. This material comes from Prince Edward Island, the smallest of the Canadian provinces. Even though most Acadians were expelled by the British, some French settlers stayed in the area. Their songs were passed from generation to generation.

On Energie, Chuck Arsenault & Albert Arsenault have assembled a set of songs and fiddle tunes using guitar, fiddle, harmonica, vocals and the traditional percussion used by the Acadians, such as spoons and foot tapping. “For an Acadian, the sound of foot accompaniment is something so tribal and basic that it really can’t be separated from the melody,” Albert laughs. “When you tap your feet to accompany a song, the melody really fuses with the rhythm and encourages the interpretation of the song. It lifts the song to a place that’s hard to describe. It’s almost like going into a time machine.”

Gabriela Torres
 
 No Tan Distinta (World Village, 20090
 
 Many years have passed since I heard The Gotan Project that blended electronica with nuevo tango. I had forgotten about the Argentine-European ensemble until I slipped Argentine guitarist-vocalist-composer Gabriela Torres’ “no tan distinta” into my player. In fact, the opener, also the titular track, would easily squeeze onto a Gotan Project recording. The following track, "Sali" though possesses a traditional tango feel and reminds me more of tango vocalist Sandra Luna’s repertoire.

Putumayo Presents: Jazz Around the World (Putumayo PUT 296-2, 2009)

I can’t define jazz any more than I can define world music, so the many points at which they cross paths are likewise not going to prompt anyone to look to me for explanations. It’s more a matter of knowing it when I hear it, and I certainly like what I hear on this collection, which clearly aims to be a sampling of jazz rather than some sort of world/jazz fusion although at times it comes across as one. Okay, I’m already well on my way to proving how bad I am at definitions, so better I should just talk about the music.

Africa gets a strong show of it, with Kora jazz Trio’s striking instrumental rendition of “Chan Chan” putting new life into that signature Cuban tune, Blick Bassy coming across as warmly as fellow Cameroonian Richard Bona, Keletigui Diabate balafoning his way through a Gershwin standard with help from Habib Koité and Hugh Masekela running down the sort of piece that’s made him a giant in both jazz and African music circles.

The Cisco Band and The Joaquin Brothers

Popular Dance Music of the Natives of Southern Arizona (Canyon Records, 2009)

This CD reissue combines the 1975 LP titled The Cisco Band - Popular Dance Music of the Indians of Southern Arizona and the 1975 LP The Joaquin Brothers play Polkas and Chotis. As the original album titles indicate, this reissue contains popular dance music performed by American Indians from the southwest. In this case it is the Tohono O'odham nation (formerly known as the Papago), who live in southern Arizona and northern Sonora (Mexico).

The Southwestern United states has been an area of crosspollination, mixing the cultures of American Indians, Spaniards, Mexicans and German immigrants. The European polka was adopted and transformed by musicians in the borders areas. two legendary bands, The Cisco Band and The Joaquin Brothers specialized in this hybrid border polka and the choti two-steps known as waila (name used by the Tohono O'odham) or chicken scratch (name used by the Pima tribe). The bands' format included accordion, saxophone, guitar, bass and drum.

Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar

Devla: Blown Away to Dancefloor Heaven (Piranha Musik, November 10, 2009)

Few Eastern European brass bands can match the vitality and innovation of Serbian band Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar, which is led by trumpet master Boban Markovic and his son Marko. Two generations of a legendary Gypsy family join forces to provide a powerhouse of brass virtuosity and infectious energy that has jumped from village celebrations to the dancefloors of the hippest Central European clubs.

Some pieces on Devla: Blown Away to Dancefloor Heaven are downright funky, with a powerful rhythm section composed of drums, bass and bass brass instrumentation. The album includes unexpected elements in a brass band such as, rapping, flamenco, darbuka percussion, and even a bagpipe solo. 

Tumbélé: Biguine, Afro and Latin Sounds from the French Caribbean, 1963-1974 (Soundway SNDWCD017P, 2009)

While the slickly produced sounds of zouk became wildly popular in the ‘80s thanks largely to the band Kassav,’ the deeper roots of French Caribbean music haven’t reached nearly as far beyond their point of origin. The islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique (along with other locales in the so-called Lesser Antilles) may remain departments of France, but they’ve been a musical and cultural melting pot for decades.

African rhythms with origins in the slavery era mixed not only with French colonial sounds but also with other influences from both near and far, and Tumbélé: Biguine, Afro and Latin Sounds from the French Caribbean goes a long way toward providing an earful of how delightfully diverse the music of the region was in the 1960s and ‘70s. Leadoff track “Jeunesse Vauclin” by Barel Coppet et Mister Lof jumps immediately into a skittering clarinet romp that makes Paris and Martinique neighbors as cheekily cadenced vocals keep pace.

Le Vent du Nord

La Part du Feu (Borealis Music, 2009)

Canadian band Le Vent du Nord's recording La Part du Feu is a winner. The band has risen to the top of the Quebecois music scene with hard work, music creativity, extensive research, traditional song reconstruction and excellent musicianship. What makes the band specially attractive musically is its brilliant mix of Quebecois traditions with the songs from other parts of francophone North America, pan-Celtic (Scottish, Breton and Irish) melodies and a wink to La Bottine Souriante's brassband sound.

The current line-up includes Réjean Brunet (accordion, bass and vocals), Nicolas Boulerice (piano, accordion and hurdy-gurdy), Olivier Demers (violin, vocals) and Simon Baudry (vocals, bouzouki, guitar). “Through traditional songs we discover pieces of our history,” says founding member Nicolas Boulerice. “The songs provide direct contact with a moment from long ago, showing us what life was like at that time.” Accordionist Réjean Brunet adds, “On this record we wanted to put a spotlight on the texts of the songs to bring out their stories. We wanted to show that this music is not just for parties, but can also tell us about who we are as Québécois.”