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by Genevieve Williams
It's summertime; and if the living ain't easy, at least it's easier to get up in the morning. (The hard part is going to sleep at 4 a.m., at which time the birds are already at it.) Although summer in Seattle is acting a lot like winter this year -- as I write this on a late June morning, it's thinking about raining out there -- this issue's musical selections either are perfect accompaniment for summer weather or will bring it to mind. Harv gives us a taste of things to come; DJ Cheb i Sabbah remixes the voices of North Africa for the global generation; Sequentia brings us timeless myths from the North; and Seattle's own Coventry releases its long-awaited CD.
Harv Teases Fiddle Fans
Back in 2003 I reviewed Töst, a CD by fiddle-centered Swedish ensemble Harv. I described that album as "a bonanza of instrumental music to suit every mood." With Direktör Deg (NorthSide), Harv presents a taste of their next album, due out this fall. The EP includes two tracks from that forthcoming release, a previously unreleased studio track and a couple of live tracks. Though all five are excellent, the live tracks are a revelation. As is true for most musicians, Harv gets an extra charge out of performing for an audience, and the result is dazzling. The only complaint to be made of Direktör Deg is that it's not enough: Five tracks whet one's appetite for fiddle music, but don't satisfy it. However, this brief collection will have to do until this fall, when Polka Raggioso comes out.
North Africa, Remixed
As I've said before, there's no one like DJ Cheb i Sabbah when you want to get your groove on. The Algerian-born DJ, a longtime fixture on the San Francisco scene, is to be credited both for introducing the incredibly rich and diverse music of the North African region to a wider audience, and for using his considerable prowess as an engineer and DJ to reshape the music for that wider audience. Remixes aren't an uncommon phenomenon these days, of course; but Cheb is one of the few out there who elevates the practice to an art form.
Those among you who had the pleasure of watching him in action at last fall's Bumbershoot festival know what I'm talking about: With only a percussionist (although a highly skilled one with a flair for performance), Cheb riveted the festival audience.
La Kahena (Six Degrees) has a similarly entrancing appeal. The album's subtitled The Voices of the Maghreb, and its featured performers are all North African singers of superb skill and expressive power. Cheb's production and remix work doesn't overpower these performers; it's a testament to his skill that he instead accentuates their particular qualities, showcasing them in a way that transcends cultural boundaries. Plus the whole CD has a great beat you can dance to, often achieving a meditative quality that depends on movement rather than stillness for its effectiveness.
Sequentia Recontructs Mythology
Although I've never been able to get into Wagner -- probably a heretical statement for someone with a music degree -- I'm a big fan of the mythology that was the basis for his best-known work, namely the Ring cycle. My favorite story involving gold rings is, of course, The Lord of the Rings, whose author is on record as stating that the only thing it had in common with Wagner was that both had rings in them. So when I come across music I like that is based on this mythology, I'm always pleased.
Although it's a few years old, I thus present for your delectation Edda: Myths from Medieval Iceland (DHM), courtesy of early-music group Sequentia. (They've also released The Rheingold Curse, Lost Songs of the Rhineland Harper, and a number of recordings of music by Hildegard von Bingen). This is that rarest of accomplishments, a learned, tradition-minded performance that also appeals to modern sensibilities.
The members of Sequentia did a lot of research into skaldic poetry and its performance in preparation for this work. Sequentia member Benjamin Bagby, who can be heard reciting much of the lyrical content and playing the lyre, notes a problem that plagues all would-be early-music reconstructionists -- the lack of recording technology before the twentieth century and music notation in any standardized form before the sixteenth. There are large gaps in the Poetic Edda, the text from which Sequentia works for this recording; but that is as nothing compared to the problem of trying to make something sound authentic when you can only approximate its original mode of performance.
Nonetheless, Sequentia does their best, and even the more obvious instances of creative license are well-considered and done in service of the material. Edda will probably mean more to you if you're familiar with the text. Several translations exist, you can easily grasp the basic elements of Norse mythology and the liner notes include lyrics in both Old Norse and modern English.
If you're at all a fan of early European music, chances are you'll find a great deal here to like. Edda is evocative in all of the best ways: It has the raw, slightly disturbing edge that characterizes much Scandinavian music today; it preserves the rhythms and poetic devices of the original text; and its melodies, harmonies and arrangements conjure up a world both ancient and lurking just at the edge of our perception. In its sensibility, Edda has more in common with Tolkien than with Wagner. That's not too surprising: Bagby performs his own rendition of Beowulf as well. Look in the classical section of your favorite music store, or go to www.sequentia.org.
Coventry Delivers the Goods
The material ranges from straight-up sea chanteys and folk tunes from the British Isles to progressive- and classic-rock sounds -- think Tempest, with less overt influence from the 1970s and a somewhat lower production budget. Special highlights include, "Hal-An-Tow/Buried My Wife," perfect for May Day celebrations everywhere; the hilarious "I'm Your Woman (Don't Treat Me Like Your Wife)"; and a decidedly pagan rewrite of the hymn "Lord of the Dance." All in all, Red Hair and Black Leather is a very solid Indie release with experienced, enthusiastic performers, strong material and decent arrangements.
Owners of Waiting for Godiva, which the group released in 2002, will find the selections from that recording remixed and in some cases re-recorded here, along with additional material. I definitely recommend you get your very own copy of Red Hair and Black Leather, either by visiting the band's Web site, www.coventry-music.com or by heading straight to www.cdbaby.com/.
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Genevieve Williams is a freelance writer, drummer and
academic librarian who lives in
Copyright © 2006 by the article's author