column
by Genevieve Williams
Spring came early this year, didn't it? By mid-February, my daffodils were up; as of this writing, nearly at February's end, they're already opening. Quite the change from the surprise snowstorm of early January, followed by ice that took out more than a few trees in the woods near my house and knocked out our electricity for two days. A few days of clear skies, some breezes that chill pleasantly rather than bite, and I'll believe in spring for sure.
Accordingly, this column I turn my attention to the music of spring, from Sweden to Mali. Gunnel Mauritzson elicits migratory feelings with Raisu äut, Haugaard and Høirup bring us some sounds of summer on Om Sommeren, and artists from Robert Plant to Ali Farka Touré represent on Festival in the Desert, all the way from Essakane, Mali. Belgium's Ceili Moss serves up Celtic folk-pop with a twist, and the Cascade Folk Trio, from Armenia by way of New York, blends the old and the new for a rich and exciting collection of songs.
First up is Raisu äut (Xource/Music Network), from Swedish folk and jazz singer Gunnel Mauritzson. This album is more on the folk side but features some decidedly nontraditional instruments, including a saxophone that plays in counterpoint to Mauritzson's voice on the title track to wonderful effect. There is something very migratory about Mauritzson's material here, and in fact she comments in the liner notes, "All the songs on this album deal with distances in one way or another. They also deal with searching and longing." What could be more appropriate for spring? The feeling of distance pervades both the music and the lyrics, which are sung in Swedish but with English translations provided in the CD booklet. "We Sold Our Homesteads," a song about a group of people selling their land and leaving home forever, has a wildness about its accompaniment that resembles some of the gypsy music I've recommended here in columns past. "Where Is My Path?" combines a lively accompaniment with almost somber vocals; the song is about someone seeking a life's purpose. I could go on, but you get the point: The spirit of seeking winds through this album like a thread.
Moving a bit south to Denmark, we come to the fiddle-guitar duo of Harald Haugaard and Morten Alfred Høirup, who released Om Sommeren (In the Summer, GO' Danish Folk Music) in the middle of winter. Just when someone would need it most, but it works just as well for spring. A mostly instrumental collection, Om Sommeren is very light -- not that the pieces are insubstantial, but they're performed with a certain delicacy of execution that permits no lugubriousness or overly weighty solemnity. This is serious music, but joyful as well. The musicians themselves put it best. Høirup says, "The whole thing arose from the fact that we had a long and extraordinary tough winter last year. In the spring, we decided to collect and compose material for an album that would be vibrant with a sense of summer. We simply had a need to make an album full of sunshine." Perhaps I should have waited for Litha, but after a Pacific Northwest winter, I think we could all use a little sunshine.
Speaking of sunshine, Triban Union brings us Festival in the Desert. This isn't Burning Man, but a music festival held in Mali in 2003 thanks to substantial international effort. The artists range from Malian star Ali Farka Touré and his protégé, Afel Bocoum, to Italian piano virtuoso Ludovico Einaudi, to former Led Zeppelin front man Robert Plant. The majority of the musicians are from Mali and other Saharan countries, which creates a consistency of sound that stands as a backdrop to their individual styles and modes of expression. From the drums and chant of Tartit to Sedoum Ehl Aïda's urgent, bluesy "Ya Moulana" to Aïcha Bint Chighaly's soaringly expressive vocals to the straight-up rock of Diné family band Blackfire, there really is something here to suit every curiosity. What's surprising here isn't so much the variety represented, but how well it all flows together -- even Plant and Justin Adams' "Win My Train Fare Home (If I Ever Get Lucky)." Whoever assembled this collection did an outstanding job; every selection is evocative of the things that are unique about a desert festival: its isolation, its necessarily temporary existence and primitive conditions, its extremes of weather, its inclusiveness of all comers. Whether your intention is meditation, dance, ritual or just to listen, there's something on Festival in the Desert for you.
Winding our way back up to Europe, we stop off in Belgium for a quick sampling of Ceili Moss, a self-described "Celtic folk band." This description, along with a few comparisons to the Pogues and a claimed list of musical influences as long as my arm, are intriguing yet troublesome -- there are enough Celtic folk ensembles out there (many of them neither Celtic nor folk) to intimidate anyone into abandoning that entire section of the music store. Ceili Moss, however, has a couple of things in its favor, beginning with a continental inflection one doesn't often see in this genre. Many ensembles that claim to perform music from Ireland, Scotland and Brittany tend to give little more than lip service to the last of these three. Ceili Moss, however, gives Brittany its due. Perhaps it's because they're Belgian. Whatever it is, Glad to Find You Well, their self-released CD, is a lively collection of tunes that's solidly rooted in folk with just a little bit of rock and roll. They aren't as punk as the Pogues, but they have a bit of that attitude, and it gives them an edge many Celtic-pop groups lack. Admittedly, the lyrics are sometimes a little hard to follow; vocalist Laurent Leemans' English is excellent but accented in a way that tends to blur on recording. This, however, is a minor complaint, more than made up for by Ceili Moss's cosmopolitan approach that shifts from rock to medieval to straight-up traditional with nary a misstep. If you find this description intriguing, visit Ceili Moss on the Web at http://ibelgique.ifrance.com/ceilimoss/ for more. They've also got some audio samples up at www.iuma.com
The Cascade Folk Trio make their homes in New York, but Arman Aghajanyan, Ohanna Mtghyan and Armen Papkiyan originally hail from Armenia. Old Street (Bandaz) is a perfect blend of traditional and modern, ancient and forward-looking, Armenian and American. Basing their music largely on traditional Armenian melodies, and often using Armenian rhythms and arrangements as well, the Cascade Folk Trio (named for a neighborhood in the city of Yereva) often bring in surprising elements. These include a strong jazz inflection (all three members are jazz fans) that give "Where Is My Love?" and "Pity, My Road" a late-night cosmopolitan sound. A plethora of instruments, many of them percussive, and a taste for dense arrangements make the Cascade Folk Trio sound like a much larger band. In fact, all three enjoyed considerable popular success in their home country, and it shows; these are very accomplished musicians, with a collective presence that comes through even on CD. The material is diverse and emotionally engaging, with many highly danceable numbers heavy on percussion, and a few out-and-out pop songs.
Finally, upcoming concerts and events of note: The Pacific Northwest's own Gaia Consort have a new CD, Evolve, which will probably be out by the time you read this. Visit www.gaiaconsort.com for information and updates on the project, and how to get your own copy. Also, the Bards of the Koad don't have an album yet, but look out for shows from them this year; their Web site is at www.bardsofthekoad.com, and sound samples are available. If you're fond of polyphony, Antoine Brumel's Earthquake Mass will be performed March 27 and 28, at St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle and St. Thomas Episcopal Church, respectively; see www.tudorchoir.org for details. Seattle's Town Hall has lots of stuff coming up, including Persian master musician Hossein Omoumi on March 27 and Bach Around the Clock on April 10; see www.townhall.org for a full schedule.
That's it for now; see you at Beltaine!
Genevieve Williams is a Seattle freelance writer and drummer. She can be reached at rimrun@drizzle.com with feedback, suggestions or recommendations. Local musicians and pagan groups are encouraged to submit material for review and concert dates for listing in Earth Tones.
Copyright © 2006 by the article's author